Ming politicians

() All the officials above the sixth house in Jiangning County went to Sihai Restaurant, and Zheng Keyou was the only one.

Qu Qingze once suggested whether to invite the officers from the Jiangnan Camp to go to the Four Seas Restaurant, but Su Tiancheng did not agree. If the officers from the Jiangning Camp came, it would be an excuse for others, as if they were forcing the gentry and wealthy households in Jiangning County , must sell food.

The third floor of the Four Seas Restaurant was taken over by the county government, and the shopkeeper of the restaurant served in person.

Su Tiancheng led the crowd upstairs, and greeted many gentry and wealthy households one by one. The atmosphere seemed very warm, but in such a warm atmosphere, there was a sense of indifference. Everyone was laughing and joking on the surface, but in fact they had their own thoughts .

Of course, Su Tiancheng knew the attitude of the gentry and wealthy households in Jiangning County. Please come here.

The dishes came quickly and the wine was poured.

Su Tiancheng raised his wine glass and stood up.

"Everyone, please drink this cup to the full. I have been in Jiangning County for more than a year. This is the first time I have such a banquet. I haven't had much contact with you gentlemen before. There is no need to say extra words. This glass of wine, It means everything."

After finishing speaking, Su Tiancheng drank the glass of wine in one breath.

Everyone stood up and saw Su Tiancheng drink it in one go, everyone followed suit.

After drinking for three rounds, Su Tiancheng stood up again.

"Presumably, everyone is clear about the purpose of today's county government banquet, so I won't beat around the bush, and just talk about the main thing. Jiangning County has a good harvest this year, and the grain output is high. This is the emperor's sage, and we are waiting Fortunately, the people have food to eat, and Jiangning County is stable, but there are still some problems."

"As you all know, there are quite a few merchants in Jiangning County. They specialize in grain, and they make a living from it. Now that Jiangning County has a good harvest of grain, they can buy a large amount of grain and manage it well, but they didn't expect that , The county government bought 100 million shi of grain. As a result, there was not much grain left, so they found Chairman Wan of the Jiangning County Chamber of Commerce to complain, and for this matter, Chairman Wan came to me specifically."

Having said that, Su Tiancheng nodded to Wan Chenggui who was sitting at the same table.

Wan Chenggui stood up quickly, and turned his head towards Su Tiancheng. <> Su Tiancheng's saying this is undoubtedly giving him the greatest face.

"As the magistrate of Jiangning County, I not only have to consider the interests of the farmers, but also the survival of the merchants. If they can't operate well, the county government has a big fault."

"A conservative estimate is that the grain output of Jiangning County this year is more than 300 million shi. The county government bought 100 million shi, and the whole county can still trade grain. There is still 100 million shi. For the sake of merchants, I found Mr. Zheng from Yingtian Mansion, asked Mr. Zheng to come forward and do some work. To put it bluntly, I just wanted to rely on you and help, but unfortunately the effect is not good."

"Today, I invite you all to a banquet to reiterate this topic. You are wealthy gentry in Jiangning County, and your every move has received a lot of attention. If you can take the lead in selling grain, it will definitely boost morale and promote a new atmosphere. .”

"Perhaps you may be thinking that the county government has purchased 100 million shi of grain, so why not collect more, so that many merchants who deal in grain can continue to purchase, and some people even think that the county government will take out all the 100 million shi of grain , Let the merchants buy it, and there will be no problems."

"After all, the current purchase price is lower than the usual grain price. There is a lot of difference in the price. It seems that it is a huge deal, and it is simply a waste of money."

When Su Tiancheng said this, the surrounding area was very quiet, and no one spoke.

Lu Tianming, Qu Qingze, Zheng Keyou and the others were very surprised. They never expected that Su Tiancheng would say such words. This was already a disadvantageous thing.

"It's not surprising that you have such an idea. If I can't explain it well, everyone will not be convinced. Why should you make contributions and the county government can profit from it?"

"In this way, let me settle the accounts and see what the cost of the 100 million shi of grain is. First of all, let me talk about the grain storage needed by the county government treasury. This is 30 shi. It must be guaranteed in case of emergencies. There is food in hand , Don’t panic, even if something big happens, the county government can handle it calmly.”

"The second is the expenses of the Jiangnan camp. Ten thousand soldiers and more than five thousand war horses need to consume at least 20 shi of food a year. This must be guaranteed. The Jiangning camp is the title bestowed by the emperor. The Minister of the Ministry of War, Mr. Fan If you are not able to guarantee the life of the soldiers if you also serve as the commander of the guard, Jiangning County will not be able to bear the responsibility for this kind of crime."

"The court is in trouble, and we need to share the worries of the emperor and the court. The expenses of the Jiangning camp must be borne by the county government."

"The third is the relief of the poor in Jiangning County. Presumably the county government requires it. You all know that there must be no starvation in the county, let alone someone who is starved to death due to lack of food. This part of the food needs [-] shi."

"In the end, there are still 40 shi of grain left, and you may be concerned. What is the use of this 40 shi of grain? I have defined this 40 shi of grain, which is called war preparation grain. The meaning of this, everyone. Should understand."

"So, the 100 million shi of grain from the county government is useful, not only this year, but every year in the future, the county government will purchase grain to ensure the supply of grain."

"The grain merchants in Jiangning County can buy about 100 million shi of grain every year, so that they can maintain their business. So far, they have purchased about 60 shi of grain, and the remaining 40 shi is short. This official wants to Now, please help everyone here."

Some people around started to discuss quietly, but no one opened their mouths to speak, which indicated that everyone would not bring out food.

Su Tiancheng smiled coldly.

"You are all people with fame and fame, and your attitude is already clear. Mr. Zheng has done work for you, and I have seen your attitude just now. It seems unnecessary to invite everyone to Sihai Restaurant today. What you mean is that the grain will not be sold."

"I invite you to come here today. There is evil, and I want to make it clear, so as to avoid unpleasantness in the future."

"You all have achieved great fame and enjoyed a lot of favors. Of course, these favors were given by the court and you should get them. I have nothing to say. I just feel strange. When you get these favors, you think It is a matter of course, but when you are asked to make some contributions to the imperial court, you are hesitant, thinking that your own interests have suffered a lot of damage, and that the government's doing so is treasonous, I don't understand, it is right to ask for it, Giving is not acceptable, what do you all think about such unequal things?"

"If you are not willing to sell grain, the Jiangning county government will do nothing. However, if you encounter something in the future, you should not think about looking for the county government. No matter what it is, since you have accepted the court's favor and think that All of this is given by the imperial court, if you have any problems, you can go directly to the imperial court to solve them, the temple in Jiangning County is too small to take care of you."

"If anyone wants to impeach this official, this official will accept it with pleasure. What I said today is what I said from the bottom of my heart. If there is no hair on the skin, there will be no way to get it. You always think about your own trivial matters, but you don't want to impeach me. Considering the important affairs of the court, I don’t have such a good temper, and it’s not indecent to come and go, and I will treat you how you treat me.”

"I would like to emphasize one more point. You are all gentry and wealthy households. You are all people of fame and fame. You must take the lead in obeying the laws of the Ming Dynasty. If you want to bully others and do evil, I will never forgive you lightly."

The discussion is gone, and many gentry and wealthy households of course understand the meaning of this evil, which is equivalent to announcing to them that in the future, they will encounter harassment, so don't think about finding the county government to solve the matter, as the saying goes, It is better for the county magistrate to take care of it now. If the Jiangning county magistrate really doesn't care about their affairs, it will be difficult for them to maintain.

Besides, the gentry and wealthy households in Jiangning County didn't think about their own privileges, children and servants, and occasionally did some bullying things, the county government also turned a blind eye, but today Su Tiancheng said Having said these words, it is tantamount to announcing to everyone that the county government will never be polite in such a situation.

This is tantamount to threatening everyone.

An older gentleman stood up.

"My lord just said so much, I understand what your lord means. I must sell food this time."

Su Tiancheng nodded.

"My lord's move, isn't it meant to be coercive? This is not what the government did."

"Hehe, the official has already made it very clear. Whatever you think, if you say it's coercion, that's coercion. If you say you're making a contribution to the county government, then it's a contribution. There's no need to say anything about the rest. "

The surrounding area was very quiet, Su Tiancheng didn't stay here any longer, and walked out alone.

Behind him, Zheng Keyou's voice came.

"Think twice, everyone. It's just selling some grain. It's not a big deal. I've heard that the Jiangning county government will continue to exempt the land tax next year. Under such circumstances, you have so much grain in storage. I don't know how much of an effect it is..."

Qu Qingze followed and walked to Su Tiancheng's side.

"My lord, this move is really wonderful. I see, these gentry and wealthy households can't stand it."

Su Tiancheng smiled, but did not speak.

The reason why he did this was to maintain the interests of Jiangning County merchants and the county government, but to a certain extent, it harmed the interests of the wealthy gentry. His meaning was very clear. The wealthy gentry must do To make a certain contribution, this kind of behavior that is just asking for and not paying a penny must be vigorously banned. (To be continued. Welcome to the starting point to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets,