There was silence in the Ganqing palace.

In fact, these are all smart people. It can be seen that Chongzhen and Yang Qing, the unscrupulous monarch and ministers, were actually singing together. It was obvious that they wanted to take this opportunity to force them to submit and let them accept the reform of the gentry who was working as a member of the ranks and gentry.

But they are powerless to resist!

Li Zicheng's army is pressing against Jiangbei!

All the gentry and officials in the Great Wall were wiped out. Not only were all males hanging on both sides of the street, but even the female family members were robbed by these thieves. All the money and food were looted, and other valuable miscellaneous items were looted by the poor. It is said that even the land deeds and loans of each family were burned out and burned. That was a complete catastrophe!

Fortunately, it is just a corner of Jiangbei.

However, as Yang Qing said, if Li Zicheng's army crossed the Yangtze River, how many gentry would have to be hung up and hanged on the roadside in Jiangnan? How many families of the princes were destroyed? Not to mention surrendering, those in Beijing not only surrendered, but even betrayed the emperor! The result was not the same? Li Zicheng, a bandit, was completely unprotected. It can be said that as long as his army crossed the Yangtze River, the rest would be tortured to the south of Jiangnan! Compared with this, paying some taxes to make the court rich and able to make the army have some fighting spirit, which is the best result!

Compared with Chongzhen's irregular house searches, it is much better.

By the way, judging from Chongzhen's previous performance, he was obviously planning to do this.

His Emperor came down to Jiangnan for a few months and did nothing but raiding his house. He went from the saint lord who was expected by everyone to become a fool who was criticized by the gentry in private. Obviously, if he couldn't get any money, he would still have to continue to search for those unlucky officials who searched the house, and maybe it would soon fall on the cabinet and the officials of the six ministries. When Chongzhen was in Beijing, he changed the prime minister just as quickly as a woman changed clothes.

This is the most moderate thing for everyone to pay taxes together.

But this pays tax...

This is really not that easy!

What kind of gentry is not tax-free? What are gentry? Isn’t it just a privileged class formed by fame and reputation in exchange for tax-free qualifications? What is the sign of high school education? Isn’t it just that even a scholar can be exempted from labor service? If you pass the imperial examination, you will be developed. Not only will you not have to pay land taxes, but you will also have money and grain from the government. In addition, those gentry investors who invest in advance to avoid land taxes are given to them. Just like Fan Jin passed the imperial examination, it can be said that there is everything at once.

If they pay taxes too...

So what is the difference between them and mud legs?

This is the basis for them to be higher than the latter!

"But the bandits are imminent, and it seems that it is not an urgent matter to talk about these things at this time."

Zhang Guowei said.

Obviously he still wanted to drag it out if he could.

This kind of thing cannot be done as long as the cabinet does not agree.

Even if the emperor issued an edict, it didn't matter. Even if Chongzhen really issued an edict, the cabinet could still be returned. The cabinet ministers of the Ming Dynasty had not done such a thing. Even if Chongzhen forced the edict to bypass the cabinet, officials from all over the country could refuse to implement the edicts that did not pass the cabinet and the six normal procedures. The Ming Dynasty had a perfect civil government. In fact, the power of the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty was no worse than that of the European Parliamentary Cabinet. They just did not have the clearness of laws such as the Constitution, but they were not worse than their European counterparts in dealing with the monarch.

Since this is the case, I will drag it out later.

They dared not agree to such a thing. They agreed and then angered the gentry from all over the country and scolded them for digging their ancestral graves.

This is not an exaggeration.

Zhang Guowei’s hometown is from Dongyang, Zhejiang.

If he agreed to collect taxes from the gentry in his hometown, let alone the latter angrily dig out his family's ancestral tomb, even if the clan convicts him as a treacherous minister, he can be punished by him and expelled him from Dongyang.

"Shangshu Zhang's words are wrong, and this is the top priority!"

Yang Qing said very simply.

"Now the soldiers have no fighting spirit and the people have no loyalty, just like a piece of loose sand. The soldiers are good for betraying the enemy and plundering the gentry after they surrender to the enemy. The people are good for betraying the enemy and not paying food after they surrender to the enemy. The soldiers often rebel first before the enemy arrives, and the thieves often fall first before they arrive. In this way, they want to resist the enemy in Jiangbei is nothing different. If they want to defeat the enemy, they must first stabilize the hearts of the soldiers and the people, so that the soldiers and the people know that the emperor loves the people, and that the soldiers and the people will know that there will be a good life with the emperor. Only in this way can they truly fight for the Ming Dynasty.

Otherwise, there would not be an army that truly fought to the end for the Ming Dynasty, nor would there be a city that would stand for the Ming Dynasty.

It is futile to not fight back against the people's hearts.

This is the top priority.

I would like to ask Your Majesty to issue an edict immediately to clarify the reform laws, and the Shige Department will go to the army to announce the edict, and inform the people of all over the country to make them feel at ease.

After all, the people are still focused on the Ming Dynasty.

No one really likes to give up the emperor for three hundred years and follow the thief. Emperor Taizu expelled the Tartars and restored China. Since ancient times, those who have gained the right of the country have never been better than the Ming Dynasty. Li Zicheng was the first-class bandits. How could he compare with His Majesty in the hearts of the people? It was just tempted by his benefits of not paying food. If the court loved the people and helped the people to protect the people, so that the people would no longer regard Li Zi as a savior, then why would he be afraid of mere bandits? If the emperor ruled the people to live and work in peace, have enough food and clothing, and have no more suffering from hunger, then the king's army would attack the north and the people would eat and drink to welcome them.

If the gentry is distributed to the acres, the gentry will work together to pay grain to win back their hearts.

Those who win the hearts of the people will win the world!

If Taizu had not been the will of the people, how could he achieve great achievements?"

He continued.

"Okay, those who win the hearts of the people will win the world!

Li Zicheng was able to exempt food. Can't I even pay food together with gentry? Since they are all my subjects, they should treat them equally. How can they favor one and the other? Wang Chengrong proposed an edict to promulgate the new policy of reform to the world!

The Minister of History, you will go across the river to comfort the army on my behalf. The treasury paid 300,000 taels of silver and rewarded the soldiers of each army. In addition, the intention of gentry to be distributed to all places to pay grain as a whole. After repelling the rebel army, the Jinyi Guard escorted the Ministry of Revenue to various places to measure and investigate the land and check the land, and no longer had hidden fields. The reform of entrusting the land in various places is completed within three years. In addition, the land of the royal family in various places is also within the scope of the investigation. Some gentry sent to the royal family and directly did not receive the official land as official land. The royal family who received the false sending will be fined for ten years of land and silver for the number of illegal sendings. In addition, the land of the garrison in various places is investigated. Some officials and gentry occupied the land without officials.

I will start with the people today!”

Chongzhen said confidently.

Shi Kefa stood there with a complicated expression.

"Shige Department, does Shige Department have any objections to Your Majesty's words?"

Yang Qing said viciously.

"Shi Qing, tell me if you have any objections!"

Chongzhen also said viciously.

Shi Kefa took a deep breath, looked at Yang Qing deeply with hatred eyes, and then took a step forward...

"Dao Neighbor!"

Gu Xichou wanted to speak but stopped.

It is obvious that he still has a deep friendship with Shi Kefa, and he really wants to calm him down and let him think about the consequences of receiving this order.

However, Shi Kefa looked like a warrior who was willing to die without looking at him.

"My minister, receive the order!"

He said.

He is truly the same as dying generously.

Although the result is not necessarily death, for a person like him who cherishes his feathers, it is more uncomfortable than death!

He knew very well that the unscrupulous monarch and ministers in front of him were putting himself on the altar of sacrifice.

One of them designed a conspiracy, the other carried out a conspiracy, and finally pushed himself out as a victim. It is conceivable that if he went to Jiangbei instead of Chongzhen, what would happen next? He would immediately turn from the head of the wise to the country's treacherous ministers.

It would be strange if the officials and gentry from all over the country didn’t spray him to death!

He was the representative of the Ming Dynasty, the leader of the wise men of the East Lin, and the Southeast Shilin, and everyone was waiting to rely on him to clear the filth of the eunuch party and return to the beautiful era of the past. Then he made a god-turning turn. This was a purely provocation to the dignity of the gentry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang! But just like Yang Qing's evaluation of him, as a Confucian scholar who read himself in the most standard study, his education and his principles of being a human being made unable to shirk the will of the monarch, and his indecisive character could not do anything like fighting against the emperor in the court.

In the end, he could only take over this task that would definitely ruin himself like a martyr.

He staggered his steps back.

Gu Xichou and Zhang Guowei looked at each other, and then sighed at the same time. It was obvious that another virtuous and upright loyal and righteous man had entered the ranks of treacherous ministers.

But this is also a good thing for them.

Because they can put all the shit basins on Shi Kefa to attract the firepower of the gentry to avoid the latter from digging their ancestral graves. After all, the gentry in Jiangnan cannot digging the ancestral graves of Shi Kefa's family. Shi Kefa's hometown is in the occupied area! In addition, the person responsible for the operation of this matter must be Gao Hongtu, the Minister of Revenue, who is from Jiaozhou, Shandong, and his family is also in the occupied area. This is a blessing in disgrace. In short, these officials from Jiangnan can still keep the signs of wise ministers.

As for whether the gentry in various places is subject to the imperial edict...

Only God knows that.

The words of the Emperor of Ming Dynasty were not so good at localities. The gentry was the master of the local area. Even if the order of reform was issued, these people had to listen honestly. If they didn't listen, it would be impossible to confront each other by force. In short, this imperial edict was just the beginning, and the result was still unpredictable. But they didn't have to worry about this. Shi Kefa and Gao Hongtu were criticized. They avoided the anger of Chongzhen because of opposition. The rest was the struggle between Chongzhen and local gentry. They just stayed out of the matter and looked at it. Anyway, this was not the business of their families.

This is the matter of all the gentry in the imperial control area.

The Gu family in Kunshan and Zhang family in Dongyang are just part of gentry, so there is no need to stand in front of the thunder.

"Shi Qing, then you will hand it over to Shi Qing!"

Chongzhen said happily.

Then Wang Chengen quickly took out a piece of imperial decree with dry ink, and walked out and picked it up in front of Shi Kefa.

Yang Qing stood with a sword in his hand.

Shi Kefa smiled bitterly, then looked at the imperial edict, as if he was looking at his infamous future.

But in the end, he raised his hands with a hint of trembling...
Chapter completed!