Dashun Yongchang

When the generals left Daming Temple, the moon was already higher than Liu Shao.Li Zicheng, who was walking in the temple with a little light and moonlight, could not help but feel a chill from the evening wind when he heard the sound of pines.

Although he walked forward along the light without saying a word, he was already worried about the Jiannu in the north.The weather has turned cooler and the autumn harvest has been completed. This is the season that nomads like to fight.At this time of year, the climate was moderate, and the farming area just had a harvest. When they went south to fight, they almost didn't have to think about what food to bring.

Chen Yuanyuan, who was arranging documents in the study room, and Li Zicheng each had a study room, but both study rooms were managed by her.In the past, Li Zicheng didn't pay much attention to paperwork, so all the paperwork was handed over to Niu Jinxing, which caused Niu Jinxing to dominate government affairs.As for military affairs, Shun Jun still kept the habit of discussing them face to face, and didn't pay much attention to paperwork.

However, after Li Zicheng sent Niu Jinxing and others back to Shaanxi and established the Marshal's Mansion, Li Zicheng almost completely changed his past habits and regarded paperwork as the focus of administrative work.To put it simply, in the past, when Li Zicheng wanted to do anything, he would find someone to take charge of it temporarily, but now he handed over the relevant affairs to the relevant departments, and restrained and urged these departments to fulfill their responsibilities through paperwork.

In fact, the efficiency of the peasant army in the past was similar to that of the Ming Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, except for those officials who were close to the people, almost all the important officials in the court did not do their own jobs, but competed for power around the emperor.As a result, those Qingliu officials who did not do anything were promoted faster than those close to the people who did not see the emperor because their names appeared in front of the emperor all day long.

According to the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, no matter how good you do things, it is not as good as Jane in the emperor's heart.If the emperor can't remember you, no matter how much work you do, it will be useless. If the emperor remembers your name, even if you mess things up, there is still a chance to make a comeback.

Of course, it is much easier to find a few people to be in charge than to supervise the work of the department. After all, the emperor can use power to punish individuals, but it is difficult to threaten the department. Because the department is not a person, it is not afraid of all kinds of actions against people. Physical punishment.But the most important thing is that the power entrusted to individuals by the emperor can be easily taken back, but the power entrusted to departments is difficult to take back.

Therefore, the emperors who tried to concentrate all the power in their own hands basically liked to use the rule of man instead of emphasizing the rule of law.Maybe they will shout: the prince broke the law and the common people are the same crime.However, they will always trample on the law unconsciously to satisfy their own desires.

It's not that someone doesn't like the rule of man, it's just that he understands that no one is reliable to him in this era, and it's better to trust the system than to trust people.Compared with a person who is easy to betray, the possibility of the system betraying him is much smaller.After all, the system represents the interests of a group, or even a class, and these people care more about whether the system protecting their own interests has been destroyed than Li Zicheng.

For example, Duke Kaishen's lifelong enemy was defeated by his colleagues less than 28 days after his death, but the system he established lasted for 40 years.It can be seen that it is too easy to betray a person, but it is much more difficult to destroy a system.

Although the consequences of the series of changes brought about by the establishment of the Marshal's Mansion have not yet fully manifested, one thing has undoubtedly begun to have an effect on Dashun's regime, that is, the rapid increase in the number of documents.Now more documents are sent to the Marshal's Mansion in one day than Li Zicheng received in a year when he was in the Peasant Army.

Especially the various written reports received by the Statistics Department, as the Dashun regime established its initial rule over Huaiyang, the statistics department's collection of data from the counties under the Dashun rule made Chen Yuanyuan's study more and more big.Even though she had already placed the main archives of the Statistics Department in Huai'an, and only carried some documents about Yangzhou and Jiangnan with her, she still didn't sort out half of them in one afternoon plus half the night.

So when she heard the news of Li Zicheng entering the yard and coming out of the study, Li Zicheng looked at her wearing an apron and a headscarf, and not only smiled, but said, "You really look like a housewife."

After hearing this, Chen Yuanyuan took a look at herself, and immediately fled back. It took a quarter of an hour before she got dressed again and came out.Li Zicheng, who was already drinking tea in the hall, looked at her and said with a smile: "Why bother, you still have to take it off."

"Vulgar." Chen Yuanyuan rolled her eyes at Li Zicheng in her heart, but replied shyly: "The concubine wants to let His Majesty see the best of himself at all times, but His Majesty says this about the concubine, the concubine going to be sad."

After Li Zicheng was silent for a few seconds, he turned his head and looked at the sky outside the house and said, "The moonlight tonight is really good. It is said that the moon is three percent brighter in the world, and two percent is in Yangzhou. I really believe it today."

Hearing what Li Zicheng said, Chen Yuanyuan subconsciously glanced at the courtyard. She didn't know what to think of for a moment, and after a long silence, she sighed and said, "Actually, the moon on the Qinhuai River is even more beautiful. But if the world is peaceful, the minister will My concubine thinks the moon is equally beautiful no matter where it is.”

Li Zicheng glanced at her with some surprises, and then said carefully: "Taiping, this kind of thing didn't fall from the sky, and you have to fight for it by yourself. But if there is a chance, I really want to see it on the Qinhuai River." How charming the moonlight is."

Chen Yuanyuan turned her head and blinked her eyes, then changed the topic and said, "The documents that His Majesty asked the concubine to sort out, the concubine has almost finished. How about, the concubine will report it to you now?"

As expected, Li Ziguo put away other thoughts, and said to Chen Yuanyuan, "Okay, then tell me. What's going on in Yangzhou City?"

Chen Yuanyuan first went to the study next door to get a bound booklet, then sat down next to Li Zicheng, opened the booklet and read: "Yangzhou city is divided into two parts, the old city and the new city... the entire Yangzhou government has 10 counties under its jurisdiction. In the sixth year of Wanli's statistics, the population was 81.7, but this figure should not include the servants who did not pay taxes and the hidden tenants of the officials, gentry and wealthy families.

According to our survey estimates, the population of Yangzhou city walls is about 20, the city outside the city walls has 17 permanent residents, and there are about 3 traveling merchants, boatmen, and salt workers, totaling about 40.However, in the last year, another 4 to 5 people migrated from Henan and Shandong, and the total population is about 45..."

Li Zicheng sipped the fragrant pineapple tea while listening to Chen Yuanyuan's introduction to Yangzhou City.Most of the people who fled from Shandong to the south were to avoid the invasion of Shandong when the Qing army entered the customs in 1642, and those who fled from Henan to the south were to avoid the peasant army, which was the decisive battle between the peasant army and the official army in Henan in 1642-1643. In one year, cities such as Xuchang, Kaifeng, and Guide, which had not been captured by the peasant army in the past, were all conquered in this year, which directly led to the fleeing of a large number of Henan gentry.

In fact, these gentry did not avoid the peasant army, but to avoid slavery.In the early Ming Dynasty, Henan was sparsely populated due to years of war, so Zhu Yuanzhang left a large number of troops in Henan for farming.This measure achieved good results in the early Ming Dynasty, and Henan quickly recovered from the war.

But in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, most of the land in Henan was taken up by the vassal fields of the clan and the garrison fields of the Weisuo, so the local people had to join the big households as slaves.However, because most of the gentry in Henan came from military households, these hereditary military officers occupied the farmland of the guards and became local landlords, and then began to train their children to study.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, those who were good at reading in the family took the road of imperial examinations, and those who could not study inherited hereditary military positions, so they completely controlled local affairs at the local level.

As a result, the local social conflicts in Henan have become extremely acute, because these gentry from military households not only have the right to speak in the local area, but also use the guards to suppress the rioters, so they act more and more unscrupulously, and even fight for land. And did the evil deed of setting fire to the village.

Especially in the middle and late Chongzhen period, due to the uprising of the peasant army, the prestige of the imperial court declined day by day. After the Henan gentry established their own militia groups in order to protect the local area, they became more and more local emperors.Even the officials of the Ming Dynasty couldn't stand it anymore, thinking that the reason why the peasant army in the Central Plains could not be wiped out was that these evil gentry were constantly sending soldiers for the peasant army.

Under the impeachment of Gao Mingheng, the governor of Henan, Chongzhen finally ordered the disposal of the four evil gentry, known as the four evils in Henan, Chu Taichu in Suizhou, Miao Sishun in Ningling, Fan Liangyan in Yucheng, and Cao in Nanyang.The families of these four evil gentry keep more than a thousand servants, and these servants often run rampant in the state capital. When talking with others, they will kill people when they are provoked, and even forcibly seize other people's fields and houses, and marry other people's women by force. I don't know how many things I have done.

It was Chu Taichu of Suizhou who set fire to the village in order to compete with another gentry, Zhang Bingke, for the land.But after such a big matter came out, the local officials didn't dare to intervene, which shows the power of these evil gentry in the local area.

It was thanks to the oppression of these evil gentry that the peasant army, which had been defeated by the official army several times, continuously obtained soldiers in Henan, and finally defeated the official army.The victory of the Peasant Army also shocked these local tyrants and evil gentry. They were worried that their servants would come back to revenge themselves after joining the Shun Army, so they fled to Huai'an with their families, and then came to Yangzhou.

For these people, Li Zicheng naturally didn't have a good impression of them, but he also said to Chen Yuanyuan: "Although people are far from their hometowns, these local tyrants and evil gentry have little power after leaving their hometowns. However, it is impossible for them to hate Dashun If they disappeared so easily, the Statistics Department should find someone to infiltrate these people to monitor them, and not let them control the public opinion and spread rumors about Dashun among the people of Yangzhou.

If there is an opportunity, these people should be sent back to their hometowns, and they should not be allowed to gather together and become an anti-Dashun group.So what about the local business in Yangzhou? "

Chen Yuanyuan agreed, then looked down at the brochure in his hand for a while, and then said to Li Zicheng: "The local business is dominated by three industries. The first is the salt industry... The second is the bamboo and wood industry... The third is the grain industry Selling..."

Chapter 171 Yangzhou Nine

"...It really is Beigu Mountain that has flowed through the ages." Standing on the Duojing Building, Zheng Zhilong looked at the faintly visible Wenfeng Pagoda in Yangzhou on the other side of the river.

It's just that he is not a scholar after all, so after holding back for a long time, he can only sigh this sentence.At this time, the multi-view building had long been emptied, and the people standing beside him were all members of the Zheng's maritime business group, so no one would laugh at him.

Zheng Zhilong quickly realized that it didn't make much sense to express such emotion at this time, because he was not Sun Quan who was confronting Cao Cao on both sides of the Yangtze River, and the subordinates around him couldn't understand.

Well, maybe someone still understands, Zheng Zhilong turned his head and cast a glance at the eldest son standing beside him, but seeing the meticulous look of the eldest son, he still lost interest.This son is good at everything, but he is too upright, and has no tact and sophistication at all. In the past, he was thought of sending him into the scholar forest, but this personality is also suitable. After all, Qingliu of Daming likes tough bones the most.

But in today's world, such a character is not flattering, even in the maritime business group, there are many people who don't like his son. For example, his confidant Shi Fu in the Chinese Army thinks that his eldest son concentrates on interacting with scholars Well, the facts about maritime merchants are not enough.

Although Zheng Zhilong was once the leader of the southeast pirate Shibazhi, it was only because of Yan Siqi's sudden and sudden death that everyone was worried about being hunted down by the court and the shogunate, so they pushed him to be the leader, not because everyone really admired him.This is also why he will surrender to the imperial court in the future, because only with the help of the imperial court can he wipe out his former accomplices. For this reason, he did not hesitate to give up the Taiwan business pioneered by Yan Siqi and gave it to the Dutch, thus preventing the Yan party from relying on Taiwan. The base turned its back on itself.

When eradicating the bandits in the southeast sea, Shi Daxuan's force and his brother Shi Fu's plan gave him a lot of help.It can be said that the Zheng family's maritime forces are most capable of fighting against the troops under the Shi family brothers. Zheng Zhilong had to carefully consider Shi Fu's suggestion.

In fact, Zheng Zhilong also knew in his heart that what the Shi family brothers were dissatisfied with was not the eldest son's character, but the eldest son's blood, because he was not from the Yan family.Shi Daxuan is still loyal to Yan Siqi, so I hope he can make Yan's son his successor.

Zheng Zhilong was hesitant on this issue. Although he trusted the Shi family brothers, he did not want them to interfere in his family affairs. Besides, he still felt guilty about his eldest son, so he sent his eldest son to Nanjing and found him. After making a connection, he became a student of Qian Qianyi, hoping to use the reputation of the leader of Jiangnan Shilin to suppress the internal contradictions of Zheng's maritime merchants.

However, who would have imagined that this beautiful Ming Dynasty would die.To be honest, the life of ordinary people in the south has been difficult in recent years, but Zheng Zhilong, who often travels in Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang, has not felt the slightest sign of Ming's subjugation. The life of the gentry is also very comfortable. After being hit by a disaster, we can still rely on local strength to carry it through.Even if those disaster victims were incited to rebel by someone with a heart, they were quickly wiped out by the officers and soldiers.

Therefore, Zheng Zhilong has always believed that the peasant riots in the north were nothing more than a group of victims who had no food to survive. As long as the imperial court can provide relief to those people who live in peace, and then kill the ambitious leaders, then the civil unrest in the north will Like the south, it subsided quickly. After all, ordinary people are unarmed, what fighting power can they have?

As for the slaves outside the pass, the barbarians are barbarians, and even if they break through the pass a few times, it is impossible to get the support of the common people and gentry inside the pass.Therefore, after the looting, they had no choice but to withdraw from the pass. As long as the court could first quell the civil unrest, and then recuperate for a period of time, the border troubles would gradually subside.After all, even the Emperor of Ming Dynasty was captured by the Mongols during the Tumu Fortress change, and the Mongols were eventually driven out.

Therefore, when he heard the news that Beijing was broken by the rebels, no, the Dashun army, and Emperor Chongzhen was martyred, he felt completely inconceivable.He couldn't figure it out no matter what, if the north was in such a critical situation, why didn't the emperor go south?While the Dashun Army in the north has surrounded the capital, the scholars in the south are still holding literary conferences with great fanfare, and the rich and famous families are still repairing gardens, which is completely a peacetime style.What about the loyalty and filial piety they keep talking about?Have you fed the dogs?

Although Zheng Zhilong immediately sent his own ships to help the imperial court strengthen the defense of the Yangtze River after hearing about the change in the capital, the Zhenjiang navy of the imperial court alone may only be able to catch private salt dealers.Only the Zheng family's big bird boat equipped with Western cannons can truly control the surface of the Yangtze River.

However, Emperor Hongguang was greatly disappointed by the political struggles in the court after he ascended the throne.The Dashun army and the Jiannu are fighting in the north. As long as the winner is decided, they will go south. Even the local generals like him can see it clearly, but the adults in the court turn a blind eye and are still immersed in the power struggle , Even at the expense of supporting the four towns, it was like throwing the court's prestige on the ground and trampling on it.

Seeing what the four towns did in Jiangbei, Zheng Zhilong felt that the Hongguang Dynasty might not last long, and at the same time had the intention of going back to Fujian to manage it.Since the domineering Four Towns can blackmail the imperial court, doesn't the Zheng family have this power?

It was just that Zheng Zhilong, who was planning to return to Fujian, heard the news that Li Zicheng easily took over the Jianghuai land, and got the support of Zuo Liangyu and Huang Degong.After receiving the world map sent by Li Zicheng, he finally hesitated and decided to stay and see the situation.

As a result, we can see the weakness of the imperial court and the strength of the Shun army, the surrender of Liu Liangzuo and Liu Zeqing, Huai'an's submission to Li Zicheng, and Gao Jie's army is still confronting Yangzhou people and Huang Degong's troops, but the imperial court is helpless. It is impossible for important ministers to cross the river to mediate the conflicts between Gaozhen, Huangzhen and Yangzhou people. How can such a court be endless?

At this time, Zheng Zhilong was no longer willing to fight with Nanjing Xu. Compared with Li Zicheng, who was holding the crown prince's civil attack and military guard, Emperor Hongguang was really inferior.At this time, the demise of the Hongguang Dynasty is a matter of time, even if Gao Jie's army crosses the river.Judging from the rewards of the Jiangnan gentry to the Zhenjiang navy these days, if Gao Jie's army crosses the river, it will only make the Jiangnan gentry further accelerate their fall to the prince, not to mention that Zuo Liangyu has not moved yet.

Looking in the direction of Yangzhou City on the other side of the Yangtze River, Zheng Zhilong finally made up his mind and said, "Ah Hui, get ready. Get a boat tomorrow morning, and I'll go across the river."

Zheng Zhilong's decision made everyone around him feel stunned. Zheng Hongkui persuaded him: "Brother, crossing the river now is a risk. Let's not say that Gao Jiejun was sunk by us before and hated us to the bone. If you There is nothing good in falling into their hands. Besides, the Shun army is putting on a stance but not attacking Gaozhen. It seems that they are not sure that they will win. It is too early to see Emperor Yongchang at this time."

Zheng Cai also said: "Emperor Yongchang can send the sea chart, which shows that he should support maritime trade. But it is too early for us to take refuge in him now. Emperor Yongchang is now sandwiched between the north and the south. We should wait until the end of death.”

Listening to the suggestions of these subordinates, Zheng Zhilong noticed that there were still two people who did not make a sound. He rolled his eyes and asked, "Ahui, Damu, what are you thinking?"

Chen Hui said cautiously: "The general feels that the Jiangbei war is imminent. Even if the military gate crosses the river, he may not be able to see Emperor Yongchang. It is better to wait until Emperor Yongchang takes Gao Jie down. The northern soldiers are on land. Although it is strong, we southerners have the final say on the water.”

Under his father's watchful eyes, Zheng Sen looked at the Yangtze River and said firmly: "Father has received the kindness of Daming. The crown prince is still here. How can I go to see Li Zicheng? It is not appropriate for my father to cross the river at this time. It is better to let me cross the river." Let's go and see what Li Zicheng can do."

"If you can change your temper, I'll let you go. But now, I don't want to lose my son." Zheng Zhilong looked at his son and said something silently in his heart.

However, he didn't show any expression on his face. He just said to his subordinates calmly: "We have delayed the court envoys for 2 days. If we don't send them across the river, the court may become suspicious. Here After all, it is not Fujian, and we do not have the confidence to turn against the imperial court.

Seeing these court envoys hesitating, they refused to go ashore in Guazhou and Yizheng, but went downstream to cross the river, obviously not to mediate with Gao Jie.Then they must have gone to see Emperor Yongchang.

Although I don't know what they said when they saw Emperor Yongchang, Gao Jie was sold by the court.If Emperor Yongchang had been more magnanimous, it is estimated that this battle would not have been fought.Therefore, there is still something to talk about when crossing the river to see Emperor Yongchang.When the court envoys cross the river, our sincerity will inevitably be somewhat insufficient.

If Li Zicheng really wanted to force Hongguang to abdicate and help the prince ascend the throne, the situation in the whole south would be changed.After all, Fujian is a mere corner of the country, with narrow land and dense population, and even rice grains have to be imported from other places. Without sea trade, it is impossible to feed the people of this province.But maritime trade is nothing more than raw silk and porcelain. Raw silk comes from Jiangnan, and porcelain comes from Jingdezhen. If we can’t get the approval of the new emperor, will the merchants on the coast of Fujian still support us? "

Now, the subordinates around Zheng Zhilong stopped talking.Zheng's Maritime Merchant Group is actually a group connected by trade, and it is not so closely organized.The ten land and sea merchants led by the Zheng family established their names with benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faith, as well as gold, wood, water, fire and earth. Land merchants raised goods, sea merchants went to sea for trade, and then everyone shared the benefits according to the investment ratio.

Zheng Zhilong is more like a convener than the master of the maritime merchants, so the maritime merchants obey Zheng's orders because he can maintain the operation of the merchant group, not because of unconditional allegiance.This is why the imperial court did not dismantle Zheng Zhilong's subordinates even though they were scattered around the coast to guard the flood season, because this group did not depend on the relationship between superiors and subordinates, but was based on common commercial interests.

As long as the commercial network of land and sea ten merchants can continue to exist, then everyone will have a common interest that needs to be safeguarded, and naturally they will not worry about who betrays whom, because betraying others is betraying oneself.Now that Zheng Zhilong wants to cross the river to meet Emperor Yongchang, in a sense it is also to protect everyone's commercial interests, and there is really no reason to stop it.Moreover, since Emperor Yongchang sent the chart to Zheng Zhilong by name, it was obviously an offense for others to go to see Emperor Yongchang.

Chapter 172 Yangzhou Ten

Zheng Zhilong took an official boat to the lower reaches of Guazhou in the early morning when there were no people on the riverside. After the boat crossed the middle of the river, he found out that his eldest son, Zheng Sen, put on the clothes of a guard and secretly boarded the boat. Zheng Zhilong, who took him with him, took him ashore helplessly, but warned him not to reveal his identity to the outside world, and just be an ordinary guard.

Before that, the Shun Army had already contacted the Zheng's navy in Zhenjiang. After Zhang Nai went south, they occupied the Yangtze River coast below Jiangdu. Therefore, Zheng Zhilong was taken to Zhang Nai's camp soon after he landed. After resting for a day, they were sent to the Daming Temple in the northwest of Yangzhou City, where Li Zicheng's base camp was located. It happened to be the fourth day after Li Zicheng arrived in Yangzhou.

When crossing the river, Zheng Zhilong brought nearly 30 guards, Zhang Nai left more than 20 people in the camp under the pretext of leaving, so when they arrived at Daming Temple, there were only eight people left, including Zheng Zhilong and his son.To the north of the Yangtze River, Zheng Zhilong has never set foot before, so this trip to the north is quite novel for him, but he does not think that the scenery in Yangzhou will be better than that in the south of the Yangtze River, and the scenery of Daming Temple cannot be compared with his hometown in Nan'an. Compared with the mountains and rivers.

However, after entering the Daming Temple, seeing the military appearance of the Dashun soldiers along the way, Zheng Zhilong still felt awe-inspiring.Although he is also the leader of the army, he knows very well that the group of sailors under the Zheng family can't fight land battles.

Those sailors at sea can still do their best because they have no way back.A sailor who loses a ship at sea is more uncomfortable than death. Maybe the pirates will not kill you directly, but will exile you to the island, but if there is no passing ship to rescue, it is difficult for the exiled to survive on the island.

As a half-pirate and half-maritime business group, Zheng's business group knows the cruelty of exile at sea better than others. It gave you hope of survival, but left you on a deserted island with almost no chance of survival. You die of despair.And this kind of exile is already very benevolent. When encountering that kind of cruel pirate, they will directly force the people on board to jump into the sea, and then drive away the ship.

Therefore, the sailors on the ship are almost all rude and unruly, because no one knows whether their trip to sea will be the last one, and they naturally cannot abide by the rules set by the good people on the shore.So when they arrived on land, the battles of these sailors were also chaotic. It was okay to bully the common people and the guards, but Zheng Zhilong felt that it was a delivery of food if he wanted to fight with a regular army like the Shun Army.

Just looking at the attitude of the Shun Army patrolling guards on the river bank and Daming Temple, the Zheng's navy has been compared.Even if they are guarding such an important line of defense as the Yangtze River, the sailors of Zheng's Navy still have to be lazy from time to time.Even if Zheng Zhilong saw his sentinel hiding chatting and smoking, he just walked over without seeing it, because this is the style of the Ming army.

And these former pirates of the Zheng family don't like being restrained even more, because they are not only navy officers and soldiers, but also have their own maritime business.To put it simply, they are not employees of the Zheng Corporation, but shareholders of the Zheng Corporation.The only ones who can truly obey Zheng Zhilong's orders unconditionally are the black guards around him.These black slaves bought from Macau were very satisfied with the treatment Zheng Zhilong gave them, so they became Zheng Zhilong's most loyal guards.

While Zheng Zhilong was waiting in the courtyard in front of the Daxiong Palace, a young Dashun general came out from the west courtyard with a few guards. He stood still in front of Zheng Zhilong and the others and took a look at everyone. Just now he said calmly: "You are the envoys sent by the Zhenjiang Navy? Who are the envoys? Name them."

Zheng Zhilong took a step forward, and replied neither humble nor overbearing: "I am Zheng Yiguan from Fujian, not the envoy sent by the Zhenjiang Navy. It was His Majesty Yongchang who wanted to see me, so I came across the river. I don't know when His Majesty Yongchang will be able to summon you." I wait?"

Li Laiheng looked at him, then nodded and said: "It turned out that Nan Anbo was in person. Unfortunately, you came today. The representatives of the Yangzhou Council that were just elected were meeting His Majesty. Or I will take Nan Anbo to the side yard to rest. How do you feel about notifying you after His Majesty finishes meeting with the representatives?"

Zheng Zhilong asked curiously: "The council? Is it the same as the council formed by the Francois in Macau?"

After hesitating for a moment, Li Laiheng said: "I have never heard of the rumors of the Macao council, and I don't know what the council formed by those Frangji people is. However, the Yangzhou council is the representative elected by the people of Yangzhou. An institution for self-government and communication with the imperial court. If you are curious about Nan Amber, you can go and listen, as long as you do not disturb the order of the venue."

"Can you still listen in?" Zheng Zhilong was even more surprised. He quickly nodded and said, "If you can listen in, please take me there. I would be happy to hear the exchange between Emperor Yongchang and Yangzhou representatives."

The place where Li Zicheng met with the representatives of the Yangzhou Council was on the west side of the Daxiong Hall. After passing through a courtyard gate, he saw a wooden shelf covered with green vines. When people walked below, a gust of wind blew away all the heat. up.

Passing through this shady vine passage, you can see a courtyard with a few clumps of banana trees in the corner, and then a hall open on all sides. The front of the hall is five rooms wide, and a plaque of "Pingshan Hall" is hung on it.The hall is built on a high stone masonry platform, surrounded by railings in front of the platform, and under the railing is a deep pool. Thousands of bamboos are planted in the pool. The green shade is swaying, and it is very breathable.

Li Laiheng also introduced to Zheng Zhilong: "This high platform can directly see the Yangtze River, and the mountains on the south bank of the river look like they are under your feet, so it is named Pingshan Hall..."

However, Zheng Zhilong didn't pay attention to the scenery of Pingshan Hall at this time. Although the scenery here is good, it is still not as wide as Beigu Mountain's view of the north bank.At this time, he had already put his mind on those people who were sitting on the high platform for the meeting.

Li Zicheng, who was standing in the middle of the high platform talking to the representatives, did not notice the arrival of Zheng Zhilong and the others, because there were more than 200 Yangzhou representatives surrounding him, 232 to be exact.Obviously Yangzhou people are much more enthusiastic about electing representatives than Huai'an people, but Li Zicheng can understand, after all, Huai'an has not encountered the threat of being killed by the army, but lost some property and the innocence of a few women. , but Yangzhou is really facing a life-and-death decision.

Moreover, before Huai'an had Lu Zhenfei in charge of the overall situation, many militia groups had been established inside and outside the city, so Liu Zeqing and Gao Jie did not take any action to irritate the people of Huai'an when they passed by in the south.But after all, Yangzhou has been peaceful for many years. Except for some disturbances during the Jiajing period, even murder cases were rarely heard of at other times.

Besides, Huai'an is still under the control of the imperial court. At the beginning, the people of Yangzhou did not believe that the Ming Dynasty's official army had been corrupted to such a degree, so they did not take sufficient precautions, which made Gao Jie's army in the city When the outsiders started looting and killing people, the people of Yangzhou didn't think of any resistance other than fleeing into the city.

After Emperor Hongguang ascended the throne and assigned the Jiangbei area to the four towns, Yangzhou talents began to really organize to fight against Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing who were trying to enter Yangzhou City.In such chaos, the people of Yangzhou finally understood the truth that the imperial court and the officers and soldiers are unreliable, and only Yangzhou people themselves can be relied on. Because the former prefect refused to open the city to Liu Zhen and Gao Zhen.

When Dashun conquered Beijing, Ma Mingpao had actually been promoted, but he never took up the post.When the news came that Li Zicheng had conquered Beijing, Wu Sangui and Man Qing joined hands to suppress bandits, and Li Zicheng left Beijing and went south, Ma Mingpao gave up his promotion and stayed in Yangzhou.

At this time, it is better to stay in your hometown and be a famous village sage than to become an official in a foreign place where there is a lot of chaos.In other places, Ma Mingpao can mobilize dozens of servants at most. Compared with those local gentry who often have tens or hundreds of slaves, it is difficult to say how many people will obey his orders. After all, the prestige of the court has already grown Hu bottom.

But in Yangzhou City, he didn't have to mobilize the tenants in the village outside the city. There were 80 to [-] servants in the family alone.What's more, his family has moved to Yangzhou for several generations. Yangzhou is more like his homeland than Hanzhong. Even the people of Yangzhou will not regard his family as an outsider. It is naturally safer to stay here.

Precisely because of the oppression of the feudal towns such as Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing, the people of Yangzhou soon realized that it would be difficult for them to resist the attacks of these rebels if they did not unite themselves.Therefore, even if Li Zicheng did not propose the expansion of representatives, a small number of people in Yangzhou have realized that if they want to fight for their own interests, they cannot let the gentry represent themselves.

This kind of understanding of the people in Yangzhou is purely a gain in wisdom.Foreign salt merchants such as Zheng Yuanxun only cared about their own business and did not care about the lives of ordinary people.Zheng Yuanxun once publicly advocated that letting Gao Jiejun enter Yangzhou City was the intention of the Nanjing court, and everyone should be patient.But many ordinary people knew very well that Zheng Yuanxun was Gao Jie's guest, and no matter how much he endured, it was his family's turn to endure.Those who really have to endure are those powerless little people.

From the time when Gao Jie fled to Yangzhou from the south, and when Emperor Hongguang enthroned and conferred the four towns, the outskirts of Yangzhou were looted by the army, and many merchants in the city blocked the exit of the Yangtze River because of Gao Jie's siege of Yangzhou. The situation had to close down.Once the businesses closed down, not only did many craftsmen lose their jobs, but the citizens also felt increasingly deprived of supplies.

This time, Yangzhou people turned to Li Zicheng so quickly because they believed that after the Dashun army went south, they could completely eliminate Gao Jie's army.At the same time, Yangzhou people also hope that after Li Zicheng's army goes south, the canal and Yangtze River shipping can be reopened, so that Yangzhou, which relies on water transportation and the salt industry, can regain its vitality.

Therefore, after Li Zicheng demanded that the representatives of the Yangzhou Council should cover all social classes in Yangzhou, many Yangzhou people regarded the elected representatives as an opportunity to complain to Emperor Yongchang.This is exactly what Zheng Zhilong saw when he approached Pingshan Hall. A large group of people surrounded a man in blue clothes, chattering about their demands.

It's not uncommon for Zheng Zhilong to see such a chaotic fish market at the wharf, but he never expected to see him here.Although the council in Macau is composed of a group of Western barbarians, it is not so chaotic.Shocked and confused emotions flashed through Zheng Zhilong's heart in an instant.

Chapter 173 Yangzhou Eleven

In fact, Li Zicheng was even more shocked than Zheng Zhilong. Not to mention the Dezhou, Jining, and Xuzhou councils. Under the direct control of Shunjun, the councilors in these places are quite obedient. Although the Huai'an council maintains a certain degree of independence, However, the representatives who are mainly students are relatively simple. They basically explained the truth clearly, and the Huai'an councilors accepted it.

However, the members of the Yangzhou Council allowed Li Zicheng to see for the first time how many people of all kinds would appear in a city with a population of more than 40.Compared with those simple congressmen in Huai'an, the representatives elected by Yangzhou people obviously have much more complicated backgrounds.

Among them are the upper elite who want to get closer to Dashun, and some gentry who still regard themselves as the courtiers of the Ming Dynasty, but most of them are still indifferent to state affairs and just want to maintain their current life.

After talking with these representatives of Yangzhou people for more than half an hour, Li Zicheng felt from the bottom of his heart, are these a group of petty citizens?Well, although it is the 17th century, their thinking is not fundamentally different from that of urban residents in the 21st century.

Regarding the martyrdom of Chongzhen, although they did not hide their sympathy for the great son of heaven, they did not intend to fight to the death for Emperor Daxing and Li Zicheng.They were filled with righteous indignation at Gao Jiejun's mass murder in the outskirts of Yangzhou, but Li Zicheng was more concerned about when Yangzhou City could return to normal, so that the prices of daily necessities such as firewood, rice, oil and salt would come down.

Although, Li Zicheng felt that it was obviously impossible for such council members to form a firm group against him.But he never thought about becoming the nanny of these congressmen and solving such and other problems for them. If he really wanted to discuss each of these issues, just discussing these issues would probably save him from leaving Yangzhou this year.

This is obviously impossible for Li Zicheng. His biggest mission here is to stabilize the hearts of the people in Yangzhou. During the battle between the Dashun Army and the Manchus, no troubles will occur in the rear.He didn't come to govern Yangzhou City, even if the world is peaceful now, it is impossible for him to deal with so many local problems by himself, he is the Emperor of Dashun and not the magistrate of Yangzhou.

Therefore, after listening to nearly one-third of the speeches of the representatives, Li Zicheng finally interrupted the speeches of the representatives, and said seriously to these representatives: "The opinions put forward by the representatives are very practical, and each one is related to the lives of the people. They are closely related, and I really like such a real proposal. The meeting, the meeting, as the name suggests, is a public political discussion place established to solve practical problems.

However, after listening to the speeches of the representatives, I discovered a problem.I feel that if we don't solve this problem, we won't be able to reach a consensus. If there is no consensus, how can we reach a consensus on the various issues we discussed?You can't convince me, and I can't convince you, what should I do?We always have a way to resolve our differences.

I think that there are two ways to resolve differences, one is that the emperor has the final say, and the other is that the minority obeys the majority.Delegates, what do you think is the right way? "

Li Zicheng's question immediately confused the members present. Although gentry like Zong Wanguo and Li Zongkong clearly stated that the final decision of the council should be made by the emperor, others were unwilling to echo it.

Although Li Zicheng is the emperor of Dashun, Yangzhou City is now nominally surrendering to the prince of Ming Dynasty, although everyone knows that to surrender to the prince at this time is to surrender to Li Zicheng.But Li Zicheng has not made any promises to them yet, how could they simply admit that Li Zicheng is their new monarch.

Zong Hao, the son of Zong Wanguo, surrendered to Dashun in Beijing, and Li Zongkong hoped to get closer to Dashun. It can be said that these gentry had already found positions in the new dynasty, so they naturally wanted to support Li Zicheng.But other people did not receive special preferential treatment from Dashun. At least Li Zicheng had to make some guarantees to them before they could accept Li Zicheng's rule.