Chapter 147 Armed to implement the New Deal, leading troops to force the gentry to donate food!

  Tianqi heard what Zhang Gui said, and he also felt that it was reasonable. Some things can only be known by seeing it with his own eyes.

   Therefore, after pondering for a while, Tian Qi said: "You are right! I also intend to tour the south, and when the summer heat is over, I will order to go to Beijing to inspect the results of the new policy pilot."

   As he said that, Tian Qi ordered Wei Zhongxian: "Let someone prepare in secret first."

"yes!"

  …

  Yongcheng.

  Wu Xing, who was demoted from Zuoqian capital censor to Yongcheng as county magistrate, did not intend to actively implement the reform and new deal as he promised Tianqi and Sun Chengzong after he came to Yongcheng.

  After he came to Yongcheng, the first thing he did was to entertain a group of gentry in Yongcheng.

Moreover, at the banquet, Wu Xing also said to these gentry: "Although I am the parent official here, I came here to carry out the reform, but I also know that there is nothing to be done in power, and the ancestral system has its own words. Officials should not often go to the countryside to disturb the people." , so I will not force the people under the rule to adapt to the new policy, but to adapt the new policy to the people under the rule!"

   Speaking of this, Wu Xing held up his wine glass and said: "So, next, the new policy in this county will be implemented, and I will rely on you to implement it for the court!"

  The gentry in Yongcheng have already heard that the New Deal is mainly unfavorable to their gentry, such as sharing the income of each person into the mu and the government and gentry paying the grain together.

  So, the gentry in Yongcheng were worried that after Wu Xing came to Yongcheng to serve as magistrate, he would forcefully implement the New Deal, and they even planned to use overt and covert methods to dissuade Wu Xing from doing so, and even threatened Wu Xing.

  But these gentry didn't expect that Wu Xing would take the initiative to show favor to them, and they intended to rule from the bottom, leaving the implementation of the New Deal to them, the gentry.

   This made the gentry in Yongcheng really relieved, and they secretly liked that the new county magistrate was not pedantic and a sensible person even though he was a rumor official.

   "The words of the old parents are too heavy. It is my honor to be loyal to the court and do things for the old parents."

  Because the county magistrate is an official close to the people, commonly known as a parent official, he is generally respected as an old parent by the local people.

  At this time, a gentry named Gui Guangzu smiled and spoke to Wu Xing, and called Wu Xing his old parents.

   Then, Gui Guangzu said again: "In my humble opinion, if we want to implement the New Deal, first of all, we should promote moral education and make the customs pure. If this is the case, the government will be harmonious and the people will be harmonious!"

  Seeing this, Wu Xing asked, "What's your opinion, Elder Gui?"

Gui Guangzu bowed his hands together and said: "Build an academy! The first priority of Xingdejiao is to promote learning, and advocating learning should be beneficial to education by setting up an academy. Therefore, when old parents first arrive in their hometown, it is better to shill all of them." County officials donated money to build academies, and this is the first step in the implementation of the New Deal?"

   "Very good!"

  Wu Xing bowed his hands after saying this, and said, "Mr. Gui has great insight. After all, he is a person who has been a parent. I admire him!"

  Gui Guangzu said: "My old parents are very praised! If my old parents are willing to propose that the whole county donate money to build an academy, Wansheng would like to donate five hundred taels of silver for the first time!"

   "The late students are willing to donate five hundred taels!"

   "The late student pledged three hundred taels!"

  …

  For a while, the gentry ordered to express their willingness to donate.

  The reason why they are so active in pledging donations is that they know that Wu Xing will return the money to them with interest.

   And Wu Xing was also very cooperative and said: "It's rare that you are so enthusiastic, how can I accept your kindness? I will order tomorrow that the whole county will donate money to build an academy to promote moral education!"

  Gentlemen here are voluntary pledges.

   But the common people were forced to donate money.

  Wu Xing didn't care about these things in the future, he just handed over the matter to his subordinates, and he himself took the officials and gentry to visit places of interest and historic sites, and talk about xinxing articles.

Under the instruction of the local gentry, the subordinate officials forced the common people to donate in the name of responding to the county government's call for donations. By forcefully forcing the common people to sell their fields and land, they raised more than 50,000 taels of silver. .

  It wasn't until the fundraising was completed that Wu Xing asked his confidant Zhao Zhou: "How much money has been collected in total?"

   "Returning to the master, the total is more than 56,000 taels. Excluding the money that was returned to the officials, gentry and big households to pledge donations, the rest will be divided into seven or three, and we can get a lot."

   The staff member replied.

   "Except for the rewards from the few of you, all others will be brought into Beijing to find out, and you will go there yourself!"

   "Your lord, whether I can be promoted to the capital again, Jane is in the heart of the emperor, and become the backbone minister of the reform depends on whether the money is worth it."

  Wu Xing ordered after listening.

"yes!"

  After the academy was completed, Wu Xing once again entertained the gentry.

  The gentry were also willing to accompany them, and they scrambled to flatter Wu Xing. Some gentry even expressed that they would invite Wu Xing into the local virtuous shrine, and some said that they would include Wu Xing in the list of virtuous parents and officials in the local chronicles of the county.

  The gentry doing this is naturally reciprocating. After all, Wu Xing has brought them great benefits, made them rich, and took this opportunity to annex more fields.

Wu Xing was also very happy about this, and in the future, he would only visit the mountains and rivers with the gentry and admire the places of interest everywhere, but he would turn a blind eye to the increase in refugees in Yongcheng County and pay more attention to the fact that more people in Yongcheng County were building academies. And the bankruptcy phenomenon turned a blind eye.

  However, it is now in the climate period of the Little Ice Age, and floods and droughts have occurred frequently.

   But Wu Xing was not lucky. Not long after he came, a severe summer drought occurred in Yongcheng. There was no rain for several months, and a large number of crops withered and died.

  The drought was also related to the interests of the gentry and landowners themselves, so the gentry and landowners still hoped that Wu Xing would resolve the matter, so they reported the severity of the drought to Wu Xing.

  Because it was about the interests of the gentry, Wu Xing could not ignore it, so he became worried and asked the gentry: "What do you think should be done."

   "Old parents, with the humble opinion of later life, we should repair water conservancy, divert water from big rivers and lakes into canals, and then solve the drought!"

   Gui Guangzu suggested at this time.

   When the gentry saw another opportunity to make a fortune, they all agreed.

  Wu Xing naturally did not refuse. After all, for him, this can not only earn money, but also gain a reputation for being good at water conservancy.

  So, Wu Xing once again apportioned all the people in the county to donate money to repair the canals, and finally made tens of thousands of taels of silver.

  The gentlemen also made a lot of money.

   And the canals were indeed repaired, and many gentry's fertile fields were irrigated.

  Because of this, the gentry praised Wu Xing for his good drought control, especially for water conservancy.

   It’s just that the people are miserable. After being forced to expropriate again, many people have begun to sell their sons and daughters instead of selling fields and land.

  Even Wu Xing’s aides and teachers had no choice but to persuade Wu Xing: “Master, the people in this place are already clinking with poverty, and their oil and water are almost exhausted. You have to get out of here quickly, or you won’t be able to leave!”

  Wu Xing also nodded in agreement, and said: "I don't blame these gentry, they are really greedy. Such a severe drought forced me to build water conservancy projects!"

"What the master said is true, but if you don't agree with them, you won't be able to get their good words. Anyway, it's the people who are suffering. Now the master just needs to leave here as soon as possible, so that no troublesome people will be forced to rebel. Then we won’t be able to withdraw so easily.”

   Wu Xing's staff said.

   After hearing this, Wu Xing ordered: "Then you hurry to Beijing to continue your activities, and find a way to get Master and I to transfer out of here as soon as possible. Don't be afraid to spend more money!"

"yes!"

  …

  Yongcheng is not far from Suizhou. When a severe drought occurred in Yongcheng, a severe drought also occurred in Suizhou.

  However, Xia Yunyi, the parent officer of Suizhou, did not find a solution with the gentry.

   What's more, he has become enemies with the local gentry.

   Therefore, Xia Yunyi could only discuss the solution with his assistant officials and subordinates.

  The method discussed by Xia Yunyi and others is still to dredge the canals and divert water for irrigation.

   "The drought is too severe, and the grain stored in the warehouse is seriously insufficient due to the support for the poor in the county to reclaim wasteland and resume production.

  Xia Yunyi said to Chen Zilong and other assistant officials.

  Chen Zilong replied: "I'm afraid the gentlemen will not agree."

   "If you don't agree, you have to agree! Our farmers and soldiers are not vegetarian!"

"Furthermore, even though the new policy of sharing food from the farmer to the mu and government and gentry payment of food has been implemented, not all of their food is taken away. They have accumulated wealth for several generations, and there must be a lot of food in storage. Letting them give out food will not hurt them much. ! It’s better than forcing the common people to go bankrupt!”

   "What's more, they have the most fields, and the construction of water conservancy will benefit them the most. They can't contribute a part of their efforts or food!"

  Xia Yunyi said: "The gentry will provide food, and the common people will contribute, that's the deal! You personally take the peasants and soldiers to the big gentry households to ask for food. If you don't agree, you will be executed on the spot for disobedience!"

"good!"

   Chen Zilong agreed, and took the peasants and soldiers to the homes of the gentry to force the local gentry in Suizhou to donate food.

   "My Zheng family doesn't donate! I'd rather my Zheng family's land is dry than donate! Unless his surname Xia comes to kneel down and say something nice to the old man himself!"

  The squire Zheng Shanwei, who had been a procurator, listened to Chen Zilong's explanation of his intentions, and he, who was already dissatisfied with Xia Yunyi, directly threatened him.

  (end of this chapter)