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

Chapter 152 A great act of kindness

After hearing this, He Zhen hesitated a little, but finally said: "Send the message to the outside world and tell them not to fight with Ma Rujiang."

"What do you mean?" He Rong was a little confused when he heard this. He felt that his father's answer was wrong.

However, his younger brother He Gui understood, and helped his father explain to He Rong: "Ma Rujiang's brother is the Dianshi of Xiangshan County. Not only was his family killed by the consort, but all his family's fields and property were also confiscated!"

Upon hearing this, He Rong suddenly realized: "That means giving Ma Rujiang a chance to take revenge?"

But soon, he felt something was wrong again, so he looked at his father and said, "This is wrong. The emperor wants us to watch the consort. What should we do if he takes revenge?"

Just now his father specifically emphasized that this emperor is a murderer!Don't end up shooting yourself in the foot.

He Zhen listened and explained calmly: "It's just a dream to capture the county with just that group of rabble."

"Yes, but it is not difficult for them to harm the unruly people in Xiangshan County." He Gui explained from the side.

After hearing what the two of them said, He Rong finally understood what was going on and couldn't help but praise: "Dad, this is a good idea! We don't need to come forward. It's human nature for people to avenge his brother! When the time comes, people's hearts will In such a state of panic, it’s no wonder that the consort can do well in Xiangshan!”

Although he was happy, He Zhen's brows wrinkled again.

"Dad, what's wrong? Is there any problem?" He Guixian noticed something strange and asked quickly.

After hearing this, He Zhen did not answer immediately. Instead, he tapped his fingers on the table, obviously thinking about the problem.

When his sons saw him, they stopped talking and let their father think quietly.

After a while, He Zhen said with a little doubt: "I heard that Mr. Han is not the kind of open-minded person!"

"???" After He Rong heard this, a series of question marks suddenly appeared in his head. He didn't know why his father suddenly mentioned this matter.

He Gui also couldn't figure it out, so he asked, "Dad, what's wrong?"

"Look!" He Zhen listened, looked at his sons, and said to them, "This son-in-law suddenly came out and competed with the son-in-law of Korea for the position of son-in-law, and finally won. I heard that the original son-in-law of Korea The son divorced his wife for no reason, just because he wanted to marry Princess Lin'an. This kind of hatred can be regarded as the hatred of taking his wife. Logically speaking, even if the Korean family is a normal person, even if they don't hate this son-in-law, they must not like it Bar?"

"Of course!" He Gui heard this and said without hesitation, "The hatred of seizing his wife will not kill him!"

"Snapped!"

He Zhen patted the table, pointed at He Gui and said: "Yes, common sense should be like this. Even if you are magnanimous, the most you can do is not cause trouble for the consort. Then the question becomes, why do people from the Korean government come to spread the rumors? The good thing about the prince-in-law is that he is highly valued by the emperor. If the Korean prince does this, wouldn't it help the prince-in-law to gain a foothold in Guangdong more easily, and others will not dare to mess with him!"

At this point, after a pause, he added: "Look at that Yongjia Marquis. In order to please the consort, a mere Dianshi personally led three thousand cavalry troops to help out!"

"Dad, I heard that when ordering the prince consort, the emperor specifically named Mr. Han Guo, saying that he was not a narrow-minded person." He Rong was responsible for contacting the capital, so he said to He Zhen, "He also specifically asked Mr. Han to take the lead in ordering the consort. The prince-in-law’s rank is determined! At that time, the Korean prince gave the prince-in-law the same rank as the prince!”

He Zhen listened and nodded. He had heard about this a long time ago.Because of this, he was a little confused.

Judging from these things, Mr. Han is not the kind of narrow-minded person.Could it be that the rumors are wrong?

After he surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, he first served in Jiangxi, and then was transferred to Shandong. In the middle, he returned to Guangdong, but never stayed in the capital. Therefore, he had no contact with the Korean public.

After thinking for a while, He Zhen finally said: "Perhaps the first hero of the founding of the country understands the current emperor best. Therefore, even if you do something, you must do it according to the emperor's wishes!"

Regarding the situation in Xiangshan County, the He family and his son finally discussed this much, and then He Gui was responsible for causing trouble for the prince-in-law.

This was probably a secret order given to He Zhen and Zhu Yuanzhang, who would have never thought of it in advance.

As for Zhang Yifan, of course it is even less clear.

At this time, he was busy with his New Deal.

In the late autumn of the ninth year of Hongwu's reign, the vigorous land distribution movement finally came to an end.

Subsequently, Zhang Yifan issued another announcement: All adult men in Xiangshan County are obliged to serve in the military for a period of three years at the newly established Qianhu Station in Xiangshan County.

In this announcement, he reminded the people of Xiangshan that Ma Ruhai still had remnant forces, that is, a group of pirates who had not yet been caught.Military service is to protect the country and protect the people of Xiangshan from pirates.

The household registration has just been compiled and is more accurate than ever.The county government knows exactly how many young people of school age there are in each neighborhood, how many people are in the family, and what the situation is.The summons was then sent out, asking the selected people to gather at the county government office, and Qi Xiang would select the troops.

In addition, the announcement also mentioned that those with non-Xiangshan County household registration can also apply. If they are admitted to become a sergeant at the Qianhu Station in Xiangshan County, they will be eligible for Xiangshan County citizenship in two years.In other words, you can participate in the next field allocation.

Zhang Yifan issued this announcement because he was originally worried that there might not be enough men of suitable age with household registration in Xiangshan County, so he added a supplement with non-Xiangshan County household registration.

Unexpectedly, the neighboring Panyu County formed a mighty young team and rushed to Xiangshan County the day after the announcement was issued.Their county magistrate, Dao Tong, could not stop them.

The news spread very quickly, because many people immediately informed their relatives and friends after hearing the news.

On the third day, young people from other counties also rushed to Xiangshan County.In particular, tenants, hermits, etc. in other counties want to take this opportunity to get rid of their original identities and become a member of the Xiangshan County citizenship.

Of course, the squires who suffered the most were unwilling to do so. They immediately put pressure on local officials and then complained to the Chief Envoy and Dusi of Guangdong.

However, Xiangshan County is a special zone, and the prince-in-law is the county magistrate. Neither the Chief Envoy nor the Dusi has any control over it.At most, they would go to the emperor to complain.Let’s see what the emperor means!

This round trip will take at least ten days and a half, and it may not be possible.

What is unexpected is that not only the young people from Xiangshan County were so active, but also the young people from Xiangshan County immediately became active.Qi Xiang's county government recruitment office quickly filled up with about 1000 people.

This situation was a bit beyond Zhang Yifan's expectations.He thought that not many people would want to be soldiers.Therefore, Daniel was sent out to inquire.

In less than an hour, Daniel reported back to Zhang Yifan: "Brother Fan, I asked, and some of them said that Ma Ruhai's younger brother, Ma Rujiang, was working as a pirate outside, and he might really retaliate. They can have peace of mind if they have a place of residence, so as long as their families allow it, they want to serve as soldiers to protect Xiangshan County."

At this point, after he paused, his expression became excited again, and then said: "Some people said that they were unwilling to see so many outsiders coming to sign up. Two years later, more people were dividing the fields, and their original The people from Xiangshan have less points. Therefore, this soldier is the best from Xiangshan people!"

"There are also some other reasons. Some people say that there are three young men in their family, and two of the fields allocated to the family are enough. With the remaining land, it would be great to receive a share of military pay to subsidize the family. "

"..."

Zhang Yifan was thinking in his heart as he listened to Daniel's words.

He actually came up with this policy because he wanted to implement the compulsory military service system for all people first. In this way, if the Ming Dynasty continued to expand its territory in the future, it would not have to worry about soldiers.But it is obvious that this announcement from Xiangshan County did not arouse the correct attention of the people of Xiangshan County.

It can be said that no one looked at the fact that all people are obliged to serve in the military, but chose to join the army based on other reasons.

Okay, that's it for now.Zhang Yifan is not entangled. Although the goal is clear with the one-step approach, the process may be more tortuous.Now, it can be said that it is a relatively gentle way to let them have an idea first, and then clarify it later.

With this in mind, Zhang Yifan made the next announcement: hiring craftsmen and setting up a Xiangshan Cement Workshop.

Hire craftsmen and rebuild the Xiangshan Saltworks.There is a note in this article, the original salt workers will be given priority.

It was already late autumn at this time, and there was not much farm work in Guangdong.Therefore, many people from other counties still stay in Xiangshan County to look for opportunities.Especially those who wanted to be soldiers, but failed to do so, as soon as they heard the notices from the county government, even if they did not have a household registration to move in, they immediately signed up as long as there was money to be made.The vigorous new policies in Xiangshan County are like a magnet, attracting people from surrounding counties to come to Xiangshan County to look for opportunities.

Xiangshan County, which was originally remote, suddenly became lively.

So, food and accommodation slowly became popular first.Some people with smarter minds saw the opportunity and started doing business with these people.

At this time, the Prince Consort County Magistrate made another announcement: the establishment of Xiangshan County Bank.

This was another new thing, and it immediately aroused everyone's discussion.

"Have you heard? The prince-in-law has come up with a new trick again, and this time it's the most novel!"

"What's new? Tell me!"

"My husband-in-law set up a bank and said that if you deposit money in that bank, not only will you not charge a storage fee, but you will also be given money. It is equivalent to the bank lending you money and paying interest. If you deposit a lot of money, you will be able to make it in one year. I can give you fifty more coins!"

"What, is this true? What do you think, the prince-in-law, doing this loss-making business?"

"Is the Prince Consort out of money? It's impossible, right?"

"Also, and we, the people of Xiangshan County, can borrow money from this bank, but the interest rate is definitely not high. In the past, Ma Ruhai borrowed money, and he had to pay back twice a year for one amount. But the prince-in-law If you borrow a lot of money from this bank, the interest you need to repay in a year is only 150 cents!"

"Is it really true? Is there such a good thing?"

"..."

It would take until the late Ming and early Qing dynasties for banks to really develop.But if we go back to the Tang and Song dynasties, it started to exist, and it was called a cabinet.However, the business of this cabinet shop is to keep gold and silver property on behalf of merchants and charge a certain rent. When merchants need it, they can withdraw it with a note (equivalent to a check) or token.It is completely different from the money banks of later generations.

Of course, if it was just lending, it would have existed very early in Chinese history.However, in ancient times, the annual interest rate for lending was often [-]%, and even the government did such a thing.

For example, during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the imperial court set up a special fund called "Gongshi Capital" for official loans, and its functions were somewhat similar to those of banks in later generations.The capital of the public house is managed by the governor of each state, and the capital of 100 yuan is lent, and the interest of [-] yuan is collected every month, and the annual interest rate is approximately [-]%.

It wasn't until Wang Anshi's political reform in the Northern Song Dynasty that he came up with the Green Seeding Law, which was a five-month loan period with an interest of 20%, which equals an annual interest of 48%.

Logically speaking, this interest rate is much lower than before.However, the enforcement officials below are unable to stand up to all kinds of mischief, such as forcibly lending money to you even if you don’t have the need; and adding various handling fees to you, etc.

The reason for this is that lending is included in political achievements.This eventually led to chaos in lending, and was finally forced to stop implementing the "Young Crops Law."

However, Zhang Yifan's bank is completely different.

First of all, it will definitely not be forced. People in Xiangshan County will do it voluntarily whether they borrow or borrow.

Second, the annual interest rate on deposits is 5% and the annual interest rate on borrowings is 15%.Among them, in ancient times, there was no deposit interest, but custody fees; and loan interest was also the lowest in history.

Zhang Yifan's bank also benefited from the fat man Ma Ruhai.Because the release of this bank will definitely harm the interests of the powerful, which is something the powerful do not want to see.It just so happened that Zhang Yifan wiped out all the powerful people in Xiangshan County.

The principal of this bank is the [-] yuan that Zhu Yuanzhang gave Zhang Yifan before leaving.

However, after the bank was established, many people asked about how to borrow money, but no one asked about how to save money.

Ordinary people don’t have much money at home.Even though the magistrate's prestige is high at this time, there is still no one to save money.

This situation made Zhu Jingjing, who was in charge of bank affairs, say with some worry: "Brother Fan, if this continues, the money in our bank will become less and less, and we may not have any money to lend in the end! "

Zhang Yifan, of course, told Zhu Jingjing about the initial design idea, changing the custody fee to interest, in order to attract money from the people, so that the bank could earn the interest difference.

But now, if we can only borrow but not save, it is impossible to talk about borrowing money to make money.

Zhang Yifan thought for a moment and then said to Zhu Jingjing: "In this way, from now on, the county government's expenses, including everyone's salary, will go to the bank. Open an account for them and let them go to the bank to collect the money. If they don't collect it, it will be deposited in the bank. . As long as there are role models, more people will save money in the future.”

Having said this, he thought for a moment and then said: "The bank will set another current interest rate, which means you can withdraw it at any time after depositing it. The annual interest rate is 1%. If it is less than a penny, there will be no interest."

In this way, you need to deposit 36 ​​five hundred coins in the bank, so that you can have one more coin every day.Or if you save two hundred pennies on a regular basis, you only get one more penny a month;

However, after Ma Ruhai's gang was wiped out in Xiangshan County, all that remained were ordinary people.There is probably no one who can save 36 strings.

However, ordinary people in Xiangshan County can deposit regularly. As long as they deposit 20 cents a year, they can get an extra cent. This is a lot, and they can earn a month's working income.

Zhang Yifan, the county magistrate, started off with a lot of success. Various new policies came out at the same time, and money was really flowing like water.From this perspective, I have to thank the big fat man again.

If without his money, the county government would have no money and would have to repay the money, then Zhang Yifan could only walk step by step.

But things are different now. It is equivalent to the fat man exploiting Xiangshan County for so many years, and it has become Zhang Yifan's confidence.

No, in the blink of an eye, he made a new announcement, causing a sensation again.

"The Prince Consort has come up with a new trick again, this time it's a great act of kindness!"

"Tell me, what did the prince-in-law do again?"

"The Prince Consort made an announcement saying that he will spend a thousand guan of money to hold a literacy competition for three consecutive days starting on the 27th of the New Year. Anyone who is a commoner in Xiangshan can participate. You know the "Thousand Character Essay", and draw characters from it You will be tested, and as long as you can read it, you will be rewarded with a penny. Everyone has only one chance, and as many words as you can read, you will be rewarded with as many pennies as you can!"

"Wow, if I knew everyone, wouldn't I be able to get a lot of free money during the Chinese New Year?"

"No, but there is a prerequisite, that is, you must be able to write your own name!"

"This is no problem, this is good, then you have to quickly read the Thousand-Character Classic!"

"Whoever knows the Thousand-Character Classic must quickly find someone to teach him!"

"It's okay. The Prince Consort also said that each workshop will send someone there to teach Thousand-Character Classics at a fixed time."

"By the way, the Prince Consort also said that anyone with a household registration in Xiangshan County can participate, regardless of gender, age or child! I think it is best for the whole family to buy a copy, and the whole family can recognize it together, and then maybe celebrate the New Year , there will be a lot of money to receive. Even if you don’t get your turn by then, wouldn’t it be a lesson for yourself!”

"Yes, yes, that's the reason!"

"The Prince Consort is so kind, he actually spent a thousand dollars to do this! Living Bodhisattva!"

"..."

The clerks and officials of the county government are almost all the characters that Xiangshan County knows.They were assigned by Zhang Yifan to eleven squares and taught the Thousand-Character Classic at a fixed time every day.There is no requirement to explain the meaning of the word, only that the common people can understand the word and be able to read it.

They would also bring the "Thousand Character Classic" printed on a temporary basis and sell it for one penny more than the cost. The extra penny would belong to the clerks and pianists who sold the books, and they would treat it as teaching. Well done.

There is another incentive for these officials and officials, that is, whoever is responsible for the area with the most literacy rewards will be rewarded with ten strings, five strings, and one string of money corresponding to their ranking.

(End of this chapter)