Early Ming Dynasty: Turning Clouds and Rains into New Learning Saints

Chapter 149 New Deal
The gap between the elite and the mob cannot be made up by numbers.

Zhu Liangzu knew this, but Dianshi Ma Ruhai did not.Because he has never seen one, what do the real elites look like, and how powerful are they?
If He Zhen in Guangdong had not chosen to surrender, but fought to the death with the Ming army, maybe Ma Ruhai would have seen the power of the elite army.

It's a pity that he didn't see it.Lack of knowledge is often the shortest link of a local bully like Ma Ruhai, and the price is often heavy.

When he left the county seat, he did not clearly say whether he was rebelling or not. He also hoped to reach a consensus with the prince-in-law. Therefore, the situation in the county seat was not much different from usual, just a little nervous.

As soon as Zhu Liangzu's cavalry arrived, they successfully took over the entire county.

When Zhang Yifan arrived at the county seat, it was already evening.Under martial law throughout the city, the sergeant held a torch and began to arrest Ma Ruhai's accomplices based on the confessions that had been confessed.

The prison that Ma Ruhai had forcibly emptied in order to demonstrate his political achievements was suddenly filled with people.

Zhang Yifan personally led people to Ma Ruhai's residence to search the house.Boxes of gold and silver jewelry, antique calligraphy and paintings, as well as warehouses full of grain, salt and other supplies. When Zhang Yifan looked at them one by one, Zhang Yifan couldn't help but sigh: It's just a classic history, compared to him and Zhu Di. All vassal kings are rich, and it seems that this big fat man really makes a fortune in Xiangshan County.

Early the next morning, the horse rushed to all the capitals under the jurisdiction of Xiangshan County.

Soon, the village chiefs, clan chiefs, village elders, etc. of each village, accompanied by messengers, beat gongs and loudly announced the announcement.

"Everyone, listen, Ma Ruhai and others will be put on trial tomorrow at the county government square. Anyone who has any grievances can go to the county seat to file a complaint."

"Revenge when there is a grudge, and revenge when there is a grudge. Tomorrow is the day, don't miss it!"

"..."

In ancient times, there was also a public trial.However, only in the county government office, some people can be allowed to listen to the county magistrate's trial.

However, the public trial that Zhang Yifan was going to do was obviously different from the public trials in ancient times.

He did not try the case in the county government office, but set up a platform in the county government square, surrounded by elite cavalry guards, the entire square can accommodate at least 3000 people.

On the first day after returning to the county seat, the whole day was spent arresting people and ransacking their homes.Ma Ruhai and his gang members, or the so-called squires in Xiangshan County, could still live a good life. Basically, they were all in the same party as Ma Ruhai, and all of them were arrested and had their homes confiscated.

The next day was the public trial of these people.

The past two days have been very busy, and Zhang Yifan has no time to sleep in at all.Because these things are best carried out under the suppression of the Yongjia Hou Cavalry to have the greatest deterrence.

In this regard, Zhang Yifan had to thank classmate Zhu Liangzu for being so good that he dispatched three thousand cavalry troops to support him.

This also made the people of Xiangshan County realize that the Prince Consort County Magistrate was definitely different from ordinary county magistrates, giving them greater confidence in Zhang Yifan.

Zhang San and other people became the group of people who supported Zhang Yifan the most, because they knew better than anyone else how capable the county magistrate is.

Under the arrangement of Zhang Yifan, the public trial meeting allowed the oppressed people to take the stage one by one to accuse the prisoners, led by Ma Ruhai, who were kneeling there. This immediately aroused the resentment of the people of Xiangshan County against these local tyrants and evil gentry.If Zhu Liangzu's elite cavalry had not watched the scene, these local tyrants and evil gentry would have been torn to pieces by the angry people.

Correspondingly, "Qingtian Prince Consort" became Zhang Yifan's label and became the object of gratitude to everyone in Xiangshan County.

On the third day, which was also the fourth day after Zhu Liangzu came to Xiangshan County, Zhang Yifan showed Zhu Liangzu the memorial reported to Zhu Yuanzhang, downplaying Zhu Liangzu's fuss, and emphasized that the three thousand cavalry troops quickly controlled the situation and defeated them. More than 1000 bandits have contributed to solving the bandit problem in Xiangshan County.

Zhang Yifan would definitely not hide anything from classmate Zhu Yuanzhang.But the wonderful uses of Chinese language are possible.

After Zhu Liangzu saw it, he said to Zhang Yifan with a grateful face: "I, Old Zhu, have seen the methods of the consort, and I am really convinced! If anything happens in the future, just send me a letter, and I will never shirk what I can do!" "

What he said was really not polite.

He was not only referring to how Zhang Yifan handled his affairs, but also everything he had seen in Xiangshan County in the past few days. He admired Zhang Yifan for his public trial of those stupid pigs, how he quickly won the hearts and minds of the people of Xiangshan County, and how he controlled the situation.

At this time, he finally understood why the prince-in-law was so young, but the prime minister paid so much attention to him.

Zhang Yifan was naturally modest, and after being polite to Zhu Liangzu, he quickly sent the cavalry away.

When Zhu Liangzu marched to fight, he carried three days of dry food with him, which was almost finished. If the next three thousand cavalry did not leave, they would have to eat from Xiangshan County.

This is an army of three thousand cavalry, and he doesn't want to raise it!
What happened next was the beginning of Zhang Yifan's real work in Xiangshan County.

It was a good thing to wipe out Ma Ruhai's gang in one fell swoop, but it also brought about a trouble.That is, the entire county government, from top to bottom, whether they are clerks, servants, etc., are almost all locked up in prison. Zhang Yifan basically becomes the polished commander.

How to do?
Even Zhu Jingjing, who doesn't care about political affairs, is worried for Zhang Yifan.Even if she helped Zhang Yifan, it would be a drop in the bucket, and she would not be able to keep busy!
In this regard, Zhang Yifan already had a clue, smiled and comforted him and said it was okay, he had a way.

So, he dictated and Zhu Jingjing wrote, issued the first announcement of his appointment as the magistrate of Xiangshan County, and posted it at the gate of the county government office.

Soon, the entire county was in a sensation.Then the news spread quickly throughout Xiangshan County.

"Have you heard? The Prince Consort is recruiting officials of all sizes, including watchmen, and they also have salaries!"

"What, how is this possible? I've never heard of watchmen getting a salary?"

"That's right. Aren't the officials in the county government sent by the superiors? And some of them are errands on rotation? Is the Prince Consort messing up?"

"What do you know? The notice clearly states that our Xiangshan County is different. It is authorized by the imperial power and is at the disposal of the prince-in-law!"

"Yes, have you ever heard of the prince-in-law being the county magistrate before? Have you ever seen that when the county magistrate has something to do, the marquis personally leads three thousand cavalry troops, and a whole three thousand cavalry troops come to help. ?”

"That's right, the notice said that everything in our Xiangshan County will be different from before. It was approved by the current emperor and let the prince consort try to do it. If it is done well, then the whole country may learn from our Xiangshan County!"

"Forget it if you don't believe me. Anyway, I know how to read. I think I can try my hand at clerical work. If the county magistrate takes a fancy to him, he will be the one who can receive a salary!"

"..."

The content of this announcement was really shocking. It said that all positions in the county government, including various errands, would be selected on the basis of employment for a period of three years.

If these positions were originally created, they would need to be dispatched by the superior yamen, and some officials would even need to be reported to the Ministry of Civil Affairs; other positions were originally in the form of directly assigning people to serve; but now, The Prince Consort announced that all jobs will be in the form of employment. Once admitted, they will receive a salary.

If Zhang Yifan came to be the county magistrate, it would be an ordinary one, and there would be no such thing as Ma Ruhai.Then no one would believe it at all, even if he is the consort.

But now, within a few days of Zhang Yifan's arrival, he had captured the overwhelming Ma Ruhai in Xiangshan County in one fell swoop, and with such thunderous force, even the Marquis of Yongjia led three thousand cavalry to help him.

Later, he used a public trial to let the people in the county vent their resentment against the government. At the same time, he was grateful to him as the consort of the county magistrate, which raised his prestige to a very high level.

Among the people in Xiangshan County, what Zhang Yifan said at this time was the easiest time to listen to it.

Therefore, after the notice was issued, many people began to register at the Yamen with the mentality of giving it a try.Originally, Zhang Yifan originally wanted Zhu Wu to take the position of Canon History.This position is very critical, and it is good to have trustworthy talents.

However, Zhu Wu refused.He made it clear that he wanted to protect the safety of the concubine princess, and he couldn't be distracted by any other history.In fact, he looked down on Dianshi's position.

Zhang Yifan thought for a while and finally put Dian Shi's position up for recruitment.

Anyway, the Ming Dynasty now uses a recommendation system. If he recruits a suitable person, he will recommend it to his father-in-law. Is it possible that his father-in-law will still reject his recommendation?Besides, Xiangshan County is a special zone and handles special matters. Even personnel appointments can be different from other counties.

For Zhang Yifan, Xiangshan County at this time can be regarded as full of waste.

Therefore, even if he wanted to make a living, it would be impossible for him to sit in the lobby of the county government office, and those who signed up would be interviewed directly.

If you feel that you are not suitable, then go to the next one; if you are suitable for the interview, no matter whether there is a more suitable person, you will directly notify the outside world and remove the recruitment requirements for this position.

Of course, there are the most basic conditions for recruitment, which is that Qi Xiang and his subordinates need to check first.Only after passing it can you enter the county government hall.

For example, who is your family name, whether you have a criminal record, what crime you committed, whether you are literate, etc.

Zhang Yifan and his father-in-law are different about appearance. They don't care about their appearance.It doesn’t matter if you look good or not, what matters is whether you are qualified for the position.

When the first person was admitted and the job requirements hanging outside the county government office were revealed, it triggered a lot of people who wanted to see the situation before talking about it.

It is no exaggeration to say that there was a long queue at the gate of the county government office, and even after dark, the queue still did not disperse.Zhang Yifan had to give them the number and ask them to line up according to the number tomorrow.

In order to prevent this number from being transferred, a certain number will be written on it.Unless you queue up for someone else from the beginning, there is no possibility of being acquired by someone else at a high price halfway.

After three days of busy work, all the positions in the county government, large and small, were almost filled.

No matter what, working in the county government is a decent job, not to mention that no matter what you do, you can get a salary.

The next day, everyone gathered in the lobby of the county government office and could hardly stand.

Zhang Yifan sat in the main seat, looked at a large number of men under him who were still wearing patched clothes, and said to them seriously: "Each of you has a three-month probation period. If you do not do well within these three months, , I will fire you at any time. But if you do a good job, you will be recognized by me. If you work hard, you will be able to work for three years. This is stated in the contract, and now I will remind you! "

Having said this, he paused and then said: "If I feel that the official position setting is unreasonable, I may change it. Let me tell you in advance, you must be mentally prepared. Next, I will announce that in Xiangshan County New policy implemented!”

Hearing this, although the county government hall was crowded with people, there was no sound, not even breathing.

very quiet!

They already knew that the son-in-law came to the place to be the county magistrate, it was the emperor's order, and he had special things to do.As for anything special, they were also very curious.

Zhang Yifan glanced at them and said seriously: "Within Xiangshan County, there will only be three categories: official status, civilian status and humble status. These three statuses are limited to individuals and do not involve family members. Official status is not mentioned, and humble status is not mentioned. He is a person who violates laws and disciplines, and the rest are civilians. No matter what he did before, he will be classified as such in the future, at least for the next three years. All people in the county must re-register! People with low-level registration must change their ways. Later, you can also change your nationality to nationality, but records will be left."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.

The hereditary profession did not start in the Ming Dynasty. Suddenly, household registration became so simple and only involved individuals. This really surprised them.

Also, the classification of lowly status used to include many professions, but now, only those who break laws and disciplines can belong to lowly status. This will be the beginning of the transformation of those who used to belong to lowly status!It’s a good thing that you never dreamed of!

At this moment, they also suddenly realized why the recruitment requirements for the Prince Consort County Magistrate said that even the lowly status was acceptable. It turned out that the previous lowly status was to be abolished. People who originally belonged to the lowly status no longer belonged to the lowly status!
Such a huge news, even if they really wanted to make a good impression on the Prince Consort, they couldn't help but whisper about it at this time.

Zhang Yifan knew that the news was too shocking to them, so he gave them a moment before coughing.

When the people below heard this, they immediately stopped talking, looked at the Prince Consort, and listened with their ears perked up.

Zhang Yifan looked at them and explained to them: "People can work and make money without being restricted. Everyone can use their strengths and do what they are good at. For example, the original farmers felt that they could make more money by being a carpenter than farming. , or it would be better to do some business, you can do it. Originally a military household, if you don’t want to be a soldier, you can do something else first. And so on. "

Hearing this, most people were shocked, but some people raised their hands and wanted to speak as instructed in advance.

Zhang Yifan took a look and found out that it was Zhang San, the new acting official, and asked: "Zhang San, what do you have to say?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their heads to look at Zhang San who was standing in front.They all knew that Zhang San had a very good relationship with the county magistrate.

Seeing Zhang San blushing, he tried to muster the courage to say: "Prince-in-law, if the yamen wants to recruit carpenters or other craftsmen, how can we recruit carpenters or other craftsmen only if they are from private households?"

Zhang Yifan nodded after hearing this. This Zhang San has a high level of consciousness and has already thought of this before he has even formally performed his duties.

So, he replied: "Within the scope of Xiangshan County, the government will not recruit and recruit people from now on, but will only hire those who are willing to come. As for outside the scope of Xiangshan County, now that our Xiangshan County is not under local jurisdiction, there will be no people from Xiangshan County." Expedition outside."

After hearing this, everyone showed joy, which is definitely a good thing!

You must know that people in this era have two obligations, which are taxation and labor. The most influential thing, and what the people are most afraid of is not taxation, but labor. If one person fails, it can destroy a whole family.

Now that this labor service no longer exists, it is equivalent to a big mountain missing from the head. Anyone who hears this will be very happy.

As a result, there was another "buzzing" sound in the county government lobby.

Zhang Yifan followed his usual practice and waited for a while before coughing again.

As a result, the county government hall became quiet again.

Zhang Yifan looked at them and then told an even more shocking news.

I only heard him say seriously: "In view of the fact that almost all the grain fields in Xiangshan County were annexed by Ma Ruhai and his people, I have decided that the grain fields in Xiangshan County will be returned to the government in the future. Except for the confiscated grain fields, The other grain fields that are still in the hands of ordinary people will be purchased by the Yamen at a reasonable price!"

After hearing this, everyone was shocked. This time, it was completely different from the previous shock.It had been a happy shock before, but this time it was a worried shock.

However, before they had time to react, Zhang Yifan continued: "In the future, all grain fields in Xiangshan County will be divided according to the registered names, and everyone will have a share. People who are allocated grain fields can have the right to use the grain fields. , but there is no ownership. In other words, the common people can use this field and then pay it to the government for rent, but they cannot buy or sell it. In this way, it can be guaranteed that all common people can own grain fields, and there will be no chance that the grain fields will be annexed by local tyrants and evil gentry like Ma Ruhai! "

Hearing this, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. They were really scared to death just now, thinking that they would have no more fields in the future!
As the Prince Consort said, there is some truth to it.That Ma Ruhai is so powerful, it really makes it impossible for people to survive!

They were still weighing the gains and losses, but Zhang Yifan had already continued: "All grain fields will be re-divided every two years. Those with registered citizenship, regardless of adults or children, are guaranteed to be allocated grain fields. In other words, if they are not registered The common people will have no grain fields to divide. The specific division method will be announced after registration in the county to ensure the greatest fairness! After the division is completed, if there are newly cultivated grain fields, they must be sold to the government after three years and belong to the government. Among the allocated grain fields, all the income from the previous grain fields belongs to the individual."

There is another issue here that Zhang Yifan did not mention, but he will explain it in the memorial to Zhu Yuanzhang later.

　Ask for support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)