Ming politicians

() The sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

Representatives of wealthy households from the gentry of Henan Province gathered in the government office, and they came here to visit Mr. Ren Zhifu.

There is a big difference between Henan and Southern Zhili. The rogues caused rebellion, and many gentry and wealthy households moved away to Kaifeng. Henan is close to Shaanxi and Shanxi, and it is a place that rogues often pay attention to.

The people who came to visit the government office were mainly gentry, and most of the wealthy households were well-known. As for merchants, they were not eligible to enter the government office. In the Central Plains, merchants did not have much status.

Su Tiancheng still warmly received these wealthy gentry households, although he said that his impression of wealthy gentry households was not very good.

The prestige of Su Tiancheng and Jiang Ning Ying has not been fully spread to Henan Mansion. The gentry and wealthy households who came to visit were all polite and said polite words without any substantive content in the words, but everyone still Those who brought presents were all lavish silver. Anyway, it was still the first lunar month, so New Year greetings were nothing unusual.

As for Jiangning County's attitude towards wealthy gentry and what contributions these people are required to make, it is estimated that no one knows.

Special circumstances also exist. In the Central Plains area, bandits are harassing and people's livelihood is in decline. Even the Zhongxing Academy has little influence here. It is no wonder that Liu Zongzhou and Lu Shanji want to come to Henan Prefecture and transfer the Zhongxing Academy ideas spread.

Because of the harassment of the rogues, the gentry and wealthy households here pay more attention to the protection of their own interests.

Visited in the first month, the atmosphere is good.

After everyone finished speaking, we waited for the magistrate to express his opinion.

Of course, such a statement is also expected by everyone. It is a basic procedure to talk about relying more on it in the future and working for the welfare of the people.

Su Tiancheng had thought carefully about how to meet the gentry and wealthy households in Henan Prefecture, and what to say, and the words were deep.There is no good foundation here, and there are vassal kings behind it. It is definitely not a wise choice to encounter great resistance before starting work.Some people may have caught the pigtails.

"You are all celebrities and gentry in Henan Province, so the officials don't say so many polite words."

"When the official was in Jiangning County, he implemented many policies. Some things may involve you. If you are interested, you can go to inquire about the situation in Jiangning County, so you have a certain amount of mental preparation."

"The most important thing for an official to take up his post in Henan Prefecture is to wipe out the bandits and maintain local law and order. The deployment of the Jiangning Battalion to guard Henan Prefecture is the best explanation."

"Whether it is the development of the local economy or the suppression of bandits, money is needed, and officials are not taboo. If you need your contribution, I hope to get your support. If not, the people will be displaced and the bandits will harass you. Local officials have failed their duties, and everyone's life is not easy."

"At the beginning of the year, we should say some auspicious words, but officials have such a temper. They like to go straight and don't like to go around in circles. You respect me one foot, and I respect you one foot. Hello, everyone, everyone, the government needs everyone. The support. The official wishes you a prosperous year and all the best, hope that the people of Henan Province will have enough food and clothing, and the Jiangning camp will wipe out the bandits as soon as possible."

After finishing his speech, Su Tiancheng raised his teacup to see off the guests.

Everyone has not yet understood that what the magistrate said implied a lot of meaning, but he had already raised a teacup to see off the guests, so he should have known the interest and took the initiative to say goodbye.

The crowd left in disbelief.

Many people remembered that some merchants came to Jiangning County. These merchants must know what the magistrate is doing in Jiangning County. Therefore, many people began to wonder whether they should ask carefully. <The issue of plowing and production, both of which are important matters, cannot be neglected in the slightest, especially the issue of plowing and plowing in Henan Province, which has one state and thirteen counties under its jurisdiction, it is not as simple as before, if it is not for the special time , he had already gone down to check the situation.

After the Jiangning camp was settled, the quality of the officers and soldiers changed. When they arrived at the barracks, they began to do things by themselves, tidying up the barracks houses, and starting construction. Even during this process, they did not forget about training. <He was a little worried about farming and production.

The total population and total cultivated land of Henan Prefecture, according to the statistics of the government and county government, the population is about 53, and the cultivated land is 549 million mu, distributed in thirteen counties in one prefecture. However, this statistical data has lasted for many years .

Luoyang is very famous, but this does not mean that Henan Province is rich. The situation is just the opposite. In the early Ming Dynasty, due to the impact of the war, the people of Henan Province did not have a living, and the land was sparsely populated. Tun and other forms to increase the population of Henan Prefecture, develop uninhabited land, change the situation of sparsely populated land, and meet the taxes here for a long time, provide livestock and farm tools, and stimulate economic development. After many years of construction, good results have been achieved. , the population once increased to 73 people.

It's a pity that the famines of these years, coupled with the harassment of rogue bandits, have destroyed everything.

Henan Prefecture is mostly hilly and complex terrain, but the land here is fertile and the folk customs are simple and easy to manage.

The Henan government has both favorable and unfavorable conditions, and the key depends on the actions of the government.

Land became a problem first, and a large amount of land was annexed in the hands of gentry and wealthy households. The biggest landlord leader was Fu Wang Zhu Changxun.Henan Prefecture has a total of 549 million mu of cultivated land, of which less than 300 million mu can receive land tax. The disparity in this figure is astonishing, that is to say, nearly half of the land has been annexed by gentry and wealthy households.

The grain output in the north cannot be compared with that in the south, it is about half lower, and the land of less than 300 million mu has to bear the tax of 549 million mu of land. Under such circumstances, the burden on the common people will naturally increase. This is not the main reason The problem is that there are continuous famines and no harvests on the land. Under such circumstances, the common people can only sell the land at a faster pace, and eventually lose everything, and they can only become refugees when they can't get income from renting the land.

The official land of Henan Prefecture is only more than 220 mu, and the land that has been merged has reached more than [-] million mu.

Under such circumstances, it is already very good for the common people not to rebel.

Su Tiancheng finally found out that he couldn't avoid Zhu Changxun, the king of blessings. If he wanted to start from the land, he had to contact Zhu Changxun. The rest of the gentry and wealthy households must be looking at Zhu Changxun.

Tan Changluo, the general judge of the Henan government, sat at the bottom. He knew Su Tiancheng's reputation. He was appointed as the magistrate at such a young age, and he was a fourth-rank rank. .

"Master Tan, the official came to the Henan Mansion, and he still needs the support of his colleagues. I invited you here today to discuss with you and see what matters need to be dealt with in the near future."

"The lower officials will obey your lord's arrangement."

Su Tiancheng looked at Tan Changluo, the words seemed to mean coping. The duties of the general judge were mainly to assist the magistrate, to take charge of the litigation of cropland and water conservancy, and to focus on the litigation. The most important duty was to supervise the local officials. The power of the secret papers, but most of the general judges under the jurisdiction of the prefect, their secret papers go directly to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, or the cabinet, not necessarily directly to the emperor.

Tan Changluo was a Jinshi during the reign of Tianqi. He is not young, and his promotion speed is not so fast. To be honest, he is average, more than inferior than inferior. Most of these officials do not have much background, but they are well versed in officialdom philosophy and do everything well. It is stable, there will be no major mistakes, and it will not be able to make great achievements.

In the face of such an official, you must speak directly, say what you have to say, express your meaning clearly, don't be vague, and don't let him think about it, otherwise he may misinterpret your meaning. <Ploughing and production, in the past few years, Henan Province suffered a lot of famines, and the people suffered a lot. Now the most important thing is food. If the people have no food to eat, the number of refugees will inevitably increase. These years, the bandits have plundered because of the people. I can't live and work in peace and contentment, I can't eat enough to eat, and I'm afraid it's a joke to talk about other matters. The official considers that since Ming Geng gave birth, I still ask you to maintain this matter in the government office. "

"What your lord said is that the lower official has a suggestion. Your lord is new here and is not familiar with the situation. Can you allow the lower official to follow, so as to introduce the situation in various places?"

Su Tiancheng shook his head lightly.

"No, time is running out. The officials will go to inspect the situation in various places this time. It will take no more than half a month to return to Luoyang. All thirteen counties in this prefecture will be there, especially Shanzhou in the north. Counties, Lingbao County and Yanxiang County under Shanzhou, these places have always been poor, the land is barren, and they are a little far away from the government office. Please be more careful about the affairs of the government office within the first month."

Tan Changluo simply nodded his head.

"My lord, I will do my best to deal with government affairs. I don't know what your lord wants."

"There are no other requirements. The official has just arrived and needs to be familiar with many situations."

Tan Changluo looked at Su Tiancheng, but stopped talking.

Su Tiancheng discovered Tan Changluo's action.

"Master Tan, if you have anything to say, just say it."

"Your Excellency has come to Henan Mansion, is it a courtesy to take time to visit King Fu?"

Su Tiancheng was startled, feudal lords are not allowed to interfere in local affairs, why did he come to the Henan mansion, and he wanted to visit Fu Wang Zhu Changxun? Isn't this a trick, but Tan Changluo, as a judge, would never speak casually .

"The official understands that there are many things to do and time is tight. I'd better go down and check the situation. After returning to Luoyang, I will make a decision according to the time."