Chen Mu's idea is actually that the mine owners and miners suffer losses, the mine cannot be opened, and they will be retaliated against in the future, leaving them with the only way to leave their hometown. But he had no other way, and in this era, the miners imprisoned officials and clashed with officials and soldiers, which was already a popular uprising.

And the popular uprising, in the eyes of the vast majority of officials in this era, should be suppressed.

Anyone can suppress it, but Chen Mu can't.

"No way!"

"Impossible!"

Regarding Chen Mu's proposal, Zhu Xiang and Zhang Yongshou subconsciously refused at the same time, but then they looked around, Zhang Yongshou took the lead in softening, looked at Chen Mu fiercely and said, "But at present, it can only be like this." ”

He's not as stupid as that tax collector.

Zhang Yongshou still understands the truth that the situation is stronger than people.

Zhu Xiang's reaction was interesting, he looked at Chen Mu and actually laughed, and then asked the mountain lord Yang Fan angrily: "How much silver does this soap official take from you?" ”

Yang Fan was the most looking forward to the turnaround among the several people, and Chen Mu's appearance pulled him back from the cliff, who was already on the verge of collapse, and when he heard Ambassador Ku's question, he hurriedly replied: "More than twenty taels." ”

Chen Mu smacked his tongue secretly, he didn't say bluntly that this tax collector asked for a few taels of silver in bribes, how could it become more than 20 taels now, just for such an iron ticket of ten taels of silver, Yang Fan could actually let the tax collector intermittently blackmail more than 20 taels...... He opened a mine here for a year, and he could earn more than 20 taels of miners' hired money?

Bah!

If he can earn more than 20 taels, will he still be driven to a dead end?

Zhu Xiang turned his head and wanted to lift the collar of the tax collector, but when he was halfway through, he seemed to be unwilling to get his hands dirty, leaned over and said in disgust: "Zhu's lack of discipline actually made you do such a dirty thing, and the money was spit out ten taels according to Chen Zongqi's words and handed over to Zhang Baihu to the Pension Banner Army, and ten taels were handed over to the government, if you can't pay it, you will go to prison!" ”

"Twenty taels of silver." Zhu Xiang was both angry and annoyed, raised his foot and kicked the tax collector's ass and scolded: "Isn't it ashamed, get up and get out of here!" ”

Zhu Xiang didn't look at the tax collector and Yang Fan, arched his hand at Zhang Yongshou and Chen Mu, and said: "Today's matter, Zhu will report to Fantai truthfully, so Zhu will go out first." ”

Zhu Xiang was the first to leave, and when the miners saw that he did not pursue it, they all applauded to make way out, as if they had forgotten the wounded workers who were still lying on the ground and the victims who had fought with the flag army before.

Zhang Yongshou saw that Zhu Xiang was not blocked, and he didn't say anything, so he said to Chen Mu with a smile, "Mr. Chen, Zhang will also tell the commander the matter as it is, you can do it yourself." ”

Chen Mu grinned and showed a mouth full of white teeth, lowered his head and patted the floating soil that he had hung through the forest before, clenched his fists to the grateful miners around him, and then said: "Since the matter is over, Chen Mou will also leave, you should disperse early, so as to save you a lot of dreams at night." That's right - I'm Chen Mu, the general banner of the Qingcheng Thousand Households, you are all in good physique, now that the mine has been destroyed, if you have difficulties in making a living in the future, you can go to Anyuan Post Station to join my command, the military household is not rich, but Chen's banner can still have food and clothing, and he resigned. ”

Yang Fan and others bowed to Chen Mu repeatedly, and being surrounded and walked out of the crowd made him feel very satisfied, but more because he felt that the world was difficult.

In his opinion, he did not provoke the popular uprising, and gave the soldiers a pension, but the two people who should be most grateful to him were not grateful, but the angry miners were grateful to Dade. What kind of world is this, and what are the values of this world?

On the front and back feet, Zhang Yongshou called the flag army hiding on the mountain to help each other down, Chen Mu knew that this kid must hate him in his heart, so he didn't talk to him happily, where did he know that Zhang Yongshou stepped forward by himself, and arched his hand with a smile and said: "Chen Xiaoqi is so majestic, he didn't need a soldier to achieve his wish." ”

As he spoke, Zhang Yongshou pointed to the banner army formed on the hillside, and asked with a smile: "I have long heard Jingchen say that Chen Erlang has the skill of training soldiers, no wonder he can have great achievements in imperial service; They are all the same military households, but they are different under the command of President Chen, you and I have known each other for a long time, I don't know if I can teach one or two, and then Zhang can also seek self-protection when he is in battle. ”

Chen Mu had long known that Zhang Yongshou was a smiling tiger, and he was very wary of him, and he didn't want to make friends with him again. But now that Zhang Yongshou spoke, Chen Mu simply stopped and asked Zhang Yongshou with a smile: "Brother Zhang can't look down on the ten taels of silver, right?" ”

He is not short of money, he can't look down on the ten taels of silver, and naturally he won't be grateful to Chen Mu, let alone forgive Chen Mu for calling him down and putting him in danger, but Zhang Yongshou also doesn't understand what Chen Mu said about the ten taels of silver at this time.

"What does this have to do with military training?"

"That's not for Zhang Baihu, it's for the dead and wounded flag army." Chen Mu picked his eyes and looked at the miserable military households behind Zhang Yongshou who were supporting each other, and said with a smile: "Chen has no family background, he only knows how to practice some queues, teach the flag army to be proficient, and where to know what to train." But Brother Zhang, how is it possible that you always feed them grass and want them to fight for you like wolves when you start a war? It's grass, and when you go to the battlefield, you can only run faster than you like a horse, and you can't catch up! ”

After that, Chen Mu didn't stay any longer, walked to the hillside with the handle of the knife and waved his hand to his subordinates, very proud, "Let's go, go back to Anyuanyi - Zhu Ku hasn't left yet?" ”

Chen Mu saw that Zhu Xiang, the ambassador of the political treasurer wearing a peach-colored robe, had not left yet, and was standing with Shao Tingda with his hands behind his back. The return journey is not as good as the road, Chen Zongqi? ”

What can Chen Mu say, take the reins brought by Wei Balang and turn over on the horse, reach forward and say to Zhu Xiang: "Please!" ”

After only a few steps, Zhu Xiang asked Chen Mu: "Mr. Chen, I don't have a problem here, and I hope to solve my doubts." Why did Zhang Baihu bring troops here, and the miners fought with him; Chen Zongqi led the troops here, but the miners were willing to tie their hands, and there were dozens of casualties before and after, but in the end it ended up only twenty taels, why is this? ”

Chen Muleng, who was pacing the horse, paused for a moment and almost blurted out 'Zhang Baihu stupid cock', but in the end he still held back.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Mu smiled at Zhu Xiang and said: "Zhang Baihu is a miner to become a people, and he should be a crusade; Chen was a miner and a miner, so he was fine. The people are hungry and humiliated by the soap officials, but they can still maintain reverence and loyalty to the court, how can Chen bear to force them to rebel? ”

Chen Mu just said casually, but Zhu Xiang didn't know what to think, and he was silent for a long time before he said quietly: "Chen Zongqi is insightful, Li Wenbiao in Guangdong, Li Zhen and his son rebelled last year, Xie Yunzhang in Jiangxi, and Lai Qinggui rebelled in the next year; The year before last, the miners in Zhejiang and Jiangxi changed and Cai Bo in Sichuan started the White Lotus Sect, all because of your words! ”

Note: Zhu Xiang is a tax official, don't think too much about his surname.

During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, there were 40 or 50 civil rebellions in the 45 years of the Ming Dynasty, because the Ming Dynasty's finances were beyond its means at this time, and the expenditure was more than twice the revenue. In the civil unrest, the main body involved in the rebellion were peasants, salt workers, and miners, representing the increasingly onerous land tax, salt tax, and mining tax.

However, now is not the time when the tax is the heaviest, and it is generally believed that the increase in the mining tax began when the Wanli Emperor sent a lieutenant official to serve as a tax supervisor.