Daming: I asked you to hang yourself, but I didn’t ask you to rebuild the Ming Dynasty

To put it simply:

Corvee service is to recruit people to participate in unpaid labor; while recruitment is to recruit idle forces in society to perform paid labor.

……

Before Wang Fuzhi could express his opinion, a farmer who was passing by carrying water happened to hear what he said.

The man was instantly dissatisfied.

He carried two buckets of water and did not put them down. He stood in front of several people with the pole dangling.

The civilian husband's face was covered with sweat and his body was exhausted, but he said angrily:

"You young masters make blind guesses for no reason!"

"Ever since His Majesty decreed the ban on Enko, there have been idle nobles like you every day, causing trouble for no reason!"

When Wang Huizhi heard this, he immediately realized that something was wrong.

He pushed his cousin Wang Shenzhi (I made it up myself, I couldn’t find the name of Wang Tingpin’s heir).

Mrs. Wang asked her cousin for the tobacco pouch in a low voice, then filled a pot of cigarettes himself and handed it to the farmer with both hands.

Mouth said:

"Don't be surprised, old man. I'm a newbie here and I really don't know a lot of things. I'm just about to ask my father-in-law to clarify my doubts!"

Wang Fuzhi's face was full of sincerity, even with a bit of humility to ask for advice.

As the saying goes: Reach out and never hit a smiling face.

The civilian husband saw that all of them were wearing long robes and even had jade pendants around their waists. Even the cigarette pouch and pot he was handed had a cigarette holder made of jade.

Obviously, this industry is full of young men who are either rich or noble.

The civilian husband naturally understands that these people are not something he can afford.

The civilian husband waved his hand and rejected Wang Fuzhi's pipe, but put down the bucket.

He took out a dry tobacco bag from his waist, with no cigarette holder and only a copper pipe pot on the bamboo tube, and reached out to put his own tobacco.

Wang Fuzhi hurriedly handed over the tobacco bag and helped the man fill a bag of his cousin's fine tobacco.

He even smiled and said:

"Old man, please!"

The civilian husband glanced at him, his anger was mostly gone, and he said with a smile:

"You baby, you are very polite."

Wang Fuzhi smiled:

"I'm sorry, my dear, it's just that the battle your Majesty created was too big.

We also have good intentions, thinking that if the people suffer, we will give advice no matter what we say. "

After hearing that Wang Fuzhi was also doing it for his own good, the anger that the common man had suppressed in his heart dissipated.

He lit the tobacco with the fire breaker Wang Shenzhi handed him.

The civilian husband clicked on his cigarette holder, took a few puffs, and then exhaled a puff of smoke and praised:

"Your tobacco leaves are better than old man and me, and they still have fragrance."

The civilian husband finished smoking the tobacco leaves in several puffs, reached out and knocked off the cigarette ashes on the soles of his shoes, raised his face and looked at Wang Fuzhi.

A pair of weather-beaten, dull yet shrewd eyes, with a hint of smile.

It has been more than 100 years since tobacco was introduced to China.

Most old farmers plant a few tobacco trees in their fields. (Tobacco tree is an annual plant, usually as tall as a person and shaped like an enlarged lettuce.)

Most of the farmers do not want to sell, they just want "snacks" to relieve their fatigue when they are tired, and they are satisfied.

The civilian husband could taste the quality of the tobacco leaves with one sip, and he said:

"If the old man is right, this is my first time smoking!"

Does anyone know this thing?

Wang Shenzhi laughed along:

"What my father-in-law said is exactly what I said. This is the tip of the first leaf, and they are all good tobacco leaves without ribs."

Wang Fuzhi was about to put it on the civilian husband again, but the civilian husband refused.

He waved his hand:

"The fragrance is fragrant, but it's not strong enough. It's not as good as my broken leaf mozi!"

After speaking, he filled his tobacco leaves, took off the tobacco bag, and handed it to Wang Shenzhi and others:

"Come on, have a taste of this."

Everyone hurriedly waved their hands and refused.

If this old man is a laborer, he will need to prepare everything by himself when working.

The food to eat, the clothes to wear, and the necessities of daily life are all provided by the people participating in the corvee!

A short period of one month, as long as three months and half a year of corvee service can wear down a middle-level farmer.

There are so many of them!

One person took a puff of the old man's cigarette, and the old man might have saved himself several days' worth of tobacco leaves!

The civilian husband laughed, stretched out his hand to fill Wang Shenzhi's pipe and pot, and handed it to him. He shook the pipe rod a few times and motioned for Wang Shenzhi to catch it.

After seeing Wang Shenzhi receiving it, the citizen laughed:

"You guys, aren't you just afraid that I don't have a cigarette, old man!"

Minhu smiled and pointed at his belt.

"Our great emperor is benevolent and righteous!

We followed the emperor and came here to escape famine. His Majesty the emperor not only gave us land, but also called us to work. "

The farmer pointed at the busy people and said with a smile:

"His Majesty the Emperor gives us ten bucks of wages every day, let alone buying some scraps!

As long as we are willing to work hard, we can add a piglet to our family in a month and a cow by the end of the year! "

"When the time comes, if I find another wife, it will be a good time for my wife and children to be on the hot bed!

If we follow the great emperor, we will not suffer any disaster! "

Several members of the Wang family were stunned.

What do you mean?

Is this old man a recruiter?

For ten eldest sons, if they don't care about food a day, this is the normal price for recruiting young men.

Although the money allocated by the imperial court was five cents of silver per person per month.

However, officials always have to take some hard-earned money, right?

If you want to be an official without being corrupt, you have to wait until Hai Qingtian!

It is not unusual if you encounter a ruthless official who arranges extra servants and all of them are greedy for the money raised!

The Wang family is a gentry family, although no one has been an official for several generations.

However, the great-grandfather of Wang Fuzhi and others was still a general!

They understand the ways of officialdom!

All the children of the Wang family were shocked by the words of the civilian husband and stayed on the spot.

……

Wang Fuzhi was thoughtful.

He realized that he had overlooked a detail.

Although the faces of these civilians are full of exhaustion, if you look carefully, everyone's eyes are bright!

This is not the situation that a corvee servant should have!

Wang Fuzhi hurriedly asked:

"My father, I would like to ask if this price is available to everyone, or is it only available to recruits?"

\"Hahaha!\"

The civilian husband laughed:

"You guys are pretty good and know how to ask questions.

A few days ago, there were people who were just like you, but they came up and scolded him, saying that His Majesty the Emperor did not know how to be considerate of the people and was cruel and unkind..."

The faces of Wang Fuzhi and others changed greatly.

Isn't this looking for death?

But I heard the citizen laughed and said:

"If it goes according to the past, then we are all recruits.

If we follow the words of the great emperor, what do we call silver generation? "

Wang Jingzhi blurted out: "Could we use work instead of relief?"

"exactly!"

The civilian husband smiled and said: "You scholars know better. Old man, I can't even remember which words..."

Relief for work?

Wang Fuzhi and others looked at each other and saw shock in the eyes of others.

If the emperor really used the work-for-relief method, that would be good governance!

While several people were talking, a young man with a few drops of oil on his clothes came over holding a piece of foxtail grass and picking his teeth.

"Old Li Tou, are you taking a rest?"