Li Shanchang and Zhang Ximeng have joined forces. This is not the cooperation of two ordinary people, but the collusion of two foxes, the twins of the world.
People as powerful as Zhu Yuanzhang did not see the real key point of this taxation method. They only said that they should not be mean to the people, and every penny must be counted... Therefore, the provisions regarding the tax payment of small businessmen and hawkers were removed. They only stipulate entering designated markets for transactions.
, you need to pay a penny for the venue, which is used for cleaning.
Lao Zhu thought about it and agreed.
Coming out of the handsome tent, the two of them looked at each other as if they had a sympathizer, and one could even see the heat in Li Shanchang's eyes.
It seems to be saying that as long as the two of us join forces, we will be successful and nothing can stop us.
In response, Zhang Ximeng just smiled coldly and politely.
"Mr. Li, you can go find the tax collector, but I need to keep a file here to facilitate future supervision and evaluation."
Zhang Ximeng just said this, turned around and dragged his injured leg, slowly but firmly.
Li Shanchang was immediately stunned.
Just because Lao Zhu was negligent does not mean that Zhang Ximeng was also confused.
No matter how good the tax collection method is, in the end it still needs people to implement it... Who in Chuzhou City knows better than Li Shanchang?
Who knows how many of his own people he will kill.
Even if he is not his confidant, he will become Li Shanchang's confidant after his promotion.
A few years later, these people were all over the court. How could Zhang Ximeng still deal with Li Shanchang?
So you are in charge of taxation, and the power of personnel must be in my hands.
This is equivalent to the fact that the chief minister and the official minister cannot be held by one person. It is an iron rule that cannot be shaken!
Li Shanchang could only smile bitterly and shake his head. He really didn't know where Zhu Yuanzhang found such a kid?
In terms of age, he was only thirteen years old, not as old as his son...but he was cunning and cunning, and he never suffered any disadvantages. Perhaps this was the origin of his family education!
By the way, there is also that old guy Jia Lu. He wholeheartedly sided with Zhang Ximeng and made suggestions, leaving him alone... When he enters Chuzhou, he will definitely find a few more talents to enrich the upper-level hegemony.
The so-called Bafu refers to the group of princes who finally achieved great things. The most typical one is Zhao Kuangyin. The reason why he took the name of his country is Song Dynasty because when he served as the governor of the Returned Army in Songzhou, he recruited a group of literati to advise him and formed a group of lords.
Dominate the mansion and seize the country, and Zhao Pu is one of the best.
Li Shanchang also gradually realized that although Zhu Yuanzhang was still very weak, he showed great vitality that could not be matched by any force.
He had no choice but to throw off his arms and charge into the battle for Zhu Yuanzhang.
A literati cannot hold a sword and only has a writing brush, but sometimes, this pen is better than thousands of troops... Li Shanchang kept writing letters to his former colleagues and friends, and sent them to the city for them to read.
Be clear about the situation and don't seek death.
Then he called those businessmen out again.
"We are all friends. Let me advise you. General Zhu held tens of thousands of troops. Haozhou's army of more than 100,000 yuan was wiped out in ashes. Zhiyuan Lao Zhang in Hengjian Mountain was defeated and captured. How many troops are there in Chuzhou now?
?I'm afraid you can't even see the four gates, otherwise how can you leave the city smoothly?"
Everyone lowered their heads and agreed with Li Shanchang's statement.
"At this point, don't even think about asking General Zhu to promise you anything! The key is to see what you can do for General Zhu... That's all, you can do as you please!"
Li Shanchang did not let them see Zhu Yuanzhang and drove them away directly.
What’s amazing is that the person surnamed Li turned his back and refused to recognize anyone else!
These few people were so worried that they returned to Chuzhou. They didn't dare to delay and spread rumors directly in the city... Speaking of which, this businessman is quite interesting.
If Lao Zhu was really polite and virtuous, they might think that Lao Zhu needed them and would raise the price.
But when Lao Zhu disappeared, Li Shanchang turned his face, which frightened them so much that they no longer dared to make requests and worked even harder on things.
Sure enough, I still have to punch hard!
Zhu Yuanzhang waited for another three days and asked his men to buy ladders and ropes for attacking the city.
When everything was ready, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Tang He to supervise the troops, with brothers Feng Guoyong and Feng Guosheng as the vanguard, to launch an attack... and captured Chuzhou in one go.
"We want to finish our meal in the city, can we do that?"
"Yes!" Feng Guoyong agreed loudly, "Don't worry, superior. The city has long been exhausted and the people are scattered. We have strong troops and strong morale, but we still can't take Chuzhou. We humble ourselves and petition to sacrifice our lives!"
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Okay, let's have a celebration drink together tonight!"
Feng Guoyong was overjoyed, saluted quickly, and then led his men and horses to kill them.
War drums rumbled, and soldiers lined up as neatly as a forest.
The red flag, symbolizing the Red Scarf Army, fluttered in the wind and made a hunting sound.
An overwhelming pressure came over me.
Everyone is gearing up and preparing for a big fight.
But at this moment, Chuzhou city gate suddenly opened and the suspension bridge fell.
Feng Guoyong was shocked, what happened? The people inside were crazy? Are they going to open the door for a fight?
Even if there is no protection from the city wall, you still want to come out and fight?
What's the difference between sending yourself to death!
But just when he was about to meet the enemy, a person slowly walked out from inside.
He was naked from the waist up, exposing his fair skin, and his hands were tied behind his back with ropes.
Behind him, there is a white flag with the words Bai Jing'en, the prefect of Chuzhou in the Yuan Dynasty, written on it.
It was this man who defended Chuzhou and once repelled the Feng brothers. But today, he opened the city gate and surrendered.
When the Feng brothers saw this, they were surprised at first and then overjoyed.
No need to fight, no need to wait for the evening, you can celebrate the victory in the city for lunch!
"Go and tell the superiors!" Feng Guoyong roared with joy.
After a while, Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhang Ximeng, and Li Shanchang all came out surrounded by soldiers.
To be honest, this situation is a bit strange.
Li Shanchang used to be Bai Jingen's subordinate. He worked as a scribe. The distance between him and the magistrate was no less than that between the magistrate and the emperor... Now he was riding on horseback and Bai Jingen was kneeling on the ground.
Is this the meaning of Tianxia Dingge?
The situation has really changed. A gentleman should ride on the wind and rise!
Similarly, the Feng brothers, who were defeated by their former subordinates, now have a successful counterattack, and they are also full of resentment and feel very happy.
It’s just that none of them can compare to Lao Zhu!
Once upon a time, I was just a beggar on the streets of Chuzhou, begging for food, as humble as an ant.
Now that I am riding a tall horse, with tens of thousands of strong soldiers, I can decide the life or death of the prefect with a single word. This is really a wonderful feeling!
Under the influence of Zhang Ximeng, Lao Zhu did not shy away from talking about his past. The humbler he was in the past, the more glorious he is now!
We have everything based on our ability, what is there to be ashamed of?
"Are you Bai Jing'en?" His voice was steady and strong.
Bai Jing'en knelt on the ground, hesitated a little, and hit the ground with his head.
"Exactly the sinner!"
"Are you here to surrender?"
Bai Jingen shook his head in shame and anger, "No."
"No?" Lao Zhu sneered, "Since it's not the case, you go back, organize your troops and fight with us, and fight to the death!"
Bai Jing'en became even more sad and desolate, filled with helplessness, and cried sadly: "If you tell me back to the general, the sinners will not be able to fight."
Lao Zhu chuckled, "Why can't you fight?"
Bai Jingen hesitated again and again, and finally said sadly: "Since the last time we defeated the invading bandits, the criminals have asked the court for merit, hoping to be rewarded with money and food, to make up for the losses, and to promote meritorious soldiers... However, the criminals did not have the money to bribe, so they did not accept the request.
As for many meritorious warriors, they dispersed in a hurry."
Zhu Yuanzhang blinked. It seemed that Yuan Ting kept making stupid moves. This kind of thing was nothing, but it was really miserable when it fell on his opponent.
Not only will they not get rewards, but the food stored in the city will also be gone. If a war breaks out, and there is no external supply, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians will have to starve.
Furthermore, Lao Zhu was promoting land allocation in Dingyuan and other places, and the news also spread. In the prefect’s office alone, more than a dozen people ran away, and they all went home to live in land allocation. Who will serve you, a prefect who doesn’t know who will die one day?
grown ups?
In fact, before Lao Zhu sent troops to come, Chuzhou could no longer hold on. A ripe peach was just waiting for someone to pick it.
Now that Lao Zhu's merchant policy has been finalized and further undermined, there is really no possibility of guarding it.
But even so, Bai Jingen took the initiative to surrender, which was quite surprising. It seems that this person is quite aware of current affairs.
"The Yuan Dynasty is ignorant and unprincipled. Its strength has been exhausted. If you are willing to surrender, we will not treat you badly."
Apart from Jia Lu, these are also the official officials of the Yuan court who surrendered voluntarily. They are not petty officials like Li Shanchang. They are very representative. Lao Zhu decided to give Bai Jingen an advantage.
But when Bai Jing'en heard this, he went uncharacteristically, his face tightened, his head held high, and he glared at Zhu Yuanzhang!
"I was greatly favored by the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty and appointed me as a Jinshi and a pastor... Ever since I became an official, I have been honest and honest, with a clear conscience. Not only did I serve the people wholeheartedly, but I never dared to slack off! The thieves besieged the city, and I recruited warriors.
Fight to the death to keep one side safe." Bai Jing'en's voice was loud, and he was so proud of himself when he told about his contribution.
"No matter what, I will not surrender to the bandits. I cannot accept the general's kindness!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was made to laugh by this person, "Then why did you expose your body and surrender? Why don't you stay in the city and fight to the death?"
"I...I know that Chuzhou is difficult to defend. I only went out of the city to ask the general to open his eyes and stop killing innocent people indiscriminately. Don't massacre the people. As a parent official and the head of the government, I really don't want to see the blood of the people."
The river is broken, the family is ruined and people are dead! I am willing to die in exchange for this head to give the people a glimmer of life!"
"As for my own life and death, it has long been irrelevant."
After saying this, Bai Jingen prostrated on the ground, grabbing the ground with his head, and burst into tears!
Lao Zhu looked down at this man, and an unknown fire couldn't help but surge up.
"Who do you think you are? A lackey of Yuan Ting! You come to beg us to spare the people, and you deserve it!"
Bai Jingen was shocked. Why, is this red scarf thief really determined to massacre the people?
At this time, Zhang Ximeng had already rode over and couldn't help but sneered, "My lord, this man looks loyal to the army and loves the people, but in fact he is a fool. Yuan Ting turned his back on him, and he refuses to change his mind. Master Wang is in front, but he is licking his old face.
, came and made irresponsible remarks. Little did they know that being loyal to the Yuan Dynasty and caring for the people are two completely different things!"
Bai Jing'en's face turned red when he was told, "You, you thieves, have rebelled against the imperial court, betrayed your father, and have lost all conscience, yet you dare to ridicule me? When I was in Chuzhou, I worked conscientiously, and everyone knows it!"
Quite confident!
Zhang Ximeng turned his head and glanced at Li Shanchang.
At this time, Li Shanchang said calmly: "He is just talking to himself. There are mountains of injustice cases piled up in the city. Does he really think that praying for rain and opening a porridge factory can be regarded as a good official? What a joke!"
Lao Zhu said directly: "Two gentlemen, take this man with you. Let's go into the city and let him open his eyes to what it means to be a good official who loves his people like his own son!"