The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

"The junior master from Sanqing Mountain is here. She wants to talk to you, as I mentioned to you."

"What can I talk to her about? She wants to join us?"

"No, she came to recruit."

Song Dalin scratched his ears and asked, "Why did she come here?"

"She came to recruit the emperor on behalf of the imperial court."

Song Dalin rolled his eyes and said, "The county government really looks down on us. They didn't even send an official, but instead sent an irrelevant little Taoist priest to recruit us?"

Wang Xiaojing said seriously: "Little Master is very capable."

"No matter how powerful she is, can she be the head of the county government?"

Wang Xiaojing was silent for a moment, then insisted: "Anyway, if the county government agrees to our conditions, they won't dare to go back on their word with Junior Master here."

Song Dalin frowned, half believing and half doubting: "She is so powerful? Does she have a good family background or is she very powerful?"

Wang Xiaojing: "The recent disaster relief money and grain for Yushan County were all provided by Junior Master."

Song Dalin was stunned for a moment and then said, "Sanqing Mountain, Pan Yun?"

Wang Xiaojing nodded.

Song Dalin's sleepiness finally disappeared, and he got out of bed thoughtfully: "Okay, I'll go with you to take a look."

Song Dalin was a tall man of 27 years old. He was born a tenant farmer and worked the land for the landlord every year. He said every year that he wanted to save money to marry a wife. However, after paying the rent and taxes from the grain harvested every year, there was not enough left for him to eat, let alone sell the grain to save money.

Finally, in the winter three years ago, he had an epiphany and felt that there was no future in farming. He couldn't even support himself, let alone get rich and marry a wife. So he waved his hand, stopped renting land, left his family and went out to make a living.

He worked as a porter, a runner, and even went to Suzhou to dye cloth for others, but he didn't save any money.

Either the job is unstable, being there today and gone tomorrow, or the wages are extremely low.

In the end, by chance, he followed a brother to open a silver mine.

Of course, it’s private.

The boss brought them to the mine, and more than 200 people came from various places. Because he was willing to work hard and was obedient, he was soon promoted to the chief and all the people in the mine were under his charge.

Of course, there is a manager above him, and above the manager is a chief manager. It is said that the chief manager is the cousin of the boss, and he is in charge of several mines, not only silver mines, but also copper mines, iron mines and tin mines.

The boss paid enough money. For example, he got three taels of silver a month, and the people under him got one tael and two cents each month.

Everyone worked hard, and he was no fool. He knew that the silver mine was privately owned by the owner, so he would secretly hide some ore every time he delivered it.

The smelting place was not far from the mine. He became familiar with the manager there and gave the hidden ore to him for smelting. The refined silver was divided into 50:20, and each of them got half.

Of course, he did not keep it for himself, but shared it equally with his brothers.

The other person got about the same amount, but he must have gotten more because he became rich very quickly.

Song Dalin also became rich, but at a very slow pace.

Because they didn't dare to intercept too much each time, and this silver mine was barren and the refining rate was not high.

However, considering the "extra income", they made a decent profit. With the two salaries added up, Song Dalin could earn around four taels per month, and sometimes five taels.

He stayed in the silver mine for two years. His subordinates came and went, but he stayed the whole time because he was making real money.

The mine provides food and accommodation, and he can save at least thirty-five taels a year.

He decided to go home and buy land and get married when he saved up one hundred taels.

As a result, before the target of one hundred taels was reached, the imperial officers and soldiers arrived first.

The boss disappeared in an instant without a trace, and they were stopped in the mine. Their luggage and money were confiscated and then detained to continue mining.

His money was hidden separately and only half of it was confiscated, so he held back and didn't run away for the time being.

He wanted to open a mine for the imperial court, and the imperial court would also have to pay him, so it didn't matter who he opened the mine for.
So he decided to stay and earn enough 100 taels.

Who knew that the officers and soldiers who came were really inhumane.

It's fine that their wages have been drastically reduced, but before they only had to work five hours a day, now they have to work seven hours, and at the end their wages are deducted...

Although everyone was resentful, they endured it. They didn't expect that they wouldn't even give them enough food. Some people wanted to leave, but they couldn't. In addition, their families sent letters asking for money, saying that not only did they have to pay taxes, but they also had to pay more labor service...

As soon as Song Dalin saw Pan Yun, he cried to her: "We are really suffering, otherwise we wouldn't have started the rebellion. We really can't survive anymore."

The tall man, about 1.80 meters tall, with muscles bulging under his clothes from working in the mine, was now huddled on a small stool and crying to Pan Yun.

Pan Jun thought, if he had not shed a single tear and anyone could tell his fake crying, she would still be willing to cry with him.

But his acting was so fake that Pan Jun was unwilling to cooperate. She also has her dignity, okay?

Pan Yun took out a handkerchief and put it into his hand. Taking advantage of his pause, he asked: "What conditions do you have? Just put them forward."

Song Dalin put down his handkerchief and looked up: "Can you agree to all of this?"

Pan Yun: "I can tell you everything."

Song Dalin: "…What's the point of telling you?"

Pan Yun: "Of course, I can still make some inquiries for you. After all, I am on your side." Song Dalin didn't quite believe it: "Those officers and soldiers will definitely call us traitors. You work for them, how can you stand on our side?"

Pan Yun said seriously, "I am not working for them. I am working for all the people in Yushan County, for you. What is there in the court that is worth my service? I don't want power, and they can't give me power."

Song Dalin was half-believing and half-doubting.

Pan Yun sighed and asked him the same question: "Master Song, I know that you started the rebellion because you suffered injustice and you were upset, so you just started the rebellion.

But now that some time has passed since the incident, you should calm down, especially you."

Pan Yun asked: "As their boss, have you ever thought about their future?"

Song Dalin was silent.

Pan Yun: "Do you want to be the emperor? Can you conquer the world with these people?"

Song Dalin was startled and quickly shook his head: "I haven't thought about it that way."

Then he began to think about it, and the more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

Pan Yun poured cold water on him: "With your limited number of people, no food, and no weapons, you really can't conquer the world. Since you can't conquer it, you should think about recruiting. Otherwise, either you will disperse and become exiles in the world, or the court will wipe you all out."

Song Dalin muttered: "The old emperor is still a beggar..."

"That's because Emperor Taizu had an empress named Ma. Her adoptive father had soldiers, money, and horses. At that time, the Yuan Dynasty was tyrannical and the world had suffered from it for a long time. What do you have now?"

Song Dalin said, "We suffer from Daming too."

Pan Yun shook his head: "My Great Ming has many shortcomings, and there have indeed been constant rebellions in recent years, but most of the people can still survive, so they will not rebel against the Ming."

"But..." Song Dalin was about to explain, but Pan Jun interrupted him and asked, "Then do you want to lead them to fight for the world?"

Song Dalin went to see his brothers, his eyes swept across their sleeping faces. He was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

He knew clearly that he didn't have that ability.

Pan Yun: "Then are you going to wait for the imperial court to send a large army to suppress you?"

Song Dalin immediately shook his head. He could hide in the mountains for a while, but not forever. With so many people, food and drink were problems. Today he could rob the unkind landlord, but after that, who could he rob next time?
You can't really take your brothers to rob the villagers, right?

Most of the people in the village know each other, so I can't bring myself to do it.

Pan Yun: "So you want to disperse everyone immediately?"

Song Dalin: "That won't work. The court has known about this to many people, and their families are still in jail. If we disperse them like this, won't that harm them?"

Pan Yun: "So, besides recruiting, do you have any other, better way?"

Song Dalin clenched his fists: "Don't trick me into surrendering, or you will kill me and my brothers later."

Pan Yun: "I can guarantee that this will not happen."

"What are you going to do with Cai Sheng? You won't let that bastard official be the magistrate of Yushan County?"

Pan Yun: "He will no longer be the magistrate of Yushan County."

Song Dalin looked doubtful: "Why do you agree to everything? Can you really be the boss of the imperial envoy?"

Pan Yun: "The first point still needs to be discussed with the imperial envoy, but the second point, even if the court does not deal with it, I have my own way to prevent him from becoming the county magistrate."

It is very difficult to make a person successful, but it is easy to destroy a person.

She can use both normal and abnormal means.

Song Dalin rolled his eyes and said, "Little Taoist priest, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just that you responded too quickly and it seemed too mysterious. So, if you want me to believe you, you have to ask Cai Sheng to release my brother Xiaojing and his family. If you do that, I will consider surrendering."

Pan Jun thought about it and nodded, "Okay."

Pan Yun stood up and was about to leave. He turned his head to look at the wall next to him and said, "Master Song, my Yushan County is blessed by the Sanqing Mountain God. No matter whether you are an official or a civilian, everything you do is under the watchful eyes of the mountain god. I advise you that you can take money, but don't hurt people, let alone take their lives. Otherwise, according to the law of nature, evil deeds will bring evil consequences, and the mountain god will punish the evildoers."

Song Dalin was silent for a moment and then nodded.

Pan Yun called Miao He and said, "Let's go."

Song Dalin watched the two people walk away, and when he turned around, he met Wang Xiaojing's tearful eyes.

Song Dalin: "...What's wrong with you?"

Wang Xiaojing wiped away tears: "Brother, you are so good to me."

Song Dalin: "This is not for you...Okay, it's for you, but not just for you. I want to test her ability. If she can really get Cai Sheng to release your family, then I will believe what she says."

Wang Xiaojing nodded repeatedly, but her tears kept flowing.

Like Wang Xiaojing, the people in the landlord's side house just across the wall were crying silently.

They leaned against the wall and listened to the conversation between the two.

The landlord clasped his fists and looked up at the rooftop, his eyes filled with tears: "May the mountain god bless me, it will be worth my donations to the mountain god every year. If the mountain god can bless our family to get through this hardship, I am willing to donate ten taels of incense this New Year, no, fifteen taels!"

The landlord's wife was so angry that she had endured it for half her life. Finally, she couldn't help but hit him: "You are so stingy. The temple keeper saved our family, but you are not willing to donate a few more taels of incense money. If you didn't have a bad reputation for being stingy, would our family be robbed?"

The couple quarreled quietly, while the young masters and young ladies beside them huddled together and cried silently, not daring to stop the quarrel. (End of this chapter)