In Chaozhou, as well as the constant flow of manuscripts from Guangdong over the years, Tao Qian believed that he had seen truly remarkable things, and he did not really care about the old ideas of his father-in-law.

After a night of silence, Tao Qian left his father-in-law's house early the next morning. He and his friends met at an inn in the city, which was where they met every time they entered the city. When he arrived,

Most of the people who had made an appointment had already arrived, except for the last two who arrived before lunch.

After discussing their arguments, everyone submitted a message to the county government. Their mutual aid association was very helpful to the operation of the government at the grassroots level. In addition, these gentry were all famous, so the county magistrate naturally did not dare to ignore them, and soon

He invited them in.

The issues that Tao Qian and others wanted to discuss with the county magistrate were nothing more than taxes, corvee labor, and the requisition of civilian husbands. Huang Ting, the former governor of the Fujian Ming Army, always maintained military pressure on the capital of Tingzhou, which forced the Qing army to

Continuously maintaining a military presence in Tingzhou Prefecture. And long-term military presence requires a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources. This is no longer something that a seventh-grade official like Ruijin County Magistrate can have the final say.

Tao Qian and others had already thought of countermeasures. At the same time, in Jishui County, Ji'an Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, a group of gentry who came to visit the local magistrate were also sitting in the second hall of the county government office. The matter to be discussed was actually related to Tao Qian and others going to Ruijin.

What the county government said is not much different, but there is a huge difference in severity.

"My lord, the county boss, the traitor Liu Jing is stubborn, but the Green Battalion attacks again and again, but returns without success. It's just a wasted trip for them, but every time they pass by the countryside, they will ruin the good people.

It’s really outrageous to plunder livestock, trample rice seedlings, and even worse, to kill good people and take credit for their merits!”

Jishui County is located north of Ji'an Prefecture and on the lower reaches of the Gan River. This area was not originally the main activity area of ​​Liu Jing's anti-Qing rebels in the Luoxiao Mountains in the west of Ji'an Prefecture. However, starting a few years ago, as the Qing army resumed operations

In the suppression of Liu Jing's troops, he was like a loach, slippery and unwilling to hold back. The scope of his activities was no longer limited to the west of Ji'an Prefecture, but also in the mountainous areas at the junction of Hunan and Jiangxi, as well as in Ji'an Prefecture and neighboring prefectures.

Junctions are everywhere.

That's all. The problem is that every time Liu Jing fled, when faced with the Qing army's attack, he would run away before the Qing army arrived as if he was a prophet. Several times, Liu Jing occupied favorable terrain.

Beijing also set up an ambush for the Green Battalion soldiers who entered the area for suppression, leaving the local Green Battalion in disgrace.

Recently, there was news that Liu Jing's anti-Qing rebels were operating at the junction of Ji'an Prefecture, Yuanzhou Prefecture and Linjiang Prefecture. As a result, the Qing troops from these three prefectures joined forces to organize a massacre, but every time

Every trip is in vain. Of course, the green camp gentlemen have never been fuel-efficient. If they can't find Liu Jing, they will harm the people along the way. The rhetoric in the mouth of that gentleman is not watery at all. Once he said this, it should be aroused

There were echoes from other gentry who came with them.

"This, this, eh."

The county magistrate is also very clear about what the gentry have insisted on. If they just bully ordinary people, that's it. It is said that those who were bullied these times are members of the Laoshizi Mutual Aid Association organized by these gentry - I think about it.

It is an organization that is used to implement the rural covenant in the name of mutual aid. This is clearly bullying these gentry, how can they endure it?

The county magistrate knew best what the gentry officials were like in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. However, although he was a bureaucrat, he was also a member of the gentry class. It would be wrong to join the green camp soldiers to oppress the gentry. But now the local

The grievances of the gentry have reached his level, and he does not want to provoke those green camp, so he is really in a dilemma.

"The county elder has been in this county for many years, and he has always been an upright official." Everyone vented their anger. Zou Nan, the leader, saw that the heat was almost over, so he stood up and bowed his hands: "We also know that today's Guangdong and Fujian

The situation is like this, and our Shangguan officials here in Jiangxi need to make use of those Qiu Ba. This time, it is not to embarrass the county elders, nor do we not know how to be considerate of our parents and officials. It is just that if this continues, the people will be separated and the local government will be separated.

It’s going to be rotten again.”

Zou Nan's words did not talk about the fact that people fleeing famine would strengthen the anti-Qing rebels, nor did they talk about the difficulty in collecting taxes, but the county magistrate couldn't understand the reason behind it.

Having been in this county for many years, he knew very well that the first person to trouble the mutual aid association was Zou Nan. This was not a trouble-making figure. The mutual aid association also provided great help to the government at the grassroots level in terms of population, farming, taxation, corvee and other aspects.

Moreover, this person not only has the reputation of being a civil servant, but also has the identity of a member of the Zou family of Xiaodongmen, Jishui. Not to mention Zou Yuanbiao's influence in the scholars in the late Ming Dynasty, it is only that the Zou family had a member of the clan not long ago who was appointed to Zou Yuanbiao.

His grandson named Zou Zhuoming joined the Changsha shogunate, and now the manager Hong Chengchou is the immediate boss of the governor of Jiangxi. If he provokes people to bring the matter to Changsha, most others will be fine, but he, the county magistrate, will at least have to do it.

Eat melons and fish them out.

Comforting with kind words is indispensable. After thinking about it, the magistrate simply approved another piece of land for them to farm, which can be regarded as killing two birds with one stone. However, this time it is not as good as before. Hearing the word "tuntian", that before

The young gentry who shouted the loudest immediately shook his head like a rattle and refused to ask for any more land.

"My dear county elder, you know that things are different now. Cai Fujun was in charge of farming in the past. The imperial court was determined to restore the people's livelihood in Jiangxi. Taxes, corvées, etc. were easy to talk about. Naturally, the villagers flocked to it. But.

Now that Cai Fujun has been promoted to the Governor of Water Transport, the new Lang Fujun will collect taxes vigorously to strengthen the army. These days, farming acres is a burden, and it is said that there are people starting to work in Nanchang Prefecture.

They all fled."

What the gentry said is true. There were three governors before and after the Qing Dynasty. Xia Yi'e presided over the suppression of the Western Ming Army, and Cai Shiying restored production in Jiangxi. As of now, Lang Tingzuo, due to the fall of Fujian and Guangdong provinces, Jiangxi has become

On the front line, not only the green battalions from Fujian who "seize advantage of the victory and move in" have to live in Jiangxi, the military pressure in southern Jiangxi has doubled, and the Qing government has also dispatched a large number of troops southward. Although there must be a financial tilt, in the final analysis it is still

Jiangxi locals were asked to take the lead, and Lang Tingzuo naturally assumed the role of "tax collector".

It is an eternal truth that you have to pay taxes when you plant land. Since they don’t want land, naturally they can only compensate from taxes and corvees. These two are not important to Jishui County.

Like the Ruijin County side, the pressure was high, and the two sides quickly reached a tacit understanding.

"Children who cry are fed by milk."

Returning to the compound of the Mutual Aid Association where he went to the countryside, Zou Nan couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. The situation in Jiangxi had changed. They specially sent people to bypass Huguang, Guangxi and enter Guangdong to seek Chen Kai's opinion. The journey was long, and the people sent now

After careful analysis, they decided to put pressure on the local government to better ensure the rights and interests of members of the mutual aid association. With the comparison, the expansion of the mutual aid association will naturally be easier.

"Brother Zou, what do you think the county elder will do next?"

"Probably the money that has been reduced or exempted from mutual aid associations like ours is distributed to other people. Isn't that what they all do?"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, there was a burst of laughter. Zou Nan indeed did not accuse them wrongly. In the late Ming Dynasty, bandits arose in large numbers. In fact, the local officials also played a certain role in fueling the situation.

The simplest metaphor is that if there are 10,000 local taxpayers, they should pay a tax of 10,000 taels. During a natural disaster, 5,000 people will have to flee in order to survive. As a result, most of the people who fled will naturally become part of the bandits.

members, and the five thousand people who stayed in the local area will have to bear the tax of 10,000 taels. The pressure has doubled, and the bankruptcy may increase significantly. The reason for this situation is because

Under the law of passing the examination, the official will not care about the life and death of those untouchables for the sake of official position.

There will be motivation when there is comparison. When ordinary people find that they have to bear heavier taxes and corvee than members of mutual aid associations, there are only three options - swallow it up, run away to escape, or simply join it directly.

As for dramas such as gatherings, parades, petitions, and complaints, generally they will not happen without organizers behind them. And the class at the grassroots level that is most likely to be the organizer - scholar-bureaucrats, most of them have a relationship with Zou Nan and others in Jishui County.

With so many connections, it would be unwise to offend a few poor people from the same class, or even gentry who may become colleagues in the future.

The next situation can be expected. Zou Nan and others also imagined the accelerated development of the mutual aid association in the future. Until a long time later, everyone gradually dispersed, leaving only Zou Nan and two local gentry who were already formal members of the Tiandi Society.

He then breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems that asking Liu Shuai to come to our place to cause trouble really works."

It wasn't a sigh, it was just a look of wisdom. Zou Nan stroked his beard gently and raised the corners of his mouth. This expression also infected the two people beside him.

"The Green Camp side should keep a closer eye. With Liu Shuai here, we will have more room for maneuver."

As soon as these words came out, the three of them burst into laughter. Now in Ji'an Prefecture, every county has members of the Tiandihui. Whenever there is any trouble among the local Green Camp troops, the news will be sent directly to Liu Jing. It's time to leave.

, Liu Jing had his own way to decide whether to stay or not. And Liu Jing's existence did indeed increase the government's dependence on local gentry like them.

"Why don't we take advantage of this opportunity and start group training according to Mr.'s method."

The development momentum of Tiandihui in Ji'an Prefecture is good, and future expectations are also developing according to Chen Kai's prediction. At this time, Zou Nan proposed the next step of the plan, which was somewhat logical. However, the two people beside him

But everyone feels that it is a little too fast. If this arouses the vigilance of the government and the green camp, then it will just shoot itself in the foot.

"What you two are saying makes sense. We should be more cautious." Zou Nan was full of energy at the moment, but the two tried to persuade him. After thinking about it carefully, he felt that there was some truth in it: "It's better not to call for group training first.

, I just want to recruit some nursing staff and put up a framework. When we actually do group training in the future, with these as the skeleton, we can get twice the result with half the effort."

The result of the compromise was recognized by the other two people. Soon, in the name of guarding against the traitor Liu Jing, the mutual aid association established by Zou Nan, the governor of Jishui County, Ji'an Prefecture, began to recruit nursing homes to protect its members and members.

In terms of property and personnel, members of this association are naturally given priority. In addition to the welfare of members, what is more important is the local people in the hometown. The family's property is within the reach of the mutual aid association, and loyalty can be relatively guaranteed. There is only one

The problem is that there is no one among the members who is suitable to serve as a coach - after all, not everyone can be a good talker.

"hiring!"

An announcement about the recruitment of nursing instructors from the countryside was soon made in Jishui County. The salary was very generous, which immediately attracted a group of meddlesome people to flock to the arena outside the city to join in the fun.

Under the notice, the crowd swarmed away, carrying the Miao Dao passed down by the master on their backs. Yu Youhan hesitated slightly when looking at the notice, and the gods in the Five Zang Temple couldn't wait to remind him. He covered his growling stomach.

, Yu Youhan was a little embarrassed. Fortunately, most of the people around him had gone outside the city to watch the fun, and the rest were all focused on the notices.

He has been lingering in Jiangxi for a long time. After all, he is still short of money, but the most important thing is that he has no idea where to go or what to do. After a while, Yu Youhan has appeared in the ring.

Underneath, there were already two men on top who were having a lively fight with the guy. A man holding a whistle stick seemed to be quite organized at first glance. He pushed the man holding a knife into danger. After a while, a Canglong

When he went out to sea, he knocked his opponent directly off the ring.

"good!"

The cheers erupted, and the man holding the stick was quite proud of himself. He saluted Zou Nan and the others, and then invited everyone in the audience to fight. However, everyone had seen the scene just now.

, this person's martial arts skills are indeed much higher than that of the man just now. Most of them don't feel sure of winning, so they plan to take another look to see if others can defeat him on the stage, or even just whether they can.

Find out some of his flaws.

For a moment, no one in the audience accepted the challenge, and the man even raised his eyebrows, thinking that he had a chance to win. But at this moment, Yu Youhan looked at the other side of the ring, and several organizers seemed to have started whispering to each other.

He knew that if he waited any longer, the result might be announced over there. So, with a twist of his body, Yu Youhan passed between the two big, round-waisted men in front of him, and then raised his hand to pat the floor of the ring.

, the whole person rushed up as if the wind was blowing under his feet.

"Asking for advice."

When he got on the stage, Yu Youhan bowed his hands. The man holding the stick saw him moving so quickly on the stage and knew that he would not be an easy person to deal with. He immediately restrained his arrogance and quickly returned the salute while holding the whistle stick.

However, after seeing the etiquette, the man held a stick and made a start, but he saw Yu Youhan still standing there, motionless. He had seen the thing Yu Youhan was carrying, although it was wrapped in oilcloth.

, the whole picture cannot be seen, but from the outline, it can be vaguely recognized that it is a two-handed Miao knife.

For such a weapon, as long as it is an inch longer, the requirements for martial arts are much higher. Yu Youhan's Miao Dao looks really not short. The man had already put a lot of energy into fighting against the strongest opponent in his life.

However, his opponent did not reveal his weapon, which made him extremely angry.

"Please show me your weapon!"

"No need, your flaws are too obvious, just bare hands is enough."

He said this calmly, as if it had nothing to do with him. Yu Youhan still stood there, which immediately made the man furious. Then, with a loud shout, the whistle stick came like an overwhelming force.

It seems that he has been alert for a long time. The man's stick is not as fancy as when he fought against the knife-wielding man before. The stick is swept away. At first glance, it looks ordinary, but it is hiddenly ferocious. Although it is a competition of skills, it is a little bit fierce.

So far, but when it comes to the actual battle, victory is often said goodbye without exerting all one's strength. The man here also left no room for victory.
Chapter completed!