The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 103 Country
The former Ming Taizu Emperor formulated many detailed management systems, among which grain taxes were used to distinguish between prefectures and counties. For example, those paying less than 100,000 dan of grain were upper counties, those paying less than 60,000 dan of grain were middle counties, and those paying less than 30,000 dan of grain were lower counties.

Xianju's annual grain tax is less than 60,000 dan and more than 30,000 dan, and it is a medium-sized county.

Located in the Jiangnan water town, it enjoys convenient transportation.

The wealthy families all fled, the Japanese pirates were also driven away, and the people who stayed behind wiped away their tears. In the peace and stability provided by the Wang family army, people from all over the country and villages began to save themselves.

They cleaned up their own houses, reinforcing them and adding tiles. For those whose houses were burned down, the whole family built thatched huts in the cold winter.

I get up before dawn to work and work until dark.

Organize farm tools, count the crops, and prepare for the spring.

“The resilience of this land is beyond people’s imagination.”

Wang Xin couldn't help but sigh.

This spirit of hard work will one day become a criticism among many voices.

The magistrate of a middle county was a seventh-rank official, the magistrate of an upper county was a sixth-rank official, and the magistrate of a lower county was a seventh-rank official.

Wang Wenyao, a seventh-rank county magistrate, heard the general beside him sigh and immediately praised him: "General, you are prepared for a rainy day and have made sufficient preparations in advance. I admire you very much."

Wang Xin rubbed his brows.

This person has no backbone of a civil servant.

He said helplessly, "Don't worry. I agreed not to supply you with military rations. I won't go back on my word. There's no need to use sweet words to fool me every day. One or two days is fine, but hearing it every day is a bit annoying."

Wang Wenyao's thoughts were exposed, but he didn't look embarrassed at all. Instead, he became more energetic. "Who among the common people doesn't praise the Wang family army? They all know that the general is very righteous. How about this, the general take out a few hundred stone of military rations and distribute them to the common people. Many people don't even have enough to grow grain."

I was wrong.

This person is not without the backbone of a civil servant, but he is as shameless as a civil servant.

When a large army is stationed in a certain place, the local area should supply military rations, and the supplied military rations can be deducted from the tax grain of that year. Xianju County can pay about 50,000 dan of grain every year, which is enough for Wang Xin's entire army to eat and drink for three to four years.

This was also the tax set by Emperor Taizu of the previous dynasty.

The imperial court took 70% of local taxes, and the local governments kept 30%. Therefore, the local areas of the Great Zhou were wealthy, which enabled them to build and maintain many community schools, and even most ordinary people could recognize a few words.

It was just that because the local government had to support more and more people and spend money in more and more places, it was increasingly unable to make ends meet year by year, and even the 70% of the money paid to the court was in arrears.

"I've already taken out 200 dan. I only brought over 1,000 dan in total. Together with the several hundred dan of military pay provided by Linfu Jinhua, it's enough for my army to last two and a half months. Now, I've given half a month's worth of rations to Xianju County. After more than half a month, the military rations are only enough to last a month. The other ten days are for emergency use. I don't have any extra food left."

If someone else was so shameless, I would have been rude a long time ago.

The magistrate in front of him was actually doing it for the people. He was actually a good official, although he was a little obsessed with power. But no one is perfect, so Wang Xin explained it very carefully.

Wang Wenyao sighed.

I was too embarrassed to continue speaking.

If there are any problems, they will go to their superiors, but the provincial capital has fallen into the hands of the Japanese pirates, and the counties under them have lost their backbone.

"It's not that I don't know what's good for me, but I'm putting the General in a difficult position. It's really hard," Wang Wenyao said in distress. "Everywhere is begging the provincial government for help. I've also sent people to Hangzhou to see the governor and ask for disaster relief, but I don't know when Xianju will get its turn."

Wang Xin thought for a moment and suggested, "I will write a letter to Jinhua Prefecture, requesting the prefect of Jinhua Prefecture to support Xianju in the name of military rations. This way, he will also be rewarded. However, you should not hold your hopes too high. I wonder if this person will agree."

Wang Wenyao was overjoyed, thinking that any method was worth trying.

Wang Xin also hopes to succeed.

Military rations are the bottom line that cannot be shaken. The current situation in Xianju is indeed unable to supply the army, and food needs to be transported from the rear. But if we put all our hopes on the rear, what if it is unreliable?

How many armies have been defeated by their own people.

Let’s not talk about things that happened too long ago. With Luo Ming’s previous experience as a lesson, who can still remember to eat but not to be beaten?

To not harm the people and to march and fight at the same time would test the ability of the generals. Some generals were unwilling to get involved and would rather harass their subordinates than trouble their superiors.

Some generals would do it despite the difficulties, preferring to trouble their superiors rather than harass their subordinates.

Many times, it is actually a personal choice.

If you have your own army, you have to fight and maintain military discipline, so many things must be prepared in advance, like military rations. If you don't have a lot of military rations, the soldiers are also human beings, and they can't fight on an empty stomach.

After all, he owed Lin Ruhai a favor again.

The favors he owed him were getting bigger and bigger, and it felt like he couldn't repay them. Wang Xin felt embarrassed and thought he had to write a letter to Lin Ruhai and ask him to send some food.

Fighting.

When the army looks for a place to ask for food, it all depends on who makes the loudest noise.

Most places ignored it, and even the taxes and grain paid to the court were in arrears, let alone the military rations. There was not enough for the county government and the wealthy families to share. When it came to this point, one had to rely on connections.

So although Xianju County Magistrate Wang Wenyao is not a bad person, he has no connections, and without connections he cannot solve the problem.

Those with bad personalities but connections can actually solve the problem.

This is called bad money driving out good money.

Wang Xin sighed.

You also have to rely on connections to get things done.

Fortunately, I am a good person.

Wang Wenyao sighed.

Nowadays, it is better to be born well than to do well. People without connections can't get anywhere. I really want to find a noble person to rely on, but unfortunately, no noble person will think highly of me.

It was like the moment before dawn, the moment of peace before the decisive battle.

Spring begins.

Military intelligence is here.

Wang Xin didn't care about anything else. He smelled some conspiracy and was still hesitating when he unexpectedly saw an old friend.

"General, do you still remember me?"

The man who came was thin and strong, wearing a cotton jacket and had a smile on his face.

Wang Xin felt that the face was familiar, and suddenly a light bulb went off in his head. He thought of the eldest son of the Qi family. He pointed at the newcomer and said with a smile, "You are Zhang Bo." Remembering this person, Wang Xin asked curiously, "Where is the second son of the Qi family? How have you been lately?"

The visitor was obviously surprised to see Wang Xin recognized him and even called out his name. He smiled happily and said, "After the death of the eldest boss, the second in command took us back to our old business and started smuggling again."

The Qi family was originally a local smuggler.

He had started out as a traveling merchant, a risky business where he could easily lose his head, and had finally become a sedentary businessman, owning a business, but it was ultimately destroyed by Luo Ming. Now that he has returned to his previous state, he has indeed started over again.

Zhang Bo was not worried that Wang Xin would arrest them.

Everyone knew about the Qi family's affairs. How could Wang Xin bring his men to the island and cooperate with the Qi family? How could he not know the Qi family's background? In addition, Zhang Bo admired General Wang, so he did not hide it.

Wang Xin didn't care much.

In general, I actually support the court's maritime ban.

This maritime ban does not mean that there will be no exchanges with other countries, but that trade must be controlled by the court. Because the current maritime trade is the industrial products of the Great Zhou flowing to the world, and what is exchanged is gold and silver, and a very small part is local specialties or some rare items.

This kind of uncontrolled trade caused great harm to the Great Zhou.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

There was no industry that could accommodate the huge amount of gold and silver, and they all eventually poured into the land. The Great Zhou enjoyed peace for a hundred years, and the intensity of land annexation far exceeded that of the previous Ming Dynasty. It can be said that the maritime trade of the Great Zhou played a very important part in this reason.

Land trade prevented the circulation of gold and silver, which ultimately had nowhere to be spent and was buried underground. Meanwhile, the land and mineral output of the Great Zhou Dynasty continued to flow abroad, enriching a small number of people but actually causing disaster for the majority.

This is different from the trade between Jiangnan and other provinces.

In the internal circulation of the Great Zhou, the output of land and minerals remains in the country, and gold and silver also remain in the country.

But if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will be crooked.

We must give the people below a way to survive.

It’s like I’m also making a breakthrough.

Military rations should be supplied by Xianju, and disaster relief in Xianju is a matter for the Governor of Zhejiang to consider.

Not only did he not ask Xianju for military rations, but he sent some food instead. The local county magistrate was relieved because he didn't have to confront the wealthy. The wealthy were also happy because they saved food and didn't have to force the people, which alleviated some of the trouble.

This is also the case if it were me, but what if it were any other general?

They don't have their own relationship with Lin Ruhai.

Therefore, whether it was smuggling on the salt roads or on the sea, they turned a blind eye. In particular, when salt households pretended to be Japanese pirates to smuggle salt, this was digging at the roots of the imperial court. When in Yangzhou, they raised their guns an inch and generally ignored it.

Unless it is extremely evil.

If he wants to smuggle salt, then let him smuggle salt. But if he relies on the knife in his hand, cannot control his desires, and harms the people without conscience, then I will definitely pursue him to the end.

Because of this view, Wang Xin really did not look down on Zhang Bo.

Zhang Bo also felt Wang Xin's respect, whom he had admired before on Yangzhong Island, so he brought a piece of unexpected news.

"Second Master was thinking about General Wang, but the matter was of such importance that he didn't dare to make a decision privately, fearing it would cause huge trouble. But I didn't want to, so I persuaded Second Master, and he relented. I hurried over to tell General Wang."

Zhang Bo said in one breath, "Wang Zhi has already walked on a dead end. The rooftop is a bait. The army has been deployed, waiting for Wang Zhi to sneak in. But the second in command said that excluding the general from this matter means that someone is trying to exclude the general."

Wang Xin was confused at first.

Gradually I understood.

Some people couldn't figure out the key point. "Even you and I know that Wang Zhi was deceived. Then, how could Wang Zhi achieve such a career? Is he a mediocre person?"

Hearing Wang Xin's doubts, Zhang Bo smiled and said, "He's too clever. He really wants to get ashore. People on the shore can't pay attention to those underwater. Who wouldn't want to get ashore?"

Dantu’s legacy was there before.

The Qi family didn't care much about it. Later, the Qi family's foundation was lost, the Inspection Office was also lost, and they were reduced to traveling merchants again, becoming a shady force. The second in command used to be such a masculine man, but now he is trying very hard to get back his previous foundation.

Desire is a terrible thing.

If Wang Zhi is satisfied with the appearance, it will really be a big trouble, and Wang Xin cannot guarantee that he can solve it.

Because he couldn't be caught.

After Zhang Bo's explanation, Wang Xin no longer had any doubts.

In the past, he didn’t understand why the rich could never be satisfied and continued to oppress the people. Didn’t they know the harm? They could not be satisfied because they could not control their desires.

My generation is wealthy, and I want my future generations to be wealthy too. Once my future generations are wealthy, I want to ensure that we remain wealthy forever.
Only by defeating yourself can you become strong.

For someone who cannot defeat himself, all his strength is an illusion.

Don't let yourself share the military merits.

Then let’s not go.

He was promoted five levels in two years. Even if Wang Ziteng and Lin Ruhai tried their best, it would be difficult for him to be promoted any further. He was too young. It would be better for him to think more about his subordinates. With so many military achievements, it would not be difficult to promote them one or two levels one by one considering the relationship between Wang Ziteng and Lin Ruhai.

The world is truly subtle.

The Qi family was actually on the side of the retired emperor. Of course, the retired emperor didn't know the Qi family. Even the master mentioned by Zhang Bo probably didn't know about their Qi family.

Just like myself.

In the eyes of outsiders, he is considered to be a member of the noble family, and if you look more closely at his background, he belongs to one of the four major factions.

Lin Ruhai didn't recognize his subordinates Zhang Can and others, but the relationship between them was very subtle.

So, Luo Ming didn't hit the wrong person.

Luo Ming used to be the emperor's man, so how could he not know the background of the Qi family? Later, he followed the emperor's faction and knew that the Qi family would definitely be a hindrance, so he took the initiative.

Unfortunately.

Luo Ming still lost.

It wasn't his own fault that he lost, but the fault of his superiors.

So let’s look at the overall situation.

The victory over the Japanese this time was not the result of anyone's efforts, but was also due to the superiors.

The emperor won.

The upper and lower levels are united, and the government orders are clear. With the national strength of the Great Zhou and the large number of intelligent people, it is certainly possible to destroy the Japanese pirates.

So the key is that the emperor won.

Is the Emperor Retired necessarily better than the Emperor? Wang Xin didn't know, but no matter who wins, with a clear direction, it will be easier for those below to do their work. Otherwise, why do they say that when gods fight, mortals suffer?

The people didn't even know how old the emperor was or what his last name was.

But the quality of life really depends on the royal family.

Then.

The new learning that was advocated by the wealthy families in Jiangnan even included remarks against the emperor, so the new learning must be good.

It is progress in the literal sense.

Wang Xin shook his head.

It's just for profit.

This is Jianghu.

If you really rely on the rich, things will get even worse, because the rich are more numerous and their eating habits are even more ugly. As for the common people, everyone wants to be a rich man.

This is the way the world is and how people are.

so.

Now that the Japanese pirates have been pacified and we are in a peaceful time, living our own lives well is better than anything else.

But where to live?

Wang Xin felt that he needed to think things through.

The capital is not good, there are too many rules and too many whirlpools. Yangzhou is better, the people are rich and energetic, girls can go out on the streets, and there are even students dressed as men in school.

As a guerrilla general, he was stationed in the local area with a battalion. He drank wine and boasted every day and didn't have to go to work.

Later, when he had a son, he started as a fifth-rank official.

Even if the son is a loser, spends his days eating and waiting to die, offends others, and cannot inherit his position, etc., his grandson will still start as an eighth-rank official.

(End of this chapter)