Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 272: Killing the Clerks and Township Officials
Jiao Fang sensed the business opportunity here. After returning to Guangzhou, he asked his son Jiao Yang to find Teng Daoquan, the businessman who was responsible for selling Jieyuanfang. He said, "Mr. Teng, Jiao is here to find you on the orders of my father. For no other reason than to ask you to sell us ten houses in Jieyuanfang. We will buy them at a 10% higher price."

Teng Daoquan was an aide to the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Wang Hong. He was specially ordered by Wang Hong to develop Jieyuanfang as a businessman. Naturally, he knew who Jiao Yang's father was. He waved his hand and said:

"Please also tell the elder that it's not that I don't want to sell, it's that I dare not sell. The governor has issued a purchase restriction order in accordance with the order of His Majesty. Those who are not from Guangzhou Prefecture must provide a tax payment certificate showing that they have lived there for more than two years. Even if they are from Guangzhou Prefecture, they must be jointly guaranteed by one of the family members before they can buy! And each household can only buy one house! If it is a clan that has not been divided, each room can only buy one house. Otherwise, you are absolutely not allowed to buy or buy more than one house!"

"Rules are rules, but favors are favors. Your parents cannot offend my father," Jiao Yang was saying when there was a sound of footsteps outside the house. Jiao Yang couldn't help but look back and saw the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Wang Hong, walking over with a team of officers and soldiers. Moreover, this team of officers and soldiers was escorting an official and a gentry.

Seeing this, Jiao Yang had no choice but to turn around, bowed to Wang Hong, and said with a smile: "Hello, Lord Governor! Lord Governor has been promoted to higher positions. I haven't seen Lord Governor for three years. Now that I see you, you are even more majestic than before. No wonder my father once said that Lord Governor is not someone who will stay in a foreign post for long. Who knows if he will be promoted to a high position in the future!"

Wang Hong knew why Jiao Yang was trying to get close to him, so he just asked, "Is your father doing well lately? That day, in front of His Majesty, it was not convenient for me to talk to your father, so I did not ask about his health."

"My father is actually a good person, but he has been worried because he almost offended Your Majesty due to the matter of Uncle Jiu. Your Majesty thinks highly of the Governor, so I hope that the Governor can speak a few words of advice on my father's behalf in front of Your Majesty when the time comes," Jiao Yang continued with a smile.

"Your father is a minister who is in the emperor's heart. There is no need for me to say more. Mr. Jiao, I know why you came here today. Let me make it clear that the houses in Jieyuanfang are not allowed to be speculated. The purchase restriction is a strict order. Violators will be executed directly. You will know it later!"

Wang Hong turned around and ordered, "Bring up Tongpan Chang Yu and Juren Shi Bangqing!"

After a while, the two were brought up.

Wang Hong said, "I have already issued a strict order to prohibit the collusion between officials and the public. Anyone who attempts to violate the purchase restriction order and speculate on the residences in Jieyuanfang will be executed immediately once they are found out! To warn them against hurting the public! But you dare to knowingly commit the crime! How can I let you off easily!"

After saying that, Wang Hong gave the order: "Behead!"

"Sir, please spare my life!"

Before the two of them finished their words, there was a cracking sound!
Guangzhou Prefecture's Tongpan Chang Yu and Juren Shi Bangqing were both beheaded on the spot!

The onlookers couldn't help but applaud: "Good!"

As common people, they naturally knew that this was good for them. After all, they were planning to buy a house in Jieyuanfang to live in. If they allowed these powerful officials and gentry to speculate on the price, common people like them would naturally not be able to afford it and would have to move far away.

Jiao Yang was so frightened when he saw this. He never expected that the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Wang Hong, would kill an official and a juren without saying a word. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel scared and thought that it was a good thing that he didn't have time to buy it.

The businessman Teng Daoquan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that it was a good thing that he didn't agree to the son of Lord Jiao.

Wang Hong was an official who had experienced war, so he remained calm. He only glanced at Jiao Yang and said, "Master Jiao, you have seen it all. This Guangzhou Tongpan Chang Yu previously falsely reported the amount of compensation for demolition. Before His Majesty could settle accounts with him, he colluded with the gentry to try to give the house in Jieyuanfang to the family of Shi Juren. His Majesty approved that he should be executed without questioning! The gentry who colluded with officials are guilty of the same crime and should be executed! Although Chang Yu was once an official appointed by the court, he could not escape death! Master Jiao, do you have anything else to say now?"

"Your Majesty is wise! Lord Wang is as strict as a mountain in enforcing the law! I respect you and I will take my leave!"

Jiao Yang left in panic.

And this time.

The inspector Liang Zhi also ordered the soldiers to capture the two men and bring them to him.

"Tai Dianli, Lao Lizheng of Sanhe Village, you falsely reported compensation for the people whose houses were demolished. Now that there is solid evidence, will you plead guilty?"

Liang Zhi asked.

The two men had not expected that just when the people had just received the demolition compensation and they had just taken the opportunity to make a fortune, the Inspector General suddenly launched an anti-corruption storm and killed no less than ten corrupt clerks and local officials who had taken advantage of the demolition to falsely report and embezzle the compensation. Even their properties were confiscated. Now they dared not argue and could only nod and plead guilty.

"Just admit your guilt! According to the imperial decree, now is the time to crack down on corruption. Anyone found to have embezzled money can be executed immediately! Then report to the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple!"

Liang Zhi waved his hand and the clerk Tai Dianli and the local official Lao Lizheng were all beheaded.

...After Zhu Houzhao knew these two things, he couldn't help but snorted: "This Jiao Fang really knows how to find opportunities to make money. If I hadn't issued the purchase restriction order, he and those gentry would have taken advantage of the situation and ruined the court's plan!
From now on, those who attempt to seize people's houses to enrich themselves or even rent them out to the people at high prices and try to exploit the people without working or doing business will be severely punished! And clerks like Tai Dianli who embezzled public funds will also be severely punished!

From these two incidents, we can see that scholars, clerks, and village heads are the three evils of the Ming Dynasty. If they are not strictly controlled, they will cause endless harm in the future. Since you are officials appointed by the court, you should always be vigilant and not be deceived by them! "

Zhu Houzhao said.

"We understand!" Xia Yan, Wang Hong and others replied.

Under strict laws and severe punishments, Jieyuanfang in Guangzhou Prefecture of Guangdong and Guangxi was successfully implemented.

The people also successfully received a large amount of demolition compensation, and bought a large number of houses in Jieyuanfang, which made these people officially transformed from rural residents to urban residents. The pace of urbanization in the Ming Dynasty also began to accelerate.

The accelerated pace of urbanization means the accelerated pace of commercialization and industrialization, and the functions of government are also changing.

……

"Now, we have turned all the public debt into houses, schools and hospitals for the people, which is equivalent to using the public debt to subsidize the people. However, the public debt has not actually become more valuable in our hands. Therefore, if we want the people to continue to believe in buying public bonds, we have to let the value of the bonds continue to rise.

If the price continues to rise, the Imperial Maritime Trade Corporation must realize profitability as soon as possible. Besides, the Guangdong and Guangxi governments still have to pay back the loans they owe to the Royal Bank! I don’t need to tell you who is behind this Royal Bank.”

Zhu Houzhao said this with a smile. Xia Yan and Wang Hong both knew that behind this Royal Bank was not only the Emperor's property but also the top nobles and bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty. If the Guangdong and Guangxi governments owed money and did not repay it, they had the ability to replace all the officials in the Guangdong and Guangxi governments.

Xia Yan and Wang Hong also knew that the only solution at the moment was to go outside and rob more wealth. A Haicheng city alone brought countless profits to Guangdong and Guangxi every year. If they could capture Goa and control the route to the Indian Ocean, all problems would naturally be solved.

Xia Yan first replied to Zhu Houzhao:
"I understand that the Ming expeditionary fleet has been formed, and more than 2,000 officers and soldiers have completed their training and reorganization. A third-level battleship and three fourth-level battleships have been transported from Quanzhou to Xiangshan Military Port!
Nearly three hundred iron-core copper-framed cannons have been fully deployed!

As for firearms, 500 Zhengde Type 2 muskets and 1,500 Zhengde Type 3 muskets have all completed production and testing. They are all new products rushed out by the Haojing Ordnance Factory!

We will set off in three days. Wang Hong will personally lead the expedition. Guangdong Governor Ma Qing has organized 100 merchant ships to provide food and fodder support. Haicheng Port has also stepped up its security!"

Zhu Houzhao knew that the Zhengde Type 2 musket that Xia Yan mentioned was a muzzle-loading percussion rifle. Since nitric acid was mass-produced under the leadership of Qiu Ju, the Ordnance Bureau had mastered the technology of preparing fulminate of mercury using silver nitrate and ethanol as raw materials, so that the primer no longer needed to be struck on the flint, but could be directly fired with a needle. Therefore, the shooting operation was much simpler. By pulling the trigger, the needle-pierced primer could be used to detonate the propellant and fire the bullet. As a result, it replaced the Zhengde Type 1 flintlock rifle and became the main firearm equipped by the Ming army.

The Zhengde Type 3 was a new breech-loading rifle equipped by the Ming army. It was a rifle that could rotate and pull the bolt to load bullets into the breech. It was easier to operate and more conducive to combat. After all, soldiers did not have to pick up the barrel to reload after firing the bullet, giving the enemy an opportunity to take advantage.

However, this type of breech-loading rifle did not completely replace the Zhengde Type 2 musket because of its poor airtightness.

But no matter what, the Portuguese are still in the era of matchlock guns, and the Ming Dynasty's percussion rifles are two or three eras ahead of them. Not to mention the artillery. The new cannon casting technology has enabled the Ming Dynasty's artillery to destroy targets several miles away, and it is no longer a live ammunition.

In short, in terms of equipment, the Ming Dynasty was not inferior to the Portuguese, and was even far stronger than the Portuguese.

Therefore, Zhu Houzhao was also full of expectations for this expeditionary fleet. He hoped that this fleet could make a good start for the Ming Dynasty's active war against Western colonists.

Three days later, Wang Hong set sail with the Ming Dynasty's expeditionary fleet.

Zhu Houzhao personally saw off the fleet.

Dozens of warships in this fleet passed Malacca and headed straight for Goa.

Wang Hong knew that the purpose of this invasion of Goa was to occupy Goa, not just to drive out and punish the Portuguese who invaded the territory of the Ming Dynasty like the last Battle of Tuen Mun.

In addition, he also needed to provide more wealth to the Ming Dynasty and Guangdong and Guangxi by occupying the city of Goa. Otherwise, he could guess what consequences his Guangdong and Guangxi officials would face if they could not repay the loans from the Royal Bank.

(End of this chapter)