Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

at night.

Ju Ming was lying on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, and suddenly said: "Dean Zhu, are you asleep?"

"Sleeping." Zhu Guoxiang's voice was confused.

Zhu Ming said seriously: "I reflected on it and found that I was indeed a little anxious today, and I also analyzed the reasons why I was anxious. The main reason was the time of Jingkang Shame. It was like a countdown, and I always wanted to prepare for that event."

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "Aren't you afraid that Fatty Zheng will report to the official?"

"Of course I'm not afraid," Zhu Ming was not worried about this. "He saw the official horse and didn't take it seriously at all. This already shows his attitude. And although the Song Dynasty strictly prohibited prophecies, it actually spread everywhere, even in the city of Kaifeng. There are often prophecies. Let’s put it this way, as long as we don’t attack prefectures and counties, don’t kill court officials, no one will care about rebellion.”

Zhu Guoxiang was a little surprised: "So outrageous?"

Zhu Ming smiled and said: "How do you think Song Jiang became so big? He ran around and plundered many places, and the county magistrate only wanted to defend the city. He also concealed it and did not report it. He encouraged Song Jiang's gang to go to other states and counties. As long as he left his duty area, The county officials just pretended that nothing had happened. Song Jiang flowed from Hebei to Shandong. If he hadn't met the fierce Zhang Shuye, he would have continued to trouble him for several more years."

"It's a little different from what I imagined." Zhu Guoxiang said.

Zhu Ming continued to introduce the situation: "In order to make a video, I bought a set of "Compilation of Historical Materials on the Peasant War in the Two Song Dynasties". Just flip through it and it will open your eyes. I won't talk about other places, just talk about the capital Kaifeng. Song Huizong ascended the throne. The next year, hungry people rebelled around Kaifeng City. How long do you think the government spent to suppress it?"

"Two or three years?" Zhu Guoxiang guessed.

Ju Ming smiled and said: "Eight years is enough to win the war of resistance."

Zhu Guoxiang said he couldn't understand: "It took eight years to wipe out the rebels near the capital?"

Ju Ming lamented: "Moreover, Zhongshu Province personally issued an order calling on state and county officials near the capital to train their troops and step up the encirclement and suppression campaign."

"There has been so much turmoil near the capital, but it is not as famous as Song Jiang?" Zhu Guoxiang asked.

Ju Ming explained: “Because we didn’t really raise the flag of rebellion, and we didn’t shout the slogan of rebellion. It was just that the hungry people formed countless gangs, robbed the rich when they saw them, occasionally rushed into the city to rob the treasury, and immediately dispersed when they were surrounded by officers and soldiers. If the number of officers and soldiers is small, they will swarm in and eat that group of officers and soldiers.”

"This is not considered rebellion," Zhu Guoxiang said.

"You've already robbed the treasury and killed the officers and soldiers. Isn't it considered a rebellion?" Zhu Ming said with a smile. "It probably caused the court a lot of humiliation, and it was finally settled through recruitment. Those bandit leaders, as long as they can persist to the end, they will They all went to be recruited as officials. Really, they killed people and set fires and were recruited!"

After hearing what his son said, Zhu Guoxiang had a deeper understanding of the decadence of the Song Dynasty.

The rebels near the capital were actually able to persist for eight years, and the court had to rely on recruitment to resolve them. Even if Chongzhen were the emperor, he would not talk nonsense like this!

Just talking about the uprisings recorded in history books, there are a lot of them during the Huizong Dynasty.

In the first year after Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty ascended the throne, the Henan Prefecture rebelled; in the second year, the Hedong Road Rebellion and the Gyeonggi Rebellion; in the seventh year, the Suzhou Rebellion; in the eighth year, the Hebei West Road Rebellion and the Taiyuan Rebellion; in the ninth year, the Yangzhou Rebellion and the Jiangning Rebellion ...The above is just the beginning, and has not yet entered the peak period of the rebellion.

Ju Ming continued: "What you are concerned about is the agricultural technology here. What I am asking about is the local tax situation. The people's ability to bear it has reached the limit. If the government continues to increase taxes, I am afraid that the old white officials and outsiders will want to rebel. .”

“Didn’t the feudal dynasty’s tax increases fall entirely on the bottom peasants?” Zhu Guoxiang asked.

Ju Ming said with a smile: "The Song Dynasty increased taxes and treated everyone equally. The common people have their taxes, and the landlords have their own taxes. Even if someone in the family is an official, they can't escape. However, officials can make money and don't care about those taxes."

Zhu Guoxiang wanted to be a landlord, so he couldn't help but ask: "What kind of exorbitant taxes do big landlords like Mr. Bai have to pay?"

Ju Ming recounted: "When you were following Zeng Da, a tea farmer, to look at the land to buy land, I kept asking Bai Sanlang for information. Bai Sanlang said that the standard of buying money in Yangzhou is that for every 420 wen of land tax paid, An extra bolt of silk must be levied. According to the market price in Yangzhou, the price of a bolt of silk is about 1,600 to 2,200 copper. The exorbitant levies and miscellaneous taxes on money alone have reached four or five times the land tax."

"How can the poor afford it?" Zhu Guoxiang couldn't imagine.

Zhu Ming smiled and said: "He-buying money is a miscellaneous donation. It is collected exclusively from the rich. Only the first, second and third class households have to pay it."

Zhu Guoxiang immediately noticed the loophole: "If I were a big landowner, I would definitely try my best to lower my household level so that I no longer have to pay and buy money."

"Dean Zhu, you are so smart, but the court is not a fool either." Zhu Ming said.

The real situation is that in order to avoid this rich tax, landowners across the country continue to divide their property and reduce themselves to below the level of taxed households.

The imperial court continued to expand the scope of tax collection. At first, it only targeted first- and second-class households, and gradually third-class households were also required to pay. When Zhao Jian established the Southern Song Dynasty, all the fifth-class households had to pay and buy money!

Ju Ming added: "In addition to buying money, there is also buying money. According to the grain tax paid, grain is sold to the government in proportion. It is said to be a purchase, but in fact it is an open robbery, and the landlord gives grain to the government for free. Bai Sanlang also said, and Taxes on rich people such as buying money and buying money were collected relatively politely in the past, but since Cai Jing became prime minister, the lower limit has been exceeded year by year."

Zhu Guoxiang could only sigh: "Cai Jing, the traitor, really deserved his innocence."

Ju Ming analyzed: "If there is a rebellion in the Hanzhong Basin, the landlords can also be united. Not to mention completely abolishing exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, even announcing to collect less and buy money, and buy money, it is very likely to get the support of the landlords. If we announce tea again, By opening up trade and lifting restrictions, wealthy businessmen will also side with the rebels. The premise is that the rebels must fight a few good battles, defeat the official army and gain control of the Hanzhong area."

"It's possible." Zhu Guoxiang agreed.

Ju Ming said: "I have sorted out my thoughts and it is almost straightened out. We, father and son, will work together, and you will establish good relationships with the big landowners in the county by teaching agricultural techniques. If I can take the imperial examination, I will take the imperial examination and obtain official status. I really can't The imperial examination is like contacting bandits and businessmen. If you donate Ganoderma lucidum as big as a millstone, if it works well, you can also get a chief registrar or county captain. Having an official status will make it easier to do things."

"I have a question," Zhu Guoxiang said. "In ancient times, it seems that officials could only work in different places. How did this old white official become the chief registrar of Xixiang County?"

Zhu Ming explained: "Only those above the county magistrate level need to go to other places to take office. Moreover, the county-level government in the Northern Song Dynasty was divided into several levels."

"Take the county registrar as an example. In the highest-level counties, the registrar must be a Jinshi, and he also needs official qualifications. In counties with a lower level, new Jinshi can also be the chief registrar. No matter how weak the county is, the academic official is generally allowed. , miscellaneous officials were transferred. In the lowest levels of counties, even cats and dogs can be the chief bookkeepers."

"Moreover, the chief registrar of a lower-level county is the main arranging position for recruiting rebels!"

Zhu Guoxiang almost laughed out loud: "Let the rebel be the county administrator?"

Ju Ming said: "Big rebel leaders are usually assigned to high-level positions or thrown into the army. After being recruited, small rebel leaders often become bookkeepers or county lieutenants. If they have been rebels, if they are responsible for collecting taxes , landowners must be more active in paying taxes.”

Zhu Guoxiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "This can be regarded as a good job and a good job. The profession is very relevant."

"I heard from Bai Sanlang that the current Xixiang County Chief Secretary and County Lieutenant is the rebel leader who was recruited a few years ago." Zhu Ming said with a smile.

Zhu Guoxiang was originally afraid of the rebellion and thought it was a big deal.

Now after listening to my son talk about it, I feel that it's not a big deal and this thing seems to be a common occurrence.

Ju Ming said: "We can slowly accumulate strength and make more connections. If the taxes and miscellaneous taxes are too heavy, even the landlord class will be in a rebellious mood. At that time, we can try to rebel, first kill the local soldiers, and then find If you have the opportunity to accept the recruitment, you can become the county chief clerk in an instant. Of course, this is only one of the paths, only an option, not the optimal route."

Zhu Guoxiang warned: "No matter which path you choose, don't be in a hurry now. Wait until you have a firm foothold."

"I am really anxious today. I must admit this and promise not to do it again in the future." Zhu Ming said in a sincere tone.

Zhu Guoxiang knows what kind of temper his son has: "It's useless to talk. You have to commit the crime. When you start farming, you work in the fields with the tenants. When you build the house, you also work with the craftsmen. Do more physical work." Work hard and sharpen your temper. As long as you persist for a year and a half, you will definitely become much calmer."

"Okay, just think of it as training your willpower." Ju Ming actually obeyed, just for that ambitious goal.

The father and son were chatting about the rebellion in the thatched cottage of the farmhouse.

Far away in Yangzhou City, the general judge Li Rui was frowning.

Not only him, but all the state judges in the Hanzhong area also felt pain in their heads during this period.

I just received news that this year, the tax on Hemaiqian on Lizhou Road will be increased from 420 yuan per piece of silk to 400 yuan. Not only that, Hebian money has also increased, and landlords must "sell" more grain to the government. They don't have to pay grain, as long as it is converted into coins.

This is not over yet. The Lizhou Transportation Department issued an order. Within the jurisdiction of the military governors of various states, 90% of the taxes owed in the past three years must be paid this year (for Northern Song Dynasty taxes, it is enough to receive 90% of the quota, and the remaining Leave it to the local magistrates for their own disposal).

The three administrative orders all came from the central government. The reason for making money was very good. The imperial court wanted to train archers.

The reason was that Zhong Shidao was summoned last year, and there was an exchange between the emperor and his ministers. Song Huizong was very happy and appointed him as the archer of Qin Feng on the spot.

Zhong Shidao said that archers cannot be transferred from the interior to the newly opened frontier on Qinfeng Road, otherwise problems will soon arise in the interior.

This offended Tong Guan terribly!

Because Tong Guan had just made a plan to let archers from all walks of life in the interior go to Hehuang to garrison the border for free. He also told Song Huizong that the archers were all recruited by the people on their own initiative, and they were well managed and did not disturb the people at all.

Due to Tong Guan's pressure, Zhong Shidao did not dare to accept an official position, so he asked to be promoted to Chongfu Palace (that is, to manage the Taoist temple).

Sure enough, as Zhong Shidao said, archers from all walks of life exploded, not to mention a large number of people fled, and some even started a mutiny.

It happened that Cai Jing returned to the prime minister and was ordered to wipe Tong Guan's butt.

This Xianggong Cai was a master at making money. He directly raised taxes in the Hanzhong area to train Hehuang archers, and spent money to appease the troublemaking soldiers from all walks of life.

Just because of Cai Jing's words, the lives of ordinary people in the entire Hanzhong Basin this year will be difficult!