Chapter 561 Buffer
By this time, Yan Mingjun also realized that he had made a major mistake in judging the situation in Danzhou. The influence of the Haihan people in Danzhou far exceeded his previous expectations.
Yan Mingjun originally thought that in Danzhou, a place where culture and education were prosperous, the literati would be more ethical. However, Haihan's local influence should mainly come from force and coercion, and this method is not so good for scholars. Easy to use. Yan Mingjun believed that as long as he arrived in Danzhou and raised his voice in the cultural circle in the name of a local official, a large number of scholars who were loyal to the court but had to succumb to Haihan due to the situation would come forward to respond, even if it was not enough to have an immediate impact. The Haihan people's local control was at least able to shift the direction of public opinion in favor of the Ming Dynasty. Over time, it is also expected that the Ming Dynasty will use the power of public opinion to force the Haihan people to make concessions, and the Ming Dynasty will once again control the military and political affairs here through local officials.
However, the local situation is obviously not as optimistic as Yan Mingjun expected. Haihan controls more than just city defense in Danzhou. It can be said that the entire social operating model here has been deeply imprinted with Haihan's imprint. The business and cultural circles here have long been eroded to an extremely deep extent by Haihan, and even the famous academies in Danzhou have not been spared. However, these situations are obviously not controlled by the Guangdong government far away on the mainland.
Judging from what he has experienced in just one day since arriving in Danzhou, Yan Mingjun believes that Ming's influence here has been lost to Haihan, at least on the surface. Those present were all local middle- and upper-class people, and these people were obviously more willing to stand on the side of Haihan than on the same side as themselves, the imperial officials.
Of course, Yan Mingjun can also understand the difficulties they face from the oblique speeches of the academy leaders just now. If they do not stand in the same camp as the Haihan people, then they will obviously be at a huge disadvantage in the competition with their peers. , with Haihan's sponsorship, they can recruit disciples and organize various activities to expand their influence. However, academies that are unwilling to accept these conditions will obviously be excluded from the mainstream cultural circle.
In the final analysis, interests are still at work. Human nature is like this, and Yan Mingjun has nothing to say. The Haihan people are not just a group of businessmen who are very good at making money. Their control over the current situation has obviously gone beyond the scope of businessmen. The current situation in Danzhou, as Zhang Xin said before, is not suitable for immediate transfer to the local government.
Although Yan Mingjun was extremely disappointed in his heart, he also knew that if he did not make amends immediately, he might have to consider resigning before he officially took office as a state official.
"Since people from all walks of life in the local area think so, it should be because I am worrying too much." Yan Mingjun has already lost face once, and he doesn't care if he gets slapped twice more: "It seems that the Haihan Management Committee has indeed put the local I will report this credit to the Governor in an official document for managing the affairs in an orderly manner. Director Zhang and everyone here will be rewarded by the court in the future."
Yan Mingjun's attitude changed so quickly that even Zhang Xin did not expect it. He could only give Yan a thumbs up in his heart. Originally, Zhang Xin had indeed prepared various plans for possible conflicts. If Yan Mingjun wanted to break up and cause trouble, the militiamen arranged by Zhang Xin downstairs would immediately go upstairs to arrest the person after receiving the signal, and then Zhang Xin would produce a certain Some "evidence" proved that the new governor had actually colluded with the pirate gang. At dawn, he was sent by boat to the Black Earth Port to work as a miner.
Of course, this is only a means of dealing with extreme circumstances. The opinion of the Executive Committee is to continue to maintain the existence of Ming government agencies in the near future, and try not to intensify the conflicts between local management committees and Ming officials. Those who can be bribed It is better to use soft means to deal with it. Even the die-hards who do not know how to deal with it will at best use methods such as house arrest before determining its harmfulness.
Of course, Zhang Xin is not willing to cause trouble for himself. If the new Ming officials are arrested, it will not be done after they are sent away. He will also have to write a written report to the base camp to explain the cause and effect, and he will have to handle the ending and aftermath of the matter by himself. Therefore, seeing that Yan Mingjun was beginning to give up, Zhang Xin gave him a step up in a timely manner: "Master Yan has just arrived here and does not understand the local situation. It is inevitable that there will be some mistakes. Master Yan does not need to take over the local government affairs. I’m too impatient, just follow our arrangements step by step.”
"Then it's Director Zhang!" Yan Mingjun responded with a smile, as if he had never had a verbal dispute with Zhang Xin just now.
The ensuing banquet was filled with a hello, me, and everyone atmosphere. The only person who seemed depressed and unhappy was probably Li Jin. However, after he finished two bottles of "Sanya Special Brew", he seemed to have temporarily forgotten his previous unhappiness.
After the banquet, Zhang Xin did not arrange other entertainment programs, but still sent a carriage to take Yan Mingjun and Li Jin back to their respective residences. Yan Mingjun did not rush back to his room to rest. Instead, he went to the study room, took out the banknotes he had received from Maliko and Li Nai a few days ago, and placed them on the desk.
The total face value of the two banknotes was more than a thousand taels. For Yan Mingjun, if he only relied on his official salary income, he would have to save for several years to save this amount. Even if I had some luck as a fellow intellectual in Luoding Prefecture, it would be difficult to have such a large amount of concentrated income. Moreover, Zhang Xin also told him at the dinner table just now that as long as he serves as an official in Danzhou, he can get a day's allowance from the Haihan Management Committee. Even if he does nothing, he will still have a day's allowance in a year. A lot of income. All bank checks issued by Haihan Bank can be cashed at the nearest bank branch in Danzhou City.
Yan Mingjun had a hard time deciding whether he wanted a term that was stable and profitable, or a term with an uncertain future that was likely to cause serious problems. He had indeed planned to come to Danzhou to show off his political talents. However, after arriving here, he found that his hands were tied and there was no room for him to display his talents. To say the least, after seeing the methods and abilities of the Haihan people, he really did not dare to boast that he could do better than the Haihan people. At least immediately after the chaos, local people began to organize the renovation of docks and official roads. This ability is not something that ordinary rulers can possess.
However, if Zhang Xin's intention was to create a clay Bodhisattva decoration in Danzhou that pretended to be deaf and mute, Yan Mingjun would be a little dissatisfied, not to mention that it was indeed inconsistent with his status as an official of the Ming Dynasty. If nothing is done, wouldn't it mean handing over Danzhou to the Haihan people and letting this place gradually become the territory of the Haihan people?
Yan Mingjun thought about it over and over again, gradually getting drunk, and fell asleep in the study. It wasn't until his family called him outside the room the next morning that he woke up from his sleep. Yan Mingjun collected the banknotes and left the study, only to realize that a government servant had come to report.
Yan Mingjun didn't even bother to eat breakfast, so he rushed to the front yard and saw several government officials hanging a plaque with the words "Danzhou Department" on the door. Yan Mingjun saw that there were traces of smoke and fire on the corners of the plaque, and he estimated that this thing was probably the plaque of the state government that had escaped being attacked by pirates before. However, this plaque is seven feet wide and nearly three feet high. It is a bit exaggerated to hang at the entrance of the courtyard. The lower edge has partially covered the two opposite doors.
Yan Mingjun frowned and said: "The size is not suitable, this is unseemly!"
When the officials heard this, they stopped and saluted Mr. Yan Ming and said, "If Lord Yan doesn't like it, do you need to make another plaque?" Mr. Yan Ming was about to say yes, but then he thought about it. It was emptied out. Nowadays, more than half of the operating funds are maintained by the Haihan people. Now we need to make a plaque. If the Haihan people are unwilling to pay for this unjust money, then don’t they have to pay for it themselves? The official plaque was painted in black with gold. Although the workmanship was not much expensive, it still cost twenty or thirty taels of silver. Why should I be taken advantage of?
Of course, the most important thing is that if I say that I want to change it, and the news reaches the ears of Haihan people, the plaque may not be finished for a year and a half. It is better to do less than to do more. I have installed all the equipment, so I can make do with it. Even if it feels a little inconsistent, it's not like I'm staring outside anyway, as long as it doesn't hinder the entry and exit.
"There is no need to replace it. Since this plaque is intact, let's use it first!" Yan Mingjun ordered calmly. Several government officials responded and continued the installation work at hand.
Yan Mingjun saw that these yamen servants were all dressed in authentic Ming attire, and their speech had obvious accent differences from the Haihan people. They should all be locals, so he took the initiative and asked: "You guys, before this, you were working in the yamen ”
The leader responded: "Sir Yan, the villain He Qi, and these brothers used to be the Zaoban on-duty servants of the state government."
Lord Yan Ming said: "How many of you are the only ones left in Danzhou Prefecture?"
Then He Qi responded: "When the pirates attacked the city last year, the governor and the general decided to defend the Yamen, but they were bombarded by the pirates with artillery, causing heavy casualties. After the Haihan people came, they have been recruiting laborers. Many brothers In order to earn a living, he quit his job and went to work for the Haihan people.”
Yan Mingjun nodded slightly. He had many years of experience in local politics, so he could understand what He Qi said.
Prefecture and county yamen in the Ming Dynasty were generally equipped with three shifts of yamen servants, namely the soap class for duty, the fast class for arrests, and the strong class for hard work. Of course, the so-called "three shifts of yamen servants" are actually just a general term. In fact, there are many positions in the yamen that are outside this division of labor, such as minzhuang, archers, grain clerks, men, slaves, guards, cooks, sedan bearers, and grooms. etc. Although Danzhou is vast and sparsely populated and does not have a large population, the state government has a staff of two to three hundred people.
The wages of these people are relatively low. The official salary is generally only a few taels of silver a year. Technical positions are slightly higher. They mainly rely on various gray incomes to maintain their lives. But after the government agencies in Danzhou were destroyed by pirates, these government officials were immediately unemployed. Without the authority of the government as a backer, these people were not much different from ordinary idlers. Once the income is cut off, it is natural that there is no talk of loyalty to the court. Whoever can provide food is the father. When Haihan recruited workers, these government officials also knew that Haihan's rules were to take care of food, housing and wages, so they all went there in droves. Signed up.
Of course, not many people are actually assigned to work on construction sites. These people have been screened out when they signed up. Most people will still be assigned to more suitable places and positions based on their own strengths. For example, some of the yamen who were engaged in police work were selected to receive police training from the Ministry of Justice. Later, they were transferred from the Daming Police Department to the Haihan Police Department. Especially for technical positions, whether they are archers, laborers or horsemen, almost all corresponding positions have been accepted. Even the servants responsible for collecting grain taxes have been absorbed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture. Their work experience will be these It is an important reference for the department to promote the new land system and grain planting technology in Qiongbei.
The few officers who were "returned" did not have any personal skills. The only thing they were good at was standing in the courtroom and shouting "power" and dancing with sticks to spank the prisoners. This kind of skill is not of much use to the Haihan Ministry of Justice. Considering that the new local officials also need to be matched with a team to be decent, Zhang Xin pulled these people out of the dock construction site and brought them It was arranged to come back as a yamen servant.
Yan Mingjun sighed: "You guys are loyal and were not taken away by the Haihan people."
Several government officials didn't say anything after hearing this. If the Haihan people hadn't arranged for them to come back as government officials, they would still be working on the construction site. Haihan's salary for workers like them is three taels of silver per month, and two meals are included during the working period. There is also a labor points promotion system that can increase income. Although it is much harder than holding a water and fire stick as a black-faced god in the past, the income level is indeed much higher.
Of course, when the Haihan people arranged for them to come back to work as yamen servants, they also made a special explanation. When they come back as yamen servants, they can get the same salary as working on the construction site, but the only condition is that they must report all kinds of yamen affairs to the relevant departments in a timely manner. Abnormal trends - for example, if a certain adult who is not so law-abiding has said something against Haihan.
These people had all seen how the pirate army captured Danzhou City with sharp artillery fire. They also saw that the arrogant pirate army did not dare to take resistance measures when the Haihan militia attacked, and abandoned the city early and fled. They have personal experience of how powerful Haihan's power is, and their understanding is much deeper than that of an outsider like Yan Mingjun. They had no intention of resisting the work arranged by the Haihan people.
(End of chapter)