Zheng He quickly understood the sixteen-character mantra that Zhu Zhanzhen mentioned before.
When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy is stationed, we harass; when the enemy is tired, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue.
What I used today was to harass me while the enemy is stationed.
But early the next morning, the rising sun ushered in the roar of artillery fire.
After another round of bombing, one side of the Saigon city wall was completely bombed into ruins, and there was no way to restore it in a short time.
When the rebels in the city were preparing for a head-on battle with the Ming army to the death, the Ming warship suddenly turned around and headed back towards the port.
"What is going on? Why did the Ming army leave?"
"How do I know if the cannon is out of ammunition?"
"It's possible. Those warships are really terrifying. There are still so many ships in the Ming army. How can we fight them? We should have run away and hid them last night. No one would have noticed them anyway."
"Have the Ming army left completely or will they come back?"
"You ask me, who am I asking? How do I know?"
People in Saigon City were in panic. Suddenly someone ran into the command post: "Command, command, the Ming army scattered a lot of paper along the road."
"Paper? Bring it to me and see."
I took a piece of paper stained with muddy water, and it read: "With the grace of the Ming Emperor, Jiaozhi has been declared the Chief Secretary. From today onwards, we can trade freely with other regions. The common people's land tax is 10%, and the commercial tax is 15%."
Draw one, everyone who pays taxes to the Ming Dynasty is a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, and is protected by the Ming Dynasty army. The Ming Dynasty warships docked at Ba Ria Vung Tau Port to defend Jiaozhi."
Both taxes are the same as those in the Ming Dynasty. It turns out that the Ming Dynasty's policy for Jiaozhi was to draw one out of every ten land taxes and one out of every seven commercial taxes, which was twice the rate in other places. Therefore, many people in Jiaozhi felt that the taxes were too high. Now Zhu Zhan
The news goes out the same as anywhere else.
And as long as you pay taxes to the Ming Dynasty, you will be protected by the Ming Dynasty. Although the people are not very literate, there are always a few literate people in the countryside. The Ming Dynasty has been in power for many years, and they can still recognize the Ming Dynasty writing.
These people will spread the news and everyone in the village and countryside will hear about it.
The commander in Saigon City angrily tore up the paper: "The Ming army did this on purpose. They deliberately made it for the people to see. I confiscated them all and burned them together."
"Commander, it's all in the fields and by the river outside. It's impossible to collect them all."
"Collect them all for me, and find out where the Ming army has retreated."
…
When the Ming Dynasty's warships left the river, the people in the countryside came out and sighed with emotion as they looked at the backs of the warships as they sailed away.
He picked up the paper on the ground and couldn't understand the words on it. He only recognized the words "human", "heaven", "one" and "five", so he took it home and gave it to his parents.
"Baby, where did this thing come from?" asked the farmer's wife.
"After the Ming Dynasty warship left, I picked it up on the shore. It seems to have been scattered on the warship. It was scattered all the way."
"Hey, is that the Ming Dynasty's head-lowering technique? Don't touch it, don't touch it."
The farmer rolled his eyes at his ignorant daughter-in-law: "How can the Ming Dynasty have the art of lowering the head? It's not like those demonic monks in Siam."
"Then do you recognize the words above?"
The farmer was embarrassed for a while: "I don't know him. Of course someone knows him. Let's go and ask the cripple in the village."
There was a lame man in this village who knew how to read. He was a scholar at that time. He felt that the government was obstructing him when he failed in the exam. He went to make trouble and his legs were broken, so he made a living by writing calligraphy and Spring Festival couplets for people in the countryside.
When the farmer arrived at Laizi, someone else had already arrived with the same piece of paper.
The lame man told them what it meant.
The villagers immediately exploded: "Really, the field tax is 1 in 20, and the commercial tax is 1 in 15? You read that right, lame."
"Look for those literate children to see. Can I still misread these simple numbers?" The lame man looked angry.
"I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just confirming that this treatment is too good. Now the land tax is 1/8, and I often add more privately. My eldest son has been dragged away to the army. I don't know if there was anyone who fought in the war yesterday.
Something happened." A woman cried.
"I didn't see any movement in your house last night. Was it because your son ran back?"
The woman's face turned pale: "Don't talk nonsense, you are trying to label my son as a deserter, I will fight with you." After saying this, they started to fight.
It took a lot of effort to separate the two women, and both of them were embarrassed.
"If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll cut off your tongue."
"I saw it, I saw it."
The lame man tapped his cane: "Stop the quarrel, stop the quarrel. If you want to fight, fight outside. Don't fight in my house."
The two women returned home unconvinced.
On Laizi's side, a group of farmers gathered together: "Head of the township, what do you think of this matter?"
"What do you think? If we really pay taxes to the Ming army, then the Li army won't kill us all?"
"But the Ming army is obviously more powerful than those of Li Li, and they pay less taxes."
"Then you can't be treason."
"Rebellion or not? I was born under the rule of the Ming Dynasty. What Li Li told us about the revival of Annan and the resistance to the tyranny of the Ming Dynasty. Now this is not more powerful than the Ming Dynasty's tax collection. Those people under him are eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, who is a good person?
Really?" A young man said angrily.
Someone answered: "The situation is like this. Ming Dynasty has reduced taxes, which is actually very good. We have been fighting for almost a year, and the land is not harvested. If we survive this year and continue to fight next year, how will we survive?"
"That won't work either. I won't surrender to the Ming Dynasty."
"Then let your son go to fight too."
"The eldest of my sons is only fourteen years old, and the youngest is only ten. How can I let them go to war?"
"Your family can afford to pay for food without arresting anyone. I can't afford to pay for it. My son is only thirteen years old, but he still makes sarcastic remarks."
You started talking to me again and again, and gradually the quarrel continued.
People, first and foremost, want to survive. You can't starve to death while guarding thousands of acres of fertile land.
After the group of people dispersed after the quarrel, the farmer from before found the lame man alone and said, "Lame man, did the Ming army say they were in Vung Tau Port?"
"yes."
"From what they say, do you think we can do business with them?"
"What do you mean, I want to give it a try."
"It's a good idea to give it a try. I don't have any food left at home. If I don't have enough food next time, I'll have to be a strong man. I think I still have some things hidden at home. If I go to exchange with the Ming army, I might come back with something. Those people from the Li Dynasty
If I see it, I will only rob it, but I won’t be able to exchange for much.”
The lame man asked in a low voice: "What good thing is it?"
"Why are you asking so many questions?" The farmer was full of vigilance.
"Why don't you ask if you don't want to ask? Looking at your nervous look, I thought you were hiding some treasure. Is there anything valuable in your house?"
"I don't care, I'll go to the port tomorrow to have a look."
"Wait a minute." The lame man stopped the farmer.
The cripple thought for a while, took out a pen and paper, wrote a letter and gave it to the farmer: "Take this letter with you."
"to whom?"
"Just find someone and ask Ruan Yang, a student of the Ming Dynasty, to deliver a letter to the command of the Ming army."
"Okay." The farmer agreed.
"Don't let others know." The lame man warned carefully.
After the farmer left, the lame Ruan Yang's eyes became more fierce, and he said to himself: "Huh, when the Yamen ruined me, the Li Dynasty looked down on me. I intended to serve, but they ridiculed me for being a lame. Today I will serve."
Ming army."
…
Three days later, in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Port, Zhu Zhanxi was having lunch when he heard someone coming to report.
"Your Highness, outside the port defense wall, a farmer came to sell a piece of agarwood that was inherited from his family, and he also brought a letter."
In the past few days, the army has been resting in the port and building temporary walls as defenses. Several farmers have come to try to trade with the Ming army.
"Letter? What letter?"
"The other party said that Ruan Yang, who claimed to be a Ming student, sent a letter to the commander of the Ming army. His subordinates did not dare to read it, so they sent it to you."
For safety's sake, Xiaosheng checked it and read it to Zhu Zhanyi.
"My dear student Ruan Yang of the Ming Dynasty, who was a scholar in Hongwu for thirty years, has no way of serving the country. He has repeatedly recommended the elimination of Jiaozhi clans, but his legs were broken by the clansmen and made him unable to move. This time Li led his army to rebel, and the students several times
I wrote to persuade to no avail. Recently I learned that the Ming Dynasty army defeated the Le Dynasty rebels and I was deeply inspired. The students have been teaching and educating people in the countryside for more than ten years. They are somewhat popular. If the army does not give up, the students are willing to serve the army. Please make a promise.
Official positions allow students to serve the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Zhanzhen laughed after hearing this. This frustrated scholar claimed to be a scholar and wanted to serve the Ming Dynasty.
"Your Highness, this may be just an unknown person, so don't pay too much attention to it." Xiaosheng said after reading.
Zhu Zhanzhen smiled and shook his head: "No, the person who wrote this letter is not an unknown person, and he is a scholar of our Ming Dynasty. After being a scholar, he is an official. Since he is determined to serve, what if he is rewarded with an official position?
Let’s do this, you ask the farmers who come to bring back a letter.”
"The letter said that by order of the King of Zhujiang County, he was appointed as the grain chief of several surrounding villages, to supervise the grain tax affairs in the surrounding areas, and to publicize to the people that he could trade with our Ming army at the port. Anyone who received a tax grain,
He gets one-tenth of it, and the people who pay taxes and grain are protected by the Ming army. If they are willing, they can come and build houses around the port. If things are done well, he will be promoted to the county magistrate."
"Your Highness, could this be a trick of the enemy?" Xiaosheng asked worriedly.
"If the enemy has such a plan, I would like to meet the person who came up with the plan. I also want to meet this "Ming student"."
The farmer exchanged his agarwood for grain and money. He returned home happily and handed the letter to the lame man.
The lame man couldn't wait to open the envelope, read the text inside and the red official seal of the Prince of Zhujiang County. With a smile, tears flowed from the corners of his eyes and ran down his face.
Seeing the lame man's appearance, the farmer said half curiously and half mockingly: "Lame man, why are you crying? Could it be that the Ming army wants to get you a wife?"
The lame man glared at the farmer: "Vulgar people only have these superficial things in their minds. I won't tell you anything. You know nothing. You can't even write the word "daughter-in-law."
"Then you are wrong. I have been able to write the word wife all my life. I learned it in order to get a wife." The farmer picked up the wooden stick and crooked it on the ground. He could make out that the word wife was written on it.
The cripple laughed loudly, and the farmer was puzzled: "Is there any other way to write it?"
"There are four ways to write daughter-in-law. This is just one way for you."
The monk Zhang Er of the farmer scratched his head: "Forget it, then tell me why you were crying and laughing just now."
"I, I, became an official."
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Come to the group to analyze the four writing methods