After setting up the incense table in the back hall of the Governor's Yamen, Ma Shiying began to receive the order.
He probably had a pretty good idea of what the imperial edict was. Is it simply about annihilating the traitors, or punishing Liu Liangzuo along the way?
The men under Liu Liangzuo's command have greatly exceeded the limit of the number of troops that a general can command, and it is common for them to have empty pay and other things.
In the past, he was well aware of Liu Liangzuo's affairs, but because he had to rely on Liu Liangzuo, he pretended not to see it and acquiesced.
In other words, situations like Liu Liangzuo’s are already too common in this period. So common that illegal things like this are as commonplace as eating and drinking!
Ma Shiying's thoughts were shattered immediately after the imperial edict was read out.
Although the imperial edict did mention the suppression of bandits and the reorganization of Liu Liangzuo's troops, as an elite who fought on the imperial examination road with thousands of troops crossing the single-plank bridge, Ma Shiying immediately realized that the focus of the imperial edict was not this at all, but the obscure one
mean.
"How is it?" Li Ruolian saw that Ma Shiying accepted the order, and asked with a smile, "I wonder if the Governor has a charter in mind?"
Although he was smiling, Ma Shiying knew very well that if the commander of the Imperial Guard was dissatisfied, that is, if the emperor was dissatisfied, he would immediately turn against him.
Therefore, he said without hesitation: "The lower official wants to first use Fengyang Prefecture as the center to surround the areas where bandits are causing trouble in Huguang and Nanzhili, and then reorganize Liu Liangzuo's troops.
In the name of tracking down rogue thieves and spies, we conduct verification based on the registers kept by the various states, conduct a census of the population, and then use this as a reason to verify the land. I wonder what the commander thinks?"
"Hehehe..." When Li Ruolian heard this, he immediately laughed and said to Ma Shiying, "Yes, the Governor has rich experience in governing local areas. The general will definitely report it to His Majesty."
At this point, he paused, as if he remembered something, and then added: "The Dongchangchang Guild will personally come to take charge of the affairs in this place, and the general will concentrate on military affairs."
Ma Shiying was stunned after hearing this. The owner of Dongchang Factory wanted to come over personally to take charge?
Although the emperor's imperial edict was nominally to track down thieves and spies, Ma Shiying knew from his understanding of the court situation that the emperor was dissatisfied with the local squires and wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to suppress thieves.
Clean them up.
The first is the problem of unsheltered households, which Ma Shiying certainly understands. The problem of unsheltered households is more serious in the south than in the north, and in places with better economic conditions than in places with poor economic conditions.
After all, in places with good economic conditions such as Jiangnan, the local gentry can support more people, and the government can also support more hermit households.
Although hiding a household is illegal, when all the squires have taken in a hidden household for their own use, even if the local magistrate knew this, he would not dare to fight against everyone.
Because all those who have the ability to take in hidden households for use are big and powerful, and their relationships are complicated, especially those in the officialdom.
In this way, if there is a local official or a big shot in the court who wants to raise the issue of rectifying hidden households, officials at all levels in the court will definitely attack them. Or even if there is a civil uprising in the local area to cooperate,
Absolutely no official can withstand such an offensive.
In other words, this problem of hidden households has no solution in normal times. And as time goes by, this problem of hidden households will become more and more serious. Especially in recent years, as a large number of ordinary people find it difficult to survive, many people have
He took shelter from local gentry and became a hermit.
As the Governor of Fengyang and a veteran in the officialdom for many years, Ma Shiying knew very well that the more hidden households there were, the less taxes the court would receive. When distributing labor, it would not be allocated to the hidden households and would have to be allocated to non-hidden households.
body, causing more people to become hermits.
If this problem remains unresolved, big problems will arise.
But, how to solve it?
Ma Shiying had never thought of it before!
But now, the current emperor actually used the excuse of suppressing thieves to send a large army as a back-up, and even sent factory guards to the local area. This is obviously a big decision.
This move is definitely a good move to eliminate Yindo's chess pieces.
When the army suppresses the local area, which gentry dares to resist? If the factory guards are involved, it represents the imperial power. No matter how many connections there are in the officialdom, can it be greater than the imperial power?
Moreover, the public opinion of Dongchangchang Gong Wang Dehua was very bad. Before, without saying anything, he directly found the crime and ransacked the houses of the top ten salt merchants in Yangzhou.
He came here in person. If anyone messes with him, their home will be ransacked again!
In front of the owner of Dongchang Factory, a few other squires dared to try to see if Wang Dehua would not confiscate his house?
In addition to checking the hidden households, the court also had to re-measure the land and register the fertile farmland. This step was as difficult as the problem of hidden households.
If the preferential exemptions for officials and gentry stipulated in the Ming Dynasty Laws were followed, the taxes collected by the imperial court in Jiangnan would definitely be many times higher. However, in fact, every official and gentry was careless in the implementation of this aspect, even later.
, everyone tacitly agreed, and simply refused to levy any taxes, turning the preferential exemption for officials and gentry into full exemption for officials and gentry.
If there are many ordinary people in the local area, it will be apportioned to them; if there is not enough to apportion, it will be owed. Anyway, the reasons are easy to find. Floods, droughts, etc. are all reasons for arrears.
The officials in the court were well aware of this and cooperated with it, because it was the same thing in their hometown.
After a few years of arrears, he persuaded the emperor to be merciful and forgive the arrears. There was no need to pay the money.
This is also why since the Zhengde period, more and more land-owning people have donated land to prominent officials and gentry, and even served as sources of hermitage.
If we really want to implement it according to the preferential and exemption quotas for officials and gentry, it is absolutely impossible for this kind of thing to happen.
Now, the emperor took the opportunity to suppress thieves to solve these two problems. Ma Shiying admired him very much. The current emperor indeed had the vision and courage to seize this opportunity and take action.
Of course, this may not be the work of the current emperor, but the work of Emperor Taizu, so this move is very common.
Previously, Ma Shiying was actually wondering that Jiangnan was an important tax-paying area for the imperial court. If there was a rebellion, no matter what the reason was, in Ma Shiying's view, officers and soldiers would be sent immediately to encircle and suppress the bandits.
Unexpectedly, the emperor delayed sending troops and seemed not to care at all that the bandits had brought disaster to Jiangnan. It turned out that the emperor's plan was actually to be dissatisfied with Jiangnan and to wait for the bandits to cause more trouble in Jiangnan before coming again.
Rectify Jiangnan!
I have to say, with such great courage, it would not be surprising at all to say that it was Emperor Taizu who pointed out the future of today!
This move is great!
Li Ruolian saw that Ma Shiying was very wise, and his impression of him became much better, and he talked a little more. He told Ma Shiying: "When doing things, you must also let the local authorities know that the court is doing this for the good of the local area, and let them do their best."
Cooperation means that you are good to me and everyone is good to you. If we really have to mobilize the army to suppress thieves, it will not look good!"
Ma Shiying was shocked and felt a little awe-inspiring. The commander of the Jinyi Guards said that the army was suppressing bandits. This was simply an excuse. The implication was that if anyone did not cooperate well, they would directly "slander" the bandits. Once the army came, who could resist?
Of course, he had already stated in advance that it was best not to have this happen, and if it did, he would never be lenient.
With this in mind, Ma Shiying quickly said: "Commander, please rest assured that I will definitely do a good job in appeasing and explaining things so that everyone in the local area will know that the imperial court is doing this for their own good!"
This Ma Shiying is really good!
Li Ruolian thought about it and said with a smile: "Yes, if you do a good job, Mr. Governor, the general will definitely report it truthfully when he comes back. If you do well, the general will think that your majesty will definitely be used again!"
Having said this, he paused and said with a bit of regret: "Actually, I will listen to His Majesty's wishes and convey the court's wishes to the local authorities so as not to cause misunderstandings by the local authorities. This is what the Department of Political Affairs and Communications should do.
.However, His Majesty is very dissatisfied with the Political Affairs Department now, and the position of the Political Affairs Department has always been vacant. Therefore, no one from the Political Affairs Department will go south with him this time."
Emperor Chongzhen's new establishment of the Zhengtongsi Yamen certainly caused a stir in the officialdom. Anyone who was in the officialdom, or even people who were not in the officialdom, had discussed it. Ma Shiying was no exception, so he knew that the Zhengtongsi
What kind of yamen is it?
At this time, when he heard Li Ruolian's words, his heart suddenly moved, and he subconsciously felt that this was an opportunity.
So, his mind started racing and he started thinking immediately.
Soon, I heard Ma Shiying smile and say to Li Ruolian: "I am not boasting, but there is a person who is very suitable to do what the Department of Political Affairs has to do!"
"Oh? Who?" Li Ruolian asked curiously after hearing this, "If there is a suitable person, then quickly recommend him!"
After a pause, based on his good impression of Ma Shiying, he continued: "Your Majesty is very thirsty for talents nowadays. If he is truly talented and learned, and is loyal to the emperor and serves the country, there are many examples of his success!"
These examples are naturally known to anyone in the officialdom. They have even spread. Anyone who is summoned to the capital at an urgent cost of 800 miles by the emperor today has been promoted several levels in a row, and has truly risen to the top.
When they heard about it before, they were naturally very envious of these people. They also thought that they could be rushed by the emperor eight hundred miles away!
But, obviously, no!
Now, according to the tone of the commander of the Jin Yiwei, although there is no urgent need for eight hundred miles, if it can prove useful to the emperor, it will also be a smooth road to success.
Thinking this way, Ma Shiying became a little excited. He must seize this opportunity.
Therefore, he quickly said to Li Ruolian: "The person recommended by me not only has qualifications, but also has amazing talents. He must be very suitable!"