Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 490 Luo Guanzhong’s Past

Eudosia jumped out of the carriage and heard Li Xuanying singing a song with an unfamiliar melody at the door.

She stepped forward and slammed the door hard.

"Who is it?" Li Xuanying asked inside.

"Me," Eudosia said.

Li Xuanying came over and opened the door and let her in. Through the light, she saw the rather delicate-looking musical instrument behind Li Xuanying.

On the wall opposite the door, there is a desk with a stack of manuscript paper and a lamp on it. There are many messy books and stationery on the bookshelf next to it. An old man wearing a turban stood behind the door, which happened to be in the blind spot of the window. He quickly looked at Eudocia, then calmly pressed back the short knife at his waist, and walked back to the table in small steps.

Li Xuanying didn't seem to notice these small movements, but asked a little surprised: "Why did you come here suddenly in the middle of the night?"

"There's chaos outside, haven't you noticed?" Eudosia asked.

"The activities these days have been so chaotic, haven't they been so chaotic every day? I've become numb." Li Xuanying replied helplessly, and then introduced him by the way: "Oh, this is Mr. Luo Guanzhong. I didn't have time to bring you to him before. .”

"You are the tragic writer who is particularly famous recently." Eudocia greeted him politely: "I have also heard of your works. I have the honor to meet you today."

"Thank you, thank you. I can't bear this praise." Luo Guanzhong quickly cupped his hands and said humbly.

"Mr. Luo, there is no need to be too modest." Li Xuanying smiled and said to Odosia: "This gentleman is already quite famous in the East."

"Oh, then you..."

"Hey, I can't get along there either." Luo Guanzhong noticed her confusion and took the initiative to explain: "My forefather, Mr. Shi, was Zhang Shicheng's staff. Although he later resigned and returned home, he began to compile folk tales , rumors in the countryside, but still implicated.”

"My family is a merchant from Shanxi, engaged in silk business, so we often go to Suzhou and Hangzhou to purchase goods. During that time, I learned a lot from the local gentlemen. But people like my family who do business over long distances, and The government and local wealthy businessmen all had to have some contacts. After the Ming Dynasty was established, the court did not like people like us, so we could only work among the people and make a living by writing books and screenplays."

"So that's it." Eudocia seemed to have understood.

"Our works are not very popular either." He said helplessly: "Mr. Shi had planned to write a novel with the theme of heroes rebelling. He planned to write the whole book in vernacular to facilitate its dissemination in the market. But not long after he wrote it, he was caught by the Ming Dynasty officials, who said that what he wrote was a 'book promoting rebellion', and he was imprisoned in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment for more than a year before being released."

"Of course, I think this is unavoidable. Many stories in that book are nominally from the late Northern Song Dynasty, but the prototypes are probably based on Zhang Shicheng and others. I asked him, but he didn't give me a direct answer in the affirmative. , but I feel that even though they fell out in the end, he did miss or regret those people."

"At that time, Emperor Zhu, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, was still on the throne, and he was very strict with his subordinates. Before the book was finished and it hadn't been printed, suddenly an official came to pick someone up. Now that I think about it, he probably recited words and poems in the streets and alleys every day. , and also discussed the plot of the work with others, so that everyone knows..."

"Mr. Luo himself has experienced this kind of thing." Li Xuanying said: "Compared to the Ming Dynasty, the supervision of literary creation in the Yuan Dynasty was indeed much looser."

"It's not that he is lax, that's because he has no management at all." Luo Guanzhong complained: "As for whether it is good or not...it depends on what is needed."

"For example, Mr. Shi's good friend Mr. Lu Yuan was from Lin'an Prefecture. He passed the Jinshi examination and served as county magistrate in Songjiang Prefecture. When civil unrest broke out, Mr. Lu followed Prime Minister Tuotuo and led the people to support the Great Khan. After the failure, he also returned to his hometown to live in seclusion. He declined several calls in the Ming Dynasty and refused to serve as an official. Mr. Shi had close contacts with them, and they often sang poems to each other, so I may also understand some of their mentality. "

"After Mr. Shi passed away, several of our disciples were entrusted by him to sort out his works. Especially the last part of "Water Margin" has not been finalized yet. Maybe we are not related to the elders of the Yuan Dynasty. For some, the obstacles I encountered were not as big as theirs. However, it is not realistic to want to be an official."

"In order to make a living and publish books, I traveled around the south of the Yangtze River all year round. On the one hand, I traveled around to collect wonderful folk tales and drama passages. On the other hand, I also visited old friends and met talented Jin gentry gentlemen. The materials I now use for storytelling, Basically they were collected at that time.”

"So if you want to say whether you have any grievances, you definitely still had them back then. But after more than 20 years, I've gotten used to it. Anyway, I'm doing okay..." He smiled to himself.

"Then why did you leave your hometown again?" Although she looked anxious when she entered the door, Eudocia did not rush to tell her what she was going to do, so she asked the question.

"I was used to this kind of life, but after Emperor Zhu's funeral, the court seemed a little unstable. Then I suddenly heard that there was a big mess in the capital." Luo Guanzhong said.

"At that time, I happened to be traveling far away and wanted to find a suitable printing house to publish the parts I had compiled before. As a result, I was confused and was regarded as a suspect and was thrown into the county government prison."

"I heard from people that there was a sudden chaos in the capital at that time. King Wu took advantage of the chaos to escape and is still hiding among the people. The officials are looking for people everywhere. Because the matter is so important, anyone who is suspected will be caught first. I am the only one. A foreigner, wandering around Songjiang Mansion, usually wrote some Yuefu poems and used pun metaphors to mock people. The official probably thought that the old man didn't look like a good person, so he took me too..." "Ah... "Li Xuanying also knew about this and was a little helpless for a moment.

"But I was lucky that time. It didn't take long for the matter to be investigated and I was released. But to be honest, it still scared people. Anyway, after that, I felt that I had to change my habit of casually speaking sarcastically. "." Luo Guanzhong also said with some fear: "You know, the Hu Weiyong case has not been over for too long. Everyone thought that something big was going to happen again. A few of my friends suggested that I go to sea to hide for a while, so I Quickly pack your things and run away with them.”

"I seem to have heard a lot about people escaping into the sea." Li Xuanying thought for a moment and said, "But it's normal. After all, the Ming Dynasty cannot cover everything. If people need to escape secretly, it can be considered a strict management."

"Like ours, if you want to escape, you may not need any special preparations. As long as you avoid a few front lines where wars are fought all year round, there is basically no management in other places. You can just run in and out."

"Is it okay to run in?" Luo Guanzhong asked curiously.

"Yes, there are quite a few people who come here every year." Li Xuanying told him: "We usually gather them together and send them to the newly developed villages in the north of Crimea. Although the conditions are a bit harsh, there are Land and tax-free policies, so many people come directly for this. However, how do you attract the overseas Yuan Dynasty forces? "

"Usually it's not them who take the initiative to attract people, but people who are dissatisfied with the imperial court who take the initiative to escape. In the south of the Yangtze River, there are actually quite a few such people." Luo Guanzhong told him: "Local businessmen told me that the imperial court frequently closed down seaports in order to prevent the Yuan Dynasty. But they Songjiang people still have to do business with maritime merchants. Therefore, big businessmen basically have private channels to purchase and ship goods on the black market, or even directly smuggle goods out. After all, the government's supervision capabilities are limited. , it is impossible to completely ban it. As long as there are channels, you can still escape."

"Moreover, I have some contacts with them all the year round, and Mr. Shi's reputation makes them more considerate. The Javanese sent a ship to pick us up. After we got there, the head of the powerful Chen family valued me. , let me serve as his staff."

"Isn't that nice?" Eudosia asked.

"It was fine at first, but after a few years of stability, Mr. Chen also passed away. Among his descendants, there were no very capable people. Instead, they were all obsessed with competing for profit. I was also pushed out of the ranks of staff and went to local posts. The general manager of an island." Luo Guanzhong said.

"Isn't this a good thing? On the one hand, it is far away from disputes, and on the other hand, it is a position of real power." Li Xuanying said.

"I don't know how to calculate it in other places, but in Java Yuan, the local director is a particularly risky position. At least for me, it is not very suitable." Luo Guanzhong shook his head.

"This job is just like gambling. The Javanese court will select a group of people and throw them to a certain island or manor. They don't care where these people come from or what their background is, as long as someone guarantees it or pays a sum With the corresponding deposit or other collateral, you can take office."

"I heard that they even helped corrupt officials of the Ming Dynasty escape, and then let these people become local officials. They called it cherishing talents and allowed everyone to maintain their original official ranks. In fact, they would use safety as an excuse. , leaving their families in Java, and then letting them go to various islands to deal with the natives."

"Corrupt officials who didn't even dare to deal with me in the Ming Dynasty... Can such people really be used? Won't they make the officialdom a mess?" Li Xuanying asked.

"Didn't you hear what Mr. Luo said? You are going to be the governor of a place where natives live." Eudocia couldn't help but interrupt and reminded.

"Yes, that's the problem this girl mentioned." Luo Guanzhong explained: "The Javanese court used a tax package method for local governors, county magistrates, and even prefects, which is a bit similar to the Western Zhou Dynasty. As long as it can be paid every year Provide enough tribute, and the court won't care what you did or how much you were greedy for."

"If a particularly capable corrupt person can extract more money from the local area and hand over more property or manpower to the court in order to buy a higher official position and greater power, the court will not punish him, but will They will be rewarded - they wish everyone could be more greedy."

"Then, what will happen if the natives rebel?" Li Xuanying asked.

"Their place is different from the Central Plains. It is not very convenient to travel between various residential areas. It is only possible part of the year. The natives are also divided into many different tribes and chiefdoms. They are not in the same group with each other and often do not understand each other's languages. , and they attack each other from time to time. Even the powerful local king who originally existed in the local area is often a relatively strong city-state lord who uses trade and power to force others to surrender." Luo Guanzhong said:

"So, even if the natives in one place want to rebel, generally no one else will respond; even if they all want to rebel, it is difficult for them to unite with each other willingly and militarily. Coastal places are a lot more convenient, but naval battles It pays more attention to technology, and the advantage of numbers is not reflected. Compared with the wooden boats of the natives, the Yuan Army's giant ships have unparalleled advantages. Therefore, the routes everywhere are always firmly controlled by the Yuan Army Navy By."

"Even if the natives conquer a manor or an island, it will be of no use. Soon, the navy will bring the Javanese imperial army to suppress it, and will also bring many servant armies from other ethnic groups. These natives from other places , are often much more cruel than the Yuan army. Once the army passes by, there are often not even the original tribes left. As for those local kings with more developed fiefdoms and power and prestige, they are afraid that the Ming Dynasty is far better than the Yuan army. They would rather give up a A small part of the power also wants to help the Yuan Dynasty to prevent the Ming army from being converted. Therefore, they are not afraid of anyone rebelling."

"Of course, there are still risks for local officials. Depending on the situation, the Central Committee of the Yuan Dynasty will arrange some start-up funds for you, or let you receive some troops left by your predecessor. However, places with good conditions have long been taken over by the wealthy families and After their cronies are divided, newcomers like us can only go to more difficult places, often with little support. Those with money can open up the joints, or simply hire a group of guards. Those without money can only borrow money, and then Bite the bullet and go for it.”

"After all, I was still known as a disciple of the Chen family at that time. The government did not neglect me too much. I arranged dozens of county soldiers for me, and then I went to take office as the county magistrate. After I went there, I found that the so-called county magistrate was actually a planter. The owner of the garden. There are two nominally surrendered tribes next to the manor, and there is a small dock next to the county government office. A cargo ship will come once a month. Other than that, there is nothing."

"I calculated that the output of the manor can only meet the tax collection requirements of the court. I don't know where more things come from. An old official told me that I have to find a way to get it from the natives. It turns out that the manor After the natives learned how to farm, they would also open some land for planting. When working on weekdays, they would often hide some of it privately. If I can harvest this part of the output, it will be my own."

"This is indeed similar to some countries in Europe." Eudosia also told Li Xuanying: "I heard that in Alemany, the biggest risk of taxation is not how much corruption is involved, but whether the tax collector will directly Take away the taxes and run away. Therefore, the great lord would rather implement enfeoffment and obtain smaller tributes instead of sending people to collect them directly - at least the vassals will not run away casually."

"God—"

(End of this chapter)