Reborn Regent of Ming Dynasty

"Naturally not enough." Zhang Shouren said frankly: "The matter of the army is a trivial matter, and revitalizing the army is actually the easiest thing. After that, it is the real difficulty."

"Which ones are they? Let Xian Qi tell me."

"The first is the clan, the second is the gentry in the southeast, the third is the wealth, the fourth is the natural disaster, the fifth is the talent, the sixth is the eastern captive, and the seventh is the bandit..."

"It's nothing else," Chen Dengkui asked extra vigilantly, "What's the matter with the southeast gentry?"

"Father-in-law, commerce and trade are very prosperous in the southeast area thanks to the open sea trade, but the scholar-bureaucrats and officials and businessmen are unwilling to pay taxes, and at the same time resist paying state taxes. If one person wins the election, there will be thousands of hidden fields. Once he becomes a Jinshi, the hidden fields will contribute up to Tens of thousands of mu. Culture and education flourished in the southeast area, and there were limited resources that could be included in the national taxation. In this way, the family of the gentry still defaulted in paying taxes and taxes.

"You want to attack the southeastern gentry?"

Chen Dengkui was shocked when he heard the words, and almost had the urge to kick the son-in-law out.

How could he not understand what Zhang Shouren said?Officials and gentry in the north must also do such things, but the culture and education in the north are far inferior to those in the south, and the economy is far less developed than in the south. Chao Shoufu, or the emperor of this dynasty, if they want to make any plans on this matter, they will definitely end up in disgrace.

Although Wanli was greedy for money back then, what Wanli did was actually no different from that of high-ranking officials and gentry. Tax officials were set up in key cities along the Yangtze River to collect taxes. Let's share a piece of the pie... Every time a city is attacked, tens of thousands of people will rise up at once. Where there is such a unity, it is impossible for no one to make trouble here.

Every time the tax supervisor and eunuch were killed, it was tantamount to slapping the emperor's face. Wanli was slapped like a pig's head, but he never refused to withdraw it. account.

If it weren't for such a shameless approach, Wanli wouldn't have spent millions on Fu Wang and his own underground palace. In the case of no money in Taicang, it would still be extravagant.

Later generations elevated Wanli because of his opposition to the civil service group. In fact, he was too good to give up. No matter how short of military expenses ahead, the emperor was not willing to pay for it himself. When Wanli died, he had more than 700 million yuan in money. He pretended to be a fool and refused to pay, and after his death, Emperor Taichang immediately sent 200 million yuan of internal money to Liaodong. The reason why the emperor was so stingy was because the money was hard to come by.

If Zhang Shouren wanted to marry the southeast gentry, Chen Bingbei would have regretted agreeing to the marriage very much.

"I don't have the strength yet." Of course, Zhang Shouren will not fully reveal his actions and plans, but he is beyond the reach of Dongnan now, and at the same time, he does not intend to interfere. He just sneered at the moment: "In a few years, people will naturally go to Dongnan. A harsh lesson for the gentlemen who are too big to lose their tails. After that, it is time for Fushan to intervene."

"As long as you don't plan to act too hastily." Chen Bingbei had a thousand words in his mind, but seeing that this "noble son-in-law" was really beyond his influence and control, he pondered again and again, and finally said: "My Chen family has already made a deal with you. Together, one will prosper and one will suffer, and if there is anything I want to do in the future, Xian Qi just asks."

"It's best for my father-in-law to say that, and there will be trouble in the future."

"Oh, that's all." Chen Dengkui stood up and said with a gloomy face, "Pan'er doesn't know what he likes about you? After coming back for so long, I didn't even say hello to the door. When I came here, I didn't even say hello."

Zhang Shouren was also ashamed, and hurriedly said: "It's not because I'm afraid that my father-in-law will have any concerns, so..."

"What do I have to worry about here!" Chen Bingbei said sharply: "You have coaxed her into this, my family and you have become one, are you still afraid that I will fail in some way?"

"It's best for Weng and son-in-law to help each other..." Zhang Shouren repeatedly explained: "It's not that I don't have any yearning for her, but I really only want the harmony between the two families."

"If this is the case!"

The father-in-law finally passed this test, Chen Dengkui said with a flick of his sleeves: "I'm going to accompany the guests, you go to the inner courtyard!"

This time I'm not polite anymore, just match you and me, Zhang Shouren quickly agreed, and also went to the inner house in a hurry.

It is very cost-effective to be able to deal with this father-in-law this time. In the future, there will always be a day when dealing with the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River. The people who help each other and the place to start. [

It's just that I feel a little ashamed when I think about it. Now that I am in a higher and higher position, I always put my career first when I think about things. I think too little about these little children. No wonder even my father-in-law expresses his dissatisfaction...

"Uncle is here!"

The inner house of the Chen family is occupied by family members, so outsiders must not be able to enter. A hanging flower door separates the inside and the outside, just like the inner court and outer court that are forbidden by the palace.When the guard at the gate led Zhang Shouren in, he followed the winding path around a bamboo grove, but saw a fine house lying in front of him, and Zhang Shouren knew that this was where the inner house was.

Entering the inner hall of the jingshe, under the window grilles inside, there is a girl wearing azure satin dress, with a pretty face, glamorous, and there seems to be tears in her eyes. look of joy.

"I've wronged you..."

The girl in front of her is not only beautiful, but also has a blue heart and wisdom. The upbringing of a lady is fully displayed at this moment.Zhang Shouren took two steps forward, grabbed her hand, and sighed, "I'm late."

"The general is busy..."

"Don't say such things to ridicule me..." In front of people, Zhang Shouren realized that there was no reason for his reserve and withdrawal.Her determination and longing are just a small reason for her willingness to marry, and more, it is her admiration and appreciation for the girl in front of her.

Yun Niang is a virtuous wife, and this one in front of her may become his bosom friend.

Chen Pan'er was still a little pissed. She had been away for more than half a year, and except for a few letters that were not very intimate, there was almost no news.I was sitting at home in a sad city, and my father hadn't seen anyone for more than half a year. The whole family felt a little shameless.

If Zhang Shouren had sent someone to propose marriage earlier, of course everything would have changed.

But after thinking about it, this is also what attracts me the most from the man in front of me. He values ​​friendship and responsibility, and his heart of worrying about the country and the people is far more beautiful than those poems written, but he only knows Jiangnan who loves to buy and laugh. Men are a hundred times stronger.

Her father had asked her many times why she fell in love with a martial artist, but although she refused to say it clearly, she understood in her heart that she was tired of seeing those frail scholars in the south of the Yangtze River with their inconsistencies. He is the true lover in her heart that can be entrusted for life.

"Okay, I won't say..." In front of Zhang Shouren, the little bit of dissatisfaction was immediately wiped out. Since it is someone who will be entrusted to her for life, why bother to provoke myself and him on such a long-lost reunion day? .

For a while, the room was silent, only the breeze blowing, bringing the fragrance of flowers in the back garden, and the two of them, after a long separation, finally hugged each other for a long time.

……

Zhang Shouren didn't stay in the Chen family for too long. After all, although he was famous, he never greeted him in person. They were not an official couple.

In the evening, after two consecutive banquets, he went out with Qin Zhifu and others to live in the Fushan Guild Hall in the city.

Originally, many public houses were built here in Fushan, and Zhang Shouren could live anywhere he wanted, but the guild hall has the function of reception, so he still lives in the guild hall.

The distance from the Chen Mansion to the guild hall was not close, and it was already dark when he arrived.

The people in the guild hall have been notified that a group of soldiers in charge of the defense came out under the leadership of a platoon, and lined up in front of the main gate to welcome their leader. The soldiers in Dengzhou City had almost been dimmed. In the bright light, Zhang Shouren could see that these were officers and soldiers of the Navy battalion, wearing the uniforms of sailors, and on horseback, he returned a military salute to the soldiers.

"Taibao..."[

"Old Hu, I've kept you waiting."

Two generals were also waiting outside, one was Admiral Hu Dehai of the Navy, and the other was Admiral Ma Hongjun of the Naval Battalion.

During this expedition to Huguang, almost every elite soldier in each battalion was mobilized. As long as those who participated in the Huguang battle were promoted, even if the military rank was not promoted, the world rank must have been promoted a lot.But the two in front of me are ordered to stay behind. Ma Hongjun, a general, is about to die, and his job is only to command his affairs... Now the officers in Fushan don't expect to be given a lot of fields. The method of conferring land in the world seems to be a reward for everyone, but it is actually extremely irresponsible. If it goes on for a long time, it will definitely form a system of generals and servants, which will seriously weaken the centripetal force and combat effectiveness of the army.

Don’t think about Seta, but there are also benefits of being high. Although you don’t give it to Tian, ​​you can receive the corresponding salary for generations if you have any kind of job. Master Taibao has promised that as long as Fushan exists for a day, the generals at all levels will be paid according to the salary plus Shitian's standard for the production of the fields awarded by the superiors.

There are benefits, and you don't have to work hard to annex the land yourself, and hire tenant farmers to farm the land. Anyway, this is a cost-effective business.

With such generous conditions, every general hopes that he will rise steadily and strive for an unbreakable golden rice bowl for future generations.At this time, both of them knew that there was no battle to be fought for the time being. The navy had already separated warships from merchant ships. Hu Dehai commanded eleven warships of different sizes, the largest was four hundred warships, and the smallest was two hundred warships. , patrolling the waters around Dengzhou to Lushun and Juehua, and then to Phi Island every day, not even a single pirate, even so, the two still looked at Zhang Shouren eagerly, with very eager eyes... Anyway, can you It’s also good to show up often here in Taibao. Fushan’s family is big now. There are more than 100 generals at the first level. Totally forgot.