Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 35 0034【Recruitment for murder and arson】

at night.

Zhu Ming was lying on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, and suddenly said, "Dean Zhu, are you asleep yet?"

"Sleeping." Zhu Guoxiang's voice was confused.

Zhu Ming said seriously: "I reflected on it, and I was really anxious today, and I analyzed the reasons for my anxiety. The main reason is the time of Jingkang shame, just like counting down, I always want to prepare for that event."

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "Aren't you afraid that Fatty Zheng will report to the government?"

"Of course I'm not afraid." Zhu Ming was not worried about this. "He saw the official horse and didn't take it seriously. This already shows his attitude. Moreover, although the Song Dynasty strictly prohibited divination, it was spread everywhere, even in the city of Kaifeng. There are often prophecies. Let’s put it this way, as long as you don’t attack prefectures and counties, and don’t kill court officials, no one will care about raising flags and rebelling.”

Zhu Guoxiang was a little surprised: "So outrageous?"

Zhu Ming smiled and said, "How did you become a Song Jiang? He roamed around and plundered many places. The county magistrate only wanted to defend the city, and even concealed it without reporting it. He urged Song Jiang's gang to go to other prefectures and counties. As long as he leaves his working area, The county magistrates acted as if nothing had happened. Song Jiang fled from Hebei to Shandong, and if he hadn’t met the fierce Zhang Shuye, he would have continued to trouble him for several years.”

"It's a little different from what I imagined." Zhu Guoxiang said.

Zhu Ming continued to introduce the situation: "I used to buy a set of "Historical Materials of the Peasant Wars of the Two Song Dynasties" for the purpose of making a video. Just flipping through it can make people's eyes open. I don't talk about other places, just talk about the capital Kaifeng. Song Huizong ascended the throne. In the second year, there were hungry people rebelling around Kaifeng City, how long do you think it took the government to suppress them?"

"Two or three years?" Zhu Guoxiang guessed.

Zhu Ming laughed and said, "Eight years are enough to win the War of Resistance."

Zhu Guoxiang expressed his incomprehension: "It took eight years to wipe out the rebels near the capital?"

Zhu Ming said with emotion: "Moreover, the Ministry of Education personally issued an order to call on the officials of prefectures and counties near the capital to train their troops well and step up the encirclement and suppression."

"It's been around the capital for so long, but it's not as famous as Song Jiang?" Zhu Guoxiang asked.

Zhu Ming explained: "Because they didn't really raise the flag of rebellion, and they didn't shout the slogan of rebellion. The hungry people formed countless gangs, robbed the rich when they saw them, occasionally rushed into the city to rob the treasury, and dispersed immediately when they were surrounded by officers and soldiers. If the number of officers and soldiers is small, they will flock to them and eat up that group of officers and soldiers."

"This is not considered a rebellion," Zhu Guoxiang said.

"I've already robbed the government treasury and killed officers and soldiers, so it's not considered a rebellion?" Zhu Ming laughed. "It probably caused the court to lose face, and it was finally settled by appeasement. Those bandit leaders, as long as they can persist until the end, His mother recruited An to become an official. Really, murder and arson are recruited!"

Hearing what his son said, Zhu Guoxiang had a deeper understanding of the corruption of the Song Dynasty.

The rebels near the capital can persist for eight years, and the imperial court still has to rely on recruiting to solve the problem.Even if Chongzhen was the emperor, he wouldn't be so nonsense!

Just talking about the uprisings recorded in the history books, there were a lot of them in the Huizong Dynasty.

In the first year of Song Huizong's accession to the throne, Henan Province rebelled; in the second year, Hedong Road rebelled and Gyeonggi rebelled; in the seventh year, Suzhou rebelled; in the eighth year, Hebei West Road rebelled and Taiyuan rebelled; ... The above is just the beginning of the rebellion, and it has not yet entered the peak period of the rebellion.

Zhu Ming continued: "What you are concerned about is the agricultural technology here. What I inquired about is the local tax situation. The people's ability to bear it has reached the limit. If the government continues to increase taxes, I am afraid that even the old white people will want to rebel. .”

"Isn't the feudal dynasty raising taxes all on the bottom peasants?" Zhu Guoxiang asked.

Ju Ming laughed and said: "The Great Song Dynasty raised taxes and treated them equally. The grassroots have the grassroots tax, and the landlords have the landlord's tax. Even if someone in the family is an official, don't even think about running away. It's just that officials can make money and don't care about the few taxes."

Zhu Guoxiang wanted to be a landlord, so he couldn't help but ask, "What kind of taxes do big landlords like old white members pay?"

Zhu Ming said: "When you went to see the land and buy fields with Zeng Da, a tea house, I kept asking Bai Sanlang for information. Bai Sanlang said that the standard for purchasing money in Yangzhou is 420 renminbi for every land tax paid. A piece of silk will be levied. According to the market price in Yangzhou, the price of a piece of silk is between 1600 and 2200. The exorbitant taxes on buying money alone have reached four or five times the land tax.”

"How can the poor afford it?" Zhu Guoxiang couldn't imagine.

Zhu Ming said with a smile: "He and the money for buying are miscellaneous donations, which are specially collected from the rich. Only first-, second-, and third-class households have to pay."

Zhu Guoxiang immediately noticed a loophole: "If I were a big landlord, I would definitely try my best to lower my household status so that I wouldn't have to pay and buy money."

"Dean Zhu, you are really smart, but the imperial court is not a fool." Zhu Ming said.

The real situation is that in order to avoid this kind of tax on the rich, landlords across the country continue to divide their families and properties, and reduce themselves to the level of expropriating households.

The imperial court continued to expand the scope of collection. At the beginning, only first- and second-class households were levied, and gradually third-class households had to pay.When Zhao Jian established the Southern Song Dynasty, the fifth-class households had to pay and buy money for their mothers!

Zhu Ming also said: "In addition to buying money with He, there is also money for buying. According to the grain tax paid, the grain is sold to the government in proportion. It is said to be purchased, but it is actually robbed. The landlord gave the grain to the government for nothing. Bai Sanlang also said, He Taxes for the rich, such as buying money and buying money, were collected relatively politely in the past, but since Cai Jing became prime minister, the lower limit has been broken year by year."

Zhu Guoxiang could only sigh: "Cai Jing, a traitor, really deserved it."

Ju Ming analyzed: "If there is a rebellion in the Hanzhong Basin, the landlords can also be united. Not to mention the complete abolition of exorbitant taxes, but even announcing less collection and buying money, and buying money, it is very likely to win the support of the landlords. If we announce the tea Opening up business, canceling the ban, wealthy businessmen will also stand on the side of the rebels. The premise is that the rebels have to fight a few good battles, defeat the government and the army, and gain control of the Hanzhong area."

"It's possible." Zhu Guoxiang agreed.

Zhu Ming said: "I sorted out my thinking, and it has almost been straightened out. We, father and son, will join forces, and you will establish a good relationship with the big landlords in the county by imparting agricultural technology. If I can take the imperial examination, I will obtain an official status. I really can't For the imperial examination, contact with bandits and businessmen. If you donate the Ganoderma lucidum as big as a millstone, if it works well, you can also get a master book and county captain, and it is more convenient to do things with an official status."

"I have a question," Zhu Guoxiang said. "It seems that officials in ancient times could only be officials in other places. How did this old white official become the head of Xixiang County?"

Zhu Ming explained: "Only those above the magistrate level need to go to other places. Moreover, the county-level governments in the Northern Song Dynasty were divided into several levels."

"Take the county registrar as an example. For the county with the highest level, the registrar must be a Jinshi, and also needs official qualifications. In counties with a slightly lower level, Xinke Jinshi can also be the registrar. No matter how weak the county is, it is generally allowed to be a scholar. , transfer of miscellaneous officials. In counties with the lowest levels, cats and dogs can be masters."

"Furthermore, the directors of low-level counties are the main positions assigned by the anti-thieves to recruit security!"

Zhu Guoxiang almost laughed out loud: "Let the rebel be the county master?"

Zhu Ming said: "Big rebel leaders are usually assigned high positions or thrown into the army. And small rebel leaders, after being recruited, are very many as master bookkeepers and county lieutenants. They have been rebels, if they are responsible for tax collection , the landlords must be more active in paying taxes.”

Zhu Guoxiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "This can be regarded as knowing people and being good at responsibility, and the profession is very suitable."

"I heard from Bai Sanlang that the current Xixiang county chief and county lieutenant is the anti-thief leader who was recruited a few years ago." Zhu Ming said with a smile.

Zhu Guoxiang was terrified of the rebellion, thinking it was a big deal.

Now that I heard my son talk about it, I don't think it's a big deal. This thing seems to be commonplace.

Zhu Ming said: "We can slowly accumulate strength and make more contacts. If the excessive taxation is too heavy, even the landlord class will be filled with rebellious sentiment. At that time, we can try to raise the flag to rebel, first kill the local soldiers, and then find If you accept the recruitment by chance, you can become the county director in an instant. Of course, this is just one of the paths, it is only for choice, and it is not the optimal route."

Zhu Guoxiang warned: "No matter which path you choose, don't be in a hurry now, and talk about it after you have established a firm foothold."

"I'm really in a hurry today. I have to admit this, and I promise I won't do it again in the future." Ju Ming said sincerely.

Zhu Guoxiang knew his son's temperament: "It's useless to talk about it. You have to commit crimes. When you start farming, you go to work with the tenants. When you build a house, you also work with the craftsmen. Put in more physical strength. Live, sharpen your temper, as long as you persist for a year or so, you will definitely be much calmer."

"It's okay, just think of it as a training of willpower." Zhu Ming was actually obedient, just for that lofty goal.

The father and son chatted unscrupulously about rebellion in the thatched cottage of the farmhouse.

But far away in Yangzhou City, the general judge Li Rui was frowning.

Not only him, but all the state judges in the Hanzhong area felt headaches during this time.

Just received the news that this year, Hebuqian on Lizhou Road will start to levy an additional tax of 420 cash for a piece of silk to 400 cash.Not only that, but the money for buying and selling has also risen, and the landlord must "sell" more grain to the government, and it is okay not to give grain, just convert it into coins.

This is not over yet. The Lizhou Transshipment Department issued an order that within the jurisdiction of the military government of each state, 90% of the taxes arrears in the past three years must be paid this year (Northern Song Dynasty taxes, 90% of the quota is enough, and the rest Hand it over to the magistrates for their own disposal).

The three administrative orders all come from the central government, and there are plenty of reasons to make money. The imperial court wants to train archers.

The reason is that Zhong Shidao was summoned last year, and the emperor and his ministers had some exchanges. Song Huizong was very happy and appointed him on the spot as the archer to promote Qin Feng.

Zhong Shidao said that in the newly opened frontier of Qinfeng Road, archers cannot be transferred from the interior, otherwise problems will soon occur in the interior.

This offended Tong Guan badly!
Because Tong Guan had just formulated a plan to let archers from various roads in the inland go to Hehuang to guard the border for free.He also told Song Huizong that those archers were all recruited by the people on their own initiative, and they were well managed and did not disturb the people at all.

Under the pressure of Tong Guan, Zhong Shidao dared not accept the official position, so he asked to be promoted to Chongfu Palace (that is, to manage the Taoist temple).

Sure enough, as Master Zhong said, archers from all walks of life were blown up, not to mention a large number of people fled, and some even made mutiny.

It just so happened that Cai Jing returned to the prime minister and was ordered to wipe Tong Guan's butt.

This Cai Xianggong is a good hand at making money, directly increasing taxes in the Hanzhong area, using it to train Hehuang archers, and spending money to appease soldiers who are making trouble.

Just because of Cai Jing's words, the lives of ordinary people in the entire Hanzhong Basin this year will be difficult!
(End of this chapter)