"Don't panic. After traveling more than a hundred miles, we have to rest for a night. Even if we return this morning, we will not arrive until afternoon."
Li Wenyu, the minister of household affairs who resigned, said calmly while holding a tea cup.
He is also from Xiangyang.
The Minister of Hubu was Yu Xin, and the two ministers were Xia Yuanji and him, but all three of them resigned. In fact, the relationship between the three of them was not bad with Yang Feng. Both the Ministry of Hubu and the Ministry of Works were on good terms with Yang Feng.
Needless to say, a stable cooperative relationship has been formed between the Account Department and the bank. When the Account Department is short of money, it borrows from the bank. At the same time, the Account Department uses its power to maintain the bank's monopoly. When the bank is short of gold and silver, the Account Department
The gold and silver will support the bank. After all, all the gold and silver produced by the silver mines and gold mines in various places are sent to the warehouse of the Ministry of Accounts.
In recent years, the two companies have increasingly aligned themselves with the American Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve.
And even the officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs have begun to understand the benefits of this game.
As long as the bank does not fail, the Account Department will hardly be short of money. Similarly, as long as the Account Department gives full support, the bank will not fail. After all, the Account Department is backed by gold, silver and copper mines all over the country, including Iwami Ginzan.
Continuous output.
This is a closed loop.
Just be careful and don't let your banknotes depreciate seriously.
but……
Resignation is a matter of principle.
Not resigning means that you are ready to be used by this monster.
That branded him as a treacherous minister in the minds of Confucian scholars and gentry.
Regardless of whether you had a reputation as a virtuous minister in the past, or whether you were really on the same side as Yang Feng, as long as you don't clearly draw a clear line with Yang Feng, you are a traitorous minister, but now he is glad that he resigned early.
Once the public land law was enacted, Yang Feng was not only a monster, but also a public enemy of the gentry.
Monsters can cooperate when necessary.
It is not uncommon for gentry to cooperate with monsters.
But Public Enemy is different.
If he hadn't resigned at this time, he would be like Tie Xuan, who was held up as a banner by Yang Feng, and then suffered misfortune. Poor Tie Xuan, not to mention his family, his clan and even his sect, were all affected. The day before yesterday, a man from his family was affected.
Zhuangzi, a landowner with whom he had a relationship, had just been attacked by a coalition of gentry. Almost all the men died, and the women were directly divided up. Although the commander of Xiangyang Guards led his troops to suppress it, this kind of thing cannot be punished! The whole county's
The senior fellow Xian led the young men of the clan to do this. If you arrest someone, a group of eighty-something old guys will come out to take the blame. People will say that they are the masterminds.
They have personal vendettas.
Then list the old grudges accumulated over generations.
The government can do whatever they like, anyway, this is a vendetta for us.
In fact, the government basically doesn't care.
There is basically a shortage of local officials everywhere, and because the Queen Mother previously issued a decree to waive taxes this autumn, in fact farmers will not collect any taxes this year. Local officials have no place to make money, and even those who are still left are just hanging around.
.
What do you care about?
Just that little salary.
Wouldn't it be better to close the door and collect some rewards from the gentry, and then drink in the Yamen?
By the way, Li Wenyu is also one of the gentry in Xiangyang. If he stays in the capital and is used as a flag by Yang Feng, it is estimated that these crazy gentry will also play a vendetta game with his family. Who doesn't regard Yang Feng as his family now?
The enemy, he is the enemy of all gentry, there is no middle choice, loyalty is not absolute, it is absolutely disloyal. Either be loyal to the gentry group to which you belong and fight Yang Feng to the end, or you are a traitor, and the elders and sages will lead the young people of the clan
Let you know the fate of the treacherous officials. Moreover, the chaos in Xiang and Deng is just the beginning. It will inevitably spread to the whole country. The entire Ming Dynasty will be involved in this struggle until the winner is determined.
Or life or death.
Winning or losing means life or death.
If the gentry loses, then the public land law will be adopted. The group of landed gentry will be destroyed. After all the land is equalized, there will still be no landed gentry. It is possible for the industrial and commercial gentry to survive.
Yang Feng lost...
It doesn't seem to be a big deal if Yang Feng loses.
He can't die!
Li Wenyu suddenly discovered sadly that even if Yang Feng lost, what could the gentry do to him? This bastard was completely invincible! It seemed that the final winner was not difficult to determine. After all, you can never defeat an immortal.
Monster, Yang Feng can lose countless times, but the gentry can only lose once.
"boom!"
Gunshots suddenly rang out.
Li Wenyu stood up instantly.
"This is a short blunderbuss. Xiangyang Guards does not have anything like this."
He said with a solemn expression.
Theoretically, the flintlock short musket has not been used outside the capital.
"Mr. Yun Shi, that thing is not a magical weapon. Not to mention the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, we have skilled craftsmen in Xiangyang to imitate it. Although it is not as sophisticated as the one from the Ministry of Industry, it is enough to kill people. There are quite a few private collections among the people.
To tell you the truth, even my nephew has one at home."
Song Xin said calmly.
The technology of flintlock guns has been widespread for a long time, and vassal kings and private iron smelters have imitated them, and some even imitated them on a large scale, such as Zhu Di.
After all, the technical content of this thing is slightly better than that of a matchlock gun. The most important thing is the manufacturing of springs. But the problem is that the steel for making springs is easy to buy. After all, Yang Feng is still promoting agricultural machinery and can make
Of course, the steel used in mechanical parts can also be used to make flintlock gun parts.
Then there's the lathe.
Simple bicycle lathes and hydraulic lathes can all be customized from the factory in Wutai Mountain.
Even their own imitations have appeared.
Yang Feng never restricts the outflow of technology. He also controls glass mirrors and other things that can bring huge profits.
But most technologies can be learned by going to a factory in Wutai Mountain and paying a technical fee.
Anyway, as soon as the steam engine finally came out, all these primary goods were swept into the garbage heap.
"Well, the Ming Dynasty is really changing with each passing day. It's true that I am a little ignorant after living in the capital for a long time. But after all, it is not appropriate to hide firearms privately."
Li Wenyu sat down awkwardly and said.
"Mr. Yunshi, if you don't hide the firearms secretly, do you expect me to spray saliva on Demon Yang to death? Not to mention the short blunderbuss and the long blunderbuss, my family also has a rapid-fire cannon!"
Mei Su, another Juren, said with some contempt.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud shout outside, followed by gunshots that should have been in front of the door, and a large number of soldiers rushed in. The leader was a young man in green robe, with a short blunderbuss in one hand and a sword in the other.
Behind him were ten imperial guards wearing yellow hoods.
"Take them all!"
he shouted.
Li Wenyu stood up instinctively and stepped forward...
"I am the former Minister of Household Affairs. Who are you? Do you have a driving post?"
he shouted.
The young man gave him a surprised look.
"I, Li Xin, the official of the Xiangyang Prefecture, came to arrest the traitors Song Xin, Mei Su and others who colluded with the bandits and intercepted the Jinyiwei. Since you are a former minister, you should know the laws of the court, but now you are living with the traitors. Shouldn't I?
Do you suspect that you are involved? Although you were a minister before, you are now a commoner now that you have returned home. Do you want to use yourself as a commoner to prevent Jin Yiwei from handling the case?"
he said.
Li Wenyu woke up immediately.
At this time, the Jinyi guards had already ordered the soldiers to swarm forward and hold Song Xin and Mei Su down.
"What crime have I committed with my life?"
Song Xin struggled and shouted.
"Song Juren, stop struggling. The team you sent has been wiped out. Even Liu Wen guessed that you would attack at night. He had already called more than a hundred officers and soldiers from Xiangyang Guards to ambush. I will lead the bank escort team.
Your hundred horses are not enough for us to fire one round of guns. We have captured more than forty people alive, which can prove that it was you who instigated it. Also, let me tell you by the way, when you were plotting outside Ren's house yesterday, I was already listening. I am
I went with Liu Wen all the way, but he was heading north from Fancheng, and I disguised myself and went to Xiangyang for a secret visit. I have to say that you did us a big favor. We were still worried about when we would be promoted for meritorious service, but we didn't expect that you had already taken the credit as soon as we arrived.
It's been prepared for us. According to this situation, I should be promoted to the prefect of Xiangyang before the end of the year."
Li Xin said proudly.
Then he looked at Li Wenyu.
"In Tuifu, the old man only knew his father. When he first returned to his hometown, he learned that he had died of illness, so he came here to pay homage to his old friend. As for what Song Xin did, the old man didn't know anything about it, but just now Song Xin boasted to the old man that he had hidden firearms in his home.
In addition, Mei Su also boasted that he also had a rapid-fire cannon at home."
Li Wenyu said hurriedly.
Song Xin and Mei Su's eyes widened instantly, looking at him in disbelief.
"Tianfu might as well search carefully."
Li Wenyu ignored their gazes and said calmly with the calmness he had shown in his official career for nearly twenty years.
"Search!"
Li Xin said without hesitation.
The cold weapons of the Ming Dynasty can be used casually, but concealing firearms privately is a serious crime. Hiding cannons privately is basically considered as treason. Rapid-fire cannons are also cannons. However, there are indeed many private possessions of these things among the people, mainly during the Battle of Kaifeng.
The general secretly sold his rapid-fire cannon.
What a loss on the battlefield!
I ran away so fast that I threw them all away.
The soldiers immediately began searching.
"Old dog, you old dog, you shameless villain!"
Song and Xin roared at Li Wenyu angrily.
Li Wenyu pretended not to hear.
It is obvious that Yang Feng's minion can basically control Xiangyang now. He brings the Jinyiwei, and the Jinyiwei can mobilize the guards to assist in handling the case, as well as the bank escort team. Even if the local officials do not cooperate, they can arrest whoever they want.
Who. So none of Song Xin’s gang, including the senior fellow villagers who participated yesterday, can escape. After these people were arrested, no one in Xiangyang dared to resist. Even if he betrayed the gentry in his hometown at this time, the latter would not be able to deal with it.
What happened to him? Since he was so scared, he either betrayed the gentry in his hometown in exchange for the safety of his family, or he was implicated in this guy's crimes.
This is inevitable.
It's nothing more than letting those who are caught bite their families as well.
So it’s a good choice.
At this time, the Jin Yiwei had returned with two short muskets. They were both flintlock short muskets, but they were much shorter than the ones they used. After all, the shorter the barrels, the better.
"This means that the witnesses and physical evidence are complete."
Li Xin admired the two short guns and said with a smile.
Just then an officer ran in.
"Many people gathered outside the mansion, saying that we framed the Song family and extorted money."
he said.
"Uh, it's very fast!"
Li Xin said unexpectedly.
"Tuifu, there are Song family clans around here, most of the whole village. The Song family is a local big family. Not only does it have thousands of acres of fertile land, but it also has a large forest farm and does business. Most of the clan members depend on it for a living. In fact, they don't even have enough food to support them.
There are fewer villains, otherwise he would not have quickly gathered hundreds of dead people to serve him.
But Tuifu can rest assured that there are many members of the old clan, and if this generation causes trouble, I will serve the queen."
Li Wenyu said.
"Walk!"
Li Xin said.
Immediately afterwards, he took the royal guards and escorted Song Xin and others out of the door.
Hundreds of people blocked the scene outside, shouting indignantly.
He simply raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
With the sound of gunfire, these people all shut up.
"what is your job?"
he asked, pointing to the front one.
The latter said nothing.
Li Wenyu looked at his servant, who quickly stepped forward.
"Master Tuifu, his name is Song Er, he is from the Song Xin tribe, but he has been out of Wufu for a long time. He makes a living by picking up excrement for the Song family. He goes there every day to clean the toilets of the Song family. Not only are they human, they are also
He also cleans up the Song family's livestock."
he said.
"How much money did the Song family give him?"
Li Xin asked.
"The master is joking. He has to give money to the Song family. Manure is fertilizer."
The servant said with a smile.
"So you, who pick up dung for his family, are now imitating others to be loyal and protect the master? You protect his family, and the next time you go to his house, you will be rewarded with a bucket of dung? He is rebellious and wants to beheaded, so you protect him
They also have to be beheaded, so you risk being beheaded just because he rewards you with a bucket of shit?"
Li Xin pointed at the guy and said.
The servant immediately laughed.
Li Wenyu's servants and soldiers were surrounding him, and even those watching the fun laughed.
Then there was laughter.
The man's face turned red, but he finally got into the crowd.
"Tell me, tell me what your loyalty is for. Is it also for shit?"
Li Xin asked, pointing to the other one.
The man also refused to answer.
"Master Tuifu, he is a hired servant for the Song family."
The servant said quickly.
"How much is the salary per month? Do you have a job? Is there medical insurance? Is there a pension? Is there compulsory education?"
Li Xin said.
The man was at a loss.
"Nothing, right? The minimum wage for employees in Wutaishan is five guan a month, and the most skilled workers have hundreds of guan. They are responsible for meals at noon, free hospitals for sick people, and death pay for those who are disabled. After six
Even after retirement, I will receive slightly less money every month than when I was working, and until my death, my children’s schooling fees will be free of charge.
Ambassador Yang often said that such benefits are what the employees deserve.
The employees don't need to be grateful to him.
The work done by the hired worker is worth the reward.
Then tell me, how much salary does the Song family pay you? Does it take care of your food? Does it support you in your old age? Does it give you free medical treatment? Does it give your children free schooling?
Do you have?
Tell me if you have?"
Li Xin pointed at the man and shouted.
The man lowered his head sadly, turned around and walked away silently.
"Who else is there? Let me ask who else is there? You can come one by one, and I will talk to you one by one. I will see which of the Song family's kindness to you is worthy of your death?"
Li Xin shouted arrogantly.
However, no one in front of him dared to come out to discuss this issue with him, but most of them turned around and left silently.
"No one can beat me!"
Li Xin looked at the people who were leaving the group with an attitude of being alone and seeking defeat.