Before Yue Yang could stop it, he saw that Li Xiangjun had already drunk the glass of wine in one gulp. Yue Yang shook his head helplessly, and lifted the wine jug to fill Li Xiangjun's wine glass, but this situation not only made Li Xiangjun blush, but also made Dong Xiaowan, Fang Yizhi and Mao Xiang on the side have a strange color in their eyes, and the atmosphere in the room was suddenly a little quiet for a while.

In order to alleviate this embarrassment, Dong Xiaowan broke the silence with her words, she looked at Yue Yang curiously and asked: "Master Yue, there have been a lot of rumors about you in Jinling City these days, some people say that you are one foot tall and infinitely tall, holding an eight-hundred-pound Qinglong Yanyue Knife, and took the lead in rushing into the Tartar army to kill seven in and seven out, killing the Tartars' heads, and finally winning countless heads, the emperor was impressed by your bravery, so he decided to break the convention of not being knighted for a hundred years in the dynasty, and named you a loyal and brave marquis, is that so?" ”

"Oh, and that's the way it goes?" Yue Yang was stunned for a moment, then laughed, Mao Xiang and Fang Yizhi on the side couldn't help but laugh after hearing it, they had been following Yue Yang for a while, although they didn't go into battle in person, but with Yue Yang's side, most of the people they had come into contact with had fought with Yue Yang, so they naturally knew what was going on on the battlefield, and now they naturally felt funny when they heard such exaggerated rumors.

"The world loves to spread falsehoods the most, and you even believe this?" Yue Yang shook his head with a smile, "You are still people who have read books, don't you know that the most important thing in the battle between the two armies is the formation?" In the battle of thousands of troops, the role that individual bravery can play is extremely small, the kind of thing that a person becomes rushing into the enemy camp and killing the place is like this, you can listen to it, but don't take it seriously, otherwise it will be a joke! ”

"Childe, tell us about it, let us open our eyes!" Dong Xiaowan on the side was interested, and unconsciously dragged the stool to Yue Yang's side, and sat beside him and looked at him with blank eyes. It seemed like a kitten who had been waiting for the owner to tell a story, and Li Xiangjun on the other side also sat down, staring at him with every eye, revealing a look of longing. These two women are in contact with some famous people on the Qinhuai River, and they listen to those scholars talking about poetry and poetry and corruption in the imperial court, as well as mistakes in the policy of the imperial court.

"Okay, then I'll tell you what happened five years ago when I was ordered to rescue the siege of Yingzhou Capital!" Yue Yang sighed lightly. Begin to tell the story.

At that time, it was only a small regiment training general soldier in the Yingzhou capital, and on the eighth day of the ninth month of the fifth year of Chongzhen, Benhou suddenly received a letter from Zheng Fakui, the prefect of the Yingzhou capital. At that time, the king of Chuang, Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng, Luo Rucai, Zhang Xianzhong and other thieves gathered more than 100,000 people, from Shaanxi into the Shanxi boundary, first unexpectedly captured Daning City, and then captured Xizhou, Zezhou and other places, at this time, the thief chief Gao Yingxiang sent Zhang Xianzhong to surround the Yingzhou capital. Yingzhou is in danger! ”

Yue Yang thought and said slowly: "At that time, I only had a team of 500 regimental training recruits who had been trained for less than three months, and everyone said that they could not rescue Yingzhou, otherwise it would be the way to die. But Yang thought that if he didn't save the state capital. After Yingzhou City was breached, Wuli Village was also not guaranteed. It is to force the public opinion, leading 500 regiments to practice from Wuli Village to Yingzhou City, 30 miles away, at this time more than 10,000 thieves have surrounded Yingzhou City, and the thief chief Zhang Xianzhong led the army to attack the city day and night. The morale of the defenders in the city was low, and seeing that the city was not protected, Yang led 500 regiments to attack the thieves. First, they fired a volley with a strong crossbow, and the thieves scattered and fled......"

When they heard that the ragged rogues who were driven away and coerced were actually just honest farmers a few days ago, just for a bite to eat, they had to risk their lives with wooden sticks and hoes to attack the group training, and the two daughters couldn't help but feel sad, and heard that the leaders of those rogues burned down the people's houses and robbed them of their food everywhere in order to strengthen their strength. When they were forced to join the team of the rogues, the second daughter was so angry that she scolded, but at the same time, the two pairs of beautiful eyes glared at the boss, staring at Yue Yang and reluctant to blink for a moment.

This five-hundred-regiment drill broke the story of tens of thousands of Liukou and relieved the siege of Yingzhou Mansion, and Yue Yang talked about it until the sun began to set, and finally ended slowly in Yue Yang's low words.

When it was over, Dong Xiaowan said with tears: "In the past, when I heard those scholars talk about the rogues in China, some people said that these rogues were also the people of the Ming Dynasty and should be appeased, while others said that these rogues should be killed by the Ming Dynasty, Xiao Wan didn't know who was reasonable, and now after listening to the words of the son-in-law, Xiao Wan felt even more confused." Xiaowan asked her son, how should these rogues be treated? ”

Yue Yang sighed: "The Liukou is also my Ming people, and the controversy over whether the Liukou is to suppress or appease has long been disputed in my Ming Dynasty. But in the next thought, but all poor people must have something to hate, the general rogues are naturally poor people, but those thieves are not as good as beasts, they for their own selfish desires, the original honest people forced no way to live, in order to eat with them had to rebel with them, and after they captured the city, they indulged like the most ferocious beasts, burning, killing and plundering all evil, like this kind of people do not kill enough to anger the people, not to kill enough to revitalize the law of the country, is to think that the first evil will be punished, and the servants can regard it as vicious, Whether it is the distribution of land for them to re-cultivate, or the imprisonment of them for labor reform or beheading, the list goes on and on, and this is also a long-term and arduous task, and it cannot be done in a short time. ”

Li Xiangjun also lamented: "Childe, what Xiangjun has never understood is why our dynasty has been exterminating the rogues for more than ten years, why are the rogues more and more, and the court has spent so much food and salary, is it all useless work?" Or is it as those scholars say, because the court chose people improperly? ”

"Hehehe......" Yue Yang couldn't help but be angry, and asked Li Xiangjun with a mocking face: "The imperial court chose people inappropriately?" Oh no, those nerds say it! Since they all said that this was all due to improper selection by the imperial court, did they ever propose any good candidates or good strategies to suppress bandits? ”

Seeing Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan shaking their heads in unison, Yue Yang sneered: "It's ridiculous that those scholars think that after a few years of studying, they think that the world's major events are in their hands, as long as they wave the folding fan in their hands, they can talk and laugh like Zhuge Wuhou, and they also see things too simple!" ”

When he said this, Yue Yang was shocked to realize that there were two other scholars beside him, and he couldn't help but turn his head and said apologetically to Mao Xiang and Fang Yizhi: "Secret, open the territory, I don't mean you. Don't take it personally! ”

Mao Xiang shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Childe is strict, in fact, Childe is right, the student and the brother of the secret also thought that after two years of study, he thought that the world was as big as he could get, until he met Childe, he knew what agriculture is for the people, why I have so many homeless people in the Ming Dynasty, the students and others were the toads sitting at the bottom of the well, and all they saw was a small round at the mouth of the well!" ”

As soon as Mao Xiang finished speaking, Dong Xiaowan asked: "Oh, where does Gongzi Yue think my Ming trouble is now?" Why are thieves all over the world in internal and external troubles? ”

Yue Yang smiled slightly, and said with a straight face: "I think it is below." Now the reason why my Ming Dynasty will fall into today's field is all because of those Donglin Party, gentry, landlords, and businessmen who claim to be righteous men and gentlemen who worry about the country and the people all day long, and these people are also the fundamental reason why my Ming Dynasty is so erosive now. ”

"This ...... How is this possible? ”

As soon as Yue Yang's words came out, Dong Xiaowan and Li Xiangjun and even Mao Xiang and Fang Yizhi were stunned, for people in this era, the education they received since childhood is the foundation of a country, and the scholars and those landlords are also the backbone of a country, without these people, the Ming Dynasty will no longer exist, but Yue Yang said that these people are the root cause of the festering situation in the Ming Dynasty today. How can this not surprise them.

Dong Xiaowan retorted: "Please forgive Xiaowan for what the prince said, I can't agree, Taizu once said: Shizi is a pillar of a country, don't be rude or act rashly." There was also a move of "micro-obedience to Lianling out of the stone gate and coming to his room in person" when he asked Zhu Sheng to go out of the mountain. How does Childe say that the world's erosion is due to the gentry? ”

After hearing this, Yue Yang smiled: "At this time and that time, Taizu treated Zhu Sheng so politely just because Taizu had just raised troops and there was no one under his command at that time, don't you know how Taizu treated the scholars after winning the world?" ”

At this point, everyone fell silent. In his old age, Comrade Zhu didn't talk about treating scholars with courtesy, that was simply not treating scholars as human beings, and he killed people in his old age. He even openly declared: "Scholars are malicious and good at ridicule, and if they are not vigilant, they will be fooled by them." ”

These things are not only Mao Xiang and Fang Yizhi, but even Dong Xiaowan and Li Xiangjun also know. Yue Yang said again: "Actually, the reason why I say this is not because of Taizu, but because of what those gentry and literati have done over the years, they are too unworthy to be the pillar stone of a country, not only are they not worthy of being the pillar stone, but they even serve as the gravedigger of my Ming Dynasty!" ”

At this point, Yue Yang said loudly without waiting for everyone to react: "Don't talk about anything else for the time being, do you know how much tax I paid every year at the beginning of the dynasty?" And now it's taxed? ”

Everyone shook their heads, Dong Xiaowan and Li Xiangjun even blinked their beautiful eyes to say that they didn't know, including Mao Xiang and Fang Yizhi, today's intellectuals always look down on things full of copper smell, and naturally they don't deliberately understand these things.

Yue Yang asked again: "Do you know what is indispensable for a court if it wants to have long-term peace and stability?" ”

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

Sighing lightly, Yue Yang stretched out two fingers and said: "If a court wants to maintain peace and stability for a long time, what it needs is not the words of a saint, nor the support of a scholar in the world, it needs only two things, that is, food and silver!" ”

Everyone sitting here only felt that the sky was thundering, if they didn't know that the person who said this was the marquis of the dynasty, and thought that the famous general, it was estimated that they would even have the mind to turn their faces immediately.

Seeing the disapproving looks on everyone's faces, especially his children, Yue Yang smiled, he knew that in this era, scholars still scorned silver as a thing to show their contempt for money, and many scholars with a habit of cleanliness were ashamed to talk about money. It was because he was not surprised by the expressions of Mao Xiang and Fang Yizhi and the second daughter, who had only followed him for a few months.

Yue Yang smiled and asked everyone, "You and the others have all read books, so let me ask you a few questions first." What do you need for an imperial court to operate, to pay money to officials, to provide disaster relief in disaster years, and to fight wars for foreign invasions? The answer is simple, silver and grain, you can't deny that, right? ”

Everyone sitting nodded, they are not immortals who don't eat fireworks in the world, they naturally know the role of silver, but they have never thought so far.

Speaking of which. Yue Yang picked up the wine glass and drank it all, the wine in the southern region is generally not very strong, and Yue Yang only felt mellow and distant after a glass of wine, with a long aftertaste.

After smashing his mouth, Yue Yang said: "During the Hongwu period, I had a population of about 40 million in the Ming Dynasty, but how much was the tax at that time?" ”

Yue Yang stretched out three fingers and said lightly: "I tell you that at that time, the income from the fields reached 32 million stones, and the taxes were 20 million taels of silver. But now? The population of the Ming Dynasty has reached 10,000,000. But the tax is only a pitiful four million taels, and the field is less than three million stones, what is the reason for this, is the land of the Ming Dynasty gone? ”

"This ......"

Everyone looked at each other and was speechless for a while.

Seeing this, Yue Yang sneered and said, "I think you can also see the problem, the population has increased, and the cultivated fields should be more than in the Hongwu period, but why are there fewer fields and taxes?" There is only one answer, that is, the rich gentry and the literati who were officials in my Ming Dynasty concealed all these land endowments. They don't pay taxes to the imperial court, and the imperial court naturally has no silver, do you think I'm right about my analysis? ”

"Looks like that's true!" The few people next to him were all smart people, and when Yue Yang said this, they could naturally tell the truth of these words.

"The court has no money. The army is going to war. The war in Liaodong and the extermination of the Liukou in the country all need silver, what should I do? Then the tax had to be raised, but those who had rich merchants, officials, and scholars did not need to pay taxes, so the court had to squeeze money out of the poor people. As a result, the rich became richer and richer, while the poor were poorer, and the number of displaced people increased. The imperial court has been suppressing for more than ten years, and the Liukou not only suppress more and more after each suppression, why do you talk about this qiē? Speaking of which, the question arises, who caused this qiē? Court? Emperor? Still is...... What about the scholars and merchants who occupied a large amount of land? ”

Speaking of this, everyone was silent, Yue Yang said it so deeply, if they didn't understand it, they could also jump into the river. Especially Mao Xiang and Fang Yizhi, they have followed Yue Yang in the past few months, and they have opened a lot of eyes, comparing Shanxi North Road and other places, it is naturally not difficult to conclude that Yue Yang's words are right.

And Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan also opened their mouths wide, with a shocked look in their eyes, Yue Yang's remarks have completely subverted their original cognition, could it be that those personable sons and businessmen who spend a lot of money on weekdays are the gravediggers of the Ming Dynasty? The impact was a bit big, so everyone fell silent.

After a long time, Li Xiangjun said: "Childe's remarks, Xiangjun is still hearing it for the first time, have we been wrong all along?" ”

"What do you say?" Yue Yang said with a smile: "Miss Xiangjun and Miss Xiaowan also said that in the past few years in Qinhuaihe, I have always seen those scholars talking and pointing out the country, and they have a heroic spirit, which makes people yearn for it. But what someone Yue wants to say, to comment on whether a person is good or bad, is not to look at what he says, but to see what he does? What did those guys who scolded the court after drinking all day, scolded the eunuchs, and criticized the government? In my hometown, there is an old saying that it is not good to do more wrong and do less wrong, which is what I am talking about, they do nothing, but they criticize those who do things all day long, this is what those Qingliu literati do, this is the only thing that my Ming scholars will do! ”

Hearing this, Li Xiangjun's two daughters were already stunned, the amount of information that Yue Yang brought to them today was too great, and they couldn't accept it for a while, and their brains were a little stunted.

At this moment, a brilliant lightning bolt suddenly pierced the sky like a huge and hideous silver snake. Immediately after, the rumbling sound of muffled thunder came from the distant sky. After a while, the soybean-sized raindrops fell violently from the sky, hitting the ground and crackling. The sky was still stormy and cloudy just now, but in the blink of an eye, it was already thunder and lightning, and violent storms.

The crackling thunder and lightning rain suddenly woke everyone up from their sluggish state, Yue Yang looked out the window and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Oh no, I can't go back!" ”

"If you can't go back, Childe can stay here tonight, this painting boat is so big, can't Childe be alone?" Dong Xiaowan, who was listening attentively, blinked her eyes and said with a smile.

"Stay here?" Looking at the enthusiastic Dong Xiaowan, Yue Yang couldn't help but ask curiously, "Could it be that Miss Xiaowan won't live here tonight?" ”

"Ahh Childe is so rude, how can he say such a thing! Dong Xiaowan scolded with a pretty face, and even Li Xiangjun on the side blushed.

"Ahem...... What's that...... I'm really sorry, and I didn't mean to. Yue Yang was also a little surprised, his words just now were really too easy to make people ambiguous. (To be continued......)