"Li Yongfang's eldest son Li Yangeng?!" Dengzhen General Zhang Keda took a look at the guy tied in front of him, pursed his lips in disdain, as if just one look was enough to disgust him, and waved his hand to have him taken away.
Turning around, Zhang Keda's face was warm and friendly. He said to Liu Xingzuo, "General Liu resolutely rebelled and has the spirit of Li Xianzhong. It is truly admirable."
"Your Excellency, thank you for your praise. I dare not accept it." Liu Xingzuo was very humble and bowed respectfully.
Zhang Ke laughed loudly and said, "This evaluation was not made by me, but by His Majesty."
After a pause, Zhang Keda continued, "But now is not the time to celebrate. Our army needs to speed up its deployment, and General Liu will have to work hard."
Liu Xingzuo bowed and said, "As you command, I will obey your orders."
Zhang Keda nodded, waved his hand and ordered people to put out the map, and pointed out how to deploy the mission.
Restoring the state guards was like stabbing Daishan's troops in the back. But to completely cut off their retreat, they had to make careful arrangements and seize the time, which was very difficult.
The Sha River was a ready-made barrier to the enemy, but given the Ming army's strength, deploying defenses along the river was far from sufficient. Therefore, the key points of the next battle were Pangu Fort, Deliying City, and several major ferry crossings.
"Yangguan Fort, Fuzhouwei, Pangu Fort, and Deliying City are the main support. With the addition of a few ferry crossings, if they are properly guarded, Daishan's two red flags will be forced to go around the upper reaches of the Sha River and flee north..."
Zhang Keda pointed his finger from the seashore to the upper reaches of the Shahe River, pointing and saying, "It will be very difficult for our army to completely block the Jiannu's retreat, but we can try our best."
Sliding his finger north to Gaizhouwei, Zhang Keda nodded vigorously, looked up at Liu Xingzuo and said, "Either attack or surrender, the Gaizhouwei issue can only be best resolved by General Liu."
"I am willing to lead a detachment of troops there. We will surely capture the city without a fight." Liu Xingzuo expressed confidence, cupping his hands and saying, "I personally promoted Li Yushan, the commander of Gaizhou's defense. From what I have observed, he also harbors hatred for the Jiannu."
Zhang Keda nodded and praised, "Then I'll have to trouble General Liu." Then he called Dengzhen Zhang Bang and ordered him to lead the army to follow Liu Xingzuo to Gaizhou immediately.
Afterwards, the Liu brothers were each assigned to lead the Ming army to key locations such as Pangu Fort, their main responsibility being to lead the way and persuade them to surrender.
In addition, Zhang Keda also issued an order to relocate the people of Fuzhou and Gaizhou to Changsheng Island and Zhongdao to avoid possible war.
Finally, Zhang Keda left Li Weiluan in Jinzhen to lead the troops to garrison Fuzhou City. Although the force was small, with the help of the Liu brothers' personal guards, it was enough to suppress any rebellion in the city.
At this point, the four Ming troops that landed acted separately and carried out strategic deployment, using Shahe as a barrier to block the retreat of the two red flags led by Daishan.
Although Liu Xingzuo's rebellion was limited to Fuzhou, it reduced the chances of being exposed. The strong support of the Ming army and its subsequent active actions made up for the disadvantage of being too small.
…………………………Dividing line…………………………
After the early and middle Ming Dynasty, Jiangnan, with its geographical advantages and suitable climate, became increasingly important in the country's economic status.
With the return of the maritime merchant group and the recognition of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce by the court, coupled with measures such as the lifting of the maritime ban, the economic development of the Jiangnan region ushered in a new stage.
Despite the ongoing foreign war, the imperial court did not impose additional taxes on Jiangnan. However, the crackdown on gentry and students, as well as the increase in commercial taxes, were seen by many as harsh policies by the imperial court.
Zhu Youxiao ignored the resentment of some people and continued on the reform path he had designed.
The principle of promoting reform remained unchanged: not to support the fiscal budget with excessive taxation, but to maximize the people's strength. At the same time, merchants were encouraged to vigorously develop handicrafts and commerce, and industrial and commercial taxes were used to make up for the shortfall in state funds.
Besides, the current imperial court is not so urgent about the financial taxes from Jiangnan.
The silver and money came from the maritime trade taxes collected by the Maritime Customs; the grain was purchased and shipped from various countries in Southeast Asia.
As long as industry and commerce develop well, materials such as porcelain, tea, silk, and cotton will become more abundant, the export volume will be larger, and the profits generated will be greater.
Some people may say that since you want to develop industry and commerce, why do you have to increase commercial taxes? Isn’t this going against the grain?
However, Zhu Youxiao had his own understanding of this. On the surface, commercial taxes had increased a lot, but through the stationing of officials in the Chamber of Commerce and the change in the way commercial taxes were collected, the exploitation and oppression encountered in the transportation, sales and other links were reduced.
A discerning businessman can also see it clearly and calculate it clearly.
If the imperial court could have fair and just industrial and commercial policies, give merchants the right to make decisions, and allow them the opportunity to report their grievances to the emperor and have their grievances heard, and rely on the tributes and profits of the bureaucrats, wouldn’t that be more than the commercial taxes they have to pay now?
The court's crackdown on collusion between officials and businessmen is an important measure to create a fair and just business environment.
Collusion between officials and businessmen, and the inability to distinguish between them, were the root causes of Ming official corruption. It was these same people who, under the guise of "not competing with the people for profit," passionately and repeatedly undermined the court's efforts to increase commercial taxes.
The country is caught in internal and external troubles, swaying in the wind and rain, but the "upright gentlemen" are still there fighting to protect their own selfish interests and to reduce taxes for "themselves".
As long as the policies formulated and implemented by the court slightly touched their interests, they would be met with smears and insults, as well as united boycotts and sabotage.
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