Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 521 Enemies from the West
"boom!"

"Jinyiwei and Xichang are handling the case!"

In the hot summer, the sound of breaking doors has become the main theme of Jiangnan.

In early July, Wang Ji, who received the transfer order, quickly came to Zhejiang. After getting familiar with Jianghuai, he directly mobilized Jinyiwei and Xichang to start tracing the remnants of Yan Li's party and investigating large local merchants.

On the surface, these large merchants have close contacts with the conservatives in Jiangnan, but in fact they are also friendly with the New Dealers.

Wang Ji, who had inspected Shanxi Province, was very aware of the profit-seeking character of these businessmen. Therefore, under his investigation, in less than a month, more than 300 officials, more than 1,400 clerks, and squires were found involved in the case. Thirty-six wealthy households.

This group of people were all suspected of corruption and bribery. According to the "Law of the Ming Dynasty", those who took bribes were sentenced to exile, and those who gave bribes had their homes and offices confiscated and were sent back to their place of origin.

Wang Ji's decisiveness exceeded many people's expectations, and even Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but admire him.

"In one month, more than 1,800 corrupt officials and 36 wealthy gentry families were found. More than 1.4 million gold, silver and copper coins, more than 800,000 banknotes, more than 90,000 acres of cultivated land and mulberry fields were seized. More than 30,000 acres, more than 3,000 houses, six boxes of antique calligraphy and paintings and jewelry..."

"It seems that he was right to choose him. If we look at him for a few more months, the imperial court's annual income will probably be in surplus this year."

With his voice, the Jin Yiwei on the left and right began to take action. Officials with higher official positions than him, such as Jiangxi's chief envoys, left and right political participation, and inspection envoys, were lured by him, and they were all killed directly in the name of "investigation."

"Based on the situation in Zhejiang and Jiangxi, there are definitely not a few corrupt officials. The money and food seized in the Yan Li case may not be less than 20 million yuan."

"Arrest him first. If no one hinders us, we will investigate the case."

"If someone is really arrested by mistake, then at worst I can kneel down, kowtow, and apologize by serving tea and water."

There was a trace of righteousness in that voice. Lu Yu knew who it was without raising his head, so he said:

After watching Lu Hun take the letter and leave the study, Lu Yu looked at Yu Qian and motioned him to sit down and make tea and chat while drinking.

"But if I handle this matter well, then it won't be them who are causing trouble for me, but me who will be causing trouble for them, Tingyi..."

Standing aside, Zhu Zhanhe also nodded and said: "Although Wang Ji is a civil servant, his thunderous methods are more like that of a military general."

"We will investigate according to the account books of the Yan Li case, and we will also conduct a secret investigation on these adults and their relatives."

He handled the case first, and then took the opportunity to support the officials he brought with him.

Lu Yu returned to a study in the backyard and began to write letters by himself.

"If I can't handle this matter well, my troubles will become bigger." Lu Yu replied while writing:

After all, he started his family from Nanyang, and there were no high-ranking officials from Nanyang in the court, so he could only rely on the prince.

Lu Hun, who was wearing the uniform of an eighth-grade official, walked in, and Lu Yu also handed him the letter that was put in an envelope and ironed with wax.

The three of them bowed and saluted, while Lu Yu walked to the backyard of the Yamen.

"Yes!" Lu Hun always obeyed his eldest brother's words without objecting.

"Yes..." Zhu Zhanhe agreed. When the father and son had a heart-to-heart talk, Lu Yu, who arrived in Nanchang, Jiangxi, did not need anyone else to explain. Instead, he began to investigate the "Yan Li case" as soon as he arrived in Nanchang. People started to get angry.

Even so, if the two places could seize 20 million yuan, it would be enough for Ming Dynasty to continue its high-speed infrastructure construction for two years.

"Send him to the capital, and ask Zhao Jin and others to keep an eye on the prisoner. They are only allowed in but not out until the case is over."

Zhu Gaoxu made a suggestion and said to Zhu Zhanhe: "Tell the people below you well. If you miss this opportunity, it will not be so easy to find."

Sitting on the main seat of Wuying Hall, Zhu Gaoxu held the memorial played by Wang Ji in his hand, with a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Tingyi, sometimes it's better not to be too pedantic..."

He walked over and did not take his friend's reminder seriously. Instead, he solemnly said: "Detain someone without real evidence. If the group of people in the temple find out, I'm afraid you will be in big trouble."

As long as the credit for this case is shared equally, these people will soon be promoted to the fifth rank.

Whether any of them were falsely accused has nothing to do with Lu Yu. Even if he knew, he would not let it go.

"But if these people all have problems, then leaving them outside will only cause us a stumbling block."

"Sell all the seized acres of land, so we should be able to accumulate an additional two million yuan."

In the yamen of the Chief Secretary of Nanchang Prefecture, several officials wearing second-grade, third-grade, and third-grade robes were still scolding. However, Lu Yu, who was sitting in the court wearing only the fourth-grade official robe, looked calm and raised eyebrows. .

After finishing writing the letter, Lu Yu dried the ink and then said to the public: "Lu Hun!"

At this time, an official came in and said in a slightly unkind voice: "Banshan, why did you detain Mr. Wang and the others without evidence?"

The fastest way is to first use imperial power to seize these people whose official positions are greater than his, and then slowly investigate after he takes charge of the two departments in Jiangxi.

Lu Yu stood up slowly, and while giving orders to the officials he brought from Guangdong, he also gave orders to the two Qianhu officials from Jin Yiwei and Xichang.

He would not imitate Wang Hui to directly investigate high officials openly, because he did not have as much power as Wang Hui did.

Judging from the previous correspondence between the prince and himself, although the prince is not a submissive person, he still cares about the suggestions of the people below.

"Put it down!"

Just as he shouted, a figure walked out of the study.

Although Zhejiang and Jiangxi are prosperous, they are not as prosperous as Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Songjiang, etc., and naturally cannot compare with the wealth gathered in South Zhili.

"Lu Banshan, how dare you attack me!"

Officials of the fifth rank already have a lot of say in the Ming Dynasty officialdom. As long as they can shine in this case, then they can become officials in Beijing and promote their subordinates little by little.

"There are so many people involved in the case in Jiangxi. Do you think it is possible if there are no problems with the Administrative Envoy Department and the Prosecution Envoy Department?"

While Lu Yu was talking, the man also came over. It was Yu Qian who had worked with Lu Yu at Cheri Mansion.

Although Yu Qian frowned, he still sat down and started making tea.

Lu Yu also sat down and said to Qian at the same time: "You and I are only in the fourth or fifth grade. If we say we have some strength, it is just that with this little strength, it is very difficult to provoke a chief secretary, not even a government."

"Right now, it's not that you and I can provoke Jiangxi if we want to, but someone above allows us to provoke Jiangxi, so we can take action in Jiangxi."

"Let me ask you, what does the court lack most and what does it lack most?"

Lu Yu asked Yu Qian. Although Yu Qian was a little pedantic, he was not stupid. He said without thinking:
"The imperial court has continued to build railways, official roads, and water conservancy projects among the people over the years. The most lacking thing is money and food."

"As for the most indispensable thing, there is nothing more than officials."

"That's right." Seeing that Yu Qian could still judge the situation, Lu Yu nodded with satisfaction and said:
“In recent years, the number of graduates from government schools in various places has been increasing. As early as thirty years ago, an ordinary literate boy could make a living by helping people write letters. Now, more than three million literate primary school students graduate every year. After graduation, they are hindered by I don’t want to go back to my hometown to farm, so I can only make a living in the towns.”

"It is understandable that they want to make a living in the towns, and the court cannot stop them, but all the jobs in the towns are limited after all."

"More than three million people stay in cities and towns every year. How many of them can find long-term employment?"

Lu Yu sighed: "I'm afraid more of them are just looking for part-time workers to make a living."

"Since they don't go to the countryside, no matter how much the imperial court builds, it has nothing to do with them." Yu Qian spoke bluntly, but Lu Yu shook his head and said:
"I have said that urban jobs are limited after all. If you are a shopkeeper, and now there are two people to choose the waiter, one is a young boy in his fifteenth or sixteenth grade who has graduated from elementary school, and the other is an illiterate young man in his twenties and thirties. You Who to choose?"

"A boy has his duty and is literate, so I naturally choose a boy." Just as Yu Qian finished his answer, Lu Yu's thoughts flashed through his mind.

"You mean that these illiterate young men will be squeezed into the countryside, and the construction of railways and water conservancy projects will be their last resort to make a living?"

"That's pretty much what it means, but what's more important is the future." Lu Yu explained:

"Three million students continue to graduate every year. In just ten years, more than 30 million people will stay in cities and towns. In twenty years, there will be more than 60 million people. This does not count growth."

"Although these people do not accept their fate, most of them will still be eliminated and return to their hometowns to work in the fields."

"His Majesty's policy of equalizing land in the early years actually left enough escape routes for this group of people."

"If they can't make a living in the towns, the farmland in their hometown can at least ensure that they don't starve to death."

"Nowadays, many students sell their hometown's fields in order to stay in the cities, and then buy houses in the cities, but they don't expect that urban jobs will become increasingly scarce, and those merchants only need their youngest and most precious years."

"If after this age, they have not accumulated enough wealth themselves to transform into merchants, then the only way left for them may be to sell their houses and return to their hometowns."

"After working hard for more than ten years, I finally had to return to my hometown to farm, and it was all in vain."

Lu Yu's voice was slightly sighing, and Yu Qian also reacted: "You mean, the court is solving this problem."

"The solution is simple. You can't see clearly in mainland China, but since I have made a fortune overseas, I can naturally understand the outside world better."

Lu Yu responded and signaled that Yu Qian could make tea. Seeing this, Yu Qian also made tea for Lu Yu and poured tea for him, looking at him intently.

"Although overseas countries have gold and silver, many things cannot be produced, and only our country can produce these things."

"The imperial court has been operating in the north for more than thirty years. If my guess is correct, once the most important Northwest Railway is completed, the imperial court will start to build factories in the south, with porcelain, silk, sugar, wine and tea, etc. host."

"The reason why the people in the north live a better life than the people in the south of the Yangtze River is that one person works and the whole family enjoys happiness."

"The wages for this work are the highest in factories specialized by the imperial court. As far as I know, the highest wage for a miner can reach 130 cash per day, while the wages for miners in Jiangnan are only 70 cash, and those in other professions The wages are only between 20 and 60 fen, and only some craftsmen can reach 200 fen per day."

"If the imperial court can provide enough jobs, these students will naturally have a place to go."

When Lu Yu said this, Yu Qian frowned and said, "You said they are unwilling to return to their hometown to farm. Does it mean they are willing to go down to mine?"

"Haha, why don't you want to?" Lu Yu said with a smile:
"If they go back to their hometown to farm, they only have four or five mu of arable land. Even if the yield is two dan per mu, the annual income is only three or four guan. But if they go down to the mines to mine, the annual income may be more than 40 or 50 guan." "The reason they don't want to go back to their hometown is that the income from farming is not enough to support themselves. Although mining in the mines is hard, dirty and messy, working in the mines for one year can earn the wealth of more than ten years of farming. Who do you think they will choose?"

Lu Yu knew that Yu Qian was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, a prosperous place, so he explained to him:

"Those Qingliu keep saying, 'To establish a heart for the heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to carry on the unique knowledge of the past saints, and to create peace for all generations.' But at the end of the day, if we look at it, how many of a hundred officials are not greedy?"

"Survive first, and then discuss whether it's decent or not. This is the path this group of students will take in the future."

"I want both dignity and wealth. There is no such thing as the best of both worlds in this world."

"You must know that not everyone can be born into a wealthy family like you, Yu Tingyi. It is already very difficult for them to live well."

Lu Yu exposed the false world imagined by Yu Qian. After all, not everyone has been an official for generations like his family.

Even though his father is not an official, the family's wealth still makes Yu Qian's life very comfortable.

Compared with him, those students whose ancestors were all mud-legged and who were born with their backs turned to the sky would have a hard time surviving, let alone wanting to live well.

The so-called dignity seems so pale and feeble in front of the annual salary of forty or fifty thousand dollars.

"Even if you say it, does the imperial court need millions of workers?"

Yu Qian thought about the problem of supply and demand. Lu Yu chuckled when he heard this: "There is more than just the imperial court in the world. The population of each vassal state within the imperial vassal domain is not less than that of the imperial court. These are all markets."

"Of course, I don't know exactly what the court is planning to do. Although I think it's a bit natural for the court to think this way, when I think about it carefully, every step the court has taken in the past twenty years has been very steady."

"Twenty years ago, would you or I have believed in such a thing as a train?"

Lu Yu thought of the train, and Yu Qian gradually fell silent after hearing the word train.

Finally, they brought the topic back to what was happening in Jiangnan.

"I don't know what the court is doing, but I know that the court is short of money and food, and 60% of the world's money and food are hidden in Jiangnan, and most of the money and food in Jiangnan are hidden in officials."

"Taking action against officials can not only rectify the administration of officials, but also obtain money and grain to fill the national treasury. The money in the national treasury can be used for construction in various places, so that it can truly be taken from the people and used by the people."

"Perhaps in his eyes, you and I are just part of the people, or in other words, we are worse than the people."

Lu Yu showed a self-deprecating expression. When Yu Qian heard this, he immediately said: "If the king regards his ministers as his hands and feet, then his ministers will regard him as his heart and soul. If the king regards his ministers as dogs and horses, then his ministers will regard him as his fellow countrymen. If a king regards his ministers as earth and mustard, Then I will regard you as a bandit."

"Corrupt officials need to be severely punished, but Your Majesty should not treat us as disposable objects."

"Haha..." Lu Yu didn't answer anything, just smiled softly. Perhaps in his opinion, people like Yu Qian, who had a good family since childhood, would never understand the reason why the emperor was strict with officials.

The conversation between the two came to an end. Although Yu Qian still felt that the emperor was too harsh on his ministers, in the cases in the next few months, Yu Qian still showed his selfless side.

He dealt with the crimes and punishments of corrupt officials in accordance with the "Laws of the Ming Dynasty". Those who should be killed should be killed, those who should be exiled should be exiled, and those who should be dismissed from their posts should be dismissed.

In the process, he gradually understood a lot of things, and his judgment became much more restrained.

Compared with Jiangxi, Zhejiang is more "brutal".

"Pass the decree, the officials who committed the crime in Zhejiang and their three uniforms will be sent to Jiaozhi and all the prefectures in Yunnan. Those who dare to escort the officers and soldiers along the way and release them privately will be punished with five sentences!"

In the cold winter of October outside the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, when Jiang Huai, wearing a fourth-grade official robe, announced his decree with a cold face, thousands of Hangzhou officials and their relatives in the audience showed expressions of despair.

This is just the number of corrupt officials and their relatives in Hangzhou. If we look at the entire Zhejiang Province, the overall number is jaw-dropping.

Just like now, as Jiang Huai read out the decree and walked out of the temporary prison, an official came over in a hurry and handed over a booklet.

"Senior Jiang, the documents have been compiled. Please read them."

"Yes." Jiang Huai took the document, and the document contained information on the handling of corrupt officials in the 11 prefectures and 75 counties of Zhejiang Province.

Thirty-two officials were found guilty of negligence and bribery but were not found guilty of corruption. There were another 67 officials who had serious crimes and were beheaded by Wang Ji himself, and more than 300 officials.

In the end, more than 2,200 officials and more than 16,000 clerks were sentenced to exile in Cochin and Yunnan.

If their relatives are included, the number is around 240,000.

In more than three months, under the leadership of Wang Ji, the Zhejiang Provincial Government seized more than 8.6 million yuan in stolen money, more than 1.2 million acres of land, more than 30,000 houses, 68 boxes of antique calligraphy and paintings, and mines. Seventy-six seats.

Although there are fewer corrupt officials detected than those in Southern Zhili, in terms of wealth, Zhejiang officials have more wealth, especially the more than 1.2 million acres of cultivated land, which is jaw-dropping.

The price of these fields alone has exceeded 10 million yuan.

"I will personally bring this document to the cabinet minister. Please step aside first."

Jiang Huai took a look at the contents of the document. He was frightened but quickly calmed down and gave instructions to the officials.

After hearing this, the officials withdrew, and Jiang Huai also returned to the Chief Secretary's Yamen in Hangzhou in a carriage.

Here, he saw Wang Ji, who was nearly fifty years old.

Perhaps because he had been assisting in suppressing rebellions in Cochin for many years, his temperament was different from that of ordinary civil servants, and could even be said to be somewhat biased toward military generals.

With his tall stature and his aura of not letting strangers in, even timid people would tremble when they see him. Even Jiang Huai would feel guilty inexplicably when seeing him.

"Minister, the documents from Zhejiang have been released. Although there are still some final cases that have not been investigated, it will not affect anything."

Jiang Huai handed the brochure over, and Wang Ji took it, opened it, and nodded with a serious smile:

"Okay, I'll leave the finishing work to you in Zhejiang. The officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs have already taken up their posts. You can work it out, and then use the money from selling the house for local construction in Zhejiang. The rest of the money will be used with the money from selling the farmland. Submit it to the court."

"On the Jiangxi side, although Lu Banshan's methods are pretty good, his speed is still a bit slow. I am now leading two thousand Beijing police officers to help him. I hope to close the Jiangxi case before the Qingming Festival."

"As for Huguang and Fujian, I have my own arrangements. You just need to manage the areas under your jurisdiction."

"I will write down and submit your contribution verbatim, so don't worry."

Wang Ji explained all aspects, and did not mention Qingliu's revenge afterwards. It was obvious that he was not prepared to have a good negotiation with Qingliu.

If Qingliu wants to negotiate, he can just go to the emperor. He is only responsible for handling matters.

Facing such a person, Jiang Huai could not help but bow and said:

"Although these corrupt officials have been severely punished, there are still some fish that have slipped through the net. Cabinet ministers still need to be careful next."

"You have good intentions, but there is no need to worry about me." Wang Ji laughed heartily, picked up the book, stood up and walked to the backyard.

Seeing him leaving, Jiang Huai bowed respectfully to his back and soon walked to the small office courtyard arranged for him by the Zhejiang Chief Envoy.

What he is good at is not party fighting and investigating cases, but following the general trend.

He did this when he was in Longchuan, and he did the same in Henan. The difference was that his time in Henan was too short, and he was transferred to Zhejiang before he had time to study how Henan should develop.

Although he is not the top leader in Zhejiang, he can still find ways to develop Zhejiang's economy based on Zhejiang's situation.

Previously, Zhejiang had a population of more than 14 million and more than 47 million acres of cultivated land.

After arriving in Zhejiang, Jiang Huai felt that this was not normal. After all, Zhejiang has many mountainous areas, so while investigating the case, he also sent people to verify the land situation in Zhejiang.

After he sent people to investigate, he found that most of the more than 47 million acres were forest land. Although taxes could be collected, using farmland tax to collect it would be a bit of a forced expropriation.

Zhejiang has more than 22 million acres of farmland, including more than 16 million acres of paddy fields and more than 6 million acres of dry fields.

In addition, there are more than 12 million acres of mulberry fields, tea fields, and fruit fields, and the remaining 13 million acres of cultivated land are forest lands.

According to the local conditions, Jianghuai started to prepare for dredging, and at the same time, it also prepared to utilize the mines seized this time.

After he finished writing all the development methods he could think of, he sent someone to send the memorial to Beijing, and he himself began to deal with the long-standing government affairs in Zhejiang.

It was already mid-October when the memorial arrived in Beijing. Zhu Zhanhe carefully read through it and confirmed that there were no problems before handing it to his father.

"Dad, this is the Jiang Huai I told you about. This is the memorial he wrote on Zhejiang government affairs. Take a look."

When Zhu Gaoxu, who was in charge of politics, heard this, he took the memorial and read it without raising his head, nodding from time to time.

Seeing him nodding, Zhu Zhanhe breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It was he who organized the reforms of Longchuan Railway and Longchuan Mansion."

"I remember." Zhu Gaoxu responded coldly, and then said:

"Many of these directions are well grasped, but the specific implementation needs to cooperate with the court, rather than relying on his own efforts."

After Zhu Gaoxu made his evaluation, he wrote on the memorial with a red pen: "It is very good. It must be in line with the imperial policy and cannot be made rashly."

Seeing this comment, Zhu Zhanhe breathed a sigh of relief, and Zhu Gaoxu also said:
"Send this memorial to the Ministry of Revenue and ask it to send someone to Hangzhou to collect the stolen money."

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps came from outside the palace.

"Your Majesty, Duke Shen has requested to see you. There is an urgent report from the Governor's Mansion."

"Announce!" After hearing the urgent report from the Governor's Mansion, Zhu Gaoxu announced his entry into the palace without hesitation.

After a few breaths, Wang Yi staggered into the hall and bowed. The solemn look on his face made Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Zhanhe concerned.

"Your Majesty, news came from the Kunlun Xuanwei Department that a fleet attacked Kunlun Cape in April of this year and was repelled. Please send more reinforcements..."

(End of this chapter)