It was precisely because of Huo Weihua's enthusiasm in dealing with Dong Lin that he won Wei Zhongxian's trust and became the Right Minister of the Ministry of War. Later he was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War, holding military power and becoming the backbone of the eunuch party.
I never expected that the Minister of War, who had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and vigorously suppressed the Donglin Party while praising himself, would turn out to be a member of the Donglin Party.
As for whether Jiang Fan heard it from hearsay or was deliberately framed, Wei Zhongxian can make his own judgment.
Looking back on the past, Wei Zhongxian could conclude that what Jiang Fan said was probably true, and he couldn't help but feel frightened.
Huo Weihua hid so deeply and laid out his plan for seven years. He even did not hesitate to kill some Donglin Party members to gain his trust. He was really a ruthless person!
If Jiang Fan hadn't told him otherwise, he might not have known how he died.
Thinking of this, Wei Zhongxian looked at Jiang Fan with a hint of gratitude, but more of fear.
At the same time, I am curious about how the other party was able to find so many clues in such a short period of time?
You must know that Wei Zhongxian controlled Dongchang, the largest intelligence department in the Ming Dynasty, but he was not aware of such a secret matter in advance.
Jiang Fan, the governor, just took office yesterday, and today he broke the shocking news, which is unreasonable.
Zhu Youxiao was also curious about where Jiang Fan's information came from, but he didn't get to the bottom of it.
As for the authenticity of the information, he believed it eighty percent and would naturally have people verify and investigate it afterwards.
Trust is one thing, but Zhu Youxiao will not blindly listen to one thing or another.
"Any more?"
Zhu Youxiao's tone has become stern, with a bit of imperial majesty.
"We have found so much through our investigation so far. Those people from Donglin have harbored evil intentions and have been planning for a long time. There are far more people involved than the Ministry of War. Your Majesty, please make preparations in advance to prevent any unexpected events."
Jiang Fan did not feel the pressure from Zhu Youxiao, or in other words, he had no concept of a monarch or a minister at all in his heart. He was just pretending to complete the task better.
"You've done a great job. Dong Lin has always been dictatorial and authoritarian, and he has a party-like attitude and opposes dissidents. He holds high the banner of morality and guides the country, while at the same time he drinks, lives, and gets rich."
"For his own selfish desires, he colluded with Japanese pirates with wealthy businessmen, raised money, and smuggled contraband. He was repeatedly banned."
"While annexing land, while preventing the imperial court from collecting taxes, it will harm the country and the people. It is an unforgivable crime!"
Zhu Youxiao counted the crimes of the Donglin Party in detail, and it seemed that he had long been determined to eradicate the Donglin Party.
Jiang Fan can hear these words.
This shows that Zhu Youxiao has regarded Jiang Fan as one of his own.
"Jiang Aiqing, I have been suffering from Donglin for a long time. I wonder if Aiqing has any good strategies to eliminate evil?"
After listening to Jun's words, Jiang Fan felt that Zhu Youxiao, the carpenter emperor, was indeed not a simple person. On the surface, he was obsessed with carpentry, but he didn't know much about the situation in the court.
Very excellent!
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for having the courage to speak out. The Ming Dynasty is currently in turmoil. We should use the power of thunder to cut through the mess with a sharp knife, and then rest and recuperate the people's livelihood. Only then can we be at peace outside and at home, and the sun, moon, mountains and rivers will be there forever."
Jiang Fan spoke sonorously and forcefully, was a great dramatist, and showed a bold and loyal attitude.
Zhu Youxiao nodded, he didn't want to annihilate Donglin in one fell swoop, but the trees in Donglin were big and deep-rooted, and 50% of the officials in the court were from Donglin.
The civil uprising in Shandong, the Hou Jin Dynasty in Liaodong, and natural disasters continued throughout the Ming Dynasty. Today, the Ming Dynasty can no longer withstand the turmoil. Zhu Youxiao can only choose to boil the frog in warm water to gradually disintegrate the power of the Donglin Party.
There is no need to rush this important matter of the country!
However, Zhu Youxiao was still very satisfied with Jiang Fan's statement and asked instead: "What Jiang Aiqing said is true. Can you be more specific?"
He felt that Jiang Fan was commendable for his loyalty, and now he wanted to see the other person's talents so that he could know how to make good use of them.
Jiang Fan said: "In the opinion of the humble minister, the Later Jin Dynasty and the Japanese pirates are all the worries of the Ming Dynasty, but they are not the top priority at the moment. To fight against the outside world, first calm down the inside, and pacify the civil unrest in Donglin and other places is the top priority."
"Today is a troubled time. Disasters are happening all over the place. People are not hungry. In addition, people in the government have cleverly created names and imposed arbitrary taxes. This has led to the government forcing the people to rebel."
"Since ancient times, food has been the most important thing for people. If you want to quell people's anger, you should use both kindness and power."
"On the one hand, we use force to suppress it, and on the other hand, we give the people hope to survive."
"As long as they have food to eat and don't starve or suffer from cold, people will naturally not risk beheading to rebel."
Zhu Youxiao and Wei Zhongxian looked at each other. They thought so too and had already taken corresponding measures.
It just had little effect.
Wei Zhongxian said: "His Majesty has issued an edict regarding this matter, reducing and exempting people's taxes and transferring industrial and commercial taxes to various places in the south of the Yangtze River. I only regret that Donglin has obstructed it in every possible way. Many local governments have violated the rules and passed the buck, making it difficult to implement the imperial decree."
Jiang Fan:......
It is true that Jiang Fan made things simple. The mutual protection between officials has not changed since ancient times. There are many ways to do this, which cannot be explained clearly in a few words.
There are many interests involved. Whether it is the Donglin Party or the Eunuch Party, how many of them are not corrupt?
Who doesn't like money.
Not to mention those officials, even the emperor's relatives, the vassal kings from various places, and even the Emperor Tianqi in front of him are all greedy!
Prospering the people will be miserable; destroying the people will be miserable.
One sentence explains the hardships of the people!
Jiang Fan thought for a while and said: "When punishing corrupt officials, we should set an example and use severe punishment to scare the monkeys, so as to frighten the officials and make them restrain themselves."
"At the same time, you can express the court's attitude to the people, and then let people create public opinion, and transfer the people's hatred from the court to those officials who do not do practical things. This should stabilize the people's hearts."
"Jiang Aiqing, what is public opinion?"
Zhu Youxiao was a little puzzled.
Jiang Fan unknowingly introduced modern words and explained: "The so-called public opinion means publicly expressing content, conveying beliefs, and guiding topics."
When Wei Zhongxian heard this, he realized that he was familiar with this business in Dongchang!
"Your Majesty, this matter can be left to the old slave."
He felt the pressure from Jiang Fan. If he didn't do something, he, the most popular person around the emperor, would be squeezed out.
Zhu Youxiao happily agreed.
Although Jiang Fan's suggestion only treats the symptoms rather than the root cause, it can at least have the effect of appeasing the people and intimidating all officials.
Jiang Fan continued: "In addition, Weichen suggested planting a large number of sweet potatoes. They are suitable for growing in areas with abundant rainfall. They are easy to plant and have high yields. They can be eaten raw or cooked. The tender tips of the vine leaves can be used for cooking and the old leaves can be fed.
Livestock, dried sweet potato slices can be stored for a long time and can be used as military rations. If it is promoted, within a few years, there will be no famine in the Ming Dynasty."
"Sweet potato?"
Regarding this name, Zhu Youxiao had some impressions. The Ming Dynasty's navigation technology was relatively advanced in the world today. During the Yongle period, Zheng He made seven voyages to the West, opened up overseas trade, and brought back many foreign gadgets.
Sweet potato is one of them.
It is a variety introduced from Western countries during the Wanli period, and is now cultivated in Yunnan, Guangdong, and Fujian.
It's just that Zhu Youxiao didn't expect sweet potatoes to have so many functions, and he didn't pay much attention to them before.