I

The property of the landlord's family is all on Zhao Han's territory, but anyone who doesn't want to die can only bite the bullet and follow the thief.

Ouyang Zheng looked back at the soldiers behind him, and asked in a low voice, "Why didn't the imperial court send a large army to attack the Zhao bandits?"

Li Banghua said: "There is no money, no soldiers. The food and salaries of the soldiers of the imperial court are either used to deal with the bandits or the Tartars. The Jiangxi bandits can only be suppressed by the local officials. Which local official do you think can kill the Zhao bandits?" Suppressed?"

Ouyang Zheng had a flash of inspiration: "You can ask the gentry to organize group training!"

"That's also a way," Li Banghua immediately shook his head, "First, the imperial court will not allow gentry to hold regiment training; second, if local regiment training is allowed, Ming Dynasty will exist in name only."

Ouyang Zheng was silent.

Li Banghua didn't know what to say, the more he read about the anti-thief policy, the more he had the urge to turn to the thief.But he can't be a thief. He is the former Minister of the Ministry of War, his father and brother, and they are still under the rule of Ming Dynasty.

The two walked around the countryside and returned to Yongyang Town together.

Zhao Han's ruling center has moved out of Wuxing Town, and Yongyang Town is now the core base.

Above the Eight Towns Office is Zhao Han's General Military Mansion, which handles military and political affairs, somewhat similar to Zhu Yuanzhang in the Yingtian period.

Pang Chunlai is the chief civil servant, Fei Ruhe is the chief general, Xiao Huan is in charge of military logistics, Zuo Xiaoliang is in charge of civil affairs, Fei Chun is in charge of money and food affairs, Chen Maosheng is in charge of missionary work, and Huang Shunfu is transferred to the mayor of Yongyang Town.

The above seven people are the core team.

The talents contributed by the big clans of the Xiao family are still in the probationary period.The only Juren could no longer carry the heavy workload and was unwilling to deal with mud legs, so he resigned from office and went home to study.

Only the children of rich families who have survived this difficult stage and performed well can truly gain Zhao Han's approval.

Can you get reused immediately by raising people and talents to vote for thieves?

Think beautiful!

When passing by the town public school, he heard the sound of reading aloud in the school, and Li Banghua couldn't help but stop and listen for a while.

Ouyang Zheng said: "This bandit Zhao is really hard to describe, but he knows how to run a big school."

It's not just a big school, Li Banghua doesn't know how to describe it.

Although Zhao Han robbed a lot of money and food, he had to resettle the rogues returning home one after another, as well as the vagrants who joined the army in Fucheng, and bought a lot of corn and sweet potato seeds.

Those money and food are gradually not enough, and at most they will last until next year's summer grain harvest.

Even so, Zhao Han still squeezed out money and food to set up official schools in every town, which is equivalent to having two public schools in one township in Daming.

In addition to waiving tuition fees, all school-age children will be provided with a free lunch.

Parents who do not send their children to school will be fined if they are found out!

Zhao Han even recruited a group of old-fashioned schoolchildren, that is, scholars who couldn't even pass the entrance examination, and taught them "Taixi arithmetic" himself.It is estimated that in a few months, these old-style schoolchildren will be able to master the four arithmetic operations proficiently, and they will be assigned to public schools in various towns as mathematics teachers.

Back at the residence, it was already noon, and the soldiers brought food.

Li Banghua can still accept that it's all rough food, after all, he couldn't even eat enough when he was young.

Ouyang Zheng got tired of eating, he is a son of a rich family, he came from a young age, and he has been sour these days and nights.

Sometimes, Ouyang Zheng even thought that if Zhao thief treated him with more respect, he would probably be willing to vote for a thief.

"Can't eat?" Li Banghua laughed.

"I'm getting used to it soon." Ouyang Zheng could only say, and then bit the bullet and ate.

Li Banghua chewed the bran cakes of miscellaneous grains, swallowed the vegetable soup with difficulty, and said with emotion: "I heard people say that even Zhao Han himself eats this kind of thing every day. He doesn't even eat cakes in the morning, and only eats porridge. Pickles. Now that money and food are in short supply, all officials have to tighten their belts until the summer harvest.”

Ouyang Zheng smiled and said, "It's just a trick to trick the little people."

"I do believe it," Li Banghua said, "this thief has great ambitions, and he is not a person who is greedy for enjoyment. There is only one servant girl in his house...well, he said it was a maid, and she was also a maid who was not good-looking. In addition, There is a woman who washes and cooks rice. It’s been almost a year since the rebellion, and she’s still not close to a woman, so what’s so special about having a simple meal every day?”

Ouyang Zheng put away his smile, and took a hard bite of the bran cake: "This thief's ambition and strategy, if he can be an official in the court, he will be a minister of the country."

Li Banghua shook his head and said: "Now that Wen Shoufu is also very clean. He doesn't live in a mansion, doesn't like women, has few slaves, and keeps his food and clothes simple. In terms of personal virtues, Wen Tiren can be called a great sage."

"This is the blessing of the imperial court." Ouyang Zheng said.

Li Banghua said: "Wen Tiren not only has noble personal morality, but also has a long-term memory. No matter how cumbersome official duties are, he can handle them easily. He can remember the name and place of a small official who has only met once. In terms of personal morality, I am not as good as Wen Tiren; in terms of ability, I am not as good as Wen Tiren. If Wen Tiren was born in the early years of the dynasty, he must be a generation of virtuous ministers! However, since the new king came to the throne, Wen Tiren has not done a single serious thing."

Ouyang Zheng was dumbfounded and said in disbelief, "How could this be?"

"If you do something right, you will definitely make mistakes," Li Banghua said, "I was dismissed from office and returned to my hometown just because I did something."

Ouyang Zheng used to look down on magistrates, but after hearing what Li Banghua said, he felt that Daming was hopeless.

After eating the pancakes seriously, he went for a stroll in the village in the afternoon, and Ouyang Zheng couldn't sleep at night.

In the early morning of the next day, Ouyang Zheng ran to find Li Banghua: "Sir, I want to be a thief."

Li Banghua said: "It's up to you."

Ouyang Zheng was afraid that Li Banghua would be angry, so he explained: "When a man is alive, he has to do something. Hearing what Mr. said about the court situation, Wan Sheng really has no future in sight. Even if Wan Sheng is named on the gold list, he is only making wood in the court. It is better to follow the Zhao Dynasty. Thieves."

"Go, go." Li Banghua didn't stop him.

Ouyang Zheng cupped his hands and said, "Sir, farewell!"

The rebels had to give themselves a false name, Zhao Han changed his name to Zhao Yan, and Ouyang Zheng changed his name directly to Ou Zhen.

After being a thief, this product was not reused, but was thrown to Yongfu Town to help divide the land.

Ouyang Zheng didn't feel disappointed, because he had observed politics for many days and knew that as long as he did a good job, he would be promoted quickly.

Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming, Li Banghua couldn't help it.

He was really in a hurry, he couldn't find a good book to read here, and he had nothing to do all day long.And the neighboring villages are in full swing, and Li Banghua really wants to join in.

Because Zhao Han was doing the right thing, which Li Banghua had always wanted to do, but it was impossible for him to do it.

On the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, Li Banghua went to see Zhao Han, wanting to have a heart-to-heart debate.

Chapter 121 [Lack of Food]

Yongyang Town, General Military Mansion.

Fei Chun hurried in and threw his big hat on the table: "A group of refugees have come back and are clamoring for land distribution."

"This is a good thing," Zhao Han said happily. "The war was so fierce before that the common people were scared away by the officers and soldiers. Even though we have half a county, there are less than 5 people in Dingkou, so we need to be called back." Just a few."

"Food, there is not enough food!"

Fei Chun's job is to supervise the money and food. He said depressedly: "After the Xiao family donated the soil, many landlords followed suit. Their land was divided, but their money and food were not confiscated. The vagrants who came from Fucheng, The refugees who came back from Anfu and Taihe have no food in their hands, and even have to borrow seeds from the government. The local tenants don’t have much food in stock, and it will be the season of shortage!"

The more Fei Chun said, the more anxious he became: "You still have to run so many schools and provide lunch for the students. Except for Wuxing Town, the mayors and heads of household departments of all towns came to me for food. I went to Where does food come from?"

"Haha," Zhao Han stood up and poured tea for Fei Chun, and comforted Fei Chun with a smile, "Don't be impatient, don't be in a hurry."

Fei Chun took a sip of hot tea, moistened his throat and said, "The school has to be stopped. Even if it is really necessary, it must wait until the summer grain collection."

"Everything can be stopped, but the school cannot be stopped." Zhao Han said.

Running a school really does not require a lot of money and food, all children are 7-12 years old, and it can barely be regarded as four years of compulsory education.

如今赵瀚治下只有4万多人（12岁以上），7—12岁的适龄学童仅3000多，每天一顿午饭能吃多少？一个月也才消耗200石。

Moreover, the content of teaching is mainly literacy, and the requirements for teachers are also very low. It is nothing more than popularizing elementary education on a large scale.

Four or five teachers can teach a town.

Books and pens and ink are not consumed much, and white Jin soil is used as chalk to write and teach on black wooden boards.Students who have money prepare their own pens and ink, or even study at home, and they don't look down on public schools at all.In families with no money, parents use their hair to make brushes, and students practice calligraphy on wooden boards by dipping in water.

As long as you have the heart, there are always more ways than difficulties!

The real food consumption is a large number of refugees, vagrants and tenants, who have to rely on Zhao Han to borrow food to survive.

Fei Chun warmed his hands with a teacup in his hand, and gradually calmed down. He said, "There is another way, and that is to ask the landlord for grain!"

Zhao Han asked, "How long can our food reserves last?"

"I was very optimistic before, thinking that I could last until the summer grain harvest," Fei Chun said, "but more and more refugees are returning to their hometowns. If this trend continues, there will be a food shortage in March, and it can last until April at most."

Zhao Han thought carefully for a moment and said, "Then borrow food from the landlord."

"Borrowing grain? Just collecting grain directly!" Fei Chun was in charge of supervising the money and grain. He didn't want to have grain in the future and return the grain to the landlord.

"Listen to me," Zhao Han said with a serious expression, "Since these landlords are obedient and honestly hand over the land, we can't keep our promises. If you spit on a nail and say what you say, these landlords will be safe and secure. There will be no precarious worries.”

Fei Chun asked, "Do you really want to borrow food?"

Zhao Han nodded and said, "Call Mr. Pang and the others some other day, and let's set up a food store."

"What's a grain store?" Fei Chun asked in confusion.

Zhao Han explained: "We build warehouses and store grain. Anyone can store grain in it and pay them interest on a monthly basis. Farmers who borrow grain also have to pay interest. But the interest must be low, and usury is not allowed!"

Fei Chun tried to understand: "For example, I am a landlord. I store the grain in the grain bank. After a few months, I can take it out and get the interest from the grain bank?"

"Yes, that's it." Zhao Han said.

"Oh, my brother," Fei Chun suddenly felt a pain in his head, "storing food is consuming, the mice will come to eat it, the rice worms will come to eat it, and it may be damp and moldy. Is there any interest for the stored food? I don't charge storage fees. It’s all for saving face! This is a loss-making business!”

Zhao Han said with a smile: "Right now, we are saving grain and borrowing money. In the future, we can save money and borrow money."

"The bank?" Fei Chun's eyes lit up.

Zhao Han nodded: "It can also be called a bank."

Banks in the Ming Dynasty originated from the Zhengtong period, and mainly engaged in the exchange business of silver, official money, and private money.

During the Jiajing period, there was a flood of private money, the imperial court banned the exchange of copper coins, and a large number of banks across the country went bankrupt.

In the early years of Wanli, the existence of Qianzhuang was allowed again.In fact, the money houses all over the country have essentially become the issuing terminals of official money-the imperial court casts copper coins, and the money houses buy money with silver to help the imperial court issue new money to the market.

During the reign of Chongzhen, Qianzhuang was very similar to the banks of later generations.

Large-scale banks have established remittance business in different places, and money orders even have the function of credit circulation (similar to checks).

In the vast rural areas, there are countless money exchange shops or money and rice shops, where silver, copper coins, and grain can be effectively exchanged.

Zhao Han said: "Qianmipu cannot be in the hands of the landlord, we have to take the opportunity to get it."

"Insufficient manpower!" Fei Chun complained.

This is a technical job. Both silver and copper coins have good or bad quality, so it must be checked by experienced masters.

Zhao Han said with a smile: "So first set up a grain bank, and then run the bank when it grows bigger. You take people, go door to door to borrow grain, write down how much grain you borrow, and sign receipts to these landlords, promising that after the summer grain is harvested, you can Return the principal with interest. From now on, farmers will borrow grain from grain banks. There are two urgent tasks, one is to overcome the grain shortage, and the other is to establish credit."

Fei Chun's head suddenly became dizzy, and he just wanted to return to Qianshan Mountain immediately and be a servant of Fei's family honestly.

He doesn't have many literate people under his command, and there is a shortage of warehouses to store grain. Why the hell is he going to the landlord to borrow grain?

"Chief Town, Mr. Li, please see me!"

"Please!"

Zhao Han was suddenly overjoyed. He had communicated with Pang Chunlai and knew how talented Li Banghua was.

After personally going out to welcome Li Banghua in, Zhao Han poured tea for the old man and asked, "Mr. Meng An is homesick?"

Li Banghua was too lazy to go around and asked directly; "When do you plan to attack the state capital?"

"Within two or three years." Zhao Han said.

Li Banghua asked again: "After occupying Jiangxi, which province are you going to attack?"

Zhao Han replied: "Fujian and Guangdong."

"Not going to fight Nanjing?" Li Banghua's expression was a little playful.

Zhao Han laughed and said, "Why am I attacking Nanjing? Even if I can defeat it, I will become the number one rebel in the world."

Li Banghua said: "If you can monopolize Jiangxi, you will already be the number one rebel in the world."

"It's different," Zhao Han argued, "as long as I don't attack Nanjing, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, or even Huguang, the court's primary target of conquest will definitely be those rogues in the northwest. If Emperor Chongzhen dares to mobilize a large army to conquer To suppress Jiangxi, if we cannot defeat it within half a year, the bandits and tartars will be able to break through the capital!"

Li Banghua agrees with this statement very much.

Jiangxi is too far away from Beijing, and the rogues and Tartars are too close.As long as Chongzhen is still clear-headed, he has to put Jiangxi aside first.

Li Banghua asked again: "After occupying Fujian and Guangdong?"

Zhao Han replied: "Consolidate the territory of the three provinces, open up maritime trade, and practice firearms. If you have time, Guangxi will also be taken over."

Li Banghua got up suddenly, walked around the room, seemed to be thinking about something, and seemed to be struggling with something.

After pacing back and forth for a long time, Li Banghua asked, "Do you think the court can wipe out the bandits?"

Zhao Han replied: "The rogues are like leeks. Once you cut off a crop, you will grow another crop. Shanxi and Shaanxi have been plagued by disasters for years, and the imperial court continues to collect taxes. How can the peasants survive? Unless all the peasants in the two provinces are killed, Otherwise, the bandits will never be wiped out."

In fact, some situations in the north are more serious than Zhao Han imagined!