Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 93 Drought Relief ([-])

The sky is getting hotter and hotter, and the sun is like a vicious vampire, roasting the earth with intense heat, squeezing out the last bit of water in the fields, and causing the crops to die in pieces.The provinces of Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi, and Shanxi are suffering from severe drought, and water is as expensive as oil. The crops in countless farmlands have died, and the few remaining crops have been gnawed to death by pests. This year's grain harvest is a foregone conclusion.The imperial court has not taken measures to fight the drought and disaster relief for a long time, and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty are busy with one thing, that is, to settle accounts after autumn.Yuan Chonghuan, as the governor of Jiliao, actually let Houjin bypass the Guanning line of defense and break in from Jizhen, slaughtered and plundered the capital, and ravaged for several months. With an unrelenting spirit, the memorials were thrown at Chongzhen overwhelmingly, with one meaning: not killing Yuan Chonghuan is not enough to anger the people!Chongzhen obviously didn't want to kill Yuan Chongzhen yet, so they were suppressed. These two seemed to have been beaten to death. They scolded Yuan Chonghuan every day in court. It's over, everyone is wasted.According to the original historical process, Chongzhen soon became overwhelmed and finally executed Yuan Chonghuan, but this was already in August, and Yuan Chonghuan still had a few months to live.

When the Taoists were busy burying Yuan Chonghuan alive with memorials, naturally no one cared about the refugees who were sitting on the ridge of the field watching the dead seedlings and crying bitterly, as well as the displaced refugees.These people are just a group of ants in their eyes, and they won't feel sad no matter how many people die.It's just that they never dreamed that it was this group of angry and desperate ants that devoured the Ming Empire.

The disaster situation in Nanyang was also quite serious. Twelve of the thirteen counties were crying, crying and asking the newly appointed magistrate to allocate money and food, otherwise they would not be able to survive.What's more terrible is that Nanyang people feel that they can't live anymore, but from the perspective of refugees from Shaanxi, Shanxi and other places, they are living in paradise. Can't help it, Fang Yizhi was devastated and helpless, only then realized that running a mansion is not the same as running a county, the difficulty has increased by more than ten times!He lamented: "Everyone asks me for money and food. Where can I get you so much money and food?" There was no other way, so he wrote a memorial requesting the Ministry of Households to give him a hand and give him some money for the sake of the party and the state. Let the food come down for disaster relief, otherwise the hungry people in Nanyang Mansion should eat him!

The county magistrates are crying, the magistrates are crying, and those refugees who have no food and clothing are crying even more.They wandered around the county town, trying to find a job, and those with bad intentions were wondering if they could steal something to eat while everyone was not paying attention. They were beaten to death and admitted, and they were about to go crazy with hunger!Of course, people who are looking for a job will most likely be disappointed. Now there is a shortage of everything, but there is no shortage of people. There are a lot of people grabbing a job without wages and only eating two bad meals a day. Looking for a job?

However, if you persist, there will always be miracles.

"We're hiring, we're hiring! Plasterers, bricklayers, carpenters, and blacksmiths are all recruiting. Those with three years of work experience are preferred, and the salary is favorable. If you are interested, come quickly for an interview. The salary is favorable, and no waiting for expiration!"

Suddenly there was loud shouting in Wuyang County, and the starving starving people looked away, only to see a seventeen or eighteen-year-old baby face standing on a stool, clasping his hands into a trumpet shape and shouting at everyone vigorously with.In front of him was a table with a thick pile of papers pressed on it with an inkstone, which seemed to be something like a contract.By the way, there is a big boss sign next to the table, with red paper on it, and the words "recruitment" are written in big characters. It is full of the posture of the personnel manager of a small factory in the 21st century recruiting workers on the street.The baby face was jumping up and down and yelling, a beautiful woman in white was sitting there with a gentle smile, with paper and pens in front of her, while a tall man stood aside , Maybe it's a bodyguard.I've never seen such a recruiter, what song is this singing about?

A lot of people gathered around it. They had never seen such a recruiter before, so they naturally felt that it was a novelty. Let's see the excitement first.However, some people decided to try their luck. A middle-aged man with callused palms mustered up the courage to step forward and asked with a strong Shanxi accent, "Master, are you really looking for a job?"

The guy who shouted cheerfully was naturally Yang Menglong. When he saw someone coming to ask, he immediately got excited and reached out to pat the huge sign: "You know these two words, right? We are looking for workers! If we don't recruit workers, I will put up this sign to work." What? Are you so idle that your balls hurt?"

The middle-aged man smiled innocently and asked: "Then, what kind of job do you want to hire, young master? I am from Shanxi. I don't know anything else. I can do carpentry. Do you think it will work?"

Yang Menglong looked at the middle-aged man's hands. His knuckles were thick and covered with calluses. Most importantly, when he laughed, he could see a small gap in his front teeth.Carpenters like to hold nails in their mouths when they are working. It is convenient to use. After holding them for a long time, such a small gap is left in the teeth.He chuckled: "A carpenter, right? Yes, yes! Why not? Three meals a day, four days off a month. As for wages, it seems that you are an old carpenter, so you only need two hanging copper coins. This kind of treatment Are you satisfied?"

The Shanxi carpenter was so stupid that he didn't even question him, and nodded like a chicken pecking rice: "Satisfied, satisfied, so satisfied!"

Yang Menglong pointed to the stool opposite the table: "If you are satisfied, sit down and sign the contract."

The Shanxi carpenter was stunned: "Is there still a contract to be signed?"

Yang Menglong said: "Nonsense, if you don't sign a contract, what should I sue you if you run away halfway through?"

The Shanxi carpenter shook his head like a rattle: "I won't run, even if I'm killed!"

Yang Menglong said: "Then you have to sign a contract! If you breach the contract, I will take the contract to the Yamen and sue you until you drop your pants. If I breach the contract, you can also take the contract to the Yamen to sue me!"

This is something new. The Shanxi carpenter sat down, and Xiao Yufang took out two documents and handed them to him, saying: "Look carefully, and sign if you think there is no problem... Write your hometown in this column, and write your hometown in this column. Names of relatives, sign your name in this column, and then press your fingerprints."

The Shanxi carpenter took a look and saw that it was densely covered with thick silk-show characters, with several blank spaces left for him to fill in.He looked confused: "I can't write..."

Xiao Yufang said: "Let me write for you." Picking up a pen and dipping it in ink: "Native place?"

"From Datong, Shanxi."

"age?"

"37 is old."

"Name?"

"Chen Dingding."

"gender?"

"what?"

"It's whether you are a man or a woman."

"Is it worth looking at? Of course it's a man!"

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help laughing, and the Shanxi carpenter's face was burning with laughter.Xiao Yufang ignored it, and wrote quickly, filling in the Shanxi carpenter's birthplace, age, name, spouse and other information one by one. After filling it out, she signed her name in the blank space, and then left a space blank. , Write down a word "on behalf of" to show that this contract is filled out on his behalf. When it is finished, let the Shanxi carpenter press the fingerprints, pick up Yang Menglong's official seal, dye it with vermilion inkpad, and stamp it on it.When the ink was dry, she left one of the two copies of the contract, and handed the other to Chen Dingding: "This is for you, take it well. If there is a dispute between us and we need to file a lawsuit, we must show this copy." A contract; if you are satisfied with your working conditions and intend to continue to work, you also need to renew your contract.”

It was the first time I saw such a rigorous procedure, and it was convincing. The Shanxi carpenter nodded vigorously and asked, "Then where should I work?"

Yang Menglong said: "Go and pack your luggage first, come here later, I will take you there, or you can go by yourself, we are from Wuyang Qianhu Office, it is easy to find."

The Shanxi carpenter said: "Then I'll go by myself, I'll go right away!" Carefully put the contract into his arms, separated from the crowd of onlookers and walked out, then ran away, cheering loudly while running: "I found a job! I found a job!" That's a joy!The refugees who also needed a job were moved by seeing him, and before he could leave, they rushed forward and shouted impatiently:
"Young master, I am a stonemason. I am well-known for my craftsmanship. Do you need a stonemason?"

"I am a plasterer, and the houses I built are well received by the villagers!"

"I'm a blacksmith, I can hit a big knife, I can hit a hoe, and I can use a tongs to make steel!"

"I'm a craftsman!"

"I don't know these skills, but I have strength, and I can work all day without getting tired! I don't need wages, as long as I can eat enough! Master, give me a job, please!"

……

The salary offered by Yang Menglong is quite deceitful: an old craftsman takes care of three meals a day, with a monthly salary of two shillings; a young craftsman also takes care of three meals a day, with a monthly salary of one shilling; It's simple, three meals a day, a few buckets of old rice every month, no wages.This kind of treatment will be as deceitful as possible, but everyone doesn't care about it at all. Waves of people came over, scrambling to be the first, and almost knocked over the stall several times, trampled him to death... There is no way, now I want to ask for it It's really hard to eat. It's rare for someone to recruit workers and take care of three meals. If they don't seize this opportunity, they will starve to death!

As a result, Yang Menglong originally planned to recruit 100 people, but Yang Menglong brought back more than 300 people in one breath. This is not counted, and a large number of people followed, and the recruitment quota was full. Dig a nest in the surrounding area to see if you can find a job opportunity.Yang Menglong doesn't care too much, just follow if you like, it will be easier to recruit people next time.He really needs manpower right now. The deserted army farms in the guards need to be reclaimed due to the difficulty of diverting water, the mines need more miners to mine, the ugly houses in the guards need to be repaired, and the sewage pipes need to be built... ...The most important thing is that after the autumn harvest, his steel-making blast furnace, phosphate fertilizer plant, and sulfuric acid plant will start construction, and the manpower needed will be overwhelming. How can we not recruit more while the labor cost is low now!
(End of this chapter)