Chen Qianfu said: "There is no inconvenience at all. It's just that 70% of the farmland under the jurisdiction of the Henan Chief Envoys is under the names of nine vassals, including Fu Fan, Zhou Fan, Tang Fan, etc. If the land is equalized..."
Chongzhen said: "Just take care of the equalization of the land, and don't worry about the rest."
"Accept the decree." Chen Qianfu cupped his hands and said, "There are many ministers like this."
There will certainly be resistance to taking back the cultivated land under the lord's name, but the help will far outweigh the resistance.
Because the vassal kings and their relatives owned too much cultivated land, the Ming dynasty's treasury was empty. This has become a broad consensus among officials and gentry. Now most officials and gentry agree to take back the vassal king's land.
And even if someone wants to stop it, they can't find any meaningful excuse.
In the past, the opposing imperial censors could still point to the millions of acres of imperial estates in Gyeonggi Province, but now that Chongzhen has returned all the cultivated land in the imperial estates to the country without repayment, what else can the censors say?
In the next half month or so, Chongzhen patrolled the surrounding area.
I visited Heyin, Xingyang, Mi County and even Xinzheng counties, and found that the number of residents in these counties was only a few hundred households, while Heyin County only had a dozen households and dozens of people.
This is no longer a county town, not even a village.
Seeing this scene, Chongzhen was naturally not in a good mood. Since ancient times, Henan has been a fertile land with the most dense population, but now it has become almost a barren land.
Lu Jiude, who was accompanying the driver, said: "When the Dingkou inventory was conducted in the sixth year of Wanli, the Henan Chief Envoy had 5,193,602 Dings, second only to Nanzhili, Shandong, and Zhejiang.
Chief Envoy."
[Note: The population statistics in the Ming Dynasty only counted Cheng Ding, because Cheng Ding needed to pay Ding silver]
Chen Qianfu on the other side said: "But now, even if we include Liu Hongqi of Runing Prefecture, Han Jiadi of Xuzhou, Li Jiyu of Yuzhou and Liu Xuan of Xiangcheng, the number of people threatened will probably not exceed 200,000!"
After a pause, he continued: "The ancients often used to describe the tragic loss of Dingkou, but today's Chief Secretary of Henan Province may not even be able to collect one out of ten, let alone one out of ten.
.”
Chongzhen said solemnly: "So this makes it even more necessary for you, Chen Qing, to work hard to restore the population of Henan as soon as possible."
Chen Qianfu said: "Your Majesty, the ministers who are responsible for the duties of this minister will not refuse, clear the husband, resume farming and equalize the land, so that the people who have migrated to Henan have their own land. This is no problem, but there is only one thing. If Jian
If slaves or bandits invade in large numbers, everything I have done in Henan will be wiped out in an instant, and the people may not be able to escape death."
Chen Qianfu was still very upset about Huang Zongxi's decision to lend Kaifeng Mansion to the traitors.
Chongzhen said: "There is no need to worry about bandit soldiers in the short term, but we must be on guard against establishing slaves."
After a pause, Chongzhen continued: "The good news is that the Jiannu army has retreated through Weihui Mansion, and only a few thousand surrendered troops are left to guard Huaiqing Mansion and Weihui Mansion."
Chen Qianfu said: "Even if there are only a few thousand surrendering troops, it will be difficult to resist."
"Don't worry, I have made complete arrangements." Chongzhen turned his eyes to Du Yinxi and said, "Qing Du, from today on you will take on another post, admiral of the military affairs of Henan and Xuzhou."
The eyes of the people around him all turned to Du Yinxi.
It is enough to be the admiral to supervise the military affairs in Henan, but it is not simple to be the admiral to supervise the military affairs in Xuzhou.
There are currently thirty towns of border troops stationed in Xuzhou. Let Du Yinxi, the admiral, take charge of military affairs in Henan and Xuzhou. His Majesty's intention is to hand over the thirty towns of Xuzhou's border troops to Du Yinxi to lead them.
"This..." Du Yinxi was grateful and frightened at the same time.
I am grateful that Chongzhen trusted and valued him so much.
The fear is that I am worried that I will not be able to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.
Because Chongzhen's move was equivalent to putting the safety of the entire Ming Dynasty on him.
Du Yinxi was only a fourth-grade civil servant at this time, and he was really worried that he would not be able to handle it.
"What?" Chongzhen said, "Qing Du feels that this appointment is not based on the selection of the Ministry of War, but only based on my decree, so he feels that it is a bit irregular?"
"No." Du Yinxi shook his head and said, "The emperor originally has the power to remove the generals of soldiers and supervise military affairs and other military positions before the battle. If everything needs to go through the Ministry of War, it will miss important events."
After a pause, he added: "I'm just worried that I won't be able to do the job."
"You don't have to worry about that." Chongzhen said, "I think you can do it, so you can do it, Mr. Du."
Du Yinxi bowed his head to the ground and solemnly said: "In this case, I have no choice but to kill myself to repay the great kindness of the Holy One."
"I don't want you to be ruined, nor do I want you to kill yourself in retribution." Chongzhen said, "I just want you to defend Xuzhou, defend Henan and then defend the entire Huanghuai defense line."
Du Yinxi agreed generously and said: "I accept the decree."
While they were talking, the group of people had already arrived at the intersection.
Chongzhen turned around and asked Chen Qianfu: "Chen Qing, I have looked at several surrounding counties and the situation is basically the same. Where do you plan to locate your governor's office?"
Chen Qianfu said without thinking: "Zhongmou."
"Well, Zhongmou is pretty good." Chongzhen nodded and said, "Then I won't accompany you to Zhongmou. Although the battle in Xuzhou was won, there are still a lot of things waiting for me to deal with in Xuzhou. I have to go back.
Already."
"I respectfully send you off to Your Majesty." Chen Qianfu and a group of officials bowed to the ground.
…
I was in a hurry when I came here. I marched 600 miles in five days.
But I was much more calm when I went back. I walked for almost half a month before finally returning to Xuzhou. It was already July 15th, the 18th year of Chongzhen, and half of the year had passed.
More than a dozen scholars, including Huang Degong, Lu Zhenfei and Yan Yingyuan, have also arrived in Xuzhou.
Huang Degong and Lu Zhenfei's twenty town generals, as well as the deputy generals, generals, guerrillas and garrison generals were even more anxious, waiting for Chongzhen to come back to discuss their merits and reward them.
As a rule, after winning a battle, rewards will be given based on merit.
No matter which standard is used to judge this battle in Xuzhou, it is undoubtedly a great victory. The civilian and military generals will be promoted to the rank and title, and the border troops and local braves will be rewarded. It is a certain result.
The border troops in the town where Yang Ponu was located also followed Huang Degong to Xuzhou.
Yang Ponu suddenly became a star, surrounded by his former bosses, colleagues and subordinates.
"Po Nu." The boss who always called Yang Po Nu a slovenly dog now did not dare to bark randomly and began to call Yang Po Nu's big name in a formal manner, "Do you think the Holy Emperor will default on his debt this time?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, you won't default on your debt, right?" Several other colleagues agreed.
"No, just keep your heart in your stomach." Yang Ponu patted his chest and said, "I dare to assure you that the Holy Emperor will never default on his debt. If there is only one person in this world who will not default on his debt,
, then this person must be the Holy Sage, and can only be the Holy Sage, in short, everyone can rest assured."
"The credit of the Holy One is of course nothing to say." Wang Laoshi frowned and said, "But don't you think the salary and reward to be paid this time are a bit too much? Several million taels!"
Wang Laoshi is now also the commander of the sentry, in charge of a gun platform.
"How many million taels?" Yang Ponu was stunned when he heard this, "Is there that many?"
"That's not what it is." Another commander said, "There are a total of 160,000 frontier troops, and the five-month war pay alone costs 4.8 million taels of silver, not counting the bounty."
"We're not afraid of anything else, we're just afraid of getting paid."
"Ah this?" Yang Ponu was also unsure now.
At this moment, another general manager rushed over excitedly.
"Brothers, good news, there is great news."
The commander waved to Yang Ponu and dozens of other commanders and sentinel commanders to surround him.
When everyone gathered around, the boss lowered his voice and said, "Guess who I just saw?"
"Who are you meeting?" Wang Laoshi was not honest at all and joked, "You are so good at kung fu, you can't fly back to Cuiyun Tower in Yangzhou to see your old prime minister, right?"
"Go, go, you thief Wang Laoshi."
The boss laughed and scolded, and then said: "Didn't I tell you before that I have a fellow countryman who works in the palace? I just met this fellow countryman, and he told me that the Holy Emperor may want to reward us with a favored land!"
"Entian?" Yang Laipi immediately became energetic, "What's going on?"
"That's what happened." Mr. Jiang said clearly.
…
At the same time, the emperor was walking.
Chongzhen, who had just returned to Xuzhou, also summoned Huang Degong, Lu Zhenfei, Du Yinxi, and the generals, deputy generals, staff generals, and garrison officers of the thirty-year border army.
More than a hundred generals almost filled the entire hall.
As far as the eye can see, they are all wearing mountain armor and phoenix-winged helmets, and there are old men with long tassels on their heads.
Then, in front of the chief military officers, deputy generals, staff generals, guerrillas and guards of Thirty Town, he announced the retirement of 160,000 border troops and rewarded them with the amount of land.
This news is a bit too shocking.
Except for Du Yinxi, this is the first time I have heard of it.
The more than a hundred generals present were unable to recover.
After a long while, Lu Zhenfei said: "Your Majesty, is it too hasty to retire all the 160,000 border troops in Sanshi Town? How can there be no border troops stationed in the Huanghuai Defense Line?"
Chongzhen sighed: "I'm afraid it won't work if I don't retire. The imperial court can no longer afford to pay the border troops."
Lu Zhenfei immediately fell silent. Four million and eighty million in salary was indeed a scary figure.
Chongzhen added: "What's more, these 160,000 border troops just retired and did not leave the Huanghuai defense line. They still belong to the militia under the Xuzhou Admiral's account. Once slaves are established or bandits invade, the Xuzhou Admiral can recall them at any time. They
We still have the obligation to fight for the Ming Dynasty."
"Your Majesty, what about us?"
Finally one of the lieutenants had the courage to ask.
The border troops in Thirty Towns have all retired, so aren’t we just naked?
Chongzhen said: "The soldiers are scattered in the government and will return to the court. Naturally, you generals will follow me back to Nanjing."
After a pause, Chongzhen continued: "Once slaves are established or bandits invade the territory, the Xuzhou Admiral's Office does not have that many military generals to lead these militiamen. You will still have to come over then."
"It's okay then." The deputy general breathed a sigh of relief.
The other lieutenants, staff generals, guerrillas and guards also breathed a sigh of relief.
They are actually used to being deprived of military power, but if they are not allowed to lead troops in war, wouldn't they, the generals, become useless? This is not okay.
But how do these generals know?
After returning to Nanjing this time, it will be difficult to think about it again.
To be honest, Chongzhen had already had enough of these fleeing generals in border towns.
You are not good at charging into battle, and you are the first to escape before the battle. The Ming army is so stretched in the field, it is these border town generals who are the fault. The situation was forced before, Chongzhen could only endure it.
Because there were really no generals available at that time.
But now that the situation has finally eased, Chongzhen no longer wants to endure it.
And in the long run, it can no longer be tolerated, because with these border town generals who are habitual of running away, the Ming army will never have the courage to fight against Jiannu in the field.
After all, it will be the soul of the soldier!
What combat effectiveness can an army with such a weak soul have?
But there is a certain way to do things and not be too rough.
After all, these border town generals have meritorious service, so they must retain their dignity.
This honor is to grant them corresponding titles and keep them in captivity in Nanjing.
Du Yinxi immediately said: "Your Majesty, this time we were able to defeat the Jian slaves and hold the Huanghuai defense line. The border troops in each town and the warriors from Huai'an Prefecture have made great contributions. I think the imperial court should reward them."
"Of course there must be a reward." Chongzhen said with a smile, "I have already planned it."
"The first one is Jingnan Hou Huang Degong. In this battle, he worked hard and made great contributions. In terms of merit, he was promoted to a higher rank and was promoted from a marquis to a duke!"
"Jingnan Marquis's flood area is Xia Town."
"Therefore, Jin was granted the title of Duke of Xia."
After a pause, Chongzhen said with a smile: "Xia Guogong, I will make up for the decrees and decrees when I return to Nanjing."
Huang Degong was really surprised by this and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, this is a bit too much. I am still frightened by the title of Marquis, but I really don't dare to accept the title of Duke. I ask Your Majesty to take back my sincere order."
"You are not joking, there is no reason to take it back."
"Besides, my dear, you deserve the title of Duke."
Speaking of this meal, Chongzhen looked around again and said: "What are you still doing? Why don't you quickly congratulate Duke Xia?"
Jin Shenghuan, Wang Zuntan, Ma Huabao, Zuo Menggeng and other thirty town generals, as well as the deputy generals, generals, guerrillas and guards all congratulated Huang Degong.
"The general will be waiting to congratulate Duke Xia."
Now Huang Degong couldn't refuse even if he wanted to.
Because Chongzhen's meaning has been made very clear.
If you, Huang Degong, resign as Duke and don't accept it, then those generals, lieutenants, generals, guerrillas, and guards under you will not have the honor to receive titles. You can't stop others from getting rich.
After a pause, Chongzhen turned his eyes to Zuo Mengeng again.
"Zuo Qing." Chongzhen said with a heavy tone, "Do you know about your father's affairs?"
"Back to Your Majesty, I already know it." Zuo Menggeng wiped his tears and said, "As a son of a man, it is really unfilial to fail to see my late father for the last time."
"My condolences." Chongzhen sighed, "Since ancient times, it has been difficult to have both loyalty and filial piety. Since I pledged myself to the country, I cannot take care of my small family. However, I will not let you meritorious service go in vain."
"The Duke of Chu served in the army of the Ming Dynasty all his life, and finally died of exhaustion in office."
After waiting for a while, he said without conscience: "Such a loyal minister deserves some honor after his death. I have decided to posthumously make the Duke of Chu the King of Wuchang, worthy of enjoying the Ancestral Temple."