People in the Ming Dynasty are lawless

Chapter 496 Lan Yu cries! The court really cares about us!
Everyone was stunned after hearing Xia Yuanji's words, but soon they showed great surprise.

They really didn't expect Xia Yuanji to have such thoughts. They had no hope before, but they found that Xia Yuanji seemed to have planned it long ago.

Xia Yuanji smiled and said, "You have made outstanding contributions in Sanfuqi these days. If I don't let you get some rewards here, even I can't stand it."

These words made Lan Yu and the others smile happily.

This really hits the nail on the head. Why are we working so hard in Sanfuqi? Although we don't care on the surface, we can accept it if you want to give it to us.

Xia Yuanji was very clear about their mentality, so he said calmly: "Even though the Duke is thousands of miles away, he still cares about you and knows exactly what you want, so this time he will try his best to meet your requirements."

Lan Yu and the others were a little excited, but they didn't know what the reward would be.

But it is precisely because I don’t know that I am interested.

They all pricked up their ears to listen.

Then Xia Yuanji said slowly: "The Duke's intention is to divide the island of Sanfuqi into several areas and then give them to you."

what?
When Lan Yu and the others heard Xia Yuanji say this, they were so happy that they were looking forward to dividing it this way.

In fact, long before Xia Yuanji came to Sanfuqi, they had already discussed how to divide the entire land in Sanfuqi.

When they mentioned this to Xia Yuanji, Xia Yuanji told them that they could not do so because doing so would arouse resentment among the entire people of Sanfuqi and we would not be able to rule them.

But now Xia Yuanji suddenly told them that they could divide the land, which made them feel particularly confused about what this meant.

Is it just to play a trick on us?

Not so.

The way Xia Yuanji spoke and the mood he was in when he talked to them did not seem to indicate that he had any intention of messing things up with them.

Moreover, Xia Yuanji seems to be a sincere person and he would not play tricks on us. So what is going on?

Lan Yu asked this question on behalf of the other brothers, "Governor Xia, you told us before that if we were to divide the land of Sanfuqi and share it with the generals who had made contributions, it would change the attitude of the people here towards our Ming Dynasty ruling them. So let's not rush to do this.

But what you said today makes us a little confused. What do you mean?"

The other generals also felt that what Lan Yu had said was indeed correct. We mentioned this to you before and you thought we were taking advantage of us and didn't let us do it.

But now you are doing it yourself, what is going on?
One general said bluntly: "Governor Xia, we have actually accepted that we will not be able to receive the reward here, but your words have given us a little hope. If we are disappointed again, we will feel bad."

These people are all generals. They don't speak in a flowery way and don't consider this and that like scholars do, so everyone agrees when this is said.

Yes, we have been disappointed once and we don't want to be disappointed again. Besides, we had hope before, but now we hear about your governance of Sanfuqi. You say that you want to emulate the national policy of the Ming Dynasty, and that you want them to learn the Four Books and Five Classics and take the imperial examinations to enter the world. From now on, they will all be our own people. It is indeed not a good idea to do this.

As soon as these words were spoken, the second sentence was answered immediately, “The reason why I opposed your division of the land in Sanfuqi before was not because I thought your approach was wrong, but because I thought your approach to disposing of this land was wrong.”

This was a bit confusing, and generals like Lan Yu did not understand what was going on for a moment.

He also said that his method of dividing the land was right, but his method of disposing of the land was wrong. What's going on?

Lan Yu was almost confused, so she stopped beating around the bush and said, "Just tell us what's going on. We are all rough people and can't follow your ideas."

Xia Yuanji did not bother with them and said, "Generals, what I mean is that you will each lead the divided plots of land. No matter what the local people do, you just need them to obey you. No matter how they oppose you just need to suppress them. You must squeeze out all their value, take away all their money, and transport it all back to Ming Dynasty."

Once these words were spoken, many generals present felt embarrassed. These words were a bit too straightforward, but they really thought so at the time.

When I thought of this, I suddenly felt that I was indeed a loser.

So at this time I felt a burning pain on my face.

Xia Yuanji continued, "The method I propose is different. I propose that we divide the land into plots and award them to you, but you cannot command the land. In the future, you will share the taxes collected on the land with the court in proportion.

For example, if the tax collected is 100 taels of silver, you take 10 taels and the court takes 90 taels. "

Lan Yu slapped his thigh when he heard this. "You mean that we are just collecting some local taxes. As for how to manage it, it is none of our business."

Xia Yuanji nodded, which meant this.

Now everyone understood what was going on, but after thinking about it, they felt that this division was actually a good one.

How could generals like them know how to manage a local area? Not to mention an overseas place like Srivijaya, even if it was their own fiefdom, they could only entrust the local government to help them manage it.

They only needed to hire some tenant farmers to help them harvest crops, and then have them pay them grain every year, which meant they became landlords.

No wonder Xia Yuanji said that their idea was wrong as soon as he arrived, because they did think that if the land was awarded to them, they would immediately exploit the local people, make them work for them, make them hand over everything they produced, and then make them enslaved and deprive them of their personal freedom.

But when Xia Yuanji said this, they realized that their management method could never last long.

As the saying goes, slow progress brings longevity. If you do things according to your own ideas, you can quickly squeeze out a large sum of money, but what about the future?

Do we have to suppress them every day?

If you exploit the people, they will not be able to bear it and will rebel. At that time, you may have to invest back all the money you have exploited before to suppress these people. The gain will not outweigh the loss and you will also get a bad reputation.

But according to Xia Yuanji's current statement, if he does not directly participate in local governance, there will be no conflict with the local people.

However, he can get 10% of the local taxes collected, which seems to be a good idea. It not only rewards the contributions of himself and others, but also prevents them from harming the local people. It seems that Xia Yuanji and others have considered a lot.

After hearing Xia Yuanji's opinion, Lan Yu and the others finally smiled and their expressions relaxed.

Because this plan is the best for them. It is difficult for them, the generals, to manage the local area personally, especially when they are not familiar with the local conditions, which makes it even more difficult.

They still like to fight on the battlefield, chase pirates on the sea, and use huge ships to intimidate various countries.

They prefer to fly their naval flags on the sea, and then chase the wind, chase the waves, chase the huge animals under the sea, and wander on the sea. They think this is what men should do.

Instead of dealing with documents at their desks all day long, the generals readily accepted the offer, knowing that this would likely be a long-term source of income for them.

This is especially true for the soldiers under his command. It is impossible for them to have their own fiefdoms and stable income like these dukes and marquises.

If we can really plan for their future interests, even if he is injured and retired one day, he can use this money to support his family.

Xia Yuanji also said: "The reason for thinking this way is mainly to allow our naval officers and soldiers to fight the enemy on the sea with confidence. They can be confident and have enough patience overseas, and can provide them with a stable guarantee.

I know that you generals don't really care about money, but the soldiers under your command are fighting hard, and you want to fight for their stability and security."

These words were spoken with sincerity and touched the hearts of these generals.

In fact, they did not care so much about their own enjoyment. They had already achieved success and fame. After following Emperor Taizu in wars for so many years, they had already been honored.

But the soldiers under his command were not as lucky as them.

The reason why they were thinking about dividing the land of Sanfuqi before Xia Yuanji came to Sanfuqi was also for the sake of the soldiers under their command.

Although Lan Yu was arrogant and domineering in the Ming Dynasty and had so many adopted sons and stepchildren, he seemed so inappropriate and arrogant.

But he is actually quite willing to consider the soldiers under his command.

If it weren't for these, he would not have been able to gain the support of so many soldiers.

The reason why he was able to become the commander-in-chief of the navy and lead the navy to achieve such great results today is that he has some personal charm.

Hearing what Xia Yuanji said, generals like Lan Yu had a little redness in their eyes.

They would not blink an brow at shedding blood in battle, but when they heard the civil officials' care for their own generals and soldiers, the softest part of these iron men's hearts was severely hurt.

Then I started to feel goose bumps all over my body, and an indescribable feeling emerged.

In fact, these generals are very simple. As long as you are sincere to them, they will also be sincere to you.

Especially those like Lan Yu, who had been following Emperor Taizu in wars, had experienced countless hardships along the way and had seen through the affairs of the world.

Therefore, they attach great importance to brotherhood and respect. If you respect them enough and are willing to open your heart to them, they will definitely return the respect with the greatest respect.

Just like now, when Xia Yuanji said this, even if these generals had some complaints about Xia Yuanji before, now all their complaints have disappeared.

Even if I had some opinions about civil servants before, they are now gone.

They never thought that one day these civil servants would take such care of them.

I never thought that a person as powerful as Xia Yuanji could truly consider the soldiers under him.
This feeling of being cared for is what they want in their whole life. It is also what they strive to obtain in their whole life.

And now, there is finally a glimmer of hope from Xia Yuanji.

Especially when he heard Xia Yuanji say to him: In fact, the Duke had already thought about this issue when he first decided to deal with you.

You have thought a lot about how to settle down, and you also want to get some wealth, but you are not fighting for this wealth for yourself, but for the soldiers under your command.

We all see what's in your heart, so we will help you get what you want.

If you want to make life better for the soldiers, we will introduce some policies to make life better for the soldiers.

For example, if you are not good at managing the place of Srivijaya, we will manage it, but we will share the tax revenue with you.

In fact, Chen Han and Xia Yuanji also considered a lot when discussing how to relocate naval officers and soldiers.

At that time, Xia Yuanji also wondered whether it would be appropriate to provide some land for the naval soldiers overseas.

If they are willing to manage it, that would be best. If not, they can spend some money and hire local people to manage it for them.

However, this method was rejected by Chen Han. It was not that he was unwilling, but he felt that if the naval soldiers were allowed to fight overseas and the occupied territories were divided among them, it would be a huge incentive.

After all, there is no way to divide the land of the Ming Dynasty anymore. Now the land of the Ming Dynasty is either owned by the imperial court or by local princes and meritorious officials. If you divide it further, the people will not be able to survive.

But the land overseas is like a blue ocean that can be divided up at will. As long as you have the ability to occupy it and keep it stable, you can allocate a portion of it to those soldiers who have made meritorious services.

The soldiers were still traditional people. What they cared about was still a wife, children, a warm bed, a piece of land and a cow, so rewarding them with land was definitely the best way.

It is for this reason that Chen Han agrees with Xia Yuanji's idea of ​​dividing the land to reward meritorious soldiers, but Chen Han feels that Xia Yuanji's idea of ​​letting the soldiers manage it directly is not very realistic.

Firstly, the soldiers have no experience in local administration. Secondly, if the local people knew that the land already belongs to someone else, they would have no motivation to farm it. What would you do if the land was left fallow?
So after weighing the pros and cons, Chen Han came up with the idea of ​​dividing the land, but not managing it directly. The tax revenue from the land would be shared with the court. This way there would be motivation, and at the same time it would not offend the local people.

As soon as this idea was proposed, it was immediately approved by Xia Yuanji. It was a good thing that achieved multiple goals at one stroke.

Because in this way the imperial court did not lose a large amount of tax revenue from the colonies, and the soldiers could get part of the tax revenue, and it would be long-term.

As long as the imperial court continues to colonize that place, you will get a share of the taxes from that place, which is equivalent to reaping long-term dividends.

For ordinary soldiers, it is equivalent to a considerable additional income on top of their salary.

This is simply a huge benefit for the soldiers.

Moreover, if you tell others about such an honorable thing, everyone will envy you.

In the future, when the soldiers brag, they can say: What do you have? We have lands overseas, do you have any?
Our overseas lands bring us a considerable amount of income every year. Do you have any?
This is a kind of benefit that stimulates soldiers to be enterprising.

In addition, the local people were motivated to farm without knowing the situation, and they only paid taxes. As for how the taxes were divided, it was not their business. In this way, the people did not feel disgusted.

This is the truly better way to deal with local land issues.

This was the reason why Xia Yuanji rejected the method proposed by the soldiers as soon as he heard it when he arrived in Sanfuqi.

After everything was explained clearly, Lan Yu and his men felt relieved. This way they could give an explanation to the naval officers under their command.

Lan Yu said directly, "If we can really do it as you said, Lord Xia, then we will have an explanation to the soldiers below.

You don’t know, the soldiers have been away for so long and they actually miss their hometown very much.

The reason why they have such determination is that they want to achieve great things and have a salary that is enough to allow their families to live well. Now we have finally taken over the land of Sanfuqi, and we have won it after a bloody battle. If we cannot win more credit for them, we, as generals, will really be sorry for them.

So we are really sorry for being so aggressive before. Please be magnanimous and don't bother with us, the rough guys!"

Xia Yuanji laughed out loud, and everyone saw him laughing and started laughing too.

Then Xia Yuanji said seriously: "Not only will I not be angry, but I will feel that it is a blessing for the navy officers and soldiers to have a commander like you and generals like you.

Why do soldiers fight? It can be said that it is for the court, but of course it can also be said that it is more for themselves. This is not contradictory and it is not selfish. It is human nature.

If we keep emphasizing that we should disregard everything for the court and sacrifice everything for the court, then I think not to mention the naval officers and soldiers will feel uncomfortable, even if this spreads to our Ming Dynasty, which soldier would not have such a feeling?

Not to mention that these soldiers have a knot in their hearts, even if you are already dukes and earls, who would feel comfortable? "

These words were very down-to-earth and immediately touched the hearts of these generals.

Soldiers fight to serve their country, but can't they consider themselves as well?
Aren’t we just ordinary people?
Do soldiers deserve to die?
Ordinary people can harvest food by farming.

Doing business can bring profits.

Being an official can bring you fame.

But what is the purpose of soldiers fighting so hard?
In addition to repaying the country's kindness, it is more about realizing personal ideals.

It is understandable that people want to achieve success, gain benefits, obtain a stable income, and gain more benefits for their families.

On the contrary, some civil servants in the court kept singing high-sounding slogans, using sage teachings, and putting the hat of defending the country on every soldier's head.

It emphasizes that soldiers should fight hard and sacrifice everything, even if it means sacrificing the happiness of their children at home or their own future, to fight for the so-called court cause.

This is true but there is a prerequisite, you must solve the personal problems of the soldiers and not let them bleed and cry.

The reason why generals like Lan Yu were supported by the soldiers below was because they truly rose from the bottom.

Generals, do you know very well what the soldiers at the lower levels are thinking now?
You can command them to fight, but you can't let their blood and tears go to waste.

When they thought of this, Lan Yu and the others actually choked up.

After all, all of his achievements were gained with the blood and tears of so many of his comrades.

You can eat and drink delicious food, but if you don't care about the soldiers under you in your heart, sooner or later the soldiers under you will abandon you because you eat and drink delicious food while they can't even have soup to drink.

Although Lan Yu was usually so domineering, he was deeply touched when he thought of what Xia Yuanji said. The softest part of his heart was touched and his eyes became slightly red and wet.

This is because they can now finally speak to the soldiers under their command with dignity.

Now we have gained enough benefits for you, and everyone can join in and enjoy the benefits of the court occupying this place.

Your efforts have paid off. After fighting for so long, we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

At the same time, they can also comfort the dead soldiers that from now on, if we have food to eat, your family will have food to eat.

We will take good care of your family.

They were also thinking in their hearts that their former comrades were just like themselves at that time, eating big chunks of meat and drinking big gulps of wine, but after a battle, when you go to look for them, the person who drank with you may have become a cold corpse.

Every second counts on the battlefield. A soldier might be joking with you one second, and the next he might be pierced through the chest by an arrow and die with his eyes open.

Although these iron-clad generals have seen too many things like this, can they really not think about it at all in their hearts?
Is it possible to be at peace in your heart?

Not really.

They have strong bodies but soft hearts.

Now, when they hear that Xia Yuanji and other civil servants are sincerely seeking these benefits for the soldiers, how can they not be moved?
How can you not have red eyes?
……

(End of this chapter)