The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

On the third day of the sixth month of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen's reign, in Kaifeng.

The early summer morning light shines on the walls of Kaifeng. The dew from last night has not yet completely dried on the moss on the battlements, and the entire ancient city is already awakening in the warm breeze.

On the official road outside Nanxun Gate, carriages and horses rumbled, and the fresh fragrance of fruits and vegetables mingled with the smell of dust, drifting into this thriving provincial capital.

The weeping willows along the moat are lush and green, and the willow catkins have long since fallen, leaving only slender branches swaying gently in the breeze.

The river was much clearer than last year, and women could be seen washing clothes on the stone steps, the sound of their washing mallets and laughter carrying far.

Outside the city gate passage, vegetable farmers carried baskets full of seasonal vegetables, and merchants drove carts loaded with goods, queuing up to wait for the soldiers' inspection before entering the city to go to the morning market.

Traces of the battles of previous years still remain on the city walls.

Several collapsed sections of the crenellations were hastily patched up with new bricks of varying shades.

The charred beams and pillars of the arrow tower have been replaced, but they still exude the fragrance of new wood.

But all of this cannot ultimately conceal the prosperity of Kaifeng.

The morning market in front of Xiangguo Temple was bustling with activity, and the aroma of mutton soup wafted from the old shop at the alley entrance, with the waiters' shouts being particularly loud.

The silversmith's shop was filled with the clanging of metal, the silk shop was packed with customers, and the busiest place was the newly opened newspaper office.

Outside the newspaper office, a group of teenagers had been eagerly waiting, crowding the entrance.

The boys' eyes were fixed on the two tightly closed vermilion doors, their faces a mixture of anticipation and anxiety, their chatter as lively as birdsong at dawn.

When several civil officials from the Jingnan Army, dressed in blue official robes, walked out of the shrine gate, the boys all showed joyful expressions and cheered.

"Come out! Come out!"

As the clerk walked out of the guild hall, bundles of newspapers, still damp with ink and exuding a strong, fresh scent of ink, were carried out.

The newspapers were neatly stacked in the open space in front of the office, and soon they formed a small white mountain.

"Line up! Come in the order you arrived, no pushing!"

A clerk who appeared to be in charge loudly maintained order.

"Anyone who disrupts the order will be immediately dismissed from their newsboy status!"

Hearing the clerk's reprimand, the newsboys dared not crowd anymore and immediately lined up obediently at the entrance of the newspaper office.

Although the line was fairly orderly, they were all standing on tiptoe and craning their necks to look ahead, their youthful spirits making them somewhat restless.

The clerk, who had always kept a stern face, couldn't help but smile helplessly at the scene before him, and his voice became much gentler.

"Don't rush, take it one at a time. As long as you're registered in the newspaper, we'll have you all."

As soon as the clerk in charge spoke, the clerk in charge of registration sat down at the table in front of the shrine. The boys in the line stepped forward one by one to register, placed the copper coins they had prepared on the table, and then exchanged them for a wooden token.

The clerk in charge of distributing the newspapers would take the token from the boy and then hand the bundled newspapers to the boys who were acting as newspaper boys.

Kaifeng is a vast city, and naturally there was more than one newspaper office there; similar scenes were observed in several other places as well.

Before long, the clear and loud cries of newsboys echoed through the streets and alleys of Kaifeng, their voices like pebbles thrown into a calm lake, quickly creating ripples throughout the city.

"Look at the newspaper! Duke Chen Wang of Yan has petitioned the Emperor to abolish the three taxes and never impose additional levies again!"

"A shocking new policy! Gentry and officials alike will have to pay taxes and perform corvée labor! From now on, even imperial relatives, officials, and gentry will have to perform corvée labor and pay taxes!"

"The imperial court abolished the poll tax, prohibited the practice of charging exorbitant taxes, and drafted regulations on fire surcharges, forbidding arbitrary increases in levies!"

Newsboys moved through the morning mist, waving their newspapers as they walked through the streets and alleys.

Their agile figures can be seen in teahouses, taverns, market streets, and anywhere with a large number of people.

Tea drinkers and passersby were drawn in by the vendors' calls and stopped to watch.

A newspaper cost only one copper coin, which was not expensive.

Although compulsory education was not universal during the Ming Dynasty, the literacy rate was not low.

While many people in rural areas may be illiterate, most urban residents, especially those working away from home, can recognize some simple characters.

Because of the preferential treatment given to scholars during the Ming Dynasty, private education flourished.

Clans with the means would establish clan schools, and the sound of students reciting their lessons could be heard even in villages and towns.

The popularity of novels in the Ming Dynasty was also related to the literacy rate at that time.

During the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, especially in the Jiangnan region, the publishing industry flourished, producing a large number of books, operas, and novels.

If there aren't many literate people, then what's the point of printing these books?
As the capital of Henan province, Kaifeng's literary culture, though not as flourishing as that of the Jiangnan region, was not far behind, and there were quite a few people who could read and write.

Newspapers were sold one by one from newsboys to the people of the city.

Soon, newspapers were spread out in the streets and alleys, teahouses and theaters, and groups of people gathered together to read the contents of the newspapers.

Some illiterate people would find literate people and, with forced smiles, try to find out what was in the newspaper.

Most of the literate people who bought the newspapers didn't refuse, since they were all neighbors. They immediately read the articles aloud, while the illiterate ones gathered around, listening intently. Occasionally, bursts of amazement and discussion would erupt from the crowd.

"Good heavens! Those officials are actually required to perform corvée labor and pay taxes now!"

"The Duke has petitioned the court to abolish the three taxes, and now the poll tax has been abolished as well. The fire tax has also been reduced. Won't our lives be much better now?"

Before long, the streets and alleys were buzzing with discussion. These days, the world was relatively peaceful, and there wasn't much news in the newspapers.

It's nothing more than the Jingnan Army wiping out bandits somewhere, some new and exotic things arriving, and the price of grain.

It's those novels by those renowned authors that are frequently updated in newspapers that people keep thinking about.

The biggest news was that the Jingnan Army had arrived in Kaifeng, and the soldiers were given leave to return home to visit their families.

But unexpectedly, I heard news of the new policy today.

Moreover, the content of the new policy was so compelling that everyone wanted to know it just by listening to the newsboys shouting it out, since these were all important matters concerning the livelihood of their families.

The contents of the newspapers naturally evoked mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.

The people who were naturally happy were the ordinary folks, the common folk going from street to street.

Those who were naturally worried were the wealthy gentry and officials.

However, no one dared to criticize the contents of the new policies in the newspapers. Not to mention that ordinary people in the city were happy about the new policies, the Imperial Guards who patrolled the streets with their sashes and sashes were all watching them closely.

A few simple complaints might not cause any trouble, but if one openly criticizes the new policies and causes a disturbance, then one will definitely be sent to the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) for a visit.

Now, a new Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) headquarters has been established in Kaifeng.

That's no good place; those who go in never come out unscathed.

At a breakfast stall in front of Nanxun Gate, smoke billowed from the stall, and most of the seats were already occupied.

The diners at the stall came from all walks of life, including peddlers taking a break while carrying their wares and workers dressed in shorts and getting ready for work.

But most of them were the upright Jingnan Army soldiers in their red tunics.
These strong and robust men were naturally soldiers from the Jingnan Army who had just been granted leave to visit their families.

Among them, four men stood out the most. In this sea of ​​red, four men sitting around a square table at the back were particularly noticeable.

Although they were also dressed in red robes, their style was completely different from the arrow-patterned robes of the surrounding soldiers. They were dressed in red, narrow-sleeved, round-necked robes with more refined tailoring and more structured materials.

This robe is the simple formal dress of the Jingnan Army officers.

The four men wore numerous medals on their chests, which swayed slightly with their movements.

"Greetings, brothers."

The breakfast stall owner carried a steaming basket of buns and respectfully placed three baskets of them on the table.

His gaze was involuntarily drawn to the dense array of medals on the chests of the four men.

What the medals in the Jingnan Army represent is not a secret; it was clearly stated in the newspapers in the past.

Those medals represent their military achievements and the great battles they have fought, all of which they fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The four soldiers had numerous medals on their chests, especially the burly, yellow-faced man with gold thread embroidered on his sleeve, whose medals were particularly extravagant.

"Thank you to the store."

The burly man with the yellow face smiled and clasped his hands in thanks.

"Don't dare."

The boss returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute, and then said...

"If you need anything else, brothers, please let us know. We owe our peaceful lives to you all."

The men smiled and returned the greeting.

"It is the duty of us soldiers to defend our country. There is no need for thanks. You are too kind, shopkeeper."

The shop owner took the empty plate off the table and put it back on the counter.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly that these soldiers from the Jingnan Army were far superior to the generals who had come to Kaifeng Prefecture.

Leaving aside the officers, even the ordinary soldiers were fair in their dealings, spoke politely, and never used rude language. They didn't seem like soldiers, but rather like well-educated scholars.

I heard that there are literacy classes in the Jingnan Army, where ordinary soldiers can learn to read and write.

As a new group of guests took their seats, the owner stopped his reminiscing and went forward to greet them.

The burly man with the sallow face watched the departing boss continue his work before turning his attention back to the breakfast.

"Although Kaifeng is not as prosperous as the capital, the food here is quite good."

The burly man with the yellow face was naturally Huang Hu, and the other three were Zhou Changshou, Han Fuliang, and Wu Ping.

All four were officers of the Imperial Guard Division, but Chen Wang had granted the division a leave of absence to visit their families during this southward journey, so they returned to Kaifeng with the main force.

The families of the Imperial Guard cavalrymen were all settled in Nanjing.

However, the families of the infantry battalions of the Imperial Guard Division and other battalions were mostly settled in the Kaifeng area, which is mostly in Henan Province. Only a few remained in Hanzhong Prefecture.

Huang Hu muttered to himself as he ate the steamed buns in big bites.

However, Zhou Changshou, Han Fuliang, and Wu Ping did not respond to Huang Hu's words; their attention was drawn to the newspaper boy who was hawking his wares.

"Look at the newspaper! Duke Chen Wang of Yan has submitted a memorial..."

"Young master, here's a newspaper!"

Zhou Changshou stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and called out loudly.

His voice was loud and clear, full of energy, with the crispness and decisiveness unique to soldiers, instantly drowning out the surrounding noise.

Upon hearing the voice, the newsboy turned around cleverly and saw a military officer in uniform greeting him. He immediately took off running like a deer through the crowd.

With a pleasing smile on his face, he deftly pulled a newspaper from a thick stack under his arm and handed it to Zhou Changshou.

"Thank you, fellow soldiers. One newspaper, one copper coin."

As a newspaper boy, he naturally encountered many soldiers from the Jingnan Army who came to buy newspapers.

The soldiers of the Jingnan Army particularly disliked being addressed as "Military Lord" or similar titles. They generally preferred to be called "Brother" by the people, and if they were younger, they would be called "Brother."

Zhou Changshou smiled, but did not immediately take the newspaper. Instead, he first took out a small leather money pouch from his waist, took out a brand new copper coin, placed it in the newspaper boy's hand, and then took the newspaper, smiling as he spoke.

"Thank you very much, young man."

As soon as Zhou Changshou sat down, Han Fuliang and Wu Ping also gathered around and began to examine the contents of the newspaper together.

Immediately afterwards, the soldiers of the Jingnan Army around the breakfast stall also got up and rushed to call out to the newsboy.

"Young master, one for me too."

"Please take two more copies here."

The newsboys beamed with joy as they collected newspapers and money from table to table, unable to contain their delight.

"The Duke has such great courage."

Zhou Changshou sat on a bench, skimming through the newspaper, and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

"Those landlords and rich folks must be going crazy! They're supposed to be princes, but now they have to do corvée labor and pay taxes..."

Nowadays, promotions in the Jingnan Army not only require military merits, but also literacy; the higher the rank, the more characters are required to be literate.

As the head of the banner, Zhou Changshou was naturally able to understand many characters.

"The new policies that the Duke has implemented this time are truly remarkable."

Hearing Zhou Changshou's sigh, Huang Hu snorted disdainfully.

"Ha, do you think they can turn the world upside down?"

"Do you really think our Duke wouldn't dare to kill someone?"

Zhou Changshou squinted slightly and smiled.

"Tiger Lord, aren't you curious about what this new policy is about?"

Huang Hu did not answer Zhou Changshou's question immediately. Instead, he put the steamed bun in his hand and then slowly said.

"You can read any newspaper. Just buy a copy when you get home and read it slowly. It's time to eat now."

"We don't know what the new policy is, but since it was strongly promoted by the Duke, it must be right. It must be considerate of us soldiers and beneficial to ordinary people."

Han Fuliang laughed heartily and joked.

"See? No wonder our Tiger is a battalion commander while the rest of us are just flag commanders. Tiger's awareness and his words are so eloquent."

Huang Hu didn't care at all, waved his hand, and said generously.

"Hurry up and eat. You can read the newspaper anytime. Later, Tiger will take you to the military currency exchange to see the world!" (End of Chapter)