Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 129 An Unexpected Encounter on the Road, How Interesting! (New Character Appears! Requesting Monthly Tickets!)
After passing Zhuozhou, we traveled for another day and finally arrived at Liangxiang.

It's only about fifty li from here to the capital; a fast horse can reach it in half a day.

As usual, Lu Xiang-sheng rode ahead to scout out the fields and inquire about the horse feed.

For some reason, the sky cleared up suddenly yesterday, and now it's a clear blue, with the temperature rising slightly, making it quite pleasant to travel.

If only... there weren't those jarring patches of barren land in the surrounding fields.

……

As the group rode along, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar.

More than ten strong men on horseback, each with their faces covered by a veil and carrying a broadsword and bow and arrows at their waist, roared up from behind and then reined in their horses, slowly surrounding the group in the center, circling around them.

The leader glanced at everyone's belongings and, not seeing any bows and arrows, became much bolder.

He rode forward, holding the bow and arrow to his chest, gently pulling the strings one by one, but not nocking an arrow, only as a deterrent.

"Sir, it seems you've come from afar? My brothers have been traveling for days and are a bit short on cash. Would you do us a favor and treat us to a drink?"

He paused, then held up his finger to indicate.

"We don't need much. Ten brothers, ten coins each, that'll make a total of one qian (a unit of currency), how about that?"

Before Lu Xiang Sheng could speak, a guard sent by the Feng family behind him could no longer contain himself.

He spurred his horse forward and shouted, "How dare you! Have you ever heard of the Feng family of Zhuozhou? How dare you act so insolently here!"

Upon hearing this, the leader of the thieves' smile froze, and he cursed inwardly, "Damn it, I forgot to check the almanac before I left home."

Zhuozhou is more than 70 li away from here, so even the prefect of Zhuozhou has no jurisdiction over him.

That so-called Feng family, I've never even heard of them.

But this servant dares to be so arrogant, he must be powerful and influential. If he were to be reported to the capital, his commander would surely make him suffer.

It's just business, nothing shameful. If you can't take this one, there's always someone else to take it from. There are countless easy targets, why bother destroying this one?

Thinking of this, the leader didn't utter a single harsh word. He whistled, then led the group to turn their horses around and ride away in a cloud of dust.

A conflict that seemed imminent was averted without a trace.

Upon seeing this, the servants of the Feng family immediately put on a fawning smile and approached Lu Xiang-sheng to curry favor, saying, "Lord Lu, you see, my master was afraid of encountering such unsavory things on the road and disturbing your peace, so he specially sent us to escort you."

Lu Xiang-sheng looked in the direction the bandits had gone, his eyes deep and unfathomable. He simply nodded slightly, but a soft sigh escaped his lips.

The thieves in the capital region seem to be a little more restrained than when he passed the imperial examination, but they are still quite rampant.

Today, including the servants of the Feng family, there were six or seven strong men on horseback. They were only a dozen or so people, yet they dared to surround us and ask for a reward.

Lu Xiang-sheng frowned and couldn't help but ponder.

The thieves in the capital region have existed for a century and have long since developed their own set of rules.

For travelers and merchants, a small amount of money is charged, but rarely any life is taken. In essence, it is just another form of toll.

If any fool were to commit a major murder, the commanders of the various garrison posts in the capital would kill the person themselves before the police even arrived, and respectfully hand over their head to the police station.

As for why Lu Xiang-sheng knew so much?

He had already witnessed this kind of scene when he was clearing out the granaries in Shandong.

The only difference was that the bandits there didn't ride horses on land, but rowed small boats on the canal.

The underlying problems are all the same.

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, garrisons, patrol offices, and civilian households lived together in a mixed environment. They were not strictly managed and their annual pay was inconsistent. Those military households with armed forces would naturally try to use their power to do some small business without any investment.

Even if the annual salary is paid, wouldn't the local military officers still want to line their own pockets?
Lu Xiang-sheng couldn't help but ask himself these questions.

If this matter were to be handled by me, where should I begin?
Should we address the issues at the military garrisons first, or at the military pay?

As Lu Xiang-sheng let the horse move forward, he pondered the matter repeatedly in his mind, a smile unconsciously appearing on his lips.

The joy of accomplishment is truly incomparable to that of writing; how interesting!

……

The closer one gets to the capital, the more abandoned farmland there is along the official roads.

In Zhuozhou, only one-tenth of the land was covered with withered yellow weeds, but here, looking around, two or three-tenths of the fields were overgrown with withered yellow weeds.

Lu Xiang-sheng finally found a farmer who was still busy sowing seeds in the field and went up to ask him a question.

After some conversation, he obtained the hay collection rate for the area around the capital: one bundle of hay for one mu of land.

To put it simply, that's about 100 bundles per hectare!

This far exceeds the collection rate that Daming Prefecture has maintained throughout its history.

In a sense, the more people fled famine, the heavier the taxes became for the remaining households, because the total amount would not decrease; the government would simply keep pressing taxes onto the remaining people.

This mere bunch of grass doesn't sound like much.

One mu of wheat, even after a year of hard work, yields only one shi of grain and fifteen bundles of wheat straw.

This is a genuine 1/15 tax.

Moreover, wheat straw has its uses in ordinary farming households, either as feed for livestock or as a means of making money, so it is not a useless thing after all.

Lu Xiang-sheng frowned again.

As he traveled, he gradually came to understand the problem with the horse feed.

In his view, simply cracking down on corruption in the purchase of horse feed would not be more difficult than dealing with the issue of clearing out the warehouses.

Although nobles, eunuchs, officials, and clerks are greedy for profit, few would be foolish enough to defy the emperor's will and court death if the emperor truly values ​​this matter.

But did Lu Xiang-sheng really only do horse feed work?

Zhu Xi once said:

The world's illness has long been incurable!
If a woman is capable of knowing this, and if she wishes to speak of it, but is not suited for the task, then even if she wants to demonstrate her skills, she will have no way to do so.

Now that Lu Xiang-sheng has been summoned to the capital, he can be considered to have fulfilled his duties. Is it possible that he could propose a solution that can cure the incurable disease?
Lu Xiang-sheng pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

No, we shouldn't do that rashly.

Having received the imperial decree these past few days, my mind was completely focused on the matter of horse feed on my way to the capital, and I didn't even have time to read the official gazette.

He knew nothing about the new emperor's temperament or policies; at this moment, everything was just wishful thinking.

It seems that after entering the city, the first thing to do is to gather information.

Thinking of this, Lu Xiang-sheng turned his horse around and said to his servant, "Go back and find the two gentlemen and tell them that I will go into the city first to find a place to stay today, and I will not wait for them to come to the capital together."

"After the announcement, you can come to the capital and find me at Chengen Temple near Xuanwu Gate."

The servant acknowledged and turned his horse away.

Lu Xiang-sheng then looked at the servants who were standing still, frowned, and said, "What are you waiting for? Come back and escort the two lords."

The servant hesitated for a moment: "But...those thieves just now..."

Lu Xiang-sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, said nothing, and only glanced at him indifferently.

The servant was immediately alarmed and dared not say another word. He quickly called the others to turn back together.

……

Having shaken off the servants of the Feng family, Lu Xiang-sheng rode alone at a much faster pace, and soon crossed the Lugou Bridge.

The majestic city walls of the capital are already in sight in the distance.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he was suddenly drawn to a peculiar building beside the official road.

Huh, what was that strange thing that flashed by just now?
Lu Xiang-sheng reined in his horse and turned to look.

There used to be a messenger station for delivering documents along the official road, but now a wooden platform more than two zhang high has suddenly been erected next to it.

On top of the platform, there was a strange wooden stick shaped like the letter "I".

Lu Xiang-sheng glanced at the sky and saw that it was still early. In the end, he could not suppress his curiosity and turned his horse around to head towards the high platform.

Upon getting closer, he could see that three soldiers were busy on the high platform.

The youngest of them, about seventeen or eighteen years old, was dressed in a flying fish robe and held a long brass stick in his hand. He looked out of the window of the high platform and muttered incantations.

Another, slightly older person was hidden behind them, and could be vaguely seen holding a brush, quickly writing something in a booklet.

The last person, who looked to be in his early thirties, was standing at the very back. It was unclear what he was doing, but it seemed to be related to the I-beam frame on the high platform.

Lu Xiang-sheng didn't make a sound to disturb them, but simply stood quietly to the side of the stage, watching them work.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the young man in the flying fish robe suddenly put down the copper pipe in his hand and excitedly slapped his thigh.

"It's done! The Guangning Gate has reported back!"

He shouted, "Sending and receiving messages can be done simultaneously! There's no error!" The other two were also overjoyed upon hearing this.

"Boss Wang, you've struck it rich! Your efficiency has doubled out of nowhere!"

"Yes, the top prize of one hundred taels of silver is definitely yours!"

The boy in the flying fish suit laughed, then shook his head and sighed somewhat unwillingly: "Damn it, I'm afraid I'll only get a second prize at best this time."

He slammed his fist on the railing beside him, cursing as he spoke:

"That guy surnamed Zou's method is too clever! He actually thought of directly encoding commonly used words!"

"In this way, 'three thousand slave chieftains invade Ningyuan' has changed from eight codes to four codes! If some military orders are reorganized, it can even be reduced from eight codes to one code!"

The boy in the flying fish robe was so jealous his face was unrecognizable, and he gritted his teeth and said:

"I vaguely remembered it before I went to sleep that night, but I never expected that he would have already submitted it when I woke up! That bastard really got lucky!"

"Just one day! Just one day! Otherwise, I'll have to win both the jackpot and the second prize!"

Lu Xiang-sheng listened quietly from below the stage, secretly memorizing these inexplicable words.

Seeing that they seemed to have finished their work and were taking a break, he coughed lightly, cupped his hands, and said, "May I ask, gentlemen..."

This sound startled the three people on the platform.

"who!"

The three turned around almost simultaneously, and with a clang, three waist knives were drawn from their sheaths and clashed wildly on the small platform.

The young Imperial Guard's eyebrows shot up, and he shouted sharply:
"Hey! Where did this thief come from, daring to spy on military intelligence here!"

Before he finished speaking, without even thinking, he grabbed a rope and leaped down from a height of ten feet! He was agile and landed silently.

Another soldier followed suit and jumped down, but unexpectedly bumped into a protrusion on the tower, letting out a muffled groan. Despite the pain, he limped forward with his knife.

The last middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, probably feeling that he wasn't quite agile enough, and finally obediently climbed down the stairs.

Before long, the three men surrounded Lu Xiang-sheng in a triangular formation, their blades gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Lu Xiang-sheng showed no sign of panic, but simply smiled and calmly cupped his hands, saying, "I am not a bad person, but Lu Xiang-sheng, the prefect of Daming Prefecture, who has been summoned to the capital. I came here to inquire about this unique building."

Having said that, he took out the travel permit from his sleeve and showed it to everyone.

The three looked at each other, and the young Jinyiwei leader still had doubts in his eyes.

At his signal, the middle-aged soldier stepped forward, snatched the travel permit, and examined it carefully.

……

A moment later, the misunderstanding was cleared up.

The three soldiers sheathed their swords and introduced themselves.

That spirited and carefree young man was none other than Wang Shide, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The new emperor of Yongchang ordered the selection of innocent young men to restore the image of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As a result, his father was eliminated in the first round of selection.

Then, thanks to his excellent archery and horsemanship skills and decent literary talent, he passed the test again and directly took over his father's position.

He became a 19-year-old fourth-rank commander.

The other two were Chen Sanqiu, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Mo Xianzu.

They're not worth mentioning; they're all just long-suffering, unsuccessful men who've toiled for years without ever getting promoted. If they don't have good fortune in this life, they'll probably stay at the level of centurion forever.

The three of them then explained the uses and functions of the "Thousand-Mile Lightning Communication Station" to Lu Xiang-sheng.

……

"what?!"

Lu Xiang-sheng stared wide-eyed, asking incredulously, "So, according to your... method..."

"A military intelligence message can travel from Jinzhou Guard in Liaodong to the capital in as little as half an hour?!"

Seeing his naive and unsophisticated demeanor, Wang Shide smugly put his hands on his hips.

"That's right! It would have taken an hour before, but thanks to my improved method of receiving and sending, it was able to be so fast!"

Lu Xiang-sheng subconsciously looked up at the high platform again.

Suddenly, I realized that this high platform wasn't strange at all.

Every angle and corner is brimming with power and beauty! Truly a masterpiece!
He exclaimed sincerely, "Such a stroke of genius! I wonder which great strategist this is? Although it borrows the old example of beacon fires, it is truly unprecedented and groundbreaking!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shide's smug expression instantly transformed into one of fervor. He abruptly cupped his hands and proclaimed loudly:

"It is indeed the new emperor, His Majesty Yongchang!"

"His Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng's shock and admiration instantly cooled, and he couldn't help but furrow his brows tightly.

Although this method is a powerful tool for military and national defense, the fact that it came from the emperor himself made him somewhat worried.

Could this be another apocalypse?

Lu Xiang-sheng subtly composed himself, softening his expression, and smiled:

"I see. After I passed the imperial examination, I served in Shandong and Daming Prefecture for many years. The journey was long, and I was quite ignorant."

"I wonder if the new emperor will implement any other good policies after ascending the throne?"

As Lu Xiang-sheng spoke, he reached into his sleeve and took out a small piece of silver, about an ounce, and handed it over: "This is just a small token of my appreciation for tea. I hope you will not refuse it, Vice Commissioner Wang."

Unexpectedly, just as he handed over half the silver, Wang Shide, as if stung by a scorpion, suddenly jumped back, drew his knife again with a clang, and shouted sharply:

"what you up to!"

This loud shout, full of energy, made Lu Xiang-sheng's eardrums buzz.

His hand, holding the silver, froze in mid-air, and for a moment he was speechless, not knowing what to say.

No... this is money! Have you never seen it before or what?

Wang Shide's face turned ashen as he looked at Lu Xiang-sheng and the silver in his hand as if they were something filthy.

"I thought he was some big shot, but he's just a nobody who knows how to pave his way with money!"

He snorted and sheathed his knife, but his tone remained aggressive.

"His Majesty has decreed, 'To correct others, one must first correct oneself!' Our Embroidered Uniform Guard has been established for a hundred years, yet now it has become a disgraceful force, like hawks and hounds. How can it still be called the Emperor's personal guard!"

"This guard is a matter of national dignity and must be rebuilt! Let us begin, and let this flying fish robe shine brightly in the world once more!"

He stared at Lu Xiang-sheng as if making a vow.

"If you ever see anyone in the capital wearing this skin who dares to embezzle, extort bribes, or prey on the people, you are free to impeach them! At that time, I, Wang Shide, will be the first to not let him off the hook!"

Still seemingly unsatisfied, he added:
"You officials, you've embezzled countless amounts of money every day, and you think everyone is like you! You really look down on us!"

Lu Xiang-sheng finally realized what was happening. He solemnly took back the silver, bowed deeply to Wang Shi-de, and said in a deep voice:
"I was unaware of your noble character, Vice Commissioner Wang. I have been judging you by my own petty standards. Please forgive my rudeness."

Wang Shide's expression softened slightly.

He spat forcefully, then flung his hand away: "Forget it! We can't see eye to eye! Let's stop talking and get lost, we still have several experiments to do today!"

Having said that, he led the other two and turned to walk towards the high platform.

He had only taken a few steps when he finally couldn't resist.

He turned around again, raised the knife and scabbard together, and pointed it fiercely at Lu Xiang-sheng from several steps away.

"You officials can hide this for a while, but not forever! Don't let your Grandpa Wang find any fault with you!"

"Otherwise, sooner or later you will end up like that corrupt official from Runing Prefecture, your names will be ruined and exposed to the world!"

After saying that, he climbed up the platform without looking back.

Lu Xiang-sheng stood alone, looking at the youthful figure from behind, and for a moment he felt both amused and exasperated.

The young man seemed naive and inexperienced, yet his words were impulsive and straightforward, leaving the young man with little room for explanation.

He shook his head, not angry at all, and turned around to mount his horse with a clean and decisive motion.

When he looked up again, he gazed at the majestic outline of the capital city in the distance, and his previously furrowed brows gradually relaxed without him even realizing it.

With a flick of his whip, he galloped towards the capital.

Only a barely audible whisper remained in place.

"Interesting...really interesting!"

(End of this chapter)