Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1082 1077 [Loyalty cannot be expressed in words, Mr. Zhao]

This wave of political struggle seems to be very powerful, but the result is just a lot of noise but little results.

In the blink of an eye, everything was calm.

Everyone has already seen clearly that the emperor really wants to give Li Hanzhang a warning and weaken the power of the prime minister at the same time.

But that’s all, it’s just a slight weakening and that’s it, and you’re not allowed to fight anymore.

At least don't fight in front of the emperor, it doesn't matter if you do it in private.

Many non-factional officials in Beijing visited Chen Dong after the court was dismissed.

Chen Dong simply closed the door and refused to see anyone.

A few days later, the imperial court held a meeting.

Li Guang, the Left Censor-in-Chief who was about to turn 70, took the censorial reports from several provinces and said: "In the provinces that recruited militia, retired soldiers, and immigrants, there were more or less cases of officials taking the opportunity to exploit the people. Some prefecture and county officials colluded with each other and blatantly collected exemption money; in some prefectures and counties, the clerks pretended to obey but secretly violated the rules, and colluded with or forced the head of the baojia to extort the common people."

Zhu Ming nodded and said, "This is normal. It would be strange if everyone was honest and upright."

Li Guang asked: "At this time, the imperial court is in the process of conquering Dali. If several provinces are investigated together, it will definitely affect the mobilization of personnel and materials. I would like to ask the emperor to tell me to what extent the investigation should be carried out."

Zhu Ming said: "All officials involved in blatantly collecting exorbitant taxes, including exemption money, will be exiled to Li. As for those who just took the opportunity to extort the people and did not collect money in the name of the government, we can just arrest a few typical ones and exile them to Li."

"Yes, sir." Li Guang accepted the order.

Zhu Ming asked again: "What about Changping Warehouse? Is there any problem?"

Li Guang said: "No abnormalities have been found so far."

Zhang Jun, the Minister of Finance, said: "The provincial governors and commanders-in-chief of the relevant provinces have sent telegrams that the money and grain have been fully collected and two provinces have already started shipping."

There must have been officials who embezzled grain from the Changping Warehouse, but the court suddenly needed to transfer grain, and the officials involved quickly found ways to make up for it.

As long as it is made up, the censor will not bother to care.

After all, there are not many inspectors, and local officials are needed to cooperate in investigating cases. There is no need to cause unpleasantness because of this.

Of course, if the shortfall in grain cannot be made up, don’t blame the censor for being ruthless!

Zhu Ming asked again: "Where are the armies?"

Zhang Guangdao said: "The main troops of several armies have been assembled, and the auxiliary troops composed of retired veterans and militia have also been assembled. However, because most of the civilian laborers accompanying the army this time are immigrants who will stay in Yunnan and Guizhou, they need to be recruited from several provinces, so we have to wait a while."

"We in the capital don't know what the situation is at the front," Zhu Ming said, "Send a telegram to the generals at the front and ask them to wait until the weather is cooler and choose a good time to march."

"Yes!"

After some more discussion, the meeting ended.

Zhang Tong quickened his pace and caught up with Zhang Guang and said, "It's cool today, why don't we find a place to have a drink."

"I am busy with military affairs, let's do it another day." Zhang Guangdao declined.

Zhang Tong kept smiling: "That's fine, we'll drink some other day."

Zhang Guangda strode out of the hall and got into the public carriage in the imperial city.

Zhang Tong sighed.

He really had no intention of targeting Zhang Guangdao this time. It was purely some of his cronies with holes in their brains who were causing trouble.

Given Zhang Guangdao's qualifications and merits, how could he have gotten away with it so easily if he hadn't committed the crime of treason?

Zhang Tong was not only the leader of the "Shandong faction" of civil officials, but also the backer of many military generals. He represented all the military men in the cabinet and it was in his best interest to have a good relationship with Zhang Guangdao.

"I'll make an appointment some other day." Li Bao came over without anyone noticing.

Zhang Tong said angrily: "Your presence will only make matters worse. The Huainan General is your old subordinate, and the Huainan Commander is his old subordinate. Your old subordinates joined forces with the civil officials to overthrow his old subordinates!"

"Fuck, who knows about this kind of thing?"

Li Bao cursed: "I haven't seen Li Jiang for several years. The last time I met him was when he came back to Beijing to report on his work and brought some local specialties to visit me. Besides, my former subordinates didn't embezzle, but his former subordinates exploited the people. Who can I blame for this?"

Zhang Tong whispered, "He suspected that we had teamed up with some officials to bring down both him and Prime Minister Li."

"It may be good for you to destroy him, but how can it benefit me?" Li Bao said, "One day I will carry a wine pot, go to his house barefoot and shirtless, and stand outside the main door to ask him to drink. If he doesn't open the door, it means he is at odds with me. If he opens the door, then we are still good brothers. Let him choose between being brothers or enemies. Don't be so shy like a turban. It's such a simple matter, but you make it too complicated."

Zhang Tong thought: "Will this work? Otherwise, let's ask Yang Zhi to come forward. Yang Zhi has a good relationship with everyone, so we have to give him face no matter who he is."

Li Bao smiled and said, "Then I will go with Yang Zhi to knock on the door."

The two of them got on the carriage while chatting and laughing, and Shi Yuangong and Yang Zhi walked over.

Shi Yuangong and Yang Zhi lived the most transparent lives, and had long since entered a state of lying down. They handled official business well, and went home to rest when they had no official business. They often avoided disputes and were too lazy to argue about anything.

Of course, with the way they behave, their old subordinates will definitely be promoted more slowly.

Even some old subordinates have changed their allegiance.

"I'm ready to retire." Shi Yuangong said suddenly.

Yang Zhi asked, "Will you work for a few more years?"

Shi Yuangong said: "At an old age, it would be best if I could retire peacefully, which would also pave the way for the younger generations."

Shi Yuangong is already over sixty years old. He joined Zhu Ming in his thirties and followed Zhu Ming to Jinzhou before getting married. Now his eldest son is in his early twenties. He dropped out of the Imperial College and went to the military academy. After graduating from the military academy, he joined the imperial guards directly. He is currently serving as the captain of the palace guards under Bai Sheng. The sooner Shi Yuangong retires, the faster his son will be promoted.

His second son also graduated from the military academy, but his third son was a good student, with above-average grades in the Imperial College. With this grade, he would have no problem graduating from the Imperial College, and he would have a high chance of passing the imperial examination.

Think about how he was a down-and-out scholar who was forced into a desperate situation and even resorted to evildoing.

Now, not only has he been promoted, his three sons also have a future, and his daughter has also married into a good family.

Why pursue progress?
Let him just retire and enjoy his old age. He already has four grandchildren. How comfortable and fulfilling it is for him to play with them.

Yang Zhi muttered, "I'll retire in two more years, but I don't know what I can do when I retire and go home."

Shi Yuangong smiled and said, "There are many things we can do. You and I both have some savings, and we can get rewards when we retire, and we can also receive half salary or full salary after retirement. When the time comes, we will first repair the ancestral house and tombs, buy some shops and land, and then help the good children of the neighbors to study."

Yang Zhi curled his lips and said, "I was born in Kaifeng City, where is my ancestral home or grave?"

"Then you can expand your family and build up a family fortune to become the founder of the Yang family in Kaifeng," Shi Yuangong said. "A few hundred years later, you may have thousands of descendants offering sacrifices to you. The family tree says that the founder of the Yang family was named Zhigong and so on."

Yang Zhi was delighted when he heard this: "That's great, that's great, I can even be worshipped and eat cold pork after I die!"

……

Zhenyuan County.

This was Anyi County of the former Song Dynasty. The name suggests there were many barbarians here. It had been abandoned and turned into a village when the Ming Dynasty was founded.

With the continuous exile of criminals and the absorption of half-Sinicized barbarians, it now finally looks like a county town.

Unfortunately, there is still no decent city wall.

There is only a stone castle nestled in the mountains and beside the water, and outside the castle are the streets of the county town, which has a bit of the flavor of a Japanese castle town.

Zhao Ji ultimately failed to gain merit and be reinstated, but he was no longer a criminal and had become the chief clerk of Anyi County.

Since this guy fled and remarried, he has given birth to four children.

He is definitely unable to give birth now, he is already over sixty years old.

A speedboat arrived, and the messenger went straight to the county government office, took out the official document and said to the county magistrate: "Vacate the vacant land in the suburbs as soon as possible. The vanguard army will arrive in half a month. Build a military camp and a grain station there!"

The task fell on Zhao Ji.

Although he could arrange for the police to do it, he was afraid of any mistakes in military affairs, so he personally led people to the suburbs.

The land had already been selected, and even some granaries had been built.

But there are still villagers nearby and they have to move away temporarily.

Zhao Ji enjoyed great prestige here. He appeared in person to say hello, and the baojia leaders began to make preparations.

Most of the villagers here are exiled prisoners and their relatives.

The earliest batch of unmarried exiles married foreign women here, and their children are almost adults.

Although they formed a militia and received soldiers and armor, they hardly fought any wars.

The barbarians nearby had long been semi-Sinicized. Under the leadership of the criminal official who was eager to make meritorious deeds to atone for his sins, the Han people and the barbarians worked together to open up wasteland and cultivate land.

The imperial court brought in grain, oxen, farm tools and seeds, and the barbarians who were willing to naturalize also received a share. They also persuaded agricultural officials to come and provide guidance. After the corn and sweet potato harvest, a large number of barbarians took the initiative to register with the government.

In less than half a month, the vanguard army arrived in Zhenyuan County.

The general in charge was named Ye Tie. He was originally one of the leaders of the peasant army in Fujian. He rebelled against the small court in the southeast and defected to the Ming Dynasty.

"It's really good. Not only has the granary been built, but the military camp has also been repaired in a realistic manner." Ye Tie nodded in approval after the inspection.

In such a small county, there is only a county magistrate, but no chief clerk or county magistrate.

Therefore, although Zhao Ji was an official, he was actually the second in command of Zhenyuan County.

A regular official like him must register with the Ministry of Personnel.

Zhao Ji followed behind the county magistrate, accompanied Ye Tie everywhere, and kept answering specific questions, making Ye Tie nod repeatedly.

An emperor at the end of the Song Dynasty and a rebel at the end of the Song Dynasty had a very pleasant conversation.

Ye Tie was quite surprised: "Mr. Old Man was also a soldier before?"

Zhao Ji replied, "I used to be from the Central Plains. The former Song Dynasty was ruled by a tyrant and tyrant, and the Central Plains was full of thieves. I had no chance to be an official, and my home was robbed by thieves. All my relatives were separated, so I had to follow the refugees and move south."

"The former emperor of the Song Dynasty was indeed a bastard. I was forced to rebel because of him!" Ye Tie said with sympathy.

Zhao Ji cursed inwardly, but continued calmly, "Later, Prince Li led his troops to attack Jiangnan. I took the opportunity to persuade a group of bandits to rise up and capture a prefecture. Then I joined the imperial court and became an official of the Ming Dynasty."

Ye Tie liked it more and more: "I also rebelled and surrendered to the current court! No wonder you can build a military camp. It turns out that you were a leader of the rebel army. How come you came to Zhenyuan County to be an old official?"

"Ugh!"

Zhao Ji sighed and said, "I learned how to build a military camp with civilians when the court was fighting against Zhong Xiang. At that time, I was an official in the county town at the forefront of the Eastern Route Army. Later, I was promoted for meritorious service, but I couldn't help but be a little greedy... I didn't get much, so I was exiled here."

Ye Tie said: "The old gentleman's experience is much more bizarre than mine. I will leave after two days of rest. Military rations will be transported to me continuously. There are still many things I need to trouble you with."

"We are all loyal to the emperor and our country. There is no need to say anything tedious." Zhao Ji acted like a loyal minister.

(End of this chapter)