Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

"My lord, Prefect Zhu wants to see you!" his entourage shouted from outside.

Huang Qianshan was in the backyard, trying to escape through the back door. But the back door was also blocked by someone, so they set up ladders everywhere and climbed up the wall to observe the situation and try to find an escape route.

Several of his followers were still climbing the stairs to look around. Huang Qianshan turned around and asked, "Which Prefect Zhu is there?"

The personal attendant said: "Last year's Tanhua Lang is now the magistrate of Jinzhou. He happened to be passing by here these days."

Huang Qianshan seemed to be grasping at straws: "I remember he is from Yangzhou, please invite him to the second floor!"

Why not on the first floor?

Of course they were afraid of a mob breaking in.

Huang Qianshan ordered his followers to block all the courtyard doors and moved a lot of furniture to block the doors.

Even when Zhu Ming came in, he struggled for a long time, for fear that the mob would follow.

Huang Qianshan opened the second-floor window and looked out, and found that there were more mobs outside, and the streets were dark and full of heads.

"Bang!"

He quickly closed the window, his legs weak from fear.

Huang Qianshan thought that as long as he had soldiers in his hands, he would not be afraid of these unruly people causing trouble.

But I didn't expect that Zhong Qunong was so greedy. Not only did he not give him a penny of military pay, he even deducted his daily meals. When building the plank road, you can occasionally see dry meals. After the project is completed, even the gruel is mixed with sand.

"My lord, Governor Zhu has arrived."

Huang Qianshan immediately went up to him, held Ju Ming's hand, and said pitifully: "Successfully saved me!"

Zhu Ming sighed: "The rural soldiers were arguing about their pay. Zhong Quannong and Hu Zhizhou fled. The rural soldiers came straight to the city. I was passing by Yangzhou and was a guest at the house of Chief Min Shan. I heard that the rural soldiers were making trouble and came immediately. At least stop them outside the city."

Huang Qianshan said angrily: "These thieves Qiu Ba, it's not like they don't want to pay them, they can't even wait for a few days."

"After all, they are just temporarily recruited rural soldiers, not soldiers of the Xiang army. They do not understand the royal laws of the court," Zhu Ming advised. "For some small local matters, you should not disturb the officials, and you must use gentle methods."

Huang Qianshan actually didn't want to give too much money, and said: "Shengsheng is a local, and I think he has quite a lot of prestige. You can tell the country soldiers that each of them will be given fifty copper coins and twenty kilograms of rice, so that they can go home early." . And those unscrupulous people, let’s just talk about this and won’t levy any more miscellaneous taxes.”

Ju Ming sighed: "Is Kensi really desperate? Those rural soldiers first suppressed the bandits and then were dragged to build the plank road. I heard that there were still casualties. When they were recruited, they didn't receive even half a penny, and they had to carry it themselves. The dry food is here. There is no wages, no military pay, and the food is very poor. How can you spend dozens of pennies?"

Huang Qianshan said distressedly: "Although I have levied two more taxes, I have not collected enough at all. Many unruly people refused to pay the taxes. Even the four major clans in Yangzhou still owe the second miscellaneous tax. Where can I find any more?" Give money and food to the country soldiers?"

It’s true that I can’t shed tears without seeing the coffin. Ju Ming was completely convinced, and he handed over his hands and said, “In that case, I can’t help it, so I’ll say goodbye!”

"Successfully stay!"

Huang Qianshan quickly stopped him and asked, "How much food is enough?"

Ju Ming said: "Why don't we let a few paying officers come in and let them speak face to face."

Huang Qianshan said: "Only three people are allowed in."

Zhu Ming walked to the gate and said to Bai Sheng who was guarding the door: "Let the soldiers who are demanding payment recommend three leaders to come in and discuss food and salary with the executioner in person."

Huang Qianshan stood on the second floor and quietly opened half of the window, only to see a commotion on the street in the distance.

It took about half an hour to finally elect three representatives of the rural soldiers, two from Xingyuan Prefecture and one from Yangzhou.

They are all strong and strong men.

Ju Ming cupped his hands and said, "Do you know the names of the three strong men?"

A strong man said: "I am Qiu Shoucheng, the temporary commander of the rural soldiers in Xingyuan Prefecture."

"I am Wang Xin, the temporary warden of the Xingyuan Prefecture's rural soldiers."

"I am Fan Zhengtong, the temporary commander of the Yangzhou Township Soldiers."

Zhu Ming glanced over his shoulder and saw Huang Qianshan peeking at the stairs, so he said: "The three heroes are all good men. Today I will give Zhu a face and discuss it with the executioner Haosheng, so as not to make the matter a big deal."

Qiu Shoucheng said: "We don't want to rebel, but officials are too bullying. I have a brother who fell to death while building a plank road, and there is still no explanation. If no compensation is given, how will his family be orphaned and widowed? Live a good life?”

"That's right," Fan Zhengtong also said, "when we were recruited, we were asked to be rural soldiers, so that we could go home after the troubles were settled. But they asked us to build plank roads. I just don't understand. Are you a rural soldier or a civilian husband? If you are a rural soldier, you will be given military pay. If you are a civilian husband, you will be given monthly money!"

Wang Xin said angrily: "If you don't give me an explanation, you will simply rebel and kill the bird official and become a thief!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Qianshan shrank his neck in fright, tiptoed back to the second floor and pretended to be calm.

Zhu Ming took the people up and said, "You can talk to the punishment envoy yourself. Be more relaxed and how much food will be needed to disperse."

The three of them discussed it outside.

Wang Xin said: "Those who die or are injured must be compensated. Those who die will be given ten guans of money for each life; those who are not dead will be given five guans of decoction for each person!"

They thought it was a lion talking loudly, but Huang Qianshan breathed a sigh of relief. More than 20 people were killed and injured in building the plank road, which could be done with two to three hundred strings.

Huang Qianshan bargained and said: "Five guans are dead and two guans are not dead."

"No, this life is too cheap!" Qiu Shoucheng said.

Huang Qianshan said: "Lower some more."

The two parties bargained, and the deceased was given eight-guan pension, and the disabled person was given five-guan decoction money.

Then we talked about food and pay. I didn't bother to separate military pay or wages, so I just combined them together and gave them together. After repeated disputes, each person was given three and a half guans of money and five dou of grain, including those who were killed or injured.

After the negotiation ended, Huang Qianshan slumped in his chair.

Tens of thousands of dollars were lost like this. This time he worked almost for nothing and only got a thousand dollars of hard-earned money.

Although he repeatedly raised taxes, local officials were not very cooperative, and the gentry and merchants always delayed. He really didn't make much money.

The money is in the guild hall, and Huang Qianshan has ordered the Li family to exchange it for gold and silver.

Ju Ming called in some more rural soldiers, counted the gold and silver, and moved them out one after another. Then ask the Li family to exchange it into iron money again, and no handling fee is allowed.

Ju Ming stood at the door and said to the people who were resisting the tax: "You all go home, there will be no more taxes this year. Yangzhou will only charge 60 wen per bucket next year. Anyone who dares to tax more will not be given to me." face!"

"Xianggong Zhu is benevolent and righteous!"

"We all remember Xianggong Zhu's great kindness and virtue!"

The people in the anti-tax team knelt down and kowtowed one after another, and the rest of the people also knelt down happily.

Ju Ming took it upon himself to lower the farm fee next year, leaving only 4 penny per bucket for the officials to embezzle. Those guys, taking advantage of Huang Qian's good deeds to collect taxes, must have been greedy a lot this year. If they want to be greedy again next year, they will have to face the anger of the people.

The anti-tax people quickly dispersed, and the rural soldiers and archers lined up to collect their severance pay.

Huang Qianshan stood on the second floor and watched, hating Zhong Quanong in his heart. That guy was also greedy a lot, and he caused such a big trouble. He still doesn’t know where the money and food he deducted went. He has to ask Zhong Quanong to spit out some of it when he gets back!

Zhu Ming came to Huang Qianshan and said, "Huang Xiansi, I heard that there are still many rebellious people who have fled into the mountains to become thieves."

Huang Qianshan said: "There is nothing to fear about ringworm and scabies."

"These rural soldiers don't ask for much money and food. Calculated, they only get twenty or thirty wages per day," Zhu Ming said. "They have already made a fuss once and made it a success. They will be more likely to cause trouble in the future. If there are bandits in the mountains to deceive them again, , I’m afraid there will be civil unrest next year.”

Huang Qianshan was a little impatient and asked: "How should I solve it if I succeed?"

Ju Ming said: "Give me three thousand strings, and I will send people to appease the bandits in the mountains and relocate them to a new place."

"Three thousand guan?" Huang Qianshan jumped in shock and even stopped pretending, "If you give me 3,000 guan, I will still lose money on this trip!"

"How about two thousand strings?" Zhu Ming asked.

"I'll give you a thousand guan at most!" Huang Qianshan was so angry that he was shaking all over. His work this time was really in vain.

Ju Ming sighed: "Oh, just one thousand, I will give you some more money and food. Yangzhou is my hometown, and I really don't want to cause more trouble."

Zhu Ming helped solve the problem, but Huang Qianshan didn't appreciate it very much, and he even felt resentful in his heart because of the money matter.

This guy really hates Zhu Mingji.

With such a weird brain circuit, it can only be said that it is difficult to raise a villain.

After working until midnight, the rural soldiers and archers finally received the money and food. After all, the food still had to be transferred to the warehouse.

Three representatives of the rural soldiers, along with many soldiers, came to say goodbye to Ju Ming.

Qiu Shoucheng knelt down and said, "We have all remembered Xianggong Zhu's kindness today. If we have any assignments in the future, we will never frown in water or fire!"

The rest of the soldiers also knelt down, and Zhu Ming helped more than ten of them up with his own hands: "Don't do this. The emperor is not short of hungry soldiers. When you work for the government, you should get money and food. This is what you deserve. Please disperse and go back to the countryside. Have a good life."

Zhu Ming asked his followers to hold lanterns and send these soldiers out of the city.

The soldiers came to the bank of the Han River and knelt down towards the city again. They gathered together in twos and threes to rest, waiting for daybreak before going home together.

Huang Qianshan didn't want to stay here, so he left in the middle of the night. He wanted to rush back to Xingyuan Mansion and ask Zhong Qunong to spit out the embezzled money and grain.

Ju Ming rested for half the night and went to the state government office the next day.

Hu Zhizhou was new here this year, so he took the opportunity to get some. The quantity was not large, just a few hundred strings.

He narrowly escaped death and said gratefully: "Fortunately, Governor Zhu came forward, otherwise what happened yesterday would be difficult to deal with."

Ju Ming said: "I am afraid that things will get serious. I have made arbitrary decisions and reduced the farm income for next year. Please forgive me, Governor Hu."

"It's a stop-gap measure and it won't get in the way." Hu Zhizhou didn't care about this. Most of the extra money he usually collected from the land was embezzled by county-level officials, and the state officials actually didn't get a few.

Zhu Ming added: "The rebels who fled into the mountains may cause trouble again. Huang Xiansi gave out a thousand guan of money and asked the state to give some more. I came forward to place them in the lower reaches of Daming Village to open up wasteland. In this way, it can solve the problem. There is a hidden danger of disorder, and wasteland can be reclaimed to increase taxes.”

Hu Zhizhou wondered: "After the previous chaos was suppressed and the plank road was built, there was not much money and food left in the state government's warehouse. Zhong Guanong deducted military rations and was even greedy for food. I was afraid that something would happen, so I transferred some food from the state government. .”

Ju Ming said: "Then let the rich households share the money and raise three thousand guan, and I will come out to resettle the troubled people."

"That's...this is the only way." Hu Zhizhou agreed immediately, since he didn't need to pay anyway.

Ju Ming felt very happy. This time he not only won the hearts of the people, but also attracted many unruly people without having to pay for resettlement.

(This is a chapter that makes up for what is owed.)