"Waste utilization?"
Zheng Chenggong did not understand.
Zhou Yanru had no choice but to continue explaining: "That's right, His Majesty just issued an imperial edict saying that many people in our Great Ming Dynasty are still illiterate."
"It would be perfect to have these gentry teach the common people. What did His Majesty call this... 'supporting education in rural areas'?"
Zhou Yanru felt that the word was a bit strange when he said this.
However, Zheng Chenggong laughed and said, "I see."
"Your Majesty's arrangement is ingenious, but it's a pity that these people are definitely not as good as Mr. Gao."
"Huh? What does this have to do with Master Gao?" Zhou Yanru didn't understand what he meant, but he didn't ask.
He casually remarked, "In short, after I've squeezed all their assets out of them, I'll just pick a few of the most heinous criminals and have them executed."
"Most others were simply exiled."
This time, Zheng Chenggong did not object. He smiled and said, "That's good."
Meanwhile, at the mouth of the Yangtze River.
Dozens of ships were anchored at sea, and merchant ships passing by avoided them from a distance.
But they dared not stray too far from them, instead deliberately controlling the distance so that the people on the ship could not see the flags they were hanging.
Zheng Yiguan stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the flags of his own company hanging on the passing ships, and suddenly laughed.
"This business of charging tolls is really easy to do."
Zheng Yiguan, this notorious pirate, has been running rampant for many years and is long past the point where he should take the initiative to attack.
Now he sells his protective flags to merchant ships, and once they are hoisted, they are considered to be under Zheng Yiguan's protection.
If you don't hang it up, then don't let me see it, or I'll rob you without hesitation.
It was through this risk-free business that Zheng Yiguan was able to maintain these dozens of warships.
Upon hearing their leader's words, the pirates behind him all nodded in agreement.
"The boss is right."
"But now that we're all officers and soldiers, won't it be less convenient to do this kind of business in the future?"
Zheng Yiguan shook his head, a strange smile on his face.
"This business can still continue, but it won't be done this way anymore."
Actually, not long ago, his views were similar to those of his subordinates.
Although he had accepted the offer of amnesty, he only saw it as a way to obtain an official position and then suppress the other pirates.
In addition, he also wields considerable influence in Japan, across the sea.
With an official position in the Ming Dynasty, even the Japanese dared not underestimate him.
But after meeting his beloved son a few days ago, his thoughts completely changed.
"Success is right. Pirates can't stay on land forever. Sooner or later they'll have to come ashore."
"Japan is still no match for the Ming Dynasty. Now that the court is going to pacify Liaodong, it is a good opportunity for me to make a name for myself."
"If I can seize this opportunity and become a chiliarch or something, or even a viscount or baron, then I will have done right by the ancestors of the Zheng family."
Thinking of this, his heart gradually warmed.
He couldn't help but think, "That Mr. Gao is quite good. He only taught him for a few months, yet he taught him so many things."
"When I have the chance, I must go to the capital to see him."
However, he didn't have to wait too long.
Over the next month, Zhou Yanru ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to launch a full-scale attack on the gentry's weaknesses.
Within just over ten days, the gentry were beaten so badly they cried for their fathers and mothers and handed over tens of millions of taels of silver.
In addition, there are tens of millions of acres of land.
Even if Zhou Yanru followed the agreement and wanted to let the tenant farmers who had donated their land take it back.
Of the land that the local gentry bought over the years, more than two million mu still remain.
Such a large amount of land presented Zhou Yanru with a dilemma.
"Forget it, these are matters beyond my control. Let His Majesty worry about them."
With a wave of his hand, he wrote down everything that had happened here in a memorial to the throne and sent it back to the capital by express courier.
He then instructed the soldiers who were heading south to prepare for their return to the capital.
As for Zheng Chenggong at Jiangkou, he will also go north with them.
When Zhou Yanru's memorial was sent back to the capital, Zhu Youjian was both surprised and delighted.
"Haha, Jiangnan is indeed prosperous!"
He didn't care too much about the more than ten million taels of silver.
Because he had confiscated the homes of Wei Zhongxian and the Donglin Party members, his treasury was not short of silver at all.
In addition, there will be income from maritime trade in the future.
This ten million taels is just a bonus.
However, these extra two million mu of land are extremely precious.
"A few months ago, the Ministry of Revenue reported that the Prince of Fu's fiefdom spanned two provinces, but in total it was only a little over one million mu of fertile land."
"These gentry from Jiangnan own more than two million mu of land!"
Zhu Youjian slammed his hand on the desk, his eyes flashing with anger.
"No wonder Master Gao said they were all parasites on the country!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen, who was standing nearby, secretly shook his head.
The land belonging to the Prince of Fu was bestowed upon him by the Wanli Emperor in one go.
The fertile land owned by the gentry in Jiangnan was accumulated slowly over two hundred years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty.
In terms of sheer absurdity, Prince Fu's actions were far more egregious.
But Wang Chengen naturally wouldn't point these things out.
He looked up and smiled, "Your Majesty is right, the gentry of Jiangnan are not worth the death."
"It is already an immense kindness that you spared their lives."
Wang Chengen casually offered a compliment.
Zhu Youjian ignored these questions and instead asked, "Then what do you think I should do with these fertile fields?"
How could Wang Chengen dare to interfere in this matter?
He quickly shook his head: "Your Majesty, you should either ask Master Gao or a high-ranking official in the court about this matter."
"This servant dares not say any more!"
Zhu Youjian gave him a serious look and nodded inwardly.
The reason he asked Wang Chengen that question was intentional; he wanted to see if his personal eunuch had any improper thoughts because of his favor.
"Now it seems that this servant is actually quite reliable."
Zhu Youjian smiled and said, "Good, Wang Chengen, you're right."
"You adopted a godson, so you must be quite old, right?"
"After the court pacifies Liaodong in a few years, I will send him to serve in the army so that he can gain some fame and merit."
Wang Chengen was deeply moved upon hearing this and immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."
This time he was being sincere, without a trace of flattery.
"Your Majesty's kindness is something I can never repay in this lifetime."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian seemed to recall something, and a strange smile appeared on his face:
"Forget it, I'm not a loan shark, and I don't expect to repay this favor."
He casually dismissed Wang Chengen, and only then did a thoughtful expression appear on his face.
“These lands are of great importance and cannot be disposed of lightly.”
Having spent so much time with Gao Qingyun, Zhu Youjian has also made a lot of progress.
He already knew that the Chinese people had always valued the land highly.
"Back then, Emperor Taizu's garrison troops were able to recover the north and even defeat the Northern Yuan because the court allocated land to the garrison troops."
"Later, the garrison system deteriorated because the land of the garrisons was seized by officers at all levels."
"In addition, the population increased, but the land did not increase proportionally. The garrison soldiers received less and less land, and they could not even support themselves, so they were even less able to fight."
"These two million mu of land in Jiangnan, plus the more than one million mu of land owned by Prince Fu, are enough to allocate land to the sixty or seventy thousand people newly conscripted by the court..."
Zhu Youjian rubbed his chin and began to study it seriously.
"Someone, summon the Ministers of Revenue and the Minister of War to me."
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