Chongzhen and I became partners

Chapter 373

After setting up the incense table in the back hall of the governor's yamen, Ma Shiying began to receive orders.

He probably knew what the imperial decree was about.Is it nothing more than to wipe out the thieves, or to punish Liu Liangzuo by the way?

The troops under Liu Liangzuo's command have greatly exceeded the limit of the number of troops that a commander-in-chief should command, and such things as empty pay are common.

In the past, he was well aware of Liu Liangzuo's matter, 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 were already too common in this period.Such illegal things are so common that they are as common as eating and drinking!
Ma Shiying's thoughts were shattered immediately after the imperial decree was read out.

Although the imperial decree did mention the suppression of thieves and the reorganization of Liu Liangzuo's troops, but as an elite who was killed on the imperial examination road with thousands of troops crossing the single-plank bridge, Ma Shiying immediately noticed that the focus of the imperial decree was not this at all, but the obscure one mean.

"How is it?" Seeing that Ma Shiying had received the order, Li Ruolian asked with a smile, "I wonder if the governor has a charter in his heart?"

Although he was smiling, Ma Shiying knew very well that if he dissatisfied the Commander of Jin Yiwei, that is, if he dissatisfied the present day, he would turn his face immediately.

Therefore, he said without hesitation: "The lower officials want to encircle the rogue areas in Huguang and Nanzhili with Fengyang Mansion as the center first, and then rectify Liu Liangzuo's troops. And in the name of tracking down thieves and spies, verifying according to the rosters kept by the state capitals, checking the population, and then verifying the fields with this as a reason, I don’t know what the commanding officer thinks?"

"Hehehe..." Li Ruolian immediately laughed when he heard this, and said to Ma Shiying, "Yes, the governor has rich experience in governing the region, and the general will definitely report to His Majesty."

Having said that, he paused, as if he had thought of something, and then added: "As for the matter in this place, the Dongchangchang Guild came to sit in charge in person, and the general will concentrate on military affairs in the end."

Ma Shiying was taken aback when he heard this, Master Dongchang wants to come and sit in charge in person?
Although the emperor's imperial decree was nominally to hunt down thieves and spies, Ma Shiying, through his understanding of the court situation, knew at once that this was the emperor's dissatisfaction with the local gentry, and he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to suppress thieves. clean them up.

The first one is the problem of hidden households. Of course, Ma Shiying understands that the problem of hidden households is more serious in the south than in the north, where economic conditions are better than in places with poor economic conditions.

After all, in Jiangnan and other places with good economic conditions, the local gentry can support more people, and the mansion can also support more hidden households.

Although hermit households are illegal, when all the squires take in hermit households for their own use, even if the magistrates know about such a thing, they dare not confront everyone.

Because all those who have the ability to take in hermits for use are big and powerful, and their relationships are intricate, especially in official circles.

In this way, if there is a local official or a big boss in the court who wants to raise the issue of rectifying hidden households, he will definitely be attacked by officials at all levels in the court.Even if there is a civil uprising at the local level and the like, there is absolutely no official who can withstand such an offensive.

In other words, this hidden household problem is usually unsolvable.And as time goes by, this hidden household problem will become more and more serious.Especially in recent years, as a large number of ordinary people find it difficult to survive, they have taken shelter of gentry everywhere and become hermits.

As the governor of Fengyang, Ma Shiying, a veteran who has been in the officialdom for many years, knows very well that the more hermits, the less taxes the court receives. body, thus causing more people to become hidden households.

If this problem is not resolved, there will be big problems.

But how to solve it?

Ma Shiying never thought about it before!

But now, the current emperor used the reason of suppressing bandits as a reason to station a large army as a backing, and even sent factory guards to the place. This is obviously a big determination.

This move to solve the hidden household's chess piece is absolutely wonderful.

When the army is suppressing localities, which gentry dares to resist?The factory guards participated again, which represented the imperial power. No matter how many relationships there are in the officialdom, can it be greater than the imperial power?
And the public voice of that Dongchang Changwang Dehua is very bad. Before, without saying a word, he directly found the crime and ransacked the house of the top ten salt merchants in Yangzhou.

He came here in person, if anyone offends him, they will definitely raid the house again!
In front of Dongchang Changgong, how many squires dare to try to see if Wang Dehua will not copy the house?
In addition to checking the hidden households, the imperial court had to re-measure the land and register the fertile land. This step, like the issue of hidden households, was a very difficult problem.

If officials and gentry were exempted according to the "Law of the Ming Dynasty", the imperial court's taxes in Jiangnan would definitely be many times higher.However, in fact, every official and gentry was sloppy in the implementation of this area. Even later, everyone tacitly agreed and simply did not collect all the taxes, turning preferential exemption for officials and gentry into full exemption for officials and gentry.

If there are a lot of ordinary people in the local area, it will be apportioned to them; if there is not enough apportionment, it will be owed. Anyway, it is easy to find reasons. Floods, droughts, etc. are all reasons for owed taxes.

The officials in the court also knew it well and cooperated, because they themselves were in the same way in their hometown.

After a few years of debt, he persuaded the emperor to forgive him and pardoned the debt.There is no need to pay this money.

This is why since the Zhengde period, more and more common people in Arita donated their land to famous officials and gentry, and even served as the source of hidden households.

If it is really carried out according to the preferential quota for officials and gentry, it is absolutely impossible for this kind of thing to happen.

But now, the emperor took the opportunity of suppressing thieves to solve these two matters.Ma Shiying admired it very much. The current emperor really has vision and courage, and he looks at this opportunity to make a move.

Of course, this may not be the handwriting of the current emperor, but the handwriting of Emperor Taizu, so this trick is very common.

In the past, Ma Shiying actually wondered that Jiangnan is a place where the imperial court pays a lot of money. No matter what the reason is, in Ma Shiying's view, it is necessary to immediately send officers and troops to encircle and drive out the thieves.

Unexpectedly, the emperor did not send troops for a long time, as if he didn't care about the thieves harming Jiangnan.It turned out that the emperor's plan was actually to be dissatisfied with Jiangnan, and to wait for the thieves to make more trouble in Jiangnan, and then come to rectify Jiangnan!

It has to be said that with such great courage, it would not be surprising at all if it was the Emperor Taizu who directed the current day!

This trick, high!
Li Ruolian saw that Ma Shiying was very good, so he felt much better about him, so he talked a little more, and told Ma Shiying: "When doing things, let the local people know that the imperial court is for the good of the local people, so let them take good care of them." Cooperate, that is hello, hello, hello everyone, if you really want to mobilize the army to suppress the thieves, it will not look good!"

Ma Shiying was stunned, feeling a little awe-inspiring.The Commander of the Jinyiwei said that the army was suppressing the bandits. This was simply an excuse. The implication was that if anyone didn't cooperate well, he would directly "slander" the bandits. Once the army came, who could resist?

Of course, he has explained in advance that it is best not to have such a situation, and if it does, he will definitely not be relentless.

Thinking of this, Ma Shiying quickly said: "Please rest assured, Commander, I will definitely do a good job of appeasing and explaining, so that everyone in the local area can know that the imperial court is actually doing this for their benefit!"

This Ma Shiying is really good!
Li Ruolian thought about it, and said with a smile: "Yes, the Governor, if you do a good job, you will definitely report it truthfully. If you do a good job, you will think that His Majesty will definitely use it again!"

Speaking of this, he paused, and seemed to say with some regret: "Actually, at the end of the day, I will listen to His Majesty's wishes and convey the imperial court's intentions to the local authorities, so as not to be misunderstood by the local authorities. This is what the Secretary of Political Affairs and Communications should do. However, His Majesty is so dissatisfied with the Political and Communications Secretary, and the position of the Political and Communications Envoy has always been vacant. So this time, no one from the Political and Communications Department will go south with him."

Emperor Chongzhen newly established the Office of the Department of Political Affairs, which of course caused a sensation in official circles.As long as it is a person in the officialdom, or even a person who is not in the officialdom, it has been discussed.Ma Shiying was no exception, so he knew what kind of office this Department of Political Affairs was.

At this moment, when he heard Li Ruolian's words, his heart suddenly moved, and he subconsciously felt that this was an opportunity.

So, he turned his head sharply and immediately thought about it.

Soon, Ma Shiying said to Li Ruolian with a smile: "I'm not boasting, but there is a person who is very suitable to do what the Political and Communications Secretary wants to do!"

"Oh? Who?" Li Ruolian asked curiously when he heard this, "If there is really a suitable person, then quickly recommend it!"

After a pause, based on his good impression of Ma Shiying, he went on to say: "Your Majesty is very thirsty for talent now. If there are real talents and learning, and they are loyal to the emperor and serve the country, there have been many examples, and they are all on the rise!"

These examples, as long as people in the officialdom, naturally know.It has even spread the word that anyone who is summoned to Beijing urgently by today's day at [-] li will be promoted to many levels in a row, and they will truly rise to the top.

When they heard about it before, they were naturally very envious of these people.I also thought that I could be rushed by the emperor eight hundred miles!
But, obviously, no!
But now, according to the tone of Jin Yiwei's commander, although there is no rush for eight hundred miles, if it can be proved useful to the emperor, it is also a road to success.

Thinking of this, Ma Shiying became a little excited. He must seize this opportunity.

Therefore, he hurriedly said to Li Ruolian: "The person recommended by me not only has qualifications, but also has amazing talents, so he must be very suitable!"

(End of this chapter)