Chapter 294 The kitchen household system is gone!
Two days later.
The long-discussed workers’ meeting was held.
Households from states and counties under the Chief Secretaries of the South gathered together. Some of them had met in private, and some had not yet met. Now they are all sitting together in a friendly manner. Many people They also chatted with each other for a few words, and the atmosphere seemed very friendly.
Today’s meeting, there were very few people from the government.
There are only a few petty officials and soldiers to maintain basic order.
It seems like a chat station.
No one among the Zaohu people present dared to relax.
After all, officials are officials and people are people.
They are still one of the troublemakers. If the government really attacks them, they have no power to resist. Moreover, they are actually a little disappointed when they see that there are not many officials around. Many of them are running An idea, if the government really doesn't give you a way to survive, then one life will be exchanged for another.
Their lives are cheap.
But the lives of officials are precious.
Killing an official is a complete gain for them.
If you can kill two, it will be a bloody profit. However, these officials seem to know their thoughts. Basically, few people come. There are only a few small officials present, and the rest are some burly figures. , guard soldiers holding swords.
Deng Muzi sat with Fang Erniu, Li Dali and others.
This is the first time since the riot that he has appeared in front of others so openly.
This felt like a world away from him.
Deng Muzi sat in his seat, raised his buttocks slightly, looked around a few times, and whispered: "Everyone who is slightly famous from various states and counties is here. If something happens this time, we will really be punished. Catch them all in one fell swoop."
Deng Muzi had a bit of uneasiness and worry in his eyes.
There were too many kitchen households who came to participate, and they were all well-known people in the local area.
If something happens to them, I'm afraid that Zaohu's troubles will completely fall into silence, and then the fun will really be over.
Fang Erniu said: "Shh, what time is it? Don't say such things."
"We are here, what is there to worry about?"
"Death is inevitable anyway, at least you have to understand it."
"We can't just die in confusion like other people, and I feel that the government will not lie to us. Who are we? In the eyes of the government They don’t even count as human beings, so why bother targeting them so much?”
"What I'm worried about now is that the imperial envoy is determined to solve the problem, but the local officials are not happy."
"What should we do if they attack us privately?"
Li Dalieng He said in a voice: "What else can we do? The worst case scenario is that we will die here. Anyway, I have already taken care of my funeral arrangements. I have observed the surroundings before. As long as the government does not ambush too many people around, we can only escape a few." It’s not a problem.”
Hearing this.
Deng Muzi was stunned.
Immediately, his face lit up and he became much closer to Li Dali.
The other kitchen households who formed a small circle also had their own thoughts.
They are all deeply uneasy about this conference.
There are even many people who are not willing to come, but are just caught up in the current situation. They are worried that the government really has this intention and they will suffer a loss if they don't go, and they are also worried that the government is plotting against them in order to get rid of them. Catch them all in one fell swoop, so my mood is very complicated.
My whole body was hanging and tense.
Not long after.
Someone from around shouted ‘Quiet’ at the top of their lungs.
Everyone turned to look at the door. There was no pomp and there were not many officials.
There is only Xia Zhibai.
Seeing this strange and young official, everyone had strange expressions on their faces, with a bit of uncertainty and a bit of doubt. When Xia Zhibai sat on the main seat, they finally Realized that this was the 'imperial envoy'.
Xia Zhibai said with a smile: "You don't need to look at me like this."
"Who said that officials must be fat-bellied or have a cold face? It doesn't have to be middle-aged people, but also young people. It’s okay, as long as you can do things, do good things, and do things that are beneficial to the world, you should be younger when you are younger.”
Listening to Xia Zhibai’s joke, some people around him laughed.
Xia Zhibai said again: "When I gather you all, I won't be thinking about catching you all in one catch. If you really want to catch them all in one catch, the government will have already taken action a few days after you arrived in Yuhang. Why wait until Now?"
"So you can rest assured."
"The imperial court really wants to solve the Zaohu issue."
"You can also keep your heart in your stomach. Although I am not sure that no one will be dissatisfied, I can tell you very clearly, I, Xia Zhibai, respect you very much, and I really want your lives to return to normal."
"However, there are so many kitchen households that it is impossible to cover everything."
"I can only do my best."
"If there are any other inconsiderations, I hope you will forgive me." Xia Zhibai cupped his hands slightly.
There were people cheering all around. However, more people still looked skeptical.
They are not three-year-old children anymore, so they will not be swayed by such empty words.
And they all have families and children, and they are even less likely to be moved beyond words just for an empty talk.
Xia Zhibai looked calm and said slowly: "The main purpose of bringing you all together is to discuss how to properly resettle the kitchen households. You are all people with certain influence and reputation in the southern states and counties, so we all The speech is representative to a certain extent.”
"It can be considered a collective representative."
"And I represent the Ming Dynasty!"
"There is no need for me to say more about what happened in the south in the past year. You all know better than me. , As for the reason, I also understand that the main reason is that the promotion of machines has deprived you of the jobs you originally relied on for a living. In just one or two months, you all lost your jobs."
"Da Ming's Stove. The household system has certain problems in this regard. "
"That is to say, the Zao household is hereditary, and a Zao household can only be a Zao household, and can only engage in salt production. Suddenly the government no longer accepts salt. I suddenly lost my income and was suddenly abandoned. I was even unable to engage in other industries due to the constraints of the system.”
"You are dissatisfied."
"You think all this is caused by machines."
"So some people began to agitate for trouble and wanted to smash those machines so that the government could continue Use you."
"Let the world return to the way you know it"
"But"
"You should have visited the market entrance in the past two days and seen the existence of steam engines with your own eyes. You should also understand that in this era of increasingly roaring machines, the era of kitchen households has completely passed and will never come back again. "
"Not many people want to go back."
"The people don't want to, the government doesn't want to, the merchants don't want to, and even many households don't want to go back."
"Every day. Working from dawn to dusk to make salt, but unable to exchange for a few taels of broken silver, the family is always asking for money, and more importantly, the whole family can only make salt. This kind of life will end in sight. You have become accustomed to it. But not everyone is willing to do it.”
“Not everyone is numb. Everyone has the right to pursue a better life.”
"This time I come here not only on behalf of the court, but also on behalf of myself. I solemnly tell you."
"The kitchen household system has been cancelled!"
"From now on, there will be no more There is a kitchen household."
"Your persistence is meaningless."
"I am afraid that you are exhausted physically and mentally after more than half a year, otherwise you would not think of coming. If you still want to continue to struggle, the government can continue to accompany you, because the government supports the majority of people, and you are the minority after all.”
"If you want to give up, then we can sit down and talk."
"The government will arrange a way out for you, solve your current worries, and let you start over."
"Change A different life, a different style."
"Now, I leave this decision to you."
Xia Zhibai looked at the people below calmly.
It was quiet all around.
Few people spoke.
They all looked at each other blankly.
Decision?
What decision can they make?
Continuing to fight to the death with the government is obviously a recipe for death.
But if they give up, what can they do? They have been making salt for the first half of their lives, and they can only make salt. If it were other things, would they really be able to survive? Many people are confused and at a loss.
Xia Zhibai did not speak, waiting for their answer.
A long while.
Finally someone spoke.
Someone stood up, his body slightly stooped, and he looked very unconfident. He didn't even dare to look directly at Xia Zhibai. He only dared to look at the soles of Xia Zhibai's shoes. He whispered: "Sir, if we are not the kitchen households, the government will How to arrange it? "
Others also echoed: "Sir, what is the arrangement of the government?"
"We want to hear it first." br>
“Yes.”
“.”
More and more people shouted.
Xia Zhibai shook his head and said: "The government's attitude has been clear for a long time. It is impossible to satisfy everyone, so you need to make your own decision first, otherwise even if I say it, you will make another fuss. In the end, it turned out to be a farce."
"People need to be responsible for their own decisions!"
"I can only tell you that the government tried its best!"
(End of this chapter)