Over the past five thousand years of history, there have been so many tragedies in troubled times.
Looking at three thousand pages of historical materials, it is better to experience it personally.
Zuo Mengeng is in this state now.
The chaos at the end of the Ming Dynasty brought many insights from later generations. They were impassioned and pointed out the country.
But only through actual experience and experience can we understand that no one is qualified to demand too much from the people of this era.
This is still Linqing, a place where the disaster is not serious.
But the farmers are no longer able to survive and are always facing the threat of death.
Think again about the situation in Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan...
If we don’t rebel, is there any other way out?
Before coming to Zhuangzi, Zuo Mengeng had a dispositional attitude.
In any case, the landlord resisted the rent and injured Zuo Yan. As the owner of Zuo Mansion, his buttocks were naturally sitting here and he had to get an explanation.
But after truly seeing the plight of the farmers, his last trace of anger dissipated.
"The servants who hit people have been dealt with by the government, with ten sticks for each. Since Liang Yue's family has lost their lives, the matter is over and the government will no longer pursue it."
Zuo Menggeng made his decision.
"Master..."
Zuo Hua, who had just gotten up, was a little reluctant, but looking at the corpse floating in the cold wind, he finally swallowed the rest of his words.
After all, he was just irritable and not evil-hearted, and he didn't realize that his father's injury required so many lives to compensate.
The bankers waited fearfully for the verdict of their fate, but they did not expect this result.
Once the clouds cleared, everyone knelt in front of Zuo Mengeng and tried their best to express their gratitude.
"Master, it is true that the Buddha is so compassionate when he is alive!"
"Thank you for your forgiveness, young master. We all kowtow to you!"
This scene did not make Zuo Menggeng feel better. On the contrary, he felt cold.
Did he do something?
He just spared the innocent people, but these people regarded him as a Bodhisattva.
Why have people's wishes become so humble?
"Everyone, get up and let's talk."
Zuo Mengeng took a deep breath and felt that something needed to be done.
The bankers got up one after another and looked over eagerly, wondering what the young master was going to do.
Zuo Menggeng no longer pursues the case, which is gratifying. But the fragile bankers really can't stand any trouble.
Zuo Mengeng has already seen that there are only two people in Zhuangzi who can really talk to each other.
One is Lao Qintou and the other is Zhang Yan.
He pulled the two of them to sit down, leaving other bankers surrounding them.
"How was the harvest this year?"
When talking about this, many of the bankers cried on the spot.
The ravine-like wrinkles on Lao Qin's face became more and more obvious.
"Young master, I can't live anymore. It rained in late spring this year, and there was a severe drought throughout the year. The crops planted in the fields died one by one. We just stood on the edge of the fields and watched. There was nothing we could do.
No. When I arrived in Qiu'er, I did a lot of tidying up, and I didn't even have two bushels of land per acre."
Zuo Mengeng made some calculations in his mind and felt extremely heavy.
Based on the level of agricultural cultivation in the Ming Dynasty, one acre of farmland in a normal year would have produced one or two stones of grain. Now it was less than one-tenth, which shows how serious the disaster was.
But he had some doubts. He pointed to the jade belt not far away and said, "Since it's drought, why don't we get water for irrigation?"
Yes, there is obviously a small river outside Zhuangzi, about five or six feet wide. It has not yet frozen, and you can see that the river is gurgling and the water is quite abundant.
Zuo Mengeng couldn't figure it out. Why did the farmers watch their fields die of drought when they were clearly leaning on the river?
Unexpectedly, when talking about this, the faces of the dealers became even more ugly, and even Zuo Gui was furious.
"Young master, I don't know. If you want to bring water from the river, you have to pass through Feng Yuanwai's field next door. But Feng Yuanwai is determined to acquire our land and won't let us get water."
Zuo Mengeng was furious.
"Isn't this reasonable? The disaster is like a fire. If you harvest more grain, you can save a few more lives. How can that member Feng be so vicious? Let's go and settle the score with him."
However, no one made any move. Zuo Rong and Zuo Gui moved to the left and right to block Zuo Mengeng.
"Young Master, you must not do this. We cannot afford to offend Mr. Feng because he is very powerful."
Zuo Mengeng was not a hot-blooded young man after all, so he suddenly calmed down.
"Then what is Yuan Feng's background?"
Zuo Gui knew it in detail.
"That member Feng is the nephew of the guard eunuch Feng Lun. He is a tyrant here and no one dares to offend him. If we make trouble with him, our family will have endless troubles."
When he heard that he was the nephew of the guarding eunuch, Zuo Mengeng was helpless.
This is really untouchable.
Everyone knows that the person who can serve as a guard eunuch must be a close confidant of the emperor, or a filial son or grandson of a big boss in the palace.
This kind of person has great eyes and hands, and can easily defeat local officials.
A small family like the Zuo family was out of reach for the common people. In the eyes of the guarding eunuchs, it was not even a sesame seed or a mung bean.
I never expected that there would be such a real Buddha squatting next to my village.
Zuo Mengeng almost wanted to vomit blood when he thought about being unable to get water even though he relied on the river, and could only sit back and watch the crops die from drought.
Zuo Gui was still afraid that he would be impulsive and kept nagging.
"The guard eunuch Feng Lun is Li Chaoqin's godson and a popular figure in the palace. The young master must not dare to get angry with such people, lest disaster befall him."
Zuo Mengeng rolled his eyes.
"You mean... Feng Lun is Li Chaoqin's godson?"
Before Zuo Gui could answer, the corners of Zuo Mengeng's mouth slowly curved up. Then he looked at the field outside Yuan Feng in the distance, as if looking at the fragrant fat.
But this matter is not urgent, I have to go back and plan slowly.
Whether it succeeds or not depends on chance.
The current situation in Zhuangzi has reached a point where there is no need to delay.
"The harvest is bad, how will you spend this winter?"
Old Qin looked at Zhang Yan. Zhang Yan hesitated several times, but he was honest.
"At this time in previous years, we would go into the city and help with the work at the dock. The villagers have enough strength and can earn some hard money to support their families. But this year, the refugees have all come to us. They are not allowed in the city, so we have to work
Lean on it.”
The refugees who came from all directions to eat put great pressure on Linqing, and the government had to send people to stop them outside the city.
For safety reasons, the entrance and exit of the city gate are also strictly controlled.
Officials like Zuo Menggeng can enter and exit at will, but ordinary people cannot.
The fields are not harvesting well, and it is not possible to work in the city.
This winter is probably a matter of life and death for the farmers in Zhuangzi.
Old Qintou saw that Zuo Menggeng was not as domineering as other masters, so he started to talk more.
"Months ago, before all the crops in the fields were harvested, the government came to collect land taxes and wages for five years. It was not enough for the farmers to fill in their wealth, and several families simply fled. In the spring of next year, the government
They have to drag us to work again. Alas, there is no way to survive."
When he heard that taxes had been levied in Chongzhen for five years, Zuo Mengeng knew that the problems in rural areas had reached a point where there was no need to delay.
This is a powder keg that can explode at any time.
The peasant uprising in northern Shaanxi at the end of the Ming Dynasty was so powerful that many people thought that only the farmers in northern Shaanxi were rebelling.
In fact, during the entire Chongzhen period, the Ming Dynasty was full of wars.
From south to north, there is no place without chaos.
It's just that the unrest in other places did not have as big an impact as the peasant uprising in northern Shaanxi.
However, he is just a second-generation general with limited abilities. He understands the current situation and can't do much.
But the bankers in front of me...
Zuo Mengeng thought for a while. The family originally planned to collect rent because Zuo Liangyu wanted to use the money. But now that Zuo Liangyu has been dismissed from office, there is no place to use the money.
In this case, there is no urgency.
"I have seen everyone's situation. In that case, I have the final say on this year's rent, so I will waive it."
Although the words were spoken softly, they were like the explosion of a nuclear bomb, shocking everyone.
Old Qin's head was trembling, fearing that it was just a dream.
"Master, the rent... the rent is really... really free?"
Zhang Yan stood up suddenly, unable to believe it.
"Master...could he be tricking us?"
Zuo Rong was also anxious.
"Master, this matter needs to be discussed in the long run."
Rent exemption is a big deal for any family. Zuo Rong couldn't help but worry when he saw that he made the decision without consulting the government.
Zuo Mengeng ignored him and only looked at Zhang Yan.
"How about lying to you? What if I don't lie to you? Look at your appearance, is there anything else worth lying to?"
Zhang Yan was stunned, looked down at himself, and suddenly laughed.
"That's right, you're a pauper who can't squeeze out even a few ounces of oil even if you throw it into a frying pan. Are you still worried about being cheated?"
He turned around suddenly and yelled at the big guy: "Listen, the young master has shown mercy and waived our rent for this year."
The sound spread far away, and all the farmers near and far heard it. Even many farmers who had no clothes and were hiding in the house opened the door and exposed their heads.
"Young master, we will never forget the kindness of our lives. We can only repay him by being a cow or a horse."
Hundreds of farmers knelt on the ground, their voices of gratitude filled with surprise.
This scene made Zuo Rong and others dumbfounded.
Zuo Fu glanced secretly, wondering in his heart, is the young master trying to win people's hearts?
But what can happen to these mud-legged people who have bought their hearts and minds even if their lives are worthless?
In Zhuangzi, which is shrouded in the air of death, rent-free is like a hurricane, bringing a brand new atmosphere to the place. Visible to the naked eye, most people's faces light up.
Although they still have no food or clothing this winter, and their life is difficult. But without the burden of rent from the host family, the pressure is suddenly reduced by half.