First Minister of Ming Dynasty

After a few years, these people are all over the court, how can Zhang Ximeng deal with Li Shanchang?

So if you are in charge of taxation, the power of personnel must be in my hands.

This is equivalent to the fact that the chief assistant and official secretary cannot be held by one person. It is an unshakable iron law!

Li Shanchang could only smile wryly and shake his head, he really didn't know where Zhu Yuanzhang found such a brat?

In terms of age, he is only in his early thirteens, not as old as his son...but he is cunning and cunning, and he doesn't suffer at all. Maybe this is the origin of family education!

By the way, there is also that old guy Jia Lu, who wholeheartedly stood by Zhang Ximeng's side, making suggestions, making himself alone... When he entered Chuzhou, he must find more talents to enrich the overlord's mansion.

The so-called Bafu refers to the team of princes who finally achieved great things. The most typical Zhao Kuangyin, the reason why he took the country name Song was because he recruited a group of literati to give him advice and form the Dominating the mansion and seizing the country, Zhao Pu is one of the best.

Li Shanchang also gradually realized that although Zhu Yuanzhang's strength is still very weak, the vitality he has shown cannot be matched by any force.

I had no choice but to throw off my arms and charge forward for Zhu Yuanzhang.

A literati can't hold a sword, only a brush, but sometimes, this brush is better than thousands of troops... Li Shanchang kept writing letters to his former colleagues and friends, and sent them to the city for them to read Clear the situation, don't seek death.

Then he called out the merchants again.

"We are all friends. Let me advise you. General Zhu has tens of thousands of soldiers in his hands. The 10,000+ yuan army in Haozhou was wiped out. The Zhiyuan Lao Zhang in Hengjian Mountain was defeated and captured. How many soldiers and horses are there in Chuzhou now? I'm afraid you can't even see the four gates, otherwise how can you leave the city smoothly?"

Everyone lowered their heads and acquiesced to Li Shanchang's statement.

"At this point, don't even think about asking General Zhu to promise you anything! The key depends on what you can do for General Zhu... That's all for now, you can do what you want!"

Li Shanchang didn't let them see Zhu Yuanzhang, so he drove them away.

But it's terrible, the surname Li turned his face and refused to recognize anyone!

These few were worried, and returned to Chuzhou without daring to delay, spreading rumors in the city directly... Speaking of which, this businessman is quite amusing.

If Lao Zhu is really a corporal, they may think that Lao Zhu needs them, so they will sit down and raise the price.

But when Lao Zhu didn't see him, Li Shanchang turned his face and frightened them. He didn't dare to ask for it anymore, and he worked harder to do things.

Sure enough, he still has to punch hard!

Zhu Yuanzhang waited quietly for another three days, and asked his men to buy ladder ropes for attacking the city.

When everything was ready, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Tang and the governors to launch an attack with Feng Guoyong and Feng Guosheng brothers as the vanguard... and took Chuzhou in one go.

"We want to finish dinner in the city, can we do it?"

"Yes!" Feng Guoyong promised loudly, "Don't worry, the superior, the city has already run out of water and people's hearts are scattered. We have a strong army and a high morale, and we still can't win Chuzhou. The lowly position petitions to offer our heads!"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Okay, then let's have a celebration wine together tonight!"

Feng Guoyong was overjoyed, saluted quickly, and then led his men and horses to kill him.

The drums are rumbling, and the soldiers are lined up neatly like a forest.

The red flag, which symbolizes the Red Scarf Army, flutters in the wind and makes a sound of hunting.

An overwhelming pressure rushed over.

The big guys are gearing up for a big fight.

But at this moment, the city gate of Chuzhou suddenly opened and the suspension bridge fell.

Feng Guoyong was taken aback, what's going on?Are the people in it crazy?Want to open the door to fight?

Even if there is no protection from the city wall, you still want to come out to fight?

What's the difference between sending you to death!

But just when he was about to meet the enemy, a person slowly walked out from inside.

He was bare-chested, revealing his fair skin, with his hands behind his back, tied up with ropes.

Behind him, there is a white flag with the words Bai Jing'en, the prefect of Chuzhou in the Great Yuan Dynasty, written on it.

This is the person who defended Chuzhou to the death and once repelled the Feng family brothers.But today, he opened the city gate, and the flesh came out.

Seeing this, the Feng family brothers were surprised at first, and then overjoyed.

There is no need to fight, and there is no need to wait for the evening. You can celebrate the victory in the city at lunch!

"Go and tell the superior!" Feng Guoyong shouted happily.

After a while, Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhang Ximeng, including Li Shanchang, surrounded by soldiers, all came out.

To be honest, this situation is a bit weird.

Li Shanchang used to be Bai Jingen's subordinate and a clerk, and the distance between him and the magistrate is no less than that of the magistrate and the emperor... Now he is riding on a horse, and Bai Jingen is kneeling on the ground.

Is this the meaning of the world's tripod revolution?

It's really a big change in the situation, and a gentleman should ride the wind to rise!

In the same way, the Feng family brothers, as the defeated generals in the past, have now successfully counterattacked, and they are also full of resentment and feel very relieved.

It's just that none of them can compare to Lao Zhu!

Once upon a time, I was just a beggar on the streets of Chuzhou, humble as an ant.

Now that I am riding on a tall horse with tens of thousands of strong soldiers, I can decide the life and death of the magistrate with one word, this feeling is really wonderful!

Under the influence of Zhang Ximeng, Lao Zhu did not deny his past.The more humble you were before, the more glorious you are now!

We have everything by our ability, what is there to be ashamed of?

"You are Bai Jing'en?" His voice was steady and powerful.

Bai Jingen knelt on the ground, hesitating for a while, and punched the ground with his head.

"It's the sinner!"

"Are you here to surrender?"

Bai Jingen shook his head in embarrassment, "No."

"No?" Lao Zhu sneered, "Since it's not, you go back, order soldiers to confront us, and fight to the death!"

Bai Jing'en was even more sad and desolate, full of helplessness, wept and said: "If you go back to the general, the sinner is powerless to fight."

Old Zhu chuckled, "Why are you unable to fight?"

Bai Jingen hesitated again and again, and finally said sadly: "Since the last time when we defeated the invading bandits, the sinners have asked the court for merit, hoping to reward them with money and food, make up for the losses, and promote meritorious soldiers... But, but the sinners have no money to bribe, so they didn't agree. As for many meritorious warriors, they dispersed."

Zhu Yuanzhang blinked his eyes, it seemed that Yuan Ting kept making stupid moves, this kind of thing was nothing, but it was really miserable enough to fall on his opponent.

Not only would they not be rewarded, but the food stored in the city would also be gone. If there was a war, there would be no supplies from outside, and tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians would have to starve.

Then there is Lao Zhu in Dingyuan and other places to promote the division of land, and the news has also spread. Just a dozen people ran away from the magistrate's office, and they went home one after another to divide the land to live. Who will serve you, the magistrate who is going to die someday grown ups?

In fact, before Lao Zhu sent his troops over, Chuzhou couldn't hold on any longer. It was a ripe peach, just waiting for someone to pick it off.

Now that Lao Zhu's business policy has been finalized, and it has been further disintegrated, there is really no possibility of guarding at all.

But even so, Bai Jingen took the initiative to surrender, which was quite surprising. It seems that this guy is quite knowledgeable about current affairs.

"Yuan Ting is fatuous and immoral, and his strength is exhausted. If you are willing to surrender, we will not treat you badly."

Apart from Jia Lu, this is also considered to be an official official of the Yuan court who voluntarily surrendered, not a petty official like Li Shanchang, very representative, Lao Zhu decided to give Bai Jingen an advantage.

But when Bai Jing'en heard this, he turned uncharacteristically, his face became tense, he raised his head, and glared at Zhu Yuanzhang!

"I was honored by Emperor Hongen of the Great Yuan Dynasty, and I was selected as a Jinshi, and shepherd guarded one side... Ever since I became an official, I have been upright and honest, with a clear conscience. Not to mention serving the people wholeheartedly, I have never dared to slack off! A bloody battle to the death to keep one side safe." Bai Jingen spoke loudly, and he was so proud of his achievements.

"No matter what, I will not surrender to the thieves. The general's kindness, please forgive me!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was made to laugh by this man, "Then why did you surrender naked? Why didn't you stay in the city and fight to the death?"

"I... I know that Chuzhou is difficult to defend, and I only go out of the city to ask the general to spare me, not to kill innocent people indiscriminately, and not to massacre the people. As a parent official and the lord of the government, I really don't want to see the blood of the people Chenghe, the family is ruined! I am willing to die, and use this head to exchange for a glimmer of life for the common people!"

"As for my own life and death, it has long been irrelevant."

After saying this, Bai Jingen prostrated himself on the ground, grabbed the ground with his head, and burst into tears!

Old Zhu looked down at this person, and a nameless fire burst up involuntarily.

"What are you? A running dog of Yuan Ting! You come to beg us to spare the common people, and you deserve it!"

Bai Jingen's face turned pale with shock, why, the red scarf thief is really determined to massacre the common people?

At this time, Zhang Ximeng had already rode over, and couldn't help but sneer, "My lord, this man seems to be loyal to the army and loves the people, but he is actually a fool. , ran to make irresponsible remarks. As everyone knows, being loyal to the Yuan court and caring for the common people are two completely different things!"

Bai Jingen's face turned red when he was told, "You, you thieves, plotted against the court, betrayed your father, and have no conscience, yet dare to mock this official? During my tenure in Chuzhou, I worked hard, and everyone knows it!"

Pretty confident!

Zhang Ximeng turned his head and glanced at Li Shanchang.

At this time, Li Shanchang said unhurriedly: "He's just talking to himself. The unjust cases piled up in the city are like mountains. He really thinks that he is a good official if he asks for rain and opens a porridge factory? What a joke!"

Old Zhu said directly: "Two gentlemen, take this man with us, let's go to the city, and let him open his eyes, what is a good official who loves the people like his own son!"

Chapter 71 There is a blue sky

Zhu Yuanzhang rode on horseback and slowly entered Chuzhou City... It was still the same, the streets and houses, except for more mottled and more sundries on the ground, did not change much.

He deliberately looked to both sides of the city wall, and he could see many temporary sheds, which were the shelters of beggars.

Zhu Yuanzhang still remembers that once it was raining and the weather was still cold, he had to go to the shed to hide from the rain.

The two beggars were very nice, not only did they not drive themselves away, but they also treated guests warmly.

What can two beggars please?

The glutinous rice cakes thrown in the restaurant, the rotten vegetable leaves picked up in the vegetable market, and a few pieces of moldy tofu... These are things that pigs may not like to eat. They were all put in a broken casserole and stewed.

When it was just cooked, there was a rancid smell that pierced the nostrils. One of the beggars mixed it with a kind of twig, and the other threw a few grasses down.

Needless to say, after a while, the smell of the twigs and herbs actually resolved a lot of the rancid smell.

They served Zhu Yuanzhang a bowl, it was hot, and they drank it in one gulp, and they couldn't help but shivered, and the whole person felt comfortable.

Zhu Yuanzhang drank three bowls in a row and was not full for a long time.He chatted and laughed with two old beggars, and he sang lame Huagu opera to them, and the old beggar taught him how to distinguish herbs.

Strange to say, beggars are precarious, and they eat rotten food. Sometimes they pick up a dead dog, even if it has maggots, it will be eaten as a treasure.

If it were an ordinary person, they would probably get food poisoning within a few days and die directly.But beggars come in the wind and go in the rain, and they can still live well.

Of course, there are some people with special constitutions and super strong immunity-the weak ones are all dead.But some life-saving tricks of this group of people are quite effective.

For example, treating dysentery, removing snake venom, treating wounds...they all have some unique methods.

Lao Zhu learned a lot of survival skills from them, so they broke up.

Revisiting the old place, the two beggars probably couldn't be found, and the delicious soup and rice couldn't be eaten... How about making it yourself and asking Zhang Ximeng and Li Shanchang to taste it?By the way, please give them a name?

Thinking of this, Lao Zhu turned his mouth upwards, revealing a faint smile.Zhang Ximeng, who was following Lao Zhu, was keenly aware of it. He didn't know what Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking, but at this time, it probably wouldn't be a good thing...

"My lord, just now Mr. Li said that there are a lot of unjust, false and wrong cases accumulated in Chuzhou. Are you going to vindicate the unjust prisons for the people?"

Old Zhu pondered for a while, then said: "Naturally, but there are too many cases, I have to trouble the two gentlemen."

Li Shanchang said with a smile: "Superior, in fact, most of the cases are right and wrong, not difficult... Maybe only [-]% of the cases that really need to be thought about."

Zhu Yuanzhang cheered up immediately, and Zhang Ximeng also became interested. This is what he lacks the most. Hurry up and learn from Li Shanchang... Among the civil cases, there are not many vicious cases involving murder, arson, robbery and theft.

Friends who have lived in the countryside must know that in the village, what happens to someone's family will soon be known to everyone. There is a group of uncles and aunts who like to spread gossip.

Good things don't go out, bad things spread thousands of miles, that's what we're talking about.

In the rural society, there are no secrets at all. Anyone who has done bad things will be known by the people from all over the world.

There is another layer, which is to live and reproduce for a long time, and to marry each other. In a village, regardless of the distance, most of them are relatives.

Facing relatives and friends who looked up but bowed their heads, it was really not easy to handle such cases as murder and robbery.Even if it happens, the elders in the village will deal with it according to the patriarchal law.

Killing for life is justified.

The cases that can reach the Yamen are often economic disputes, and land occupation is the main one.

And this kind of cases generally show that the strong invade the weak, and the weak take the initiative to take advantage of the strong. The probability of this situation is really not high.

And don't forget, under the rule of the Yuan Dynasty, people were divided into three, six, or nine classes. Although there may not be explicit regulations, there are conventions everywhere. Mongols, Semu people, officials, and powerful people are higher than ordinary people. I don't know. How much to wait.

This kind of case is easy to handle, and can even be handled centrally.

It is not troublesome at all to find out the evil deeds, kill people, collect the land, and distribute it directly to the victims.

As for the really controversial cases, you can wait until you have gained a firm foothold, have the energy, check carefully, and then deal with them.