Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 326 0321 [Zhongxiang Yang Yao]

After the restructuring of Yuanfeng, most of the transfer envoys of the roads were merged into one.

Jinghu Road is different, South Road and North Road each retain their own transfer envoys.The main reason is that the taxes in central Sichuan and Guangxi have to be sent to Jinghu Road for transshipment.

Hunan Transshipment Department, all three are good officials.

The transshipment envoy is called Zhou Yin, who has been an official for 20 years and is still a candidate, not even a Beijing official.He was transferred to and from Guangdong, Guangxi and two lakes, serving as county magistrate everywhere, and engaged in water conservancy everywhere.Finally, he was recommended by others, and his political achievements were known by the emperor. In five years, he was promoted from county magistrate to transit envoy.

The Deputy Envoy of Transshipment is Zhang Ju, who was born as a speech official and is very clean. He is currently writing letters to impeach Wang Fu, Tong Guan and Cai You.

The transfer judge is called Huang Shu'ao, the younger brother of Huang Tingjian.He's getting old, and was implicated by Huang Tingjian, so he couldn't get promoted. He has always been upright and clean, and has suppressed the subordinates into obedience.

However, the three good officials couldn't resist Wang Fu's forced expropriation of his husband's money.

Because it is a decree issued by the imperial court, the official document must be forwarded according to the procedure.Among the state and county officials below, there are always those who want to gain political achievements and get promoted, and there are always those who want to take advantage of the opportunity to make a profit.

Zhu Ming took a boat all the way to Hengyang, and heard crying and shouting at the pier.

The magistrate of Hengzhou is forcibly recruiting local soldiers, because Fang Qifo has grown up and may lead troops to kill him at any time.

The people inside and outside the city either sent out strong men to serve as soldiers, or paid money for exempting their husbands.

Moreover, it is a second subscription, one payment to the imperial court to fight against Liao, and one payment to the magistrate to defend the city.

With his entourage and students, Zhu Ming silently watched the chaotic situation outside the city.

Some poor people sell their sons and daughters in exchange for free money.Several areas were formed outside the city, and the Ya people shuttled through them, picking and picking like cattle.

Everyone remained expressionless and rehired the ship, rested for two days and continued northward.

Before reaching Xiangtan, he encountered officers and soldiers.

Large and small ships transported grain, grass and supplies, and Xiang troops and town soldiers walked along the river.These soldiers, let alone lacking armor, even had tattered clothes, went south like walking corpses.

Zhu Ming's ship was surrounded by official ships, and the officers planned to blackmail them severely in the name of searching for spies.

"Where did you come from? Where are you going? Is there any reason?" an officer asked.

Zhu Ming didn't answer, Bai Sheng stood up and showed his waist badge.

The reason is similar to Luyin in the Ming Dynasty.

And senior officials all have waist cards, and there are entourages who can get salaries.The higher the rank of the official, the higher the level of the belt of the follower.

Ju Ming's ivory official badge has been confiscated, and his entourage's waist badge will naturally have to be handed in.

However, Bai Sheng had already been asked to engrave a copy privately, and now he came out with a fake sign to bluff people.

The fake brand is very high-level, and it is the entourage of the court officials.

The officer looked at the fake waist badge, and saw that Zhu Ming and the students had an extraordinary demeanor, so he quickly bowed and apologized: "Excuse me, all officers, go slowly."

When the ship continued sailing, Zhang Tong couldn't help but said, "My lord, it is a felony to make an official license plate without permission!"

Zhu Ming said, "I can't care less."

Zhang Tong was full of doubts, and wanted to know what Ju Ming was going to do.

"There are deserters, there are deserters!"

There was a commotion on the shore, but taking advantage of the pause just now, hundreds of soldiers from the countryside behind escaped collectively.

Zhu Ming led the crowd to the bow of the boat, and saw only a few hundred horsemen chasing and killing the deserters.More than a dozen people were hacked to death one after another, and the rest knelt down and begged for mercy, and were tied up to see the leader of the army.

"Ask the leader of the escape, and kill three of them to correct the law!"

Not long after, three unlucky ones were randomly picked out, dragged to the edge of the Xiangjiang River and beheaded.

Continue to go north to Changsha and plan to change ships again.

But no boats could be found at all, either they had been requisitioned to fight the war, or they were reserved for grain boats.The boats that Ju Ming hired in Hengyang did not want to go any further. The boatmen were worried about the safety of their families.

Zhu Ming led the crowd on foot, after crossing Qiaokou Town, they entered the boundary of Xiangyin County.

A lot of land here was abandoned. After careful inquiry, I found out that the magistrate of Xiangyin County expropriated and expropriated, and he had been an official for five years and had not moved.

In order to please Cai Jing, this person was crazy about Fang Tianzhangtu. As a result, Cai Jing was dismissed and he was impeached and questioned instead.Now, to curry favor with Wang Fu, the expropriation money is doubled, and the petty officials imitate the example and collect an average of two guan for each Dingkou.

Naturally, the common people couldn't afford that much, so they attacked the landlords.

Let those landlords who have no backing pay for the free money of nearby farmers.The landlords have been exploited for several years, and I don’t know how many exorbitant taxes they have paid. Now they are asked to pay compensation, and even the landlords and farmers flee in large numbers.

The magistrate of Xiangyin didn't care about these things, he had already bribed the superior, and went to the capital to send money to Wang Fu's henchmen, so he could be promoted and transferred to a distant place soon.

Before leaving office, can't you make a fortune and earn back the money you gave away?
The students were numb to seeing it, they had seen worse.

When they went south to join Zhu Ming, they crossed Jingji Road and Jingxi Road.Those places had experienced natural disasters for three consecutive years, and were exploited by the eunuch Yang Jian. They had to pay both taxes and rent, which was equivalent to paying taxes twice.

And Tian Fu has already doubled under Cai Jing's Sao operation, and Yang Jian does this again, and actually has to pay several times the tax.

This is just a formal tax, excluding exorbitant taxes.

"Sir, is it really useful to persuade the officials?" Chen Dong looked at the abandoned fertile soil, and his whole body became extremely bewildered.

The other students also looked at Ju Ming.

Zhu Ming said decisively: "I will let him listen, but if he really doesn't listen, think of another way."

When I came to Xiangyin city, there were beggars everywhere, many of them were farmers who had fled from the countryside. They couldn't find work in the city and had to beg.

It took Zhu Ming two days to hire a boat, but he could only cross Dongting Lake to Yuezhou.

……

On the west side of Dongting Lake, there is a large lake in Wuling County, Dingzhou, which is connected to Dongting Lake through Yuanshui.

Businessman Zhong Xiang finds it difficult to do business because the government keeps raising taxes.As early as more than ten years ago, he came into contact with Manichaeism in other places, copied the teachings and brought them back to his hometown, and made some revisions by himself.

At this moment, hundreds of people gathered at Zhong's house.

"The light is universal and pure, always blissful, silent and unmoving, and cursed. He enjoys happiness and has no troubles. If he says there is suffering, there is no place for him... Always feel happy and bright, if he says he is sick, there is no place for him... If he can live in that country After all, there will be no worries at all..."

The believers chanted scriptures, yearning for a bright kingdom without suffering.

This stuff spreads all over the south, Zhejiang is called Manichaeism, Fujian is called Mingjiao, Huainan is called Erhuizi, Jiangdong is called Siguo, and Jiangxi is called King Kongchan.In addition to the poor peasants, the congregation also includes subordinate officials, Xiangjun, scholars, bandits, actors... the three religions are all-encompassing.

Zhong Xiang led the believers to finish singing the scriptures and began to preach the teachings: "There are all kinds of dharmas in this world. It is not a good dharma to divide the rich and the poor into the noble and the humble. If I were to practice the dharma, I would equal the rich and the poor, equal the rich and the poor... "

"Those who join my teaching are all brothers and sisters, and they are generally equal. Whoever becomes an official cannot be superior. Whoever accumulates wealth must also help poor brothers..."

"If all the people in Wuling County join my teaching, keeping them will make their silkworms flourish and their physiology rich..."

"Now that the government is pursuing exemption money, we have told the government, and the officials agree to take less money. The money and food stored in the village community must not be enough. My family is willing to donate two hundred guan to help brothers and sisters tide over the difficulties. For the rest of the country gentry, I will also let them help, it is impossible to see the brothers and sisters in the church without food..."

Hundreds of congregants were overwhelmed with excitement, they all knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, the Great Sage, for your kindness!"

Zhong Xiang smiled and nodded: "You don't need to thank me for standing up. Everyone who joins the religion is a brother, and mutual help is what should be."

Zhong Xiang has been preaching for more than ten years, and Fang La in front of him is also a descendant of Manichaeism.

There are more than a few hundred of his believers, they have spread all over Wuling County, and even opened several branch altars around Dongting Lake.

Many low-level officials also came to teach, and he could get official news at any time.

Gentlemen and businessmen all knew of Zhong Xiang's existence, and even the previous county magistrates knew about it, but they didn't dare to attack Zhong Xiang at all.Especially after the Fang La uprising, the county magistrates were so frightened that they could only pretend not to see it, and prayed not to rebel during their term of office.

On the surface, what Zhong Xiang formed was only a mutual aid association—a township society.

Farmers can join the association by handing over some money and food, and mutual aid is practiced in the society.When encountering exploitation by the government, Zhong Xiang is responsible for negotiating, trying to get the officials to charge less, and then use the funds in the society to help members in difficulties to tide over the difficulties.

If there is not enough funds in the club, rich members are asked to donate some, and even gentry and merchants are asked to solicit donations.

In the villages affected by Zhongxiang, the people's life is obviously better, but it is similar to Daming Village.

After the disciples dispersed, Zhong Ziang reported in a low voice: "Father, I just received the news that Fang La's general Fang Qifo has occupied the land of the three states in the south."

Zhong Xiang said: "The violence of the Song Dynasty is not exhausted. Fang La made such a big commotion, and he was defeated for a year and a half. We can't launch it easily, we have to wait and see the changes in the situation. You take some brothers and sisters to Yuezhou this year to count The county preaches. The government expropriates and extorts money, which is a good time to preach."

Zhong Ziang said, "My child understands."

Zhong Xiang warned: "Be careful, don't disturb the government, we have no foundation in Yuezhou."

Just over ten miles east of the place where Zhong Xiang taught the Fa, 14-year-old Mrs. Yang was working on a merchant ship.He's not called Yang Yao yet, that's his nickname after the rebellion.

Mrs. Yang studied in a private school for two years, dropped out of school from a poor family, and was arranged by her father to help on a merchant ship.

"The husband's money has been settled!" Clan brother Yang Qin ran over happily.

Although the two of them are young, since they are working in the merchant ship, they have to obediently pay the money.

Mrs. Yang asked, "Where did you get the money?"

Yang Qin said: "I donate some myself, help some from the agency, and then talk to the government is enough."

"Is it really useful?" Mrs. Yang said in surprise.

The two brothers were dragged into the religion by their parents. They were usually busy with work and did not listen to Fa lectures.

After experiencing this incident, Mrs. Yang has a sense of identity with Manichaeism.

That night, he and his two brothers, Yang Qin, got off the boat in the dark to listen to the altar master's lecture.

After all, Mrs. Yang has read books for two years and heard various teachings, which she understands more deeply than ordinary believers.He fantasized about the kingdom of light without oppression and suffering, and he stayed up all night on the boat, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Equally rich and poor, high and low, what a day!

(End of this chapter)