Three Four, All Must Die

  The team escorting Third Miss left the Ma family compound and headed east, slowly making their way forward. Before long, they left the dirt road built by the Ma family themselves and stepped onto the wide official highway. The official highway was almost deserted, with no merchants or caravans coming and going, not even a single peasant could be seen walking on the highway.

  After walking for a short distance, Zhu Yuanzhang saw an official shop by the roadside.

  What is referred to as a "government post" is the facility used by government offices for transmitting documents and welcoming or sending off officials. Later generations often confused posts with relay stations, but during the Ming dynasty, both relay stations and posts were set up along transportation routes across the country, with one relay station every 60 li and one post every 10 li. The head of a relay station was called a "relay station clerk", while the head of a post was called a "post chief".

  The main task of the station is to provide transportation tools such as boats, cars, horses, and labor for government officials, as well as accommodation and food conditions. It also has the responsibility of transmitting urgent official documents. The main responsibility of the post house is to transmit documents, and when high-ranking officials come and go, it also has the duty of welcoming them. In other words, the post house does not have the ability to accommodate officials for lodging, but only sends people to welcome them.

  Zhu Yuanzhang saw that the official residence by the road had become very dilapidated, with two earth-beam houses that had been neglected for years looking like they were about to collapse. In the horse shed beside the house, there were two old and thin horses, and an old man sat in front of the horse shed, staring blankly at the passing wedding procession, looking desolate and bleak.

  He couldn't help but sigh, during the great Ming dynasty under his rule, the postal system was still very strict, and without the court's permission, ordinary officials were not allowed to privately use the post stations. However, he despised his descendants for messing around, the governance was completely corrupt, and the postal system was also full of abuses. When high-ranking and low-ranking officials traveled on the roads, they often arbitrarily extorted money from husbands and wives, even demanding "dry squeeze", that is, ordering the post station to provide more supplies than actually needed, with the excess portion converted into silver and put into their private pockets. This made the limited manpower and resources of the post stations unable to cope, exhausting themselves, and even selling children to make up for expenses.

  In the second year of Tianqi, censor Fang Shenyou submitted a memorial to the court: "As for the relay stations, there are only so many men and horses. Since the Eastern campaign began, military affairs have been pressing in on us from all sides, and officials have been dispatched continuously, with the number of missions increasing by several dozen times compared to before. And yet it is desired that they be supported as usual - this will certainly not be possible. In the places I passed through, from Tongzhou to Shanhai, I saw the men in charge of the relay stations, the horse grooms and the cart drivers, all weeping like rain, unable to bear the sight or sound. And the number of thin horses dying on the roadsides is beyond count."

  The most serious consequence of this corrupt postal system is the emergence of Li Zicheng! The most terrifying leader in the peasant war at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng, was originally a postman at Yinchuan Post Station. Due to being oppressed and unable to survive at the post station, he joined the peasant uprising, as recorded in history books: "Li Zicheng was just a horseman at Yinchuan Post Station, but he raised his arm and shouted loudly, causing the nine provinces to split apart."

  Zhu Yuanzhang wholeheartedly wanted to revive the great Ming, so when he saw the post house, he couldn't help but think: If at this time the postal system was properly rectified, could Li Zicheng's rebellion have been prevented? If there was no Li Zicheng, could my great Ming dynasty have been saved? Ah, forget it, thinking about this is useless. What qualifications do I have to rectify the postal system now? I'd better focus on the present matters.

  The convoy had been traveling on the official road for a while, and after more than ten miles, it gradually left the most prosperous and bustling center of Baishui County. The official road entered the undulating hills, and in front, you could see the continuous mountainous area, which was the entrance to the dangerous territory.

  Fang Huwei waved his hand, and one of the swordsmen left the group, riding forward on horseback. It seemed he was acting as a scout, exploring the road ahead first. Zhu Yuanzhang secretly praised him in his heart - although this guy looked down on people somewhat, his thinking was still quite meticulous, knowing to send out scouts made him smarter than ordinary people by more than one notch; he must have been a soldier before.

  It is now the seventh year of Chongzhen, and although the great peasant uprising has not yet fully erupted, Shaanxi is already in a state of great chaos. Later generations are accustomed to regarding the uprising led by Wang Er in Baisui, Chongzhen's first year, as the starting point of the peasant war at the end of the Ming dynasty, which is acceptable, because the great chaos began from here.

  But most people do not know that before the Second White Water Uprising, there had been many small uprisings scattered around, these small uprisings covered a wide area, occurred very frequently, with strong sudden mobility, although they did not form on a large scale, but already were ominous signs of impending disaster.

  Yang Sichang once wrote a memorial to Emperor Chongzhen, which clearly stated: "The disaster of the bandits originated in Wanli Jiwu (1619). The four routes of Liaodong advanced, and three routes suffered a great defeat. As a result, the soldiers under Du Song, Wang Xuan, and Zhao Menglin fled westward. At that time, the governor of Henan, Zhang Wenshu, and the governor of the Dao, Wang Jing, attacked them at Mengjin, beheading more than 20 people, and quickly reported to the throne. As a result, they did not enter Tongguan, but instead fled to Shanxi and then to Yan'an, not daring to return to their units and becoming bandits. In the imperial court, initially due to the Liaodong affair, Kong Jie was anxious, and his attention was focused on the east. It was thought that a single corner of Shaanxi was not worth worrying about. Unexpectedly, the troops were repeatedly dispatched, and the number of escapees increased. Famine and hunger approached, and the number of coerced followers grew. A small spark has become a big fire after 19 years.

  In local chronicles, there are also sporadic records of early peasant uprisings and mobile bandits. For example, the "Han Yin County Chronicle" states that in the 43rd year of Wanli (1615), "bandits plundered villages, appearing and disappearing without warning, causing trouble for the local area." The "Huozhou Chronicle" records that in the third year of Tianqi (1623), "bandits suddenly arrived at the south gate of Huozhou, killing several people." The "Yang County Chronicle" records that in July of the fourth year of Tianqi (1624), "bandits suddenly arrived at Xieyan River Dam, killing Zhou Zhihong and causing chaos in the county." The "Xixiang County Chronicle" states that in the 18th year of Wanli (1590), "bandit Yu Shi'an led a group to invade the border. In the seventh year of Tianqi (1627), bandit Wang Kuiji led a group to invade Pingdi and other places." The "Guoyu" also records that Sichuan Governor Yin Tonggao reported: "Bandits from Shaanxi entered Sichuan through Baoning, ravaging Guangyuan and Shenxun. In August of the sixth year of Tianqi (1626), General Wu Sangui led troops to defeat them, beheading three bandit leaders. In December, they again invaded from Meilin Gorge, but were repelled by defenders Wang Hu and others, who beheaded 12 people including Ji Guoen. They were pursued to the Ningqiang border. The two provinces of Qin and Shu should take joint action to suppress them, and it is requested that the various prefectures and counties of Shaanxi be ordered to arrest and extradite them."

  At this time, the borders of Shaanxi were already filled with bandits everywhere, so sending Third Miss Ma to Chengcheng County was a tense affair, and they dispatched their most trusted and powerful troops.

  Before long, the knife hand sent out as a scout returned from the front, and the second knife hand galloped forward again. The two took turns in shifts. This scouting shift was also a common tactic used by the military. The scouts sent out had to return within the specified time to report on the situation ahead, otherwise the troops behind would assume that the scout had been killed by the enemy and would prepare for battle immediately.

  The swordsman who returned smiled and said, "Within five miles ahead, there are no ambushes, only a few small bandits hiding on the mountain slope. When they saw my fine horse and paired swords, they were scared away. I think they don't dare to attack our group."

  Fang Huwei nodded.

  Zhu Yuanzhang also understood in his heart that bandits and robbers also need to choose their targets. Seeing the opponent's scouts riding good horses, with pu dao hanging from their waists, as long as they are not stupid, they would know that what follows is not ordinary merchants, and cannot be casually robbed. Otherwise, nothing would be gained but one's own life would be lost, and that would be the end of it.

  The team rushed into the depths of the mountain, scouts constantly changing shifts. Every half hour, a knife hand would return to report on the situation ahead, while new scouts continued to explore forward. Under such strict precautions, the team safely passed through the mountainous area between Chengcheng County and Baishui County, entering the territory of Chengcheng County.

  Zhu Yuanzhang took a glance around, and oh? The place was desolate everywhere he looked. A large area of farmland had been abandoned, with no one to till the soil. Alongside the fields stood several dilapidated small earthen huts, clearly uninhabited for some time, reduced to ruins.

  He saw a look of surprise, and Bai Shui Wang Er lightly patted his shoulder, lowering his voice to say: "Brother, don't be surprised, the situation in Chengcheng County has been like this for several years. Not to mention that you've just entered the edge of Chengcheng County, even if you get close to the county town, there are large tracts of farmland abandoned."

  "What's going on?" Although Zhu Yuanzhang had seen several hundred years of worldly affairs, he was not an all-knowing and all-powerful superman. For a small county like Chengcheng County, he hadn't come to visit even when he was just an observer in the sky. ?? Late Ming Zhu Chongba 34

  Wang Er said in a low voice, "The land of Chengcheng County is more barren than ours in Baishui County, and it lacks water severely. Our place relies on the Baishui River to barely make ends meet, but here there's no water at all. However, the government still collects heavy taxes and won't relax them a bit. Many common people can't afford the heavy taxes, don't want to 'hide' in rich people's homes as slaves, so they abandon their property and flee, or escape into the mountains to become bandits, leaving behind large tracts of uncultivated land."

  Here is the translation:

  "Speaking of which, Wang Er's face showed a slightly indignant expression: "Isn't that what Da Sheng said, that our family lacks land? He should come to Chengcheng County and randomly encircle some land, I guarantee no one will bother him. The ancestral temple of Wei Zhongxian shouldn't be built on the good land in our Baishui County either, building it here would save a lot of land."

  Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent, a place had been devastated to this extent, if he were still the emperor, he would definitely exempt the taxes here, allowing farmers to rest and recover, get through this difficult period, why his descendants did not learn from him these ways of governing the country?

  When the Ming Dynasty was founded, Zhu Yuanzhang strongly encouraged reclamation. Those without oxen were provided with them by the government and exempted from rent and taxes for three years. In the third year of the Hongwu era, a system was established where uncultivated land in the north was opened up to peasants who had no land, with each household being allocated 15 mu (about 1 hectare) of land, and those with surplus labor could cultivate as much as they wanted without limit. All were exempt from rent and taxes for three years. In the 28th year, it was decreed that all newly reclaimed land cultivated after the 27th year would be exempt from rent regardless of quantity. Local officials who increased taxes or caused trouble would be punished. Those who abandoned their land and fled would have their whole family sent to the border as soldiers.

  Under his encouraging policies, the national strength of the Great Ming Dynasty finally rose day by day. Unexpectedly, more than 200 years have passed, and the descendants are so neglectful that the land of the Great Ming Dynasty is abandoned and no one cultivates it. This is simply unreasonable... The officials who dare to abandon the land will meet Zhu Yuanzhang in their previous life, and they will be beheaded one by one, not a single one can escape.

  Even in the face of severe drought, taxes are not exempt. Emperor Tianqi... deserves to die! Zhang Douyao, the county magistrate of Chengcheng County, is incompetent in local governance... deserves to die! All officials who cannot assist the emperor in implementing benevolent policies deserve to die!