Shandong can be said to be worse, since February this year, there has not been a rain, the so-called spring rain is as expensive as oil, this season, is the critical period of wheat jointing and booting, the requirements for moisture are very high.

It hasn't rained for months, and the wheat is dying of drought.

Wheat is the main food crop along the coast of Shandong, as well as Qi County, Pingyuan County, Bohai County, Qinghe County, Wuyang County, Beihai County, Jibei County, and Dongping County in the lower reaches of the Yellow River.

Last year, there was a flood, and this year there was a drought, and the gods are difficult to save.

Zhang Xutuo is already going crazy, these counties in Shandong and Hebei next to the Yellow River are all in trouble, Yangxin County, the capital of Bohai County, was occupied by the thief leader Sun Xuanya, and his base camp Qi County, the lord Bo Mengrang, with five hundred mobs, occupied Linyi County.

In desperation, Zhang Xutuo urgently returned to the division, attacked Linyi, defeated the enemy army in a battle on the outskirts of the city, Meng Rang was defeated and fled, and Zhang Xutuo also suffered heavy losses, so he could only return to Licheng to rest.

"Arrest Zhuangding, my father is fighting for the six counties of Shandong Province to arrest the ambassador, but at present, there are anti-thieves in various places, and it is difficult for the chief officers of the six counties to support, and our military salary is not much, if it goes on like this, Qi County will not be able to get out," Zhang Yuanbei persuaded him.

Zhang Xutuo and a group of generals were discussing in the hall, and everyone was not in a good mood.

Around Qi County, there have been five rebels who have become a climate, although Zhang Xutuo has ordered each county to recruit 2,000 guards and join forces with him, but the progress is not smooth.

The reason is that people took advantage of Zhang Xutuo's recruitment order to recruit soldiers, but they were reluctant to send Zhang Xutuo over, because as soon as the soldiers left, their own safety was no longer guaranteed.

However, they had to manage Zhang Xutuo's military salary, and military salary was the only means that Zhang Xutuo could control the six counties except for the name of deposing and arresting the ambassador.

Zhang Xutuo has long understood this truth, so he didn't force it, as long as you have soldiers everywhere, the momentum of the anti-thieves can be suppressed, don't always let me fight in front of me, and my ass is on fire.

"Catch the strong man, it's not time yet," Zhang Xutuo shook his head and said: "Your Majesty has allowed me to recruit troops in Shandong, or I still have to post recruitment notices in various counties, counties and villages, and the military salary will be raised again, with a monthly salary of five hundred yuan, three stones of grain, and five horses of cloth." ”

Zhang Yuanbei smiled bitterly: "With such a high military salary, our current inventory will not last long." ”

Zhang Xutuo said: "If you don't raise the military salary, these strong men will become rebels, and under the elimination of the other, I will be more difficult in the future, and the brocade rewarded by His Majesty will be sold as soon as possible to raise military supplies." ”

"Half of it has been sold, and the rest is not easy to sell," Zhang Yuanbei said: "At this time, there are few families who are willing to spend money to buy brocade with grain, let's defeat Meng Rang in Linyi, and the materials that were taken back, those families who were robbed, ask us for it." ”

"Ask for a fart!" General Xiong Bao said: "Why should we give them what we took our lives?" ”

Zhang Xutuo raised his eyebrows and said: "At this juncture, people's hearts are important, the king thief and others have deceived people's hearts, so they can sit big, if I don't pay it back, Linyi will still have a mess, appropriately withhold some food, and return the rest to them." ”

Zhang Yuanbei shook his head helplessly.

On the contrary, a young general in the hall said with a respectful face: "Make the king understand the righteousness, the last general admires, the thieves plundered the people's wealth, if I forcibly occupy it, it is a loss of popularity, the current situation, to comfort the people's livelihood is the top priority." ”

Zhang Xutuo couldn't help but smile and said: "I thought you were a rough person, but I didn't expect that there was also a meticulous side, this time the danger of Linyi, you came very timely, the Shandong Rebellion is a disease, but for the people of my army, it is not a bad opportunity, as long as you follow me well, you will be indispensable in the future." ”

Cheng Yanjin laughed: "The last general defected to the envoy, just to make a wife and a son." ”

"Then you think too much," Zhang Xutuo couldn't help but laugh: "I haven't reached that level, but it's good that you have this ambition." ”

On the side of Dong'e County, there was no more chaos, Cheng Biting Jin saw that there was no chance of meritorious service, and heard that Zhang Taishou of Qi County exercised the right to recruit troops in Shandong, so he took 300 people to defect.

Then, Zhang Xutuo instructed everyone: "Send a message to the county magistrates, Liaodong City has been taken, and my Great Sui Wang Division will return to the division in August at the latest, so that they can pacify the local area and spread this good news all over the townships, thinking that it is a shock." ”

This method is still quite effective, some people who have not rebelled will hesitate when they hear the news, and those who have rebelled will be afraid, and it will have a restraining effect on the rebels who keep getting soldiers.

A slogan on the other side, you can attract tens of thousands of people, but Zhang Xutuo's side, you can't get so many people if you pay for it.

The imperial court is in Shandong, and it has lost the hearts of the people, and it is not easy to redeem it.

Of course, Yang Ming couldn't do nothing.

Liu Su, the former waiter of the Ministry of Works, was now sent by him to the southwest of Xingtai to serve as the secretary of the Ministry of Works, and cooperated with Gao Shilian of Honglu Temple to collect money in the name of building the temple.

Money has always been available, but it can't stand the soaring food prices, and the previous ten dollars can now only be spent as three dollars.

The key is to get food.

"Bashu has the convenience of water conservancy, fertile fields for thousands of miles, and there is no shortage of food, but it is in the hands of local wealthy families, and now the imperial court is in urgent need of food, so simply find a reason, kill a few, and seize their family property to confiscate for Shandong," Li Mi is a ruthless man, and this is what he said.

Yang Ming couldn't help but smile and said: "This is the next policy, does Xuan Di have the best strategy?" ”

Don't you always like to figure out three strategies when you encounter problems? Let's hear it.

Li Mi said: "Fabricating charges is the best policy, setting up a name, and being the middle policy, and paying taxes in advance is the next policy." ”

Do you really have three strategies? Yang Ming said: "Why do I think that paying taxes in advance for the coming year is better than fabricating charges?" ”

Li Mi said with a smile: "This is an extraordinary period, the imperial court has a very urgent need, the prepayment of taxes delays time, and it is inconvenient to procrastinate. ”

The Central Plains wealthy family, to Bashu, is completely under the hands, if such a method is used on the Central Plains tyrants, it will not work, each family is too deeply involved, you have me, I have you, move one, involve a piece.

Therefore, for the family, you can only move a certain small house of a certain branch, and you can't move the family of others.

And even if it moves, it is secretly planned, and it will not be blatantly put on the table at all.

Yuan Wendu shook his head and said: "Your three strategies have not succeeded, the Shandong Rebellion has burned the plains, and the army in front of me, if everything goes well, will return at the end of August, that is, less than four months, Shandong can only stand up now, survive these four months, you are now getting grain from Bashu, not to mention whether you can get it, transportation alone, it will cost a lot of money, it will take a long time, and it is not suitable." ”

Yang Ming said directly: "What if you can't survive these four months?" Or four months later, the rebellion is still unsettled? After thinking about it, Shandong is short of food at the moment, and it can't be ignored and let them support themselves, which is not what the imperial court should do. ”

"It's the minister's inconsiderate consideration, His Highness is teaching a lesson," Yuan Wendu hurriedly said.

There was silence in the hall, and everyone's faces were solemn.

In fact, they are not very worried about the current situation in Shandong, what they are worried about is that the chaos will get bigger and bigger, after all, in recent days, there has been no good news from the military newspaper from Shandong.

"For the sake of today's plan, His Royal Highness might as well send a message to Zhang Xutuo and make him act cheaply," Chen Shuda of the Jialing Temple said.

Yang Ming was stunned for a moment, frowning and pondering.

This is cheap, but it is complicated, which means that Zhang Xutuo is in the local area, and he can do anything.

He can rob the rich and even civilians, and he can also set up various schemes to collect money, which is a huge test of the humanity of cadres.

In this way, the court will have one less burden, and Zhang Xutuo will have more authority, but he will have to bear the infamy.

"This method is feasible," Li Mi agreed: "When the time is extraordinary, when the extraordinary act is done, Shandong continues to make trouble, and Hebei Jianghuai will be affected. ”

Li Gang nodded and said: "The minister also agrees, long pain is better than short pain, stubborn diseases still need fierce medicine, Zhang Xutuo is still safe to do things, I believe he is below, and he will not mess around." ”

Yang Ming pondered for a moment and said: "It's best to have someone keep an eye on him, what can and can't be done, it still has to be restrained, I can tolerate him robbing the rich, but I will never allow the people to be oppressed again, which of you is willing to go to Shandong." ”

"Xuanling should not give in," Fang Xuanling got up and said: "Qi County is the hometown of the minister, and the minister still knows about it, and he is willing to go to Shandong to assist Zhang Xutuo in quelling the rebellion." ”

Their family's ancestral home is actually in Qinghe County, and Qinghe County and Qi County, which are neighbors, his father Fang Yanqian's generation, moved to Zhangqiu County in Qi County.

In fact, it is that there is no industry in the hometown, and it expands outward.

Fang Xuanling wants to go, but he also has a little selfishness and acts cheaply, this is the biggest decentralization, which means that Zhang Xutuo can forcibly levy money and food from any family, if you don't give it, I will condemn you.

And Zhangqiu County, there are a lot of acres and industries for their family, if he goes, Zhang Xutuo will not attack their family.

In this way, Zhang Xutuo will definitely have a bad reputation in Shandong, but it doesn't matter, this is a handle, which can be used to balance Zhang Xutuo, and if the rebellion is pacified in the future, it would be good to transfer him to other places.

"Good!" Yang Ming nodded and said: "I will transfer three hundred guards to you and send you to Shandong, you take my hand, transfer ten boats of grain to Xingluocang in Luoyang, take them to Shandong, and tell Zhang Xutuo that on the day of Shandong's pacification, I will give him a marquis." ”

"Command!" Fang Xuanling said.

Then, Yang Ming looked at Liu Hongji again and said:

"Ning Weizao, you are responsible for arranging, don't live in the official post, go to Jinyang Building, eat and drink well, he can do whatever he wants, but he is not allowed to leave Beijing, no matter what excuse he wants to ask to see me, he will block me."

"Your Highness rest assured," Liu Hongji said with a smile: "He just said that he is dying, and the ministers will not let him leave Jingshi one step." ”

The crowd burst into laughter. (End of chapter)