My life skills in Daming Liver

For Zhang Juzheng, the good news is that the Southeast New Army has entered Wuchang, and he can get what he wants and continue to stay in Huguang.

The bad news is that the situation is getting worse.

Zhang Juzheng was unwilling to leave Huguang because he did not want to conflict with Gao Gong.

However, the relationship between Gao and Zhang is not just a fight for power as Xu Xuemo guessed.

Both of them are people who want to do things. Gao Gong wants to implement the New Deal, and Zhang Juzheng also wants to implement the New Deal.

But even if they are both New Dealers, their ideas are different.

During this period of time, in the private correspondence between Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, this difference became increasingly apparent.

To put it bluntly, the two are not only fighting for power, but also fighting for "orthodoxy".

Gao Gong put forward the slogan, "Teach the thieves to learn skills to control the thieves", and carried out new affairs reforms in the Ming Dynasty, so as to strive for strength against the southeast.

Setting up large-scale workshops and establishing new armies are all high-profile reform measures.

However, Zhang Juzheng did not agree with Gao Gong's approach. He believed that Mingting could not catch up with Southeast China just by learning technology.

Zhang Juzheng pointed out in a private letter to Gao Gong, "The southeast already has advantages in industry, commerce, and colonization. If the imperial court follows the southeast in establishing new affairs, can it catch up with the southeast?"

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng believed that if the imperial court wanted to carry out the new affairs movement, the first thing to do was not to learn new affairs and open workshops, but to reform the Ming court's system.

Zhang Juzheng believed that the Ming Dynasty was completely backward, and the most important thing was its institutional backwardness.

This disagreement made Zhang Juzheng unwilling to return to the capital now. He knew that he would definitely conflict with Gao Gong, and he would definitely suffer from the current situation in the capital.

But I didn’t expect that until now, King Jing would surrender the city to the southeast!

Wuchang fell into the enemy's hands, and the situation in Huguang immediately deteriorated. Now he could not leave in Huguang.

Zhang Juzheng wrote to the court to apologize while continuing to strengthen Hanyang's defense.

The fall of Wuchang had a huge impact on the morale of the Ming army in Huguang.

Even more angry was Xu Xuemo, the prefect of Jingzhou. He continued to write a letter to impeach Zhang Juzheng, saying that it was precisely because Zhang Juzheng "supported the bandits' self-respect" and "wasted the opportunity to fight" that King Jing surrendered.

Zhang Juzheng was not polite. He also listed Xu Xuemo's twelve crimes, wrote a letter to impeach him, and asked the court to remove him from the post of Jingzhou prefect.

The two Ming armies in Hanyang were in such a quarrel that Xu Xuemo simply ignored Zhang Juzheng's orders and directly led the Jingzhou soldiers back to Jingzhou.

Zhang Juzheng was greatly disgraced because he lost Wuchang's face. After all, Xu Xuemo was also the prefect appointed by the imperial court. He had no choice but to sit back and watch Xu Xuemo leave Hanyang.

Fortunately, there is a natural barrier on the Yangtze River between Wuchang and Hanyang, and the Southeast New Army has no intention of attacking Hanyang rashly.

Zhang Juzheng could only continue to recruit civilians, build gun towers near Hanyang, and set up a gun factory in Hanyang to build artillery, preparing to rely on the Yangtze River for defense.

Zhang Juzheng didn't feel any sense of security. He had fought with Su Ze many times and knew Southeast's military style.

Su Ze always used his troops in a steady and steady manner. Once he occupied a place, he would fully digest it instead of blindly expanding the territory.

As long as Southeast Asia digests Wuchang, the next step will be a thunderous offensive.

The more upright you are, the more flawless you are.

Zhang Juzheng also felt bitter in his heart. Southeast was a rebellion and everything was starting from scratch. It could be completely overthrown and started over without any entanglement of interests.

On my side, my hands are tied, all forces must be balanced, and I can't overturn the table when encountering someone like Xu Xuemo.

Inexplicably, Zhang Juzheng became even more pessimistic about the future of Gao Gong's New Deal.

As Zhang Juzheng expected, the Third Brigade entered Wuchang City and immediately took over the government offices in the city to maintain order in Wuchang City.

As for King Jing, he was taken under guard by the soldiers and boarded the ship in embarrassment to Nanjing.

Traveling with King Jing was Zhao Zhenji from Xiancheng. However, he was not detained, but he also took the same boat to Nanjing with King Jing.

When King Jing saw Zhao Zhenji, he cursed regardless of dignity and even spat at Zhao Zhenji.

"Dog thief! Treacherous dog thief!"

After all, King Jing grew up in the royal family, and there was not much newness in swearing.

Zhao Zhenji was still a little embarrassed. It was he who instigated King Jing to rebel and finally betrayed him.

After this incident, Zhao Zhenji knew that his career and reputation were over.

In the future history books, I will definitely be recorded in "The Biography of Cheng Chen".

Zhao Zhenji just wanted to save his life. In response to King Jing's curse, he just got out of the way, and the soldiers escorting King Jing immediately stepped forward and pulled him away.

Lin Deyang sealed Prince Jing's Mansion and moved into the Wuchang Guard Command Post. He said to Zhu Huaye:

"Good boy! This time you are the first to persuade me to surrender. The documents expressing your merit have been sent to the Governor's Mansion by speedboat! The Governor will definitely use you!"

Zhu Huaye smiled. Now that the Southeast New Army system has gradually become complete, there are fewer and fewer opportunities to make great contributions, and there are more and more requirements for promotion.

However, the promotion and promotion of the Southeast New Army has always been based on merit and personal ability. Every merit and assessment result will be included in the file. When promoting, not only everyone's resume must be published If you fail to convince the public, you will be investigated by the military judge.

Zhu Huaye's contribution to persuading Wuchang to surrender provided a solid foundation for his promotion to high positions in the future.

"It's just that tough guy who refuses to come out and do something. Can you go and persuade him?"

Zhu Huaye also showed a troubled expression.

The hard nut Lin Deyang mentioned was You Jujing, the former governor of Huguang in the Ming Dynasty who was imprisoned by King Jing.

Youju Jing is an honest official, strict in enforcing the law, and does not show favoritism for personal gain. He is very popular in Huguang.

Moreover, You Jujing is from Nanping, Fujian, the same hometown as Su Zelin Deyang.

Before coming to Nanjing, Xu Wei recommended You Jujing to Su Ze, believing that he was a capable and moral Ming court official. After Wuchang was captured, he could be allowed to continue serving as an official, which would help stabilize Wuchang's people more quickly.

Su Ze personally wrote a letter persuading him to surrender and asked Lin Deyang to bring him to Wuchang.

Unexpectedly, after Lin Deyang rescued You Jujing from King Jing's prison, You Jujing didn't care about the friendship with his fellow countrymen at all. He even cursed him and started a hunger strike to die.

Lin Deyang was in trouble now. You Jujing was fifty-five years old. He had been imprisoned by King Jing for several months. Now that he was on hunger strike, it would be difficult to explain that he was really dead.

Zhu Huaye still said: "Brigade Commander, I'm going to give it a try. I can't guarantee whether it will work or not."

Lin Deyang immediately said: "Just give it a try! Even if You Jujing refuses to serve as an official for me in the southeast, don't let him die in Wuchang."

Zhu Huaye came to the place where You Jujing was placed. The skinny old man lay on the bed, and despite the crying and persuasion of the people around him, he still refused to eat anything.

You Jujing had three sons, none of whom had the talent to take the imperial examination. You Jujing was afraid that they would do evil under his own banner in his hometown, so he took them all with him.

Lin Deyang asked his family to persuade You Jujing to eat, but he even ignored his family's persuasion.

Seeing this scene, Zhu Huaye felt even more troubled. He asked people to invite You Jujing's family out and sit down next to the straw mat where You Jujing was lying.

You Jujing still closed his eyes, Zhu Huaye said:

"Master You, if you don't want to serve in the southeast, there is no need to die for the Ming Dynasty."

Yuju Jing still said nothing.

Zhu Huaye said: "Master You, the Governor wrote to you personally because he pities people like you. It's not that no one in the southeast of me can be an official."

"Zhao Zhenji, who presented the city, was sent to Nanjing and will be processed after waiting for inspection. The governor is interested in your character, not the friendship with fellow villagers."

You Jujing opened his eyes, looked at Zhu Huaye and said:

"Rebellious ministers and traitors!"

Zhu Huaye smiled and said: "Rebellious ministers and traitors? Master You, do you know what my last name is?"

You Jujing said nothing, Zhu Huaye said:

"My surname is Zhu. My father is General Fengguo of the Ming Dynasty and a descendant of Taizu."

Now You Jujing looked at Zhu Huaye, and he remembered the clan in Fengyang Xiancheng. It turned out that this young officer was actually a descendant of the Ming court clan.

Zhu Huaye said: "In terms of blood, my father and son belong to the clan."

"The Governor is a meritocracy and does not discriminate against us because we are members of the Zhu Ming clan. He also entrusts me and my son with important responsibilities."

But You Jujing said: "You and your clan are supported by the royal family, but you actually took refuge in the rebellious ministers and traitors."

Zhu Huaye said: "That's wrong. Let's not explain how the court supports the clan. We are not supporting the court, but the people of the world."

You Jujing said: "Without the imperial court, where would you have Lumi? As we eat the emperor's salary, we should be loyal to the emperor."

Zhu Huaye said: "You eat and you earn money, and the people support you."

"The Grand Governor has made it very clear in the New Commentary on the Three Classics. During the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, the people did not pay taxes. The court's right to tax was not given by heaven, but given by the people."

"When the imperial court collects grain and money, it must protect the country and the people, build water conservancy projects, defend against foreign enemies, and provide relief to the people in disaster years. This is a contract signed by the people and the government through paying taxes."

"But after the Ming Dynasty received so many people's salaries, what did it do in the end?"

"King Jing gave the vassal De'an, and the Ming court gave him 40,000 hectares of land. What contribution did King Jing have to the court and to the people?"

This sentence made Yu Jujing silent.

Huguang is the granary of the world, and all land has its owner.

In order to raise the 40,000 hectares of vassal land for King Jing, You Jujing spent a lot of effort.

Much of the land was snatched from the hands of ordinary people.

Huguang originally had many vassal kings, and these many vassal kings originally had a lot of land, and they wanted to occupy more land. You Jujing had written a letter back then, requesting that King Jing not be allowed to vassal Huguang.

Of course, the emperor could not reduce his son's fiefdom just because of a small letter from the governor of Huguang.

"Those who have done nothing for the country seize high positions because of their bloodline. How can the Ming Dynasty survive like this?"

Zhu Huaye stood up and You Jujing said:

"This general, does he have the New Commentary on the Three Classics? Let me take a look."

Zhu Huaye smiled and said, "I will deliver it to Mr. You's house right now."

When Zhu Huaye went out, You Jujing shouted to his son: "Bring rice soup."

Naturally, there was another scene of filial sons and grandsons crying with joy in the house.

Three days later, You Jujing announced his defection to Southeast China, which shocked Wuchang official circles.

Unexpectedly, people like You Jujing had joined Southeast, so the remaining officials would naturally have no psychological pressure.

Immediately afterwards, You Jujing came up with another list. These were all capable officials in Wuchang. Lin Deyang accepted them all and entrusted Wuchang government affairs to You Jujing.

This incorruptible minister was indeed capable. He quickly eliminated the negative influence caused by King Jing and Zhao Zhenji in Wuchang. He first dismissed the ordinary people they had forcibly recruited into the army, and then arrested several officials who had followed King Jing and worked as a provocateur.

After dealing with the officials in Wuchang, Lin Deyang brought people to the door again, searched the palace of the King of Chu, and confiscated the palace of the King of Chu.

The King of Chu was driven out of his mansion. Hearing that Zhu Huaye was a member of the Ming Dynasty clan, he took the old and young of the Chu King's clan to find Zhu Huaye.

Zhu Huaye looked at the fat King Chu, frowned and asked:

"We are all relatives from the fifth server. I don't know what you want from me?"

The King of Chu cried and said: "General Zhu! First we were exploited by King Jing's men and all the properties of the palace were confiscated. Now the king has confiscated our fields and mansion. How will we, a big family like us, live in the future?" !”

The entire family of the King of Chu began to cry, and some people came forward to pull Zhu Huaye away.

Zhu Huaye said immediately:

"According to the order of the Grand Governor, the Ming Dynasty clan is the same as ordinary people. They are not restricted in their choice of career. They are granted land according to their orders. Can you be granted land?"

The King of Chu stammered: "It is true that there are land grants, but only three acres of land are granted to each person. How can we live like this!"

Zhu Huaye sneered and said: "You tenant farmers in the palace manor farm less than three acres per day, and you have to bear high taxes. Every year, you have to go to the palace to serve you. My southeast farm tax is very low, and labor is also paid. , How come you can’t survive on three acres of land?”

The King of Chu added: "But I don't know how to farm at all! General Zhu, can you talk to General Lin and let us do something for the governor."

Zhu Huaye said: "Is there anyone who knows accounting and arithmetic?"

Only two young members of the Chu royal family came forward.

"Is there anyone who is familiar with the laws?"

No one stood up now.

"Is there any craftsman who knows how to do it?"

After hesitating for a moment, three members of the Chu King's clan stood up.

"Is there anyone who can join the army and fight?"

Now no one stood up, and most people even took a step back.

Zhu Huaye pointed to the few people who stood up and said: "My southeast rule is that everything must be tested. I will point you to a place. You go and try it. Whether you can use it depends on your own level."

Then Zhu Huaye said to the obese King Chu:

"It is already a great grace from the Grand Governor to grant you fields. This is because you have not done much evil."

"You don't know anything, do you still want Southeast to provide for you?"

"If you don't go farming quickly, you'll miss the farming season and you'll be hungry in autumn and winter."

Zhu Huaye pushed King Chu away and walked away. King Chu sat on the ground and cried loudly.

The rest of the Chu King's clan, look at me, I look at you. Those distant clan clans thought for a while and left the team directly. Now they are going to learn a craft. Remember, they have hands and feet. Is it possible that they can starve to death? ?

There were also a few young clan members who simply gritted their teeth and rushed to the recruitment point in Wuchang to take part in the military assessment.

When the people of Wuchang saw the king of Chu being so rude, they laughed one after another, and many people clapped their hands and applauded.

Although the contemporary kings of Chu did not commit many evil deeds, the Ming vassal kings also did many things to oppress the people.

Moreover, the daily use of these vassal kings was provided by the common people, and they were greedy to rob official and private fields.

When King Chu saw more and more people watching, he could only stand up immediately and leave in a hurry with his family.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Fat Bird doesn't like to write poems, so he can only send his blessings in a pale way.

I wish all readers a happy Mid-Autumn Festival and good health to their families!

One update today and tomorrow, to spend time with my family, and two updates on National Day.

Everyone, please go out more!