After Zhu Chongba and Zhang Ximeng finished speaking, they took the initiative to approach Jia Lu and bowed deeply.
"Mr. Jia, we won't say anything else. I just know that building the river is a thousand-year project. It is a major event that benefits future generations. It cannot be done without Mr. Jia. I hope you can help me for the sake of the common people!"
Lao Zhu cupped his fists and handed over his hands, but Jia Lu didn't respond at all, and directly ignored Zhu Chongba, which made Lao Zhu extremely embarrassed. This was too disrespectful.
Zhang Ximeng saw this and was very angry. He also cherished Jia Lu's talents, but you old man is ignorant, so you can't blame me.
"Mr. Jia, my father named me after Mr. Yunzhuang, but that's not because he is being ridiculous, but because he wants to tell future generations that someone like Mr. Yunzhuang, who devotes himself to saving the people, will only end up dying of exhaustion.
"My father wanted his descendants to never serve as officials in the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty did not need a second Zhang Ximeng! But no one expected that the Yuan Dynasty would be in a precarious state after its short life."
Jia Lu listened silently. Zhang Yanghao's death indeed made many Han officials sad... The old man went to Shaanxi to relieve famines. Along the way, he fed living people and buried corpses when he met them.
Raising food, relieving the victims, going to temples to pray for rain, crying to God, and dealing with corrupt officials, landlords and gentry in the Yuan Dynasty. After a few months, the rain fell, the people survived, and the old man was completely exhausted.
, died in office.
The famous song "Sheep on the Mountain" was written by Zhang Yanghao while passing through Tongguan on his way to Shaanxi.
When it prospers, the people suffer; when it dies, the people suffer!
The teacher ended up like this, his nephew died in the hands of Yuan Bing, and his grandnephew fell into the hands of the red scarf thieves... Faced with this situation, Jia Lu really couldn't pretend to be stupid.
He could be polite to Zhu Chongba, but he couldn't be stern with Zhang Ximeng. After all, he still had to look at the old man's face!
"Hey, it's not that I don't know how to do things, but I'm really seriously ill and will die soon. Seventy percent of what I've learned in my life is water control. It's just that I opened the river according to the order and made people angry. Whether it is a merit or a fault depends on me.
I can’t explain it clearly. Now that the world is in chaos, how can we return to peace in just a few decades? Even if I can survive this illness, I probably won’t be able to live for a few more years.”
Jia Lu raised his head, glanced at Zhu Chongba, and then sighed slightly, "You keep talking about the common people, but you rebelled against the imperial court, caused endless wars, and there were constant weapons in the world. How can you be worthy of the common people?"
Zhu Chongba had a sullen face and glared at Jia Lu.
Jia Lu showed no fear at all. He just smiled lightly and said, "Since you have nothing to say, don't say any more."
Zhang Ximeng didn't like to hear it and wanted to refute it, but Zhu Chongba waved his hand.
He walked up to Jia Lu and smiled coldly, "Mr. Do you think we don't know the sufferings of the people? Let me tell you, not only do we know, we were soaked in coptis water!"
Zhu Chongba stared ahead, gritting his teeth slightly.
"Eight years ago, there was a drought, and there was a plague... There was no harvest in the fields, and the government landlords came to collect grain. Our father got sick and was afraid... and died. Then our eldest brother also died, his eldest son.
, and our mother!" Zhu Chongba clenched his fists, "In less than twenty days, four close relatives died, and only my second brother and I were left. We wanted to bury our parents, but there was no coffin, so we had to pick up a piece.
Rags. But if you want to be buried, there must be a piece of land. My second brother and I kowtow from door to door, begging! Just so that my parents can be buried in peace!"
Zhu Chongba told his own experience, and Jia Lu was dumbfounded. In an instant, his family was destroyed, and it was really tragic.
"No wonder you rebelled against the imperial court. It's understandable!"
"Wrong!" Zhu Chongba suddenly said sharply: "No! We didn't! At that time, we just wanted to live. We went to the temple and worked as a slave for the monks, just for a bite of food!"
Jia Lu was startled and asked in confusion: "Buddhism is so vast that it can't accommodate you?"
Zhu Chongba sneered, "Buddhism? They are just powerful people wearing monk robes! We only ate rice for a month and were kicked out... we wandered outside for three years, sleeping in the wilderness and giving food to wild dogs. Later.
We went back to the temple and continued to work hard for more than four years."
Jia Lu listened carefully and felt a sense of sympathy in his heart. This man was also very unlucky.
"You have indeed suffered, but you followed the red scarf to rebel, and you still seem to be rebellious by nature!"
"You're wrong again!"
Zhu Chongba sneered: "At that time, we didn't want to rebel... But the officers and soldiers were looting everywhere, and that one was the one who led the troops and burned our temple, giving us our last place to stay.
It’s ruined, what do you want us to do?”
Jia Lu was suddenly startled, then showed a horrified look, and couldn't help coughing... It took a long time before Jia Lu regained his composure, but his face became pale and more haggard.
He shook his head blankly and asked himself, if it were him, he would probably have gone the other way a long time ago.
They say there are red scarves everywhere, but how many of them were forced out by Yuan Ting like Zhu Chongba?
You will not live if you do your own evil!
Yuan Ting has really come to an end and deserves to die!
"I am being shallow." Jia Lu sighed: "But if you kill people and rebel, can you save the people and bring peace?" What can a group of bandits do?
Zhu Chongba said loudly: "We have already thought about it. We need to train and strengthen the army, provide land to the people, abolish exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and strengthen the army to save the people!"
Jia Lu was shocked. Although he didn't say much, the meaning behind it was extraordinary!
He looked at Zhang Ximeng and suddenly said: "Is this what you said?"
Zhang Ximeng smiled, "How?"
Jia Lu sneered, "It's just what others say, and there's nothing clever about it."
"Really?" Zhang Ximeng chuckled and said: "Then if we screen carefully, all powerful people who cooperate with Yuan Ting, contract taxes, and exploit the people will be executed... The other small landowners restrict land rent and are not allowed to hold more than 300 acres of land.
How about all the harvested acres of land be distributed equally to the people, so that every household can have fields to cultivate and food to eat?"
Jia Lu was stunned. This method seemed feasible!
Zhang Ximeng added: "After the land is divided, five dan of grain per person will be used as a ration. For the portion exceeding five dan, a cumulative land tax will be levied. The more surplus grain there is, the more the land tax will be paid. In addition to collecting land tax from farmers, they also need to collect land tax from merchants.
Commercial taxes are levied here. Anyway, the bigger the business, the greater the burden."
"After dividing the fields, we will recruit young men from good families to serve as a source of troops. In this way, within ten years, we will develop hundreds of thousands of elite troops. Isn't it difficult? At that time, can the Yuan Dynasty still survive?
?”
At this point, Jia Lu was already horrified. He looked at Zhang Ximeng, completely dumbfounded.
Everyone can talk about helping people in general.
But it really touches the reality, but it is not something that ordinary people can tell.
Zhang Ximeng not only talked about it, but also came up with a complete set of strategies... The problem of money and food has been solved, and the source of troops has also been solved. If it really goes down this road, there is absolutely no way for the Yuan Dynasty to survive.
"Great! As expected of Mr. Yunzhuang's descendants, they are really powerful!" Jia Lu raised his head and sighed, helplessly saying: "I underestimated the heroes of the world. It seems that the one who can destroy Dayuan must be you."
Zhu Chongba was still thinking about what Zhang Ximeng had just said. Now seeing that Jia Lu had lowered his head, he couldn't wait to ask: "Sir, are you willing to help us?"
Jia Lu looked up and said with a wry smile: "I am already half dead, I'm afraid..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ma came in from outside, followed by a doctor.
It so happened that he was the one who saved Zhang Ximeng's life when he was dying.
"Please do your best and treat me carefully."
The doctor nodded, didn't say anything more, came over to check his pulse, and then turned around to prepare the medicine.
Jia Lu was lying on the hospital bed and suddenly laughed, "I have been the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, the Grand Bachelor of Jixian Palace, and the Secretary of the Zhongshu Zuo Cheng. If you want me to work for you, you must give me an official position!"
Zhu Chongba was stunned for a moment, an official position? He wanted it too!
Zhang Ximeng smiled directly and said: "My lord has held so many official positions, so I shouldn't care about this. But my lord will not treat you badly. Originally, I was the secretary-general of my benefactor. From now on, your lord is the secretary-general. I will
You will be the deputy."
Jia Lu was startled. The official position of secretary-general was to assist the military governor. Zhao Pu, the prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, started his career as secretary-general. He was regarded as a trusted official of a prince, and his status was unusual.
Saying this doesn’t mean you’re treating yourself badly.
Jia Lu thought about it again and suddenly asked in confusion: "How come I remember that Guo Zixing calls himself a marshal? How many military governors did he set up under the marshal?"
Zhu Chongba said honestly: "There are no military governors, just five commanders!"
Jia Lu found it funny, "There is no Jiedushi, so what's going on with me, the Jiedushi being in charge of the secretary?"
Zhu Chongba was dumbfounded, but Zhang Ximeng was calm and said with a smile: "Sir, you are pedantic. Who said that there must be a secretary-general under the Jiedushi? The two of us are the secretaries-general of the ninth captain, isn't it good?"
Jia Lu frowned slightly and felt bad instantly.
The ninth captain, in charge of less than ten people, has two secretaries in charge, how can you say so?
"Then how about another Ninth Vice-Captain, Ninth Sima, and Ninth Judge?"
Zhang Ximeng smiled and praised: "Miaoji, my lord, you must quickly find all the people to support our facade."