Please ask me to be the emperor

When Ding Qirui, the prefect of Yan'an, mentioned the example of the "Gulu tribe of Hetao" trying to join the rebels, Zhang Shun had already made up his mind to completely eliminate these border guards and large gentry households.

The so-called "Hetao Gulu Tribe" refers to the Yao'er Dusi within a few bends of the Yellow River. It is one of the Yao'er Dusi tribes that directly threatens Yulin Town.

The real name of "Bu Zhan Mu" is Zhang Cunmeng, a native of Suide. In the first year of Chongzhen, he raised the flag of righteousness in Luochuan.

It stands to reason that the "non-stick" Zhang Cunmeng and the "Hetao Gulu Tribe" belong to different camps. Either they have a blood feud or they are completely unrelated.

As a result, this Mongolian tribe deliberately took advantage of the Han'er tribe to invade Yan'an and Yanzhou, and tried to join the rebel army with a clear purpose. The relationship between them is really intriguing.

Not only the rebels, but also the local gentry.

Internally, these people were able to build Wubao, collect money and food, and drive out the soldiers, making them powerful; externally, they were able to connect with the barbarians and lead the bandits with self-respect, just like the powerful Wubao in the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

When the barbarians came, these people could only defend the fortress and sit back and watch as the barbarians burned, killed, and looted, unable to do anything;

When the barbarians left, the others did not dare to leave the fort to pursue them, and they could only watch the bandits fly away. What use was it to the country and the people?

If we look at it carefully, their presence not only occupied a large amount of local cultivated land, but also seriously affected the court's tax revenue.

Yan'an Prefecture is close to Yulin, which just saves the loss of long-distance transportation. Therefore, Yan'an Prefecture was originally one of the main sources of military rations for Yulin Town.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, although Yan'an Mansion was dilapidated and sparsely populated, it was still able to pay 410,000 shi of grain.

Later, after two hundred years of reclamation, the imperial court collected only 129,589.72 taels of silver.

In the end, after various internal deductions and exemptions, the actual tax collection amounted to 36,637.22 taels per year, which was still not enough.

With this little money, even according to the grain prices in Xi'an and Luoyang, it can only buy 30,000 shi of grain.

If the current price of food in Yan'an Prefecture is seven or eight yuan a dou, it can afford to buy more than five thousand shi of food.

This is a discount and a reduction, and it’s a lot of tossing back and forth.

The actual tax collected by the Ming Dynasty in Yan'an Prefecture miraculously dropped from 410,000 shi to 5,000 shi, which was actually less than 2% of what Zhu Yuanzhang did when he founded the country. It is really amazing.

Originally, these powerful existences formed a perfect closed loop in the Ming Dynasty.

Without them, we would not be able to resist the Hulu invasion after the "Hetao Yierdusi" was broken.

If Aoer Dusi is allowed to occupy northern Shaanxi, another Xixia may appear, directly threatening Guanzhong, Shanxi and other places, and becoming a serious concern for the imperial court.

Therefore, the imperial court had to import a large amount of salary and grain every year to support the important town of Yulin.

However, in Zhang Shun's view, these people were a cancer for the imperial court and would become a serious problem if they were not eliminated.

If they eradicate them themselves, then the rebels can redistribute farmland to the victims for cultivation, and can collect at least 400,000 stone in tax and grain every year.

If you have these 400,000 stones of food every year, what kind of fortress do you need?

Zhang Shun could use the 400,000 stone tax grains to feed an army of 50,000.

At that time, not only can he directly reorganize Yulin Town, but he can even take the initiative to attack Yaoerdusi and drive out the nomads in the "Hetao" like he did in the early Ming Dynasty.

The enemy can do something, and I will do the same again; the enemy can go, and I will go again. What's the difficulty?

Just when Zhang Shun was full of ambitions, Ding Qirui couldn't help but said: "I recommend someone who can definitely help King Shun!"

"Oh?" Zhang Shun came to his senses and asked quickly, "Who is he? What is his resume?"

"This man is the sixty-second grandson of Saint Kong, and belongs to Xizuo household." Ding Qirui responded, "His name is Kong Wenzheng, his courtesy name is Guanwo, and he was a Jinshi in the second year of Tianqi."

"He has successively served as the head of the Department of Rites, the Ministry of Rites, and the doctor in the Ministry of Rites. He is currently serving as the Inspector of the Military Preparation of Qingyang, Yan'an, guarding Hexi Road."

"At first, he was defeated by the rebels in Yanzhou and retreated to Yan'an. Later, he was defeated again in Yan'an and captured by the rebels. He was imprisoned in the city's prison."

"It wasn't until I arrived in Yan'an to clean up the prison that I discovered this person."

"Now I have made the decision without authorization. I have released this person first and placed him in the palace. I am about to ask King Shun for instructions on how to deal with it properly."

"Separately guard Hexi Road to rectify Yan'an Qingyang's troops and prepare inspection envoys?" Zhang Shun was stunned when he heard this, and then he couldn't help but be overjoyed.

This position is actually the Military Preparation Road, commonly known as the Deputy Military Preparation Envoy. Its main authority is to manage military preparations, training, food and other affairs of the garrison within its jurisdiction.

And the deputy envoy of Hexi Province, Kong Wenzheng, was the person in charge of military affairs in Qingyang and Yan'an. No wonder Ding Qirui took the initiative to mention the cultivated land in Yan'an to him.

"Well done!" Zhang Shun couldn't help but praise, "I wonder where Mr. Kong is now? Take me to see him quickly."

After Kong Shengren?

Although in his previous life, he had a "good reputation" of "subjugating thieves when they come, and subjugating foreigners when foreigners come", this sign was still very useful among the scholars, and they had to make use of it no matter what.

"That Kong Wenzheng is in the minister's house, I'll call him over right now!" Ding Qirui couldn't help laughing after hearing this.

"good!"

Not long after, under the leadership of Ding Qirui, Shi Shiran, a man in his forties named Bodai Eguan, walked in.

"The sinner Kong Wenxi has met His Highness King Shun!" Kong Wenxi couldn't help but bow to the young man in front of him.

"Everyone is their own master, what's the crime?" Zhang Shun quickly helped him up and couldn't help but laughed, "Sir, you are a saint, how can you teach me?"

"I can't fully understand the way of a saint. In my humble opinion, it can only be described as benevolence and propriety." Kong couldn't help but humbly said after hearing this.

"Benevolence is the highest virtue, etiquette is the highest virtue."

"Since superiority and inferiority are distinguished, the superiors and inferiors are clearly distinguished. If the superiors and inferiors are distinguished, then the superiors will show their benevolence, the inferiors will observe their etiquette, and everyone will perform their duties, and the world will be settled!"

Zhang Shun was just polite at first, but he never expected that this man could actually make some sense.

What is etiquette and what is benevolence? Unexpectedly, Kong Wenzheng explained it thoroughly in just a few words.

Etiquette is used to restrain the inferior, benevolence is used to restrain the superior, perfect!

Of course, as for what is benevolence and what is etiquette, is it not the superior who has the final say?

Zhang Shun couldn't help but smile when he heard this and said: "The way of a true saint is now known."

"Now there are guards from Qingyang, Yan'an and Suide who are rude to me. How can I punish them?"

Kong Wenzheng, the deputy envoy of Hexi Province's military preparations, couldn't help being stunned when he heard this. He had just given some advice. How did he come to this conclusion?

But he also knew that he was just trying to pull a tiger's skin, so how could he dare to go against Zhang Shun's wishes?

Kong heard that he couldn't help but said quickly: "Qingyang, Yan'an and Suide guards have long been ruined and cannot bear their responsibilities. I wonder why King Shun regards them as a thorn in his side?"

"If King Shun asks questions, the guilty minister will tell you everything he knows, and he will tell you everything!"