In December, Li Zicheng and Luo Ru began to go north, and the county towns along the way, like cities piled up with sand, were quickly broken one by one. One is that there are many thieves and many artillery, and the other is that the officers and soldiers defending the city are frightened and do not have the courage to hold on.

In mid-December, the thieves broke through the Wei clan and approached Tongxu. At this time, the goal of the thieves was already clear, and they were heading for Kaifeng.

At this time, Li Yan had already mobilized troops and concentrated in Qixian, Suizhou, and Zhecheng. Qixian has 10,000 troops, Suizhou has 6,000 troops, and Zhecheng has 5,000 troops. Qi County was in charge of Li Zhong, and Suizhou and Zhecheng were defended by Li Mou. Li Yan sat in Fucheng, stabilized the rear, raised grain and grass, and trained soldiers.

Fucheng, guerrilla yamen.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Li Yan called all the officials and gentry in the city, and said in the hall, "Now the situation is very clear, the thieves are coming soon. However, I am a little short of military rations, so I have invited you here today to borrow some food, grass, and mules and horses from you. ”

At this time, the wealthy gentry present did not speak. Actually, they didn't want to come, but they couldn't help it. They were all forcibly invited by Li Yan's soldiers, so they were almost tied with ropes and carried over.

"Now you give out some grain and grass, and next year's field endowment, you can compensate accordingly." Li Yan continued.

"According to the regulations of the imperial court, we enjoy tax exemptions, and our grange does not have to pay taxes." Master Ye said with a cold face.

Li Yan nodded and instructed Sun Sifu: "Send the taxes due to each family to each family." After that, he also said with a stiff face: "Since you are not willing to take the initiative, then Li will also designate it for you." ”

Sun Sifu handed down a piece of paper to each family, on which was the designated amount of grain for each family.

"Ridiculous!" Master Shen San threw the paper on the coffee table with dissatisfaction and said, "Four thousand stones, who are you from my Shen family?!" Are you allowed to blackmail at will?! ”

Li Yan said with a smile: "The Shen family has 20,000 mu of fertile land, and the yield per mu is 20,000 stones according to the output of one stone. The harvest of 20% of the field is 4,000 stones. I'm collecting half of the tax, so there's nothing wrong with 2,000 stones, right? ”

"Don't be a fool!" Master Shen said angrily: "My Shen family only has 1,200 acres of fertile land, how can you say that 20,000 acres is there?!" ”

Li Yan sneered and said, "There are 2,500 acres of grange in the west of the city alone. 1,200 acres, isn't Master Shen talking nonsense? ”

Master Shen San was about to argue, but Li Yan didn't give him a chance to speak. continued: "You don't need to talk about the fish scale book in the yamen! These figures are 10% of your harvest per acre. I know as well as you how many acres you have! What is consecrated, what is appropriated, what is hidden, I know it all here. Do not worry about your deserted fields, for they will be distributed to the new outcasts. ”

The gentry finally knew that a month earlier soldiers had been watching over their wasteland, and had fenced it up. They didn't know what these soldiers were going to do, and they didn't expect that their wasteland would be confiscated. Before Li Yan came, the thieves were rampant, and their fields were deserted. Moreover, many of their tenants have run away or have been killed, and at least forty percent of the abandoned fields have been destroyed. If Li Yan confiscated it, it would be a heavy loss.

"Li Yan!" Master Ye said loudly: "Don't deceive people too much! ”

"We will write to the court and impeach you!"

"You divide the land privately and withhold taxes, which is a crime of deception!"

……

"What," Li Yan sat down and said in a good time, "Do you want to follow the fish scale book in the yamen?" ”

Now all the gentry stopped insulting and cursing. Surrender, encroachment, and concealment, these things are known to everyone in the world, but only the emperor does not know. If this situation is made clear to the emperor, then what will happen? At that time, some people said that officials abused the post station and wasted money and grain, and the emperor immediately abolished most of the post station. Li Zicheng, who is now leading the fight here, is the post guard who has been dismissed.

Now what the imperial court lacks is money and grain, if the emperor knew that these officials and gentry owned a lot of land, but they did not have to pay taxes. It may not be possible to count the acres of land, but it is very possible to copy them from house to house.

Li Yan saw that everyone was silent for a long time and didn't speak, so he asked, "Everyone, have you thought about it?" The thieves are coming, and I don't have time for you! Do you go back and prepare by yourself, or does Li ask the soldiers to come to the door and get it yourself? ”

After that, he drank tea by himself. And those officials and gentry all looked at each other and wanted to discuss, but it was inconvenient.

Hou Sui stood up and arched his hand: "General Li, can we go back and discuss." After all, the above number is not small, and it is not something that can be agreed to all at once. ”

"No," Li Yan refused: "You prepare it yourself, or I will send someone to fetch it, you can only choose one of them!" Needless to say, if your family's food is not enough, there is no problem at all in delivering the grain stored in your granary. ”

"Humph! I can't wait! Master Shen San stood up and said, while walking out on crutches.

The other officials and gentry also stood up, ignored Li Yan, and walked straight out.

Li Yan glanced at the people who were walking out, and instructed Sun Sifu: "Give orders to the troops, let them in." Pay attention to discipline, you can only take the prescribed amount of food, mules and horses, and the rest cannot be moved! If there is a random hand, military law will do it! ”

"Yes!" Sun Sifu agreed loudly, and immediately crossed the official gentry who was still walking out, and ran outside to give orders. When he arrived outside the hall, he shouted an order to several of his own soldiers: "The general has an order, all the predetermined places, enter immediately!" Only take the prescribed amount of grain, mules and horses, and nothing else! If there is a violation of the order, military law will be engaged! ”

"Yes!" The soldiers said yes loudly and immediately ran away.

All the officials and gentry were stunned, they all heard that what entered the predetermined place, and there was only the prescribed amount of food, which made them feel that the situation was a little bad.

"Brother Shen," Master Liu asked suspiciously, "What do they mean by this?" ”

Hou Sui lowered his head and thought for a while, and said, "They seem to be ready, and they are going to go in and get food by themselves." ”

"This, this," Master Ye stammered, "This is too unspeakable, isn't it?!" This is a trespass! It's the looting of people's property! ”

"Let's go, go back!" Master Shen San suddenly turned around and walked towards the hall: "I want to ask him, whether he Li Yan is an official or a thief!" ”

"Report." As soon as the group entered the hall, a soldier came in and reported, "General, the messenger of the governor Ding Qirui has arrived. ”

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