In the third hall of the Yamen of Chaling Prefecture, Changsha Prefecture, several magistrates of Changsha Prefecture were gathering together to discuss the latest official writings.

Tang Tonglin, the magistrate of Yiyang County, patted the armrest of the chair and said, "It's okay if the current Beijing official doesn't do it." This official really has to weigh and weigh the writings of this ministry. ”

Ding Yougui, the governor of Chaling Prefecture, opened Tang Tonglin's official line, looked at it, and said: "Took away your official position as the magistrate of the county, and let you go to the capital to be the Langzhong of the Ministry of Rites?" ”

Tang Tonglin bowed in the direction of Nanjing, and said: "After the sacrifice of the Shi Military Department, this Ming Dynasty is no longer a system. Li thieves and thieves were so bold that they slaughtered more than 1,100 Beijing officials at one time. I have always ruled the world with scholars and the Son of Heaven, but who would have expected that now the scholars in the capital were slaughtered by Li Thief. ”

"People and gods are angry, and the country will not be a country!"

"It is precisely because the ministers of the DPRK and the Central Committee were almost killed by Li Zhi that the Son of Heaven recruited us from the local government to fill the vacancy."

"But is this lack a good shortage? Now Li Thief is guarding Tianjin next to the capital, and he may rush into the capital at any time and kill the ministers of the imperial court. The civil officials in the court are like walking on thin ice on the abyss, trembling every day. It's not so much an official as a servant, where is there still a trace of decency in the past? ”

"Such a Beijing official, don't do it. I would rather be a Qipinzhi county in Yiyang County, shepherding one side, rather than entering Beijing to be this undignified Beijing official. ”

Ding Yougui asked, "Tang Zhixian, are you going to listen to this order?" ”

Tang Tonglin did not answer this question, but picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.

Obviously, he wanted to see what other people meant. It depends on how other people react, and they go in and out with other people.

In the middle of the sound, Wu Zhida, the magistrate of Liling County, said: "Tang Zhixian is right! ”

"Today's Beijing officials are not as good as they used to be. In the past, the Beijing officials held the power of the world, and any Langzhong could control local affairs, and the wealth was rolling. At that time, everyone grabbed their heads to become Beijing officials, and regarded Beijing officials as central dignitaries. ”

"But today, the son changed the law in the capital and set up a court. Any ordinary person who looks at the Beijing official is not pleasing to the eye, can sue the official and bring the lawsuit to the court. Those Beijing officials are like being locked up in cages, and even the small people don't dare to offend, they are afraid of wolves and tigers, where can they make money? ”

"What's even more terrifying is the Li thief! This Li thief arranged a large number of eyeliner in the capital, which is more powerful than the Dongchang Fanzi of the Son of Heaven. As soon as he discovered the dereliction of duty of the Beijing officials, he would play the Son of Heaven and let the emperor punish him, or he would lead troops into Beijing to kill people. It's as if the cage-locked Kyungguan has a knife around his neck again. ”

"Today's Beijing officials can really only be busy with official business every day, and they can't earn a penny or silver."

"I am a magistrate in Liling, happy and happy, and I have the benefits of interacting with the local gentry. Why should I listen to the order of this ministry and go to the capital to be that slave-like seven-rank Beijing official? ”

When everyone heard Wu Zhidare's words, they looked at each other for a while, and they couldn't help but nod.

Wu Zhidare is speaking in the vernacular.

Nowadays, the magistrates in Jiangnan can still take bribes to earn money in the local area, and help the gentry to oppress the people. But when you enter the capital, you really don't have any freedom at all. The court of the Son of Heaven and Li Zhi's butcher's knife restrained the Beijing officials at the same time, and no one was willing to go to the capital to suffer such a crime.

The magistrate of Shanhua County sat forward and said, "It's just that the words of this official are black and white, can we not listen to them?" ”

Tang Tonglin, the magistrate of Yiyang, said: "When the Jiangbei Army controlled Jiangnan in the past, no one listened to the orders of the officials and the documents of the household department. Everyone is listening to the history and military department in Jiangnan, and the holy decree of the Son of Heaven will not work when it arrives in Jiangnan. ”

"Now although the Jiangbei Army has been defeated, the new army of the Son of Heaven has also been wiped out. Why did the Son of Heaven control Jiangnan? If I just don't listen to the order, what can the Son of Heaven do to me? Bring troops to arrest us? Just the 20,000 new troops in the capital? ”

Tang Tonglin frowned and continued: "Moreover, this is not a matter of entering Beijing to be a slave. ”

"When the Shi Bing Department was here, Jiangnan did not listen to the jurisdiction of the Son of Heaven. Now that the Jiangbei army has been defeated, the Son of Heaven has wantonly recruited officials from Jiangnan, which is actually trying to regain control of Jiangnan. If the recruitment of the Son of Heaven does not encounter obstacles this time, I am afraid that the Son of Heaven will gain an inch, and the next step is to implement the law of equalizing evil in Jiangnan. ”

Hearing Tang Tonglin's words, several civil officials who had also received orders from the Ministry of Officials frowned and fell into deep thought.

Tang Tonglin is right, now that the Son of Heaven has defeated the Jiangbei Army, he will definitely try to implement the new law of equal endowment in Jiangnan.

For example, today there is no new army in Beijing, and the gentry in Jiangnan do not have the Jiangbei army, but the local military town guards still listen to civilian officials, and on the whole, the power of the gentry is still stronger than that of the Son of Heaven.

At this time, if they give in to the Son of Heaven, the equal power of the gentry will probably be lost.

Although the civil officials and gentry did not have the Jiangbei Army, they still had great influence and could influence the behavior of the local military towns. Under such circumstances, how could civil officials be willing to be at the mercy of the Son of Heaven?

And all the people pondered. If the local civil officials did not obey the order and did not leave the position of the magistrate, how would the Son of Heaven react?

Fa Dongchang fanzi came to arrest people? I'm afraid that the fans were killed by the local gentry and local army before they reached Huguang.

In the past, the Wanli Dynasty levied business taxes, and the merchants who went to Jiangnan to arrest and resist taxes were beaten by the people and fled overnight. Now that Zhu Youzhen is in the field, this is the life of the Jiangnan gentry, how can it be possible to rely on a few Dongchang fans?

Tang Tonglin said: "That's it, I, Tang Tonglin, will take the lead and not listen to this order, and I'll see how the Son of Heaven deals with me." ”

Ding Yougui, the governor of Chaling Prefecture, stroked his beard and said: "Tang Zhixian is high and bright, stand up, my generation admires!" ”

"But I don't think you need to worry. We are not a few people stirring up trouble, but we are advancing and retreating with other civil servants. The magistrates of Xiangyang Prefecture, Baoqing Prefecture, and Yunyang Prefecture in Huguang Province who were recruited into Beijing by the Son of Heaven all wrote letters to their own officials. They all said that they were ready to disobey the order of the Son of Heaven and continue to be officials in Jiangnan. ”

When everyone heard this, their eyes lit up.

Sure enough, at the critical moment when the Son of Heaven and the civil officials were fighting for control of Jiangnan, the civil officials were still able to unite as one to resist the Son of Heaven and resist the evil law.

Tang Tonglin laughed, flicked his black gauze hat, and said, "In this way, we are not afraid of the Son of Heaven." The Son of Heaven is far away in the capital, and he has no soldiers in his hands, how can he cross thousands of miles to control Jiangnan? ”

Ding Yougui said: "But at this moment, the old man is not worried about the Son of Heaven, but Li Zhi in Tianjin. ”

"Li Thief won a complete victory in the southern and northern wars this time, at such a critical moment, will he stand up and support the Son of Heaven with the army?"

Tang Tonglin said with a smile: "Lord Zhizhou is too worried! The Son of Heaven and the Li Thief are not in harmony! ”

"I heard from the people in the capital that the Son of Heaven hurriedly said a few words at the noon gate that day, and Li Thief went back to Tianjin in a gloomy manner. The Son of Heaven ostensibly gave Li Zhishang Fang the sword, but in fact he was very annoyed that Li Thief had killed the minister without permission, and he didn't even give Li Thief a banquet. ”

"Actually, such as today's son and Li thief are wary of each other. I heard that at that time, Li Thief wanted to gate the city tower in the morning, and the generals around Li Zhi were like a great enemy, for fear that the Son of Heaven would take Li Zhi on the spot. ”

When everyone heard this, their eyes lit up. If Li Zhi did not support the Son of Heaven, the Son of Heaven would not have the strength to control Jiangnan at all.

Zhizhou Ding Yougui pondered for a while and laughed.

"In this way, the old man has nothing to worry about."