Chapter 147 146 Discussion
Just after it was revealed that Zhang Jing, the Minister of the Ministry of War and the governor of the Jiangnan Anti-Japanese War, had been captured by the imperial court, Zeng Yuanshu noticed that not only the people at his table, but also the classmates at the tables around him were looking over curiously, waiting for his answer. He couldn't help but feel a little a little bit. Get excited.
In the past two years, Zeng Yuanshu has been staying in Nanchang City, and it is inevitable that he has less contact with these old classmates, so these days he runs here when he has nothing to do and hangs out with his old classmates.
After a long pause, many people's eyes had changed a little. Zeng Yuanshu also felt that his appetite was almost adjusted, and then he said: "What the newspaper said is that Zhang Jing has been in great trouble since the governor of Jiangnan suppressed the Japanese." People are afraid of thieves and lost opportunities.
He also said that he had a tumultuous relationship with the gentry families along the coast. He couldn't explain clearly, but he was suspected of being a self-respecting bandit.
Think about it, Governor Zhang Jing, who was in charge of the provinces south of the Yangtze River and the troops stationed in the north of the Yangtze River to suppress Japanese pirates, was already a high-ranking official, but in the past two years, the Japanese invasion has become more and more serious, and has not been effectively curbed at all."
But Zeng Yuanshu was interrupted as soon as he finished his words, "But not long ago, thousands of Japanese pirates were wiped out in Zhejiang and South Zhili, and the Japanese pirates who invaded Jiaxing were wiped out."
"In the 31st year of Jiajing, the number of Japanese pirates was already tens of thousands. In the past two years, it is said that the number of Japanese pirates has increased, and it is feared that it has grown to tens of thousands. Killing a few thousand Japanese pirates can get a lot of credit.
The imperial court has given you such great power, so you have accomplished such a small feat. You have exterminated the Japanese pirates. That is your duty. If you cannot exterminate the Japanese pirates, that is your dereliction of duty. Can't you see that?
And I heard that the main reason why the imperial court arrested Zhang Jing was that he had connections with maritime merchants in Fujian. I don’t know if it’s true or not, it’s all hearsay. "
"Is Zhang Jing from Fujian?"
"It seems like, I heard someone say it."
"I heard someone say that Fu'an is from somewhere."
"But no matter what, after a great victory has just been achieved, the court should not put people in jail."
Lao Kan whispered to the side.
"I don't know what the higher-ups are thinking. When the morale is at its peak, suddenly doing something like this, changing generals before the battle, is a taboo for military strategists."
Wei Guangde also couldn't figure out why he chose to take people directly.
Logically speaking, even if Zhang Jing is guilty and the evidence is conclusive, he should not use such drastic measures.
The best way is to transfer him first, then conduct a thorough investigation, and finally arrest him.
"Who impeached him?"
After listening to Wei Guangde's words, Lao Kan also felt that it made sense.
We had just won the great victory at Wangjiangjing. This was the moment when we were going all out to suppress the Japanese. The person who had spoken was actually arrested. How could we continue to suppress the Japanese later?
So the question is, who impeached Zhang Jing?
"It was Zhao Wenhua, the Minister of War, and Hu Zongxian, the Zhejiang Inspector, who jointly impeached Zhang Jing. That Zhao Wenhua was sent to Zhejiang not long ago to supervise the army to suppress Japanese invaders. Maybe he and Hu Zongxian found some evidence of Zhang Jing's illegality there and impeached him."
There will be detailed records of these in the Di newspaper, and there will even be excerpts of some Mingfa memorials and imperial edicts.
"Zhao Wenhua doesn't know, but I've heard of Hu Zongxian."
Wei Guangde thought for a while before saying.
The Japanese invasion was serious in Zhejiang, so Jiujiang Guards naturally paid attention to the situation there. It was normal for Wei Guangde to see the names of the main officials there in the Tang newspaper.
Immediately, Wei Guangde sighed, "It was rare to win a battle. The officers and soldiers should have taken advantage of the victory to pursue the victory and wipe out the Japanese pirates with all their strength. Now the governor has been captured, and the good situation has been ruined again.
By the way, Brother Zeng, has the court accepted the new governor of Jiangnan? "
If people have taken it, they will definitely not release it immediately. That would be a slap in the face.
Now that the biggest official in Jiangnan has been arrested, who will take over?
Unless someone is arrested but no one is arranged to take over, it would be a bit leaderless.
"I didn't see the new governor candidate in the newspaper. I guess the court is still considering it."
Zeng Yuanshu frowned and thought for a while before speaking.
"This is a big deal. How can you rashly take down important ministers without considering replacement candidates? Once the Japanese pirates retaliate in the near future, how will the armies in various places be dispatched?"
Lao Kan was immediately shocked when he heard what Zeng Yuanshu said. His family also had business along the coast and had suffered heavy losses due to Japanese rebellion in recent years.
Wei Guangde heard from Wei Guangde that the imperial court had won a great victory in suppressing Japanese invaders. He was quite happy, but as soon as he turned around and the hero was imprisoned again, the situation along the coast was afraid that the situation of suppressing Japanese invaders would take a turn for the worse again.
"It really shouldn't be."
The surrounding scholars all agreed that positions such as the Minister of War in Nanjing could be vacant, but important positions such as the Governor of the Japanese Suppression Department were not available.
They also heard the news that the coastal guards were afraid of Japanese pirates. If no one from above pressured them to resist the Japanese, they could not imagine the consequences.
"Brother Zeng, please send us a copy of the residence newspaper later. We are all unfamiliar with Nanchang City, so we can only rely on you."
Wei Guangde smiled and said to Zeng Yuanshu. As he spoke, he picked up the wine glass on the table and made a toast.
While the scholars in Jiujiang Prefecture were drinking freely, in Nanchang Gongyuan, the examiners of this provincial examination were also having a meal.
In the outer room, several people sat at the same table as the examiners, chatting about the exam papers they saw while eating.
"The copy I saw this afternoon was very informative about how to quell the Japanese. It also said that we need to raise military pay and then recruit troops to quell the Japanese."
"That's good. Most of the people on my side raised large armies to encircle and suppress them, and selected famous generals to lead them. Haha, they didn't consider how much money it would cost to gather so many people."
"What kind of method is used to raise wages? Is it mentioned in the policy?"
The person who spoke first put down his chopsticks and said to everyone: "His method has advantages and disadvantages. It is not considered good. It probably lacks experience."
"Don't be too pretentious, just tell the truth."
"hehe."
Regarding the colleagues who were eager to know the candidates' different answers, the examiner just smiled and then said: "He proposed to temporarily increase Jiangnan's commercial tax."
At this point, the expressions of the other three examiners changed, and one of them obviously couldn't help but speak.
However, he would not wait to be interrupted by that person, but continued to speak faster: "His reason is very simple. Jiangnan suffered disasters because of Japanese pirates, and the people of Jiangnan should support the suppression of Japanese pirates. Only by destroying Japanese pirates as soon as possible can we return a favor." The universe is clear.
The imposition of commercial taxes during this period will indeed increase everyone's burden, but instead of being robbed by Japanese pirates, it is better to hand over the goods to the court and recruit officers and soldiers to encircle and suppress the Japanese pirates.
Moreover, he finally stressed that the additional levy was only temporary and would stop immediately once the Japanese invasion was resolved. "
Commercial tax is a very sensitive word for people in the officialdom, whether from the south or the north, so when the person just mentioned commercial tax, the other three people became a little anxious.
"From my personal point of view, this method is also feasible. Take it from the people and use it for the people. If you collect the tax to suppress Japanese invaders, then the entire amount will be invested in suppressing Japanese invaders. It's reasonable."
While the four examiners were talking, the examiner and deputy examiner of this subject at the dining table in the inner room stopped eating and were listening carefully to the conversation in the outer room.