Buried alive in the Qing Dynasty

Page 217

After all, it is not too far away from the era of freedom of thought and the spread of Western learning in the late Ming Dynasty!

The main purpose of Zhu Heqi holding this imperial examination competition is to select a large number of more capable officials from among them to promote the equalization of land in the four provinces of Jiangbei, Jiangnan, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang.

Therefore, it is really necessary to have such a big debate before the start of the official big competition, so that the future bureaucrats who are about to step into the officialdom of Ming Dynasty can deeply understand the advantages of the land equalization system and the disadvantages of the tax subsidy system.

Of course, Huang Zongxi, Gu Yanwu, Zhu Shunshui, Yan Yuan, Qu Dajun, and Luo Wenzao are the "royal mouthpieces" of the Ming court. Zhu Heqi himself sometimes takes time out of his busy schedule to write in Confucianism. Men Xun Bao published an article advocating land equalization and criticizing tax packages.

The opponents of the great debate were Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi. They used the "Confucianism Xunbao" as their position, published articles against the equalization of land, advocated taxation, and even shouted the slogan "share the world with the scholar-bureaucrats".

In addition to the articles published by the standard-bearers of both sides in newspapers, the true and false "Confucianism Xunbao" began to accept contributions from readers in December of the second year of the Ming Dynasty - readers can express their opinions on it.

Among them, the contributions of Zhenpao can be sent directly to the Confucian Affairs Hall in the inner city of Nanjing.

The place where the false report was submitted was the affairs hall established by the advisory council in the inner city of Nanjing. The manuscript for the false newspaper was directly pasted there.Zhou Peigong would send someone there to copy it, and after getting it back, it would be printed on a fake newspaper and distributed.

Because the debate between the two sides was too intense and there were too many submissions, both the real and fake "Confucianism Xunbao" changed from "Xunbao" to "Daily", and the circulation of all of them increased greatly.

The more than 1 examinees who live in Nanjing buy a "true newspaper" and a "false newspaper" almost every day.In order to make a distinction, Zhou Peigong simply asked people to blatantly print the word "fake" on his fake "Confucianism Xunbao" before the registration.

And because the circulation of the "fake "Confucianism Xunbao"" is much smaller than that of the real "Confucianism Xunbao", the supply has been in short supply.Therefore, the price of this "fake "Confucianism Xunbao"" is also more expensive, and the retail price of each copy has reached [-] to [-] yuan... This public fake is actually sold to the point where it is more expensive than the real one, which is also true. It's really one of a kind.

Therefore, when the imperial examination competition for the second year of the Ming Dynasty was about to start, the two rebels, Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi, had already made a fortune by publishing "fake newspapers"!

While Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi were busy being big Vs and making a fortune, Zhang Ying and Gao Shiqi, two really rebellious Scholars, also made considerable progress.

I don't know if it's because the tricks in the "Anti-Scripture" are too easy to use. In short, the rebellion career of these two is simply smooth sailing!

They first threw out the salt in their hands in Anqing and exchanged it for less than [-] silver dollars. Then they wanted to use the name of starting an iron shop to purchase iron materials and hire blacksmiths... At this moment, an existing iron shop was about to close down. , There are ready-made iron materials and craftsmen.And the location is actually in Tongcheng County!

The two didn't think much about it, they immediately bought the iron shop, and then hired a group of guys. They began to make weapons in Tongcheng under the pretext of making weapons for the Ministry of War, and at the same time they asked for high prices for firearms.

I don't know if it was luck, but at the same time they were looking for firearms, the garrison in Anqing happened to replace them with flintlock guns, so the original matchlock guns were useless... they wanted to sell them as scrap iron.After Zhang Ying got the news, she hurriedly bought it through the Zhang family's channel in Tongcheng.

After buying thousands of matchlock guns, Zhang Ying and Gao Shiqi began to follow the "anti-classic" method, spending a lot of money to attract heroes from the rivers and lakes and bandits in the nearby Dabie Mountains.

They quickly recruited an "Old Bandit" known as Grandpa Zu. It is said that this old bandit and his minions were all defeated Qing troops in the Battle of Anqing. The grass fell in the Dabie Mountains.Moreover, the fighting power is not weak. The Ming army in Anqing suppressed them several times, but it was difficult to succeed.

"Brother Dun Fu, now we are ready for everything, and we can raise flags and raise troubles at any time..."

In the Zhang Family Manor on the outskirts of Tongcheng County, Gao Shiqi, who had just returned from delivering muskets to the old man in the Dabie Mountains, was really excited!

He walked back and forth in Zhang Ying's study, and said in a deliberately low voice as he walked, "I really didn't expect that the two of us scholars would rebel so strongly. If I had known..."

Hearing what he said was a bit wrong, Zhang Ying hurriedly coughed and said, "Since everything is ready, let's not wait any longer, the night is full of dreams... Hurry up and raise your troops!"

Gao Shiqi nodded: "Yes, raising a soldier... By the way, how can this soldier be raised so that it is easy to succeed?"

Zhang Yingdao: "It's in the book, it's written in the book! Let me think about it, you can make a fish belly book, you can bury a stone man, you can drop a strange stone from the sky, you can cut a white snake with a sword..."

Chapter 503 Kong Shenggong is rebellious!

In the second year of Ming Wang Jianguo's second year, on the second day of February, in the north of Tongcheng County, in the Zhang Family Courtyard at the foot of Mount Lujiao, there seemed to be some happy event, and dozens of tables of banquets were set up.

Cold dishes, big dishes, and snacks were brought up one after another, filling up the dozens of large tables under the dozens of mat sheds set up in the Zhang family's courtyard.In order to hold this banquet well today, the Zhang family in Tongcheng really spent a lot of money. They invited the best master chefs from Tongcheng County, and bought dozens of baskets of chicken, duck and fish... The maids, servants, and even The female relatives of some tenant households were called to help, slaughtering chickens and ducks, washing vegetables and cutting fish, very busy.

Those who were invited to the banquet, apart from the relatives and friends of the Zhang family in Tongcheng, were some heroes who came down from the nearby Dabie Mountains.

To be honest, these two groups of people really can't get together!

What is the origin of the Zhang family in Tongcheng?That is the descendant of Zhang Chun, the upright official "Zhang Yibao" of the Ming Dynasty, officials from generation to generation. The massacre of Jinan in the 12th year of Chongzhen.Zhang Ying's father, Zhang Bingyi, was not as promising as his elder brother, but he also got a pass.When I arrived at Zhang Ying, I was awarded a Jinshi again, and I was also a walker in the South Study Room of Emperor Kangxi.

Such a famous family, a family of poets and ceremonies, usually come and go with the famous families in Tongcheng area shoulder to shoulder-Tongcheng was a place where the writing style was at its peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the famous Tongcheng School came out of this place.People in this school are best at writing ancient prose, so there are many Jinshi among them, and the number of famous families in the imperial examination in Tongcheng naturally gradually increased!

And these prominent families in Tongcheng intermarried with each other... Although the members of these families are not necessarily the same in the officialdom and political arena, in the troubled times of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, they may even belong to different camps. In private, everyone is related to each other!

Such a group of people in Tongcheng, and even in the entire Anqing Mansion, are high-ranking existences, how could they sit down with a group of Dabie Mountain thieves and have a good time drinking and chatting?

But this kind of thing was managed by Zhang Ying of Zhang's family in Tongcheng, Beijing, who "abandoned his official position and returned".

I don't know what Zhang Ying and Zhang Dunfu said to the elders of Tongcheng's families?

At this moment, Zhang Yingzheng is in the middle of it, throwing two punches here, and persuading two drinks there. This bold appearance does not look like a scholar of literature from the Hanlin Academy or the South Study Room, but rather like a hero who is in the rivers and lakes .

And his attire today is also quite distinctive, a black gown with a stand collar, a belt wider than his hand is tied around his waist, and there is a fan stuck in the belt, something that looks like a token.The sleeves of the gown were rolled up a bit, exposing the white lining, which looked extraordinarily capable.

The grandfather who came down from the Dabie Mountains also looked extraordinary. He was clearly a bandit, but he was full of bureaucracy, and he was full of style in his gestures... He really didn't lose to the leading figures in Tongcheng.

But how did such a person get to the Dabie Mountains?Why have you guys never heard of such a No. [-] person on the Dabie Mountains?

In addition, listening to the accents of Grandpa Zu and those bandits under him, they are all authentic Liao accents...

Just when the lords and young masters of various families in Tongcheng felt that the situation was a bit weird, Zhang San, the butler of the Zhang family, brought two servants and rushed into the courtyard with a banquet with a basket of fish.

This is a basket of Anhui fish that has just been scaled and slaughtered, but has not yet been disemboweled to remove their internal organs. Some of them are not dead yet, they are dying, and they look a little bloody!

What does it mean?

Everyone in Tongcheng was stunned, and when Zhang San, the housekeeper of the Zhang family, opened his mouth, they were stunned.

"Master, something strange has happened. The fish that was just caught from the Lianzhang River... there is a silk book in the belly of the fish!"

Ah!

Fish belly collection of books?

The jaws of everyone in Tongcheng almost dropped from shock... What does Zhang Ying want to do?Does he want to learn from Chen Sheng and Wu Guang?

Just when these Tongcheng scholars were too frightened to speak, Grandpa Zu suddenly said: "There is a silk book in the belly of the fish? This is a heavenly book... Are there any words on it?"

"Yes, yes..."

Grandpa Zu said again: "Show it to the old man!"

"Here you are."

A ball of silk cloth still stained with blood was handed to Grandpa Zu by Zhang San. Grandpa Zu didn't think it was dirty, but he didn't unfold it right away. Instead, he glanced at Zhang Ying first, "Mr. .”

"Look," Zhang Ying said with a smile, "if there are words on it, read it to everyone."

"Okay!" The old man responded, and gently unfolded the silk cloth. There are really words on the silk cloth, black and white!

The old man coughed and read: "The Shenggong is out, and the great Confucianism is flourishing!"

The smile on Zhang Ying's face froze immediately, and he blurted out: "Why is Shenggong coming out, Daru Xing?"

That's right, what was originally planned was "Tian Dijun, Ming Dynasty perishes"!

Grandpa Zu replied with a smile: "Mr. Zhang, the meaning of Shenggong coming out and Daruxing must be that Kong Shenggong is going to be the emperor, and the time of Confucianism's great prosperity will come because of it!"

Kong Shenggong as the emperor?

So what does Kangxi do?

Just when Zhang Ying was worried about Emperor Kangxi's work, another loud noise came from outside the yard.Then I heard many people shouting outside: "A stone fell from the sky...a meteorite fell from the sky! There are words on the stone!"

Still matching!

All the Tongcheng people present understood, and dozens of hundreds of eyes were all on Zhang Ying.

Zhang Ying already knew something was wrong, the characters in the Yubu Collection were different from the original arrangement... Can the characters on the strange stone remain the same that day?

But at this moment, he knew it was wrong and it was over, because his wrist had already been held by Grandpa Zu.

This old man is not someone else, but the Zu Da who coerced Zu Yonglie, Zu Chenglie and the others to fight against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing.

The old man proclaimed Queen Ming in Zhu Heqi, and rewarded him with a loyal uncle based on his meritorious deeds, and also gave him a spare position as the deputy commander of Jin Yiwei.

I thought it would be like this in this life, but I didn’t expect that not long after I was free, the opportunity to become a marquis came... The old man Zu married after he became an earl, but he just got pregnant. Earn more money for the unborn child!

Thinking of this, the old man clasped Zhang Ying's wrist tightly with his right hand, and said with a murderous face, "Mr. Zhang invited me!"

Zhang Ying, a weak scholar, also knew that he couldn't stand up to this old devil head-on, so he replied calmly: "Please..."

"All invited!" Zu roared.

The "thieves" who had already had their fill and were waiting to do their work answered the "order" together, and then led a group of Tongcheng scholars to follow Grandpa Zu and Zhang Ying out of Zhang's mansion and walked to the entrance of the village.

When they arrived at the entrance of the village, they found a big pit suddenly appeared on the side of the road at the entrance of the village. There was a black stone in the middle of the big pit. A group of villagers surrounded the stone. Gao Shiqi, who came to Tongcheng with Zhang Ying, dressed as a passer-by The merchant was standing in front of the black stone in a daze.

Seeing the scene, Zhang Ying knew that the words on the black stone were wrong, but he still couldn't help asking, "What's the word on the stone?"

Gao Shiqi replied subconsciously: "There is a hole in the world..."

Zu Da immediately yelled: "Did you hear that? There is a hole in the three-point world... This is Kong Shenggong who is going to be the emperor and enjoy the three-point world!"

The "bandits" around immediately yelled: "Kong Shenggong is the emperor, and Kong Shenggong has three points in the world!"

Zu Da's performance was not over yet, he pointed at Zhang Ying again, and said loudly: "Mr. Zhang is one of the five big men under the command of Confucian Sheng Gong. Rise up the army... Let's also win a hero who founded the country!"

"Rise up! Rise up! Rise up..."

The people below immediately cheered together, and the shouts were very neat, as if they had been rehearsed, only Zhang Ying and Gao Shiqi stood there stupidly, at a loss.

Chapter 504 High school, run!

February [-], Nanjing.

Outside the gate of the Jiangnan Gongyuan, there are huge crowds of people.

I have been a "big V" for a few months, and I also created a business by the way-running a fake "Confucian Daily" that is better-selling than the real "Confucian Daily" and earned more than [-] silver dollars. Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi also stood outside the gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan with complicated emotions...

The two of them came to see the list!

Today is already the day when the exams will be released, and Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi, in the midst of their busy schedules of being "big V" and starting a business and publishing fake newspapers, actually found time to participate in the exams, and after the exams, the two felt special. good!

Because the questions of the general examination this time are all related to the land equalization system, there are no stereotyped essays, but only three subjects: policy theory, arithmetic, and shape studies.Among them, policy theory occupies the largest weight, and it can be said that a policy theory determines the future.

And the topic of policy theory is "On the Evening Field"!

Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi have been discussing with Huang Zongxi and others on the real and fake "Confucianism Daily" as a forum for several months to discuss the equalization of land...everything has been discussed, and those articles that are better written pros and cons, either he The masterpieces of the two, or they are already familiar with it.

This is not ordinary overcooked, but really reached the point of crushing and thoroughly eating.It can be said that they can write a masterpiece with their eyes closed and write casually.

Therefore, both of them made an essay in the examination room analyzing the advantages of the equal-field system from various angles.

That's right, all the articles they wrote in the examination room supported the land equalization system!They wrote this not to please the examiners, but they have really changed their position - after months of great debate, they already know the benefits of the equal-field system, and they also know the fatal shortcomings of the tax-subsidy system.

Although for Emperor Kangxi who was in urgent need of money, the tax package system like quenching thirst with poison is the only way at present, but for Daming, which has strong financial resources, developed industry and commerce, but has relatively concentrated land in some areas, it is better to use the time to conquer the world. It is the best choice to complete an equalization of the field with the huge authority accumulated.

As for the so-called "Wang Mang's politics", it is simply a rote application.The world usurped by Wang Mang's orphans and widows does not have enough legitimacy and deterrence. He wants to equalize the land, and the powerful below can take it hard, but he has nothing to do with those powerful.

New Daming is half of the world!Legitimacy is based on strong military strength, and before the new Ming Dynasty seized Jiangnan, it had already completed a round of land equalization in the sparsely populated base of Guangdong.

And the high-level military and political leaders of the new Ming Dynasty are mainly Cantonese... These Cantonese did not suffer from the equalization of land in Guangdong. They have no land in Jiangnan, Jiangxi, Jiangbei, and Zhejiang, so they must support the equalization of land.

With their support, Zhu and Qi's land equalization system will be able to get the support of the powerful Xinming army. What is the problem of equalization?

So both Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi already knew that New Daming's Juntian would definitely succeed!The question now is just success in three years, or success in five years?

And the success of Daming's equalization of land, for the Qing Dynasty and Wu Zhou... means the end is approaching!

Knowing this, Zhou Peigong and Li Guangdi have squeezed their way to the front row of the crowd, standing in front of a long wall covered with lists of tributes.

The "success rate" of the imperial examination is still very high!

Because Zhu Heqi needed to replace most of the county magistrates, magistrates, chief bookkeepers, Dianshi, and Liufang clerks in the four provinces of Jiangxi, Jiangnan, Jiangbei, and Zhejiang—these people alone had thousands of positions!

Although the officials and officials in charge of law and order would arrange for veterans or retired officers and soldiers who were seriously injured and disabled, there were still enough positions left.

In addition, Zhu Heqi also planned to set up a township office under the county government and open a township primary school...this is a lot of positions.

Although it is impossible to fill so many vacancies through one imperial examination, there are still more than [-] names on the list of tributes in this examination!

Almost one-seventh of the candidates who took the exam became tributes, crossing the threshold of becoming an eagle dog of the Ming court.

The remaining 1 candidates who did not have a high school will be divided into two categories, one is "passed in the examination" and the other is "failed in the examination".

Among them, those who "passed the general examination" were eligible to be enlisted as civil servants, and they were usually minor officials below the county magistrate.

However, these petty officials without Jinshi background do not mean that they cannot be promoted in the future...Zhu Hechi will arrange on-the-job training and promotion exams for all officials!

"Yangzhou Zhouchang...Brother Peigong, did you see it? No. 18, just before that Yangzhou Huangluzhuang, the ranking is very high! Try harder in the palace examination, maybe you can get to the first place!"

At this time, Li Guangdi had already found Zhou Peigong's name on the list of tributes in high school - because Zhou Peigong used calligraphy, so not many people knew Zhou Chang's real name, so this time Zhou Peigong used the name of Yangzhou Zhouchang to take the Ming Dynasty's imperial examination. , the result is... hit again!

This is already the second time he has won the tribute of Daming!

Zhou Peigong was about to cry, he had passed so many times in the Great Qing General Examination, but he failed every time, while Daming's General Examination passed in just one exam... Did he vote for the wrong lord?

"I also won... No. 20!" At this time, Li Guangdi also found out that his alias was Yangzhou Li Guang.

He also won, listed No. 20, not as high as Zhou Peigong.

But he will not be jealous of Zhou Peigong, after all, they are all loyal ministers and masters... It can't be because they did well in Daming's imperial examination, successfully made a lot of money in "starting a business" here in Daming, and accidentally became famous. Just betray the Qing Dynasty and become an official in the Ming Dynasty?