Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 46 Establishing Prestige
The autumn weather is clear and cloudless.

In the morning, the Left Guard of the Du Biao entered Yong'an Prefecture. Cen Danchu, surrounded by other generals, headed straight for the prefectural government.

The ceremonial gate was wide open. Danchu and the others walked through the main gate and entered the lobby. The lobby was the core building of the prefecture and county government offices, solemn and majestic. Although Yong'an Prefecture was a poor prefecture, the prefecture government lobby was still built tall and spacious.

Officials gathered in a hall, kneeling to welcome him. The officials were headed by the prefect, including the lower-ranking officials such as the Dianshi, Jiaoyu, Xundao, Yicheng, Cangshi, Kushi, etc. The clerks were headed by the Six-room Clerk, and there were also clerks and clerks in various places such as Jiageku, Chengfafang, Confucianism, Shuimayi, and Diyunso.

Danchu took the lead and sat down in the main seat in the hall. He said to the officials, "Please stand up, everyone."

Below the main seat, on the left sat the officers of the left assistant commander and the camp officers of the central army, and on the right sat officials such as the prefect, the associate prefect, the assistant magistrate, and the instructor.

Danchu looked around at everyone with a sharp gaze and said, "It is a wise move for you to abandon the dark and join the light, lead the city to rebel, and continue to serve the Ming. I will lead the army to Yong'an, and you will all stay in your original positions. Do your work with peace of mind and don't make any mistakes."

Most people did not respond, but a few responded with various answers: "Yes", "Yes", "Yes"...

It is not difficult to see that the officials have been in disarray for a long time. They have enjoyed a long period of comfort and it is unclear whether they can truly submit.

Danchu looked around coldly and saw that they were in good shape, with few of them looking pale and skinny. Some were obese, while others had fair complexions and were well-maintained.

Inside and outside the city, there were poor people everywhere who had no clothes to wear and no food to eat. However, these officials were well-off. Regardless of the years of disaster and famine, regardless of the change of dynasties, they always occupied their positions, and their quality of life and social status did not decline.

No wonder the Dashun and Dashi armies tortured officials every time they entered a city. All the wealth in society was concentrated in the hands of these people, and even the imperial court could not collect money. How could the army raise funds without squeezing them dry?

"Wei Zhizhou?" Dan Chu fixed his gaze on Wei Shizhong, his voice cold and heavy.

"I'm here." Wei Shizhong hurriedly stood up from his seat, hands hanging down and standing respectfully. He felt more and more that this young general was not simple, with tough means, many tricks, and his thoughts and strategies were often unexpected.

"How much is your salary?"

Wei Shizhong's forehead was sweating. He didn't know what Danchu was up to, so he could only answer honestly: "Replying to the commander, I am a fifth-rank prefect, and my monthly salary is 14 dan of rice."

"How much does rice cost?"

"The price of rice was relatively stable before, with one dan of rice worth about eight silver coins. Since last year, Guangxi has been hit by war, and one dan of rice has risen to one liang and six silver coins. Now it has fallen back to around 12 silver coins."

"Then, a monthly salary of 14 dan of rice is equivalent to 10 liang and 6 qian of silver. In addition to the monthly salary, how much is the firewood and firewood? What is the normal amount?"

This question was very tricky, and it made Wei Shizhong feel a chill on his back, and he didn't know how to answer it.

The salaries of officials in the Ming Dynasty were set very low, but they had many extra incomes under various pretexts. The two largest sources of income were firewood and salary, and the amount was far more than the regular salary.

There are still rules to follow for the two outdated regulations of firewood and salary and common regulations, but the amount of arbitrary levies, private enrichment at the expense of public funds, and embezzlement of labor service silver is huge and immeasurable.

This bad practice has been in place in official circles for a long time and has long been tacitly approved by those in power and is tacitly acknowledged by everyone.

"This... this..." This official fig leaf cannot be easily pierced. Wei Shizhong hesitated for a long time, not daring to answer truthfully, and could only perfunctorily say: "Replying to the commander, the amount of firewood, salary, and regular fees is uncertain, and it is really difficult to calculate."

"Nonsense!" Dan Chu was angry and his voice was urgent. The officials below were frightened and trembled, feeling as if they were sitting on pins and needles.

These days, it is not uncommon for warriors to bully and abuse the magistrates. Judging from Cen Danchu's appearance, he is not someone you can easily mess with. Anyone who runs into his gun will be in bad luck.

He continued, "When Hai Qingtian was the magistrate of Chun'an, he was a seventh-rank official. He was responsible for recording the malpractices of the officialdom and spread them throughout the country. For the regular regulations alone, the magistrate of Chun'an received more than a thousand taels of silver every year. You are a fifth-rank official, so how could the regular regulations be among the least?"

Wei Shizhong was so frightened that he dared not argue and had lost his composure. Seeing this, many officials were so silent that they dared not even breathe.

Not to mention that the prefects had their own rules, even the lower-ranking assistant officials followed suit and demanded a lot of rules. For example, "the postmasters and ambassadors demanded a lot of rules for horse heads, and if they were not satisfied, they would send them to do hard work." Another example is, "the inspectors often demanded a lot of rules for passing through the forts when they went to the countryside for inspection every year."

"A clean magistrate can earn 100,000 silver coins." This is not an empty statement.

During the Ming Dynasty, low salaries made it difficult to maintain integrity, which was indeed a major malpractice in local government. Low salaries led to corruption, and small corruption led to big corruption, and corruption once led to corruption several times. As a result, corruption among officials became a common practice, which was closely related to this.

Danchu changed the subject and said, "Wei Zhizhou, I will not make things difficult for you. I will also increase your salary. Starting from this month, your monthly salary will be quadrupled to 70 dan of rice. Other outdated rules such as firewood, silver, and common practices will be abolished. How do you think?"

"Yes. I am wise... No, I obey your command, and you are wise." Wei Shizhong felt as if he had been pardoned. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and spoke incoherently.

"All people, regardless of whether they are officials or non-officials, will have their salaries quadrupled, and all outdated rules will be abolished. I will use military law to govern soldiers and officials. If you dare to embezzle or accept bribes again, I will punish you according to military law. According to the regulations of our great grandfather, those who embezzle more than 60 taels of silver will be beheaded and their property will be confiscated."

Danchu established his authority as soon as he came in, and the effect was very obvious. All the officials present bowed their heads and remained silent, and no one dared to look directly at Danchu.

In troubled times, severe punishments should be used. In the north, the local officialdom was similar to that of Yong'an Prefecture, and most of the officials were demoted from the Ming Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty used harsh punishments and laws, which did bring about a new atmosphere in the officialdom.

Even those domineering and lawless generals fought very hard after surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, because the Qing Dynasty's military law was very strict, and if the generals did not obey their orders, they would "die in battle or die by law."

Danchu continued, “I have heard that Li Zicheng claimed that he would not launch an expedition for three years, but whenever he attacked a city, he would torture corrupt officials and wealthy families, confiscate their property and use it as a reward for the army. He earned so much money that he was able to support a million-strong army until he captured the capital.

"I am a government official, appointed by the imperial court. I am neither Li Zicheng nor Zhang Xianzhong. You can rest assured. Your salaries have been increased fourfold, which is enough to support your family. From now on, you must work hard and never embezzle anything."

"Yes!" This time, the officials' responses were much more orderly.

Danchu was secretly delighted and continued, "I know that you have been in the government for a long time and are cunning and scheming. I started my career with military merit and killed countless people. I hate two things most about officials: corruption and laziness.

"Without the outdated rules, your income has been reduced a lot. However, you must not stop doing your job for a moment, and the standards must not be lowered at all. Otherwise, if any department or any person is corrupt or negligent, I will kill them without mercy.

"According to the imperial decree, summer taxes must be paid no later than the end of August. Yong'an Prefecture does not have much summer taxes, and they cannot be delayed. Governor Wei, you take your people to sort out the summer taxes and report to me tomorrow without delay."

The first task must not be messed up. Wei Shizhong's heart trembled, and he said, "Yes."

(End of this chapter)