Han’s Son is Not a Slave

Dealing with the gentry group headed by Master Juren is no easier than dealing with scholars, because the wealth possessed by the former is far incomparable to that of the latter, and his status in the countryside is even more unmatched by the latter.

The monopoly of the Juren masters over the right to speak in the countryside is embodied in their right to rule over the countryside, which benefits from the tradition that the imperial power in the past dynasties does not go to the countryside. Basically, except for the special areas directly under the jurisdiction of Gyeonggi, the government's governance over the countryside was delegated to the local gentry, and the Baochang and Jiachang were the ones who replaced the gentry to manage the local area. And those who can serve as local security chiefs and armor chiefs must be candidates recognized by the gentry, otherwise they cannot replace the gentry to manage the countryside.

If the Taiping Army wants to gain a foothold in Fragrant Hills and develop and grow, it will inevitably conflict with the local indigenous forces. The conflict can be mild or violent. If the Taiping Army was just an ordinary soldier of the Ming Army, and Zhou Shixiang was only an ordinary general of the Nanming regime, then he could continue to implement the previous system of imperial power not to go to the countryside, and only notify the following clans when the Taiping Army needed money and food. Gentlemen, they can then let Baojia Chang go to the homes of the common people to collect them. Similarly, the Taiping Army also adopts this procedure when it needs husbands.

But the crux of the problem is that Zhou Shixiang has lived in two generations, so he will not accept this system that is inefficient and hurts peasants greatly, because this system is beneficial to those gentry and Baojia chiefs, but the waste and infamy it produces are peaceful. military. The growth of the Taiping Army and the long-term arduousness of anti-Qing determined that the Taiping Army needed to establish an effective mobilization system in Xiangshan. This effective mobilization system includes not only money, but also manpower.

One government, one army, one leader, one belief!

Under this belief, the gentry and Baojia chiefs who existed all over Xiangshan undoubtedly became a stumbling block for Zhou Shixiang. The best way is to eliminate them, but the consequences of doing so will make the Taiping Army's reputation bad. After all, this era It is these landlords and gentry who have the right to speak. Moreover, Zhou Shixiang had no reason to attack the gentry who did not escape. After all, the Taiping Army was holding the banner of the Ming Army, and it was also an army that enshrined the Yongli court as Zhengshuo.

Before he had no contact with the Ming army, it was up to Zhou Shixiang what he wanted to do. No one will care about him, because whether he admits it or not, the Taiping Army he established is a rogue. However, after contacting the Ming army such as Chen Qice, he was approved by the Yamen, the governor of Guangdong in the Ming Dynasty. If he kills the gentry again, he won't be able to deal with foreign affairs.

It sounds beautiful to divide the land between local tyrants, but it is difficult to actually implement it. The peasant uprisings of all dynasties and dynasties have all used this as a slogan for rebellion, but none of them have really succeeded. Haven't the results of countless peasant uprisings been stolen by those who joined together with the landlords and gentry? Even the founder of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Hongwu, did not start the 260-year foundation of the Ming Dynasty because of the support of the landlords and gentry. If Emperor Hongwu was still under the banner of Mingjiao. Without the support of the elites among the landlords and gentry like Liu Ji, how could this Ming Dynasty be established?

When Zhou Shixiang came to Xiangshan, he wanted to change his previous policy. He really wanted to develop in Xiangshan, so he couldn't do anything to divide the land between local tyrants, but that didn't mean he couldn't do something else.

The word "curve to save the nation" doesn't sound good, but it depends on how it is done.

Zhou Shixiang could not kill the landlords and gentry who stayed in Xiangshan, nor could he rob them of their property, but he could deprive them of their right to rule.

Zhou Shixiang's first step was to officially issue the bulletin in the name of Xinhui County Government, starting from today. The ten squares under the jurisdiction of Xiangshan County were all changed from squares to their hometowns, such as Liangzi Township being more Liangzi Township, and Yongle Town being Yongle Township.

The renaming of Fangdu did not arouse opposition from the landlords and gentry, because in the Song Dynasty, the Fangdu to which Xiangshan belonged was the township, and the Fangdu was changed only in the 14th year of Hongwu. Since it used to be called a township, it’s okay to change it back now, but the name on the official document is different. There is no need to make a fuss. Some actions of the Taiping Army’s first arrival are inevitable.

But soon, the gentlemen realized something was wrong. The year just passed. The soldiers of the Taiping Army stationed in all the squares "invited" the local security guards and the chiefs to Xiangshan County, and then news came from the county that the former guards and chiefs of the townships were all dismissed, and they will no longer be established in the future. Bao, a long. Instead, the township and village chiefs appointed by the Taiping Army are responsible for the governance of the local people. In the future, the local people will first ask the village chief appointed by the Taiping Army to deal with it. If the village chief cannot handle it, it will be handled by the township chief.

Not only that, the Taiping Army also set up township offices in various townships. This township office is generally located in a densely populated village or a place with convenient transportation in each township. In addition to a township chief as the chief official, the township office also has two deputy township chiefs, and there are 10 to 20 office management personnel.

The candidates for the township chiefs were selected as early as years ago. Zhou Shixiang negotiated with Song Xianggong, and finally decided that the battalion elders of the Houying battalion would serve as the deputy township chief, and another battalion manager would be elected as the deputy township chief, and another deputy township chief was prepared for the locals.

The management personnel of the township office alone could not shake the gentry and clan forces in the township, so Zhou Shixiang established security teams in the townships. A township with a small population has a security team of 100 people, called a security squadron; a township with a larger population has a staff of 150 to 200 people, called a security brigade.

The members of the security team were all recruited from the original Houying Security Group. At the same time, the establishment of the Houying was also disbanded, and the residents of the camp were resettled in the townships. In addition to the 2,000 women and children who had been resettled in Houying in Longyan, Zhou Shixiang also resettled 3,000 in Zhirenhoufang, Xiangshan County, 1,600 in Qianshanzhai, 800 in Liangzi, and in Changle, Yongning, Dazidu and other places. Hundreds of people, so nearly 10,000 people, the old and the weak, women and children in the rear camp, have been dispersed and resettled.

The duty of the security team is to maintain local law and order. When the Taiping Army is mobilized for combat, the security team also undertakes rear security and provides troops to the front line. In other words, the security teams in the townships not only have functions similar to the police of later generations, but also serve as the Taiping Army reserve.

The establishment of the township office, the presence of the security team, and the emergence of new township and village chiefs... After a series of dazzling actions, the gentry came to their senses - their right to rule over the countryside has been pacified. Military deprivation.

Zhou Shixiang also worried that when township offices were established in various places, gentry who were unwilling to lose their ruling power would join forces with their clans to incite the people to make troubles. Therefore, when each township office was established, not only were the security forces fully armed, but the local and neighboring Taiping troops were also in the camp. Standby, ready to slaughter any possible resistance, but until all ten township offices were established, the expected resistance did not occur.

The news from each township is that the local gentry are very honest and welcome the establishment of the township office, and a few gentry specially sent people to the township to ask ~www.NovelMTL.com~ Whether they can arrange an errand for their children in the office , and some paths even went directly to Liao Ruixiang. In this regard, Zhou Shixiang's statement is that under the premise of not affecting the normal duties of the office, certain arrangements can be made for these gentry children.

Afterwards, Duke Xiang of Song analyzed the mentality of these gentry, he said: "These people have no guts. When the Qing Yao came, they hid in the village and refused to come out to resist. The Qing Yao killed their people and burned their house, and they all paid for it. With a smile on their face. Now that the Qing Yao has been chased away by us, we will not confiscate their

They do not rob them of their money, but only ask them to hand over their local dominion and give their children a way out. The common people got our benefits. Although it was because of the face of the village and the clan, they still welcomed us. They would never listen to the words of these people and do the right thing with us, so they can only be honest. Seriously, what can they do? beat? The demons of Qing have told us to drive them away, can they still be better than the demons of Qing! When it came to the end, he was not without worry and said: "I am not afraid of anything else. I am afraid that they will sue us. In that case, it is not easy to explain to the Governor's Yamen." "

Hearing this, Zhou Shixiang laughed: "What are you afraid of? Let them sue! I'm not afraid even if you sue Kunming! The big deal is that the thousands of households will open a court and ask them why you gangsters want to sue this official. !" (To be continued.)

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