Five years of garrison on the border, shocked Zhu Yuanzhang who went south to inspect

Chapter 8 Raising taxes
"Hahahaha, that's right!"

"Master, let's go."

Others also echoed, and Zhu Tuo also encouraged him.

"When I first arrived in Lingnan, there were only less than a thousand swords in the army, let alone a heavy crossbow. The soldiers were all armed with battle guns, so neither side got a single battle gun. I wrote to the court Letter, tell me, how will the imperial court answer? Hey, we have no guns, and no one. That’s it, in less than two years, we have all the troops and horses in Lingnan, and we have all the spears, bows and crossbows. If we don’t have these things , I really may not be able to defeat the bandits in the south, it’s simply a wishful thinking!”

"What you don't know is that when I was preparing to go on the expedition, several people tried to stop me, so I cooked them!"

"After I caught the first one, the chieftain knelt down and begged for mercy, saying that he wanted to recognize me as his master. How could I agree? He didn't know who he was!"

Zhu Tuo talked nonsense, and all the generals were stunned.

Gradually, they no longer had scruples, they hugged together and started bragging.

O10°
Liang Zheng, a Taiwei scholar, was chatting and laughing with a general.

Zhu Tuo glanced at him and said strangely: "Did you and him know each other before?"

Shi Ziliang smiled and said: "We used to be bandits, belonging to two factions, and the two factions even fought."

Zhu Tuo: "

With them, Zhu Tuo feels very friendly and can do whatever he wants.

The military structure of Lingnan is very complex, with many officers from the Yi and Dai ethnic groups, and the lowest-ranking officers are bandits.

Only a small percentage are civilians.

Several generals looked at Zhu Tuo and felt that His Majesty was really kind, not only accepted them, but also rewarded them with such a generous salary.

This is the real owner!
Zhu Yuanzhang was on the street, listening to the big man's evaluation of Zhu Tuo, with a look of doubt on his face, he said, "Do you really think so?"

The man nodded and said: "Comparing the king to the sunrise is a kind of humiliation to the king. My respect for the king is like a great river that never stops flowing, like the Yellow River bursting its banks and getting out of control.

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he felt like he had swallowed a piece of shit.

He has never met such a flattering person.

People from Lingnan don’t pretend to be gods, do they?

That scoundrel Zhu Tuo is running rampant in Lingnan and doing whatever he wants. Why do he have so many supporters?
"Why do you admire him so much?" Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help asking.

The warrior let out a long sigh, with a hint of sadness on his face, as if thinking of something bad: "You come from other places, maybe you don't know much about our Lingnan. Three years ago, Lingnan was poor. The people are miserable and hungry.”

"Less than [-]% of newborn babies are born. People on the street are weak and often die of dysentery. Moreover, these bandits from the south often rob the Lingnan area, and the people are in dire straits."

This was the first time Zhu Yuanzhang heard this statement, and he was stunned.

Geng Bingwen said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, what he said is exactly the same as what we saw in the south."

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed deeply and said: "But I see that you are living a prosperous life now, and everyone on the street is talking and laughing. How can you look like you are at a disadvantage?"

"This is all given by His Majesty."

"Oh, but I heard that he turned a blind eye to the suffering of the people and only thought about having fun, even killing animals." Zhu Yuanzhang said doubtfully.

"No." The strong man shook his head and said, "When His Majesty came to Lingnan back then, there was a severe drought in Lingnan, the crops failed, and the people were in dire straits and suffered from hunger and cold."

The king felt very sorry to see the people in such pain, so he distributed all the food he had with him.

The nursing home stopped him, saying that the crisis in Lingnan could not be alleviated with this little food and grass.

The king said: "A life that can be saved is a life."

After that, he sold all his family property, and like ordinary people, he gnawed tree bark, drank thin rice milk every day, and led the people to dig canals and cultivate land. He would rather endure hardship himself and make the people live a better life.At that time, everyone worked together and decided to follow the king.

For such a long time, everyone was able to eat and even had food at home.

Zhu Yuanzhang was startled when he heard the words, and stopped talking.

Zhu Tuo is indeed a good official who cares about the people. Could it be that he has made a mistake?
Zhu Yuanzhang's heavy heart finally relaxed.

But why?
What stupid things can Zhu Tuo do?

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but ask: "In that case, why are the beggars forced to dig roads on the streets and do so much hard work?"

Lu Xiaofeng smiled, "Because labor in Lingnan depends entirely on money, these beggars have no land, so the king asked them to dig rivers, build roads, reward them with silver, help build houses, and sell the land."

"Most of today's beggars have their own land and houses. Even if they cannot make a fortune, they can still support themselves. Some people enshrine a longevity tablet at home to express their gratitude...

Heart, 1.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued: “He forced civilians to do experiments.

The strong man continued: "I was sick for a long time in the south, and many children died more than ten years ago, so I was very sad, so I decided to develop a disease that could cure me."

"Originally, I gave it to the king to try, but after hearing about it, everyone wanted to try it, but the king had no choice but to let us try it first. Moreover, this is a very gentle elixir without any toxins. .”

“He forbade civilians from hunting wild game“

"This is because after game is hunted, voles and pheasants will overrun the fields.

Adverse consequences for crop yields.Therefore, the king proposed to hunt once every three years and maintain a certain number. "

"He oppressed foreign businessmen"

“Your Majesty is compassionate and cannot bear to let the people of Lingnan suffer.

If you want to deduct money, just deduct it. They are all used to reward civilians anyway.

Zhu Yuanzhang's heart seemed to be touched.

He was speechless and seemed to have an indescribable feeling.

After a while, Zhu Yuanzhang finally said: "He has done so many things, why doesn't he report it to the court and ask for a reward?"

The big man shook his head, looking like I didn't understand either.

But Your Majesty is afraid that the Emperor will raise taxes if he finds out about the situation in Lingnan.
"Rather than letting the people of Lingnan suffer, Your Majesty would rather let himself be condemned by the court!"

"In my mind, Your Majesty is such a noble person!"

Zhu Tuo touched his nose and said unhappily: "Ah Hee, Ah Hee, who is plotting against me behind my back?"

Zhu Tuo had just sent a general out. He was leaning on the chair in embarrassment. Next to him was a jar of fine wine and a large pot of lamb.

In the hall, several beauties are dancing.

"Hahahaha, I'm finally blessed!"

"From now on, I can do whatever I want. Anyway, the people have food and clothing, so I won't have to work so hard.
"Lu Qing, come with me to the south for hunting tomorrow. I want to form a hunting group and hunt every day." The people of Lingnan lived a very prosperous life, so Zhu Tuo naturally let go.

"Are you a hunter?" Lu Qing sighed and said, "According to your rules, hunting once every three years is not the best time."

(End of this chapter)