About half an hour later, Zhang Su, the commander-in-chief of Ji Town, Lu Wensheng, the magistrate of Xingzhou, Liu Jiahe of the Liu family, Song Songgong, the head of the Song family, Li Ci, the head of the Li family, and others all rushed to Liu Zimin's mansion, wanting to meet Zhao Junchen.
meet.
Facing the current situation in Xingzhou City, these people have different moods. Some are watching with cold eyes, some are worried, some are uneasy, or some are gloating about misfortune.
But when they appeared on stage, everyone had solemn expressions on their faces, as if they were all virtuous officials and officials who had the overall situation in mind and cared about the country and the people.
However, Zhao Junchen is a treacherous villain who likes to bully virtuous people. He obviously took the initiative to summon these people to meet at Liu Mansion, but when everyone hurried outside Liu Mansion, they were turned away.
, did not meet immediately, but asked them to wait outside Liu Mansion, and only summoned Zhang Su, the commander-in-chief of Jizhen, to enter the manor first to talk.
After meeting Zhang Su, Zhao Junchen ignored the politeness and said straight to the point: "General Zhang, you must have heard the news. Starting from this morning, the prices of food in all the major grain stores in Xingzhou City have skyrocketed.
One stone of rice costs five taels of silver! Now the public dissatisfaction has risen again, and the people may riot again at any time!"
Zhang Su nodded solemnly and said: "Of course I have heard the news and have urgently mobilized troops from the vicinity of Xingzhou for support. I have also taken control of the gates of Xingzhou City and sent soldiers wearing armor to patrol around the city at any time.
Prepare to suppress the riot!"
Zhao Junchen looked serious and shook his head repeatedly: "It's better to block than to block! Once the people lose their way of living, just a few teams of soldiers can't scare them! Anyway, they will starve to death sooner or later, that is, the people are not afraid of death, so how can they die?
Afraid of it?"
Zhang Su asked helplessly: "What does Zhao Gechen think it should be?"
Zhao Junchen said sternly: "I believe that General Zhang should make a decisive decision and quickly send troops to inspect the major grain stores, control all the granaries in the city, thoroughly investigate and severely punish all profiteers and evil gentry, and take charge of all grain trade in Xingzhou in the shortest possible time.
Restore food prices in Xingzhou within time!”
However, Zhang Su shook his head and refused without hesitation: "Ji Town is different from Liaodong Town, and it is not as good as Shaanxi and Gansu. Within the Ji Town defense area, the power of the military town cannot suppress the power of civil servants! What's more,
What's more, Jizhen shoulders the heavy responsibility of guarding the capital, and it is an example for Jiubian. Unless His Majesty personally orders it, it is absolutely not possible to send troops to interfere in local civil affairs without authorization. This plan is absolutely impossible!"
After hearing Zhang Su's direct rejection, Zhao Junchen had already expected it, but he still shook his head with regret.
In Zhao Junchen's opinion, sending troops directly from Jizhen to control the situation is the best countermeasure at present.
But it is a pity that, as Zhang Su said, within the Jizhen defense area, the power of military towns cannot suppress the power of civilian officials, so Zhang Su has many scruples when doing things.
In fact, among the nine military towns, only Liaodong Town has the ability to suppress civil servants within the territory.
But Zhao Junchen originally just gave it a try and did not have high expectations. He had already guessed that Jizhen would not agree to this "best policy".
When ancient counselors tried to manipulate those with real power, they would always list the "three strategies, upper, middle, and lower." Among them, the "upper strategy" is indeed the most effective, but the least feasible, and the "lower strategy" is the easiest to implement, but will definitely lead to disaster.
There are no sexual consequences, so those with real power often have no choice but to choose the "middle strategy."
Zhao Junchen is now following the same pattern and immediately resorted to "bad tactics" to try to intimidate Zhang Su.
"Could it be that... Mr. Zhang still wants to sit back and watch indifferently again? If this is the case, civil unrest will soon occur again! In just two months, civil unrest broke out twice in Xingzhou. This kind of
This matter will definitely be recorded in the annals of history, and it will definitely affect His Majesty’s reputation in future generations! When the time comes, His Majesty will not only lose face, but he will also become angry... Mr. Zhang, can you bear such consequences?"
Zhang Su frowned and asked: "What should the cabinet minister say? I will immediately send a horse to the capital to request your Majesty's order. Is it probably too late?"
"I'm afraid it's too late! The people's hearts have been completely messed up. Maybe there will be news of a civil uprising in the next moment!" Zhao Junchen shook his head, and finally moved out the "Zhongce" and said: "Let's do it, General Zhang.
How about lending half of the military rations in stock in Xingzhou City to me, so that I can use this part of the rations to stabilize the people in the city and gain more buffer time, and then think of other ways to solve the high food prices?"
Seeing that Zhang Su was still hesitant, Zhao Junchen persuaded him again: "I know that it is against the rules to allow General Zhang to appropriate military rations without authorization. However, General Zhang is a confidant of His Majesty, and this matter is to stabilize the people.
Moreover, this pavilion will soon make up for the shortfall for General Zhang after returning to the capital. Therefore, His Majesty will definitely not blame General Zhang, and may even reward General Zhang for considering the overall situation and making decisions at the right time! If it attracts criticism from the government and the public
, and this pavilion will bear the full responsibility!”
Zhang Su frowned and said: "Ji Town does still have some military rations in stock in Xingzhou City, but these military rations are only enough for the more than 4,000 Xingzhou defenders to consume for three months, while the number of civilians in Xingzhou City is as high as nearly ten
Thousands of people include not only the people who lived in the city before, but also a large number of people outside the city who poured into the city to escape the civil unrest! And because of the high price of food, the people must be rushing to buy it, let alone lending it to ministers
Half of the army rations are already there. Even if we lend all the army rations to cabinet ministers, I’m afraid we won’t be able to last long enough to consume them!”
Zhao Junchen sneered and said: "It doesn't matter, it only needs a buffer of two days at most! After two days, I will naturally have a way to lower food prices and stabilize people's sentiments!"
Zhang Su was silent for a moment, seemingly hesitant, but in the end he did not further inquire about Zhao Junchen's follow-up plans.
As long as Zhao Junchen's follow-up plan is not known, Zhang Su will not have to bear more responsibility even if Zhao Junchen breaks the truth afterwards.
After pondering for a long time, Zhang Su finally nodded in agreement, but added: "But Zhao Gechen, you have to establish a written agreement with me!"
Obviously, Zhang Su was worried that Zhao Junchen would turn his back on him afterwards, or be unwilling to make up for the military ration deficit in Jizhen, or be unwilling to stand up and share the responsibility for Zhang Su.
Zhao Junchen found that in the eyes of high-level civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty, he had a really bad image and no credibility at all.
After laughing at himself again, Zhao Junchen turned to Li Chuanwen and nodded.
Li Chuanwen took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it directly to Zhang Su.
Zhang Su looked down and found that the note was exactly what he wanted, and the content was almost exactly the same as the result of the negotiation just now.
"Zhao Junchen is really clever and clever..."
Zhang Su seemed to admire and commented vigilantly.
*
After reaching an agreement with Zhang Su, Zhao Junchen finally summoned Lu Wensheng, Li Ci, Song Songgong, and Liu Jiahe.
After everyone had arrived, Zhao Junchen still had a cold face and did not invite them to sit down. He let them stand in front of him like this, and asked the question: "I have received news that the price of rice in Xingzhou
The price increased threefold overnight, and one stone of rice was as high as five taels of silver. It was simply a sky-high price! It was simply trying to force the people to rebel!
Lu Wensheng, Liu Jiahe, Song Songgong, Li Ci! The four of you either govern the local area, own tens of thousands of acres of land, or open a grain store... The price of grain in Xingzhou is determined by just a few of you. What happened?
What happened? If you cannot give me a reasonable explanation, I will definitely punish you for colluding with government and businessmen, bullying and dominating the market, and inciting civil unrest!"
As he spoke, Zhao Junchen's eyes were menacing and extremely cold.
Facing Zhao Junchen's stern questioning and cold gaze, Lu Wensheng became increasingly uneasy, but he also prepared countermeasures and rhetoric in advance.
After Lu Wensheng hesitated for a moment, he stood up and explained: "Looking at Zhao's cabinet, the rapid rise in rice prices in Xingzhou is indeed inseparable from the officials and gentry like us, but we have no choice but to do so! You also know that Xingzhou has just
After a civil unrest ended, a large number of refugees flooded into the city, and the people were still panic-stricken and were buying and hoarding grain. However, the amount of grain stored in Xingzhou was limited, and now it was in short supply. Several granaries had bottomed out.
If there is no surplus grain to sell to the people, the only option is to raise prices and limit purchases."
After being reminded by Song Qili last night, Song Songgong was also active at this time and was the first to echo: "Yes, Zhao Gechen, we are not gods. We cannot conjure food out of thin air. If there is insufficient food, we can only raise prices and limit purchases. It is not only a last resort, but also
It is also a matter of course, and it is even more important to prepare for a rainy day!
It is only early summer now, and there is still a long time before the autumn harvest. Moreover, half of the farmland in Xingzhou has been abandoned due to a civil unrest. This year's autumn harvest must be insufficient in grain production. We Jin gentry also suffered heavy losses, so there is a shortage of food in Xingzhou.
The food crisis will continue for at least another year!
In order to take the overall situation into consideration and plan for the long term, we must not allow the people to buy grain at low prices. Only by significantly increasing the price of rice can we restrict the people from buying grain and hoarding it. Only then can we, the Jin gentry, collect enough money to continue our journey from outside Xingzhou.
Buy grain to help Xingzhou survive the food shortage in the next year! Otherwise, in a month or two, a stone of rice will not be sold for five taels of silver, but there will no longer be a grain of grain.
!”
Liu Jiahe secretly took a look at Zhang Su, the commander-in-chief of Ji Town, and said tentatively: "Since the civil unrest broke out, in order to stabilize the people's hearts and calm the situation, we Jin gentry have donated military salaries, opened granaries, and sent people everywhere to maintain order.
Leading the way for the soldiers of Jizhen to identify the rebels not only put in a lot of effort, but also paid a huge price. They almost lost all their capital. The increase in food prices now is all for the sake of the people. Your cabinet minister said that our government officials and businessmen colluded to bully and dominate the market.
, inciting civil unrest not only wronged us, but is also really chilling!"
Noticing Liu Jiahe's probing gaze, Zhang Su hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded and said: "The general was able to quell the civil unrest in a short time. The gentry really did their best."
The Liu family has a close relationship with Jizhen and has been actively sponsoring Jizhen's military supplies for many years, so Zhang Su naturally wants to sell to the Liu family at this time to save some face.
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Seeing that Zhang Su supported Liu Jiahe's views, several Xingzhou officials and gentry were secretly happy.
Sure enough, as Song Qili expected, even if Zhang Su changed his stance, he would definitely leave room for leeway and would only give Zhao Junchen a certain degree of support in some matters, but would not give unreserved support in all matters.
Support Zhao Junchen.
As long as Zhang Su has reservations when supporting Zhao Junchen, he will never send out the Ji Zhen garrison, and the officials and gentry of Xingzhou can rest easy in a short time.
You, Zhao Junchen, cannot mobilize the army, the government forces are submissive to you, and the people have to rely on us Jin gentry. Under such circumstances, even if you, Zhao Junchen, are the most respected cabinet ministers, you are still weak, so what?
Are you an enemy of the gentry like us?
With this mentality, Lu Wensheng, Liu Jiahe, and Song Songgong all became much more emotionally stable.
And Li Ci finally stepped forward to express his stance and started his performance.
"Zhao Gechen, the hidden danger of food shortage in Xingzhou is extremely serious at present. Although our Song, Liu, and Li families have worked hard to persevere, it is not a long-term solution after all. We have already been unable to succeed and exhausted, so we have today's food.
Prices are soaring! I believe that if you want the people of Xingzhou to have rice to buy and grain to eat, the only feasible way is to mobilize all the gentry, merchants, and landlords in Xingzhou to unite and overcome the difficulties!
But if we want to unite all the forces in Xingzhou and guide them to contribute one after another, the only feasible way is for the imperial court center to take the lead in providing food and set an example!"
At this point, Li Ci concluded with a hint of doubt: "Therefore, I suggest that Minister Zhao should leave Xingzhou as soon as possible, return to the capital, and ask the imperial court to come forward to assist Xingzhou with a batch of grain.
!I believe that as long as the imperial court takes the lead in assisting Xingzhou, no matter how much food is provided, all walks of life in Xingzhou will be called upon to actively contribute! I can also guarantee that as long as the cabinet ministers promise to return to Beijing, the price of food in Xingzhou will
It will definitely fall in response and quickly return to the normal price, or even one or two yuan lower!"
After saying that, Li Ci knelt down in front of Zhao Junchen and kowtowed loudly: "I sincerely ask Zhao Junchen to make the decision for our people in Xingzhou and return to the capital as soon as possible to seek help. We and other people from all walks of life in Xingzhou will surely erect a monument and remember our kindness forever!"
As Li Ci's words fell, Lu Wensheng, Song Songgong, and Liu Jiahe also kowtowed and cried out in unison: "I beg Minister Zhao to make the decision for our people in Xingzhou and return to the city to seek help as soon as possible. We and all walks of life in Xingzhou will surely erect a monument and pass it on.
Always remember your kindness!”
All in all, the implication of the officials and gentry in Xingzhou is that as long as Zhao Junchen leaves Xingzhou immediately and no longer causes trouble for them, the price of grain in Xingzhou will return to normal immediately, and the officials and gentry in Xingzhou are willing to bring the grain price back to normal.
All credit for the price goes to Zhao Junchen.
As for the rising rice prices in Xingzhou, not only did they completely deny their responsibility, they even had the nerve to complain to Zhao Junchen and ask for credit!
Seeing the righteous sophistry of the officials and gentry, Zhao Junchen laughed angrily again and wished he could kill them on the spot.
But in the end, worried about the reaction of the gentry class and Zhang Su, Zhao Junchen decided to tolerate it temporarily and just raised his hand to attack Li Chuanwen.
After Li Chuanwen saw this, he immediately handed a newly written announcement to Zhao Junchen.