Chapter 358: Changes
All the farmers, every household has someone serving as a soldier. If you follow the orders of the nobles and powerful people to rebel, you are guilty. According to the Ming Dynasty law, not only will your whole family be executed, but your three clans will also be executed.
The emperor is wise and knows that everyone is innocent, but the law is not merciful. If a prince breaks the law, he will be guilty of the same crime as the common people. However, the emperor is merciful and gives you a chance to reform and make meritorious contributions while guilty, that is, to serve as a soldier.
Because you are guilty, although you enjoy the welfare benefits enjoyed by ordinary soldiers in the army, you do not have military pay. You either die on the battlefield and the charges are automatically eliminated, or you use your military merits to exchange for the emperor's pardon.
Of course, if you serve as a soldier for five years, you will also be pardoned by the emperor. After the pardon, if you continue to serve, you can enjoy military pay and receive a bonus of one year's military pay.
As for your family members. All of them were freed from slavery and re-registered. Each household would be allocated some land and could live in a brand new and sturdy house. Various farm tools were given free of charge by the court. Rice and vegetable seeds were also provided free of charge by the court in the first year. In the first two years, taxes were halved.
All the farmers could not help crying. For them, this was not a punishment at all, but a grace of rebirth. The emperor was very wise and worthy of their descendants to set up a longevity tablet to worship for a lifetime.
In fact, Zhu Youjian wanted to make the same arrangements for all the liberated farmers, registering them, allocating land, building houses for them, giving them some farm tools, rice and vegetable seeds, and a little food to sustain their livelihood for free, and exempting them from taxes for two years.
However, he played a routine. He first frightened them with the "Great Ming Law", and then showed them kindness after scaring them. He used both kindness and force, earning their gratitude and loyalty, and also made all the farmers who served as soldiers with "guilty bodies" swear to fight bravely, win military merits, strive to get the emperor's pardon as soon as possible, and go home to reunite with their families.
It is said that once you enter a wealthy family, it is like a deep sea. There is such a saying in Zhu Youjian's routine that once you enter the army, it is like a deep sea. If you want to retire, I am afraid you will not be able to let go, hehe.
Three days later, the public trial was held on the grass outside the West City Gate. Almost all the people in the capital came to watch, filling the wide grass.
There were no loudspeakers in those days, and the officials in charge of the trial could only speak loudly with the temporary loudspeakers in their hands, so that all the people could hear as much as possible.
The purpose couldn't be simpler, that is, to let the people know what was going on, so that they would not be used by some people with bad intentions.
In terms of playing with public opinion, occupying the moral high ground, and winning people's hearts, no one can play better than Zhu Youjian.
The chief judge publicly announced the crimes committed by all the people, and immediately executed them after verification. The heads were rolling, and the blood dyed the grass red. Although it was bloody, all the people applauded and shouted that the emperor was wise.
Although Zhu Youjian knew that the families of these criminals were innocent, he wanted to kill them as a warning to some people and the people of the world, don't be fooled and used by bad people. The law is not merciful for blindly rebelling and committing crimes. No matter you are a woman, a child, old or young, according to the "Great Ming Law", you should be beheaded, and there is no use regretting it.
Wu Buwei, Gu Junming, and Song Xiance, the three major military advisors, couldn't help but admire the emperor's means of turning the tide. It was really powerful, and it was impossible not to admire him.
From the arrest to the public trial, the more than 3,000 heads chopped off did scare many people. They were not fools. Those who could thrive in the business world and make a lot of money were all highly intelligent. They knew the emperor's intention very well. He was not a benevolent monarch. If they continued to make trouble, they would all be killed.
Calculating the time, there were only a few days left before the deadline for applying for an industrial and commercial business license. Once missed, it would be a huge loss.
Losing money is painful enough, but the key is to go against the emperor. The emperor wants to kill you, it's just a matter of a word. Who wouldn't be afraid?
Driven by fear and interests, those merchants who were still closing their shops and striking spontaneously united to put pressure on the bigwigs of the Chamber of Commerce, forcing the bigwigs of the Chamber of Commerce to put pressure on the Donglin Party.
Don't you usually brag about how powerful you are? Can you still play now? If you can't play, we surrender.
The surrender of merchants meant that the generous tributes they received every year would be converted into taxes and no longer go into their pockets. No one was willing to give up such a huge profit.
The huge pressure from all sides forced the leaders of the Donglin Party to hold a meeting again to discuss countermeasures.