Griffin Commander in the Late Ming Dynasty

However, now, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find it. This was not good news for Jiang Han.

War was imminent and plague was brewing in the northern part of the grassland. The repeated threats of natural disasters forced him to speed up every step he took. He no longer had time to search for sweet potatoes across the country.

So, Jiang Han thought of a solution.

As the saying goes, those above work hard, and those below work hard. If his own strength is weak, can he mobilize the masses? And the only way to mobilize the masses to do something is to improve their social status.

There are two channels to improve one's social status, one is civil and the other is military. The civil route is naturally through the imperial examination, and step into the officialdom step by step, but that route is too long, and there are too many intrigues. Everyone in the court is a shrewd person, and he is not sure he can beat those old guys who have spent their whole lives studying how to fight others.

Then there is only one way left, and that is to use force.

This route is relatively simpler. As long as you are good at fighting and can attract the attention of those above you, you will have the opportunity to receive certain rewards. The useless emperor in Beijing is extremely anxious. His Ming Dynasty is now in a state of disarray. There are bandit problems in the northwest, rebellions everywhere, peasant uprisings in the south, and even more serious ones in the north. The Manchus will invade soon, and they don't celebrate the New Year because they are not Han Chinese and don't celebrate the Han Festival.

Under such internal and external troubles, if a capable organization can stabilize an area, the person above will most likely be generous with rewards. However, what Jiang Han wants is not a high-ranking official, but the information that is valued by the people above.

With this, he could entrust some people to help him find sweet potatoes and various crops that were not originally available in China, and at the same time, gain a large amount of resources for himself.

He was not prepared to completely break off relations with the Ming Dynasty, and wanted to use the remaining strength of this dying empire to preserve some seeds for the Chinese land.

The news brought by M4A1 undoubtedly gave him a good opportunity to make use of the issue.

He had previously assigned the two of them a task to clear out the surrounding bandits, and the two had made very satisfactory progress. In that era, there were basically no bandit forces that could offer any resistance.

But this time it’s different. This group of people seems to be in collusion with a big boss in the city.

In this case, their weapons and equipment should be slightly better, but not too excessive. The most important thing is that such a group of people must be very famous in Yangzhou City.

The so-called recruitment requires you to be famous first before you can enjoy the favor of those fat-bellied bigwigs, and the value you can achieve for them is to do some dirty work in the sewer.

If he could get rid of this gang of people in public, his reputation would surely be spread. At the same time, local banditry has been a headache for local governments for a long time. It is difficult to find good news to report to the capital from all over the country. If he could submit this achievement at this critical juncture, the effect would surely be very good.

"What is it, Commander?"

The dog looked at Jiang Han innocently as he stood in one place for a long time without moving, muttering to himself.

"Ah, dog, there is a very surprising thing happening"

"Ah! What is that? I love surprises the most!"

The dog ran to Jiang Han expectantly, with a look of hope on his face.

"The surprise is that in three days, we will take our prepared weapons to fight the bandits outside the village. By then, you should be able to have a good fight."

"Ah! Great! I've been so bored since I couldn't fight these days! Finally I can have a good fight!"

Being a private bodyguard is an unfamiliar experience for the young Dog, as there are no fights and no enemies to play with. However, the commander is around and there are many interesting things to do, so it’s okay. When the Dog heard about the opportunity to fight, he was naturally very enthusiastic.

As for the candidates for this job, in fact, neither the 45 nor the M4A1 in Jiang Han's team are very suitable, because their tactics and combat actions are mainly centered around their own firearms. Even if there is a need for close combat, they mainly rely on CQB, quickly killing the enemy with short weapons, and then finishing with weapons.

In this case, firstly, the shock level is not enough, and secondly, it cannot achieve the effect that Jiang Han wants.

Jiang Han has always been willing to think the worst of those officials of the Ming Dynasty. If he reveals the advantage of guns, they will definitely not think of winning him over, but will try to get the guns in their hands.

Therefore, the most central character in this plan is the dog.

Dog's fighting style is very unique and wild. She has a mysterious love for close combat and she also likes to demolish human bodies. After entering the combat state, this simple big girl transforms from a cute two-dimensional wife into the Chosen One of Khorne. For her, she can get happiness from torturing the enemy.

Nowadays, fierce is actually a compliment. Whether it scares people depends on the camp. The more frightened the enemy is, the more at ease we are. We just need to be careful not to stand around the dog when she is fighting. How perfect.

"M4A1, investigate the bandit camp on that mountain and share their specific intelligence with me. We are going to put on a big show."

Jiang Han said to M4A1 in his heart.

This was a brand new use of the system he discovered. All the humanoids could communicate freely through thoughts under this general communication base station. Of course, the same applied to communicating with themselves. When he first discovered this function, he felt as if a bunch of braids had grown behind his head, and then he said: The sacred Kara connects us.

"receive"

M4A1's response was brief. After nodding to 45 to indicate action, the two let go of the team heading to Yangzhou City and followed the trail in the opposite direction, heading towards the bandits' camp.

"Well, in order to ensure the safety of the mission, let me see if I can summon another partner for us."

Through his recent "philanthropy", Jiang Han's reputation with the people has once again experienced a small bumper harvest, which allows him to summon another humanoid.

"It's my turn! Draw a card! Send resources! Fame to the graveyard, Xyz Summon! Come out! My warrior!"

Jiang Han raised his fingers to the sky and posed.

"Ohhhhhhh! The Commander is so handsome!"

The dog was so happy that he saw stars.

A short moment later, 45's voice was heard on the intelligence channel: "Oh? Could it be that our commander did something stupid again when I was away? What a pity! If I were here, I would definitely take a picture of it."

Jiang Han's face flushed and he covered his face with his hands.

"I forgot that it would take a while for her to come after I summoned her..."

"puff"

This is the sound of the M4A1.

"Do not laugh!"

Volume 67: Chapter Chapter : Don’t let your dog cook

"Master, everything you ordered has been arranged."

After returning to the garden, the messenger immediately ran to Wen Ren to report, without even wiping the yellow mud off his feet, just to let the master see his hard work.

Wen Ren was in the study in the garden. Inside the study, there were all kinds of furniture including the four treasures of the study. The bookshelves were made of rosewood, the brushes were made of wolf hair, the rice paper was from Luoyang, the ink was made of rosin, and there was also a small incense burner in which were burning small sandalwood leaves. The fragrance mixed with the book fragrance in the study made people feel peaceful just by smelling it.

But now the problem comes. Master Wen Renwen, born as a businessman, has no chance to receive any proper education. Children like him are not accepted by teachers in private schools. It is not a matter of whether they are willing or not, but it is a legal requirement.

So, our Master Wen Renwen actually can't read a single word, so why did he decorate his study so grandly? Of course, it is used for concave shape.

Every day after coming out of the bathhouse, Master Wen would go back to his study for a while to deal with various household affairs, and then pretend to be serious at his desk.

Wen Ren glanced at his subordinate who looked a little embarrassed and nodded: "Well, you did a good job. What do you say over there?"

"Hey, sir, if you give the order, what can that filthy fellow say? As long as you give the order, he will make sure it's done cleanly and at the right time."

“Well, look at this.”

Wen Ren threw a potato pancake to the messenger.

The messenger hurriedly stepped forward to take it, tossed it in his hands, and looked at the thing in his palm: "Master, what is...?"

"This is something that the new family has recently hired someone to sell on the street. You can try it."

Food? The messenger was a little confused. Is there anyone selling food these days? The messenger tasted it carefully and savored it carefully.

"It tastes like beans and bran... and there's another taste that I can't describe. It tastes average and not very tasty. Sir, this thing can't be sold, right?"

The envoy was very confident about his taste. This kind of rough food was not even edible in their manor. The snacks made by the private chef were all very exquisite. Could they sell such things?

"They only sell this for ten cents."

"Ten cents!? Ah, sir, please forgive me, I was just too surprised."

The messenger was so surprised that his voice broke. He quickly tried to apologize to Wen Ren. This news was really too outrageous. Ten cents for food? Could this person still be living in the Wanli period? How could someone set a price like this?

"Forgive me for being blunt, but with the current grain prices, this person's pricing is definitely not for the long term, I'm afraid it's just to increase sales."

The messenger carefully put forward his suggestions.

"Um"

Wen Ren expressed no comment on this.

"This person is selling this kind of food in Yangzhou City in a high-profile manner. He also bought a farm and recruited many farmers. His intentions are not small..."

The messenger heard Wen Ren's voice-over: "Master, do you mean...?"

"In five days, the new county chief will take office. At that time, all the wealthy families in the city will go to welcome him."

Wen Ren did not answer him, but changed the subject.

"The county magistrate takes office, and the bandits rob the village. How pleasant to hear~"

Sitting on the armchair, Wen Ren took a sip of tea and sighed slightly.

"So that's how it is, sir. It's really high!"

The envoy gave a thumbs up. He was so impressed by the warm and kind heart.

"Then please make another trip to confirm the time. When the time comes, you will definitely get some benefits."

"Master, look at what you said. If we follow you, we will be open-minded and forget ourselves!"

"So what's on your mind?"

"Big Business"

"Hahahahahahaha! Go now!"

It must be said that the fact that this envoy could become Wen Ren's confidant meant that he had some talent. Although Wen Ren did not say anything, he was able to quickly understand what his master meant. Such a smart person could save the superior a lot of trouble.

After becoming a superior, people seem to start paying attention to their own status, and everything they do starts to be vague. If they don't become a riddler, they can't show how advanced they are. Just like Wen Ren, who couldn't even pass the examination to become a student, but he liked to play tricks and act mysterious, so that he could distinguish himself from the ordinary people.

The messenger bowed, turned around and took his leave, leaving Wen Ren to continue posing in the study.

...

"I'm a little hungry after a busy day. What should I eat..."

What to eat tonight is an ultimate question that is on par with the three major questions of philosophy.

For Jiang Han now, there is not much room for choice. Although there are many more dishes in the late Ming Dynasty than in the previous dynasty, at present, many crops have not yet been discovered and the price of meat is extremely high, resulting in not many dishes that can be cooked. Jiang Han used to love spicy food, but now he can only be forced to eat light food, which is really torture.

"Commander, would you like to eat?"

"Yes, it's almost time to prepare to eat."

Jiang Han touched his stomach and looked up at the sky. All the cooks in his family were sent to the farm to make potato pancakes, and to be honest, Jiang Han was not used to their cooking skills.

"Commander, if you want to eat, can you let me try? I want to help too!"

Looking at the sincere look in the dog's eyes, Jiang Han found it hard to say no: "Why did you suddenly want to help with this? And can you cook, dog?"

"I can do it! I've been watching you do it these days! I've learned it all! And! I even caught a big crab in the pond today!"

The dog answered confidently.

"Really? Well then...why don't you try it first?"

Jiang Han was a little skeptical, but he didn't want to discourage the child's enthusiasm. Besides, crabs are basically happy to eat whether they are steamed or boiled. Even if you are so bad, you won't blow up the pot, right?

"Okay! Commander, just wait!"

The dog rushed to the kitchen excitedly. Jiang Han looked at the dog's happy expression and shook his head helplessly.

Jiang Han didn't actually have much hope that the dog could make anything delicious, and he would most likely have to wait and redo it himself, but the children were so thoughtful, and he couldn't directly refute them. Jiang Han never minded being nicer to these girls who were devoted to him.

"Alright! Commander! Come and taste what it tastes like!"

Soon, the dog came over with a pot of food.

Jiang Han sat in front of the table, thinking to himself, after all, it was the first time that the little one wanted to cook for him. No matter what the food the dog made turned out to be, he would try his best to encourage the child and give her confidence.

He originally thought so, until the crab in the bowl stretched out its claws and clamped his chopsticks.

Volume 68: Chapter Chapter : The County Magistrate's Private Visit

Jiangnan has been the base camp of the Donglin Party since ancient times. The so-called Donglin Party is actually an alumni association, because the main members all graduated from Donglin Academy. As classmates, they naturally have to take care of each other. At the beginning, its nature was similar to that of the Tsinghua Alumni Association. Later, its nature gradually deteriorated and it became a party.

As Donglin became more and more famous, it naturally attracted most people to join and attach themselves to it. Even if many people did not attend classes in Donglin, they could successfully join the Donglin Party by circling around Donglin, making themselves familiar to others and saying that they were from Donglin. Even in the later period, when the Donglin Party was powerful, anyone who said that they were from Donglin Academy would be believed, because there were so many people.

The current Emperor Chongzhen came to power with the support of Donglin. He assured the Donglin people that after taking office, he would kill Wei Yan and restore peace and order to the world. This was a political slogan, just like when Biden next door went up and told everyone that he must ban guns and that he would do something big after taking office, and then he really did it.

The emperor kept his promise and killed Wei Zhongxian. The Donglin people were very happy. Haha, Wei Yan is dead, now it is our Donglin’s world!

However, ideals are full and reality is very skinny. Wei Zhongxian represented not one person, but a eunuch party composed of the palace eunuchs and people who had been taken care of by Wei Zhongxian.

The eunuch party was not, as everyone thought, composed entirely of bad people. Instead, these people had received help from Wei Zhongxian when they entered the court, so they were naturally classified into Wei Zhongxian's camp, that is, the eunuch party.

People are complicated, like Wei Zhongxian who likes to make money and is a treacherous person. Before entering the palace, he was a gambler who gambled away all his wealth, so he forced Niu Ziga into the palace. But he had one advantage, and that was Run. If someone he liked, or someone who gave him money to rely on, wanted to help him, he would spare no effort and make sure he could make you feel comfortable. If Wei Zhongxian was replaced by an older sister, it would be a fatal blow, but unfortunately he couldn't.

A group of people who were favored by Wei Zhongxian naturally had a lot of topics to talk about. You were favored? You too? Oh, what a coincidence, then we are brothers who have fought swords together!

After more than ten years of wielding power, Wei Zhongxian's hand extended to every aspect of the imperial court. Except for a few private plots that were strictly guarded by the Donglin Party, the heads of several important departments were almost all eunuchs. It was not until the end of the Chongzhen period, after a series of micro-manipulations by our crooked emperor, including the chief minister of the cabinet coming to power, stepping down, coming to power again, and stepping down again, that the structure and power of the imperial court began to be gradually controlled by the Donglin Party.

The promotion path for Donglin Party members was very simple. First they had to rely on the imperial examinations, and then be recommended to the Jiangnan base camp to serve as grassroots officials for two years. When the time was right, they would be promoted to Beijing, and everyone would fight the eunuch party together. Therefore, almost every county magistrate in Jiangnan had a bright future.

"Master, Master, please slow down! The road is slippery!"