Griffin Commander in the Late Ming Dynasty

A group of old carpenters gathered around this extremely novel loom, amazed by it.

“It’s still possible…”

"Great, it's really great. In this way, weaving only requires a little manpower, and we can weave several times more cloth than before!"

There was surprise and longing in the eyes of the carpenters.

"The purpose of our Industrial Research Institute is to study things to gain knowledge and to seek welfare for the people. Your knowledge is no longer your personal property, but belongs to the country. I hope you can put aside your past prejudices, use all you have learned, and work hard to research better machines to improve the lives of every citizen. I have also set up a research reward of 5,000 taels. Whoever's research can achieve results will get the 5,000 taels. Of course, if your research is more valuable, I will give you additional rewards based on your research results."

As soon as Jiang Han finished speaking, the craftsmen's eyes, which were originally full of eagerness and appreciation, now had sparks in their eyes.

"Shangguan, you should take this seriously!"

"Yanhuang people don't cheat Yanhuang people!"

"Excuse me, everyone. I will definitely take these five thousand taels!"

"Shut up, Wu Laoliu! Don't embarrass yourself with your craftsmanship. I'm determined to get five thousand taels!"

Looking at the crowd full of gunpowder, Jiang Han's mouth curled up slightly.

There will always be brave men when there is a big reward. This is an unchanging truth since ancient times. If we want to develop industry, we must change people's production concepts and encourage development and invention. The so-called industrial revolution does not only rely on a few inventors, but also on capitalist factory owners who are eager to improve production efficiency.

Jiang Han was constantly making big moves in the city, building factories, rebuilding city defenses, demolishing brothels and brothels, and only retaining some legitimate businesses such as listening to music, and banning all others.

The people in the city realized that this time the rebel seemed different from the usual ones...

The fall of Yangzhou overnight into the hands of rebels was no small matter. On the day the incident broke out, an express letter was sent in two groups to the two capitals.

Five days later, our Emperor Chongzhen received this victory news again when the war was raging everywhere, and his eyes went dark on the spot.

He was so angry these past two days that he had several ulcers on his mouth and had to chew his teeth when eating. Shandong was so big, but because of the incompetence of the defenders, the enemy had bypassed the rear and captured Jinan! Countless gold and silver and civilians were looted by the hateful Jiannu, and even the King of De, who was also a member of the royal family, became a hostage!

This bunch of hateful Jian slaves killed his people and seized his property, so he had to speak nicely and spend a lot of gold and silver to redeem his clan brothers, otherwise he would be criticized by the censors below.

That's all my money!! I worked hard and saved money by cutting down on food and drink! The queen is still wearing patched clothes!

Every time he saw the Queen's appearance, Chongzhen felt heartbroken, and his forehead was burning with anger when he looked at the steamed buns and pickled vegetables on the table.

You are a bunch of good-for-nothings. You were sent out to fight and you were defeated. Now you can't even defend your home! What do you want to do? You boasted loudly in the court and you were determined to make the other side have no chance to return. What about now?

The defenders in the city fought bravely and repelled the enemy, but then these idiots led 10,000 people to pursue them, but they were completely wiped out by the enemy. It's just, just...!

Chongzhen was so angry that he broke several tea bowls. He felt sad after breaking them, and then he became even angrier after feeling sad. My tea bowls!

This anger finally erupted in the court. All officials in Shandong officialdom who were in charge of defense affairs were beheaded without exception, a total of thirty-five people!

When Chongzhen got angry, he didn't care what would happen if there was no chance of getting a new position or the officialdom was in chaos. He had to vent his anger now, otherwise he would feel uncomfortable.

Before I could vent my anger, another piece of good news came: Yangzhou was gone!

It was so lively in the court. The emperor was so angry that he was doing somersaults, and the performances below were also very exciting.

Now the eunuch party has got the opportunity. Jiangnan, that is the base camp of your Donglin Party, and you are still targeting us. Now the backyard is on fire. I'll let you down for the spit you sprayed on me if I don't add more fuel to the fire!

The eunuch party officials took turns to appear on stage, vividly describing how the county magistrate in Yangzhou city went out to celebrate the festival, the county magistrate kowtowed to the rebel leader on the ground, and all the officials in the city, big and small, looked like they were looking forward to the royal army, and they were just about to hug the rebels and cry, "You are finally here!" They looked like traitors.

The Qingliu people naturally did not want to be left behind, saying that you eunuchs really have bad intentions! Spreading rumors here to cause trouble, but to be honest, the loss of Yangzhou City is indeed strange. I heard from the third nephew of my seventh uncle that...

The Donglin Party naturally couldn't just sit there and wait for death, so they responded by saying that it was the fault of the commander-in-chief that led to the rebellion! Stop slandering us!

The court was filled with a beautiful scene of vitality and prosperity. The ministers were getting along well with each other. The emperor was pinching his Ren Zhong point and his blood pressure was rising.

"What are you all wasting your time on! Let's discuss what to do now! Kill these rebels as soon as possible! If you can't chop off their heads, I'll take your heads!"

As a result, Nanjing received several urgent orders. One was from the chief officer of Nanjing, asking him to quickly organize the official army to capture Yangzhou as soon as possible. The other was to the commander of the garrison, asking him to delay as much as possible and let Yangzhou be completely destroyed.

Volume 184: Chapter 4000 Chapter : Fishing Fishing words

The rebels in Yangzhou City were like a group of living Bodhisattvas.

This was the conclusion reached by the people of Yangzhou after five days of observation. In this context where the superiors had no control over the behavior of their subordinates and it was considered a rare benevolent army if they did not take action against the people, most of the officers even encouraged and took the lead in robbing the people, even the so-called royal army.

"A lice passes like a comb, while a soldier passes like a rake" refers to this phenomenon. As we all know, combs are used to make hair smooth. The teeth on ancient wooden combs were a little sparse, while the rake, which is like a soldier passing like a rake, was a hair combing tool used by ancient people to remove lice. Compared with a comb, its teeth are much finer, and even the smallest lice cannot withstand a few rounds of it.

It's about the bandits looting. At least some people can survive, but if the government troops come, there will be nothing left.

No matter whether it is the so-called rebel army, the government army, or the Tartars, they are all the same. The rebels revolted because they could not survive. A group of poor people were desperate and sought another way for themselves. But after they really grew in scale, they no longer regarded themselves as one of the poor people. Their goal became to be the emperor in turn, and they came to my house this year. They robbed the poor more cruelly than the poor themselves, because they had also been poor, and they knew where the poor would hide their food.

Therefore, Jiang Han's troops really opened the eyes of the people in the city. An army that is not as brave as the others is rare. Not only did this army not cause any trouble, it also helped the people repair houses and transport goods. When they saw a naughty child, they would touch his head and turn a blind eye to it. It was really eye-opening.

"Come on, young man, have a drink of water. You've been tired for a long time. Sit down and rest for a while."

Mrs. Zhang came to the yard carrying a bowl of water. A young man in armor was standing there, as if someone had erected a wooden stake there.

Mrs. Zhang's family sold tofu, which was a business that had been passed down in the family. However, there were disasters in later years and the harvest was poor, so the tofu business became worse and worse and they could no longer make money. Her husband passed away and her son found a job at the dock. The two of them were responsible for doing some laundry and mending work for others, and they could still make ends meet.

The rebels captured Yangzhou City two days ago and announced that every household could receive food if they registered. My daughter-in-law had to work for others and it was inconvenient for her to go out, so Zhang had to come.

There were three people in the family and nine kilograms of food. Seeing that Mrs. Zhang was old and alone, the rebels sent someone to help her carry the food all the way home. Seeing that the house had been neglected for years, they helped to repair it and ran around.

People are also made of flesh and blood. Mrs. Zhang didn't understand what the government army or the royal army were. She just thought that the young man was busy taking care of his family's affairs and was sweating all over his forehead. She had to give him at least a sip of water to drink.

"Thank you, Auntie"

The young soldier took the earthenware bowl and drank it heartily. During this time, Mrs. Zhang, as a middle-aged woman, could not help but start talking about family matters because of the DNA in her blood.

"Young man, where are you from? How did you become a soldier?"

In fact, she wanted to say how to be a thief, but the words changed and became a soldier.

The young man wiped his mouth and said, "I am from Runing Prefecture. There was a famine in my hometown, so I fled here and was taken in by my employer. I was able to support myself by doing business, and in order to protect my family, I became a soldier."

In this day and age, every family has a tragic story. Mrs. Zhang was more interested in some of the new words the young man said: "Defend your own home?"

"That's right! We work hard and farm diligently, but 90% of the fruits of our labor are taken away by those officials to enjoy themselves, and they just watch us starve to death. How can this be tolerated? We have to protect the fruits of our labor by ourselves, so I joined the army. We, the Volunteer Army, are for poor people like us to no longer be bullied by those landlords and government officials."

When Mrs. Zhang heard what the young man said, she felt that he was different from all the soldiers she had seen before, as if he was shining.

"Okay, Auntie, you stay at home and rest. I have to go patrol the streets, so I'll leave first!"

After drinking the water, the young soldier returned the pottery bowl to Mrs. Zhang and left.

"Volunteers..."

Nowadays, the provisional government has received a lot more reports of complaints. Although those who have made direct reports are still waiting and watching, as soon as night falls, the report box at the gate of the yamen is almost filled up.

Jiang Han was overwhelmed by so many reports that he had to leave it to the humanoids to handle. He also set the next execution date for next week, and made it a fixed procedure, once a week, until all these unscrupulous people were killed.

Jiang Han seemed very anxious in everything he did, but in this particular environment, the people could still accept it. After all, they had nothing to eat before, but now they have food to eat and fields to plant. The people are very clear in their hearts! The rebel leader said that the fields are all owned by the state and they only have the right to use them. In fact, what is it? This land belongs to your sons and grandsons, but you are not allowed to buy and sell it again to prevent cunning people from taking advantage of it.

This is my own field!

The people are so easily satisfied that as long as there is a way to make a living, they will follow you. There is no need for any generous treatment to seduce them or to welcome them. All they need is a way to make a living.

However, although Jiang Han was as warm as spring to the common people, it was as cold as winter to the wealthy families in the city.

Every big householder now lives in fear and anxiety all day long. After the rebel leader issued the order to welcome reports in order to increase the size of their fields, they knew that something bad was going to happen.

"What should we do now? That damned rebel thief came up with such a sinister trick. Everyone, we must think of a solution."

At a family dinner of a wealthy family, a group of wealthy people were discussing countermeasures with worried faces.

"Don't just eat, talk."

"What can I say? Now all the officials in charge of the city have been kidnapped by that villain, and even the government troops have been disbanded and used to dig up the city walls. No matter how unwilling we are, what can we do?"

"But we can't just sit there and wait for death! Everyone, you know best what you did. If you fall into the hands of that villain, you can't escape death anyway. Are we just going to wait for death in silence?"

"What do you want to say? Jin Lao San, just tell me directly. There's no need to add fuel to the fire. We are not fools."

"That's right, Jin Lao San, if you have any ideas, just tell me directly."

A group of people talked at the same time and responded to Jin Lao San.

Seeing that no one could get out of this trouble, Jin Lao San sighed with regret and said through gritted teeth, "We are all on the same boat now. Since that thief occupied the government office, the box is almost full of letters of accusation from the government every night. Our life and death are at stake. We can't just sit there and wait for death. We must resist and let that damn thief know that we are not made of clay either."

"Resist? How can we resist? How many guards do you have at home? They have more than 5,000 soldiers. Now that they have captured Yangzhou, they have even more soldiers and horses, and everyone is wearing armor. What can we use to resist them?"

"Yeah yeah.."

There was a series of responses.

"Why are you damaging your own prestige and boosting others' morale? Isn't that villain also a mortal with two shoulders and a head? How can he not resist? If we are fully prepared, we may not be able to..."

"Oh, thank God. I still advise you to understand the concept of resistance first. Don't forget that when this man entered Yangzhou City, he brought ten people to raid the Wen family. Tell me, how do you explain it?"

"What else? Let him kill the Han family, then the Jin family. Then there will be no one to kill."

"Stop arguing, stop arguing, stop arguing. We can't fight openly, can't we use underhand tactics?"

"how do I say this?"

A group of people looked at Jin Laosan.

Seeing everyone's expectant eyes, Jin Lao San picked up the teacup and blew slowly, then began to speak: "I have sent servants to observe this group of bandits day and night in recent days, and found that this group of people has great ambitions."

"how do I say this?"

"Generally, wherever a bandit army passes, they leave no grass behind, like locusts. But this group of people is completely different. They improve people's livelihood, enforce military discipline, establish laws and regulations, and emphasize benevolence. At first glance, they are easy to distinguish from other groups of mud-legged people. Their goal is far from just one Yangzhou."

"So...it's true, but what does this have to do with us?"

"Don't be impatient. Listen to me. If you want to achieve something big, you must pay attention to the opinions of the people and your image. You must leave an image of a good person in the hearts of the people. But you and I know very well that in this world, there is no such thing as a good person."

"so what?"

"So, we must make sure he doesn't become the judge."

"I can't be a good person? What should I do?"

A group of people watched Jin Lao San and a person next to him talking and praising each other, cooperating seamlessly. They understood what was going on, but none of them said anything, just watching the two perform.

"I have inquired about it. After this group of people entered the city, they used the looted food to distribute to the people and win their hearts. Now that the group of untouchables have eaten his food, they have accepted his kindness. This is a life-saving grace, and this is a conspiracy to win people's hearts. In order to facilitate the distribution of food, all the food is concentrated in the official warehouse in the city."

When everyone heard this, they were shocked: "Could it be that..."

"That's right. In this world, the problem is not the lack of food but the inequality of food. If he can give everyone food and everyone can take it, it's fine. But if the warehouse is burned down, the people who came earlier get the food, but the people who came later don't, how will he end it? Moreover, he has more than 5,000 soldiers under his command. What can they do without this batch of food?"

"Um...robbed us?"

"Yes, grab......"

Jin Laosan choked and stared at the person who spoke with wide eyes. The atmosphere in the venue suddenly became very awkward.

Everyone thought about it and agreed: indeed, your idea is a good one, but he has soldiers. His food has been burned, but ours has not been burned. Can't he just rob ours?

"Everyone, don't be impatient, don't be impatient, I haven't finished yet, so we will send people to spread rumors among the crowd and create chaos, so that this group of low-class people will be in chaos. When they put down the riot, we will take advantage of the chaos and send servants to attack Huanglong directly and behead the damned thief on the spot. Isn't this a success!"

The atmosphere became better again.

"It seems like there is indeed a possibility?"

"It is indeed feasible. That bastard is arrogant and extravagant. He only has a few guards, and the rest are all beauties with outstanding looks. He is not worthy of being a human being! Even Mr. Pei..."

Woo woo woo, Mr. Pei, my Mr. Pei.

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

"If this plan succeeds, you and I will be the siege force to retake the city. We just need to wait for the royal army to arrive, and then we will open the gate and present the head of that thief. We will be promoted to higher positions. Isn't it just around the corner?"

"Great, great!!!"

"Right, right, right! Jin Lao San, I didn't expect you to be so wise!"

"Since everyone has no objection, then let's just leave it at that for today. Everyone go back and think about whether you want to join. We'll discuss the details tomorrow."

"Okay! We'll discuss this tomorrow!"

After having a good meal and a few drinks, the group left the Jin family, arm in arm, as if they regarded Jin Lao San as their close friend.

"Jin Lao San, I was wrong about you. I never thought you could be so quick-witted and smart. See you next time. I'll drink three cups as punishment!"

"Brother, what are you talking about? Send it all, buddy. Everyone has a different brain, right?"

“Hahahahahahaha, yes, yes, hahahahaha”

Watching the group of people slowly leave, the expression on Jin Laosan's face was very meaningful.

"Sir, I have gained their trust. This plan will definitely catch all those who have ulterior motives in the city!"

Looking at Jin Lao San who was kneeling on one knee in front of the table, Jiang Han put down the file in his hand and rubbed his nose: "How many companies have you contacted?"

"Reporting to the Lord, including the ones from the past few days, there are already more than 80."

"Well, very good, you did a great job. Let me see. The execution will be carried out in a week. You will probably... do it for three days. Then we will close the net."