I

  Chapter 131 129【It’s another peasant riot】

  Being respectful in front of Zhao Han, he even said that he would consider the issue of being a thief. But as soon as Wang Diaoding returned to the city, he immediately went to visit the magistrate, trying to discuss **** Zhao Han!

  Wang Tiaoding met him and said: "Fu Zun, yesterday I went to see Bandit Zhao."

  Yang Zhaosheng was a little surprised, but he was able to remain calm, and only said, "Oh, I see."

   "This thief cannot be suppressed with force," Wang Tiaoding said of his point of view, "It is even more impossible to be gentle and appease, so we have to design booby traps!"

  Yang Zhaosheng asked: "What did you see in the thief's den?"

   "The thieves are united and have lofty aspirations. The people are happy, just like a paradise," Wang Tiaoding said with emotion, "The leader of the thieves, Zhao Yan, wants to rule the three generations."

  Yang Zhaosheng shook his head and smiled, "It seems that he is also a good thief."

  Wang Diaoding frowned and said: "The Fu Zun never thought about suppressing the thieves? Within a year or two, the Zhao thieves may steal the entire Ji'an Mansion!"

Yang Zhaosheng sighed and said: "Zhao thief emptied all the government treasury and caused a great military disaster. His Majesty did not reduce or exempt the land tax, but only acquiesced in Ji'an Prefecture's suppression of levy. Half of Luling County was occupied, and Anfu County and Taihe County were also affected. Bandits, this year's summer and autumn grain collection may be difficult. How can I have any intention of suppressing bandits? If I suppress the collection again this year, I'm afraid I won't be able to get promoted in this lifetime."

   "Your Excellency, you only want to be promoted, and don't you want to suppress thieves for the country?" Wang Diaoding said angrily.

   "Where is the food? How can we recruit troops to suppress bandits without food?" Yang Zhaosheng asked back.

  Wang Tiaoding said: "This thief is invincible, we must find a way to lure him to death!"

  Yang Zhaosheng said with a smile: "Then you can try to trap and kill them. The most urgent thing is to collect summer grain. I'm afraid you won't be able to collect a few in Luling County."

   The conversation was not speculative, and the two broke up unhappy.

  When Wang Diaoding left the government office, Yang Zhaosheng sighed and said, "It's nice to be young, I was young too."

  Yang Zhaosheng is actually very capable, but he has experienced too much darkness, and his edges and corners have long been smoothed by reality. Now, I just want to be an official in peace and stability, and earn some money to support my family by the way.

  He was envious of his classmate Wu Rousi, who quickly wiped out the White Lotus Sect in Henan, and even killed two giant bandits of the White Lotus Sect. But Jiangxi is different from Henan, the gentry are not so obedient, and this Zhao thief is not as easy to deal with as the White Lotus Sect!

  Yang Zhaosheng is full of stagnation, and has no courage to do serious things. He only has the bottom line of repaying the king with his death.

  Historically, he was captured by the Qing army and chose to die rather than surrender, and did nothing other than that.

  Wang Tiaoding came out from the magistrate's yamen, and summoned the gentry of Luling County.

He told the details of the peasant association, and said to the gentry: "The peasant association of the thief Zhao may spread to the whole county. If you forcefully suppress the tenants, you may cause riots among the tenants. Why don't you take the initiative to reduce rent and interest, and tell the tenants Thanks for your kindness, this will dilute the influence of Bandit Zhao."

   "Master of the county, we don't have much food. How can we reduce rent and interest?"

   "That's right, the tenants are not easy, but the landlord is easy? The imperial court increases the tax every year, and the local area has apportionments. If the tenants are reduced in rent and interest, they will not be able to live in the future."

   "Since Bandit Zhao has rowed across the river, he probably won't make any big moves in the short term."

   "..."

  The rebels were all under their noses, and these gentry were submissive, expecting Zhao Han to be satisfied with half a county.

   I really don’t cry without seeing the coffin!

  Wang Tiaoding sent the gentry away, then slumped on the chair, feeling very tired.

  He didn't hire a master, but a civil servant to discuss matters.

  The civil official said: "The county honorable, those landlords are afraid. If the Zhao thief can be wiped out, the gentry in the county will definitely donate money and food, but can the county honor really wipe out the Zhao thief?"

   "No, at least not for the time being." Wang Tiaoding shook his head.

The civil official said: "Since no one can suppress the Zhao thief, those gentry dare not act rashly. They are afraid of offending the Zhao thief and losing their wealth! The county lords can't do it, and the government lords can't do it either. Gentlemen only act when they see hope."

  Wang Tiaoding asked: "But I didn't ask them to donate grain to suppress thieves. I only asked them to reduce rent and interest to show kindness to tenants."

The official said with a smile: "They can be divided by Zhao's knife, but they can't take the initiative to reduce rent and interest. It's like a dog with meat in its mouth. How can it spit it out by itself? Someone has to beat it with a stick , Only when it hurts will you spit out meat."

   "They are all short-sighted people!" Wang Diaoding said contemptuously.

The clerk shook his head: "The county lord can figure it out, but how can the gentry not know? They are not stupid. But they can't make such an opening. This year's rent reduction and interest rate reduction should be reduced next year? Will the rent and interest rate reduction be reduced in the future? Can't make an inch? If the tenants are taken care of, I'm afraid they won't be able to collect the rent in the future!"

  Just like capitalists, if they can completely solve the strike problem by giving workers a wage increase, they are actually very willing.

  What are capitalists afraid of?

   I am afraid that if the price rises once, there will be two or three times, and the workers will never be fed enough. Then don't raise it once, and would rather spend more money to suppress it than raise wages!

   Dead end, no solution.

  Wang Tiaoding thought about the paradise on Zhao’s side, the magistrates and gentry on his own side, and the faces of the officials in the Wenxuan Department, and he suddenly felt an urge to turn to the thief.

   Calm down, calm down, resolutely don't follow the thief!

  …

  The gentry did not move, nor did the peasant association, but the tenants did.

  The tenants on the east bank of the Lushui River were envious of the abundant summer grain harvest on the west bank.

  The tenants joined forces in private, elected a representative, and came to Yongyang Town under the pretext of bringing his wife back to his natal home.

   "What's your name?" Zhao Han asked.

"Luo Xian, a grassroots man, has also studied for a few years. In the early years, he had six acres of land, but now he has become a tenant." Luo Xian knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Even the landlord urged you to rent. Mr. Zhao, the tenants on the east bank all hope that you will come over, and they all want to live a good life like the west bank."

  Zhao Han asked with a smile: "Everyone thinks so?"

  Luo Xian said: "As long as Mr. Zhao goes to the east bank to divide the land, the life of the grassroots belongs to him. Even if the officers and soldiers come, the grassroots will pick up the pole and fight the government!"

   The hearts of the people are available.

Zhao Han said: "I have an agreement with the government, and the Lushui River has been designated for governance. People can't be dishonest, and I can't give you land for the time being. However, I can send mission groups and farmers' associations to help you form farmers' associations on your own. You can't count on me for everything, you have to stand up yourself, and you have to ask the landlord to lower the rent in a disaster year. There are also usury, usury, the interest is too high and unreasonable, and you don't have to accept the money and grain you borrowed!"

   A few days later, Chen Maosheng personally took the mission officer across the river, accompanied by several soldiers and the backbone of the peasant association.

   In the villages and towns on the east bank of the Lushui River, farmers associations were quickly established, and tenants joined enthusiastically, and many self-cultivating farmers also participated.

   It’s not that they don’t pay rent to the landlord, it’s just that this year’s summer grain harvest is poor, and the tenants have to keep enough rations for themselves first, and then send the rest to the landlord. Moreover, all the loan sharks I borrowed before are not accepted!

  At the same time, the peasant association led the self-cultivating peasants to resist the tax, and paid according to the normal whip tax, and resolutely refused to recognize the exorbitant and miscellaneous taxes levied by the local government.

   Now, even small landlords are willing to join the peasant association!

  Many small landlords are unwilling to contribute their land. Once they do, they will have to be tenants, so they become the main force in paying taxes to the government. They joined the peasant association purely to resist taxes, because the local miscellaneous taxes levied more than the official tax of the imperial court.

  From this point of view, small landlords are also fighting, and they are also the main force of Zhao Han’s rebellion. The premise is that there is no Juren in their family, and Juren can escape a large number of miscellaneous factions and servants.

   "It's reversed, it's all reversed!"

  A master Hu couldn't hold back. He didn't dare to attack the mission group, but he dared to attack his own tenants.

  This guy asked his son to bring his slaves to collect rent by force, and even severely injured a tenant.

  Under the command of Chen Maosheng, more than 600 members of the peasant association captured the Hu family compound and captured Master Hu and several sons. Then, a bitterness meeting was held, followed by a public trial.

  Zhao Han originally wanted to take it step by step, first develop the peasant association, and then train the grassroots officials, gradually encroaching on the entire Luling County.

  But, I can't stop it!

  The old house was on fire, fierce and fierce.

  After the grievance meeting and the public trial meeting, the mission group suddenly lost control of the peasant association.

  The peasants found an organization because of the peasant association, quickly united, and killed several big landlords in a row. Then, the tenants who did not join the peasant association also spontaneously launched an attack to kill the landlord.

   After killing the landlord, ask Chen Maosheng to preside over the division of the land.

  Rent reduction and interest rate reduction?

  Hehe, there is only one river across, and the life on the west bank is so good, why not just divide the land on the east bank?

  Chen Maosheng hurried back to Yongyang Township: "Chief Township, I'm not good at doing things, and I can't control the peasant association, so punish me!"

"It's not your fault. It's because I didn't think carefully and underestimated the enthusiasm of the farmers," Zhao Han said. "You can recruit some missionaries to control the emotions of the farmers. I will let Zuo Xiaoliang cross the river in person, and send more The backbone of the peasant association, immediately organize the work of dividing the fields. Let Jiang Dashan and Huang Yao each lead 500 soldiers to help you town the field. Remember, use the opportunity of dividing the fields to consolidate the peasant associations in each village and town. The newly established peasant associations must Be obedient, and stop acting against orders!"

  The chain reaction reappeared, Chen Maosheng and Zuo Xiaoliang were still dividing the fields, and the peasant movement had spread spontaneously. It spread northward to the border of Luling County, eastward beyond Fucheng, and southward to the edge of the mountains.

  Four fifths of Luling County have actually become Zhao Han's territory.

  The big landlords were frightened. They were unwilling to reduce rent and interest rates before, but now they come to Zhao Han automatically. I just want to save my life, money, food and a small amount of land.

  Over the past year, many grassroots officials trained and promoted by Zhao Han were sent to emerging areas, and there was a shortage of officials at all levels again.

  Promotion is fast, and officials are full of energy.

  The thoughts of corruption have been downplayed, and they only want to continue to expand the territory and continue to get promoted. Most of them are pupils and schoolchildren, and a few are scholars. It was impossible to be an official before, but now they see the possibility of becoming a high-ranking official.

  Countless low-level scholars began to rebel with Zhao Han, even more eager to rebel than Zhao Han.

  The county magistrate Wang Tiaoding completely gave up, and in a blink of an eye, only one-fifth of his jurisdiction remained.

   In other words, none of the fifth, because the area around Tianhe Town was occupied by Fei Yinggong and his bandits. The surviving landlord hurriedly asked the county magistrate to suppress the bandits, but Wang Diaoding didn't even bother to see these bastards.

  At this rate, Zhao Han will be able to occupy the entire county this year, leaving only one prefecture for officials.

  The career is going well, and Zhao Han is getting married too.

  (end of this chapter)