Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 590
After recapturing Wuhan, Yang Menglong and Fang Yizhi officially moved in, repaired the Huguang Governor's Office, and then began to convene officials from Yiling, Jingxiang, Wuhan, Zhongxiang, Suizhou and other places for meetings.Who would dare not give the boss face?Those officials who hadn't warmed up the appointment documents set off immediately, rushing over in a hurry.For a time, there were more officials than dogs in the city of Wuhan. Many of them didn't even have official uniforms or official seals. They were still dressed in Confucian uniforms and even looked like farmers. As for the government servants blowing gongs to clear the way, don't think about it. There is no such thing. What about treatment?Everyone came to the gate of the governor's office, and when they met those they were familiar with, they gathered together and chatted about their feelings as officials during this period and their experiences in governing the place. Those who were not familiar with each other chatted one after another, trying to establish relationships first. Let’s talk later.Everyone looked at the closed door of the Governor's Office and thought that they would not be able to escape if they made a show of force. They should be mentally prepared to stand at the door for two or three hours in the sun!

Who would have thought that just as this thought flashed through his mind, the door opened, and Shi Tianbao, a handsome man in military uniform, came out, bowed his hands to the officials, and said, "Thank you for your hard work coming all the way, Lord Marquis and Governor Fang have already arrived." Wait inside, please come with me."

All the officials were stunned, what about the promised dismount?I heard that the past experience is not working!Forget it, it's best if you don't get offended, hurry up and follow this person in.

Follow Zhaji Chongweng to the inner hall... Yes, it is the inner hall, not the lobby. Everyone found that the conference hall has been arranged, and the rows of tables are neatly arranged. There is a sign on each seat, which says Just put their names in their seats.This was a novelty, everyone found their own seats and sat down, which saved a lot of humility and wrangling, and saved trouble.When they were seated, Yang Menglong, Fang Yizhi and Li Yan came together, and everyone hurriedly got up to meet, Fang Yizhi smiled and said: "Just stand up, you don't need to kneel, I'm not used to others kneeling at every turn... Everyone Colleagues, please sit down, please sit down."

Officials from Nanyang are accustomed to sitting down naturally, while officials from non-Nanyang look at each other and feel uncomfortable... It's really not used to not kneeling!But their immediate superiors had spoken, so they had no choice but to sit down.After everyone sat down, Fang Yizhi pointed at Yang Menglong and said, "This must be familiar to everyone, the famous Champion. This is the Champion's friend and aide, Mr. Li Xin. As for me, no introduction is needed. , everyone must be familiar with it.”

Yang Menglong said with a smile: "It doesn't matter if you don't know each other. Anyway, we will work together in the future. There will be more chances to know each other... Are you all here?"

Everyone looked left and left to make sure that the seats were full, so they said in unison: "It's all here."

Yang Menglong said: "Then let's get into the theme."

The audience almost fell down.You went straight to the topic without even setting the stage. You old man is really quick enough to cut through the mess!

Yang Menglong coughed and said: "First of all, I must explain that I am quite satisfied with you people. You have won everyone's trust, and you have also worked hard and worked hard this year, and you have not let everyone down. Trust in you, you are stronger than most officials."

Many officials looked proud, but also had some helpless wry smiles.How can they be so noble?It's not that they don't want to get some benefits, it's really the Huguangyi Army... Ah, no, the rebels are too evil, as long as they reach out, they will be discovered immediately, and then they will be severely punished!After many bloody lessons, they discovered that basically everyone they met automatically and consciously acted as the eyeliner of the rebels to monitor their every move, and they would be discovered immediately if they had a wrong thought!The terrifying scene of Qin Mai and Wang Rui hanging all the corrupt officials, local tyrants and evil gentry in the city on the treetops was still in front of their eyes, and the rewards they were given were not small, so they restrained their crooked eyes.To put it bluntly, it's not how noble they are, it's because Qin Mai and Wang Rui's knives are too sharp, they are afraid of losing their heads!

Yang Menglong continued: "Of course, I also know that a few of you become officials just to get rich, I understand. I don't object to you getting rich, but I hope you'd better use formal means to make money, otherwise in those You will have a place on the big tree where corrupt officials have been hanged, I can do what the Huguang rebels have done, and I can do it even better than them!"

A group of officials shuddered.If Fang Yizhi said that, they might not take it seriously. The problem is... It was Yang Menglong who made the harsh words!Yang Menglong, who cut off the heads of nearly [-] Jiannu in the battle of Lushun alone, anyone who dares to ignore the warning of this evil star will be courting death!

Fang Yizhi said: "As long as you do your best for the people, Governor Yang will not treat you badly. Don't worry, everyone. Okay, let's enter the first topic. Everyone knows that Huguang has experienced this rebellion. It can be said that the people's livelihood is dying, and a thousand things are waiting for prosperity (Master Fang selectively ignores the rice fields extending to the sky and the merchants gathered in the cities of Jianghan)! It's really sad that such a good piece of fertile land has been ruined to this extent!"

The magistrate Zhong Xiang said sadly: "What the governor said is very true, Jiang Han has been smashed, and the New Deal must be implemented to restore his vitality!"

The magistrate of Suizhou said: "It is extremely extreme. If the New Deal is not implemented, I am afraid there will be rebellion!"

The officials rolled their eyes helplessly, shouting that the New Deal must be implemented immediately, and almost shed tears... Those who are so obvious and can't see it are fools, and the future of this life is just like this!Yang Menglong slapped the table and said, "Yes, heavy codes should be used in troubled times. The old ways will not work. New policies must be implemented, otherwise the Jianghan Plain will never have peace!"

All the officials said in unison: "What the champion said is absolutely true!"

Yang Menglong smiled triumphantly, and said, "Okay, let's discuss the content of the new policy. First, I plan to open Hankou as a port and allow foreign businessmen to come to do business and invest. What do you think?"

Almost everyone shouted in unison: "Approve! Approve!" Those who disapprove are idiots. Last year, Nanyang easily earned nearly 200 million taels of silver from those foreigners. This is faster than picking up money. Nanyang's The location is not as good as that of Wuhan, and it has received so many benefits. If Wuhan is opened as a port, it will not be full of money!

Yang Menglong picked up a pen and ticked the first bill, indicating that everyone agreed.Then the entourage took the document and distributed it to all the officials for them to take back to read. It was full of detailed rules for attracting investment and etiquette details that need to be paid attention to when dealing with Europeans. It seems that this bastard still worked hard.

Fang Yizhi took out a small bag and poured it on the table. Suddenly, golden and silver lights flashed randomly, dazzling everyone. Everyone stretched their necks involuntarily. Oh, it turned out that what he poured on the table was A small bag of gold and silver coins.He picked up a gold coin and a silver coin, and Li Yan took the rest and distributed it to everyone. Everyone took it and saw that these coins were made of gold and silver of excellent quality, and the weight and size of each one were almost exactly the same. It's consistent, and there are quite complex patterns on it.Looking at these exquisite coins, the first reaction of these officials was: Those who minted private money are in big trouble!

There is indeed a lot of trouble, this thing is different from copper coins, the design is too exquisite and complicated, the gold and silver are too fine, fake?You can find someone to engrave the coins one by one. When one is carved, the gold and silver consumed plus the cost of work may already exceed the value of the coin!The more you fake, the more you will lose, try it if you are not convinced!

Fang Yizhi said: "In the past, everyone used broken silver and cut it whenever they needed it. Huguang and the five northern provinces issued gold and silver coins in a unified manner... Everyone can see clearly that the smaller silver coin is equivalent to half a tael of silver, while the larger silver coin is equivalent to one tael of silver. These currencies are easy to count and easy to carry, what do you think?"

In fact, under normal circumstances, no official would agree to such a reform. You must know that fire consumption is an important source of income for officials, and it is also the tacit consent of the court. Those who receive [-]% or even [-]% of the money, the imperial court adds a tax of one tael, and the common people have to pay at least one tael to one tael, and the extra part will naturally go into the pockets of the officials. After a large amount of income is issued, gold coins and silver coins are issued, and this kind of currency that does not need to be remelted is uniformly used, and the fire loss will lose its reason to continue to exist. Isn't that cutting off people's wealth?How can this work?However, the cleansing of Hubei officials presided over by Wang Rui was so thorough that it almost emptied the officialdom in Hubei, and the group selected by the common people had never been soaked in the big dye vat of the officialdom. I don't know, but I just feel that issuing such exquisite currency can effectively prevent counterfeit money is a good thing, so they all raised their hands in favor.

This approval is tantamount to boarding a pirate ship, and it will not be so easy to object in the future.

……

Yang Menglong and Fang Yizhi were simply the best partners, they sang and harmonized seamlessly, and they fooled these inexperienced officials to the point where they couldn't find their way... It was the rhythm of hanging them up and fighting!
The proposal to allow folks to practice martial arts and hold crossbows passed;

The proposal to re-determine the fight against hoarding and crack down on hoarding was passed;

The proposal to disband all the guards and distribute a piece of land to the soldiers of the guards to make them return to civilians was passed;

It is forbidden for anyone to set up card tolls in the Yangtze River waterway without authorization, and only two toll stations supervised by the Governor's Office will be kept. The navigation fee received will be used to manage the water conservancy of the Yangtze River. The proposal is passed;

The proposal that each township and each county must establish a school was passed;

Proposals to build hospitals, stadiums, libraries, clock towers, zoos, etc. in Wuhan, passed;

The proposal to exempt people from corvee service and change it to a paid labor system was passed;

The proposal to abolish the poll tax, pay the government and the gentry as one, and increase the commercial tax to one of the fifteen taxes was passed;

……

It’s really a big deal! ?
(End of this chapter)