Daming: I, Yang Xian, really govern Yang!

Chapter 77 Auspicious snow may not necessarily herald a good year

One year's heavy snow and cold winter does not necessarily bring about a bumper harvest the next year.

The spring of the second year didn't take long.

Droughts began to hit all parts of the country.

Among them is Zhu Yuanzhang’s hometown, Fengyang, Anhui.

When there was a drought, instead of opening warehouses to provide disaster relief, local officials continued to impose exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, which eventually led to a civil uprising.

Fortunately, the scale of the uprising was small, with only a few hundred people, so it was suppressed almost as soon as it started.

However, because the location of the uprising was too sensitive, it still attracted Zhu Yuanzhang's attention.

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious, directly asked about the matter, and even had the two principal criminals escorted to the capital.

main hall.

"Father, the Fengyang riot leaders Gao Feng and Huang Gang were secretly escorted to Beijing last night," Zhu Biao said.

"Have someone bring it up." Zhu Yuanzhang put down the memorial in his hand, raised his head and said.

Soon, two men with handcuffs and anklets were brought into the hall, and the guards forced them to bend their legs and kneel on the cold bluestone bricks.

"Which one of you is at the top?" Zhu Yuanzhang said, overlooking the two prisoners below.

"Me!" One of the men raised his head and looked directly at Zhu Yuanzhang in the Long Court, with no fear on his face.

"Death is imminent, do you have anything to say?" Zhu Yuanzhang said solemnly.

"Are you Zhu Yuanzhang?" Gao Feng asked with a contemptuous smile on his face.

"Presumptuous!" Zhu Biao scolded.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, his face gloomy and scary: "I am Zhu Yuanzhang, the current emperor, who are you?"

"Similar to you, I rebelled because I couldn't survive anymore. I also worked as a beggar monk, huh, but I'm just not as lucky as you." Gao Feng laughed.

"You said something rude. Please admit your mistake and apologize quickly. Father, out of friendship with fellow villagers, may even spare your life!" Zhu Biao stepped forward, pointed at Gao Feng and said sternly.

Not only did Gao Feng not shut up, but he said even more boldly: "Isn't he the Chongba of Dongxiang? Yes, I admire him for helping us Fengyang people gain face. But if I fall into his hands, I have no intention of living."

"Boss! Since he doesn't want to live anymore, then let him do it."

"Drag it, cut it!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's cold voice sounded in the hall.

As soon as he finished speaking, two Ouchi guards immediately came forward and dragged the man named Gao Feng down. What could only greet him was death.

But there was no fear on Gao Feng's face. He looked up to the sky and laughed and said, "I'm not afraid!"

Another person next to him, Huang Gang, also stood up and shouted: "I'm going too!"

But he was directly pressed down by Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Stop, I have something to ask you."

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and walked to Huang Gang, looked at him and said, "Have you read the book?"

"I know a few words." Huang Gang replied.

"The peak just now said that he couldn't survive, so why is this so? Natural disasters are unavoidable. There are indeed disasters in some places this year, but all the prefectures and offices have provided disaster relief, so they won't starve to death." Zhu Yuanzhang emphasized his tone, He spoke.

"Disaster relief?"

"Hahahahaha."

Huang Gang seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world and said.

"There are only a dozen grains of rice in a large vat of rice porridge. Have you ever seen rice porridge like this? Have you ever seen disaster relief like this?" "Not everyone can drink porridge like this. You Do you think we can survive?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's breathing became heavier and he asked: "Why don't you sue the officials? If the county magistrate can't do it, there is also the prefect."

"When you rebelled, why didn't you sue the officials?" Huang Gang asked.

Until the people's minds asked back, I, Lao Zhu, couldn't fix it.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened, obviously not expecting such an answer from the other party.

Zhu Biao on the side knew that at this point, there was no room for change, so he waved away the eunuchs and maids on the side.

"Is Huangjue Temple still there?" Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked.

"exist."

"How is Mr. Zhu Wu at the temple gate?"

"Harusami is dead."

"Oh."

"He also starved to death." Huang Gang added.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression was moved for the first time, and he asked: "Are the lives of the villagers still so difficult?"

"We don't dare to be your Majesty's countrymen. We are still forty miles away from your Dongxiang. We can't take advantage of it. As for whether we are living a difficult life, we can't even afford to eat. In your eyes, is it difficult?" Huang Gang sneered.

"understood."

Zhu Yuanzhang thought of the thirteen grains of rice that killed his parents when he was a child.

He glanced at Huang Gang and then turned around.

"Drag it down, cut it off."

"Yes!" Immediately, a guard came in from outside the palace and dragged the person away.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked to his chair, sat on it, and pressed his forehead with his right hand. He looked indescribably tired.

I don't know how long it took.

"Boss."

"My son is here." Zhu Biao, who had been standing by his side, took a step forward, came to Zhu Yuanzhang's side, and said.

"Tell me, are the people's lives worse now than they were in the Yuan Dynasty?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Father, of course not."

Zhu Biao flatly denied it, and then said: "Talk about the wool processing and garment manufacturing industry we implemented before. Last year, we were short of time and only implemented it in a few state capitals. But even so, it has saved millions of people from the severe cold. It’s painful. By this winter, all of us Ming people will be favored by the imperial court, and no one will freeze to death."

"And Father, look at Yangzhou. During the Yuan Dynasty BC, the entire city of Yangzhou had become a dead city with only a dozen or so households left. Now, under Yang Qing's governance, the prosperity of the past has been restored, and the people are all Everyone has a job, everyone has land to farm, everyone has food to eat, and everyone has clothes to wear. All of this happened in our Ming Dynasty."

After listening to Zhu Biao's words, Zhu Yuanzhang also came out of his previous turmoil.

But it's not his fault. Huang Gang's torture sentence that pointed directly at the soul was really too lethal.

Zhu Biao then spoke: "There are two reasons why Fengyang provoked civil unrest this time. The first is natural disasters. The continuous droughts that have occurred in various places since the beginning of this spring are really unpredictable. The second is that Man-made disasters, those corrupt officials, depriving the court of disaster relief food, these people were forced to have no choice, and then they embarked on the road of rebellion. If all the officials in our Ming Dynasty were good officials like Yang Qing who loved the people as their sons, That way, even if there is a natural disaster, casualties can be minimized.”

"At the very least, it won't cause a civil uprising."

When Zhu Yuanzhang mentioned corrupt officials, his eyes lit up, and his whole body exuded a murderous aura.

"Boss, please immediately send someone to Fengyang to investigate this matter. Once verified, no matter who it is, he will be severely punished." Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly.

"Yes, Father!"

(End of this chapter)