"How many people?"

"two."

"What are they looking for me?" Deng Ming asked impatiently: "Are you going to do business? Should you buy our goods or sell us things? If this is the case, Major Mu will decide for himself."

Mu Tan was a little dissatisfied with Deng Ming's always asking him to engage in business and accepting bribes such jobs. He repeatedly claimed that he was a qualified general, and the job that was truly suitable for him should be training troops and patrolling camps. But now that Deng Ming's army is doing part-time business, it must have a person in charge. Deng Ming refused to take charge of all these tasks himself, so he had to find someone to do it for him, so no matter whether Mu Tan was willing or not, he had to do it.

"No." Mu Tan's messenger shook his head. Recently, a young scholar in Jiangnan wanted to surrender to Deng Ming and become his aides, and praised him for military affairs. The two scholars who came today also had this purpose.

At the beginning, Deng Ming had met several, but his experience and knowledge did not meet Deng Ming's requirements. He was also wary of these scholars, believing that they were mostly like Meng Zhengfa's playful nature. When they saw Deng Ming being in the limelight, they would come to speculate and make a point of guidance. If the Ming army was unfavorable, or if the military life did not meet their imagination, they would go back to their hometown to find reasons similar to "there are three unfilial things, and no descendants are the greatest".

These young scholars did not help Deng Ming very much, and if they were abandoned, then Deng Ming’s military secrets would be leaked. If ordinary soldiers dared to abandon, Deng Ming could punish them, and the highest punishment could even be considered for the death penalty. But these scholars were different. If Deng Ming dared to hurt their lives, it would inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the gentry.

Now Deng Ming has reached friendship with some gentry in Jiangnan through commercial transactions, which will be the channel for the Ming army to collect intelligence in the future. Therefore, even accepting these scholars is just a icing on the cake for Deng Ming. If any dispute arises, it will cause him unnecessary trouble.

"Major Mu thinks how do these two people know?" Deng Ming was dissatisfied and asked the messenger again.

"Major Mu feels that they are similar to those who came the first few times..."

"No!" Before the messenger finished speaking, Deng Ming said flatly: "I am very busy now. I have to ask about so many things in the military camp. Where can I have time to accompany them to drink tea for a while? Tell me some meaningless righteousness of the monarch and ministers? According to normal rules, like other heroes who joined the army, I invite them to have a full meal and then send them away politely."

The messenger left, Deng Ming continued to discuss the training progress of the recruits with Ren Tang and Zhou Kaihuang. Then the three of them walked out of the tent. Deng Ming wanted to go to the school ground to talk to several officers in charge of the training.

"The admiral can make it easy for me to find." While Deng Ming was busy, Mutan ran over in person. He just went to Deng Ming's camp, but he was empty and chased him to the school grounds: "The two gentlemen are so angry."

"Yes." This reaction was as expected by Deng Ming, but he didn't think it would cause him any special trouble. At worst, it would be a presumptuous evaluation. Moreover, with Deng Ming's current reputation, most of the gentry would speak for him, thinking that these two young people were not good at their level and could not catch Deng Ming's eye. But if you bring these scholars who could leave at any time, that would be a fatal matter. It would not be soft at that time, and it would greatly damage his image among the gentry.

"They yelled that they refused to leave, and they must explain it to the admiral in person."

"They are all brave men who come to join the army," Deng Ming was unmoved: "If they refuse to leave, arrange for them to live and let them eat. If they want, they can participate in the recruit selection, but I suspect they don't."

"Admiral." Ren Tang finally couldn't help but speak out. Although he admitted that the previous few scholars who came to join the army had no use, and were more arrogant and believed that they were talents urgently needed by the Ming army, he was still a little dissatisfied with Deng Ming's neglect of the scholars.

"Let's talk about it later." Deng Ming stopped Ren Tang's complaints and continued his daily military affairs.

He was busy until the sun set. After the barracks started, Deng Ming called all three of his confidant majors to his tent. When they had dinner together, Deng Ming continued the topic that Ren Tang wanted to develop just now: "These scholars are completely different from Brother Ren. They have never participated in the army, have never been to the battlefield, have not known how to calculate the consumption of baggage. I entrusted my heavy responsibilities to Brother Ren because I have killed the enemy soldiers and led the team to fight thousands of miles, not because Brother Ren is a scholar."

"Yes, if it weren't for Brother Ren, ordinary scholars would be useless." Zhou Kaihuang immediately expressed his agreement. When he was in Yuan Zongdi's army, Zhou Kaihuang also admired scholars very much, and the camp was also very respectful to scholars. If scholars defected to Yuan Zongdi and others, they would also be happy to entertain them. This respect for scholars comes from respect for knowledge and is also a manifestation of civilization. In China's history, only a very small number of barbaric rulers despise knowledge, and there are very few people who enjoy torture and persecute intellectuals.

Deng Ming also respects knowledge very much, but he does not think that literacy is omnipotent, but believes that majors need to be subdivided and there are many types of jobs suitable for these scholars. If there is no military knowledge, there will be no suitable position in the army. Zhou Kaihuang was influenced by Deng Ming's long-term thinking model and had no enthusiasm for recruiting scholars to serve as military positions in the Ming army.

"Then they cannot be regarded as ordinary soldiers who joined the army." Ren Tang was not unclear about Deng Ming's attitude, but he was still quite unfair for the two scholars who came to join the army, not to mention that they also had books of recommendation from famous scholars.

"In fact, I think the gentry in my dynasty is not as good as ordinary people." Deng Ming chuckled and said a comment that shocked all three of his partners.

Ren Tang quit immediately and insisted that Deng Ming explain it clearly.

"One day Brother Mu and Brother Zhou had arguing about whether the canal workers were citizens of the Ming Dynasty," Deng Ming did not answer immediately, but talked about the past: "How to judge whether a person is a citizen of the court and whether a person serves the country?"

Without waiting for the three of them to express their opinions, Deng Ming gave his answer: "I think this is working for the country if I join the army and bleed or pay taxes."

In Deng Ming's impression, it may be that foreign talents do not have the obligation to pay taxes to the government: "I don't like the word people. Relatively speaking, I like the word people. Those who serve in the military and pay taxes to the government are equal citizens, just like the same scholars in the capital. Although I have different positions from them, this is because of the opportunities and abilities. They all strive to support the court and the country like me. And what have these scholars in our dynasty paid for the country?"

"They served as an official to assist the emperor." Ren Tang argued.

"I don't think being an official is a kind of dedication to the country, and they seem to have received their salary." Deng Ming smiled again: "You know, I hire scholars to go to the Du Mansion with high salaries, teachers, teach children and scholars, and teach them to read and read. I set a very high salary, which is higher than your officers' reward, but not many people went there. It seems that only some children have responded and have taken the initiative to join our army. No one is willing to teach, and everyone wants to be an official."

To be a private school teacher - in many people's understanding, the teacher Deng Ming recruited is equivalent to a private school teacher - obviously it is not the way to go to the marquis.

"These teachers are highly rewarded, but they also have to pay a portion of the tax to the capital, which is their dedication to the country; those retired soldiers, I give them the treatment of the same juren, but instead of simply exempting their protection fees, they pay them first and then collect taxes according to the amount of their land, they will also serve the country like scholars. In the future, the officials of our capital will be born from these citizens who serve the country, rather than granting official positions to those who are unwilling to pay taxes to those who are unwilling to pay taxes to the country."

"This is the preferential treatment given to scholars by the court."

"Scholars should of course be treated preferentially and respected, but I always feel that they should not be treated preferentially by eliminating their responsibilities to the country. Is this a good way to sharpen the style of men? I am very skeptical of this." Deng Ming shook his head: "There are many ways to govern the country. One is to have a good background. As long as you have a good father, you will have a good future. You can also turn big things into small things and small things into nothing. When you are young, you can manage a county, manage a government in a few years, and then a province until you enter the cabinet..."

"Well, what the admiral said was the Eight Banners system of Lu Chou." Zhou Kaihuang said loudly: "But Lu Chou will also hold the imperial examinations, tempting scholars from all over the world to compete for the qualifications to carry the flag."

"There is another kind of complete imperial examination. From above, it is the king, father, minister and the people. You know this. It is the system of our dynasty." Deng Ming did not comment on Zhou Kaihuang's evaluation, but continued to talk about it. In Deng Ming's view, the Eight Banners system and the elites' best and bad. At least the Eight Banners system in the rising period can still defeat the corrupt elites.

"There is another kind of thing that I imagine, I want to try. Whether there is a prominent father or a knowledgeable person, the country will demand the performance of his duties. Under the rules I envisioned, a person can be more respected because of his knowledge. This is natural, he can obtain more wealth and live better than ordinary people; but the country will also require him to pay taxes like ordinary people, even more, because he has stronger abilities and should make more contributions to the country, and when necessary, the country will also need it.

We need the protection of this scholar. All people are citizens who provide taxes and blood to the country. This is the imperial system I envisioned." Deng Ming did not know what the clear definition of the empire should be in his previous life, but now he is a blank piece of paper that can be smeared by him at will: "Except for the Lord, every nationality of the empire should be equal, and I also include all laws that are valid for me are valid for everyone; for others, if I do it, I will commit a crime, and I will also be punished the same."

"At least in the capital, this should be true; at least, we can try it." Deng Ming looked at the three dazed companions and finally added.

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The author's note: I will go to Guangzhou to do something tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I dare not say whether it will be updated in the past two days. At least tomorrow will be very nervous. I will take the bus at 7 o'clock in the morning, fly at noon, and arrive in the afternoon. It seems that there is no time to write it. The day after tomorrow is also a day. If everything goes well the day after tomorrow, the day after tomorrow may be more affordable.

If it cannot be updated tomorrow, I owe readers five thousand words; if it doesn't work the day after tomorrow, it's ten thousand, and I will make up for it one after another - I can't guarantee that I will repay it clearly within a few days, but I will keep it in mind.
Chapter completed!