First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Their little gang finally took the first difficult step... No one understands what this means better than Zhu Chongba. Although he is still Guo Zixing's subordinate in name, he will work hard for himself from now on.

Standing in the wind, Zhu Chongba stared into the distance, with the Huaihe River flowing in his ears, and the land of Huaihe River and Huaihe River under his feet was vast and infinite.

A person is too insignificant between the heavens, the earth, the mountains and the rivers. If you want to achieve great things, you must have a strong team and have your own people.

Take a look at your subordinates... Zhang Ximeng is too young, Tang He can only follow orders, and although Fei Ju can charge and kill, he is not enough to stand on his own.

And most importantly, the number of people is still too small.

My own subordinates, Tang He's subordinates, and many of Guo Zixing's former subordinates, who knows if they will rebel... and the thousands of captives are even more troublesome.

"My lord, are you still thinking about the next step?" At some point, Zhang Ximeng came to Zhu Chongba's side and asked in a low voice.

Zhu Chongba sighed softly, "We are going to go back to our hometown."

Zhang Ximeng frowned, and suddenly guessed what Lao Zhu was planning, his heart was beating wildly. Could it be that those fierce generals are coming?

"My lord wants to recruit soldiers?"

"En!" Zhu Chongba said meaningfully: "No one can do it!"

Zhang Ximeng suppressed his excitement, and praised, "My lord's opinion!"

Zhu Chongba paused, and then said: "Let's do the math, I'm afraid it will take three to five days to recruit soldiers. I'm afraid that Linhuai will have to rely on my husband's help. We are just worried that the commander-in-chief will go back on his word. If we start with a pair, it will be difficult to handle."

Zhang Ximeng thought for a while, then smiled and said: "Your Majesty, I'm too worried. I think Marshal Peng and Marshal Zhao are going to become kings. This matter alone is enough for Marshal Guo to worry about. He probably doesn't have the heart to talk to us, and even wants to win over the lord. Help him hold the scene."

Zhu Chongba thought for a while, and couldn't help but look up to the sky and smile wryly, Guo Zixing is really such a person.

When the Yuan army called, he relied on himself, and when the Yuan army ran away, he immediately turned his face.

Now that Peng and Zhao are going to become kings, maybe they can force Guo Zixing to bow his head to him.

Who made Lao Guo a hard eater?

Thinking of this, Zhu Chongba finally made up his mind.

"We got it! I'll leave this to the gentleman, and we'll leave now!"

As he spoke, Zhu Chongba turned around, brought in his war horses, and summoned twenty cavalrymen... and took a hundred bolts of silk and satin by the way, whipped the horses and left.

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help sighing, "It looks like we'll see Xu Da soon."

Chapter 31 Eat Zhu’s Food and Make Zhu’s Money

After seeing off Zhu Chongba, Zhang Ximeng immediately got busy.

Until now, he didn't realize the difficulty of doing things... Especially at the beginning of starting a business, there are so many things, just like Zhu Chongba, he is the head of the family first, and what he does is the most important thing.

So he went to recruit soldiers and horses immediately, and brought in fellow villagers to prop up his facade.

The rest of the mess, registering money and food, compiling the roster, formulating some rules, division of labor arrangements, maintaining daily operations, and even shitting and urinating, are all in charge of Zhang Ximeng, the big housekeeper.

The pressure on the shoulders can be imagined, the first thing to raise soldiers is food.

"My lord promised to give Guo Zixing [-] shi of grain, and the price was [-] shi of salt. According to the news, there is a shortage of grain and salt in Huaiyuan. If you send the salt there, you can earn a lot of food. My lord is also far-sighted. This matter is very urgent. , I will leave it to General Tang to handle it.”

Tang He readily agreed, "Sure, I'll go right away."

Tang He promised to be happy. Once he left, only Fei Ju was left. He wanted to lead people, patrol around the town, watch over the prisoners, and guard against sneak attacks... He was also in a hurry and was overwhelmed.

And Zhang Ximeng did the math again, less than 8000 shi of food, it seems that it won't last long, not to mention the [-] people, there are thousands of horses, trenches, and strong labor... The food consumed for a meal is equivalent to Like a hill.

Therefore, as the chief steward of Zhu Chongba, he must find a stable source of income and ensure the supply of food, so that he can develop and grow.

Zhang Ximeng thought over and over again, and decided to go to Mrs. Ma to discuss.If you can understand Ma Shi, you can understand Lao Zhu.

He came in a hurry, only to find that Mrs. Ma had gone to Jia Lu's side.

At this moment, Lao Jia has taken the medicine, and his spirit is much better.I don't know if it's because of the medicine, or because he has relieved the burden, but anyway, his body is stronger than before, and he can sit on the pillow for a while.

"My lord, I'm just a girl, and I don't understand the general principles. If Mr. Xiao wants to inquire about finance and taxation, please take care of me, my lord."

Jia Lu nodded and smiled, then turned to look at Zhang Ximeng, with expectation and a trace of test in his eyes.

"Money, food and taxes are the foundation of a country. How to collect taxes is a university question. If it is not done well, it will only lead to endless troubles!"

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "At present, there are not too many soldiers and horses, and the money and food needed are not too much. First of all, let's start with those brutes who have committed the most crimes!"

The corner of Jia Lu's mouth twitched unconsciously when he heard the words heinous, the old man was in a bad mood.

"How can it be considered a heinous crime?"

"Naturally, those who colluded with the Yuan court to harm one side and exploit the common people. Especially those wealthy merchants who collected taxes for the Yuan court, we must not let it go. Besides, Han landlords like Li Siqi, they formed Xiangyong, Helping the Yuan court to suppress the Red Turbans and slaughter righteous men, this type of people is even more abhorrent and must be severely punished!"

Jia Lu listened silently, and had to say that what Zhang Ximeng said was reasonable.

Even if he was an official in the Yuan court, he would not let go of those tyrants who extorted violently and oppressed the people.

As for those who have already formed Xiangyong to fight against the Red Scarf Army, there is no need to be polite.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"The leader, who committed a heinous crime, must be killed. Their family members will be punished according to the severity of the crime, and they will be used as hard labor." Zhang Ximeng said: "Their floating wealth will be collected and used as military supplies. The land, houses, and livestock will be distributed to the people. .”

"How to divide?" Jia Lu suddenly asked, his tone very hurried.

"Equal share!" Zhang Ximeng answered very simply, "It does not matter whether it is male or female, as long as they are adults, they will be equally divided."

"No!" Jia Lu immediately said: "How can a woman be like a man? You are fooling around!"

At this time, Ma Shi, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said quietly: "I think it's very good... As long as women come out to work and sweat, why can't they get a piece of land?"

Jia Lu was stunned for a moment, but still couldn't accept it, and shook his head vigorously, "No, no! How can a woman have farmland? It has always been a collection of land for men, so naturally the land must be distributed to men, so we can't break the rules! "

He kept objecting, but Zhang Ximeng just smiled and said nothing.

One more word, even if I lose.

Policy this thing, the initial design is very important.

Lao Zhu's current territory is not large and the population is not large, so he really grants land to men and women equally, and there is not much resistance.

What's more, Ma Shi will definitely support it, so Zhang Ximeng is already invincible.

"Wait for the lord to come back and decide!"

Zhang Ximeng interrupted Jia Lu with a casual sentence... The old man was also alert at this moment, Zhu Chongba was in charge, so he simply shut up.

The purpose of dividing the land is not only to give the common people a piece of land, but also to obtain a stable land tax.

Jia Lu remembered that Zhang Ximeng had disclosed the method of tax collection before, and it seemed to be a little tricky.

"Historically, the land tax has been drawn directly from a hundred... You want to let the people keep enough rations first, what's the reason for that?"

"There's no reason, it's just for fairness."

"Fair? Wouldn't it be more fair to pay the land tax the same?" Jia Lu asked in confusion.

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "What I think is fair is that regardless of whether you are rich or poor, you can guarantee basic food and clothing, so that you will not go hungry or cold. On top of this, the more grain you have left over, the more you will pay, and the more acres you have, the more land taxes you will pay. …In a word, we don’t tax the poor, but tax the rich, the more money we have, the more we pay! This is what I think is fair!”

"This..." Jia Lu was shocked, and he suddenly said, "Zhang Ximeng, if you do this, you won't be afraid to force the world's powerful and powerful to join hands and fight against General Zhu right? You are harming General Zhu!"

Zhang Ximeng held his head up, with a sneer on his face, "Lord Jia, I advocate doing this. When the time comes, all the poor people in the world will stand on the side of the lord. It's hard to say who will win and who will lose!"

Jia Lu was at a loss for words again, he could understand what Zhang Ximeng meant, and it seemed to make sense, but this idea was completely different from what Jia Lu had learned all his life.

If you want to achieve great things, shouldn't you win people's hearts first?

Especially those gentry and aristocrats, they have great influence and a lot of money in their hands. As long as they have the support of these people, it is easy to change the dynasty.

Such a clear road, why not take it?

"Zhang Ximeng, the old man advises you not to be so fanciful! I think it's right to grant the people land and let them live and work in peace and contentment, but if you still want more land and pay more land tax, I'm afraid you will get bumped Bag."

Zhang Ximeng still had a pleasant smile on his face, calm and unhurried, "My lord, it's still the same sentence, just wait for the lord to come back and let him make a decision."

Jia Lu calmed down for a while, and suddenly laughed at himself... He is still half a prisoner now, why are he arguing with Zhang Ximeng about this.

"It's up to you! The old man is going to rest."

"Don't worry!" Zhang Ximeng stopped Jia Lu, and said with a smile, "My lord, do you know who is the first tyrant I'm going to deal with?"

Jia Lu was slightly taken aback, "Who is it?"

"It's Lu Anmin!" Zhang Ximeng said with a smile, "I've already found out, their Lu family is a big family with quite a lot of land, and relying on being an official in the court, they have done countless bad things in Yurou Township. Wait for your kindness." When I come back, I’m going to take their family home!”

Jia Lu was stunned, and suddenly wanted to laugh.In order to survive, Lu Anmin hijacked himself and escaped from the barracks, and then ran all the way to Linhuai in search of a ferry.Before they could cross the river, they were killed by Fei Ju and captured them.

Now, according to Zhang Ximeng's method, the Lu family must be punished, and the property of the Lu family must be divided... It can be said that it is clean and tidy.

Maybe Lu Anmin should regret it, why didn't he die early in the barracks, but had to watch his family be ruined, this punishment is really harsh enough.

Lao Jia can even make up the scene where the common people are shouting loudly, screaming and tsunami, and want to eat Lu's family...Suddenly Jia Lu shuddered, maybe Zhang Ximeng was right, those poor people would support them, and once Countless poor people are on their side, what will happen, I really can't imagine!

Jia Lu leaned on the hospital bed and wrapped the quilt tighter.

In the past few days, Zhang Ximeng hastened to formulate a strategy for the next step, and everything was decided upon Zhu Chongba's return... Five days later, surrounded by a group of people, Zhu Chongba arrived in Linhuai just in time for noon town.

At the moment, on the outskirts of the town, the men who dug trenches are gathering to receive their lunch.

Each of them has a bowl of vegetable soup and two big steamed buns.To do physical work, you must eat dry food.

That's all, the most surprising thing is that after getting the food, the big guys stood together and shouted together before eating.

"Eat the Zhu family's food! Use the Zhu family's money! Be a loyal minister and a good general of the Zhu family!"

He shouted three times in a row before he lowered his head and gnawed on the steamed buns... Those fellow villagers who followed Zhu Chongba were stunned, what is the way?

Chapter 32 Subdivision is a technical job

"Heavchi, what's going on?"

A dark and burly man shook his head and said to Zhu Chongba: "Didn't you say that we come here to eat and drink spicy food...Why do you want to be a slave for your Zhu family? Are you looking for a servant?"

Faced with the questioning, Lao Zhu's face also turned red, no need to ask, it must be Zhang Ximeng's fault.

Zhu Zhongba came over angrily, and happened to see Ma Shi, and he glared, "Why don't you care? You don't think it's embarrassing!" With his current status, this power is not considered power, just such a high-ranking toss Zhu Chongba felt that he would collapse soon, and maybe he would not survive tomorrow.

Ma Shi also sighed softly, "Don't yell at me, this is all arranged by Mr. Xiao, and you let others decide."

Zhu Chongba rolled his eyes in anger. He rushed in with big strides, and went directly to Zhang Ximeng's study... When he came in, he found that Zhang Ximeng was writing hard, with manuscripts piled up next to him.

Zhu Chongba paused for a moment, it turned out that Zhang Ximeng was not at ease, so he suppressed his anger, went to Zhang Ximeng's side, and said in a low voice, "Mr. is busy?"

Zhang Ximeng put down his pen, got up and said with a smile, "My lord is recruiting heroes back, great things can be expected!"

Zhu Chongba didn't answer, but pulled over a chair, sat opposite Zhang Ximeng, and said to him: "Let's go home, and give the one hundred bolts of silk and satin to the respected ones, and that one We gave thirty bolts of silk to Mrs. Wang who asked us to go to Huangjue Temple to survive, and we also gave thirty bolts of silk to Liu Jizu who gave us a cemetery back then, and ten gold cakes.”

The Yuan Dynasty forced the people to use precious banknotes. Gold and silver were not available to ordinary people. Although Liu Jizu was a landlord, he didn't have much in stock.

After receiving Lao Zhu's generous gift, he was overjoyed, and immediately set up wine and entertainment, calling all relatives and friends from all over the world.

It can be regarded as a promising figure. Before the meeting, Lao Zhu also talked about how to defend the city, how to kill the enemy, how many things were seized, what piles of gold and silver, and mountains of food.

In a word, Zhu Chongba is well-developed and has returned to his hometown. If the folks want to get promoted and make a fortune, just follow us!

I have to say, his trick really worked.

Especially in this troubled world, it is very difficult to survive, and if you want to join the army, you don't have the guts.

At this time Zhu Chongba jumped out, and the big guy was naturally willing to follow.

In this way, Zhu Chongba brought back more than 200 people, and many people said that they would come to seek refuge after returning home and settling down.

Zhu Chongba also told the big guys a lot, to start a business together, to be prosperous and rich, anyway, it is just a big cake!

It's just that Zhu Chongba didn't expect that he would be a stick just after he came back.

"What we said to the big guys is to share the glory and wealth, but now they are our food and our servants. We can't afford these people!"

Zhang Ximeng was not in a hurry, he knew all too well what was going on.

Zhu Chongba's fellow villagers, even after the founding of the country, there are so many rebellious and unruly people who don't take the emperor seriously, let alone now.

They are all from far and wide, who doesn't know who!

The big guys went down the river with bare buttocks together, and went up the tree to dig out bird eggs. Why do you ask us to kowtow and kneel for you?

Zhang Ximeng was willing to kowtow because Lao Zhu had saved his life, and because Zhu Chongba would become emperor in the future.

Even Zhu Chongba now felt that he couldn't bear it, and his old face was flushed, so he came to Zhang Ximeng very angry.

"My lord, what you said is reasonable, but I have another reason here. My lord, please think, why did the heroes of Haozhou fall apart? How did Marshal Guo end up alone and helpless?"