My Ming Dynasty, I have the final say

Chapter 211 Returning to the army and Shuntian Qingtian

"Master Xiong, we, the five inner Khalkha tribes, really can't survive."

Looking at Xiong Tingbi standing at the top with an angry look on his face, Cai Qing, the envoy of Nei Khalkha, acted extremely humble at this time.

"Last year, another white disaster hit the grassland. Our cattle, sheep and horses suffered heavy losses, and we didn't get a good harvest from our fields. We really can't survive."

"Lord Wan Wangxiong, please see that our alliance leader led the coalition forces to fight against Jiannu in Tieling last time. Although we could not re-establish Jiannu, we still have no credit for the hard work. We will give you more horse silver, and then Open a mutual market.”

"Well, what you said makes some sense."

After listening to Cai Qing's words, the anger on Xiong Tingbi's face gradually weakened.

In recent years, the climate has become increasingly weird.

Not to mention grasslands, even in the Central Plains, droughts and snowstorms often occur.

As for Liaodong, this place is not developed enough. Once the weather becomes unstable, it is easy to cause a loss of revenue.

Although I don’t know that “agricultural civilization” is more stable and more resistant to making this statement than “nomads”.

But Xiong Tingbi knew that if there was a snowstorm on the grassland, the population would be cut down.

After thinking for a while, Xiong Tingbi looked at Cai Qingdao.

"Judging from your speech and behavior, you are not Mongolian, but Han."

"this..."

After hearing Xiong Tingbi's words, Cai Qing raised his head and glanced at Xiong Tingbi cautiously, and then said.

"I am indeed Han Chinese."

As he said that, Cai Qing showed a hint of shame on his face.

"My family was originally a wealthy family in Shenyang. More than 20 years ago, when the Gaohuai cholera epidemic hit Liaodong, they took a fancy to my family's assets. My father had a stubborn temper and refused to bow his head, which led to the destruction of our family. I fled to the territory of Inner Khalkha, and I have only survived to this day."

"is it?"

Looking at Cai Qing's face, Xiong Tingbi nodded noncommittally.

Based on just a few words from this middle-aged man, it was impossible for Xiong Tingbi to believe him.

The Liao people can't be trusted, but he came up with this sentence.

"This time our Ming army has recaptured Tieling. I can report to the emperor and agree to reopen the mutual trade with you in Tieling."

"As for the horse-selling silver you mentioned, I need to report it to the imperial court and ask the emperor to make a decision. I don't dare to be expert in it."

"understand."

After hearing Xiong Tingbi's words, Cai Qing said hurriedly.

"The leader of my family asked me to ask Xiong Jinglue to tell the Ming Dynasty on his behalf that all the tribes in Khalkha are respectful to the Ming Dynasty."

"Ah."

Nodding again, Xiong Tingbi suddenly said again.

"I can't make the decision on re-opening the mutual market, but I can help you within the scope."

"I wonder what you mean, sir?"

Cai Qing's eyes lit up when he heard Xiong Tingbi's words.

"You need food, and I need war horses."

Looking at Cai Qing, Xiong Tingbi tapped his fingers on the table.

"A war horse can be exchanged for fifteen stones of grain. A mare can be exchanged for twenty stones of grain. A stallion can be exchanged for fifty stones of grain."

"I can give you 20,000 dan of food for the five departments. How much food can you give me?"

"this..."

Cai Qing scratched his head when he heard Xiong Tingbi's plan to exchange grain for horses.

"Sir, this villain can't make the decision. I still need to send back the news. The decision will be made after the five departments have discussed it."

"can."

Hearing this, Xiong Tingbi nodded while suppressing a smile.

He can see that the situation in the five Inner Khalkha Divisions is very bad now.

Without external funding, it is already in an unsustainable state.

"In addition, there is one more thing that you need to tell your leader."

"Whether I am exchanging horses for grain this time, or whether the imperial court and the Inner Khalkha tribes will reopen mutual trade in the future, it is all because of the respect you have shown to the Inner Khalkha tribes over the years."

"But after I arrived in Liaodong, I found that someone had sold materials that were supposed to be sold to the Inner Kalkha tribes to the Jian slaves, so I ordered a strict investigation."

"If we find out that you are secretly selling the grain that should be sold to you to the slaves, it will not be as simple as cutting off the mutual trade."

"Don't worry, sir. I will definitely tell my leader."

Hearing Xiong Tingbi's words, Cai Qing shed a trickle of cold sweat on his forehead.

Although the five Inner Khalkha tribes generally have a very poor relationship with the Jiannu slaves.

But sometimes, things like secretly communicating songs still happen.

But now that Xiong Tingbi has made this issue explicit, it will be difficult for them to do some things.

"Well, then you can stay in Fushun for now and wait for the news."

"By the way, let's also take a look at how our officers and soldiers of the Ming Army exterminated the Jiannu."

After Xiong Tingbi said some more threatening words, he served tea to see off the guests.

Looking at Ming Jie leaving, Xiong Tingbi narrowed his eyes.

It seems that he asked Hou Shilu's army to bombard Tieling with artillery. This move of knocking the mountain and shaking the tiger had an effect.

The Ming Dynasty used gunpowder to scare the Mongols.

"The next situation will be even more dangerous."

Standing up from the chair and looking at the sunset outside the tent, Xiong Tingbi said with some emotion.

"Sir, Qin Minping would like to see you."

Just when Xiong Tingbi was feeling emotional, a pacesetter came in to report.

"Let him in."

Hearing this, Xiong Tingbi nodded. After the other party greeted him, he heard Qin Minping's report.

"Sir, the losses of sentinels have increased recently. I think Jiannu will make a big move."

"Have the losses of the sentry increased?"

Hearing this, Xiong Tingbi frowned.

Get rid of the spies, is Jiannu going to attack?

"What do you think?"

Touching his chin, Xiong Tingbi looked at Qin Minping and asked.

"The general feels that Jiannu may want to attack our army."

"Not too possible."

Hearing this, Xiong Tingbi shook his head.

"Since our army came out of the customs, it has advanced slowly, covering less than fifteen miles in twenty days. We arrived one camp at a time."

"What's more, our army is equipped with a lot of artillery, and there are Wu Gang chariots to help. Is he crazy to build a slave and attack our camp by force?"

As he spoke, Xiong Tingbi stroked his beard.

"I'm afraid Jiannu will have to withdraw."

Although he, Xiong Tingbi, was a literary scholar, he was still a martial arts scholar, and he was well versed in military science.

He knows very well what is real and what is not real in the art of war.

"You want to withdraw?!"

Qin Minping was shocked when he heard Xiong Tingbi's words.

"Then sir, why don't we pursue him?"

"Chasing? What to chase with? Are you going to chase with these 50,000 recruits?"

Hearing this, Xiong Tingbi rolled his eyes at Qin Minping angrily.

What can I say about these chieftain soldiers? They have good military discipline and are good at fighting.

But there is a problem throughout the entire army, that is, both soldiers and soldiers are somewhat short-sighted.

"Minping, the many fortresses outside Fushun Pass will be handed over to you next."

"Please give me your instructions."

Upon hearing Xiong Tingbi's words, Qin Minping did not hesitate and immediately handed over his hands.

"In a few days, I will return to Shenyang with the main force. You will be stationed outside Fushun Pass to harass Jiannu!"

"Yes!"

When he heard that it was a proactive mission, Qin Minping did not refuse and immediately agreed.

"Remember, don't fight with Jiannu head-on. Harassment is the priority."

"If the slave-building army comes to attack, just retreat to Fushun Pass."

"I will obey the orders of Jinglue!" Just when Xiong Tingbi and Jiannu were playing Liaozhai in Liaodong.

In Suncheon Prefecture, under the leadership of the Ministry of Household Affairs, the reorganization of land registration in the Gyeonggi region has also begun.

On the night when Xiong Tingbi decided to withdraw his troops, he was at the residence of Zhu Chunchen, Duke of Chengguo.

"My lord, the acres of land given by past emperors, plus the support of those merchants and gentry, amount to more than 5,000 hectares. We have to pay taxes this year."

The steward of the palace stood in front of Zhu Chunchen holding the account book and reporting the report.

“The emperor’s palace must be handed over, so let’s hand it over too.”

Hearing this, Zhu Chunchen said with great pain.

The inner court took the lead in copying the land register of Huangzhuang to the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the emperor took the lead in paying taxes. No one else dared to say anything.

It cannot be said that it is wrong for the emperor to take the lead in paying taxes to the country.

Thinking about it, Zhu Chunchen started to count on his fingers.

The fields of the military guards were definitely not included in the calculation. The emperor took those fields back.

I don’t dare to hide this, I really don’t dare to hide it, this part of the emperor’s concession is directly distributed to the military households.

Of the more than 5,000 hectares in the house, more than 2,000 were obtained through rewards from successive emperors and through forced purchases by the Chengguo government.

The remaining three thousand hectares were obtained by others.

The acres of land on Duke Chengguo's residence include upper fields and lower fields.

One hectare is one hundred acres, and based on the yield of two shi per mu, it is a harvest of one million shi.

Taking into account the reward for Mudleg and the affiliated fields, he would have received 400,000 shi of food.

Those affiliated fields were all tax evaded by the local tycoons and gentry, so he could only get a "post-rent" that was slightly lower than the court tax.

He and the gentry shared the harvest from the fields 30/30.

Seventy percent of it belongs to other people.

After thinking for a long time, Zhu Chunchen looked at the housekeeper and said.

"Clear out all the affiliated fields and send the government's land register to the Ministry of Household Affairs. As for other people, if they want to resist the tax, let them resist."

"Yes."

Hearing this, the housekeeper nodded helplessly.

Some of the acres to be cleared out belong to his family, and he will also clear out his own acres next.

"Besides, before clearing out those affiliated fields, you should make a note of them and let the servants keep an eye on them."

As he spoke, Zhu Chunchen's eyes flashed with a hint of cunning.

"What do you say, my lord? He is also the Prince Consort of the Ming Dynasty and your Majesty's uncle. How can you not obey your Majesty's decrees?"

"Master, what do you want?"

Looking at Duke Cheng Guo, who was suddenly loyal to his country, the housekeeper wondered whether this man's mind had been damaged by the emperor's training in the army.

This guy does a lot of criminal things on a daily basis.

"Let's keep an eye on them to see if they evade taxes."

Seeing the look in the eyes of the butler and his brother-in-law, Zhu Chunchen glared.

"Yes, yes, I understand."

When he heard about tax evasion, the housekeeper immediately understood what Duke Cheng wanted to do and immediately agreed.

"I paid the tax!"

Looking at the housekeeper leaving, Zhu Chunchen raised his neck and said.

Is other people's filial piety more important, or is one's own perception of the emperor more important?

Is the white money more important, or the title passed down from his ancestors?

Zhu Chunchen settled this account clearly.

Don't look at Zhu Chunchen in history as a weakling.

But that was done with Chongzhen, a prodigal who no one believed in.

If it were any other emperor, this guy would be a lucky minister, or even a sycophant.

Just when Zhu Chunchen was planning to make another big profit by showing his submissiveness.

Dong Yingju, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, stayed overnight in a private house to understand the people's conditions.

On the Tukang, Dong Yingju was wearing a large cloak, sitting cross-legged in front of a small table, talking to a seventy-year-old man lying on the side.

"The old man is saying that people from the county come down every year to determine the fish scale register and the yellow register?"

"Haha, the magistrate is a literary star from the sky who has descended to earth. How can he know the sufferings of the people?"

After hearing Dong Yingju's words, the seventy-year-old man smiled.

"is it?"

Hearing this, Dong Yingju reached out and touched his mustache.

He was not a fool. After seeing that the county the old man was talking about was determined every year, he came to his own conclusion.

There is a problem in the county with underreporting of farmland and population.

Every time summer taxes and autumn grain were collected, people were sent to inspect, but often the two fish scale books and yellow books of the actual acres were only kept in the county town and were not reported to the court.

The Fish Scale Book and the Yellow Book related to how much tax should be transferred to the court.

They hide the extra money every year for the simple purpose of lining their own pockets.

People's money is worth every penny.

The court's money is not much.

Those who were intercepted were naturally divided among the county government and the gentry, one after the other.

"It's another bloody storm."

With a sigh in his heart, Dong Yingju had a better understanding of the difficulties in implementing his new policy.

How many people would have died during the land purge?

"Old man, are there any bandits or bandits around here?"

Although he subconsciously felt that there could not be such anti-thief elements around the capital, Dong Yingju felt that he still had to ask.

"no!"

Hearing Dong Yingju's words, the old man shuddered.

Although he subconsciously felt that there could not be such anti-thief elements around the capital, Dong Yingju felt that he still had to ask.

"no!"

After hearing Dong Yingju's words, the old man shuddered and said decisively.

"Are you sure not?!"

Seeing the trembling figure of his father-in-law, Dong Yingju immediately felt that there was a ghost and asked in a serious tone.

"this."

Looking at the black gauze hat on Dong Yingju's head, the old man hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said.

"Really do not have."

"Then what are you afraid of, old man?"

With his eyes fixed on the old man, Dong Yingju increased his pressure and asked.

"this..."

After a long silence, the old man sighed.

"There are no bandits, but there are many strong thieves."

"Go to the twelfth lunar month, there were more than a dozen strong thieves who wiped out the whole family in the village next door, and the young lady was also kidnapped."

"The man from that family was hung upside down from the beam, watching his family being killed. Those strong thieves didn't allow others to collect the bodies. Anyone who dared to collect the bodies for them would be killed next."

"boom!"

Hearing this, Dong Yingju couldn't help but slap his hand on the table beside him.

In the important place of Gyeonggi Province, such a tragedy happened.

The nature of this matter is so bad that it cannot be explained by saying that there is a shortage of government officials and they are unable to do things.

After being silent for a long time, Dong Yingju looked at his father-in-law with a chilling look on his face.

"I brought guards with me when I left the capital this time. The guards are not familiar with the mountain roads and do not know the lairs of the strong thieves. Could you please help me lead the way so that my guard can destroy this group of strong thieves?"

"this.."

Seeing the murderous look on Dong Yingju's face, the old man hesitated and said.

"Old man, I am old and my steps are not very agile, but there are a few boys in the village who know the lair of this gang of thieves, and I asked them to lead the way for the prefect."

With that said, the old man turned his head and said to the young son who had been waiting by his side.

"Go and call Er Zhuzi here. The official has something for him to do."

Seeing the middle-aged man go out, Dong Yingju's murderous intention gradually faded away, and he looked at his father-in-law and gave instructions.

"A few days ago, the Emperor ordered his troops to go out of the capital to inspect Shuntian. If my father-in-law has any news about bandits again, he can send people to wait by the official road. The Emperor's troops will definitely wipe them out!"

(End of this chapter)