Dashun Yongchang

Jiang Chen replied: "This time we brought coins and banknotes worth a total of 25 yuan. If they are only provided to the city of Yangzhou, they should be able to meet daily transactions. After all, copper coins are the most used by the people."

Li Zicheng picked up the banknotes on the side and looked at them several times, finally nodded and said: "Continue to study the paper, ink and printing methods of banknotes. These ingredients and printing masters must be strictly preserved. Anyone who dares to leak out for profit will be sentenced to death. Those who spread it unintentionally will also be severely punished. I hope that after the spring of next year, at least the salaries of local officials can be paid with banknotes."

Regarding Li Zicheng's request, Jiang Chen and Qiu Junsun had no objection, because the banknotes issued by Dashun can be exchanged, not the Daming treasure banknotes that cannot be exchanged. As long as they can be exchanged into gold and silver coins, then it is just an extra exchange procedure. There will be objections from officials.

However, Qiu Junsun hesitated for a moment, and said a few words of affection for the pawnshops, "Your Majesty, is it inappropriate to completely ban pawnshops now? Before the central bank has set up shops in various places, pawnshops are still useful to the people and businessmen everywhere. Without the short-term loans they provide, I am afraid it will cause a depression in the market. Moreover, if they can undertake the exchange of banknotes, it will also save us a lot of trouble."

After thinking about it for a while, Li Zicheng said: "Before I said that I would completely ban pawnshops, I also put pressure on those businessmen to cooperate with the Marshal's Mansion.

I admit that now is not the time to completely ban pawnshops.However, the management of pawnshops in the Ming Dynasty was too loose. These pawnshops not only openly colluded with officials, but also raised interest at will through the support of officials, and took some valuable pawns as their own.From these aspects, these pawnshops did not promote the development of the local economy, but became a local cancer.

Pawnshops can exist, but they must abide by the laws formulated by the Marshal's Mansion. The laws governing pawnshops can be drawn up by the Finance Department.I have two requirements. One is that each pawnshop must explain its source of funds, and promise not to accept items and people that are not allowed to be pawned by law.Second, the annual interest of the pawn shop shall not exceed 24%, and the interest during the pawn period shall not exceed the principal. "

After hearing this, Qiu Junsun was relieved. There are pawnshops in various places. Although land is the main business in this era, the most profitable business is loan sharks.Conscientious gentry only charge 50% interest a year, and unscrupulous ones can double it a year. Although the Ming law stipulates that the interest on loans cannot exceed the principal, most gentry will ignore this law.

On the way to the south, Li Zicheng announced that he would ban usury and shut down pawn shops in various places. Although this greatly offended the local gentry, in front of Li Zicheng's army, the local gentry could only bow their heads and accept it.But as the gentry in these places contacted the Marshal's Mansion through the prince, they naturally wanted to restore their own pawn shops, and Qiu Junsun was entrusted by many people.

However, Qiu Junsun did not dare to bring it up to Li Zicheng before, and he took the opportunity to intervene until Li Zicheng tried to introduce a legal currency system.Although Qiu Junsun is not a scholar like Jiang Chen who is interested in finance, he can also understand that the purpose of this legal currency is to speed up the circulation of currency in the market.

Since the currency is to be circulated in the market, it has to get the support of local powerful people.Otherwise, if people don't accept your currency, how can you promote legal currency?The gentry in various places is the cornerstone of the local economy. The flow of materials in various places is carried out around the gentry. To be a gentry means to be out of protection.

Qiu Junsun's judgment was not wrong, and Li Zicheng accepted his suggestion after thinking for a while.After the three continued talking for a few words, Li Zicheng ended the meeting with the two of them.

After reaching an agreement with Li Zicheng in Guazhou City, the tension in Guazhou eased.Gao Jie handed over the control of Guazhou City, which is actually the control of Guazhou Wharf. This made Yangzhou City finally open the passage to the Yangtze River. The recovery of shipping is finally starting to recover.

Gao Jie, who had nothing to do in the mansion, in order to avoid suspicion, chose to stay at home when the Shun Army sent someone to check on his subordinates.Just as Mrs. Xing said to him: "Since you have chosen to surrender to Emperor Yongchang, then there is no point in hiding anything, otherwise you will give him a handle."

But Gao Jie has an active nature after all, after staying at home for a few days, he couldn't bear it any longer, so Mrs. Xing simply accompanied Gao Jie to the city to go shopping and relax.The two who changed into plain clothes walked down the street with their son, ignoring the words of the strong men in plain clothes behind them, and they were no different from ordinary families.

Gao Jie, who was walking in the crowd, also felt that the scene in front of him was rare. He hadn't seen such a peaceful street market for many years.Just strolling around, he suddenly stopped in front of a small headgear vendor on the side of the road. Madam Xing originally thought that Gao Jie was going to pick out a gift for herself. She was about to take the jewelry from Gao Jie's hand, but she saw Gao Jie He didn't let go, just listened to something.

Mrs. Xing listened with some surprise at ease, and suddenly heard a man and a woman carrying them on their backs not far away, talking with incense powder, "...Don't worry about the money, the Marshal's Mansion has just issued a settling allowance, Moreover, Captain Shanggong also said that when the new camp is completed, military members will not only be allocated a set of rooms, but also prioritize work..."

Regarding the man's reassuring words, the woman said in a low mood: "But after you go to Shandong, you may not need to spend money. It's better to keep some money on your body. If what the Marshal's Mansion said is true, I can support myself." , don’t waste your money now. The Marshal’s Office said that a sergeant can apply for retirement at the age of 40, will the Marshal let you retire?”

The man hesitated and refused to answer directly, and the woman finally left angrily, and the man immediately dropped the things in his hand and followed.Gao Jie took the tiara and left in a low mood. Mrs. Xing hurriedly paid the stall owner, and then followed.When he returned to the mansion, Gao Jie sighed and said, "Li Zicheng is trying to dig my roots."

Chapter 244 New Deal 59

Seeing this, Mrs. Xing could only go forward and hold her husband's hand, waiting for Gao Jie to calm down slowly.Sure enough, under his wife's reassurance, Gao Jie's restless heart finally calmed down, and finally let out a long breath: "Forget it, anyway, I have already voted for Li Zicheng, which is a matter of course."

At this time, Madam Xing finally persuaded: "After so many years of fighting, even we don't want to fight anymore, let alone the soldiers below. Those who really enjoy it don't want to stay in the army and People fight, but think about relying on military power to plunder civilians to satisfy their own selfish desires.

Li Zicheng sent people to win the hearts of the soldiers, which is actually a good thing for us. At least husband, you don't have to worry about someone coercing soldiers and looting civilians this time.Since the defeat of Shanxi, in order to appease the defeated army, you have offended everyone by allowing them to plunder civilians. If this continues, we will really become a bandit army.

Right now, although Li Zicheng has won the hearts of our army, it is tantamount to liberating you, my husband, from your past sins. With the constraints of the Marshal's Mansion, those generals can no longer violate the military law. Good thing. "

Gao Jie gently shook his wife's hand, nodded after a long time and said: "You are right. If we can use this to rectify military discipline, it will not be a bad thing for us. I hope that Li Zicheng will do what he said, and the world will be peaceful in the future. I will resign from this post." As a military officer, you can be a rich man in Yangzhou."

Although Mrs. Xing felt Gao Jie's intention to retire, she didn't think it was a good idea. Li Zicheng could tolerate Gao Jie, but he was still useful. If Gao Jie was useless to Li Zicheng, could he still be a rich man?However, she couldn't tell Gao Jie the speculation in her heart, because Gao Jie's temper was too straightforward, and she was worried that Gao Jie would have some conflicts with Li Zicheng after hearing this, and would Li Zicheng be tolerant again?

The two snuggled quietly for a while, then Gao Jie suddenly said, "I will personally lead the second batch of troops, let Ben Shen lead the last batch of troops. Tomorrow I will go to Yangzhou to bid farewell to Li Zicheng. It’s up to you to take care of the family affairs.”

Mrs. Xing was silent for a moment, then nodded and said: "It's better for you to leave early. You have the Marshal's Mansion to arrange logistics. In fact, you don't have much to do when you stay. You are not familiar with the place in Shandong. You should go to host it earlier." The overall situation is to make everyone feel at ease after arriving in Shandong. It’s just that Shandong is not Henan, and the gentry over there is still very strong. You can’t easily make enemies with people, otherwise they might not turn to the north.”

Gao Jie snorted coldly and said, "Those gentry just oppressed the civilians, don't they dare to fight against the army? Back then, when the Wuqiao Rebellion and the northern soldiers invaded Shandong two years ago, didn't those gentry just stick out their necks and get chopped off?" ? They can't afford to offend the rebellious army and the northern soldiers, so they can offend our own army..."

At the same time, a group of people blocked the entrance of an alley in Dongguan Street, Yangzhou City.Among the crowd, the county magistrate Li Wei reported to He Duiji: "According to the accounts of the Ma brothers and the prisoner Qin, the person behind them is Liu Juren who lives here. Chengdu will be handed over to this Liu Juren, so this person is the real mastermind."

He Duiji nodded at him and said, "You did a good job. You did your best to find the mastermind behind them in such a short period of time. You can search for the woman in his family as soon as you take down Liu Juren. See if your daughter is here."

After all, without waiting for Li Yan to thank him, He Duiji asked the two officers beside him, "Is there anyone guarding the end of the alley? Are there people in the neighbors of Liu's house and in the backyard of his house?"

The two officers clasped their fists together and said: "Everything has been arranged properly, and the humble ranks have also arranged manned posts on the surrounding high places. Unless they can go underground, they will never escape our eyes."

He Duiji nodded and said, "Then let's start."

Following He Duiji's order, one of the two officers stayed to direct the overall situation, while the other led a group of people into the alley.Soon there were loud calls to the door in the alley, then a knock on the door, and then crying.In less than a quarter of an hour, someone came out to report to He Duiji that the Liu family had been taken down.

For this speed, He Duiji was also quite surprised. He originally thought that the house of the mastermind must be impregnable, and he couldn't take it down without spending a lot of effort.Unexpectedly, he looked like he was facing a big enemy, but he was taken down there without even resisting.

After listening to the soldier's report, He Duiji looked at Li Wei in surprise and said, "Are you sure it's the Liu family in this alley? Their family only has an old servant and a few maidservants, not even a single guard."

Li Wei was sweating slightly, but he still said firmly: "It is indeed this family. The villain interrogated the Ma brothers and the Qin criminal accomplices separately, and then pieced together the clues based on their confessions."

Seeing that He Duiji still had a suspicious expression on his face, Li Wei suddenly thought of something, so he hurriedly said: "Qin prisoner will send money here every month, and there is a mark on it. Just find a lot of silver to prove it."

After a few seconds of silence, He Duiji said, "Then let's go and see how much money their family has."

When He Duiji led the team into Liu's house, he heard an old man crying for grievances, and said he would go to the Marshal's Mansion to file a complaint, which finally made him feel some pressure.This Liu Juren is already considered a member of the gentry. If no real evidence can be found, the gentry in the city must be impatient. Tomorrow will happen to be the day when Emperor Yongchang will meet with the citizens of Yangzhou. He immediately regretted it. , should postpone the search for a day or two.

It's just that there is no regret medicine to take at this time, so he can only order the soldiers to search carefully, and isolate and question the servants of the Liu family separately, hoping to get real evidence to block Liu Juren's mouth.

But no matter how the soldiers searched, they only found a few hundred taels of silver and some head jewelry, but not the large amount of silver that Li Yan said. The Liu Mansion didn't even have a cellar, and the servants didn't give any useful information.

Standing next to He Duiji, Li Wei suddenly remembered the hidden courtyard of the winery when he was flustered, so he measured the mansion around the periphery of the main building.A quarter of an hour later, Li Wei hurriedly walked up to He Duiji and said a few words. He Duiji also surveyed around the main building, and soon he stopped, and walked in front of the Liu family who were sitting in the main room. Looking directly at Liu Juren who was sitting at the head, he said, "Liu Juren, I will give you a chance. As long as you confess your crimes now, at least your family will be lenient."

Liu Juren's eyelids twitched, and he avoided He Duiji's sight and said, "You official really doesn't know what to say. You came to the door without evidence and didn't say anything. Now you want me to take the blame? I must go to His Majesty Yongchang I will accuse you corrupt officials in front of me, otherwise, will Dashun still have the king's law..."

He Duiji sighed and took a step back, and then ordered to the left and right: "Pull Liu Juren away, remove the furniture behind him, and smash that wall."

Liu Juren, who was still calm just now, suddenly went crazy, shouting "What right do you have to smash my house", while struggling desperately and refusing to leave, even his two sons got up and stopped in front of his father, not allowing the officers and soldiers to leave. Touch your own father.

Liu Juren's family were all scholars, and the local volunteers in Yangzhou immediately softened their hands. Without evidence, they were unwilling to offend these scholars.At this moment, He Duiji had no choice but to call the soldiers of the Shun Army to step forward, abruptly lifted the three of Liu and his son aside, and then someone came to the wall with a hammer and an iron ax and knocked on it.

The gagged Liu's father and son could only twist and turn in the hands of the soldiers, but they couldn't break free.And here, after the soldiers chopped down the wooden planks, a blue wall was exposed, and now even the volunteers began to have doubts, because such a brick wall should not appear in this position.

After a soldier hammered down a few times, he forcibly smashed the brick wall out of the hole, and immediately revealed a dark room. The soldier looked into the hole with his head and reported to He Duiji: " It's a secret room, but I can't see what it looks like inside."

He Duiji asked the soldiers to open the hole wider while asking for candles, and then turned to Liu Juren and asked, "What's in this secret room?"

After the soldiers found the secret room, Liu Juren gave up struggling. Faced with this problem, he just glanced at He Duiji and said, "What else can I say now? I said it contains my family's labor income. Do you believe it?" Is it? The merits of the five generations were destroyed once, I am sorry for the ancestors..."

He Duiji didn't understand what the other party was saying at all, but he saw that Liu Juren's two sons were also surprised by the existence of a secret room in their home. Obviously they didn't know about this secret room.

He took the lit candle from the soldiers beside him with a blank expression, then bent down and walked through the big hole in the wall.He Duiji glanced at the secret room with a candle in his hand, and almost dropped the candle in his hand, because there were several rows of shelves in the secret room, one of which contained all kinds of antiques and treasures, and the other shelves held There are two-foot-square wooden boxes.

Even if he didn't open the box, he guessed that it must contain gold and silver.As the soldiers lifted out several boxes from the secret room and opened them in the sun, the 50 pieces of horseshoe silver in the boxes immediately dazzled the eyes of volunteers and Shunjun soldiers.

Seeing this, He Duiji immediately scolded: "This is stolen goods, and it must be registered and handed over to the state treasury. Are you trying to violate the laws promulgated by His Majesty?"

Under He Duiji's scolding, Yiyong and the soldiers finally put away their greedy eyes and put the lid on the box again.Although silver is good, you can't get out of Yangzhou City if you take it.

After seeing their performance, He Duiji said with satisfaction: "The Statistics Department will never forget your achievements. When all the wealth is put into the treasury, you will also be rewarded by His Majesty."

Hearing He Duiji's promise, everyone was relieved, and began to move out the things in the secret room one by one according to He Duiji's order.On the other hand, Liu Juren also gave up resistance, and after He Duiji said that he could change the names of his two sons and send them to other places, he explained in detail how the Liu family got rich.

Chapter 245 New Deal 60

In the early morning of this day, Li Zicheng brought a small number of guards into the city from the north gate of Yangzhou, and first went to the Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy Office. This is the highest-ranking office in Yangzhou City, so its location is also placed in the center of the city.

Because there were few people on the street in the early morning, the street was still empty when Li Zicheng passed by Beimen Street. Twenty or thirty cavalrymen walked on the street unimpeded, and they didn't even need people to clear the road.

Hearing the crisp sound of horseshoes stepping on the bluestone slab, Li Zicheng felt very relaxed. He also watched with great interest the daily life of the residents of Yangzhou City in the mid-17th century.

On his left is a river that runs through the north and south of the city. At this time, there are already people carrying water and washing toilets on the stone steps by the river, and even women are washing their clothes.On his right hand is a row of shops, some shops have not opened yet, but some people have begun to remove the door panels and start a day's life.

Those Yangzhou citizens who got up early obviously also saw Li Zicheng and his party riding in, but they just looked around curiously, and soon went about their own business.Obviously these citizens did not realize that Emperor Yongchang was among the cavalry, and they regarded these cavalry as ordinary Shunjun soldiers.

Li Zicheng couldn't help but raised the horsewhip in his hand, pointed at these Yangzhou people and said to the guards around him: "Do you know why these citizens are not afraid of us?"

Li Zicheng's personal guards chattered together, and in the end most people believed that the citizens of Yangzhou were used to seeing Shun troops entering and leaving the city, so they were indifferent to their appearance.

Li Zicheng then said: "This is trust. These Yangzhou citizens know that our Shun army will not rob them, so they can feel nothing about our appearance. If Gao Jie or other people's troops appear here, these citizens will They closed the door and hid long ago, because they knew that the army would not protect them.

When I was in Beijing before, why did Liu Zongmin and others strongly advocate that we should withdraw to Guanzhong, because Shaanxi is our hometown, and the elders in our hometown will trust us and support us, while the people in other places may not.Think about it, when we first arrived in Yangzhou, did we dare to enter Yangzhou City with just a few dozen rides? "

The guards naturally shook their heads and said they didn't dare. At that time, let alone entering the city, even when they were approaching the city gate, the guards on the city wall were extremely nervous, for fear that the army would take the opportunity to seize the city gate.

Li Zicheng then said: "If the army does not trust its commander in chief, then it is impossible to win the battle. Similarly, if the people do not trust the army, the army cannot obtain material and manpower support from the people. An army that does not have the support of the people will become weaker as it fights. Therefore, gaining the support of the people is the first condition for the army to win.

The so-called brave generals and wise generals can gain a little influence in local battles at most, but they cannot change the direction of the war between the two countries. Only the people are the fundamental decision to win or lose the war.You must always remember this point. The relationship between the army and the people is the relationship between fish and water. A fish without water will die of thirst. "

Most of the guards who followed Li Zicheng into the city today are young people. Under Li Zicheng's daily teaching, they feel closer to Li Zicheng than fear, so some people boldly asked: "How many times did Jiannu enter the customs? Looting is rampant, don't those people would rather be robbed by Jiannu than support the government army?"

Li Zicheng chuckled and said: "The common people want to support the officers and soldiers to resist Jiannu. Jiannu entered the customs for the first time and occupied the four cities of Yongping. At the beginning, they wanted to stay permanently, but under the siege of officers and soldiers, Didn’t Jiannu abandon the city and flee? Without the support of the people, how could the officers and soldiers drive Jiannu away?

However, the imperial court lacked a complete combat strategy to deal with Jiannu. They always wanted to lure the Mongols to attack Jiannu, and then reap the benefits. You can detour through the grassland to break through and enter Shanxi, Beizhi and other places.But even so, every time the Jiannu plundered the pass, they could not stay for a long time, because they encountered spontaneous resistance from the people all over the pass.

For example, in the counterattack against the establishment of slaves in the cities of Shanxi and Shandong, didn’t the people take the main part?But the incompetence of the court and the army made the sacrifices of these heroic people in vain.Therefore, if the army wants to win a battle, it must gain the support of the people, but the support of the people will not directly lead to victory in the war, and the army still needs to face the battle.

If the army runs away when it sees the enemy, no matter how much the people support the army, they will not be able to win.Therefore, the primary responsibility for the failure of the war lies in the strategy of the imperial court and the commander in chief of the army, followed by the combat capability of the army itself, the people cannot be blamed..."

When Li Zicheng was discussing the military-civilian relationship with his personal guards, he came to the alley where the Lianghuai salt transport envoy's office was located.Seeing Li Laiheng, Huang Jiarui and other officials standing at the entrance of the alley, Li Zicheng ended his conversation with the guards, dismounted before the alley and greeted the officials who greeted him.

After exchanging pleasantries, Huang Jiarui led the way for Li Zicheng and entered the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office.In the small living room of the second hall, Huang Jiarui prepared a hearty breakfast for Li Zicheng.In addition to various steamed stuffed buns, there are also two famous snacks, boiled dried shredded shredded meat and fried meat.

After a full meal, Li Zicheng and Huang Jiarui, who drank tea and rinsed their mouths, talked about the current situation in Yangzhou.After hitting a wall with the prince, Huang Jiarui also had the intention to retreat at this time. After a few words, he tentatively said: "...this time such a big case broke out in the city, speaking of it, I am also responsible. I ask your majesty to forgive me." Those who go to the position of ministers and come as policemen."

Li Zicheng took a sip of tea casually, and then said: "Mr. Huang's words are wrong. You have only been in the transportation department for a few years, how can you say that these cases are related to you. But I heard that yesterday the city dug up A culprit of child abduction, I came here today just to hear about this case first, what is the matter, please tell me, what is the situation."

He Duiji, who was sitting at the bottom of the living room, got up immediately, bowed to Li Zicheng first, and then took out a small book from his sleeve and read it: "Liu Wenxian, 55 years old, native of Jiangxi , in the first year of the apocalypse..."

After reading the list of the Liu family, He Duiji suddenly said: "According to Liu Wenxian's account, his surname is not Liu. His great-grandfather fled southward from Guidee, Henan, and fled to Yangzhou. Later, he controlled more than a dozen beggars. He saved some money, and later colluded with subordinate officials to start abducting and selling children. When he reached his grandfather, he had already bought land and houses outside the city.

His grandfather felt that this business was not a long-term strategy, and his status was too lowly, so he bought the identity and genealogy of a bankrupt businessman in Jiangxi, and changed his surname to Liu.However, although his grandfather and father were running the incense powder business on the surface, they had been expanding the business of abducting and selling children and women. When it came to his father, nearly half of the children's business in Yangzhou came from the Liu family.

Prisoner Qin was just the most marginal helper of the Liu family. In the hands of Liu Wenxian, because he was admitted as a student, he gradually withdrew from this business, trying to turn the family into an ordinary family of Confucian merchants, and did not let his two sons Get involved in this business again...According to Liu Wenxian's account, we also compiled a list of officials bribed by his family over the years, among them..."

He Duiji stopped suddenly, looked up at Li Zicheng and said, "Maybe it's better for Your Majesty to take a look at the list yourself."

Among the several officials in the hall, apart from Huang Jiarui who was still there, everyone else was already sweating.They felt that He Duiji kept silent at this time, obviously there were names on the list that were not good for those present.

After Li Zicheng took the brochure from He Duiji and flipped through a few pages, he passed it to Huang Jiarui who was beside him calmly. Huang Jiarui saw a name in his hand, and immediately said to Li Zicheng in surprise: "Here, my minister really I don't know..."

Li Zicheng interrupted him, and said to the people in the living room: "You go out first, Mr. Huang and I have a few words alone."

Several officials walked out of the small living room with puzzled expressions, and Huang Jiarui justified himself with a pale face: "...this is my brother-in-law, but I really don't know that he dares to accept such money..."

After Li Zicheng listened, he sighed and said, "I don't want to say anything about Daming's long-standing disadvantages, but it's better for Mr. Huang to move his position. Huai'an still needs a host who supervises the transportation of food. I see you." How about going to Huai'an in a few days?"

Huang Jiarui could only agree with a heavy nod, "I will follow your Majesty's orders..."

He Duiji stood in the courtyard, carefully observing the conversation between Li Zicheng and Huang Jiarui in the small living room. He originally thought that Li Zicheng would be furious, but he didn't expect Li Zicheng to be so calm.When he was guessing what Li Zicheng and Huang Jiarui were talking about, he saw that Li Zicheng had already got up and walked out of the small living room, so he hurriedly walked down the steps with the others to wait.

Standing on the steps, Li Zicheng glanced at the panicked officials in the courtyard, and then said: "I have discussed with Huang Yunsi, and we all think that this is just a desperate move by the willow criminals, trying to put all the yamen in Yangzhou It's just to confuse the people's attention. Therefore, this list is not used as evidence for investigation. Of course, the list may not be all fake. Everyone pays close attention to it. They can all be reported..."

After Li Zicheng finished speaking, Huang Jiarui on the side repeated it hesitantly, and then Li Zicheng said: "As for the criminal evidence and stolen goods confiscated by the Liu family, I suggest not to store them immediately, but set up an exhibition in Qionghua Temple. Let the citizens of Yangzhou take a look at the crimes of the Liu family and how much money they have extracted from those innocent women and children..."

The officials below echoed Li Zicheng's suggestion one after another. Li Zicheng had no intention of staying more at the Lianghuai salt transport envoy's office, so he took people to Qionghua Temple to meet the citizens of Yangzhou.

Chapter 246 New Deal 61

On the way to Qionghua Temple, He Duiji was riding on Li Zicheng’s right hand, and Li Laiheng was riding on Li Zicheng’s left. Both of them were one horse head behind Li Zicheng. Behind them were five riders and a row of guards, followed by Huang Jiarui and others. Officer's frame.

After holding back halfway, He Duiji finally couldn't help asking Li Zicheng: "Why did Your Majesty let these officials go lightly? Without their protection, it would be difficult for a cancer like Liu Juren to take root in Yangzhou. Indulging these officials, I am afraid that people like Liu Juren will appear again in the future."

Li Zicheng looked back at him, and said just now: "I heard such a joke before that all the officials of the Ming Dynasty were dragged out and shot, or some of them were wronged, but if half of them were picked to be shot, they would slip through the net again." fish."

He Duiji didn't know why Li Zicheng would make such a joke at this time, but he still responded: "It doesn't sound like a joke, but it looks like a fact."

Li Zicheng sighed and said: "Because the facts really look like a joke, killing people alone cannot correct this trend. We have tried it in the past. But the result is not good. The people don't understand us." Why do you want to kill so many scholars, and scholars everywhere are in danger, aren't you one of them?"

He Duiji was stunned for a long time before he cupped his hands and pleaded guilty: "In the past, I really misunderstood Your Majesty, which is why I made wrong choices. But after being taken in by His Majesty, I already know that the fault is actually my own, Your Majesty. It’s not too much to do.”

Li Zicheng withdrew his gaze, turned his head to look at the front of the street and said, "I've heard these two sayings: kill one person and shake the whole army, kill him; kill one person and make everyone happy, kill him.

This can also be used in reverse, if killing one person does not please everyone, then don't kill him.In the past, our army killed corrupt officials, and the people did not understand it. Instead, they believed that our army was bloodthirsty and had no intention of stabilizing the country.Therefore, when our army is here, the people are afraid, but when our army is gone, the people complain.Why?Because it is our army who wants to kill, not the people who want to kill.

In fact, except for those who are directly victimized, most people may sympathize with the victims, but they will not support the severe punishment of the perpetrators. Instead, they are more worried that the powerful person who has the ability to punish others will destroy the existing order.

Huang Jiarui's culpability was actually not that great, but as the highest official in Yangzhou City, he couldn't pass him over to deal with other people unless he was dealt with first.But severely punishing Huang Jiarui will not win us the approval of the people. On the contrary, they will say that we crossed the river and demolished the bridge with the army, and killed him in order to occupy Yangzhou City by force.

We have only allowed the south to settle down, how can we let the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River find a reason to attack us at this time?This is a greater misfortune for the common people.Another reason is that there are a large number of cockroaches in the house, which must be due to poor hygiene, not too much cockroaches.We should do sanitation first, instead of chasing and killing cockroaches all over the house, then there will only be more and more cockroaches in the house..."

He Duiji didn't expect Li Zicheng to talk so much to him at first, and his question was just to vent his grievances. After all, it took a lot of energy for him and his subordinates to investigate the case to this extent.And the reason why he works so hard is also to clarify the corruption in the officialdom and give the common people a bright future.

This is not He Duiji's pretentious gesture, he really thinks so in his heart, just like being pushed out by those aristocratic families in Dezhou to be in charge, it is also to defend the right way, thinking that a thief leader like Li Zicheng is not qualified to be emperor, and Emperor Chongzhen Nothing immoral.

If Li Zicheng was only vague about him, he would be disappointed with Li Zicheng, thinking that the other party was just a person who didn't agree with what he said. Although he could defeat the Ming court, he would not think that the other party could really save China, because Li Zicheng His morality is just a cover, but at such a critical juncture, he reveals his true nature.

But now Li Zicheng said a lot, and he said it very sincerely, which made He Duiji start to think about how to clean this old house so that the cockroaches would lose their place to live.

The distance from the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office to Qionghua Temple is slightly shorter than the distance to Tianning Temple outside the north gate, but when Li Zicheng and his party came to the temple, the place was already full of people and the sun had already risen. half empty.Under the protection of the guards, Li Zicheng and his party finally squeezed into the mountain gate. When entering the gate, Li Zicheng realized that Qionghua Temple seems to be a small place.

Of course, the Qionghua Temple, which is large enough to accommodate thousands of people, has nothing to do with Xiao.However, Qionghua Temple was not designed and built for holding large-scale mass gatherings, so its layout is not suitable for gatherings and speeches. When thousands or even tens of thousands of people want to pour into the temple, it will appear small.