Follow Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the country

Chapter 51: Interrogation of captured Yuan Ting officials
  Zhang Cheng is now recruiting captured officials such as Yuan Tingzhizhou Jia Zhili to surrender.

This is what Zhu Yuanzhang meant.

Unless absolutely necessary, Zhu Yuanzhang did not want to personally recruit these officials to surrender.

The class hatred inspired by the confiscation of his house made Zhu Yuanzhang still a little reluctant to show favor to these powerful bureaucrats. He had already been embarrassed before going out to meet Ren Qiande and other officials in person.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Zhang Cheng to come forward first, while he remained hidden behind the scenes for the time being.

Recruiting and surrendering captured officials is what must be done after the capture of Chuzhou City.

Whether it is to increase the number of talents for one's own use, or to show the world's bureaucrats and gentry, to reduce the intensity of resistance and avoid more casualties on one's own side, the process of recruiting and surrendering is necessary.

"There were many offenses that day, but why should I be loyal to Hu Yuan? Don't you know that we are members of the same clan?"

After Zhang Cheng saw Jia Zhili again that day, he still asked his personal guards to remove the shackles of Jia Zhili, did not let him kneel down, and took the initiative to apologize to him.

Jia Zhili kept his head high. He was already dissatisfied with the fact that Zhang Cheng and other rebels had ignored him and only now came to recruit him. Because he had been ignored by Zhang Cheng and other rebels for many days, he felt even more unhappy.

After hearing what Zhang Cheng said, Jia Zhili sneered rudely and said: "Who are the same race as you southern barbarian bandits? I am a northerner. If my dynasty had not unified the north and the south, you and I would not be part of the same country." You are a human being, and even if you are a member of the same country now, I am noble and you are humble, so what qualifications do you have to persuade me to surrender to you, a southerner!"

After Jia Zhili finished speaking, he raised his head again.

A proud look on his face.

Zhang Cheng's heart suddenly burned because he was despised by Jia Zhili, and he had to close his eyes and take a deep breath.

He admitted that he had ignored this and forgotten that the society of this era was different from the society of later generations.

In this era, starting from the Five Dynasties 400 years ago, the north and south were divided into multiple countries. Then the Northern Song Dynasty did not completely unify the north and the south. They existed at the same time as the Liao and Xixia for many years. Then, during the Southern Song Dynasty, they existed at the same time as the Jin Dynasty for a hundred years. , so that the northern and southern Han people no longer considered each other to be the same clan.

What's more, the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty specifically divided the northern Han people and the southern Han people into political hierarchies, which made the situation that the northern and southern Han people did not consider each other as members of the same race even more serious.

It was only after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty that the situation of mutual discrimination between the north and the south began to gradually improve, and it was only after many heads fell to the ground that this situation was improved.

This shows how serious the North-South divide was at this time.

Therefore, what Zhang Cheng said now would make Jia Zhili feel particularly ridiculous, and even think that Zhang Cheng was humiliating him and deliberately dragging him down to the same low status as the Han people in the south.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was also a Han from the south, also became sullen here.

"So you are unwilling to surrender?"

Zhang Cheng asked Jia Zhili again at this time.

Jia Zhili pulled his face and said, "How can a scholar-bureaucrat be a thief?"

Zhu Yuanzhang inside stood up after hearing this.

"Since you are a scholar-official, you must also know about the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties. Why did you use the Hulu's conspiracy to divide the people of China into the north and the south just because of the chaos of the Five Dynasties and the incompetence of the Zhao and Song Dynasties?"

"Do you really plan to go under Jiuquan in the future, meet your ancestors five generations ago, and say that there are different races in the north and the south?"

But Zhang Cheng still patiently continued to ask.

Jia Zhili didn't answer.

Zhang Cheng added here: "You may not answer, or you may refuse to surrender, then I will ask you again."

"No need to ask anymore."

"Eating the emperor's salary and being loyal to the emperor are the only things that require death!"

Jia Zhili suddenly wanted to stop Zhang Cheng from talking anymore, and spoke decisively.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but stand up, his eyes showed respect, and he looked at Zhang Cheng outside.

Zhang Cheng only hesitated slightly and said: "I have to ask! You can't do without asking clearly about some things. What's going on with the large number of children and women detained in the prison of Zhizhou Yamen, and there are even many pregnant women? You have to answer this clearly. "

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned because of this, and he also put away his respect for Jia Zhili and looked at Jia Zhili.

He wanted to see how Jia Zhili would answer. Jia Zhili was a little shy to answer this, so he said: "I don't need to answer this, someone will answer you."

"You must answer!"

Zhang Cheng said in a deep voice.

Jia Zhili said: "It's not because you and other bandits have caused trouble to the country that I have to do this."

"Not to mention that the people of China are unwilling to be slaves of the barbarians, but in today's world, the people in power are cruel and unethical. They treat the people like cattle, horses and grass. They take all the baht and use it like sand, leading to starvation and death all over the land. If the people can't afford to punish them, Do I really want to kill you and other unscrupulous people to starve to death and be devoured by wild dogs?"

"It's actually the fault of the common people for causing trouble."

As Zhang Cheng spoke, he pointed at Jia Zhili and shouted: "Don't ask what you did?! Water can carry a boat and it can capsize it. Don't you understand this truth?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang also nodded frequently and looked at Jia Zhili outside.

Jia Zhili chuckled here, and then said: "Yes, if the people of the world encounter a famine, even if the government fails to provide relief, they should die peacefully and starve rather than ceremoniously. We, the scholar-bureaucrats, would rather slaughter the living people than allow the living people to commit crimes. Destiny, this is the virtue of a minister!"

"As for the fact that water can carry a boat and also overturn it, I naturally understand this truth, but it does not mean that the boat must follow the water, and the officials must follow the people. When it comes to floods, it should be sparse when it should be sparse, and it should be blocked when it is blocked. No matter what, famine or anything else is not an excuse for the common people to commit crimes!"

After Jia Zhili's words were heard by Zhu Yuanzhang who was hiding inside, he couldn't help but stand up again. His fists were clenched, his eyes were wide open, and he opened his mouth to say something for the people like him, but he didn't know how to say it for a moment, and besides, After recalling Jia Zhili's words, I felt that what he said made some sense, and I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. My eyes were a little moist, and I thought to myself:

"When our parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, and the villagers are starving, if we don't have food, should we really starve to death?"

"Including ourselves, if we starve and have no money or food, we can only beg and starve to death. In short, we cannot rebel. Only rebellion is wrong?"

The more Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it, the angrier he became and his teeth clenched tighter.

Zhang Cheng was very calm after all, because he was no longer surprised by the views of die-hard reactionary landlords like Jia Zhili.

"I still like Mencius's words."

"Although Mencius's words cannot completely reflect the real situation, he at least has a very correct philosophy of governing the country.

When Zhu Yuanzhang was confused and aggrieved, Zhang Cheng spoke to Jia Zhili again outside.

"The people are the most important, the king is the most important, and the country is the second most important thing, not what you, a slave who is willing to accept as a captive, is your master."

then.

Zhang Cheng thought of this sentence.

And the reason why he is willing to talk so much nonsense to Jia Zhili now is because he knows that Zhu Yuanzhang is behind him, and he wants Zhu Yuanzhang to hear it too.

In this way, he can see if Zhu Yuanzhang will continue to change because of him.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened here and murmured: "The people are the most precious, the king is the most important, and the country is the second."

Zhu Yuanzhang, who had not yet become emperor, was not as disgusted as when he saw this sentence after becoming emperor in history. Instead, he was surprised and even willing to believe that this sentence was the truth.

Because now he is still a simple peasant rebel.

and so.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened more curiously and carefully.

He wanted to hear why Zhang Cheng still liked what Mencius said, and why he said that it could not reflect the real situation, but only represented a correct idea, and why he did not agree with Jia Zhili's point of view, if the people were to starve to death They should starve to death, but they cannot rebel even if they starve to death.

"This is why Mencius is a saint, but your life is in my hands now, and you will not become a saint in the future."

"However, I sometimes have to admit that you people are obviously reading the books of the saints and learning the rituals of the saints, but how come the concepts of governing the country are getting further and further backward as you learn more? Mencius after all believes that the people are more important than the king, and even more important than the country. Heavy, but you even think it is wrong for people to resist injustice, and you are getting further and further away from your original meaning of being a saint."

"The emperor of the Han Dynasty fashionably crowned Chen She the king for revolting against Qin. But in the eyes of you people, the people who revolted against tyranny can only be regarded as thieves."

After Zhang Cheng said this, Jia Zhili's face turned pale.

(End of this chapter)