"The servant doesn't understand, how can a whip become a bad government when it reaches the north? Along the way, there is not a single government with a whip, all of them are paid for food and even continue to be served by the people of each class in turn! ”

Shen Shixing, who was patrolling in the north, had reached the boundary of Datong at this time.

And Shen Shixing, because Jia Yingyuan, the governor of Datong, and Ru Zongshun, the governor of Datong, also opposed a whip, and at this time, he said to the two in an unkind tone, and added:

"Do you know how much grain the imperial court has to spend on transportation once the grain is released?! Don't you know how to solve the silver to avoid a lot of losses?! ”

Jia Yingyuan and Ru Zongshun are both not afraid of the powerful.

Therefore, Jia Yingyuan replied bluntly: "We naturally know." But the people of the north are short of silver, and forcibly a whip will only facilitate the big households to exploit the small people. It's not because, as an official, when you benefit one party, you can't lose the emperor's favor and burden Li Shu, if you really want to force a whip, it will only make more people flee from the desert in the north. ”

"That's right, oranges born in Huainan are oranges, and those born in Huaibei are oranges; There is a shortage of silver in the north, and the imposition of a whip is not only convenient for large households to exploit small people, but also for the government to complete the collection of taxes in a timely manner. Gain, when the people raise silver, how can it take three or five months, and if this continues, it will not be conducive to the examination of a provincial official. ”

Ru Zongshun said.

Shen Shixing sneered: "There are always many excuses, all the way over, all this is the rhetoric." In this way, the servant asked you and others, for the new policy that the imperial court should carry out next, what new policy do you want the imperial court to do? ”

"Naturally, it's a tax cut!"

"The people of the north are too poor, the whole family has worked hard for a year, and after paying the land endowment, they are just making a living."

"The key north, there is also a serious wind and sand, and the soil is seriously degraded, the weather is getting colder and colder year by year, and the output is therefore less and less year by year, and then the tax is not reduced, but I am afraid that there will be more and more people fleeing the famine, and the elder does not know, just because the output of the northern land is getting less and less, and the prince of Dasikou (Wang Chonggu) has wanted to restore the grain and open the middle, but he has not been able to do it."

Jia Yingyuan replied without thinking.

After hearing this, Shen Shixing said: "The south is already heavily taxed, especially in the south of the Yangtze River, and everyone who has land hopes that the imperial court will reduce taxes!" Now, the people of the north also want to reduce taxes, so what else does the imperial court use to support the clan and supply the military supplies of the nine sides? ”

Jia Yingyuan and Ru Zongshun were silent.

It is a fact that taxes are heavy in the south, especially in the Jiangnan area.

It's hard for them to deny either.

However, it is also true that even though the taxes in the north are not as heavy as those in the south, they are still poorer than those in the south, and the people's lives are more difficult.

So, it's not easy for them to say anything at this time.

When Shen Shixing also came to inspect the north, he was warmly received by the local gentry, and even like Ma Ziqiang, he saw the luxury of the big landlords, but he also half-listened to the opinions of the local gentry, and only came to Datong and seriously asked Jia Yingyuan and Ru Zongshun, who were reformist officials who belonged to outsiders, about how to implement the new policy next.

Moreover, Shen Shixing was deliberately angry so that he could hear the truth, but after listening to the arguments between Jia Yingyuan and Ru Zongshun, he still fell silent.

There is no other reason.

Shen Shixing suddenly realized that the taxes of his hometown Wu could not be reduced, because the northern land could not be increased, so as soon as the Wu land was reduced, the imperial court would lose the country.

"Presumably, it's not okay to spread the acre."

Suddenly, Shen Shixing said with a wry smile.

Jia Yingyuan was shocked, and hurriedly turned to Shen Shixing: "Elder Ge, this naturally can't be done!" After all, it is not easy for farmers in the world, and it is even more difficult for farmers in the north, forcibly a whip, so who will plant this northern land?! What's more, there are many military households in the north, and the spread of the land into the mu will also aggravate the flight of military households. ”

Ru Zongshun replied more directly, and asked directly: "That's it!" Why is it that the world's conscription is only borne by the landed farmers? And landless merchants and craftsmen did not have to bear the burden of forced labor? Could it be that the peasants are richer than the merchants and craftsmen?! ”

"Or is it that in this world, only the cultivators of the land are best served, so the court should only be servitized by the peasants?"

"Cultivators are inherently guilty of the country?"

Ru Zongshun then asked again, and said: "And the output of agriculture in the north is very small, and it is barely supported by sharing the service with the clan people and neighbors, and if it is apportioned into the mu, it will undoubtedly make the northern clans with more land on the surface bear more labor, and the landless rich merchants in the south will greatly reduce the silver, so I am afraid that not only the small people in the north are not suitable for survival, but even the northern clans will have to move south!" Then the north will be empty, so how will the Tartars be prevented from going south? ”

Saying that, Ru Zongshun said again: "It is also beneficial to the south." Commerce in the south is well developed, and there are far more commercial workers than peasant households. If it is spread into the mu, it can allow a large number of commercial workers to not even pay Ding Yin! ”

Shen Shixing said: "I know that it is not appropriate to spread the land into the mu now. It's just a Titi. ”

"Fortunately, Elder Ge understands!"

Ru Zongshun replied.

Jia Yingyuan also said: "Even a whip is not suitable, not to mention the spread into the mu, maybe in the future, the climate in the north will improve, and even after the grain yield is as high as in the south, it may be possible." ”

Shen Shixing nodded after hearing this, and then asked again: "What about the officials and gentry who pay for food and errands?" ”

Jia Yingyuan and Ru Zongshun both opened their mouths to speak, but they both immediately shut up.

Because they all suddenly realized that they had refuted this Shen Ge Lao's proposal twice in a row today, was it too bad to give this Shen Ge Lao face?

In their opinion, after all, this old Shen Ge is obviously also a minister who is determined to innovate and actively seek the country, not to mention, in the future, he may also be liked by Yuanfu because of this, and he took Yuanfu's class and became the new Yuanfu.

So, Jia Yingyuan also replied at this time: "It's not impossible to let the officials and gentry pay grain as an errand, the people in the north are short of silver, and the gentry are not short of silver, so it is not difficult for them to pay more silver, but the court has to be determined." ”

Ru Zongshun also echoed and said: "Yes, the soldiers and horses are in the hands of the imperial court, and the gentry will not rebel because of the grain errand!" It really just depends on the determination of the imperial court. In addition, it is more difficult to care for the local parents and officials, and if the cabinet elder really wants to do this kind of government, he must be able to suppress the officials! ”

Shen Shixing nodded, didn't say anything more, but after returning to his house, he wrote a private letter to Zhang Juzheng, saying:

"It is absolutely not feasible to increase the commercial tax, and I am afraid that the livelihood of the small people in the south will change, but the students went to the north and learned that the people in the north are still resistant to a whip, let alone spread the money into the mu? Therefore, it cannot be forcibly pushed into the mu; ”

"Only the official gentry can pay grain as an errand and errand, but I am afraid that my hometown will be dissatisfied, breed trouble, and make it difficult for the teacher, if the teacher really wants to choose one of the three strategies, or can choose this strategy. It's just that the prime minister has ever thought that even if the official gentry pays the grain and is on an errand, it will make the prime minister be scolded by people for eternity? ”

……

Zhang Juzheng received a letter from Shen Shixing on the way back to Beijing, and only said: "When I return to him, I will say that if I want to be a good assistant, I can't think about personal honor and disgrace, I have to have some opinions, and I have to think about my father and Sheji!" ”

After speaking, Zhang Juzheng silently looked at the passing water and the sunset smoke outside the boat, and did not speak for a long time, nor did he think about tea.

On June 15, the sixth year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng arrived on the outskirts of Beijing, and Zhu Yijun specially appointed He Jin, the eunuch of ceremonies, to set up a banquet for Zhang Juzheng in the vacuum temple outside the city.

He Xiang preached the holy decree and said: "If you enter the city at noon, you will wait in the court room with Mr. Zhang, and I will summon you to the platform. If he does not enter the city at the right time, he will go to the house to rest and the next morning, so that he will not be summoned by the court. ”

Early in the morning of the 16th, Zhu Yijun summoned Zhang Juzheng in the west room of the Wenhua Palace.

Zhu Yijun saw that Zhang Juzheng had just stopped outside, so he hurriedly walked out of the hall.

And Zhang Juzheng had to bow down the steps outside the hall.

"Excuse me, sir!"

Zhu Yijun said with a smile.

After Zhang Juzheng thanked him, he stood in front of Zhu Yijun, raised his head slightly, and suddenly couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty has grown taller again!" ”

(End of chapter)