You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Under immense psychological pressure and the threat of death, one person finally gave in.

"I confess!"

"I need to confess too!"

Once there's a first traitor, there will be a second and a third.

That's human nature~
The red token in Newton's hand clattered to the ground.

Upon receiving the signal, the soldiers immediately arrested everyone present.

An officer knelt on one knee.

"Your Excellency, what should be done with these people?"

“Separate them into different prisons, give each a piece of paper and a pen, and the one who confesses the least is considered a heretic and immediately burned at the stake.”

"Yes."

Wait until no one is in the hall.

Newton summoned several craftsmen and ordered them to quickly build the guillotine according to the blueprints.

……

The figure of 9000 million mu is very close to the actual figure of 8500 million mu, so it immediately broke down everyone's defenses.

Ordinary people are often skeptical of the existence of ghosts and gods.

In extreme fear, the group believed that if it weren't for the miraculous intervention of the Three Saints, how could the foreigners have quoted 9000 million mu in one go?

The saint has appeared!
The mortals were terrified.

The day.

Newton obtained three detailed confessions, then conducted a surprise interrogation and torture, obtaining even more confessions and forming a chain of evidence.

Hiding farmland is a long-standing tradition of the empire.

The official registers that court officials could see were completely useless; apart from place names, all the numbers were fake.

This chain of interests is large enough.

Even though Chiang Kai-shek has killed countless people over the years, no one has come forward to confess. Everyone wants a piece of that 5000 million mu of arable land.

One bite, and it's so fatty it's practically dripping with oil.

Five days later.

A reply arrived by express messenger from the capital: Since you are acting on behalf of Heaven, you need not seek permission and may proceed as you see fit.

Newton smiled. He felt he had come to the right place. Although he could make a difference in the scientific community, the political arena offered far more opportunities.

……

After 3 days.

A huge machine has appeared on the city wall of Kaifeng—the Niu family's Confucian guillotine.

Outside the city, crowds of onlookers gathered.

The sharp guillotine fell under the force of gravity, and bloody heads fell to the ground one after another.

That night~
Overjoyed, Newton penned a famous philosophical essay: "No Crime Is Too Small: An Examination of the Phenomenon of 231 Heads Falling Simultaneously."

This immediately shocked the empire.

Upon learning of the shocking secret, Jiang Qingyun was both surprised and furious. He immediately ordered the Censorate to use Henan as a pilot area and dispatch elite troops to thoroughly investigate the matter.

Anyone involved in concealing farmland, regardless of whether they are an official or a commoner, male or female, or of any age, will be severely punished.

The Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Revenue, the Court of Judicial Review, the Imperial Academy, the New Confucian Teachers' Accelerated Training School, the Preparatory School for Foreign Officials, and even the Confucius Mansion all came.

The Flag Guard and the Miyun Army also arrived.

For a while~
Distinguished guests gathered from all over Henan, and upright officials filled the court.

……

Taikang County.

Cui Zhen and Liu Lu, along with one clerk and two soldiers, inspected four villages located 50 li (approximately 25 kilometers) from the county seat.

Choi Jin, a Goryeo woman, represented the Censorate.

Liu Lu, who had been registered as a member of the Banner, represented the Banner Guard.

When these two are together, there's only one word to describe them—loyalty!
Especially Choi Jin, a Goryeo man who is now acting as an inspector, is so eager to offer his heart to the United Empire.

Zhao Family Village.

Cui Zhen walked into a very ordinary farmhouse.

The family, who were eating porridge, quickly put down their bowls, stood up, and bowed their heads in solemn silence.

"Name."

"Old Zhao."

"How many people are in the family?"

"Eighteen people."

"Bring out your land deed!"

Old Zhao handed over the land deed with trembling hands, his eyes darting around uncertainly.

Cui Zhen instantly perked up, seemingly a troublemaker.

"You only have 10 mu of land?"

"Yes, it is."

"Is the harvest from 10 mu enough to feed the whole family?"

"We dig up some wild vegetables and gather some locust flowers to make ends meet, barely enough to keep us from starving. Sir, what do you think my family is eating?"

Everyone turned to look and saw five bowls on a simple wooden table, filled with thin, watery vegetable porridge with hardly any rice.

The family looked pale and sickly.

Liu Lu said in a low voice, "They look like poor people who can't get enough to eat."

……

Cui Zhen: "I don't believe it, let me search it up."

As the soldiers rushed into the thatched hut, Old Man Zhao turned pale with fright and was so shocked that he could hardly stand. If he hadn't been leaning against the millstone, he would have collapsed long ago.

Not long after!
The soldiers inside shouted, "Grain storage found!"

Cui Zhen grabbed Old Zhao by the collar and dragged him into the thatched hut, pointing to the overflowing grain bins.

"what is this?"

"This is the food my family has saved up by being frugal."

"This granary must hold at least 8 shi of grain. Your family has 10 mu of land and 5 people to feed, how could you possibly have 8 shi of grain left over?"

"Sir, my family can't bear to eat precious grains. They eat wild vegetable porridge every day to save their rations."

Cui Zhen smiled.

"You won't give up until you see the Yellow River, huh? Keep searching."

The soldiers searched high and low, but found nothing.

Liu Lu got impatient and kicked Old Zhao into a corner.

"You scoundrel, I'll kill you!"

He was about to draw his sword when Cui Zhen stopped him.

"General Liu, the imperial court has instructed that evidence is needed in this case. We cannot force a confession and ruin our future."

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"Where would a troublemaker hide his good stuff? His own house is only so big, so he'd hide it there, right?"

Cui Zhen stared at Old Man Zhao, his smile full of malice.

Old Zhao trembled uncontrollably, looking at Cui Zhen sniffing here and poking there. Suddenly, he stopped and stomped his foot, creating a hollow echo below.

Stomping his foot again caused the wooden plank to break and collapse.

Choi Jin fell directly into the cellar.

finished~
Old Zhao and his whole family burst into tears.

……

In the cellar, a disheveled Cui Zhen scrambled to his feet, dumbfounded.

Stacks of grain sacks were neatly arranged all around, and there were also grain sacks underfoot.

"Damn it!!"

He let out an angry roar.

"Imperial Censor Cui, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Throw that damned scoundrel down here."

"Yes."

The soldiers grabbed Old Man Zhao and threw him into the cellar.

Cui Zhen grabbed Old Zhao's head and brought it close to his pocket, roaring, "Can your 10 mu of land produce this much grain? Tell me, tell me!"

……

There were a full 120 shi of grain, and many of the bags were already moldy.

There were quite a few onlookers.

Old Zhao picked up the fallen rice grains and burst into tears.

"I didn't eat a single bite! I didn't dare to eat a single bite, sir! I'm innocent!"

Liu Lu was so angry he laughed.

Why aren't you eating?

"My family is poor, I can't bear to eat it."

Seeing Old Man Zhao stuffing rice into his mouth, Cui Zhen rushed over and started punching and kicking him while cursing.

"You troublemaker!"

We arrived at the next place.

The head of the household quickly produced the land deed for 100 mu of land; only with a certificate from the grain tax office could one obtain the land deed from the government.

Cui Zhen nodded in satisfaction.

“Very good, you are a law-abiding citizen. I hereby grant you the right to keep the millstone and hen next door.”

"Thank you, sir."

Kaifeng, Henan, Huaiqing, Weihui, Zhangde, Guide, Runing, Nanyang, Chenzhou, Ruzhou
The inspectors, like a vast net, meticulously searched from north to south, like pulling a net, like sifting through a sieve. The prisons were overflowing.

The government office was completely empty.

The case files were piled up like mountains.

From grain transport officials to clerks and their families, from grain tax collectors to ordinary citizens, all those involved in concealing farmland or maliciously defaulting on payments were arrested.

……

Shangcai County, Runing Prefecture.

Several inspectors fled the village in a disheveled state, and many others were injured.

On the way~
They encountered a troop of cavalry.

"problem occurs!"

“The troublemakers gathered in droves and used force to resist the grain tax.”

The next day.

More than 50 cavalrymen who passed by in succession drove together to the village where the imperial officials had been openly injured, preparing to quell the rebellion. There were flag guards and Miyun troops.

Suppressing the rioters was easy.

"Brothers, we'll be entering the village soon. The armored men will lead the way, followed by musketeers and archers in turn."

"on!"

Faced with a highly organized army, the villagers, united in their hatred of the enemy, were routed in less than a quarter of an hour.

Half an hour later, not a single person in the entire village survived.

The village's grain bins were piled high with grain.

One of the guards muttered, "Where did these little brats come from? They kill people like they're chopping vegetables. Damn, they're ruthless."

His companion quickly gestured for silence.

"What's wrong?"

"Do not ask."

"I'm curious where this elite force came from."

"Have you forgotten how many abandoned babies there were in Beijing more than a decade ago?"

"Holy crap!"

Everyone suddenly felt a chill rise from the soles of their feet; it turned out these wolf cubs were their own nephews and nieces.

while eating.

The Flag Guards and the Miyun Army kept to themselves.

Some of the flag bearers tried to get closer and ingratiate themselves with the officers.

"Hey, who taught you archery?"

"roll."

What did you say?

The next second, Qi Ding fell silent, because he saw the young wolf cubs gripping the hilts of their knives.

……

The investigation lasted for three months and consumed countless manpower and resources.

As it turns out, when the imperial court gets serious, only eight words can describe it: "The net of justice is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it."

After the autumn harvest of 1670, a new batch of local officials finally took office.

Simultaneous large-scale executions of criminals have begun in various prefectures and counties of Henan!

Taikang County.

Under the city wall.

Some people lamented:

“Master Sun stole 2000 mu of land, and Old Man Zhao stole 100 mu of land. They were both beheaded. This is not fair.”

The person next to him immediately retorted:

“The sage said that as long as one is greedy, no matter how much, it is the same sin.”

"But how can 100 mu and 2000 mu be the same?"

"You mean the sage was wrong?"

"No, no, the sage is definitely right."

The person being questioned was terrified; in this day and age, anyone who dares to doubt a saint would be shot on the spot.

The man was smug:

"If they hadn't committed the same crime, how could their heads have fallen at the same time? Look, aren't they falling at the same time?"

Just as they were speaking, a row of executed heads fell from the city wall.

Landing simultaneously!

Everyone exclaimed.

The autumn executions in Henan resulted in the deaths of over 12000 people, a brutal and appalling act.

The empire was shocked.

People of the time said: Confucius said to achieve benevolence, Mencius said to uphold righteousness, Chiang Kai-shek said to maintain the mean, and the ox will eat people!
……

The effect is remarkable.

Starting in 1671, the Ministry of Revenue's revenue soared.

According to the Grand Secretary's plan, the central government and local governments would divide the spoils 30/70. 30% would be sent to the capital, and 70% would be at the discretion of the local governments, but only under the supervision of the central government.

"Prime Minister, this year's spring harvest has been completed without any delays in grain payments from any province."

"The lessons of Henan should serve as a warning."

"The Grand Secretary is wise."

"I bet some people are calling me cruel and cold-blooded behind my back."

Zhou Shao didn't dare to reply.

Jiang Qingyun smiled.

"There's no other way. Social morality is like a tank of clear water. If a drop of ink falls in, it will pollute the whole tank. If we don't purify it in time, the tank of water will slowly become smelly. I want the world to know that the bottom line must never be crossed. Whoever crosses the bottom line, I will chop off their head. It must be chopped off. There is a world of difference between chopped off and not chopped off."

"Your Excellency is wise. May I proclaim to the world what bottom lines should citizens of the empire abide by?"

"Yes, we cannot punish without first educating them."

Lunchtime arrived.

Zhou Shao was asked to stay for dinner.

"Grand Secretary, the Ministry of Revenue is currently facing a problem."

"explain."

"The reported revenue is very high, but the actual revenue is not high."

Is there a deficit?

"Not yet, but if there is war, the Ministry of Revenue will probably be in dire straits."

"Do you have any idea?"

"Is it too high for 7% of the government's grain to go to local governments?"

"From now on, the central government will no longer bear the expenses of local water conservancy, disaster relief, repair, official salaries, and engineering projects. All of the above expenses will come from this 7%."

"Prime Minister, if this happens, local authorities will hold financial power, and I fear they will become too powerful to control."

"The central government has two checks and balances: first, supervision; second, military presence."

"Please enlighten me, Grand Secretary?"

Jiang Qingyun took a sip of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall at a leisurely pace.

"The Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Censorate will each supervise whether the use of these funds is appropriate and whether anyone is embezzling them. I can tell you clearly that I intend to abolish the position of Governor-General and eliminate the Green Standard Army under the provincial governors. In other words, in a few years, every military camp in the empire will only be subject to central command, and local authorities will have no right to mobilize a single soldier."

"In this way, the central government can indeed check and balance the local areas. However, if something happens on the border, the response may not be fast enough."

"Newton designed a state-of-the-art communication system for me, so that if there is trouble on the border, military reports can travel 1000 miles a day."

……

Yuquan Mountain.

A newly completed signal tower.

Newton explained the principle on site.

"Please take a look, gentlemen. This is the flag signal system I just designed. Depending on the terrain and climate, a communication tower is set up every 20 to 40 miles. The wooden arm on the tower top bracket rotates to transmit numbers. The numbers correspond to Chinese characters, thus realizing the conversion of signal to text."

"This is a codebook. Every four numbers form a code, which corresponds to a Chinese character."

"I believe that Chinese characters are the most sophisticated language in the world, and are very suitable for long-distance communication."

"Prime Minister, please try out the world's first rapid official gazette."

"it is good."

Jiang Qingyun picked up his pen and wrote his first telegram—"A Glimpse into the Future of the World."

"Send it out."

"Yes."

"Zhou Shao, go to Taiyuan. First, to meet our elder brother Wu Yong, and second, to test the reliability of this communication system."

"As ordered."

Zhou Shao left in a hurry.

10 days later~
Yuquan Mountain received a telegram from Taiyuan—it must be our world!

The experiment was successful.

Therefore, the Ministry of Works began to quickly build four lines covering the entire empire. To keep it secret, the empire claimed to the outside world that the court was building these communication towers to prove the existence of God through scientific experiments.

The United Empire wants to speak with God!

In an effort to win over the people, Zhu Youlang, who had already been appointed a cardinal, publicly claimed that this was actually the result of his persuasion of the Grand Secretary.

The situation was so lively that the missionaries in Beijing cheered with joy.

However, Ferdinand Verbiest felt uneasy. He sensed something strange about the global civil service examination system and strongly suspected that this Chief Minister Chiang Kai-shek wanted to become the only emperor in the world!

A human emperor who reigns above even the pope and the king! (End of Chapter)