Chapter 1756 Ren Zijuan Question Plan

"Your Majesty should know who Liu Dongyang and Tu Wenxiu are. Using Liu Dongyang as the vanguard has already made the Ministry of War a little dissatisfied. Now he recommends Qi Bingzhong as the commander-in-chief of Ningxia. Your Majesty is still too Menglang."

Qi Yongtai’s tone was calm, and there was not much expression on his square face. “This kind of taboo thing can only be done once or twice. If it is done too much, it will backfire.”

Qi Yongtai said this, and Feng Ziying also knew that it was for her own sake that she would say such heartfelt words. This is someone who is questioning it.

Zhang Huaichang, Minister of the Ministry of War, was born in Liaodong, and he was obsessed with wiping out Jianzhou Jurchens. As long as the generals in the border town had the ability, they had always been more lenient, and it was not Xu Dahua's turn to intervene in this matter. The only one who has opinions is Li Sancai, and maybe Zhang Jingqiu, the censor of Zuodu?

"More reminders from Master Qi, and the disciples will write to remind my father." Feng Ziying nodded and saluted, "My father also mentioned in the letter to the students that the soldiers in Ganning and Ningxia Town have a fierce style, but their military discipline is lax, and they have a long history of being cold-hearted towards the imperial court. If the resentment can be used to sharpen the soldiers of the Second Town through war and give them the opportunity to make meritorious deeds on the battlefield, it will be well served..."

 Qi Yongtai slightly nodded. The three sides and four towns have always been the poorest. The imperial court has limited financial resources. It has always guaranteed Ji Liao first, then Xuanda, and finally the three sides. It is reasonable for the soldiers of the three sides to be dissatisfied with this.

The war between the North and the South was about to begin. Feng Tang brought out some of the most passionate soldiers from the three sides and four towns. It was not only a way to guide him, but also a way to use good steel on the blade. Since he always complained about the injustice of the court, Now the imperial court will give you the opportunity to make meritorious deeds. As long as you can win, everything will be easy, and you will have the confidence to fight for better treatment.

"Your Majesty's arrangement makes sense, but you need to be cautious in employing people and don't give people authority." Qi Yongtai just reminded him, without any intention of going into details, and it was not his area of ​​responsibility.

The current cabinet has also divided the labor. Li Tingji is in poor health and has been bedridden. Ye Xianggao is in charge of overall government affairs. Fang Congzhe is responsible for financial logistics and also takes care of the differentiation to win over the Jiangnan gentry. Qi Yongtai assists Fang Congzhe. , and at the same time be responsible for the stability of the entire Northland, while Li Sancai coordinates the entire military affairs.

In other words, the current cabinet has a tendency to turn to the wartime cabinet, and Qi Yongtai has also changed from being solely in charge of personnel to now also taking care of the security of the North's rear.

Of course, this makes sense. Qi Yongtai was originally a great scholar in the North and had high prestige in the North. Now that the war between the North and the South is imminent, stability in the North is even more important, especially in the face of a severe drought that may have an impact on the entire northern situation. Stability has been achieved With this rear area, the army can march southward with peace of mind.

The core of stability in the North lies in the stability of the capital, and the core of the capital is Shuntian Mansion, the capital city, so it is natural for Qi Yongtai to talk to Feng Ziying.

"From the current point of view, the impact of the drought in Shanxi and Shaanxi may gradually become apparent. The imperial court has sent two groups of patrols to Shanxi and Shaanxi respectively to urge local governments to implement relief. The imperial court has also decided to exempt the drought-stricken areas in Shanxi and Shaanxi from land tax for two years... "

Qi Yongtai's words failed to win the approval of Feng Ziying, "Master Qi, this is far from enough. Disciples are aware of the barren and poverty-stricken conditions in Shanxi and Shaanxi. We rely on the weather for food. The severe drought has had a serious impact on many places, especially Shaanxi. The imperial court must also find ways to solve the livelihood problems of the victims, and cannot let them gather and flee, otherwise chaos will inevitably occur."

Although the imperial court pays lip service to the drought in the north, it still responds according to past practices, mainly relying on local governments, and then the imperial court sends personnel to supervise. However, the severity of this year's drought is much greater than in the past, and the imperial court is at its weakest. It would be dangerous if there was a peasant uprising like that in the late Ming Dynasty in previous generations.

Qi Yongtai still valued Feng Ziying's opinion, nodded and asked: "What else do you think the court can do?"

"The problem caused by the severe drought is actually one. There is no food to eat. The victims eat wild vegetables, grass roots, and bark. In the end, they can only eat white soil and wait to die. Instead of starving to death by then, it is better to let go. If you give it a try, maybe you can pry open the warehouses of the gentry and the government and grab some food. Even if you are caught and beheaded by the government in the future, it is worse than starving to death now..."

Although Feng Ziying didn't know what it was like to starve to death, she had heard her father say it countless times. Feng Zuo and Feng You had also talked about the same situation. At that point, people would have no desires and desires, but a full stomach. , I don’t care about the sword, ax and neck.

Qi Yongtai frowned, "You mean to transport grain from other places to Shanxi?"

“Transporting grain from other places to Shanxi is not easy, and it consumes too much.” Feng Ziying pondered: “It can only be said that part of the problem can be solved. Of course, it is also necessary, but the disciple believes that the key lies locally.”

“Local?” Qi Yongtai stroked his beard in silence. Of course he knew what Feng Ziying was referring to, local gentry and merchants.

"Yes, actually it is true to say that Shanxi and Shaanxi suffered from a severe drought and the harvest was reduced, but doesn't it mean that there is really no food?" Feng Ziying said to herself: "We all know that in fact, which gentry house does not have enough food? Eat three to five years of food? Just refuse to take it out. There are several reasons for this. One is to prepare for one's own family, the other is to sell for the highest price, the third is that the poor have no money to buy, and the last is Worried about what if I help these poor people and develop a habit?”

 Qi Yongtai nodded. As a disciple, he had a good understanding of people's hearts. Of course, the gentry and merchants were not short of food, and they would rather spoil it than take it out. There are only a few reasons for this.

"But this time it's different. The drought is so severe that no one can afford it even if they want to sell it. Moreover, they should know that the armies from the three border towns and four towns will be transferred eastward. The border troops from the two towns of Datong Town and Shanxi Town are also going to fight. This means It means that the entire northern court army has been weakened. What will it mean once the disaster victims rise up? It means that even if the court quells the civil uprising and riots in the future, everything they have will be wiped out. This point of interest needs to be made clear. Some people may be aware of it. , some people may not be so smart and need one-on-one guidance from the government..."

Qi Yongtai held his forehead and thought deeply, "Having said that, if these people are asked to come up with so much food, they will definitely not agree."

Qi Yongtai knows the character of these people better than Feng Ziying. It is okay to use their little food to provide relief and make a good impression on the government, but no matter how much it is, it will not work. This is not their obligation, then what should be done? It's a matter for the government.

"Don't let them use it for nothing." Feng Ziying was confident. "The imperial court still had to allocate a large sum of money to various places, and the local government would purchase it from the homes of these gentry and merchants. The price would be appropriately raised based on last year's average food price to ensure that the local disaster victims could survive. Tomorrow,…”

Qi Yongtai couldn't help but shake his head again, "Let the government do this, I'm afraid it will go astray again, and a lot of dirty things will inevitably happen in it. They will add layers of pressure and take the opportunity to exclude those who are dissident..."

"Come together! We don't have to worry about too much. As long as we can ensure that there will be no major civil unrest and riots in Shanxi and Shaanxi, and no large-scale refugee gatherings will occur, all costs will be worth it. We can't control so many individual cases. "In addition, the court can also send more people to supervise to prevent deviations..." Feng Ziying said solemnly: "My disciple even considered that if the gentry and merchants in some places are too stingy and mean, then let the border army send a team to play the role of the rioters. I won’t hesitate to perform a few scenes of killing chickens and scaring monkeys.”

Qi Yongtai looked at his disciple in shock, and after a while he said reluctantly: "Why is this so?"

Feng Ziying sneered in her heart, you have never seen the great uprising in the late Ming Dynasty. By that time, no one can do anything. Even if the suppression is really settled, the entire Northland will be severely damaged, and more importantly, The order and people's hearts were disturbed, and the prestige of the imperial court plummeted. This was something he did not want to see in his position and wanted to maintain the rule of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Master Qi, in fact, you know very well that those landlords and gentry are probably worse than what my disciple said. They can do anything that goes against human ethics and natural principles for their own benefit. Ordinary people will not be regarded as human beings at all in their minds. It's just lifeless slaves and goods, and it's too difficult to ask them to give money and food without any exchange of benefits, even the government can't do it."

Feng Ziying was still very calm, describing the facts in an expressionless and orderly manner: "But the reality before us is that the Northland cannot be chaotic, otherwise the court may face collapse. Therefore, sometimes we have to choose some extraordinary measures, really At a critical moment, the border troops may not be allowed to do something extraordinary. Of course, the government cannot intervene..."

Qi Yongtai has long understood his disciple's bold behavior, but today's disregard for the rules and regulations, and speaking so frankly and straightforwardly, still makes Qi Yongtai a little unacceptable. This is a disciple who was taught by Zi in Qingtan Academy. What?

This may still be related to the customs he developed while living in the border areas for a long time. The violent and unruly mentality of the soldiers in the border towns and the law of the jungle affected his character, so that even after he became an official in the imperial examination, it still remained, and some special It will emerge when the time comes.

But Qi Yongtai also admitted that some of Feng Ziying's suggestions were quite targeted. Even the landlords and gentry in Shanxi and Shaanxi felt that the exploitation of the common people was too much, just as Feng Ziying said. , it is self-evident to choose between civil riots and riots, or killing chickens and scaring monkeys to eradicate one or two evil gentry.

Seeing that Qi Yongtai did not object to his point of view, but just stroked his beard and pondered, Feng Ziying knew that his master was still interested.

Although his master is upright, he is not that pedantic. Feng Ziying is still clear about this, otherwise he would not have made this suggestion.

 (End of this chapter)