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Well, if you are determined to defend, Nanchang may be able to defend, but it is only useful for defending!

The imperial court kept urging and urging, ordering Li Maofang to recover the lost land as soon as possible, and even asked him to set a deadline for recovering the lost land.

That’s right, set deadlines!

There is also a time limit for the officers and soldiers of the five provinces to encircle and suppress the bandits, which is equivalent to the governor issuing a military order for himself.This summer, as the time limit was approaching, Hong Chengchou, the governor of the five provinces, had no choice but to bite the bullet and march. Although the tycoon Cao Wenzhao died, he also beat the rogues to flee here and there.

In fact, it was spread everywhere and dispersed into countless shares for transfer. It was difficult for a governor of the five provinces to deal with it, so Lu Xiangsheng was made the prime minister of the five provinces.

The Governor is in charge of the Northwest Theater and the Prime Minister is in charge of the Southeast Theater.

As for Li Maofang, the deadline he set for himself to suppress the bandits is still one year away...

As the New Year approached, Li Maofang received information again that the rebel defenders in Fengcheng County seemed to have only a thousand soldiers left, and the rebel navy was nowhere to be seen.

Do you want to send troops to take it back, at least once to recover the city?

Li Maofang thought about it, but still didn't dare to do it, he had already been psychologically shadowed.

But no matter what, it is good news, at least the rebels will not attack Nanchang in the short term.

Li Maofang announced that the rebels had withdrawn, and paid out a severance package to let the newly recruited villagers go home for the New Year, let the gentry train in the countryside by themselves, and wait for the rebels to come before gathering troops to fight.

According to the censor Chen Yuding, the sixth memorial to impeach Li Maofang has also been sent along the Yangtze River at this moment. It is estimated that Chongzhen will receive a surprise during the Lantern Festival.

Chapter 185 [Chongzhen's Efforts]

Wenhua Hall.

The monarchs and ministers were silent, and there was a dead silence.

Today is the 21st of the first lunar month, and before the ten-day Lantern Festival holiday is over, the ministers of the Ministry of Cabinets and Sciences were urgently summoned by the emperor to discuss matters.

Those rebels in Jiangxi, although the religious bandits in Qianshan and Nanfeng were wiped out, and although the bandits in southern Jiangxi had been wiped out, the Zhao bandits in Luling became more and more troublesome.The imperial court also assigned Zhao Han's territory to King Sweeping, thinking that Zhao Han had expanded to three prefectures and seventeen counties.

By the way, just some time ago, King Sweeper tried to expand westward, failed to attack Chaling County, Huguang, and plundered villages and towns in Chaling County.

The cabinet minister Qian Shisheng cupped his hands and said: "Li Maofang extorted violently in Jiangxi, and he was afraid of the enemy many times. He should be called back to the capital to question the crime. Xue Guoguan's recommendation is not a person, and he should be held accountable."

Li Maofang served as the governor of Jiangxi, which was recommended by Xue Guoguan.

Unfortunately, Xue Guoguan went home to attend the funeral, and he is still in Ding You's time.

The longer he was emperor, Chongzhen's temper became more irritable, and the whole country was full of mess before him.

"Withdraw Li Maofang, who is worthy of this job?" Chongzhen tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart, and asked in a seemingly very calm tone.

Everyone is silent.

Chongzhen pointed casually: "Say it!"

The cabinet minister Kong Zhenyun could only stand up: "Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, Zhu Xieyuan, can be the governor of Jiangxi. Although the four provinces worked together to suppress bandits, there were riots in Guangdong and Guangxi, and there was no unified control. Shen Youlong should be removed from the post of governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. His position as governor of Guangdong. Zhu Xieyuan was changed to governor of Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Zhejiang provinces, and concurrently as governor of Jiangxi.

Cabinet minister Zhang Zhifa added: "Although Huguang's soldiers went north to encircle the bandits, they should set up a governor or commander-in-chief on Huguang South Road, and they should also be under the control of the governor. Only in this way can they form a siege against the Zhao thieves."

"Zhejiang is not allowed to mobilize troops!" Hou Xun quickly stood up and objected.

Monarchs and ministers are silent.

Now the imperial court's wealth is seriously insufficient, and it is all supported by Nanzhili and Zhejiang. Zhejiang really cannot use troops, otherwise the country's finances will completely collapse.

As for Fujian and Guangdong, you can fight whatever you want, and the taxes contributed by these two provinces can be ignored.

After Chongzhen thought carefully, he said: "Order Li Maofang, the governor of Jiangxi, to return to Beijing, and transfer Zhu Xieyuan to be the governor of Jiangxi, the governor of Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and the military affairs of Huguang South Road! Give Shang Fang a sword!"

Zhu Xieyuan once held the title of minister of the Ministry of War (vacant position) and served as the governor of the five provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan, and Guangxi. It took several years to quell the She'an Rebellion.Because of his contribution to the Zuozhu Kingdom, Yin Qi's son inherited Jinyi Weiqian.

It wasn't until the northwest rogues became bigger and the military affairs of Sichuan and Huguang provinces were changed to the governors of the five provinces in the north.

This old man is not easy to be fooled. The She'an Rebellion spread to several provinces, and he defeated more than [-] chieftain rebels one after another.

Of course, there are still a few remnants of the rebel army that have not been wiped out, and it is not known whether Guizhou will make trouble again after Zhu Xieyuan leaves.

After the major event was finalized, Chongzhen said angrily: "Jiangxi General Soldier Yang Jiamo, in the name of suppressing thieves, led troops to plunder villages and towns, but was captured alive by a group of farmers, which led to the fall of Fengcheng County. How to deal with this person?"

It is very difficult to solve the problem, but it is very simple to solve the people. The result of the discussion was quickly reached, and the Yang family was exiled into the army.

Zhang Yinggao, who committed suicide and martyred his country, died a heroic death because of his meritorious service in destroying Qianshan and Nanfeng sect bandits.

The first assistant, Wen Tiren, did not speak the whole time.

The more this was the case, the more Wen Tiren won the emperor's trust, and he was already a great scholar of Jianji Temple, a young teacher and a prince and grand teacher, and the title of Minister of the Ministry of Officials.

Chongzhen asked again: "Yang Jiamo was captured alive by the rebels, who will be the commander-in-chief of Jiangxi?"

Lin Qian was already dying of illness, so he didn't have so many scruples. He came out and said: "Jiangxi has a lot of waterways, and the water army should be used to suppress thieves. Zhu Guoxun, the deputy general of Fujian, is good at water warfare, so he can be the general of Jiangxi."

Seeing that no one objected, and Chongzhen had no better choice, he nodded and said, "Yes."

Three years ago, when Zheng Zhilong was promoted to guerrilla, Zhu Guoxun was also promoted to general manager.

These officers in Fujian rose rapidly by fighting pirates. Zhu Guoxun was promoted from chief to deputy chief in three years, and now he is going to be promoted to chief of Jiangxi.

Everything had been agreed upon, but Qian Shisheng suddenly said, "The Luling Zhao bandits are so difficult to suppress, can you try to appease him and let him lead troops north to help suppress the bandits?"

Everyone was horrified. They didn't expect that there was someone in the cabinet who dared to talk nonsense.

Chongzhen suddenly picked up a copy of "The Collection of Datong" and threw it at Qian Shisheng: "Look for yourself!"

Qian Shisheng picked it up curiously. The book doesn't have many words, so it can be finished quickly after a cursory reading.The more he looked at it, the more startled he became, and he didn't dare to say anything more. In terms of nature alone, the Luling Zhao bandits were more serious than the Northwest bandits!

Because the Luling Zhao thief has already put forward the theory of rebellion, and even put forward a policy program.

What made Chongzhen most angry was that the Luling Zhao thief actually strictly enforced the "Law of the Ming Dynasty", and said that as long as the emperor could do the same, he would go to Beijing to accept his crime and die.

Chongzhen felt a deep insult...and helplessness!

At this moment, the cabinet ministers who opposed Wen Tiren were actually not thinking about suppressing the thieves.Instead, he was thinking about how to use Li Maofang's case to take advantage of the opportunity to cut off Wen Tiren's followers.

From their point of view, the reason why Daming became such a troubled place was because the treacherous prime minister ruled the country.

Only by cutting off the traitors, being gentle and benevolent, can we truly implement good governance and the country can improve step by step.

The two sides have reached the point where they can't stop fighting each other. Wen Tiren can defeat one or two political opponents every year. If this continues, all the departments and departments will become Wen Tiren's world!

All the officials retreated, and Chongzhen sat alone in the Wenhua Palace, and opened the "Datong Ji" again.

In Chen Yuding's secret performance, there is also a travel note of Ji'an. This patrol censor actually went to the rebel's site to visit Weifu privately.

After reading "Datong Collection", Chongzhen read the copy of the secret play again, which recorded many strange things.

Zhao Han has the most records, and he has been identified as a scholar in Jishui. The incident occurred because the imperial court canceled the preferential exemption for scholars, and he couldn't survive.He also said that Zhao Hanjian was simple and honest. After his wife became pregnant, he hired an old lady, and there were only seven servants.Zhao Han distributed the land to the small people, and kept only a symbolic [-] acres for himself, and paid taxes every year to set an example.

Zhao Han himself didn't wear silk clothes, only ordinary cotton clothes.

Zhao Han also treated the officials kindly, the mayor's salary was equivalent to that of the magistrate of Daming County.

At the same time, he was proficient in the management of officials. If he embezzled more than 20 taels, he would be sent to work as a miner. The officials under Zhao Han's rule did not dare to take bribes and bend the law.

However, Zhao Han treated the gentry harshly and forcibly divided up the property of the gentry.

Zhao Han also built water conservancy and organized farmers to reclaim wasteland. The entire Jiangxi was occupied by Zhao thieves, and the grain was harvested year after year.The farmers in the area under its jurisdiction only knew that there was a Zhao thief, but they did not know that there was a Ming emperor.

In addition, Zhao Han also gave preferential treatment to merchants and abolished exorbitant and miscellaneous taxes.Whether it is a shop, a factory, or a merchant, all of them have turned their hearts to the rebels. Chen Yuding asked for the abolition of Nanchang's private banknotes.

After reading these contents, Chongzhen's back was sweating, and he completely extinguished his thoughts of recruiting Zhao thieves.

At the same time, Chongzhen felt a little regretful that he should not cancel the gift of talent and exemption, and forced out such an extraordinary rebel.

Chongzhen even thought that if Bandit Zhao was admitted as a Jinshi as soon as possible, maybe Daming would be able to produce more capable ministers and officials.

Chongzhen left the Wenhua Palace in his imperial chariot, all he could think about was recommending talents.In the past two years, due to the corruption of officials, the ministers have been discussing the restoration of the recommendation system in the early years of Hongwu.

It seems that as long as you recommend talented people to be officials, you can reverse the situation of corrupt officials.

Historically, it has indeed recovered, and it has done well.

A large number of virtuous juren, and a large number of officials of the sixth and seventh ranks with outstanding political achievements, were promoted and appointed because of their recommendation.

Wen Tiren was originally a supporter of the recommendation system, and he wanted to use it to promote his party members.But halfway through the implementation, Wen Tiren asked to abolish the nomination system, because he recommended many Donglin Party...

At this time, Chongzhen thought over and over again, and felt that the recommendation system should be restored.

Talents like Luling Zhao Yan can be recommended to be officials, which can not only improve the administration of officials, but also prevent rebellion by talented people.

Chongzhen really wanted to revitalize the country, or he was more like a drowning man, hoping to grab all straws.

The next day, Chongzhen summoned ministers to discuss the matter again. After half a month of discussion, two policies were finally promulgated in February of the ninth year of Chongzhen.

First, recommend talents.The target group is officials with outstanding political achievements below the fifth rank, as well as juren who have failed in many trials and are well-known.

Second, recommend Zongcai and select talented children of the clan as officials.

The recommendation system has set many thresholds to prevent random recommendation from local governments.Anyway, whoever recommends will bear the responsibility, and the recommended person will have to take the blame if there is a problem.

Especially for the recommendation of Zongcai, one clan must be guaranteed by five clans to be an official. The prince sent a long history to investigate, and the prince reviewed and conducted an interview.If something goes wrong, the prince will be in bad luck, and the five clan guarantors will also be in bad luck.

Wu Jinshi Chen Qixin took the opportunity to go to the university to experience the shortcomings of the imperial examination.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites also went to the Shu, requesting reform of the township examinations and general examinations, adding subjects such as art of war and arithmetic, and adding riding and shooting content after the results were released.

Chongzhen actually agreed, he was really working hard.

But it’s useless, because art of war and arithmetic are only taken in the second and third examinations of the imperial examination, and they are classified as science subjects such as official documents, criminal judgments, and policy theory.However, the focus of the imperial examination is the liberal arts, which is mainly based on stereotyped essays, and the science subjects can at most be regarded as extra points.

As for riding and archery, it will be determined after the examination is completed and the rankings are released. No matter how good the riding and archery martial arts are, they can only be reused at the discretion of officials.

In any case, it can be considered an improvement.

At least, Jinshi who are proficient in the art of war and martial arts can be promoted faster, unlike before who only read Confucius and Mencius articles.

Then Chongzhen issued an imperial decree to announce it to the world.

The general content is to admit that rebels everywhere are forced to rebel by corrupt officials.As long as you sincerely repent, you can be forgiven.After surrendering, the local government should not discriminate against those who return to their hometowns to farm. They should be called "rescue refugees" instead of "recruiting security and rebels". Those with outstanding talents in "rescuing refugees" can be hired as officials by the governor and prime minister.

Chongzhen finally compromised.

Big thieves like Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Zhao Han can serve as officials in the court as long as they truly repent.

But which rebel would believe it?

Chapter 186 [Bird Gun and Black Powder]

In the ninth year of Chongzhen, the fifth day of the first lunar month.

Those who have good things say that the sky over Ji'an Mansion is shrouded in purple clouds, and a black dragon is seen in the north, followed by five-color clouds.It was night, but seeing the red light rushing out of the General Military Mansion, the roar of tigers and the roar of dragons could be heard endlessly, and all the weeping willows by the river pulled out new branches...

Well, without talking too much, Fei Rulan gave birth to a son smoothly.

In the land of two prefectures and thirteen counties, the officials and the people rejoice.They are really happy that the lord has an heir, and the cause of rebellion has become more stable.

Of course, there were also countless gentry who cursed and expected Zhao Han's son to die young.

But it seems that God is celebrating. This spring, the weather is good and the weather is good. Two spring rains fell early, and finally the spring drought is no longer like the previous years.

Just after the Lantern Festival, the sky suddenly became clear, and Zhao Han walked around the garden with the child in his arms.

The guard came in and announced: "General Town, Song Sigong is asking to see you."

"Please!" Zhao Han returned the child to the nanny.

As for Fei Rulan, she is confinement at home.At the beginning, the doors and windows were closed tightly, saying that there was no ventilation, so Zhao Han asked people to hang screens on the windows, and forced the windows to open for ventilation.

Song Yingxing walked in quickly, followed by a subordinate, holding a brand new bird gun.

Zhao Han said happily: "The bird gun is made?"

Song Yingxing cupped his hands and said, "Thirty blunderbuss have been made. Last year, many blacksmiths were making waist knives and gun heads. This year, some blacksmiths were recruited to hammer the barrels. At least [-] blunderbusses can be made a year."

"It's still too little." Zhao Han said.

"We can only cultivate apprentices slowly, as long as there are more craftsmen." Song Yingxing said.

Zhao Han thought for a while and said, "For things like cotton armor and iron sheets, they can be made by private iron factories, and official craftsmen will do their best to make firearms."

Although Song Yingxing was in charge of the Department of Public Works, he spent most of his energy on making gunpowder and gunpowder, and lived in Fenyi and Xinyu counties for a long time.Tian Younian has been transferred to the deputy of the Public Works Department, but Tian Younian is in charge of the daily affairs of the Public Works Department.

Now, Zhao Han has three weapons.

One is located in the outskirts of Ji'an Prefecture, mainly making spears, bows and arrows, leather armor, and wooden shields.

One is located in the Fenyi County Iron Works, which mainly makes waist knives, gun heads, and arrowheads.

One is located in Xinyu County Iron Works, which mainly makes iron sheets for cotton armor - chain mail cannot be made, and Song Yingxing does not know the wrought iron drawing technology.