Kong Qingrong picked up this newspaper, which was similar to the previous one. The first article on the front page listed all the disgraceful deeds committed by the Duke Yansheng's mansion, followed by veiled and direct mockery of the Duke Yansheng's mansion for disgracing Confucius and being the leader of those who surrendered to foreign races.
In short, it dug up the Duke Yansheng's mansion's past, exposing all their wrongdoings.
The difference was in the second edition of this newspaper. The article in the second edition stated that Confucius was still a sage of Confucianism. Even if everyone in the Duke Yansheng's mansion deserved to die, Confucius's legacy would not be extinguished. This was because the entire Menglianggu rebel group would offer sacrifices to Confucius in the form of a public ceremony.
In addition, Zhu Jinsong, the ringleader of Menglianggu, also published an article stating that the Menglianggu rebel group would thoroughly implement Confucius's spirit of "teaching without discrimination" and vigorously promote the construction of community schools in the areas ruled by the Menglianggu rebel group.
At the same time, Zhu Jinsong announced that the Duke Yansheng's mansion would be opened to the public as a tourist attraction, allowing people from all over the world to pay respects to Confucius in the Confucius Cemetery and visit the Duke Yansheng's mansion.
In summary, it was a move to kill with a thousand cuts.
Then, Kong Qingrong, the Duke Kong, who had only been in office for less than two days, was brought to the front of the Qufu County yamen by the killers under Zhu Jinsong.
What made Duke Kong Qingrong even more desperate was that Zhu Jinsong, the rebel leader, had arrived too quickly, and his steward, whom he had sent to Zhu Jinsong, had not sent back any news. As a result, all the grain and treasures that Duke Kong had used to threaten Zhu Jinsong had fallen into Zhu Jinsong's hands.
The North Branch of the Duke Yansheng's mansion was childless.
After obtaining the accumulated gold and silver treasures of the Duke Yansheng's mansion over the years, the once quite tight financial situation of the Menglianggu rebel group was immediately relieved.
The grain accumulated by the Duke Yansheng's mansion over the years was also unceremoniously accepted by Zhu Jinsong and used to resettle the refugees who had fled from Zhili to Shandong.
…
From the day he was born, Yang Daniu had no such thing as a grand name. His parents called him Yang Daniu, and his registered name with the authorities was also Yang Daniu.
It wasn't that Yang Daniu didn't want a nicer name. It was just that there wasn't a single scholar in Yang Family Village. It would have cost a few copper coins for a calligraphy fee to hire a scholar from the county town to name him. Yang Daniu's father, who was as poor as a church mouse, naturally wouldn't spend this money, so Yang Daniu could only be called Yang Daniu.
Perhaps because his name had "niu" (ox) in it, Yang Daniu was particularly strong since childhood. And in many cases, being particularly strong often meant being particularly able to eat.
As the saying goes, a growing boy can eat his father poor. Not to mention Yang Daniu, who could eat a lot from a young age. His father had long been unable to support him.
If his father couldn't support him, it wouldn't have been a big deal. After all, Yang Daniu, as he grew older, did not live up to his name and was as strong as an ox. If Yang Daniu could diligently cultivate a few acres of land, he would have been able to slowly live a good life.
Yang Daniu also wanted to diligently cultivate a few acres of land. After all, Yang Daniu, who grew up in the mountains, knew nothing about Zhu Jinsong or the Menglianggu rebels. His ambitions were not that great.
The problem was that the population in the Qianlong era had reached three hundred million, and the local gentry and scholars of our Qing Dynasty were all coveting that little bit of land. Therefore, Yang Daniu did not get his share of the land and could only farm the meager one mu of land with his father.
If it were just like this, Yang Daniu felt that his life might have passed like this. After all, in life, who wasn't just getting by?
Until one day, two yamen runners from the county town ran to the mountain gully where Yang Daniu's family lived overnight. Yang Daniu, who was planning to go to the fields naked under the moonlight, was naturally caught by these yamen runners.
At first, Yang Daniu thought these two yamen runners were here to collect taxes again. He was already thinking about how to cry poverty and beg for mercy to delay paying the taxes this time. He didn't expect these two yamen runners not to be here to collect taxes at all, and their attitude was not as arrogant and overbearing as usual.
One of the yamen runners even said to Yang Daniu with a smile, "Daniu, I'm here to tell you good news about Xiaoyang Village."
Seeing Yang Daniu's look of disbelief, the yamen runner continued to say with a chuckle, "You still don't believe me? This time, it's really good news—let me tell you, all the money and grain you owed before don't need to be paid anymore!"
Hearing the yamen runner's words, Yang Daniu's heart immediately trembled.
Although Yang Daniu had not read any books, he had heard the old sayings passed down by the elders: "Weasels wishing the chickens a Happy New Year, with no good intentions!"
In normal times, when did the Qing government not urge and force the poor common people like them to pay taxes? It was clearly only the fiftieth year of Qianlong, and the government was preparing to collect taxes for one hundred and fifty years. Now, they suddenly said that all the money and grain owed before did not need to be paid. Yang Daniu's first thought was disbelief.
Then, Yang Daniu had a second thought.
Did they mean to waive the taxes from the fiftieth year to the one hundred and fiftieth year of Qianlong and start collecting again from the fifty-first year of Qianlong?
After thinking about this possibility, Yang Daniu became even more nervous. He looked at the yamen runner in front of him and asked cautiously, "May I ask, sir, are you... are you going to collect the taxes for the fifty-first year of Qianlong?"
Yang Daniu's question made the yamen runner a little bewildered. After realizing what he meant, he laughed heartily and said, "What are you thinking? I just said you don't need to pay anymore. Can I lie to you?"
Yang Daniu thought, if you vulture-like descendants didn't lie, would I have to come out to work naked under the cover of night?
After thinking for a moment, Yang Daniu tentatively asked, "Then, what does sir mean?"
The yamen runner laughed again and mysteriously pointed to the moon in the sky before saying to Yang Daniu, "The world outside has changed!"
Yang Daniu's heart tightened, and he asked, "What has changed?"
The yamen runner said, "Heaven, heaven has changed! This Great Qing Dynasty is about to end!"
Without waiting for Yang Daniu to ask further, the yamen runner continued, "This Great Qing Dynasty is about to end. Emperor Qianlong has ordered all the loyal subjects in the land to return to Zhili, and he is driving our Zhili people to Shandong. Even we yamen runners are the same."
As soon as he heard this, Yang Daniu's ox-like eyes immediately widened, and he asked, "What? Driving us to Shandong?"
Damn it, he originally thought they were just going to collect taxes for a certain year of Qianlong, but he didn't expect the government wasn't here to collect taxes at all, but to take away their land!
Seeing Yang Daniu's ox-like eyes about to flare up with anger, the yamen runner chuckled and said, "Let me tell you, you shouldn't think this is a bad thing."
"I heard from my brother-in-law, who is serving in the Green Standard Army, that the rebels in Shandong are causing a great deal of trouble, and they treat the common people under their command very well. The common people in Shandong can eat enough and wear clothes, unlike you, who go to the fields naked every day."
Yang Daniu shook his head and looked at the yamen runner vigilantly, saying, "I don't believe you. Don't fool me. If you have something to say, just say it. Don't make fun of me."
The yamen runner also became anxious and shouted, "Why would I fool you? If I fool you, can you give me money?"
Speaking of this, the yamen runner looked at the naked Yang Daniu and said with a sigh, "You, who work naked every day, look so shabby! Bah!"
But Yang Daniu still shook his head, "I still don't believe it. If you say the government is going to drive us to Shandong, then I believe it. But if you say you're going too, then I don't believe it."
The yamen runner spread his hands helplessly and said, "If you don't believe it, then there's nothing I can do. But think about it, if we weren't going to Shandong with you, would I still be running to your broken mountain gully in the middle of the night?"
"Let me tell you the truth, Emperor Qianlong is definitely driving us out of Zhili. So, our county's yamen runners have been divided into two groups. One group is going to Shandong with you, and the other group is fleeing to Shanxi."
"The ones going to Shandong with you are like me. Although I've urged you to pay taxes many times, those were assigned by the government. I myself haven't harmed you."
"The rest who are fleeing to Shanxi are those who dig up ancestral graves and knock on widows' doors. They dare not run to Shandong with you, so they can only sneak away to Shanxi on their own."
"To put it bluntly, I came to your Xiaoyang Village to organize everyone from Xiaoyang Village so that we can look out for each other on the road. When we get to Shandong, you can still elect me as a yamen runner."
Hearing the yamen runner say this, Yang Daniu began to believe him.
If the yamen runners had suddenly developed a conscience, Yang Daniu would definitely not believe it. But if these yamen runners were planning for themselves, then this matter was very likely true.
While Yang Daniu was still hesitant, the yamen runner urged him, "Alright, hurry home and put on some pants, and then call everyone from Xiaoyang Village. Give them one night to pack up, and we'll leave as soon as dawn breaks."
Yang Daniu was stunned and asked, "Why so urgent?"
The yamen runner shook his head with a bitter expression and said, "Urgent? We have to be urgent! The Manchu court's official document ordered us to get lost quickly. If we delay a few more days, who knows if the Manchu will send troops to massacre the villages and cities?"
"To be honest with you, our county magistrate has already run away. We have no choice but to come to you overnight. The other officials in the county who dare to go to Shandong have already gone to various villages."
Since the yamen runner had said so much, Yang Daniu understood.
It was just that even though he understood, Yang Daniu was still hesitant at the thought of abandoning this land.
Although the land was not much, after handing over the part to the government, the remaining grain was just enough to ensure that he and his parents, a family of three, would not starve. However, he was still reluctant to abandon the meager one mu of land at home.
As Yang Daniu hesitated, the yamen runner urged him again, "What are you still thinking about? Hurry up! When we get to Shandong, everyone will get their own land, everyone will have enough to eat, and everyone will have new clothes to wear. Perhaps, you, Yang Daniu, can even find a wife."
The word "wife" finally made Yang Daniu make up his mind.
If he stayed in Xiaoyang Village, it was uncertain whether he could eat a full meal, but the possibility of finding a wife was very slim.
Rather than staying in Xiaoyang Village and letting the Yang family become extinct, it would be better to go to Shandong with this yamen runner, and perhaps he could find a wife there.
Yang Daniu felt that he had plenty of strength and was willing to work hard. As long as Shandong could give him some land, he could earn the money to get married.
With this in mind, Yang Daniu no longer hesitated and immediately said to the yamen runner, "Okay, wait for me. I'll go back and put on some clothes."
ps: Fourth update! Today, another 13,000 words updated, please vote!