As an official, you will reach the point of Mei Guozhen. Whether you are a clean or a corrupt official, your eyesight is absolutely good.

Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be corrupt officials, and it is more difficult to be a corrupt official than to be a corrupt official. It is even more difficult to be a capable official like Mei Guozhen, and the country needs to do things mainly because it depends on officials like Mei Guozhen.

Too honest is like Hai Rui. Everyone is afraid of being alone in the officialdom. It cannot be crushed or smashed. The aura of integrity protects the body and fights the world with invincible hands. When you move your mouth, corrupt officials will sweat profusely. However, such an official cannot do things, and an official who does not end the rules in the officialdom cannot do things.

It’s not okay to be too greedy. You don’t have the heart to do things at all. You are all focused on how to make money. There are also many people who are obsessed with it because they make money.

Only by wandering among the two, arming and protecting oneself with a low degree of greed and smoothness, and using one's own eloquence and thinking to accomplish one thing in a world of difficulties, these capable officials are particularly valuable practical talents. It is precisely because of such talents that the Ming Dynasty did not collapse.

Mei Guozhen is one of them. If you want to maintain a relatively awkward standard, you can still be an official and a governor, and you can hold certain power. What you need is not only principles and character, but also skillful human feelings. This is the same at any time.

Therefore, the faces of those gentry, powerful and wealthy businessmen should not be too ironic when they fall into Mei Guozhen's eyes.

Sure enough, Du, who was sitting next to Kang, spoke first.

"Futai and work hard for the country, we have been doing things since the beginning of our ancestors. We have been deeply grateful to the country and have been able to do business here. We have always kept our identity and responsibilities in mind, and we dare not neglect for a day.

But Futai also knew that the celestial phenomena became colder, and it was not only the common people who were affected, but also the people who were suffering from the disaster! The food was frozen to death and could not grow in the ground. We had more land, but there were more tenants and more mouths to eat.

It seems to be rich, but in fact, we know the pain of it ourselves. We never talk about it, and we swallowed it with blood. No one said that one is bad. However, when we open our eyes every day, hundreds of people eat, drink, defecate and urinate. We have a little more income, but the expenses are also high!"

Liu, who was beside Du, also spoke.

"Yes, Futai, what Du Dangjia said makes sense. We all look glorious on the surface, but in fact we live no better than others at all. The common people are poor, but they don't need any filial piety. We are different.

When doing this business, eating this bowl of rice, there are always various filial piety in the court. This family is dozens of taels and there are hundreds of taels. The big boss’s family is sold, and we also have to pay for the small boss, let alone the tenants, those long-term workers, the servants and maids at home.

As Du Dangjia said, even if it is a good harvest year, every day when you open your eyes and open your mouth to wait for us to serve, the bigger the family, the greater the expenses. How many mouthfuls can you actually fall into our mouths? Do you think? The pain in this can only be said to be like a person drinking water, and he will know the cold and warmth."

After saying that, Du and Liu, everyone nodded and said yes, one after another.

Seeing that the heat was almost done, Mei Guozhen's expression became worse and worse, and hurriedly said, "Okay, stop talking about it. Futai is already busy and upset enough on weekdays. Do you still have to bother Futai with such things? Do you think Futai's government affairs are not busy enough, right?"

The group of people immediately shut up and apologized repeatedly.

Kang took the opportunity to say to Mei Guozhen: "Futai, although these people are ungrateful and talk nonsense, I have to say that some things here are true, just say that I, Kang's property in Datong, has more than 100 tenants, and there are thirty or fifty servants and maids in the family.

Every day, when you open your eyes, hundreds of people eat, drink, defecate and urinate, wait for Kang Shi to pay for money. Before he earns, he pays it first. The years are very bad in recent years, and the harvest per mu of land has dropped by 70% to 80% compared with the previous years. We are also losing money to make up for the shortcomings of our family. It is really difficult to survive!"

Seeing that Kang Shi also expressed his meaning, Mei Guozhen knew that if he didn't have a dose of strong medicine, he would be useless. Today, he would not be able to take away a piece of food.

So Mei Guozhen picked up a glass of wine and said slowly: "Can you know, the Tumote tribe outside the pass has reached a level?"

Everyone shook their heads quickly.

"The weather is very cold and the harvest is poor. I haven't traded with them for some time, so I don't know the specific situation."

Kang's answers on behalf of everyone.

"The third lady was forced to come to Datong to seek food. The situation of the Tumote tribe has reached the brink of collapse. If there is food, it can calm people's hearts and let them continue to guard the border to resist the Mongolian cavalry that may come further north. If there is no food, people will be starved to death. Who will still be in charge of the covenant?

Everyone, I am definitely not exaggerating. Once the food is out of stock, in order to survive, the Tumotes will never sit and wait for death. They will definitely go south to Datong to invade the border. At that time, Governor Wang will not repay his 20-year hard work. The war in Datong will start again, and the lives of people will be devastated, and the people will suffer. I am afraid that your life will be difficult, right?"

Mei Guozhen looked at the rich gentry around him, and saw that they were hesitant and felt a little excited.

"I am the governor of Datong. The court ordered officials to be accused of reasoning and law, but the laws of the Ming Dynasty are only useful to the people of the Ming Dynasty. Those Mongolians do not care about your laws of the Ming Dynasty. They only need to eat, just money and women, and I will not hide them from you. The soldiers of the Datong army are already short of food.

However, the court's food will not be able to arrive. The situation is extremely critical. If there is no more food support, the situation will be out of control. At that time, the Mongols went south to invade the border, and the soldiers were hungry and unable to resist. If Datong is captured, Shanxi will be unprotected. If Shanxi is not protected, then the Central Plains will be in danger.

As the old saying goes, how can there be a complete egg under the collapse of the nest? If Datong is finished, the fields, grains, gold, silver and treasures in your hands, these singers and dancers, and your own lives, are afraid that they will be filial to the Mongols? Those barbarians do not know how to reason, they only recognize steel knives."

What he said was a combination of hardness and softness. Mei Guozhen believed that he had already said everything he should say and what he should not say. What he next depends on the enlightenment of these gentry.

He felt that these gentry still had a basic overall view and conscience, and how could there be a complete egg when the nest was destroyed?

I'm afraid that ordinary people understand this principle. Once Datong Town is destroyed, it will not be as simple as life. Many people in Shanxi will suffer from this. Ji Town and Taiyuan Town will also be involved, and the matter will be a big deal.
Chapter completed!