"Bang!"

In winter and October, although the weather is cold, the construction of the railway cannot be slowed down.

On the route from Shuozhou to Taiyuan, thousands of workers exhaled white air and built this section of the railway in full swing amid the sound of hammers hitting sleepers and railroad tracks.

Most of them were short-term workers recruited from the neighborhood, and some were long-term workers who followed the team along the way.

The difference between a short-term worker and a long-term worker is nothing more than the length of time you can stay on the construction site.

In this era when the rate of return on agriculture was extremely low, labor gradually became the mainstream of the Ming people, and among them, railway workers were the most stable and long-lasting.

A skilled railroad worker can lay at least ten steps of sleepers and rails every day, and such a person is a talent on any section of the line.

It's just that in the general environment, talents may not be of great use, at least in the Shuozhou-Taiyuan section of the Northwest Railway.

A quarter of an hour's hammer is unbearable even for a young and strong youth.

Six hundred wen is twelve days' income, although these overseers dare not deduct wages, but they have a way to collect money.

They have a word of rest, and of course if they both work long-term, as long as the money is enough, they don't have to work at all.

For example, the two men in their thirties who gathered around the fat man and flattered him were giving him more than enough money.

The young man had gone to elementary school, and when he heard this, he immediately said: "This guy must have paid money to the people above, otherwise he wouldn't have received such a good errand." ”

The old elder was silent when he heard this, and only after a while did he speak: "The salary is paid according to the law, but you have to send him at least 300 wen privately on the first night of the salary." ”

When the fat man Wang, who was originally a master, saw this carriage, he hurriedly trotted forward, and his whole fat trembled.

The old man sighed, and only hated that he was not Wang Fatzi himself.

The young man looked at the two flattering people and couldn't help but ask the old man.

"Okay, I'm here to tell you about it, you can pick forty long-term workers to go south at that time, and look for them well."

The old man was worried that the young man would be burned, so he hurriedly picked up the hammer, pretended to scold, and at the same time turned his back to the fat man, stretched out his hand to the young man, and made a gesture to fight.

The words of the old man made the young man's face unpleasant, and at the age of eighteen or nineteen, he was the age of enthusiasm, and immediately retorted when he heard the words:

"Eat, eat, one day this fat man will be strangled to death!"

The car door was opened a small crack, but Wang Fatzi did not rush up, but leaned on the crack of the door and said:

While they were working, a horse-drawn carriage slowly drove up to the site.

"Why do you lose things at every turn?"

"I sent it, but he thought my gift was too small and didn't accept it." The young man was a little embarrassed to say this, but the old long-term worker said strangely: "How much did you give?" ”

"Humph!" The young man snorted coldly, and at the same time glanced at the line that stretched to the horizon and could barely see the end.

"I saw your gift yesterday, and you have a heart, and when the time comes, you can follow the Taiyuan section to the Fenzhou section."

"Look at us long-term workers, the work we do every day is the easiest, and you short-term workers are tired to death."

"Yes, thank you, Lord Wang, thank you, Lord Wang!"

"At least not less than that."

As his dog's legs, Liu Wu and Wu Er hurriedly came up, handing water and coarse cloth.

Looking at the carriage that was far away, Liu Wu, who was in his thirties, said suddenly: "Boss, this guy collected ten yuan from us yesterday, and he didn't even want to get off the car?" ”

"What, you gave him a gift?"

"Eh, that's not nonsense." The old man hurriedly looked around and made sure that no one heard before he spoke:

"Lord Wang, you're here......"

"Now that I have come to this construction site, it has only been four months, and I heard that his family has begun to repair the yard of three entrances and exits, and he specially found two twelve or thirteen little thin horses for himself from Zhili in the south, you say this person is ......."

"Three hundred Wen, that's six days' wages, all of them are for him!" The young man angrily threw the hammer in his hand to the ground, and the movement attracted a fat man with a fat brain not far away.

Seeing this picture, the fat man withdrew his eyes, and the young man took the hammer angrily.

Lord Wang said as the fat man nodded his head, and after a short time the carriage began to turn back, and the fat man also trotted to see each other off for a distance, and then wiped his cheeks full of grease and sweat.

Putting down the hammer to change shifts, a young man of eighteen or nineteen panted and wiped his sweat, laid sleepers for him, and the forty-year-old worker who fixed the rails saw this, looked around, and whispered:

"Look, I told you to send something to Supervisor Wang, but you didn't listen, and now you have to continue to hammer here."

"Yes, yes, the grass people will definitely do a good job!"

"Wang Fatzi and I used to be from the same town, I couldn't read big characters before, and I didn't have a daughter-in-law in my forties."

"At least half a month's salary." The young man hurriedly spoke, and the old man was also speechless: "His appetite is getting bigger and bigger, and so much can't satisfy his appetite." ”

In the car, the person who was called Lord Wang couldn't help but smile a little smugly when he heard this, and touched his goat's whisker with his hand by the way.

The wages paid by the imperial court were fifty wen per day, almost three times the normal rate.

"How much money did Liu Wu and Wu Er give, so they don't even have to work every day?"

Under the service of the two, Wang Fatzi was a little more comfortable.

The old man gestured with a six, which made the young man clench his hammer.

The fat man nodded his head, like a dog of the so-called Lord Wang.

"I don't know, let's get to work......" The old elder shook his head, pulled the young man and lowered his head to work in shifts with the people in front of him.

"He is in charge of a hundred people with one supervisor, and you old long-term workers account for thirty people, and you don't give him less money every month, right?"

"People are in charge of twenty teams in their hands, what is the matter with five dollars?" Wang Fatzi breathed a sigh of relief, and then spoke:

"Our team can hire forty long-term workers, and the two of you can choose the extra ten places."

"Boss, don't worry, we promise to finish!" Liu Wu patted his chest, and the fat man nodded and continued to inspect the construction site.

The standards of the Ministry of Industry are very strict, if there is a mistake in the railway, then his wealth will be over, and he will not dare to neglect his duties in this kind of thing that will lose his head.

Wang Fatzi is like a hunting dog, constantly roaming his own part of the railway.

At the same time, the so-called Lord Wang, who had left in a carriage, also walked a few hundred steps in a carriage and came to the courtyard of a makeshift concrete bungalow.

This is the outpost of the Terracotta Division in the future, and it is also the place where the current director of the project who manages this section of the project rests.

Lord Wang, who was arrogant in front of Wang Fatzi, also walked into this courtyard flatteringly like Wang Fatzi at this moment, and gently knocked on a courtyard door.

"Come in!"

A voice came out from inside, and the so-called Lord Wang walked into it.

The room was equipped with floor heating and a fire kang, which was very warm, and there was a person sitting inside wearing the regular uniform of an official of the eighth grade, who was lying on a chair at the moment, and there was a worker with a bulging chest in front of him.

Although the worker lowered his head, he could still see that his appearance was slightly more beautiful.

Seeing this, Lord Wang said, "Lord Bo ......"

"Well, I saw your stuff, not bad......"

The thin eyes of the master did not open, but he stretched his leg slightly, and then the worker placed it on his thigh, and kneaded it with his hand.

Enjoying the heat in the room and the touch on his feet, the master slowly opened his eyes.

"Although the gifts are in place, the project still has to be cared for, this errand is not good, but it has to lose the head."

"In addition, the number of long-term workers is also recruited as much as possible, and the imperial court is not allowed to recruit long-term workers, if it comes to a critical moment, they have to know what to say and what not to say."

"Xia Guan understands." The so-called Lord Wang wore the regular clothes of a servant and bowed flatteringly.

"Alright, you can step aside."

"The lower official retired ......"

As soon as the lord Bo spoke, the royal clerk withdrew from the room and closed the door with his hand.

Seeing that the door was closed, the master Bo also put away his light appearance, bent down and stretched out his hand, and pulled the slightly beautiful female worker into his arms.

"Adult ......"

The female worker was so frightened that her voice trembled, but the lord Bo heard the words but her tone was not good: "I will pay you four people every day, and you will serve the adults and me like this?" ”

"I ......" Hearing this, the female worker did not dare to say anything, and the master Bo also put his hands up and down, and at the same time regretted:

"It's a pity...... It's a pity...... If I had met you a few years earlier, I would have loved you a few years earlier. ”

As the words fell, the main man's movements became more and more excessive, and he pulled the female worker into the bedroom next door to rest.

After two words, he was hollowed out of the wine and walked out of the bedroom out of breath, and after resting for a few breaths, he walked out of the warm room.

Outside the house, a clerk was waiting at the gate of the courtyard early, and when he saw his master Bo walking out of the house, he stepped forward to make a move.

"Everything has been delivered?"

The lord loosened the belt that was tied too tightly just now, and the official also bowed his head and said, "One hundred times, not a penny." ”

"Just send it." The master nodded, and then went to inspect the construction site.

Scenes like this continue to happen at various construction sites, and such a scene will naturally not be ignored by Zhu Gaoxu.

Hundreds of miles away, he was holding a book in his hand at the moment, on which many names and official positions were clearly recorded.

From the six members of the six ministries in Beijing, the foreign ministers, the chiefs, to the local officials, this nearly three-inch thick book records the names and official positions of no less than 10,000 people, including their corrupt methods.

"Your Majesty, there are so many people, is it okay to do it?"

Sitting on the chair, the commander of the Jinyi Guard, who was in charge of all this, made Liu Mian eager to try.

Obviously, the document in Zhu Gaoxu's hand is what he found out after rectifying the Jinyi Guard, and if this matter is implemented, it will be the first major case in the Hongxi period.

It's just that compared to his excitement, Zhu Gaoxu's face was not shocked: "This matter will continue to be investigated first, and when the imperial court needs it, you can do it." ”

"Yes!" Liu Mian nodded with a little regret, but compared to him, Zhu Gaoxu didn't regret it.

From elementary school to middle school, he trained so many New Deal students, and in the end, this group of people still fell into the dye vat.

Maybe he didn't have a backache when he stood and talked, but he was really disappointed in these New Deal students.

"Your Majesty, the minister is retiring?"

Liu Mian saw that Zhu Gaoxu didn't speak, so he cautiously asked.

"Let's go down and find out these people."

Zhu Gaoxu said lightly, and Liu Mian left Wuying Palace.

Not long after, Zhu Zhanyan's voice sounded outside the hall, and the eunuch on duty also hurriedly sang.

"Come in"

With Zhu Gaoxu's call, Zhu Zhanyan also walked quickly with a piece of music.

"Dad, the Oris Military and Civilian Marshal's Mansion is a great victory!"

His voice fell, and he opened the song and handed it to Zhu Gaoxu, who also took it and looked at it.

[In the summer and June of the fifth year, the grandson of the marshal of the military and civilian marshal of the Oris military and civilian marshal office sent a monk to Lasa for help, and the ministers commanded Li Yingwen Kasimier to lead the army to invade the military and civilian marshal's mansion of Oris, and drove 2,000 horsemen to Zhangxiong, turned over Qiangtang and Yueda Snow Mountain, and fought with Kasimir Zaiyin, beheaded 3,674, and Zai went to the snowy mountain. 】

[After the war, Fu Si Ruo was full of Zhangxiong, Si Ruo was full of heavenly soldiers, and he was grateful, and since then he has paid a hundred taels of gold and five hundred taels of silver for the land. 】

Looking at the good news, Zhu Gaoxu could only say that fortunately Li Ying won the battle, and if he lost, he would not be spared.

"It is wrong to deploy troops to attack without authorization, and I will be fined for half a year, repel the incoming enemy, and protect the military and civilian marshal's mansion of Oris, and reward 300 lottery coins and 100 horses."

"In addition, send officials from the military department and the Governor's Office of the Six Armies to verify the number of beheadings, and if the beheadings are true, a reward will be issued according to the five times for each captive, and the household department will allocate it."

Zhu Gaoxu's rewards and punishments were clear, but Zhu Zhanyu was speechless and hesitated: "This ...... The local generals are outside, so they naturally know the local situation, and although Li Ying's move is inappropriate, it will not be fined for half a year......

"And what do you think it should be?" Zhu Gaoxu looked up at Zhu Zhanyan, and Zhu Zhanyan thought slightly when he saw this: "How about the penalty for March?" ”

"Just do as you say." Zhu Gaoxu bowed his head, and at the same time pushed the thick book to Zhu Zhanyan.

"You're going to go to the place after the Lantern Festival, and before that, I have to let you know what the Ming Dynasty really looks like."

"What does it really look like?" Zhu Zhanyan sensed that something was wrong, picked up the thick book and opened it.

Just at the beginning, Zhu Zhanyan was already shocked by the content, and he didn't care about greeting his father at all, so he subconsciously sat next to him and looked at the book page by page.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu didn't bother, lowered his head, and calmly dealt with the music in front of him, as if nothing had happened.

Half an hour later, Zhu Zhanyan slowly walked out of the booklet and closed the book with a heavy heart.

His expression was slightly complicated, and his gaze looked at his father, who was as calm as water.

"Dad, has this case been disposed of?"

Zhu Zhanyan was much calmer, if it was before he went to the border, he would definitely shout to kill all these people, but now he can suppress his temper and ask.

"Not yet, maybe not necessarily in the next two or three years."

Zhu Gaoxu said lightly, Zhu Gaoxu felt a little uncomfortable when he heard this, but he was quickly suppressed by him.

"Are you going to wait for the debt to be repaid?"

Zhu Zhanyan is not stupid, after all, he learned so much economic knowledge in middle school, and he often writes with Jianghuai, so he naturally knows the weight of this booklet.

It can be said that if the case is handled in full accordance with this booklet, at least tens of thousands of people will be directly arrested, hundreds of thousands of people will be implicated, and the amount involved in the case will not be less than 5 million yuan.

If you add the wealth that these people have accumulated in the past, then the income from the final seizure can even be doubled.

At this moment, Zhu Zhanyan understood why his grandfather would say that his father was ruthless.

Other emperors will at least have basic respect for scholars, even if it is their grandfather, who scolds Confucianism as an old barbarian every day, but the surface work is not down at all.

In comparison, his father fits the opening sentence of "Lao Tzu" very well...... Heaven and earth are unkind, and all things are used as dogs. The saints are unkind, and they use the people as dogs.

The so-called dog is a dog made of grass during the pre-Qin sacrifice.

At the time of the sacrifice, it was worshipped by the world.

After the sacrifice, it was abandoned in the wilderness and trampled on.

Nature and heaven and earth have no selfishness or discrimination, and it sees all things as equal.

The same is true of the sage, who sees the people as equal.

Perhaps in his father's eyes, except for those close to him, everyone else is equal.

Officials, Confucian scholars, common people, livestock......

These people or animals seem to their fathers to be practically the same.

Perhaps at this moment, Zhu Zhanqi barely understood the meaning of "Son of Heaven" and the heaviness of "Son of Heaven".

Throughout the ages, who can treat any existence as equally as the "heaven and earth" mentioned in "Lao Tzu"?

Even if it's your own father, don't you still need to worry about the relationship between father and son?

"Place it first, let their snowball roll a little bigger."

Zhu Gaoxu held a pen in his hand, mechanically handling government affairs one by one, without taking the future of tens of thousands of people or hundreds of thousands of people into his eyes.

"But the people ......"

Zhu Zhanyan wanted to say that the people would be constantly exploited in this waiting process, but he couldn't say it.

This group of people exploits the people, so if they change a group of people, they will not exploit them?

Of course it can't be, if this group of people were really that good, they wouldn't be corrupt.

Zhu Zhanyan suddenly worried about Jianghuai, and he was worried that his friend would also lose his heart in the local area.

"It is pitiful for the people to be exploited, but repeated tossing is the most harmful to the interests of the people."

Zhu Gaoxu suddenly spoke, and said with a bit of education:

"Let's do a good job of the current affairs first, so that the people can get some of the money and go home."

"When the people return home, we can do it, and the action is to take back this part of the embezzled wealth to the state, and then distribute it to the people through fairer means and policies, which is called resource distribution."

"Although in the process of distribution, there may be many people who will join in and destroy the original policy, as long as 20 portions of meat can be distributed to the people, it means that the policy is successful."

"As for the eighty portions of meat that have been coveted, you can keep a record as you do in the ledger in your hand, and when the people have no meat to eat, you must be ruthless in cutting the flesh of these fellows, and feed the people with the meat of these fellows."

"This world is the world of cannibalism, the difference is that our heavenly family stands in the highest position, and at a certain time, we can distribute the flesh and blood on the table at will."

"If you want to hold the distribution power for a long time, you must have enough flesh and blood to train the hounds, and let the hounds deter the others at the table who are not convinced."

"The hounds are the army, and the flesh and blood are the resources, and who can control it all depends on who is sitting at the table."

"The owner of the table will change, some of them will be strong, and some of them will be weak and stupid."

"If the master is weak and stupid, then the master may also be carried to the table."

"I'm telling you this to let you know that if you don't want to share their flesh, you can share your own."

"If you don't share anything, the people will want to share your flesh and blood."

Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, he didn't know if Zhu Zhanyan understood it, but at least he said it.

"Erchen ......"

Zhu Zhanyan didn't seem to have come out of the cannibalistic world that Zhu Gaoxu said, and Zhu Gaochu was also very patient, waiting for him to speak while dealing with the music.

After a while, Zhu Zhanyan said with difficulty: "Erchen understands." ”

"You don't necessarily understand, but it's okay, you'll understand later."

Zhu Gaoxu put down the pen and looked at Zhu Zhanyan while sighing.

"Where there's white, there's black, and it's impossible to completely eliminate all black, but you have to control it."

"Use people right, and you can't be blinded or blinded by others."

"Only by seeing the six roads and listening to the eight directions, can you really drive the carriage of the Ming Dynasty."

"I don't really want you to go to Longchuan, because it's too clean."

Zhu Gaoxu seemed to be praising Jiang Huai, but he meant that it was not good to be too clean, so Zhu Zhanyu couldn't help but say: "Isn't it good to be clean?" ”

"It's okay to be clean, but sometimes it's too clean to be the opposite." Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Zhanyan's unconvinced eyes.

"He can't sit in that position for the rest of his life, and he can't guarantee that he can stick to his heart for the rest of his life."

"Hope is natural. Therefore, the wind does not end, and the rain does not end. Which one is this? World. Heaven and earth can't last long, but what about people? ”

He taught by word and deed, but in the face of his words, Zhu Zhanyan still couldn't hold the innocence in his bones, and said stiffly:

"Erchen just thinks that black is black, white is white, and no one dares to say black and white, let alone others?"

Facing his appearance, he couldn't help but think of his young self in his previous life.

Maybe he was wrong, or maybe Zhu Zhanyan was too well protected by himself, his words made Zhu Gaoxu not know what to say, or what he said now, Zhu Zhanyan couldn't listen to it.

Facing Zhu Zhanyan, he leaned back in his chair: "You have your own bones, but not everyone is your ......"

"It seems that it is right to let you go through the training this time, but the time of this experience is too short, and it will not do you any good."

Zhu Gaoxu thought for a moment before he spoke:

"I will allow you to train in Longchuan for one year, and after one year, I will transfer you to another place to train for another two years."

"If you can still hold on to your bone, after three years, then I won't say a word more about you."

Zhu Zhanyan was unconvinced in his heart, and bowed down and said, "Your Majesty, thank you!" ”

When the words fell, Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand, signaling that he could go out.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhanyan turned around and left, leaving only the empty Wuying Hall and Zhu Gaoxu who was obliquely illuminated by the sun.

Apart from him, there is little light in the temple......

(End of chapter)