Xiao Baiming saw the slight smile on Lin Fu's lips and felt a chill running down his spine and fear in his heart. When he saw Lin Fu's nonchalant fingers gently tapping on the scabbard of his sword, he also felt relieved and thought to himself.
Lin Fu just wanted to drive them to Chongzhou, so to give up Chongzhou to him would be to stay under the eyes of such a person, and he might be killed one day and lose his life.
"Li Gong is a bit of an understatement," Chen Leiqian retorted to Li Shutang before he remembered to raise his hand to ask for a speech. Lin Fu couldn't blame him for breaking the rules. The play wanted to continue, so he motioned for him to continue speaking. Anyway, others would
Without objecting to anything, Chen Lei stood up and said, "I also know that there is a difference between temple land and land in a monastery, but it is a bit far-fetched to say that the landowner sent the land in the name of the monastery because he sincerely worships the Buddha - according to me
As mentioned, the farmland is actually the land for the escaped grain tax. These farmland should have paid the grain tax to pay the Jiangdong Left Army to resist the bandits, but in fact the grain tax was evaded, leaving Chongzhou with no money to raise troops and no funds to build the city. Chongzhou
The city was destroyed and the people of the city were slaughtered. Doesn’t it have anything to do with it? I think it’s not inappropriate to convict the farmland as stolen goods!”
Li Shutang raised his hand to request the floor, but Lin Fu shook his head and rejected it, saying: "Those standing in the back row only have one chance to speak. This is a rule set early in the morning. It's time for someone else to speak..." Li Shutang stood back in the back row.
"What Chen Shuban said is indeed reasonable, but there should be distinctions in determining the punishment for the crime." Li Shuyi raised his hand and asked to go to the hall to speak. After receiving Lin Fu's approval, he spoke eloquently, "As my brother said, the crime
The punishments include sticks, punishments, imprisonment, exile, and beheading. Although it is true that farmers have escaped grain and tax, they cannot be confused with stolen temple land. Even if they are punished, they should not be confiscated to officials indiscriminately... I want to say
That’s it, all matters need to be weighed by your lords.”
With Li Shutang, Li Shuyi, and Chen Lei setting the tone, the old representatives of Jia Township in Zhuxiang Village dared to speak. They spoke to each other and took advantage of all the opportunities to speak. In the end, a unanimous opinion was gradually formed: Terada was confiscated and entered the official position.
, expelling the monks and returning them to secular life, paying taxes and arranging grains, inspecting the fields and collecting grain for five years. In addition to what is needed for building the city, the excess will be paid to the left army in Jiangdong to resist the East China Sea invaders...
Jiangdong Zuojun is a rural camp and raises wages from the local area. Chongzhou is the official source of Jiangdong Zuojun's pay. In addition to paying county government expenses and local affairs expenses, the taxes collected by the county government are used as food and wages for Jiangdong Zuojun. Not only
In addition to the extra portion of the fines and taxes provided to the Jiangdong Left Army, the confiscation of the temple fields and the cleared land sent to the county increased tax sources, and the vast majority of the future income will naturally belong to the Jiangdong Left Army - forming
Such a public discussion is also in line with the rules.
It’s just that at this time, no one knows how big the scale of the fines and taxation, the confiscation of temple fields, and the inventory of land for rent will be. Otherwise, no matter whether it is in compliance with the rules or not, someone will jump out; after all, the form of public discussion is not in compliance with the rules in the Dai Viet Dynasty.
When the public discussion came to an end, candles were lit in the lobby, and many people were light-headed from hunger. The older representatives of Township A, who were standing to discuss the matter, were all a little dizzy.
For such a public discussion to be formed, everyone can accept it, and they are very grateful to Lin Fu. In their view, such a result was achieved because Lin Fu did not hesitate to fall out with Han Zai in court to win it for them. No matter what, he will do it in the future.
Get closer to the Jiangdong Zuojun to prevent others from intervening in Chongzhou County to compete for their interests.
Lin Fu asked Han Zai: "Master Han, what do you think of the outcome of this public discussion?"
Han Zai was filled with bitterness, but he had to nod his head and said: "Since the public opinion is so, I have no objection!" His objection was useless, and the temple fields he owned were all in Lin Fu's hands.
"In this case, I would like to ask Mr. Wu to prepare a submission, and the three of us will sign it together in front of everyone! The temple fields involved in the bandit case will also be dealt with according to today's public discussion." Lin Fu said, he would not give Han Zai any regrets.
This opportunity forced Han Zai to sign the contract immediately.
"Then I'll trouble Mr. Wu..." Han Zai could only comfort himself by thinking: At least the city building matter has been solved, and at least Jiangning can fool him and won't hold him responsible for the delay in opening up the situation in Chongzhou.
Wu Meijiu was eager to settle everything peacefully, so he immediately took out paper and pen to write the submission. The three parties took out the seals and signed and signed them on the spot. He also asked the historian to copy several copies.
, and even sent an extra copy to the Ministry of War!
Lin Fu had no intention of handing over the field records of Guangjiao Temple right away. He reasoned that the field records in the hands of the Jiangdong Left Army were also in a very messy state and were key evidence for a thorough investigation into the bandit case, so they could not be handed over hastily.
Regarding the issue of fines, supplementary grains, and taxes, Lin Fu also used the excuse that he wanted to first screen the landowners to see if they were suspected of collaborating with bandits. Naturally, Jiangdong Zuojun could only replace the county to negotiate with the landowners involved in the matter, including fines, supplementary grains, taxes, and apportionment over the years.
As for the specific matters such as the land and food money needed to build the city, Lin Fu only agreed to find another time to convene the county officials to discuss, but he still wanted to leave Han Zai out of the specific matters and wait until a specific plan came out before informing him.
he.
At this time, Han Zai had no intention of arguing with Lin Fu anymore, and left in despair with Xiao Baiming.
Han Zai didn't understand at first because he lacked experience; but if he didn't understand at this time, he was truly stupid. After such a commotion, it seemed that the problem of building the city was solved, and Han Zai also understood that he had fallen into Lin Fu's trap.
He offended everyone inside and outside Chongzhou County.
Xiao Baiming did not dispute that the Jiangdong Left Army had built a fort on the opposite bank of Junshan Stronghold. Han Zai was not enough to contain Lin Fu, and the Jiangdong Left Army had almost completely controlled the situation in Chongzhou County.
Not to mention that the strength of the Jiangdong Left Army was far greater than theirs. Officials of all sizes in Chongzhou County and local township forces almost all sided with the Jiangdong Left Army. In this case, they still had to grit their teeth and fight with the Jiangdong Left Army.
Lin Fu fights fiercely, and it is somewhat unwise to hit an egg with a stone.
*********
"I didn't expect the public discussion to take so long. I'm already hungry. I don't think the fellow villagers will be any better." After Han Zai and Xiao Baiming left, Lin Fu sat in front of the hall and said to everyone in the hall, "The county government
We have no preparations here. I, the Jiangdong Zuojun, have a simple canteen at Dongshan Gate, so I would rather have everyone come with me to have a meal there and then go back!"
"Thank you for your consideration..." Everyone bowed together and thanked him.
"It's Lin Fu who wants to bow to everyone here to thank you," Lin Fu stood up with his desk in hand and said with a bow, "Building a city to defend against bandits and raising troops to raise soldiers is related to the people's livelihood of Chongzhou and your personal interests. Lin Fu is here
Thank you very much for your declaration of righteousness... The Jiangdong Zuo Army should live up to your trust. If one of the East China Sea bandits dares come, Mr. Lin will kill one of them. If they dare to come with a pair, Mr. Lin will kill a pair of them."
Lin Fu asked everyone to walk with him to Dongshan Gate for dinner. Wu Meijiu also joined in the fun. Since Han Zai was away, he didn't mind getting acquainted with Lin Fu.
The dinner was quite simple, with eight people per table, one bowl of meat, one bowl of fish, one bowl of tofu, and one bowl of vegetables. Lin Fu ate with everyone, but the atmosphere was very lively.
Although the banditry case has not yet been concluded, the biggest stone that weighs on everyone's minds has been overcome. Rather than losing everything, the five-year fine and tax payment are naturally a result that everyone is happy to accept.
**********
Most of the officials lived in Shanmen Chanyuan, and everyone in the village had to go back at night, so the dinner did not delay for long and was over quickly.
Lin Fu kept Li Shutang, Li Shuyi, Hu Zhicheng, Chen Lei and others behind and called them to the meeting hall where he usually handled official business.
Li Shutang noticed that a map of Chongzhou was spread out on Lin Fu's desk. On the map, nineteen places were marked for monasteries involved in banditry. The Xishan River in the west of Chongzhou and the Yunyan River in the north were both painted.
Chu red.
In addition to the Yangtze River, the Xishan River and the Yunyan River can be said to be the two most important rivers in Chongzhou.
Xishan Henan meets the Yangtze River, which is a naturally formed river channel. The mouth of the river is seven or eight miles west of Zilang Mountain.
The Yunyan River is an artificial canal dug thousands of years ago. The original purpose of digging this river was to transport salt from the ancient Huai Salt Farm to the inland, hence the name Yunyan River or Salt River.
The total length of the Yanyan River is more than 300 miles, running through Hailing Prefecture and directly to Weiyang Prefecture. It extends eastward from Hecheng Grassland, which belongs to Weiyang Salt and Iron Division, to the sea and merges into Huangshuiyang (Yellow Sea).
After the founding of the Dai Viet Dynasty, the Salt and Iron Department was established in Duyang (Yangzhou) to control the salt administration of Huaihe and Huaihe Rivers. The annual salt tax was nearly two million taels. It was the two most important salt and iron department together with the newly established Changlu Salt and Iron Department in Jinhai.
financial resources.
The Weiyang Salt and Iron Division is directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Household Affairs and is not under the jurisdiction of the local government. It has jurisdiction over salt households, hundreds of thousands of salt workers, grasslands, and salt fields with a radius of thousands of miles. If Jiangdong County has the third largest official force, that is
Weiyang Salt and Iron Company.
The yamen of the Weiyang Salt and Iron Department is located at the west end of the Yunyan River. Due to the importance of the Salt and Iron Department to the central finance, transportation passes through Hailing Prefecture. The Yunyan River in Weiyang Prefecture was separated from the local government and was taken over by the Salt and Iron Department.
direct jurisdiction.
Thousands of years ago, the Yunyan River was not so long and almost extended to today's Xinghua County. Thousands of years ago, the tidal flats in the eastern part of Xinghua County were an important part of the ancient Huai Salt Fields.
Chongzhou and Gaocheng County to the north only accumulated sand and became land in the past thousand years. The history of Chongzhou and Gaocheng as counties is not long, and Chongzhou County only has a history of more than 80 years.
Due to the dilution of a large amount of river water, the seawater salinity in Chongzhou sea area near the river mouth is much lighter, which is not suitable for boiling salt. For almost two hundred years, the coastal area east of Chongzhou has no longer been used as a salt field, but has been specially used as a salt field.
The land was set aside for pasture and grass was planted to provide fuel for boiling sea salt in the salt farm.
Just counting the Hecheng grassland east of Chongzhou, it covers an area of about 1.5 million to 2 million acres.
Since the Yunyan River no longer plays the role of transporting salt in Chongzhou, the Yantie Division returned this section of the river to the jurisdiction of the local government. The Yunyan River dug a new Beiguan River in Xinghua County and turned to the northeast, leading to
Today, the central area of the Huainan Salt Field, the Beiguan River and the salt transport section west of Xinghua County are the focus of the Salt and Iron Division's control.
Also because the Chongzhou County section of the Yan River is no longer important and has not been dredged in the past two hundred years, the river is seriously silted up. During the summer and autumn flood seasons every year, there are heavy rains, and there is a high chance that the banks will overflow.
"You guys take a look at this map first!" Lin Fu asked Li Shutang, Li Shuyi, Hu Zhicheng, Chen Lei and others to come to the front to look at the map spread out on his case, and asked the guard generals Cao Zi'ang, Lin Mengde, Fu Qinghe, Sun Jingtang,
When Wu Qi and others at home called over, Li Shutang realized that the matter discussed here was of great importance.
After taking a closer look at the map, I discovered that there are nineteen monasteries, and five monasteries near Yunyan River and Xishan River have been specially marked.
The Xishan River and the Yunyan River are not connected, but in the northwest corner of Chongzhou County, the closest point between the two rivers is less than three miles apart. At this point, a short red line is drawn on the map.
There happens to be a monastery called Jiuhua Temple right next to this short line.
"Having seen this map, you must be able to guess some of my next plans." Lin Fu did not wait for Cao Ziang and others to come over, and introduced the situation to Li Shutang and Li Shuyi. "I have gone to see it on the spot.
A river channel connects the Yanyan River and the Xishan River. It does not take much effort, but has many benefits. First, it can effectively reduce the waterlogging disaster from Beiguan River to Jiuhua, turning the middle and lower fields into high-ripening and fertile fields.
.Secondly, the Xishan river is in good condition, and the salt transportation river to the west of Jiuhua is in good condition. After being connected, it can actually become the main navigation river connecting Chongzhou, Hailing Prefecture, and Weiyang Prefecture, and bulk goods going northward can be transported through the inner river.
There is no need to detour from Baisha County..."
Connecting the Xishan River and the Yunyan River seems simple, but including land acquisition, tens of thousands of taels of silver will be invested. If Chongzhou is not regarded as their own territory, who would be willing to make such a large investment?
Li Shutang glanced at Lin Fu and said, "What do you need us to do, sir?"
At this time, Cao Ziang, Lin Mengde and others stepped in. Lin Fu called them to the front and said: "I will tell Shutang, Shuyi and Zhicheng about the situation in Jiuhua Temple in general. What will happen next?"
, let’s introduce it to Uncle Mengde..."
"Okay," Lin Mengde also heard Li Shutang's question when he came in, and answered his question directly, saying, "We already know the conclusion of the public discussion, and what we want to do is closely related to the conclusion of the public discussion.
…”
Li Shutang thought decisively that everything was under Lin Fu's control.
Lin Mengde continued: "The temple fields are returned to official ownership, but this 'official ownership' is not transferred to county management. We hope that it can be directly turned into military land controlled by the Jiangdong Left Army. We can fight for this directly with the county secretary
The fines for sending fields can be exchanged for silver, but we hope that each family can use their fields to offset the fines and receive part of their fields. We hope that through replacement, these fields will be concentrated in Jiuhua, Xishanhekou, Hechengxi and Zilang
Near the mountain... you have to do these tasks. After all, you have to communicate well with each family before these things can be done."