Chapter 1032
How to Divide the Silver
Chapter 1032 How to Divide the Silver
The atmosphere is quiet,
Although the County Magistrate's Mansion in Runan City cannot compare with Linshan County City in terms of its vast land area and beautiful scenery, it is also a rare place for health preservation, with pavilions, towers, rockery and gardens. In addition, there is lake water brought in from outside the city in the courtyard, which is quite outstanding.
The two had a brief conversation, especially Zhang Jinyu's words, which calmed the King of Jin's mind. As the day was getting darker, the army had already entered Runan City and set up camps in various places in the city, lighting fires and preparing for meals.
suddenly,
Song Da's voice came from outside the house.
"Your Highness, Lord Marquis, the army has entered the city. I have arranged for the rear camp to start cooking. Today's march was very hurried and the official road was extremely desolate. Fortunately, there are several sharpshooters in the rear camp who shot down a few wild geese. After skinning them, they were very plump. I will have a meal for them first. I use the craftsmanship of the capital. Please taste them, Your Highness and Lord Marquis."
There was a sound of footsteps, and Song Da's plump body came into view. His robes fluttered, and he brought his personal soldiers in with him with a flattering smile. A strong smell of sauce came from the food box, which made people's appetite increase greatly.
"Dalang has worked hard. It is rare to be able to eat wild game in the wild mountains and wilderness."
Zhang Jinyu praised casually, saying that the relatively comfortable life these days was really thanks to this person. Not only did he serve her inside and outside, but he also provided her with food without missing a single meal.
Hearing the praise from the Marquis, Song Da's eyes, which were not big to begin with, narrowed into a thin slit, and the full moon on his face also moved up and down.
"Alas, I don't deserve your praise, Lord. This is what I should do. It's a pity that the resources here are not abundant. Otherwise, I would make a meal of authentic southern Beijing dishes for His Highness and Lord. These are all I have now, so I'll just have to make do with them."
The King of Jin was touched. Yes, the resources here were not abundant, let alone the taste of meat. Whether the people could fill their stomachs was still a big problem. Thinking that the city had not been damaged and the court could still use Runan City, he felt much better.
"You are very thoughtful. If you have any good things in the future, you might as well send some to the generals."
"Uh, yes, Your Highness, I understand. Even the soldiers didn't like the river food I cooked last time. It's not easy to fight against the flying creatures in the sky."
Song Da was stunned for a moment, and readily agreed, but he didn't agree in his heart. If he was asked to deliver it to those generals, what would others think? When he was in the Beijing camp, others always came to curry favor with him.
Zhang Jinyu didn't have so many thoughts. When marching outside, being able to have enough to eat was a blessing.
"Okay, let's not talk about these. If you have it, give it to me. If you don't have it, don't give it to me. Now, have you seen the storehouses and granaries in the city? Runan City is an important town, so there should be a lot of supplies and food."
All the way north, the baggage was replenished along the way and stored everywhere. By the time we arrived at the camp, less than half of it was left. All the soldiers and generals ate only half of it. If a war broke out, the supply would have to be increased.
"My Lord, after entering the city, I first led people to check the storehouses and granaries. Runan City is located on the main north-south road, and the treasury is full. But after the city was captured, the White Lotus had already looted most of it. However, the people in the city lived in the streets and left in a hurry, so there was not much looting. So I ordered people to search and found a lot of stored grain and gold and silver. The amount was as much as that in Linshan County City. All the looted items were stored in the storehouse of the county governor's mansion. There is enough food and grass for the army."
He finished his words quietly, and glanced at the Marquis secretly. He did all these things in private. When he was looting food, he also took some of the money in the mansion.
"You are very clever. Since you have already plundered, then don't worry about these things. Let Duan Wenyuan send troops to wipe out all the wealthy families in the city. All the things you get must be handed over and not kept privately. Divide them equally among the brothers. As for the rest, you can handle it as you wish."
There is nothing wrong with looting these things. Although the southern part of Beijing may seem poor, the gentry and wealthy merchants are not among them. They have more food and daily necessities than they can spend in their lifetimes. Now some are dead or some are escaping. If you don't take the wealth and property that God has given you, you will suffer for it.
"Yes, sir, I will pass the order on immediately."
Song Da's face was overjoyed. He quickly called for someone to take out the food from the food box and put it on the table. Then he led the people out and shouted to the front army camp. He walked hurriedly.
As soon as people leave,
The only thing left in the room was the aroma of the dishes on the table. Zhang Jinyu smiled helplessly and said;
"Your Highness, please,"
"My Lord, please, too. I didn't expect such a greedy person to be so tactful. If he really plundered like Linshan County City, the silver for the pension would be enough."
King Zhou Ding of Jin picked up the chopsticks and his eyes moved. Although he didn't know the exact amount, there were at least millions of taels of silver in one city. Especially since the White Lotus Sect and the Taiping Sect were in a hurry to leave, they didn't search carefully and only transported the silver and grain in the treasury. Those big families took the things that were openly taken, but they didn't have time to look for the hidden things. Therefore, the silver that was searched out must be a lot.
He raised his eyes to look at Marquis Luo Yun, but remained unmoved. Why?
Zhang Jinyu reached out his hand, picked up a piece with chopsticks and slowly put it into his mouth. It was indeed chewy and delicious. It really fits the saying that you can eat things that swim in the river, but not those that run on the ground; you can eat things that fly in the sky, but not those that swim in the river. In addition to its deliciousness, the most important thing is the chewy texture when you put it in your mouth.
"Your Highness, I know what you are thinking. You are just worried about the money that the court is short of. But think about it, Your Highness. Who caused the shortfall? It was not you or me, nor the soldiers who risked their lives. Instead, it was the gentry and officials. There is so much money, it is shocking. I have never seen so much money. Have you seen it, Your Highness?"
Of all the silver plundered in the county city, up to now, Song Yutian, who stayed behind, has plundered a huge sum of six million taels. This is unheard of.
Zhang Jinyu did not hide these from him. Jin Wang Zhou Ding had a gloomy look on his face. The court was already struggling for money. Even the debts collected were used to make up for the deficits in the past. The rest were all in the emperor's treasury and could not be used without authorization. Therefore, even if the Ministry of Revenue had reserve silver, it dared not use it at all. Therefore, the annual tax revenue of the court was the key, and these could not be collected from those noble families.
"My Lord, I have never seen it, and I have never seen it before. The silver is so dazzling that I have never seen it before. I have never seen such corrupt officials before. I cannot kill them all."
With a look of resentment on his face, he couldn't understand why he was still greedy when he already had so much money that he couldn't spend it all in several lifetimes, until his greed forced the officials to rebel and the people to rebel, which backfired on him.
Not only King Jin couldn't figure this out, Zhang Jinyu couldn't figure it out either. Regardless of ancient or modern times, it seemed to be the same. Who would dislike having too much money? Even if they were afraid of death, they would still prefer money to life. No one could stop greed.
"If we can't kill them all, we should keep killing. It will at least shock some people. If Runan City is really as Song Da said, the silver we have looted will be at least 10 million taels. I have said that the money we have obtained should be divided equally, so all the silver in the county city should be distributed. As for the silver in Runan City, I suggest that the emperor's treasury in the palace should be divided into half, and those who died in the battle in the army should be divided into 20%. Your Highness will take 10%, I will take 10%, and the remaining 10% will be distributed to the officers in the army. How do you think?"
These were the results of Zhang Jinyu's careful consideration. Distributing these silver coins would be equivalent to a large amount of reward silver. Even without the reward silver from the court, they could still survive, especially for the soldiers who died in the battle. With these silver coins, the orphans in their families could live better.
I didn't want to say these words, but if I didn't say them, the court and the palace would eventually know about the money, so I decided in advance that as long as Prince Jin agreed, no one would be able to help.
King Jin Zhou Ding's eyes lit up. In this way, even if the court delayed the payment of the reward silver, it would not affect the morale of the army.
"My Lord, if the silver is divided privately, even if the emperor agrees, it will be a disaster if the ministers in the court find out."
This is not a small amount. According to Song Da's estimate, the amount of money looted so far is at least 10 million taels of silver. The remaining antiques and valuables are not counted, so at least one or two million taels of silver can be sold.
"Your Highness, this is what I and Your Highness need to discuss. The court officials are more sensitive than dogs' noses. In this case, we should first give the emperor 5 million taels of silver from the treasury, and the rest will be divided equally among all the soldiers. You and I will not take even a tael of silver. As for those antiques, we will take them back to the capital and sell them. Your Highness will take 60% of the money and I will take 40%. All the food in the city must be registered and returned to the Ministry of Revenue. In this way, it cannot be said that we ate alone."
Zhang Jinyu opened his mouth, put another piece of meat in, and swallowed it in three or two mouthfuls. Instead of giving the silver to the court officials who were corrupt, it would be better to give it to the emperor to share. Even if he didn't take it, it would not be the turn of those people in the court to touch it.
Thinking of this, it was the best solution. King Jin blinked his eyes, somewhat unbelievably. He could share the profits like this, and he would also have a share. Wouldn't it be too much? You know, those antiques were not popular in the south of Beijing, but once they were sold in Beijing, the price might increase several times.
"My Lord, if we divide it this way, isn't it that Xiao Wang is taking too much? Even if we calculate it as two million, that would be more than one million taels of silver."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. What you and I took were all dead objects, and we didn't take the silver. Your Highness should also think about it. If you don't take it and I don't take it, how will the officers under my command take it? Not to mention the soldiers. Soldiers have been eating food since ancient times, and everything they get is exchanged for their lives."
Zhang Jinyu tapped the edge of the bowl with his chopsticks. His Highness is still too young. With this money, he can bribe Keqing's staff and take a step ahead in the road to succession. He can gain an advantage over the King of Wei and the King of Chu. However, this is not necessarily the case. Xihe County is not short of money, and Jiangnan is even richer. It is possible that the two His Highnesses have also taken a lot. Perhaps he has figured it out. King Jin Zhou Ding's eyes condensed and nodded.
"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense. I offer you a glass of wine. Cheers."
"Your Highness, please,"
"Ah, ah, Su Chong, you dare to resort to lynching. How audacious! I will go to Eunuch Yang and report you."
Jiangnan Jinling City,
Inside the Imperial City Prison, at this moment, Ma Guangcheng, the magistrate of Jinling, was tied to an iron pillar in the dungeon. His hair was loose and his pale face was covered with dense beads of sweat. A thick, sour odor came from his body. As the jailer waved the whip in his hand, Ma Guangcheng let out screams.
Sitting around them were Lan Jili, the Imperial Censor-in-Chief, and Du Yifu, the Commander of the Imperial City Department in Jiangnan. The three of them looked solemn. They had already transferred the key witnesses from Chunyang County to this place and interrogated them overnight. Together with the testimonies of some common people, they had proved that Ma Guangcheng was doomed. However, the case of the destruction of the dike and the flooding of the fields still needed to be sorted out.
As there were so many people involved, the two of them seemed a little overwhelmed, but if the case could not be settled, they would be in trouble.
Su Chong's face darkened and he asked sternly;
"Ma Guangcheng, did you dig up the Xinbei dike in the rain together with the government officials? Did you order the government troops to monitor a few people in order to kill them afterwards? Tell me, is that right?"
"Ahaha, oh my Lord Su, what else can I say now, yes or no? I am devoted to the court and Eunuch Yang. You should ask Lord Jing and Eunuch Yang whether to issue this order or not. I am just a judge, powerless, how can I take power? If you ask me these, I will tell you that it was Lord Jing who brought Eunuch Yang's words to do it. Once the Xinbei dike is opened, the land in the south of the Yangtze River can be converted into mulberry trees, and mulberry trees can be planted for the Weaving Bureau. By the way, the land in several counties in the north of the Yangtze River was bought by the Weaving Bureau. Do you understand? Ahaha!"
A hearty and sharp laugh caused the fire in the prison to flicker. The clerk who was recording the confession in the files beside him couldn't help shaking his hands. These words were so deadly that he didn't dare to look up. He only thought about the pen in his hand and wrote quickly. As for other things, how could he dare to think about them?
As soon as the arrogant words came out, not to mention the two adults, the commander of the Imperial City Department, Du Yifu, changed his face and cursed;
"It has come to this, and you still want to make random accusations. What is your intention?"
"Bah, you are just making random accusations. Lord Du, you don't even need to think about it. As the magistrate of Jinling, I did these things for no reason. I didn't take any money, but I even paid a lot. Lord Jing gave me 5,000 taels, Eunuch Yang gave me 10,000 taels, and all the servants took money from me. As for digging the dam, don't say that the Imperial City Bureau and Lord Su didn't know about it. Lord Su and Ning Jianshi were present at the banquet at Jiangnanchun Restaurant that day, and Eunuch Yang gave a death order."
Ma Guangcheng spat out the blood foam in his mouth, his expression was a little ferocious. Since he wanted to bite, he would not have no evidence. There were also a lot of letters exchanged.
"you,"
Du Yifu was stunned. Ning Kai was actually involved. He turned around and looked at Lord Su Chongsu with a blank expression. Lord Lan's face seemed a little amused. These needed to be further investigated.
"Commander Du, don't worry. Since Ma Guangcheng has confessed, everything he said must be recorded. This matter involves a huge amount of information, and there is no room for you and me to interfere."
Lan Jili spoke quietly. Since Ma Guangcheng admitted it, this case was a proven case. As for who was involved, humph, we would slowly investigate.
"Okay, Lord Lan is right. Since you have said it, it must be recorded. However, this case is being tried in the Imperial City Division, and I also need a clerk to record it. How about one copy for the government office and one for me?"
Du Yifu's mind raced. Since it involved the people from the Imperial City Bureau, he had to be careful and keep a backup plan just in case.
"Okay, Commander Du, please do as you please,"
Lan Jili did not stop him. The file was a small matter, but the subsequent accusations were a big deal. Since they were all involved, the memorial had to be sent not only to the capital, but also to the King of East and the King of Chu. With them around, no matter how big the case was, there would be someone to take charge. The Jiangnan officialdom needed to be moved. He made up his mind and made the move to invite them.
Du Yifu didn't care what the two thought. He just called the clerk over and asked him to re-copy the files.
"Since Lord Lan has said so, then Lord Ma should learn a lesson. Come on, let's continue the fight."
"Yes, my lord,"
The executioner responded loudly, picked up the whip and started to whip him hard.
"Ah, ah, Su Chong, Du Yifu, you dare to take revenge on your own, humph, don't think that I don't know what you are thinking, I dare to do it and admit it, do you dare, ah."
Screams were heard in the dungeon.
At the end of the corridor was where Jia Yucun and Hu Wenxuan were staying. Hearing Ma Guangcheng's screams, Jia Yucun's face turned pale. It seemed that his chance to get out was slim. Hu Wenxuan, with a pale face, sat there motionless. Finally, he sighed and shouted,
"Old Jia, no one has come to save us until now,"
"No one came to save us, so we can only save ourselves. If nothing else, we have a family behind us, and we can't just sit there and wait for death."
Jia Yucun also sat there in a daze, as if talking to himself. It seemed that he was also being plotted against. Hu Wenxuan finally regained some color.
"It's easier said than done to save yourself. Over the past few years, I have always disobeyed you and looked down on you. But today, after arriving here, I realized that no one can be trusted."
"It's good to know. Ma Guangcheng was taken out just now. He will definitely be tortured and forced to confess. As long as he wants to live, he will hold on to the Textile Bureau tightly. So, I bite one, and you bite one too."
Jia Yucun narrowed his eyes and thought for a while. These officials in Jiangnan all wanted to kill each other. If that was the case, the three of them would be their breakthrough point. If that was the case, why not hand the knife to them?
Hu Wenxuan didn't quite understand and asked doubtfully,
"How to bite, and who to bite?"
"Humph, of course, I'll bite the leader. Jiangnan was headed by Governor Zhuang, and later by Inspector Jing. Later, Eunuch Yang and Lord Su all came to join in the fun. Now that you're here, don't go back. I've exchanged letters with Lord Zhuang, and everything that happened before is on file. As for you, the mines in Jiangbei were ordered by Eunuch Yang and required by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so you have to tell the truth, right?"
Jia Yucun lifted up his hem, his official robe had been stripped off, leaving only a light grey shirt on his body, which made him look somewhat desolate. Hu Wenxuan was a little frightened when he heard this, if he was bitten, there would be no way out.
(End of this chapter)