Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 222 Going to Liaohai 3
  "Fan Ming, I have experience in the garrison yamen, and I will handle the paperwork for this official." Jia Cong made Fan Xiucai an eighth-grade official with a casual stroke.

But everyone did not dare to underestimate him. Fan Ming's experience was obviously different from that of the yamen. He was specifically writing official documents for Lord Guard, and he was an absolute confidant. They all rushed to congratulate him.

There was a loud bang in Fan Ming's mind, and he felt like listening to the sound of immortality, like drinking fine wine, so vast that he felt like he was riding on the wind without knowing where it was going, and fluttering like he was left alone in the world, transformed into immortality.

For a moment, countless bitternesses came to my mind. He was born in a poor family, studied hard in a poor family, became the father-in-law at an early age, failed in many trials, his wife cheated on him, he killed her in anger, he was dismissed from his career, he was assassinated in Liaodong, and he was humiliated all the time.

Up to now, he has experienced a military disaster, survived by chance, and been cleared of his crimes. Unexpectedly, a failed scholar can still be an official.

"Master Fan, experience Fan." Seeing him standing there, everyone hurriedly called out softly.

Fan Ming's eyes were unfocused and he looked at everyone blankly. He suddenly made a "cluck" sound in his throat and said, "Hey! Okay! I'm an official! Mom, I'm an official!" After saying that, he raised his head and fell down, clenching his teeth. Save personnel.

Everyone was startled and hurriedly supported him, pinched him, poured tea, patted his chest and stroked his back to calm him down.

Fan Ming finally woke up, clapped his hands and laughed again: "Hey! Alright! I'm an official!" After that, he ran out.

Everyone hurriedly hugged him and kept shouting, calling him doctor.

Jia Cong in the hall shook his head and laughed. He was really stunned.

Snapped! Jia Cong slammed the gavel and shouted sharply: "Where is Fan Ming!"

Fan Ming gave a murderous shout and shuddered. Suddenly, three souls and seven souls returned to his body. He hurriedly turned around and knelt down, kowtow and said: "The villain is here, the villain is here."

"You worthless bastard!" Jia Cong scolded.

"Yes, yes, the villain deserves to die, the villain deserves to die." Fan Ming kowtowed, completely awake.

"Take it and follow me carefully to handle errands in the future. What's a mere experience? I've never seen anything in the world." Jia Cong said angrily.

"Yes, yes, yes, villain, ah no, I will obey the teachings of the adults. From now on, the adults will be the reborn parents of the subordinates." Fan Ming's face was flushed, and he took the confession document from Jia Cong's hand tremblingly, turning it over and over again. , I was so happy that I burst into tears and runny noses.

Everyone smiled and came forward to congratulate.

"Thank you, thank you very much. We share the same joy, but we are disrespectful and show our ugliness." Fan Ming was so happy that his whole body seemed to have no bones, and he repeatedly bowed his hands in return.

Jia Cong glared at him and said, "That's it for today. Let's go and do our own business. Master Rong and the two assistant guards will stay to discuss the matter, and Fan Ming will leave the records."

"Yes." Everyone went their separate ways.

Jia Cong took a few people to sit down in the flower hall in the back hall, and asked the girl to pour tea.

Seeing that the girl in the garrison mansion was mediocre in appearance, Jia Cong secretly shook his head in his heart. She was far inferior to the maids in the mansion, and she could only make do with it in a remote country. He couldn't help but miss the two pretty girls Qingwen and Qianxue.

After sorting out his thoughts, Jia Cong slowly said: "How much money and food can I use in a year now?"

Rong Liu said: "About 75000 taels of silver and 9 shi of grain."

"How much is the military pay?"

"About 40 to 50 percent."

Jia Cong shook his head and said: "Too little. From now on, we will pay the full amount without any arrears! I will not take empty pay, nor will I drink the blood of soldiers."

Rong Liu hesitated and said: "This... Your Excellency is noble and upright, and I admire you from this position, but I'm just worried that I might not be able to catch you."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"Yes. We have more than 5,000 soldiers. Based on the border army's salary of one tael of silver and one stone of rice per month, we need more than 60,000 silver and 60,000 stone of rice per year. The remaining money and food must support the operation of the garrison office. , as well as everyone’s salary, and expenses such as management of superiors, military supplies, inns, education, relief, repairs, pensions, etc.

And I see that your Excellency has brought thousands more soldiers and horses here, which makes it even more stretched. What's more, even if your Excellency is clear, there is no guarantee that the generals below will not drink the blood of the soldiers. "Rong Liu said.

Jia Cong nodded and said: "You are right. Pass on my military orders. First, from now on, if anyone in this guard drinks the blood of soldiers, he will be killed! Anyone in the Yamen who dares to embezzle the money and food from Duke Mo will be killed!"
  Secondly, I will take care of my superiors from now on; thirdly, the officers and soldiers’ salaries will be paid in full, and if there is insufficient money, I will temporarily use the money to advance it.

Let me tell you, this is not an inland state capital, but a border guard city. If I want to kill a few prisoners, I don’t need to report it to the general military office, let alone report it to the emperor. If you are not afraid of death, just give it a try. "

"Yes, I will obey my orders." Rong Liu felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly bowed to agree. Jia Cong said earnestly and sincerely: "Master Rong, if you want to solve the problem, just cutting expenditures and picking at the soldiers' bellies will not work! You must open up more sources of income!"

"What your Excellency said is absolutely true. The so-called open source..." Rong Liu understood something in his heart.

"I heard that the imperial court is implementing a new law, do you know?"

"The lower official knows something from the residence newspaper." Rong Liu said.

Jia Cong said: "I don't know anything about the new laws, but I do know a general idea. I heard that one of them is aimed at wealthy households? Only a small part of the many fields in our country are taxed. It is really unseemly. If we can collect taxes, Qi, doesn’t the world have peace?”

Rong Liu smiled bitterly and said: "Are you talking about the strategy of dividing a small family into a small family? This method has been implemented for a long time in the previous dynasties. Why can't it be pushed forward? It is really that one hair can affect the whole body, and the resistance is too great."

Jia Cong became interested and asked, "What does it mean to spread a small family into an adult?"

"In fact, it is a whip law of the previous dynasty. In short, it is to abolish the Ding tax, land tax, and corvee, and combine the three into one. Only the land is taxed. Those with more land will pay more, those with less land will pay less, and those with no land will pay less. No! Let alone the gentry and officials, they all work as servants and pay for the food."

Jia Cong's eyes lit up and he said: "This method is very good, very good, fair and reasonable."

"Although the law is good, it... offends the powerful and gentry, so it is extremely difficult to implement this law. The border gates only seek stability, and they have not implemented this law." Rong Liu said.

Jia Cong nodded. It's true. Take the Jia family as an example. The Jia family has more than 500,000 acres of land at the foot of the Black Mountains. According to the new law, even if the tax rate is 10% or 20%, they will have to pay at least 100,000 silver a year. Which one? The rich and powerful are willing?

"What Master Rong said is not unreasonable. I wonder how many acres of land the Master has here? How much land do other officials in the Yamen have?" Jia Cong said with a smile.

Rong Liu said nervously: "To be honest with you, I have more than 500 acres of land outside the city. The rest of my colleagues have hundreds of acres at most and ten or twenty acres at least."

Jia Cong nodded and said: "I just went to see it a while ago. My family has more than 500,000 acres of fertile land at the foot of the Black Mountains."

Rong Liu was dumbfounded, and after a while he raised his hands and said: "Tan Mansion has a strong foundation, and the lower officials can't even hope to match it."

Jia Cong waved his hand and said: "For a family like mine, with hundreds of thousands of acres of land and not a single grain of grain given to the court, do you think it is appropriate for Lord Rong to do so?"

"This..." Rong Liugan said with a smile: "This is a major matter of the imperial court, and lower officials dare not speak nonsense."

"There is nothing bad to say. I am deeply ashamed! Although my ancestors have made some contributions to the country, the imperial court has been extremely kind to my family. Therefore, I gave General Yang 200 grains as a gift.

Every year from now on, I will take the initiative to pay taxes to the General Military Office in accordance with the new law to fulfill my duty as a minister. "Jia Cong said.

Rong Liu saw that his tone was sincere and did not sound like he was lying. He was finally moved. He stood up and bowed to the ground, saying: "Your Excellency, you are noble and honest, and you are loyal and loyal. I will bow to you as a lowly official."

Jia Cong waved his hands and said: "It's nothing. The new law is a major political policy of the imperial court, and we must abide by it. I am not trying to cut everyone's flesh for fame, or tell the officials and generals in the yamen how much land tax they should pay. What?
  If we continue to implement the new law and measure our fields clearly, the extra money and grain collected will not be enough for everyone to subsidize it? Is this account still unclear? How could I treat my brothers badly? "

Rong Liu's eyes lit up. Not only would he not be compensated for such a loss, but he might still be able to make a profit. He flattered him hurriedly and said: "Your Excellency, you are far-sighted, lofty, unpredictable, far-sighted, talented and knowledgeable. I admire you." The whole body fell to the ground."

Everyone laughed, and Lord Rong was flattering and superior to others.

Jia Cong smiled and said: "Don't talk nonsense. What kind of obstacles does the chief secretary think there are in this way?"

Rong Liu said: "Your Majesty is so considerate of your subordinates. I promise that the Yamen will be united and push forward the new law. But as for the obstacles, I am afraid it will be some big gentry in the city."

Jia Cong asked: "Could it be that this Liaohaiwei has some special character?"

"That's not true. At most, it has some connections in Liaodong Town and Fengtian City."

Jia Cong sneered and said: "I heard that there is a saying that the county magistrate of a broken family will destroy the governor's Yin. Could it be that I am not as good as the governor's Yin?"

Rong Liu thought about Jia Cong's background in the Duke's Palace and the support of General Yang, so he was still afraid of a few big locals?
  Yin smiled and said: "No one else can move them. To your Majesty, those wealthy households are like mantises using their arms as chariots and earthworms shaking trees."

Jia Cong laughed and said, "Then just go ahead and do it. If anything happens, I'll take care of it!"

After hearing these words, Rong Liu no longer had any doubts, stood up and said: "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely fulfill my mission."

(End of this chapter)