Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 146 These scholars are the biggest obstacle to a good life

“Shi Chengzhi from Taicang”.

"They forcibly seized fertile land, monopolized grain taxes, and ran rampant in the countryside."

"He is hereby sentenced to immediate execution!"

“Wujiang Ningdechang”.

“He monopolized lawsuits, colluded with clerks to frame others, and conspired with prison officials to disregard human life.”

"He is hereby sentenced to immediate execution!"

"Changshu Wenchong".

"They gathered thugs, bullied and monopolized the market, injured and killed people, and extorted fees."

"He is hereby sentenced to immediate execution!"

"Jinyishan in Suzhou".

"They gathered a crowd to cause trouble, rallied scholars to storm the military camp, and used vulgar language to insult the commander-in-chief."

"He is hereby sentenced to immediate execution!"

"Zhiru of Lingyuan Temple".

"They issued usurious loans, ordered thugs to beat and kill people, seized farmland, and enslaved the people."

"He is hereby sentenced to immediate execution!"

The loud-voiced soldiers stood on the wooden platform, loudly proclaiming numerous charges against the soldiers through megaphones.

After each reading, soldiers would drag the prisoner onto the stage to verify their identity on the spot.

After signing and affixing their fingerprints, the prisoner was immediately pulled aside, with two men holding his shoulders and another man pulling his hair to force him to kneel.

The executioner, dressed in red, took a sip of wine and spat it onto his thick-backed blade.

Waving his knife, he swayed left and right and shouted, "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. If you come back for revenge, don't come looking for me!"

Then he raised the thick-backed sword in his hand high and brought it down heavily.

Each execution was accompanied by deafening cheers from the surrounding crowd.

Those who had suffered in the past wept bitterly in the audience, their cries of grief echoing throughout the hall.

Some people even wore white cloths and held memorial tablets to offer sacrifices on the spot.

If it weren't for the soldiers stopping them, some people would have actually tried to snatch the corpses to use as offerings.

Lin Dao, sitting on a bench by the window on the third floor of a restaurant on the next street, felt a pang of sadness as he watched this scene unfold in the distance.

“It is indeed terrifying when the people go into a state of madness.”

"We were forced into this!"

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, local gentry were executed one by one, and none of them were innocent.

The only difference is the severity of the sin versus the lesser sin.

In the past, they had all kinds of protection, and the oppressed people could only watch helplessly as others committed all kinds of evil deeds, yet still enjoyed wealth and luxury.

Now that someone has finally stood up for them, the people have unleashed a terrifying rage.

They kept shouting and yelling, and even though they were some distance away, the sound was like thunder when it reached the upper floors.

The Bian sisters, dressed in men's clothing, had pale faces and looked fearful and uneasy.

They never imagined that the people who used to honestly toil in the fields would be like this.

When the powerful servants bullied them, the common people could only nod and obey.

The common people, unable to even lift their heads in front of the powerful officials.

When they get truly angry, they are so terrifying and frightening.

Only Lin Dao remained calm, leisurely sipping his tea.

He was a man who had truly broadened his horizons and seen the world; he had seen far more terrifying things than this.

Putting aside everything else, when I went to Yanzhou City before, the scene of the Tartars massacring the city and killing everyone was so horrific.

Only the military with the strongest yang energy can be fearless.

Having spent a long time in the military, Lin Dao's willpower was gradually tempered.

"Your Majesty."

Bian Sai picked up the teapot and poured tea for Lin Dao, saying, "Gentlemen, you are all learned men."

"It's a pity to just cut off such a learned man's head like this."

"You know nothing!"

Lin Dao scoffed at this argument, saying, "You haven't seen what real education is."

"These bigwigs have monopolized knowledge for thousands of years, and they use their monopoly to suppress and exploit the people. The people are living a life worse than death, while they themselves are fat and full of brains."

"For thousands of years, those who farmed the land have continued to farm, and those who fought wars have continued to fight wars. Have we ever seen an explosion in technology or a surge in living standards?"

"What use is a scholar like that, with such vast knowledge, to mere illusions!"

Showing no mercy to Bian Sai, Lin Dao picked up his teacup and said, "True education only takes a few decades to transform the world!"

"Keeping these people around is the biggest obstacle to people's pursuit of a better life!"

If Lin Daoruo were to promote universal education, these scholars would inevitably feel that their interests had been harmed.

After all, if everyone goes to school and learns knowledge, then the monopoly of scholars on knowledge will be broken.

No one will accept this.

That will inevitably cause a huge mess.

"They have monopolized knowledge for thousands of years, but have made no contribution to production and life; they only waste food."

“To keep them around is a crime against the people.”

Lin Dao didn't mince words and spoke his mind directly: "I know what you're thinking."

"They always thought I was only targeting them to steal their money."

"I don't deny that, but all this wealth is the hard-earned money of the people."

“I plundered it for the benefit of the people, not for myself.”

The two sisters who had always served by her side were well aware of this.

Lin Dao's food, clothing, and daily necessities were not luxurious.

Although they never ate with the soldiers (they didn't eat canned food or feed), their meals were usually ordinary, without any delicacies.

The accommodation was a military tent, meaning that after entering Suzhou, we stayed in the gardens for a few days to enjoy ourselves.

He never rode in a sedan chair, or even a carriage; he always rode on horseback when marching.

Not to mention clothing; silk and satin were only worn as linings when wearing armor.

He amassed a fortune that was as vast as mountains and as deep as the sea, but he never enjoyed it himself.

The warlord was either genuinely frugal or ambitious, using his wealth where it was needed. "The idea of ​​gentry paying taxes together sounds good, but in reality it's a compromise."

"As long as you can pay the taxes, you can retain your status and continue to monopolize knowledge."

Lin Dao fiddled with the bowl lid. "If I wanted to compromise and exploit the dynasties of the past like they did, I would have swept across the world long ago."

"But in that case, it would just be another cycle of several hundred years."

At this point, Lin Dao gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Why am I telling you all this? You're not my roommates."

The Bian sisters are only suited to discussing romance, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Let's play a drinking game, play a little tune, eat and drink, and then go admire the pink butterflies.

They wouldn't understand if you talked to them about family, country, or the world.
"With so many people, how long will it take to finish?"

Lin Dao instructed his guards, "Go and inform them to speed up the process."

Before long, the pace of the execution at the execution ground in front of the government office noticeably quickened.

Instead of dealing with them one by one, they are being dealt with in batches.

After the gentry came the local government officials, county magistrates, secretaries, clerks, scribes, constables, and jailers.

Local government offices during the Chongzhen era were basically all the same.

Poor people who dare to file lawsuits usually end up in jail.

As for the various exorbitant taxes, doubled levies, and disregard for human life, these have become commonplace.

There wasn't a single good person among them, from top to bottom.

The cries and curses from the people grew louder, like a raging tsunami.

Compared to the gentry and monks, these people clearly aroused greater public outrage.

Some people in the crowd lit firecrackers, and others, wearing white cloths, burned incense and candles to comfort those who had died tragically.

Finally, someone is willing to speak up for them and avenge them.

After that, there were even more powerful servants and retainers.

These thugs from various prefectures, who used to be dressed in fine clothes and rode wild horses, ran rampant and did countless evil deeds for their masters.

Now, it's time for them to receive the punishment they deserve.

The slave uprising in Jiangnan was large in scale.

However, these rebellious servants were basically from the lowest rungs of society, and were no different from slaves.

Those servants above them—the stewards, henchmen, maids, and young ladies—actually lived quite well.

Through identification by victims from various places, and through cross-examination and mutual accusations and self-reports.

Anyone who had committed a crime was sent to the execution platform.

Since we've already started sweeping, let's just clean it all up in one go.

It continued until sunset before finally coming to an end.

Although I really like the gardens in Suzhou, I still have to keep working.

After resting for two days, Lin Dao continued eastward and arrived at Songjiang Prefecture.

The process is the same as before, so there's not much to say.

Lin Dao headed straight for Huating County to find the Xu family.

It is said that Xu Jie, the former Grand Secretary, left his family a total of 400,000 mu of land.

Lin Dao came to the Xu family to ask if it was true.

If it's true, then ask your family why they have 400,000 mu of land!
Unfortunately, no one from the Xu family was left; the rest of the family had already fled.

According to the old servant who stayed behind, most of the family members went to the south, while others went to the capital and other places by boat.

With such a commotion along the forest road, any gentry and officials with a brain who could escape fled.

In Songjiang Prefecture, the local gangs and garrisons were temporarily in charge.

The army suppressed bandits, confiscated land, re-established household registration, set up prefectural and county government offices, and recruited and trained the Songjiang Camp.

After a busy period, we continued south.

They traveled through Jiaxing, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and Ningbo before finally arriving at Jinhua Prefecture.

There is a county under the jurisdiction of Jinhua Prefecture called Yiwu.

"This is Yiwu."

Lin Dao looked around and felt a little emotional.

Centuries later, this place became a world-renowned center for small commodities.

At that time, how many people still remembered that this place was once the main source of recruits for Qi Jiguang's army?

The Qi Family Army was probably the most formidable army in the Ming Dynasty.

When they were there, the Ming Dynasty was as stable as a mountain.

There is reverence both inside and outside.

This powerful army, which did not fall to the enemy's sword, was eliminated by civil officials because of their pursuit of unpaid wages.

"When pay is issued at the drill ground, do not bring weapons or armor."

This is an extremely rare joke in the long river of history spanning thousands of years.

The country's civil officials wiped out their own country's main fighting force.

And they even carried out the massacre twice.

The emperor may not have known, but for the emperor, not knowing was the greatest sin!

"If the Ming Dynasty had not fallen, it would have been against all reason and justice."

"At least the people of Yiwu probably hoped for the demise of the Ming Dynasty, right?"

Yiwu is surrounded by dense mountain ranges and hills, with very little farmland.

The main group consisted of mountain dwellers and miners.

The mountain people and miners are physically fit, and the local people are known for their fierce and impulsive nature, often displaying their courage and brawling, which is commonplace.

If disciplined and trained rigorously, they are an excellent source of soldiers.

It's not just Yiwu; the situation is similar in various places in Taiwan and Wenzhou, where the local population is very suitable for conscription.

"Training a new army."

Looking at the numerous mountain ranges before him, Lin Dao took a breath.

"The men here don't even have a place to farm."

"Instead of hiding in the valley and fighting amongst ourselves, why don't you come with me to fight the Tartars!"

"To avenge your predecessors!"

(End of this chapter)