The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 140 Prevent the slightest change
When Emperor Taichang was preparing to take action against Ping Liaohou, Ping Liu Zhaosun was still lingering in the arms of a gentle woman, unaware that his death was approaching.

~~~
On the morning of the 18th day of the 12th lunar month in the 47th year of the Wanli reign, Ping Liaohou came out of the general's residence, and the guard Wu Xiao said that Kang Yingqian's grandson Chuan Ting had arrived.

Seeing two people pacing at the door from afar, Ping Liaohou hurried forward.

"General Liu is finally here."

Seeing that Ping Liaohou was dressed quite neatly and smelling the fragrance of his rouge, Kang Jianjun approached him and said with a smile:
"General Liu has been drunkenly sleeping among the flowers these past few days, fighting three of them alone. I admire you! But even though you are so majestic, you still need to exercise restraint in your sexual activities. Come, I must give you a pill of this Vajra Powder."

"General Kang is always thinking about selling medicine. It's a shame that he doesn't go to Linqing Commercial Bank to steal Ximen's business."

"This officer, I don't normally need to take medicine."

In his spare time, Kang Yingqian carefully studied "Jin Ping Mei" and occasionally took the initiative to put himself into the world of Ximen Daguanren.

To be fair, if Kang Yinggan had not been lucky enough to pass the imperial examination, with the Kang family's connections and background, Kang Yinggan would most likely run a pharmacy in Handan (Kang Yinggan's hometown) and be the exclusive agent for King Kong Powder. There would probably be no Ximen Qing.

Liu Zhaosun stopped chatting with Lao Kang and walked towards Sun Chuanting. He clasped his hands together and said, "Sir Sun, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I had a few drinks with my wife last night and got up late. Please don't blame me!"

Sun Chuanting quickly said he didn't dare, saying he had just arrived. The three of them exchanged a few more pleasantries, and Ping Liaohou said, "First, we'll go visit the merchants in the city, and then go out to inspect the garrisons."

He was worried because during the siege of the city by the Zhengbai Banner, some farmers outside the city who had not yet retreated had not been killed by the Jiannu.

Although Sun Chuanting had reported the situation at the garrison yesterday, stating that civilians had already moved in, Liu Zhaosun remained concerned and decided to inspect it in person. Pei Dahu, along with Du Du, Wu Xiao, and the others, protected the three superiors as they headed north. They soon reached the intersection of North and South Streets, Kaiyuan's busiest commercial district. Ping Liaohou stood facing north, directly opposite the Ying'en Gate in the north city.

"It's more prosperous than when I went to Tieling."

Just after the hour of Chen, the merchants on the street became busy. Several Korean ginseng merchants were taking down the door panels and placing the dried Korean ginseng in front of their shops.

Ping Liaohou stepped forward, picked out a ginseng of better quality, put it to his nose and sniffed it. The faint ginseng fragrance was refreshing.

The lean Korean merchant spotted Sun Chuanting from afar and was about to kneel down. Sun Chuanting winked at him, and he immediately ran to Liu Zhaosun. The merchant had only recently arrived in Kaiyuan and had seen Sun Chuanting every day. He knew him as the Liaodong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, but he didn't recognize him as the Marquis of Ping Liao. The Korean man's eyes shifted, realizing this gentleman was even more prominent, and he quickly greeted him warmly.

"Sir, these ginseng roots were dug by me from the depths of Changbai Mountain. They are all top-notch wild ginseng. Take a look at this root, it has large branches, long stems, fine skin, and is yellow in color. Buy it and boil it down to make soup. It will replenish your vital energy, calm your spirit, and soothe your soul. It's like taking the elixir of the Jade Emperor!"

Sun Chuanting glared at the Korean.

The merchant immediately changed his tone and said, "Master, please take whichever one you like. Consider it a gift from me."

Liu Zhaosun said with a smile: "You have come far away from home to do business in Kaiyuan. It's a small business, so I won't let you suffer any loss."

As he spoke, he felt for silver on his body, even on the sleeves of his official robes, but found not a single copper coin. Then he remembered that he had been extravagant in preparing wine and food for the New Year, and had spent all the remaining ten taels of silver.

He turned to look at Kang Yingqian, who looked calm, and extended his hand. "General Kang."

Ping Liaohou always liked to borrow money from everywhere. He owed at least 8,000 taels to Qiao Yiqi, and it was said that he also owed a golden statue to a Taoist temple and a Buddhist temple.

Kang Yingqian gritted his teeth and took out some small change, still sorting it out. Liu Zhaosun snatched it all away and handed it to Shen Shang, but the Korean dared not take it.

Sun Chuanting glared at him again before he accepted the two pieces of silver, repeatedly saying "enough". A waiter came up and wrapped the ginseng in oil paper.

Liu Zhaosun wanted to give it to Jin Yuji as soon as possible, so he asked, "Can you send it to my home?"

"Of course, sir, please tell me what you want."

The North Korean businessman was nervous and his voice was trembling.

Liu Zhaosun said quickly, "Then wrap it up immediately and send it to the general's residence. Give it to the guards and tell them that I bought it for Old Song to use when he makes medicine today."

The Korean businessman, with a nervous look on his face, heard that the person in front of him was Ping Liaohou, and he screamed and almost fainted.

Liu Zhaosun hurriedly left the shop and led everyone to continue walking towards the north gate.

Although Sun Chuanting was not corrupt and was capable and shrewd, he was still full of official airs. If he wasn't disciplined, he would inevitably become a cruel official. Just now, when the merchants saw him, they were like mice seeing a cat, not daring to breathe.

This is somewhat in conflict with the principle that Liu Zhaosun usually advocates.

It can be seen that Sun Chuanting has been very powerful in Kaiyuan City for the past two months, frightening many people. Ping Liaohou said nothing and walked forward in silence. Kang Yingqian noticed that his expression was not right and was about to speak to him. But he saw Liu Zhaosun turned around and said to Sun Chuanting:
"Sir Sun, do you know why Yuan Chonghuan's relative Yuan Yingtai died?"

Kang Yingqian turned his head to the side, and his expression could not be seen. Sun Chuanting knew that he had displeased Ping Liaohou, and his face turned pale.

Liu Zhaosun said amiably, "Yuan Yingtai had good intentions, but he was extravagant and overconfident, and he abused his power to oppress others. He was also instigated by Zhang Quan. He opposed my plan to massacre the Yehe people, disregarding the lives of the Liao people. In the end, he was killed by the rioters, and he deserved it."

Liu Zhaosun said this, looking Sun Chuanting in the eye, and said word by word, "I hope that Lord Sun will not repeat his old ways. Be more lenient towards the people."

Sun Chuanting quickly agreed.

The creaking sounds of dismantling door panels from shops on both sides of the street filled the air. A new day had arrived and the merchants were busy.

Some sharp-eyed merchants quickly recognized Liu Zhaosun and immediately shouted, "Marquis Ping Liao! Marquis Ping Liao!"

The chaotic shouts merged into a unified roar. Liu Zhaosun looked at these enthusiastic merchants and was shocked by their emotions.

"Isn't it just a reduction in commercial taxes? Is there any need to be so exaggerated?"

Ping Liao Hou said.

~~~~~
With the help of the guards clearing the way, the three of them finally squeezed out of the enthusiastic crowd of merchants with great effort. On the way here, Liu Zhaosun was thinking about making an inspiring statement in front of the merchants of various ethnic groups in Kaiyuan today.

Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" now seems unnecessary.

These businessmen seem to be full of energy, full of ideals, everyone for me, and I for everyone - in the face of interests, people can burst out with the most fanatical energy.

Ping Liaohou couldn't help but sigh, the power of capital is strong after all. After leaving Cheng'en Gate, they were finally able to ride horses. Everyone jumped on their horses and continued to head north.

The group went to Jing'an Fort, the largest military base in Kaiyuan. After Amin's last massacre, few people were left alive in Jing'an Fort. It took half a year to recover, and about a hundred households moved there. The houses had just been built when the Zhengbai Banner came again.

"Huang Taiji concentrated his forces to attack and open the original main city, but he didn't massacre the people in the garrison."

Ping Liaohou nodded slightly. Compared with Nurhaci, Huang Taiji killed people with more purpose. He would not kill his own Gosiha like the old slave did.

Sun Chuanting continued, "There are still casualties among the residents of the garrison, and many residents I used to know are gone."

Ping Liaohou was depressed and thought of the incident in Tieling. He decided to change the military settlement system.

Everyone stood in front of the dilapidated Jing'an Fort. Ping Liaohou pointed to the vast expanse of military farmland and said to Sun Chuanting, "How much land have you and General Qiao occupied?"

"My Lord, after the death of Ding Bi and Li Ruzhen, General Qiao occupied 150,000 mu of land, of which more than 50,000 mu were abandoned and poor land. It is said that it has been Kaiyuan since ancient times."

"One hundred and fifty thousand acres."

It occupied 150,000 acres of land at once, and this was just in Kaiyuan.

"This reason has been sufficient since ancient times."

Kang Yingqian laughed and said, "According to Taizu's decree, each soldier stationed in Liaodong was given 50 mu of land. General Liu's 150,000 mu is only enough for 3,000 soldiers."

"We must quickly ask the court for oxen and seeds. Each ox plows 150 mu of land, so we need 100. 1,000 mu of land requires 2,400 dan of seeds, so we need more than 2,000 dan. We need horse-drawn carriages for 180 mu..."

Ping Liaohou interrupted Kang Yingqian's chatter and said sternly, "We'll discuss this matter later."

"The Tieling captain is leading the charge in corruption, which makes this official furious!"

Both of them looked towards Ping Liaohou. Sun Chuanting was shocked to hear that General Liu had killed civil officials and captains in Tieling.

"The army and the land cannot be separated. Taizu's system of garrisoning soldiers also has its merits. In the future, soldiers will be recruited from the garrison households first."

"Warriors and garrison households are like trees and roots, fish and water; each is indispensable. If warriors are separated from garrison households for too long, without restraint, and without any interest in the garrison, they will inevitably break the law and discipline.

Finally, Ping Liaohou concluded, "I plan to establish a new army of peasant soldiers, composed entirely of farmers who will not be separated from farming. They will exercise every five or seven days as a reserve force for war, and can later be used directly in battle. This may help reduce corruption."

(End of this chapter)