When the royal chariot arrived in Tianjin, the whole city was filled with joy.
The ground is paved with loess, water is sprinkled on the ground, gongs and drums are noisy, firecrackers are blasting, and there are huge crowds of people.
The chief officials of several counties in Tianjin Prefecture, as well as the gentry, all came to kneel down to greet him, which could be described as eager.
The emperor was noncommittal and met with the Tianjin magistrate, three magistrates and magistrates, and then some local gentry.
The gentry class in the Ming Dynasty was different from the powerful ones in the Song and Tang dynasties. The gentry all had fame and were members of the ruling class.
To put it simply, most of the powerful people in the Tang and Song Dynasties belonged to the common people. They could only control the people at the bottom and thus influence the officials.
At this time, a ruthless official can kill a powerful person at all costs.
Powerful people compete with the imperial court for population and land.
The gentry, on the other hand, can influence grassroots officials from top to bottom through being in the same department and being a teacher. There is no room for cruel officials to survive.
The court and the gentry compromised and divided power to achieve a balance.
The two are opposites, but at the same time they are one and the same, intricate.
For example, the regiment training in the late Qing Dynasty was the result of the cooperation between the gentry and the court.
Zhu Yixi is not an angry young man, he is a power controller who deeply understands the pros and cons of the gentry.
It is too difficult for imperial power to go to the countryside.
The country has now expanded to 1,800 counties, and the number of officials needed is 400,000.
The number in towns and villages is more than ten times that, and there is no way for officials to go to the countryside without four to five million people.
Such a huge number of officials will eat up 90% of the tax revenue, thus forcing the court to increase taxes, which will backfire and make the people suffer even more.
What must be made clear is that the imperial power went to the countryside to strengthen the country and enrich the people, not to go to the countryside for the sake of going to the countryside.
Hooligans are not to be feared, only educated hooligans are to be feared.
And the most terrifying thing is the cultural hooligans who control power.
Zhu Yixi simply could not imagine the scene where a group of corrupt officials went to the countryside to search for stoves.
After all, most gentry have face and bottom line.
In today's world, what matters most is the love of hometown.
All townships in a county hold together, and within a prefecture, all counties hold together.
When it comes to the whole country, provincial citizenship is discussed.
Just like Zhang Zongchang's extortionate expropriations in Shandong, but he only built bridges and paved roads in his hometown of Ye County, which can be said to have done all the good deeds.
This is the typical gentry thinking.
Although I am a warlord and have killed countless people, I am considered a good person in my hometown.
The gentry who were received by the emperor were generally high-ranking officials who returned to their hometowns to retire.
For example, the people who appeared in front of him were the Minister of Rites, the Chief Envoy of Guangxi, and the Inspector of Shanxi.
Even though none of them are ministers or elders, they are already in the middle and upper levels of civil servants. Ordinary Jinshi basically stop here.
There were only a few hundred civil servants at the provincial level in the entire Ming Dynasty, so they were considered rare.
Going one step further, it would be difficult to travel across the country without Jun’s kindness.
They talk elegantly, are neither timid nor arrogant, and what they say is well-founded.
They were an important channel for the emperor to understand local conditions.
"Now Tianjin Prefecture is developing well."
Zhu Yixi chuckled and said: "It's two million yuan to be escorted to Beijing this summer. It can be regarded as the number one capital in the north."
The former minister of the Ministry of Rites took a shaky breath and said: "Your Majesty, the Tianjin Mansion is so prosperous now, mainly because the imperial government is well-organized and the holy army is coming to the court."
"Coupled with some canals and the convenience of maritime transportation, it can be regarded as barely developing."
As he spoke, he actually said with some pride: "Although Tianjin Prefecture is not as good as Suzhou, it is still among the top three in the world."
Zhu Yixi nodded slightly without comment.
He looked at another old man, who was in his 70s and had served as the chief envoy of Guangxi Province. His eyes were slightly cloudy.
"Mr. Zhang, do you know about the civil unrest in Guangxi?"
"Your Majesty, I know a thing or two." Zhang Cong stood up with his hands raised: "The chaos in Guangxi is ultimately caused by the lack of land and the large number of people, and the disputes among the people."
"The natives and Han people compete for land, the Han people compete for water, and the villages are arguing with each other."
"This is a stubborn disease that can only be cured temporarily, but cannot be cured for a long time."
Zhu Yixi smiled slightly, and her words were on point.
Isn’t the so-called civil unrest just the uneven distribution of resources?
The most important means of production in the feudal era was nothing more than land.
"Yu Chenglong, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, also thinks so."
Zhu Yixi looked at the few people, with a relaxed expression, and said casually: "Guangxi has a small land and a large population. Unlike Fujian, which can go to Taiwan, there is still a way out for immigrants from Southeast Asia."
"Guangxi didn't have any land near the sea before. Even if you wanted to go to the sea, there was no land. Now that I have removed Lianzhou Prefecture, there is an extra way to survive."
"Moreover, as Cheng Long said in the Qin State, Qi State lacks people, so the officials of the two countries can directly recruit people, which can alleviate the difficulty."
Zhang Cong's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he nodded, and then he looked like he was thinking, with a hesitant look on his face.
"Mr. Zhang made it clear that you and I have been monarchs and ministers for many years, how can there be such a gap?"
Zhu Yixi smiled.
"Your Majesty, besides the lack of land in Guangxi, the second most stubborn problem is chieftains."
Zhang Cong was flattered and said hurriedly: "The reform of native land and return to flow has never stopped since the reign of Taizu. It has continued in succession over the years, and there have also been rebellions by extravagant thieves. However, nearly 30% of the land in Guangxi is controlled by chieftains."
"Now that the Ming Dynasty is in its prime, with the Holy Emperor at the top and capable officials like Governor Yu at the bottom, we should move forward without hesitation and completely restore Guangxi to its original land and clear away the hidden troubles."
When Zhu Yixi heard this, she nodded repeatedly.
Over the years, he has been expanding his territory or reforming new policies, but he has forgotten about returning to his hometown.
After all, since the Ming Dynasty, the southwest region has completely fallen under the control of the imperial court. Even in Guizhou and Yunnan, where barbarians are everywhere, Han people account for the majority.
But what cannot be ignored is the chieftains and half of the country that occupies the three southwestern provinces. Otherwise, why would the Qing Dynasty change the land and return it to the locals?
It is precisely because there is money in the national treasury now that we should get things done in one go and clear the way for future generations.
Having made up her mind, Zhu Yixi smiled sincerely: "I have benefited a lot from Mr. Zhang's words!"
"Sure enough, we should come to the countryside to see it."
For a time, the monarch and his ministers got along well with each other, and there was a lot of laughter.
Another Shanxi inspector mentioned: "There are a lot of lawsuits in Shanxi."
"Due to border trade, merchants had many ways to go. Every household was willing to build a high-rise courtyard, and merchants often went to court over money."
"After the imperial court implemented the appeal policy, the general judgments at the provincial level were miserable. Almost all the judgments in the county were appealed, and they were considered unfair."
"The inspector has to personally review several cases every month, which was unimaginable before."
Zhu Yixi stroked his beard and said: "Everything has pros and cons."
"For ordinary people, an appeal can at least give them a glimmer of hope. Those stupid and corrupt officials in the province have affected the reputation of the court."
The appeal here refers to the trial by the county general judge. If the plaintiff or defendant is not satisfied, he can appeal and have the county general judge try again. If he is still not satisfied, he will follow the prosecutor's orders.
This has made government affairs complicated and complicated.
But this is part of Shaowu's New Deal and falls within the scope of judicial reform. Zhu Yixi must implement it and form a routine.
After working for several hours, the emperor finally took a breath.
He called some of his sons and casually said: "There is a fight over taxes in Jinghai County. You guys happen to be fine, so you can go and have a look."
"Yes!" The six kings, headed by King Liao, responded impatiently.
The King of Liao was very majestic and high-spirited. He led his horse and walked in the front.
Due to his age and temperament, the King of Yue and King Wei had no choice but to follow him, like a few little followers.
At the same time, Bai Laiqi was protecting them from behind, fearing that something might happen to these ancestors.
"Let's go!" King Liao got on his horse and was very excited.
But the government servant who was leading the way had no choice but to chase after the temptation, riding a donkey without any bumps.
After walking for two hours, the group arrived at He'an Village.
"Isn't there a canal near here? Why is there still a shortage of water?"
On the way, the King of Liao couldn't help but ask after learning about the general concept of fighting with weapons.
"Yeah, why don't we just use the water from the canal for irrigation? These people are so stupid. Why are we grabbing so much water?"
King Fu couldn't help but sigh, he shook his head, the fat on his face trembled, looking like an ignorant commoner who was hard to educate.
The yamen servant said with a bitter face: "You guys don't know something. The water shortage in the north is severe, and we can't compare to the reckless use of water in the south."
"In the past when there was no sea transportation, the water transport yamen was under the jurisdiction of the canal. Any small river flowing into the canal was not allowed to be intercepted privately to prevent the canal from drying up."
"Nowadays, canals are run by private boats, and water control is not that great, so some small rivers are allowed to block some of their flows on weekdays, but they are not allowed to block them during drought periods."
"The interception of this part of the river has caused fighting in several villages."
Speaking of this, fear showed on his face.
"A few villages with dozens or hundreds of people are nothing." King Wei shook his head with a very contemptuous tone.
"Young master, there are thousands of strong men in these villages. In addition to muskets, armor, hoes, broadswords, and spears, they have everything you need. Each village has a blacksmith shop and everything is available."
The yamen officer smiled bitterly and said: "There was a private fight two days ago. Three people were killed and seventy injured in just half an hour. This is because the patrol battalion was dispatched in time, otherwise they would not give up until dozens of people were killed...
"
Hearing these words, the group of princes became more and more interested, while the soldiers from the Beijing camp behind them were alert and ready to perform meritorious deeds at any time.
Soon, the group of people came to a small wharf by the canal, which evolved into a market town, responsible for supplying food, drink, and food on the canal, and it was also a place where people nearby went to market.
Facing a large group of cavalry, perhaps because they have seen too many patrol camps in the past few days, the people are used to it and do not scatter to escape.
The King of Liao took several brothers to a wine shop and asked the cavalry to wait outside the town while he and others ate and drank.
"In other words, when Yang Ye took a look at the horse, he saw that there was a Khitan Tatar nearly ten feet tall, riding that tall horse, which was half a head taller than Yang Ye's horse. When the two met,
, it’s just a child meeting an adult..."
The storyteller, with a table, a fan and a gavel, just stood there and started talking nonstop.
The rich people sat down and were served snacks and tea, while the poor people in short clothes gathered around the roadside and listened with their ears pricked up.
They didn't dare to go near, for fear of being scolded by the restaurant, and even the free audio books would be gone.
The king of Liao and his men were all dressed in gorgeous clothes. As soon as they took their seats, the waiters were waiting on them.
At this time, suddenly an exclamation came from the side:
"Why is there a mouse?"
"Nonsense, this is duck, authentic roast duck from Beijing. Look at the sauce, it smells tantalizing."
When the waiter heard the foreign language, his smiling face immediately became calm and composed, and he said affirmatively.
The yelling guest stood up and said, "Look at these teeth and beard. It's like a mouse head. Are you talking about a duck without conscience?"
"This is a duck neck. It's just like this. It's rare but strange."
The waiter became arrogant and said disdainfully.
"If you don't believe me, ask me, what is this if it's not a duck neck?"
People nearby gathered around.
They all gravitated towards the local dialect spoken by the waiter and the foreign dialect spoken by the guests.
"Yes, this is the duck neck."
"It can't be a rat—"
At this time, the government officer patrolling the street came over and saw that his cousin's shop was being disturbed, and immediately said:
"You foreigner, this is our local duck neck in Jinghai, that's what people look like."
"If you can't afford it, don't eat it. It's embarrassing."
As soon as the originally arrogant guest saw the Yamen supporting him, he immediately became depressed: "Yes, why did we get it wrong?"
The King of Liao was young and vigorous, and he could not bear to see such a scene of bullying the weak. He raised his butt and said, "Are you blind? This is not a mouse."
"Working together to bully foreigners is a business deal?"
"Ouch--"
King Fu, who was sitting on the same bench, the moment King Liao stood up, the bench immediately tilted up, causing him to fall off his butt.
After wailing, he rubbed his buttocks and walked over: "My fourth brother is right, this is exactly a mouse, how can it be a duck."
The waiter was worried about the clothes of some people, but still stubbornly said: "This is a duck neck. If you don't believe me, ask them?"
"Yes, it's a duck neck." said another customer at the table.
"A duck's neck is not a mouse." The poor man who heard this said with a frown.
The yamen servant said loudly: "A few foreign men know nothing, this is our local duck, let you know more about it!"
"Tell a deer to be a horse, point to a deer to be a horse!"
The King of Liao became increasingly angry and frustrated.
At this time, the noisy guest dropped a handful of copper coins and ran away, no longer staying in the wine shop.
The yamen servant smiled and said: "Sir, although you have a distinguished status, you can take it easy in our Jinghai."
After saying that, he took a few silver coins from the counter without hesitation and left slowly.
And in the wine shop, the voice of the speaker rang out again, and the crowd continued to boil,
It was as if the excitement just now didn't exist at all.
The King of Liao sat down angrily.
King Fu explained: "These people know how to bully foreigners."
"Let's go." King Liao stood up: "Bah, we can't eat duck meat mixed with rats."
So a few people moved to a large restaurant and held a banquet.
Unfortunately, many of them lost their appetite and left again after hastily finishing.
When they arrived at the village where the fighting was taking place, they saw a group of angry farmers carrying hoes and forks and swaggering away from the village.