In the Dongjiang Courtyard, Feng Suqin, the eldest lady of the Xu Mansion, came back from outside, and Yan Qi followed and walked in, and reported to Feng Suqin with a solemn expression: "Madam, there are more than a dozen pairs of eyes around our courtyard, looking like people from Jinyiwei and Dongchang. ”

Feng Suqin sat down slowly and said indifferently: "Xianggong has done so many things in Shaanxi, and the court actually didn't seal up the other courtyards!" ”

Yan Qi said anxiously: "Madam, Jingshi is now a tiger's den in Longtan, and there are many crises. For the sake of Madame's safety, Madame should have made plans in advance. From the perspective of his subordinates, he escaped from Beijing before the court made a move. ”

Feng Suqin asked, "Since the court has already monitored the Dongjiang Courtyard, can we still escape if we want to?" ”

Yan Qi paused, gritted his teeth and said, "Although the Jinyi Guard's surveillance is strict, our Tsing Yi Wei is not a vegetarian. It is not a problem to escort the lady out of Beijing. ”

Feng Suqin pondered for a moment, but shook her head and said, "No hurry." Although Xianggong has done many things, he has always borrowed the hands of Shaanxi thieves, and he is still a courtier of the Ming Dynasty on the surface. I'm going to leave like this, but I'm going to fall into someone's hands. I want to live in the capital in a grand place, and if the prince does not rebel against the court one day, we will be safe. ”

Yan Qi said anxiously: "Madam! ”

Feng Suqin waved her hand firmly and said, "I have made up my mind, you don't have to say it." ”

Yan Qi had no choice but to retreat, and secretly mobilized the masters of the Tsing Yi Guard, which increased the defense of the Dongjiang Courtyard a lot. Feng Suqin sat and thought for a while, then wrote down the situation of the Jingshi in a letter and ordered someone to send it to Shaanxi.

When Xu Liang received Feng Suqin's letter, it was already the end of the first month. Subsequently, he successively received the Zodiac Zhou and Yu Dacheng in the capital. Letters from Wang Xian and others, and even Sun Yuanhua, the governor of Shandong, sent a special letter. Ask about the situation in Shaanxi.

After some inquiry, the Tsing Yi Wei in Beijing informed Xu Liang of the list of officials who had accused Xu Liang. Xu Liang didn't do anything. On the principle of unremitting efforts, Duan Zhigang, deputy Qianhu of the Jinyi Wei Xi'an Office, was ordered to arrest more than 30 Shaanxi officials in one fell swoop on various charges, including two who participated in politics and three who participated in the council.

On the way to Jingshi, these people were all intercepted and killed by thieves without exception!

Xu Liang's thunderous methods gave a great shock to the Shaanxi officialdom, and in less than two months, the commanders of the three divisions in Shaanxi have become empty shells. There is only one political envoy in the political envoy department, Qian Yongtai, who is still holding on to death, being the commander of the light pole. Deng Shuiqing, the only one who has been preserved relatively well, and He Zhun and others still took refuge in Xu Liang.

In the face of dozens of vacancies, Xu Liang directly appointed Deng Shuiqing, the envoy of the Inspectorate, to serve as the commander of the capital at the high-level meeting in Shaanxi at the end of the first month, He Zhun to serve as the political envoy of the Right Bu of Shaanxi, Ding Shiyou, the scholar and politician, to serve as the prefect of Hanzhong, and Lu Chengyuan, the former governor of Guyuan, to serve as the prefect of Gongchang. Of course, these appointments are deputies. The real appointment will have to wait for the approval of the ministry.

And the twists and turns recommending the transfer of these officials were sent to Beijing by the governor's yamen, waiting for the court's reply.

Although no one objected to Xu Liang's words, but in private. He Zhun, Ding Shiyou, Lu Chengyuan and others are very worried about the effectiveness of this appointment. Only Xu Liang smiled and said nothing. After Ding Shiyou rushed to Hanzhong to take office, two officials of the Hanzhong Prefecture refused to worship the prefect of Ding. Then the next day. and died violently in their respective homes.

Shaanxi officialdom once again saw Xu Liang's toughness and unreasonableness.

The time entered February of the fourth year of Chongzhen. The weather is starting to get warmer. Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, accompanied by Deng Shuiqing, the envoy of Chang'an, and Qi Chu, the prefect of Chang'an, inspected the guards in Chang'an Mansion.

Looking at the long-barren fields in the area under the jurisdiction of the guard, the original 3,000-person guardhouse had less than 500 people, and the phenomenon of the guards escaping was very serious.

Xu Liang asked Deng Shuiqing worriedly: "Lord Deng, the guards in Shaanxi have long existed in name only, what is the way for Lord Deng to deal with the fields under the names of these guards?" ”

Deng Shuiqing was also worried, and said: "Futai, the combat effectiveness of the guards is low, the situation of empty salaries for each guard is extremely serious, and the salary has been in arrears for a long time, and most of the soldiers have fled. If you want to restore the combat strength of the guard, you must have strong financial and material resources. With the current conditions in Shaanxi, it is simply impossible. Yes, there is no good way in the hearts of the lower officials. ”

Xu Liang said: "The military system of the guard center has long been decayed, and this official does not want to restore the establishment of the guard house anymore. I think that in the name of the Shaanxi Metropolitan Command Mission, Lord Deng turned all the guards in Shaanxi Province into military cantonment bases to provide food and grass for the main battle army in Shaanxi. This point was practiced in Pingliang Prefecture when the official served as the prefect of Pingliang, and the effect was very good, which not only solved the problem of providing for the army, but also resettled some of the displaced people. ”

The corners of Deng Shuiqing's mouth twitched, he knew in his heart that if Xu Liang's practice in Pingliang Mansion was followed, after a few years, Shaanxi's capital commander would completely disappear, and there would be no need for him to exist at all. However, at this time, Shaanxi is Xu Liang covering the sky with one hand, Deng Shuiqing even if he has a stomach of opinions in his heart, he does not dare to show it, he shows a look of sudden realization, strokes his palms and smiles: "My lord, this idea is very good." The lower officials must do what the adults want. ”

Xu Liang nodded, and walked outside the guard with Deng Shuiqing and Qi Chu. Xu Liang thought for a while, and then instructed: "In the process of restructuring the guard, the sergeants who originally stayed in the guard should be given priority, and for those guards who want to leave the army, we can't force them to stay, and they will be issued some entanglements according to the regulations to let them find their own way out." ”

Deng Shuiqing nodded and said, "The lower official has written it down." ”

The three of them walked out on the main road and looked at the scenery in the distance. After being silent for a while, Xu Liang breathed a long sigh of relief, and asked Deng Shuiqing and Qi Chu faintly: "Lord Deng, Lord Qi, I know that you don't agree with what this official did a few days ago. ”

Deng Shuiqing and Qi Chu were startled, and hurriedly waved their hands and said, "Where, where!" The Governor thought too much. We all deeply admired the Governor's layout. ”

Xu Liang chuckled: "The two of you don't have to be polite. What you think in your hearts, the official can still guess some of them. is still the same sentence, if you are willing to follow me Xu Liang, I Xu Liang will definitely treat him well. If you want to frame me, I will never spare him. ”

Deng Shuiqing and Qi Chu listened. His expression changed, and he hurriedly patted his chest and said, "The subordinates and others are willing to follow the adults." Go to the soup and go to the fire, and never give up! ”

Although he knew that what these two people said might not be so sincere, Xu Liang still laughed happily after hearing it, and looked very satisfied.

"Governor Qi, this official called you today, because there is something to be handed over to you." Xu Liang restrained his smile and said to Qi Chu Zhengse, the prefect of Chang'an.

Governor Qi hurriedly arched his hand and said, "Please ask the governor to command." ”

Xu Liang said slowly: "As the governor of Shaanxi, this official is determined to quell the civil unrest in Shaanxi and return the people to a stable Shaanxi!" To do this. His men must support several elite armies. The supply of grain and grass has been handed over to Lord Deng. As for the issue of salary, I want to leave it to Lord Qi to you. ”

When Qi Chu heard this, his legs and stomach trembled, and he squeezed out an ugly smile, and said: "The governor has an order, the lower official is to smash the pot and sell iron, even if the entire Chang'an City is looted, you have to make up a piece of silver for the governor!" ”

Xu Liang was stunned when he heard this. Immediately laughed, patted Qi Zhifu's shoulder, and comforted: "Lord Qi wants to go wrong!" This official doesn't want you to be a corrupt official and go to loot the people's fat and ointment. The official wants you to raise money. Naturally, there is a way to do it. ”

"Uh...... What is the Governor going to do? Hearing that he didn't have to be a villain, Governor Qi couldn't help but feel a lot more relieved, so he asked curiously.

Xu Liang said confidently: "When this official was serving as the prefect of Pingliang. In order to raise military salaries, I once thought of a trick. Collect business tax on merchants. Now the official will do the same. ”

"I decided to reopen the Yamen of the Taxation Department and collect commercial taxes throughout Shaanxi. Land tax, agricultural tax. At the same time, other miscellaneous taxes should be abolished, and they should be apportioned. The mining tax and the salt tax were combined into the commercial tax. Xu Liang said solemnly.

"Ah, my lord wants to be promoted by this tax collector? This...... This living official is afraid that he will not be able to do a good job and live up to the expectations of adults......" Qi Zhifu's face turned pale in shock, and he hurriedly shook his head and waved his hand. As a Ming official, the prefect of Qi understood that it was not easy to do such a thing as taxing merchants. The court called for hundreds of years, saying that it would increase the taxes of merchants, but the result was to no avail. Governor Qi didn't think he could do this job well.

Xu Liang chuckled and said, "You don't need to be the tax collector to be promoted. Luo Baiguan of the Governor Yamen is very suitable. The matter of levying commercial taxes is very involved, and the official wants to first restore the functions of the tax collection department of Pingliang Prefecture, and then pilot the operation in Chang'an Mansion, and finally gradually implement it to the whole of Shaanxi. The pilot work of Chang'an Mansion requires you, the prefect of Chang'an, to cooperate closely! ”

Governor Qi breathed a sigh of relief, wiped his sweat and said, "Xiaguan will definitely fully cooperate with Luo Tiju's work." ”

Near the governor's yamen, the mansion that was selected as the yamen of the Shaanxi Taxation Department is being renovated intensively. Luo Baiguan held the layout drawings drawn by Xu Liang in his hand, inside and out, and carefully compared every construction layout, for fear that something would go wrong.

The guards of the Taxation Department were directly selected by the Governor's Yamen Guard, and the ordinary tax collectors were selected from the various industries of the Xu Mansion to serve as the treasurers.

Luo Baiguan found that the counter of an invoice did not match the drawings given by Xu Liang, and was spitting on the craftsman to explain, when he suddenly saw that outside the main gate of the Taxation Division, Xu Liang, the governor of Shaanxi, walked in with several officials, hurriedly left the craftsman, and greeted him with a smile.

"Lord Xu!" Luo Baiguan gave up.

Xu Liang looked around and nodded with satisfaction.

Luo Baiguan welcomed Xu Liang and the others into the lobby of the Taxation Division, and Xu Liang sat in the main seat, and he stood on the side.

Xu Liang beckoned: "Don't stand, sit down and talk." ”

"Hey!" When several of the officials who came with him heard this, they each found their seats and sat down.

Xu Liang glanced at several officials lightly, and said: "You have also seen the construction of the Taxation Department, and it will start operation in February this year at the latest." Luo Baiguan, what other questions do you have about the Taxation Division? ”

Luo Baiguan thought for a while, rubbed his hands and smiled: "If you go back to your lordship, the yamen of the tax department and the guards are basically complete, and the matter of the more than a dozen tax collectors selected, Wu Side of Liang Ji and Wu Shopkeeper are also very cooperative. Well, if you want to talk about the difficulties, heh, your lord also knows that the person in charge of the entire promotion division is now promoted by a bare pole, and in the future, the yamen will operate, and the lower officials will definitely not be busy. Therefore, the lower official wants to ask the adults to complete the deputy promotion candidates as soon as possible. ”

Xu Liang smiled, pointed to one of the officials present, and said, "This is the original head of the Pingliang Taxation Bureau, Master Mao Yujie Mao." This is the deputy candidate that the official has selected for you. ”

Mao Yujie got up and arched her hand towards Luo Baiguan and said, "Xiaguan Mao Yujie, I have seen Lord Luo." In the future, if you do things under Lord Luo, please correct what is inappropriate. ”

Luo Baiguan's face was happy, and he said enthusiastically: "Master Mao is too polite. I'm much more relieved to have you to help me. ”

Xu Liang saw that Mao Yujie and Luo Baiguan were very cooperative, and he couldn't help but feel a lot happier. Originally, he was worried about what Mao Yujie would think of transferring Mao Yujie from the position of the magistrate of the county under the rule of Pingliang Mansion to Luo Baiguan as his deputy, but now it seems that Mao Yujie is still a very knowledgeable person.

Xu Liang pointed to He Zhun, the political envoy of Zuobu, and Qi Chu, the prefect of Chang'an, and said: "In the future, the affairs of the tax department will be indispensable for the support of the Chang'an Mansion and the Shaanxi Political Envoy, Luo Baiguan, Mao Yujie, today the official has invited Lord He and Lord Qi to come over, and you are close to the two adults." By the way, the taxation policy will be carefully studied and released. ”

When Luo Baiguan and the others heard this, they all understood the meaning of Xu Liang's words, so they stood up and were polite to each other.

Xu Liang explained the task clearly, and left Luo Baiguan and others to go out of the yamen of the tax collection department alone.

When he returned to the governor's yamen, the head of the Tsing Yi Wei stall came over with a solemn expression, and said to Xu Liang: "Young master, the head of the Yan stall in the capital has reported that there is a group of factory guards from the east factory Grandpa Yu who came out of the capital with a group of factory guards and came to the northwest. The shelf is coming for you! ”

Xu Liang frowned slightly, he was not too surprised by the court's actions.

Tietou said again: "Also, Yan stall head reported urgently, Wang Pu, the chief soldier of the Beijing camp, took 10,000 people out of the capital and went to Taiyuan. At the same time, the army of Datong, an important town, was also frequently mobilized. In the northwest, Yang He, the governor of the three sides, left the governor's palace the day before yesterday to inspect Yulin and Yansui. ”

When Xu Liang heard this, his expression became solemn: Gonggong Yu, the governor of Dongchang Factory, personally went out, and then the Beijing camp and the important towns of the nine borders all dispatched troops.

Xu Liang pondered, looked up and saw that Tietou was still standing in front of him, with no intention of leaving, and couldn't help asking, "What else is going on?" ”

Tie Tou said: "There is another trivial matter, after the artillery battalion was stationed in Chang'an City, Chen Yu and Wang Dazhuang of the Tsing Yi Guard Ammunition Department then moved the gunpowder factory to Chang'an City. Now the two of them have arrived at the governor's yamen and want to see you. ”

Xu Liang listened, and his heart turned out to be Chen Yu, two gunpowder experts, Wang Dazhuang arrived, it was Xu Liang's baby bump, but he couldn't be lazy, so he was overjoyed: "Please." (To be continued.) )