Chapter 193: This Is Simply A Real-life Tragic Human World! 【 Requesting Double Monthly Tickets 】
After returning to his official residence, Zhang Biao did not immediately take action.
He reviewed his plan and realized it seemed to be missing a crucial element.
The previous “demand salary” movement, followed by the “audit” storm, although spearheaded by his “seeking death” approach, and also a release of the suffering of the lower classes in this world, was, frankly speaking, primarily about human resonance.
If those people were not truly suffering, they would not have gone mad with Zhang Biao.
It’s like in modern society, if people have enough to eat and clothes to wear, and you suggest rebellion, they’ll just think you’re crazy.
Therefore, the design from the top is in place, and the foundation from the bottom needs to be constructed.
With this in mind, Zhang Biao thought of Shen Lang and the other four again.
If Old Zhu and the others remembered him, then Shen Lang and the other four would definitely not forget him.
However, going to find them now was clearly too late.
Because there was still one day before Zhu Yunwen would be appointed Imperial Grandson.
“Indeed! We must create momentum within a day! Catch Old Zhu completely off guard! Prevent the Grand Court Session from proceeding!”
“But…”
Zhang Biao pondered for a moment and muttered with a hint of strangeness:
“Does Old Zhu still have the mind to hold a Grand Court Session?”
“The Imperial Eldest Grandson died under unclear circumstances. As the biggest beneficiary, the Imperial Second Grandson, Zhu Yunwen, truly doesn’t harbor any suspicion at all? That doesn’t make sense…”
“Moreover, even if Zhu Yunwen is too young to be involved in such matters, what about his Imperial Consort? Consort Lü cannot possibly be uninvolved, right?”
As he spoke, Zhang Biao suddenly remembered something and sat up from the bed.
He recalled that Consort Lü was officially married by Crown Prince Zhu Biao in the sixteenth year of Hongwu, and Zhu Xiongying died in the fifteenth year of Hongwu.
Although there was a difference of several months in time, the key point was that if Zhu Xiongying were alive, she would not have been officially married.
Only after Zhu Xiongying died, and there was no legitimate eldest son, would his son Zhu Yunwen have the chance to become the nominal legitimate eldest son.
【 In this light… she indeed has a great motive. 】
Zhang Biao stroked his chin, the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
However, given Old Zhu’s suspicion, he couldn’t possibly not consider this situation.
Then why didn’t he punish Consort Lü? Was it because Consort Lü was truly innocent? Or was it to protect Zhu Yunwen that he deliberately ignored it?
After all, in his eyes, Zhu Yunwen was quite good, otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone on a killing spree for Zhu Yunwen, triggering the 《 Lan Yu Case 》.
Unfortunately, he was ultimately old and myopic, and misjudged.
Zhu Yunwen was “pure and filial” to him, the Imperial Grandson; after his death, he was like a completely different person, with two entirely different character settings.
【 Alas, the Zhu family’s affairs are too dramatic, each more outrageous than the last. 】
【 Descendants, not many good ones… 】
【 However, your family’s matters are for you to investigate; I still have my own important business to attend to! 】
With this thought, Zhang Biao shook his head, trying his best not to think about the Zhu family’s affairs, and got out of bed, preparing to go through the procedures at the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue to register the 《 Great Ming Anti-Corruption Bureau 》.
He wanted to use the name of the Anti-Corruption Bureau to make Old Zhu hoist himself by his own petard.
After all, in his eyes, Old Zhu was the biggest worm in the Great Ming Dynasty.
Especially Old Zhu’s Imperial Treasury, which was no different from a “worm incubator.”
However, just as he reached the door, it was suddenly knocked upon.
“Knock! Knock—”
After a series of knocks on the door, a slightly anxious voice called out, “Censor Zhang, are you home? We have something urgent to discuss with you!”
“Hmm?”
Zhang Biao was slightly stunned, thinking, why have they come? Are they truly not afraid of death!
When those few injured and disabled old soldiers came before, he had warned them not to come again. He knew their intentions.
Moreover, the information they provided to Zhang Biao was common knowledge and not considered contraband.
Therefore, Zhang Biao believed Old Zhu would not make things difficult for them.
But it would be hard to say in the future.
After all, with Old Zhu’s pathological psychology, it would be difficult for him to tolerate everyone who was involved with the “madman” Zhang Biao.
Shen Lang and the other five were already Old Zhu’s limit.
However, since they had arrived, and seemed to be in a hurry, Zhang Biao could not pretend not to see them.
For a moment, Zhang Biao was caught in unprecedented distress.
“Censor Zhang should not be here. Alas, we are doomed.”
“Damn it! At worst, we’ll fight them! Anyway, I haven’t wanted to live for a long time!”
“Don’t say that, Old Zhou! What about your wife and children? They…”
“Creak—!”
Just as the few injured and disabled old soldiers were about to turn and leave, the door was gently opened.
“Old brothers, come in and talk!”
The familiar voice reached the ears of the old soldiers, causing them to tremble all over, and they turned around almost choking back tears, “Censor Zhang…”
“Alright, enough with the pleasantries, hurry in!”
Zhang Biao waved his hand.
The old soldiers exchanged glances and soon, they quietly entered Zhang Biao’s room.
“What’s going on? Didn’t I tell you not to come?”
Zhang Biao looked around at them and asked directly, “Why are you acting like you’re about to die?”
The few old soldiers looked at each other, and then the one-armed old soldier explained the reason.
It turned out to be about the military registration issue established by Old Zhu.
Once one’s name was entered into the military registry, they became military households for generations, with their descendants all having to serve as soldiers.
To get off the registry? It was harder than reaching the heavens!
If the male members of a household died, replacements had to be found from among nephews, or even from the same clan.
Those in power used the excuse of “replacement” to forcibly conscript able-bodied men, leading to ruined families.
“My nephew was at home farming when a group of officers suddenly broke in, tied him up without a word, and were going to escort him thousands of miles away to Gansu to enlist. The reason given was that his distant grandfather, whose name he couldn’t even remember, was a military household.”
“A military household escaped from our village, and the entire village was punished. The village chief was even exiled three thousand miles away!”
“This world is simply unlivable! Censor Zhang!”
“Indeed, it’s like sitting at home and disaster strikes from the sky!”
Hearing the sighs of the few injured and disabled old soldiers, Zhang Biao was momentarily at a loss for words or how to comfort them.
It must be said, the garrison system established by Old Zhu was truly a “bottomless pit.”
So, what is the garrison system?
Simply put, the state provides land to soldiers, and during peacetime, they are farmers who cultivate the land to support themselves.
During wartime, they become soldiers, picking up their weapons to defend the country.
The state provides equipment, and they are responsible for their own provisions and pay.
Doesn’t it sound perfect? It’s practically the Ming Dynasty version of a “bao ge” (guaranteed employment), with official registration and land allocation.
According to the 《 “Veritable Records of Emperor Taizu of Ming” 》, each military household was allocated 50 mu of land, complete with draft animals and seeds.
In the early years of Hongwu, this system operated very smoothly.
The military farms in the Nine Garrisons could yield over twenty million piculs of grain annually, feeding the border troops well and leaving some surplus.
At that time, being a soldier was an honorable profession, a true pillar of the state.
However, the reality was as stark as the ideal was grand.
Who would have thought that this “perfect closed loop” personally designed by Old Zhu would, in just a few decades, become a colossal pitfall that devoured countless families and persisted for nearly three hundred years.
The problem lies in two words: human nature.
The court said the land was for the military households to cultivate, but where were the land deeds? They were firmly in the hands of military officers and government officials at all levels.
This is akin to a company saying they’ll give you shares, but the share certificates are always in the boss’s safe.
Over time, this land became the private property of the officers.
During the Zhengde reign, the powerful eunuch Liu Jin alone occupied over ten thousand mu of military land.
What does this mean? Over three hundred military household families, who should have been defending the country, were transformed overnight from state civil servants into tenant farmers working for his household.
The grain they harvested was no longer military provisions but the private property of the eunuch lord.
This was just the tip of the iceberg.
You thought soldiers only needed to farm and guard cities? Too naive!
The officers treated them as free “all-purpose tools.”
Soldiers were used for building luxurious homes, transporting private goods, and even taking care of the officers’ wives.
During the Chenghua reign, soldiers in the Yan’an Town complained:
【 Three days for a small campaign, five days for a major one. Are we soldiers or slaves? 】
This was not defending the country, but clearly selling oneself into servitude.
What’s worse is that many areas in the Nine Garrisons were desolate wastelands, saline-alkali lands, or desert Gobi.
Some garrisons in Datong had land that was “all sand and gravel, yielding no more than three dou per mu.” After toiling all year, they would have to starve after paying their rent.
The Jiajing 《 “Gazetteer of Guyuan Town” 》 records an incident where a military household fell asleep while watering his fields late at night, only to be carried away alive by a wild wolf.
It’s heartbreaking to hear.
Even so, many people still advocate for the Ming Dynasty and Old Zhu.
Zhang Biao sighed, shook his head, and then looked at the old soldiers, asking gravely:
“Aren’t you injured and disabled veterans? According to reason, you should receive preferential treatment. How did even you get implicated?”
These words seemed to open a floodgate.
Bloodshot appeared in One-armed Old Zhou’s cloudy eyes, and his voice became hoarse:
“Preferential treatment? Censor Zhang, you don’t know! We old guys have to pay a ‘contribution’ even to receive our disability pensions! Do you think they’ll let us take it for free?”
“Most of the things you gave us with ‘offsetting debt’ were ‘offered’ to them!”
“Otherwise, they would find ways to make trouble for our families!”
“Yes! Although we weren’t implicated, which of our friends and family haven’t been? Compared to us, the young men in the garrisons are truly suffering!”
Lame Old Li wiped the rainwater from his face with his rough hands, adding with a tone of indignation:
“They call it military farming, but the good land and fields are all occupied by the Battalion Commanders, Captains, and the stewards of the Princes’ Mansions!”
“What’s left for us military households are barren mountain lands and low-lying river areas. After a year of back-breaking labor, the grain harvested isn’t even enough to pay the imperial tax!”
“Imperial tax?”
Blind Old Sun sneered, tapping the table with his finger:
“The regular tax is manageable, but the most unbearable are the countless miscellaneous levies and additional burdens!”
“This Prince needs funds to build his mansion, that Duke needs a gift for his birthday, officials need ‘gifts’ for their greetings and farewells!”
“Cough, cough… Right! There are so many names, we can’t even remember them all!”
Injured Old Qian coughed and agreed:
“If there isn’t enough grain, we use the little money and cloth we have to pay. If that’s still not enough, we have no choice but to sell our children!”
Zhang Biao’s brows furrowed tightly. “Do the military officers of the garrison not care? Does the court not care?”
“Care?”
Old Li sneered, with endless sorrow in his voice. “Military officers? They are the biggest worms! They drink the soldiers’ blood and pocket their pay! Which one of them is indispensable?”
“A garrison that should have five thousand six hundred men is lucky if it actually has three thousand!”
“The remaining positions and pay all go into the pockets of the officials!”
“As for the court? Vice Minister of Revenue Fu Youwen, Minister of War Ru Chang, they are the court!”
Old Sun stared at Zhang Biao with his one remaining good eye, his voice trembling:
“This is not all… Some Princes have even wilder ambitions!”
“They secretly raise private soldiers in their fiefdoms. They dare not do it openly, so they use various means through the garrison officers to bring able-bodied military households to their princely estates. Nominally they are tenant farmers, but in reality, they are their private soldiers!”
“Provisions and equipment are all extorted from us military households!”
“Right! I know about this!”
Old Zhou slapped his thigh hard. “Take Xi’an Prefecture, for example, Prince Qin’s Mansion… Alas, there are some things I dare not say, but the brothers in the garrisons there are suffering immensely!”
“Good military land is seized, people are sent to the Prince’s Mansion to mine or build villas, and if they dare to disobey, they are beaten severely, or even inexplicably ‘die of illness’!”
“Cough, and Prince Jin’s Mansion…”
“Yes, although their titles have been revoked, the princely estates’ corrupt dealings in their fiefdoms continue…”
The old soldiers spoke one after another, their tearful accusations detailing the corruption of the garrison system, the tragic plight of military registration, and the illegal activities of princes colluding with military officers.
They may not have been able to articulate profound theories, but the tragic events they personally experienced or witnessed were more impactful than any document.
Zhang Biao listened silently, his fingernails digging into his flesh, drawing blood without him realizing it.
His heart, like the rainy weather outside, felt chilled to the bone.
He knew the Ming Dynasty’s garrison system had problems, but he never imagined it had decayed to this extent.
After all, this was only the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, meaning it would continue to decay for another two hundred years.
【 This is simply a real-life version of… a tragic world! 】
“Censor Zhang, we know you are capable. Although your situation is not good either, we have no other recourse. We were wondering if you…”
Seeing Zhang Biao’s increasingly grim expression, Old Zhou raised his hand to stop the others from speaking over each other, looked up at Zhang Biao, and spoke haltingly.
Hearing this, Zhang Biao immediately snapped back to attention, looked at Old Zhou and the other old soldiers, and said sternly, “What do you want me to do?”
“This…”
The few old soldiers exchanged glances, and then Old Li sighed and said:
“Censor Zhang, to have met you is the greatest honor of our lives. We know that coming to you like this is somewhat ungrateful…”
“You have already helped us a great deal…”
“But, we are truly desperate. We are rough, broken men, unable to contend with those officials. We were hoping that just as you sought ‘salary’ for Accountant Shen and the others, you could also seek ‘justice’ for us.”
“Yes, Lord Zhang, even if you can’t save my nephew, you must save those innocent villagers who were implicated!”
Old Zhou also chimed in, “Their lives are already hard enough. That village chief’s three sons died on the battlefield and he was exiled three thousand li.”
“Cough, Censor Zhang!”
Old Qian directly knelt before Zhang Biao, coughing and saying, “I beg you, please help us. Cough. Help these young men.”
As soon as he said this, several disabled old soldiers all knelt down.
“Censor Zhang!”
“Censor Zhang!”
“Lord Zhang!”
Zhang Biao looked at them and was again speechless.
Could he help? Of course, he could! But he himself was ‘poison,’ and at best could ‘use poison to fight poison.’ To truly solve the rotten problem of the Great Ming, it would require scraping the bone to remove the poison.
However, with Old Zhu’s current state, he likely no longer had the inclination to govern the country.
He was now solely focused on uncovering the truth behind the deaths of his sons, grandsons, and even his wife.
Although Zhang Biao had brought these matters up, it was undeniable that the deaths of Zhu Biao, Zhu Xiongying, and Empress Ma were indeed suspicious.
Furthermore, if Old Zhu hadn’t investigated the truth thoroughly, he wouldn’t have wavered on his system of appointing princes.
In other words, the suspicious deaths that Zhang Biao raised were actually the driving force behind his reforms.
Seeking new life amidst chaos.
【 Damn it! I’m really wearing myself out for this world! 】
【 Zhu Chongba, aren’t you going to establish a Crown Prince? 】
【 I’ll give you a ‘great gift’ to show you what kind of mess your chosen ‘benevolent ruler’ will have to face in the future. 】
【 Let’s see if your resolve to establish a Crown Prince is stronger, or the blood and tears of the millions of military households in the garrison system! 】
Zhang Biao’s gaze gradually became as sharp as a knife. The embers in the brazier flickered, illuminating a trace of almost cruel determination on his face.
Then he heard himself say coldly:
“I can help you, but I’m a madman. If you follow me, you must be prepared to die! If you’re not, then get out!”
“Don’t ask why Shen Lang and the others didn’t die! That’s their good fortune! Not everyone has such fortune!”
“What goes around comes around!”
“This…”
Upon hearing this, the old soldiers exchanged glances again, as if they saw hesitation, struggle, and the desperate rejection of a final gamble in each other’s eyes.
“Censor Zhang! We are not afraid of death!”
“That’s right! Our broken bodies are finished with this life. Rather than living on in shame, it’s better to go mad in a single burst of glory!”
“Censor Zhang! I’ll follow you!”
“Me too!”
“Good!”
Zhang Biao shouted, then glanced at the suspicious figures outside the window. He helped the old soldiers up one by one, and said with a smile:
“Back then, to help Shen Lang and the others get their salaries, I trained them all night on ‘dying for a cause’.”
“You are not censors or court officials, but you can also be trained.”
“Ah?”
The old soldiers looked bewildered, but Old Zhou couldn’t help but ask, “What does Censor Zhang plan to train us in?”
“Yes, Censor Zhang, we are all useless people, rough folk. What can we do for you?” Old Li added.
Zhang Biao smiled and looked at them. Without further ado, he took out writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the head of the bed, spread them on the dilapidated table, and with a flourish of the brush, wrote on the paper—
《 The Comparative Advantages and Practical Techniques of Disabled Persons in Intelligence Work 》
“????”
Question marks instantly filled the foreheads of the old soldiers.
Last day, please give double monthly tickets!
Two more chapters!
