Chapter 608: What kind of people does the Ming Dynasty need?
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Mr. Qian’s face turned red, then white, and then blue, changing constantly.

Zhang Juzheng started to calculate in his mind.

One third of 7,400 acres is 2,460 acres. Together with the fields in other places, the Qian family’s fields are about 4,000 to 5,000 acres.

Compared with the wealthy families in Jiangnan who owned tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of acres of land, the Qian family could only be considered a small landlord.

But it’s different in the North.

The annexation of farmland in the north is much less than that in the south. This is still Zhili, under the emperor’s nose, and it is already very impressive to be able to annex 3,000 to 4,000 acres.

Thinking of this, Zhang Juzheng understood that the Qian family must have been the leader in the fight for water between the villagers of Yahongqiao Town and the East Bank factory.

It occupies one third of the land!

Didn’t you realize that this guy was hiding behind the scenes and fanning the flames, which led to such a big incident?

Director Wu had made it very clear before that the cause was that the villagers had blocked Hongjia Bridge, not allowing the factories on the east bank to go to the west bank to purchase vegetables and livestock, nor allowing the factory’s vehicles to pass.

Every time they fought, the two sides became more and more angry.

The villagers who had started a fire moved out the pine tree cannon and fired two shots at the east bank as a deterrent.

The East Coast factory looks like it has a lot of guns, right? It seems like no one has no guns!

They immediately selected two small-caliber six-jin cannons from the Fengrun Artillery Regiment of the Kaiping Militia Division and pushed them out, firing two shots at the west bank.

The villagers on the west bank were shocked.

But they were also people who had seen the world. When the Northern Tartars were raiding the border, the villagers of Yahongqiao Town built a stronghold to protect themselves and fired a few cannons at the Northern Tartar cavalry.

Who is afraid of whom!
In addition, with the secret instigation of the Qian family, the East and West sides of the Taiwan Strait came into conflict, firing artillery fire from across the river, which alarmed the emperor.

Zhang Juzheng soon figured everything out.

Zhu Yijun looked at Mr. Qian and asked, “Have you ever passed the imperial examination and served as an official?”

Qian replied nervously: “In reply to the emperor’s words, I took the provincial examination in Shuntian Prefecture in the 31st year of Jiajing, but failed the two joint examinations. I was selected as the county magistrate of Yangcheng County, Zezhou, Shanxi.

In the 41st year of Jiajing, Mokan was transferred to the main hall of Dong’e County, Shandong. In the 45th year of Jiajing, he resigned and returned to his hometown.

Zhu Yijun chuckled, “He really was an official, and a county magistrate at that, so he can play so smoothly. Gongliang, read it to everyone.”

“As ordered!” Song Gongliang took a piece of paper and began to read, “Qian Guiyi, the Qian family, who passed the provincial examination in the 31st year of Jiajing, had 41 mu of land in the 30th year of Jiajing, which increased sharply to 175 mu in the 31st year. In the 41st year, it increased to 2,600 mu, and in the 45th year, it suddenly decreased to 1,200 mu.

Upon investigation, it was found that the Qian family had 1,000 acres of land in the names of their clansmen, and 2,100 acres of land in the names of 37 households, totaling 4,300 acres.

I have verified through various sources that the Qian family’s 4,300 acres of land is indeed correct, because the annual harvest from these fields goes into the Qian family’s granary.”

Mr. Qian was so frightened that he was shaking all over. How come what this master described was more detailed than what he knew himself?

Zhu Yijun casually pointed at Song Gongliang and said, “I forgot to introduce you. This is my Jinyiwei Commander Song Gongliang. You are just a minor scholar. You should be honored to have the Jinyiwei Commander check your family background!”

Mr. Qian’s legs went weak and he fell to his knees, kowtowed repeatedly.

“Your Majesty, spare your life!”

He was also a former county magistrate, and he knew that the villagers of Yahongqiao Town and the factory on the east bank had fired artillery across the river, alarming the emperor, so someone had to take the blame.

Who will carry it?
A factory on the East Coast?
That is the treasure pot of the Shaofujian, and it is so precious to him. How could the emperor be willing to give it up?

Ordinary people on the west bank? If he severely punishes them, how can the emperor still love the people like his own children?

It just so happened that the Jinyiwei had thoroughly investigated their own ox-bile and dog-bearing treasures, and they were the perfect people to take the blame!
But if I were to take on this blame, my entire family would be executed, and I really can’t bear it.

Zhu Yijun looked at Mr. Qian who was kowtowing on the ground and sneered, “The household registration office of Fengrun County only registered your family’s 1,200 mu of land. The Regulations on the Exemptions of Officials and Gentry in the Jiajing Period states that unofficial candidates are exempted from 1,200 mu of land.

You resigned and returned to your hometown, becoming a juren (a scholar who has not yet been appointed to a government post), and you were granted exactly 1,200 acres of land. Mr. Qian, you have a thorough understanding of the court’s laws and regulations, and you apply them very flexibly!”

Yan, the magistrate of Fengrun County nearby, hurriedly took off his black gauze hat, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly, saying: “I was foolish and negligent, and watched the clerks collude with the evil gentry to hide the land and evade taxes. I deserve to die. Please punish me, Your Majesty.”

“You, the county magistrate of Fengrun, have acted in a muddle-headed way, and have been led by the evil gentry by the nose, causing such a big incident. You really need to reflect on yourself.”

Zhu Yijun turned to Zhang Juzheng and said, “Master Zhang, you are the Prime Minister of the Cabinet and the Director of the Central Steering Committee of the Performance Evaluation System. The Performance Evaluation System not only evaluates the central government, but also the provincial governments, prefectures, and counties.

You are here today to work on the spot. Please tell me how Fengrun County should deal with this according to the performance evaluation law?”

Zhang Juzheng understood what Zhu Yijun said.

For Yan Zhixian, the magistrate of Fengrun County, we should hold him high and then put him down gently.

When inspecting the Fengrun Woolen Fabric Factory just now, Director Wu also mentioned that Fengrun County Magistrate Yan was a good official and he actively supported the establishment of a factory in Fengrun County.

He has always been willing to help and do everything himself, from selecting a site, starting construction to recruiting staff.

Regardless of his purpose, in the current officialdom, especially in the relatively conservative north, there are indeed very few local officials who are willing to fully support industry and commerce and work hard for it.

Of course the emperor would protect such an official.

Zhang Juzheng replied, “Your Majesty, according to the regulations of the cabinet, County Magistrate Yan should be dismissed immediately and sent to a study class for half a year. He can be reinstated only after passing the examination and then assigned to a local government.”

Is there such a good thing?
County Magistrate Yan looked up, unable to believe it.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and ignored him, instead turning his head to stare at Mr. Qian.

“You, Mr. Qian, have hidden your land, evaded taxes, and violated the law. For your own selfish interests, you have instigated disputes between workers and farmers on both sides of the strait, and fired cannons across the strait, alarming me.

Come, take him away and hand him over to the relevant prosecutors.”

“According to the order!”

A military school student stepped forward and carried away Mr. Qian, who had collapsed into a puddle of mud.

Everyone couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Now that the biggest blame had been taken away by someone, things would be easier to deal with.

Zhu Yijun swept his eyes over everyone’s faces and said, “The culprit of the dispute between workers and peasants on both sides of the strait has been found, and both of you have been used.

I have also found a way to solve the water problem for you, so the villagers of Yahongqiao, you should make peace with the four factories on the East Coast, okay?”

The village elders, village heads and village representatives, who were terrified by Qian Yuanwai’s fate, felt like they had escaped death when they heard Zhu Yijun’s words and nodded repeatedly.

“Good! Good!”

Zhu Yijun turned to Director Wu and the others and said, “I want to talk to you too! You are neighbors with the villagers of Yahong Bridge. A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. Why don’t you interact with your neighbors properly?

I have seen that there are not many trees around here. When it rains, the soil in the fields flows into the river. When it doesn’t rain, the wind blows up dust and the sky and earth are gray. Why do you only plant trees in front of your own door when your factory is planting trees? Help Yahongqiao Town to plant trees as well, so that workers and farmers can get along and work together.

I also know that the propaganda department of your factory is great, and you are good at playing musical instruments and singing. You perform for the factory workers every ten days, and also exchange performances with each other.

Why don’t you go to Yahong Bridge or the nearby towns and perform for the villagers?
The Propaganda Department not only promotes the work of the factory workers, but also promotes the nearby villagers on behalf of the court. It is your job to promote the court’s laws, national policies and regulations, and to promote loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, justice, and trustworthiness.

I also noticed that the villagers nearby were short of firewood, making fire for cooking and heating in winter were big problems. Are all your four factories using Kailuan coal?”

“Your Majesty, we all use coal from the Kaiping Coal Mine.”

“That is, don’t you all have an affiliated factory that produces honeycomb coal? It’s exclusively for the workers of this factory. You can merge the four affiliated factories into one to increase production capacity, not only to meet the needs of the factory, but also to meet the needs of the people in the nearby towns and villages.”

Zhu Yijun pointed at Director Wu and the other four directors and said, “You guys need to study harder.”

At this point, he turned to Yang Jinshui and said, “Jinshui, you should quickly organize these factory directors and the leaders of the companies in Luanzhou to visit and learn from the Konghe and Longxiang armies stationed in the capital.

They are all new troops trained by Qi Jiguang. They have long followed my orders and the military and the people are close friends.

The propaganda teams of the political propaganda departments of various military regiments often performed in towns and villages near their bases.

During spring ploughing, officers and soldiers are organized to help villagers plow the land, and during autumn harvest, officers and soldiers are organized to help villagers harvest.

On weekdays, he often goes to nearby villages to help the elderly and the sick to fetch water and chop firewood.

There are also bridges and roads, wells and canals.
You can go and see the places where these new armies are stationed and the attitude of the people towards them. They support the army and love the people, like fish and water!
Director Wu! “

“I’m here!” Director Wu responded immediately.

“You all should learn from this, learn from the close relationship between the soldiers and the people in the garrison, and make your workers and peasants like one family!”

“According to the order!”

“If you follow the example of the new army, help the villagers more and think more about them, will you do something like firing cannons across the river?”

“We will definitely remember the emperor’s teachings!” the four factory managers said together.

Zhu Yijun turned to the village elders, the head of the village, and the village representatives and said, “I have made it clear that if you have any difficulties in the future, you can come directly to me and ask for help. You are all neighbors, there is nothing to be embarrassed about asking.

Since you are neighbors, you should also understand and care for each other. If you have any difficulties, they can lend a hand. If they have any difficulties, you can’t just sit back and watch! “

The village elders, the head of the village, and the village representatives immediately responded: “We will definitely remember the emperor’s teachings.”

Zhu Yijun nodded, “I am an impatient person, I always keep my word! Tomorrow is the market day at Yahong Bridge, and your four factories all have their own shops, so organize a batch of goods to sell at the market.

Organize your propaganda team and take turns to perform operas at the market to make the villagers happy!”

“As you command! I will make preparations right away!”

At dinner time in the afternoon, Zhu Yijun hosted another “banquet” for the representatives of Yahongqiao Town and the four factories at Hongjiaqiao Post Station. This time, both sides gave him face, sat together and chatted animatedly.

That night, the construction team of the Fourth Factory, led by the Woolen Factory, built a stage on the empty beach of the Beng River on the west bank of the Yahong Bridge.

The village head and village elders also cleared out four open spaces in the center of the market.

Early in the morning, the Sichang store drove horse-drawn carriages to move goods to the West Bank Market.

As soon as the boards were put up and the things were displayed, it immediately caused a sensation.

At around eight o’clock, tens of thousands of villagers rushed from all over the place upon hearing the news, and the stage alone gathered more than ten thousand people.

The villagers who were far away outside could not hear the play or see the characters on the stage, but they were happy. They grinned with their toothless mouths and cheered along with the people in front of them.

The stalls of the Fourth Factory Store were surrounded by ten layers of space inside and outside. Thousands of villagers squeezed their feet and leaned their heads out to see what the rare items used in daily life by the “respectable people” within the east bank wall looked like.

In the afternoon, Director Wu and four other factory managers announced through the village elders and heads of the neighborhood that the four factories would expand production this year and needed to recruit 400 workers. They welcomed villagers from all over the country to apply for jobs.

Temporary workers work when there is work and get paid on the same day. They work when they want to work and leave when they don’t want to work. However, they only provide one lunch, no accommodation, and most other benefits are not provided.

It’s a formal job with free food and accommodation, as well as generous benefits.

However, the conditions are harsh. One needs to study as an apprentice and pass the assessment before becoming a full-time employee. To become a full-time employee, one needs to sign a contract, which lasts for three, five, or ten years. You can’t just do it if you want to, and you can’t just quit if you don’t want to.

Thousands of villagers surrounded the personnel and publicity departments of the Fourth Factory to inquire about the details, and some signed up and filled out forms on the spot.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng stood on a distant hill, watching this scene, their hearts filled with relief.

“Your Majesty,” Zhang Juzheng looked at it for a while, and then he remembered the whole story, still a little unwilling, “Are you really not going to hold the villagers on the west bank and the workers on the east bank accountable for firing across the river?”

“Hasn’t the main culprit, Mr. Qian, been arrested? Both sides were instigated and deceived by him.”

“Your Majesty, they fired cannons across the river. If they are not severely punished, is there still any law?”

“Of course we have to punish them. All the pine tree cannons of the Yahongqiao villagers were confiscated, as were the three-barreled guns and hand-held guns that were left behind by the army.

The East Coast factory is under the Kaiping Militia Division and will be punished by military law. We should not add to the pressure.”

Zhang Juzheng felt angry when he heard Zhu Yijun’s words “raise it high and then put it down gently”.

Your Majesty, you are so confused!

If this kind of thing had happened during the reigns of previous emperors, especially during the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu, the case would not have been closed without hundreds of heads being chopped off.

Zhu Yijun saw Zhang Juzheng’s anger and depression, and said meaningfully.

“Master Zhang, we can’t expect the submissive and lifeless people to create a new era full of vigor and vitality. We are creating a new era, which requires completely different people, so we must tolerate their different tempers.”

Zhang Juzheng was stunned by Zhu Yijun’s words.

Submissive and lifeless?
Thinking of Zhu Yijun’s actions in the past two days, Zhang Juzheng’s heart moved, and he couldn’t help asking: “Your Majesty, what kind of people are you talking about in the new era?”

“They have ideals, pursuits, and hope for a better life. They are hardworking and vigorous. They are proud of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty is proud of them.

I prefer to call them the people.”

“people?
The Emperor Taizu wrote in his imperial edict, “I am the ruler of the Chinese people.”

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and let him ponder in silence.

He needed to constantly influence and transform the civil servants so that they would accept his “modern political and economic ideas”, with Zhang Juzheng being the first one.

A long way to go!

(End of this chapter)