Sweep Yuan

Chapter 108 Gaining More Talented Individuals to Offer Wise Advice

After Shishan settled the newly joined members, including Tang He and Guo Xing, the turmoil in the city was basically over.

Apart from the continued patrols of the First and Third Battalions, all other battalions had gathered their personnel into their camps. They first organized post-battle debriefings by battalion and company, and then Shishan turned his attention to stabilizing the order in the city.

Fang Zhongwen, Chen Cheng, Xia Mao, and others have already inventoried the supplies in the government warehouse and the spoils seized by various departments, and have compiled a list.

Haozhou originally had one Darughachi (who also served as a commander of ten thousand households), one prefect, one assistant prefect, one judge, and one clerk. Except for the prefect who committed suicide and the judge who was beheaded by Han Cheng while fleeing after the city was captured, the rest were all captured.

Shishan asked Tang He and others, and found that Xia Mao, the clerk, had a relatively good reputation, so he persuaded him to surrender.

The other Tartar officials were all greedy and insatiable, and the people resented them greatly. No matter how talented they were, they could not be kept alive. They would be publicly sentenced in three days to appease the people of Haozhou.

Compared to the minor skirmishes in Lingbi, Hongxian, and Wuhe counties, the spoils in Haozhou were on a completely different scale. The amount of money, grain, cloth, warhorses, and armor seized was more than the sum of the three cities.

The armor alone included nearly 500 sets of various iron armors, more than 1,500 sets of leather armor, 1,200 standard bows and crossbows, and other weapons such as knives and spears, totaling nearly 8,000 pieces.

There were also 627 warhorses and two Xiangyang cannon parts in the armory. It is unclear whether they were poorly stored or the defenders were slow to react, but they were not assembled and used in the previous siege battle, and the Red Flag Battalion benefited from them.

With these soldiers, armor, money, and supplies, Shishan would have much more confidence to expand his army and prepare for war.

After putting down the list of spoils, Shi Shan took out a piece of paper covered with small charcoal writing from his pocket and handed it to Fang Zhongwen.

"Old Fang, Haozhou is different from Hongxian. This is a public notice I drafted based on suggestions from local heroes. Please check it for any problems and polish it for me."

Fang Zhongwen took the piece of paper, but did not unfold it immediately. Instead, he looked at Shishan and said solemnly:
"The name of the Red Flag Battalion has long been changed, and now that Haozhou has been captured, shouldn't the garrison commander be appointed as the marshal to boost morale?"

Fang Zhongwen's move was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. As early as when the camp name was changed outside Hongxian City, Li Wu and others had advised Shishan to appoint himself as the commander-in-chief in order to completely sever the connection between the Red Flag Camp and Xuzhou.

At that time, Hongxian had just been massacred by Shenbao, and Wuhe was an isolated city that was difficult to defend. Shishan declined the generals' advice to take the helm, citing that he "did not yet have the foundation to establish an enterprise." In fact, he did not have the strength and prestige at the time, and rashly declaring himself marshal would only make him a laughing stock.

Now that Haozhou has fallen and our prestige is sufficient, it is time to renegotiate this matter.

This is not the time to talk about "delaying the proclamation of kingship," nor is it that Shishan is greedy for the position or wants the empty title of "marshal."

If the name is not correct, then the words will not be proper.

The explanation of the red scarf and the establishment of the name Red Flag Battalion only determined the political line (where they came from, where they were going, who they united with, and who they attacked), but the question of what identity they should use to implement the political line remained unresolved.

Just as Sesame Li proclaimed himself marshal after conquering Xuzhou, the Red Turban Army is now spread throughout Henan and Jiangbei provinces. To determine the superiority of the Red Flag Battalion over other Red Turban Army units, there must be an anchor point.

It is indeed somewhat inappropriate for him to still hold the position of "Governor" appointed by Xuzhou.

Ishiyama was prepared for this and responded:

"Is this your personal opinion?"

Fang Zhongwen gestured to Chen Cheng and Xia Mao with his eyes, and the three of them simultaneously bowed respectfully to Shishan, saying:
"For the safety of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Haozhou and Wuhe, we urge the commander to assume the post as soon as possible to stabilize public sentiment!"

"And this old man too!"

The one speaking was Liu Xingge, who was walking out of the inner hall.

As early as when Wuhe was captured, Shishan released Liu Xingge's family, allowing them to move freely within the city. After taking Haozhou, he even allowed Liu Xingge to peruse the state government's documents and records.

Less than a month had passed since the "three-month bet" between Shi and Liu, and Old Man Liu took the initiative to persuade Shi Shan to take the position, which actually showed his determination to join the Red Flag Battalion.

"it is good!"

"When the water flows, the channel will be formed," Shi Shan nodded, "there's no need for pretense."

"Old Fang is busy organizing the militia to build city defenses and is temporarily unable to leave. This matter will be handled by Old Chen. Please draft a plan for me as soon as possible, and the Marshal's Office will be formally established in three days."

The reason for allocating three days was not to play any tricks like "three refusals and three concessions," but rather that the Marshal's Office needed to function effectively, establish relevant systems, equip itself with a full complement of subordinates, and prepare rewards for the soldiers.

After all, Shishan had become the commander-in-chief, and his old brothers who had risked their lives for him couldn't just get nothing in return; that would be too disheartening. That's exactly what everyone was hoping for by actively urging him to take the position.
Of course, Chen Cheng didn't need to worry about the specifics of how to bestow rewards; he only needed to prepare the necessary supplies. As it involved military affairs, Shi Shan would never allow anyone else to interfere.

Actually, it would have been more appropriate to leave this matter to Fang Zhongwen.

However, this fellow is too cunning and selfish. Even though he has already pledged allegiance to him, Shi Shan still has to be wary of him. He doesn't want Fang Zhongwen to use the opportunity of establishing the Marshal's Mansion to gain popularity, which could lead to him becoming too powerful to control in the future.

Chen Cheng was clearly not expected that such a good thing would fall into his lap, and he was even a little incoherent when he spoke.

"Your subordinate would dare not shirk your duty!"

Shi Shan nodded, encouraging Chen Cheng to go ahead and do it with peace of mind, and then looked at Liu Xingge.

Having spent a long time together, Shi Shan knew that although the old man Liu was stubborn, he was truly knowledgeable. He had high expectations for him and bowed respectfully, saying, "Master, you have come down from the mountain today. Do you have anything to teach me?"

This time, Liu Xingge didn't boast or show off, but humbly said:
"I am but an ordinary official, of mediocre talent and ability, ignorant of military affairs, and old and senile. I dare not presume to comment on the general situation of the world. I only wish to offer my analysis of the righteous army's administrative strategy to the Marshal."

"Speaking!"

"I was not optimistic about the righteous army at first because the Red Turbans of Xuzhou believed in the great cause of driving out the barbarians and restoring the Han dynasty. Although this slogan clearly stated the goal of driving out the barbarians and overthrowing the court, it was too crude and made it difficult to distinguish between friend and foe."

The marshal changed the flag and the camp name, and elaborated on the grand cause of driving out the barbarians and restoring the Han dynasty. While this might attract some dissatisfied individuals to join him, he did not explain how to govern. The people could not see the benefits of overthrowing the court, so naturally they were reluctant to serve him.

Liu Xingge's words hit the nail on the head.

The slogan "Expel the barbarians and restore the Han" had significant limitations. Even when the red of the Red Turban was explained and the name of the Red Flag Battalion was established, it was merely a repair of the "Expel the barbarians and restore the Han" slogan and did not solve the fundamental problem.

To put it bluntly, the people of Jiangbei had long been accustomed to foreign rule and didn't really care who became emperor.

The Mongol rulers were so ruthless that it caused widespread discontent. The poor couldn't survive without revolting, and the wealthy couldn't protect their property without revolting—the most direct reason for the revolt was simply dissatisfaction with the status quo.

As for what kind of country was established after the rebellion, and who benefited from it, no one mentions it.

Or rather, no one wants to bring it up.

This is also normal.

The upper echelons of the Ying and Xu Red Turban armies were all wealthy and powerful families, who were already a group of beneficiaries. Their motivation for rebellion was to perpetuate their family's wealth, so why would they cut off their own flesh to feed the worthless common people?
In this chaotic state, although a large number of ordinary people were coerced into rebellion, there was no political goal that would make them give up everything to fight for their lives.

The result was that the uprising was spectacular at its peak, but once it encountered a major setback, it collapsed and scattered.

"That's absolutely right!"

Shishan had long been aware of this problem and had been puzzled by it for a long time. He immediately bowed again and sincerely asked for guidance:
"Please, Master, enlighten me."

"Marshal, you are too modest. In fact, the six measures you issued in Hong County to pacify the people and the policies you implemented in Wuhe were already in line with the king's policies. As an outsider, I have a clearer perspective and have been able to see some of these things. Today, I will shamelessly summarize them for you."

The Yuan Dynasty's tax system was modeled after the Song Dynasty's total tax system, with a tax rate of one-fifteenth, which was already considered meager. However, the tax farming system was compounded by layers of additional taxes, coupled with the Tatars' untrustworthiness and frequent changes of orders. They imposed numerous exorbitant taxes, including paper money, additional surcharges, and horse tax, which the people found unbearable and thus had no choice but to rebel.

If the marshal wishes to win the hearts of the people, he can start with the four words "abolishing exorbitant taxes and levies," clearly demonstrating the existence of legitimate taxes to the people.

Xia Maogang had just surrendered and was eager for a chance to prove himself. His attention was entirely on Shi Shan's face. Seeing Shi Shan frown slightly, he immediately spoke up for him, raising his own questions.

"The Red Flag Battalion currently controls only one prefecture and one county, with almost no depth. If the imperial army comes to suppress them, the people under its jurisdiction will surely suffer. Even if some people are willing to farm, most will not be able to harvest their crops. How can the exemption of regular taxes be implemented?"

Liu Xingge was quite frank; he spread his hands and said:
"There is no need to implement it for the time being. We just need to let the people under our rule know that the Red Flag Battalion is not a mob, that the Marshal is willing to bring peace to the world and to reduce taxes and levies to give the people under his rule a way to make a living, while the court is not giving them a way to make a living."

After joining Shishan, Chen Cheng often felt that he was not capable enough. Today, seeing Liu Xingge handle such a major policy with ease and explain it in just a few words, Chen Cheng looked at Liu Xingge with more admiration.

Fang Zhongwen stroked his beard in thought, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

He was well aware of the intricacies involved, and in fact, he didn't think much of this strategy.

What a joke! Without exorbitant taxes and levies, how would the government maintain its normal operations, and how would officials at all levels line their own pockets?
But Liu Xingge is right. The main thing right now is to win people's hearts and minds. It doesn't matter if it's a lie or a deception, as long as it has a catchy slogan.

As for whether to continue this policy or establish a new one after conquering the country, that's just a matter of issuing an edict.

The man feigned sudden realization and exclaimed in praise:
"This is not a concession, but a commitment to building trust!"

Shi Shan certainly knew the importance of establishing credibility. He had been doing this all the way from Xuzhou, but the results were much worse because there was no clear political slogan.

The "tax exemption" policy did indeed benefit the vast majority of people and was barely usable in line with the political line of "driving out the barbarians and restoring the Han dynasty," but it was not very inflammatory. As a person of later generations, Shishan still had some obsessions.

"Why can't it be equal distribution of land and exemption from taxes?"

Snap!
Chen Cheng was startled and dropped the abacus to the ground. He immediately forgot about decorum and hurriedly advised:

"That won't do! Every family in the surrounding villages has contributed land. If we do it this way, the wealthy families will probably defect to the Tartars overnight!"

Fang Zhongwen and Xia Mao, having spent many years in officialdom and possessing deep cunning, were still stunned for a moment, their eyes filled with doubt as they looked at Shi Shan.

Only Liu Xingge, who had heard many of Shi Shan's ingenious ideas before, was not particularly nervous and patiently explained to him:
"Because the Yellow River floods frequently, large areas of the fertile fields in the Huai River basin have been abandoned. The population is far less than that in the Jiangnan region, and it is truly a place of 'vast land and sparse population,' so the problem of land annexation is not prominent."

The rebellion was forced to occur only because the imperial court repeatedly imposed additional taxes and changed the currency, local officials and gentry colluded to disregard the people's livelihood, and years of natural disasters resulted in the people having land to cultivate but no produce, leading to widespread starvation and forcing them to rebel.

Let alone the fact that "equal land distribution and tax exemption" was merely empty talk and impossible to implement, even if it could be implemented, this slogan would lack appeal in the Huai River region and face enormous resistance, far less effective than "exemption of regular taxes and levies."

(End of this chapter)