Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 279 Execution of Dozens of High-ranking Officials

On the third day after the start of the tax collection, the tax collection was still at a standstill. The guards continued to guard the city of Nanjing, but there were more and more people in the East Factory.

Coincidentally, it was the day when it was raining heavily, and the bluestone streets turned into streams after the rainwater poured, and the offenders and their relatives, who were chained and shackled, were dragged by the Dongchang soldiers in the ankle-deep rainwater. with.

The people under the eaves looked at everything before them indifferently, just as the bureaucrats looked at them indifferently when they starved to death in front of the Zhumen.

Li Qiao, Shangshu of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry, was staggering forward. He didn't understand why Dongchang suddenly arrested him. He thought to himself that he just knew about it and paid some bribes, so he shouldn't be detained. Detention, as an official, should also be detained to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, but why was he dragged to the execution ground at Taipingmen.

No trial?

Do not ask?

No sentence?

Looking at the row of executioners on the execution ground, and the row of cold knives shining snow-colored under the rain, Li Qiao, Shangshu of the Nanjing Ministry of Industry, couldn't help panicking. He didn't expect that His Majesty would directly kill them. All officials and relatives were beheaded here!

One after another, many officials and relatives were dragged up, and some of them were sobbing and crying. The former arrogant and domineering Marquis of Anyuan Liu Shaozong yelled at Ma Jixiang: "This Marquis just beat that surnamed Wu. A slap, what is his surname Wu! Why did you arrest me!"

"Wu Jiayin, a member of the Household Department, said that the official is small and humble, but he is adhering to His Majesty's will and the imperial court's order. What kind of person are you, Marquis Anyuan, and you dare to defy the imperial court's tax policy!"

Ma Jixiang replied without showing any weakness.

At that time, Yao Sunju, the censor of the left deputy capital, also came up, and looked at each other with Li Qiao, Shangshu of Nanjing Ministry of Industry, with a wry smile on his face.

Dang Chongya, the left servant of the household department, knelt in the middle tremblingly. Yesterday he was the second-in-command of the household department, in charge of the world's money and grain. Dragging an iron chain weighing dozens of kilograms, kneeling in the icy rain, waiting for his head to be chopped off.

Dang Chongya regretted it, but he knew that it was too late to regret it. He didn't know why he was lucky enough to think that he would not be held accountable by His Majesty if he was greedy for money, but he seemed to be more sober than anyone else at the moment, and being greedy for money would kill him.

In half an hour, the execution ground in front of the Taiping Gate was full of kneeling, no less than 50 court dignitaries and officials, many of whom had gray hair and brocade robes and python suits. At this moment, they could only kneel in this cold Biting rain awaits execution.

People say that when the emperor was angry, he laid down millions of corpses. This is only a few dozen heads and it is not a big scene, but for Zhu Youjian, this is already the first time he has privileged this society. He only hoped that in this way he could really suppress the resistance of the privileged class to his New Deal.

Of course, as long as the New Deal can be implemented, it doesn't matter if there are a few more heads.

The hands of Jiang Riguang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishments, were trembling. He was in a different mood from when Duduo, Kong Youde, and Geng Zhongming were executed. At this time, he was not excited but fearful and unbearable. Many of them were his relatives and friends. But at this moment, he wants to supervise and kill them personally, regardless of whether they are indiscriminate, just because they hinder His Majesty's tax administration.

Ma Jixiang, who executed Qianhu, reminded Jiang Riguang in a low voice: "Big Sikou, it's time to execute!"

Jiang Yueguang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, threw the token on the ground.

Dozens of cold steel knives were lifted up, and with a swipe, the blades followed the dripping rain and cut off the heads of dozens of honorable officials, many of whom were hereditary relatives of Hongwu and Yongle. , this beheading, I don't know how many centuries of privileges and wealth of the aristocratic family have been beheaded.

Human heads rolled down in the rain, and human blood shot into the rain.

Soon, the bright red color spread in the air and the ground, but the beheading knife has been washed clean at this moment, waiting for the next group of people who challenge the emperor's authority.

Jiang Riguang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice, sat down dejectedly. He didn't know what to say, and he didn't understand why so many people were killed because of a small tax reform. , Why would you take such a risk because of thousands to tens of thousands of silver dollars.

This incident was not published by Guanghua Daily, only some private publications reported it.

Zhu Youjian did not commit the crime of sitting together, but only abolished the titles of these hereditary nobles and the official positions of these high-ranking officials, and reduced the privileges of these officials and Qi's family, so that they also became members of the common people.

It is inevitable that the old privileged class will wither in various ways, and the new privileged class will always be born in various ways.

But at least in the short term, the imperial court will reduce the financial expenditure of many families to support these families, and also make them lose the ability to annex land, so that the 200-year-old Ming Dynasty will reduce the huge social impact brought about by the growth of the wealthy class. burden.

Dang Chongya, the left servant of the household department is the worst. The key to the great Ming Dynasty is the finance, and the finance is under the control of the household department. The left servant of the household department is an important person who manages the income and expenditure of the household department. The damage caused by Daming is immeasurable.

In order to make future officials of the household department remember Dang Chongya's lessons, Zhu Youjian used the old Hongwu law to place Dang Chongya in the official office of the household department.

Although it is cruel, it is also Zhu Youjian's helpless move today. Rao, as a later generation, he knows the general trend of the world and does not know how to stop corruption.

Fan Jingwen, Minister of the First Auxiliary Department of the Cabinet, Yin Chengde of Yingtianfu, and Chen Yu, the Tongzhi of Yingtianfu, were not dismissed. In order to ensure the performance of the tax collection work, Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian ordered them to perform crimes and meritorious deeds. However, if they make mistakes again, they will not be asked The reason is to kill directly.

Governor of Yingtian, Qu Shixu, was promoted to the rank of censor of the left capital, and continued to lead the taxation work of Yingtian and its affiliated states.

Wu Jiayin, a member of the household department, has been promoted to be a doctor of the household department and lead the patrolling censor. He is in charge of the military and horse divisions of the five cities, and assists Ying Tianfu in re-stating the industrial scale of shops and workshops in Nanjing and drawing up tax invoices.

At the same time, Dongchang established the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, with the position of the same guard, and was in charge of Qianhu. Ma Jixiang was appointed as the first Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, with the rank of commander.

Ma Jixiang is responsible for recruiting talents who understand mathematics and business to enter the Statistics Bureau, confer official positions ranging from deputy commander to general banner, and formally participate in statistical economic and administrative affairs, and conduct independent or secret investigations without going through Yingtianfu and the Ministry of Household Affairs , directly responsible to Emperor Zhu Youjian.

And Li Yan was also appointed as the deputy commander to assist Ma Jixiang. Zhu Youjian's arrangement was naturally intended to let him know about Daming's financial situation, so as to lay the foundation for him to coordinate and arrange Daming's strategic direction in the future.

(End of this chapter)