Zhu Jinsong always remembered Lu Xun's teachings: for more棘手的 problems, one must learn to peel away the layers of phenomena to see the essence.
The intelligence reported by Ke Zhiming was also very clear: Xingping Village was mainly Zhangs, and Xingan Village was mainly Lis. Rather than calling them Xingping Village and Xingan Village, it was more like Zhang Family Village and Li Family Village.
Under normal circumstances, villages like these would generally have a patriarch who called the shots. Of course, they couldn't compare to the patriarchs of great clans like the Five Clans and Seven Great Families, but when it came to important or trivial matters in the village, they were indispensable.
Illegally possessing cannons and shells, secretly manufacturing flintlock guns and ammunition, and causing such a large commotion—who would believe that these two old men, who needed help to even walk, were behind it?
To put it plainly, these two old men were either voluntarily stepping forward to take the blame or had planned beforehand to do so. In any case, they couldn't walk steadily, and since they weren't rebelling, the authorities wouldn't usually do much to them even if they were arrested.
"Those over seventy do not fall under this clause" was their protective charm. Even in government offices, they couldn't be beaten or scolded. At most, they would be locked up in prison, and even then, they would have to be served good food and drink.
However, the approach these people had planned in advance was utterly useless to Zhu Jinsong.
Zhu Jinsong's target was the patriarch of the Zhang family in Xingping Village and the patriarch of the Li family in Xingan Village.
After Zhu Jinsong unceremoniously declared, "Are you taking me for a fool?", the patriarch of the Zhang family in Xingping Village and the patriarch of the Li family in Xingan Village finally stepped forward.
Because their hands were tied behind their backs, they could only push their way to the front of the crowd, then drop to their knees with a thud, and simultaneously exclaim, "Your Majesty, we are the ones who hid the cannons and shells!"
As soon as their words fell, the patriarch of the Li family in Xingan Village glared fiercely at the patriarch of the Zhang family in Xingping Village and rushed to say, "Your Majesty, if it weren't for the excessive bullying by your Xingping Village, we in Xingan Village would have actually planned to melt these cannons!"
The patriarch of the Zhang family in Xingping Village retorted without yielding, "If it weren't for your Xingan Village people abducting our young maidens from Xingping Village, how could this have happened today!"
After speaking, the Zhang family patriarch looked at Zhu Jinsong again and said, "Your Majesty, everything we say is the truth. It is true that we hid the cannons and shells, but it is also true that your Xingan Village people abducted the maidens from our village. We beat them because we wanted an explanation, but we never thought of rebelling, Your Majesty!"
The Li family patriarch chimed in, "Your Majesty, please see the truth! We are also looking for our people. We were inexplicably bullied. If it weren't for the little bit of hidden assets we had, we would have been massacred in Xingan Village this time!"
Zhu Jinsong paid no mind to their mutually accusatory statements. Instead, he turned to Ke Zhiming and ordered, "Have the prefect, the governor, and the provincial administration commissioner here all roll over here!"
After speaking, Zhu Jinsong turned his gaze to the patriarchs of the Zhang and Li families: "I don't care who abducted whom, or if the two eloped out of mutual affection. I only know two things: first, you did not report the matter that should have been reported to the authorities, and second, you illegally possessed firearms and caused such a major disturbance!"
At this point, Zhu Jinsong's expression became grim again: "I always thought that the common people in the Central Plains were skilled farmers, but I never expected that you would also be skilled in warfare!"
"Let me tell you, it's fortunate that I am lucky. If your cannons had deviated even a little, you might have blown me up along with them!"
The claim of almost being blown up by cannons was, of course, nonsense. The people operating the cannons in these two villages were members of the Peasant Association Guard. To deal with the encirclement by the Jurchens and the possible large-scale chaos in the future, Zhu Jinsong had emphasized the supplementary role of the Peasant Association Guard for the Great Ming army when establishing the Peasant Association.
These people, apart from not having formal ranks and receiving less training, were not much inferior to the regular army in other aspects. At least they were much better than Napoleon's French army. If you threw them into Europe, claiming they could directly sweep across Europe would be absurd, but except for those who had received formal military training in the Great Ming like Napoleon, the remaining European lords and knights might not be enough for them to fight!
But Zhu Jinsong was the emperor, and also an emperor with a very good image. Therefore, the patriarchs of the Zhang and Li families were immediately flustered.
The Zhang family patriarch quickly exclaimed, "Your Majesty! We know we were wrong, Your Majesty! May you have ten thousand years of good fortune and peace, and may you always be protected by celestial beings and true dragons. You will surely be fine!"
The Li family patriarch also stammered, "We know we were wrong, Your Majesty! We truly never intended to rebel, nor did we know you would pass by here today. We deserve death. Whether you kill us or punish us, we accept it. Please do not anger yourself, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Jinsong said indignantly, "Don't get angry? Let me tell you, I originally planned to have a meal at one of your villages today, but looking at your pathetic state now, I'm so angry I'm full!"
After scolding the two a few more times, Zhu Jinsong casually asked, "Speaking of which, why have your two villages been fighting for so many years?"
The patriarch of the Zhang family and the patriarch of the Li family once again exclaimed in unison, "Because of water!"
They glared at each other again. This time, the patriarch of the Zhang family in Xingping Village answered first, "It's indeed about water. We are in a poor and remote area, and getting water is difficult. We rely entirely on the water from the Gongshui River. In normal times, it's okay, but during a drought, the water in the river isn't enough. The two villages have been fighting over water for over a hundred years."
Zhu Jinsong asked doubtfully, "Didn't the authorities help you dig wells?"
The patriarch of the Li family in Xingan Village replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, no one cared about the lives of our two villages before. After becoming part of the Great Ming, the county magistrate and the Peasant Association led us to dig wells. Wells were dug in both villages. However, since we have been fighting over water for over a hundred years, even after digging wells, we stopped fighting over water, but we still tend to compete with each other in other matters."
Hearing their explanation, Zhu Jinsong became even angrier: "I think you are all too well-fed! You haven't suffered enough hunger!"
The Li family patriarch replied dejectedly, "Yes, Your Majesty, you are right. We know we were wrong."
...
The Emperor passed by Ruijin County under Ningdu Prefecture and encountered a melee between two villages—or perhaps the word "warfare" was more fitting. When this matter reached the ears of the Ruijin County Magistrate, the Ningdu Prefect, and the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commissioner, the three almost wet themselves. Without any further ado, they rushed over, almost crawling and tumbling, even traveling at night with torches.
When the three arrived, Zhu Jinsong showed them no pleasantries: "The imperial court has long decreed the confiscation of firearms and grenades held by the common people, and this is how you have handled it! Eight cannons! Eight cannons, which can almost determine the outcome of a war!"
"Also, regarding the incident with Xingping Village and Xingan Village, I happened to pass by. But for those places I didn't pass by, or didn't know about, how many more cannons and grenades are still hidden?"
The Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commissioner subtly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and bowed, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your humble servant will immediately send people to investigate again. We will confiscate them as soon as we discover them, and I guarantee that no one will be able to illegally possess these items anymore!"
Zhu Jinsong snorted and continued, "What do you think should be done about the matter of Xingping Village and Xingan Village? Don't tell me they have already had their cannons and grenades confiscated, and thus cannot fight anymore—those things can be made by any blacksmith or carpenter!"
The Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commissioner bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, your humble servant believes that Xing'an Village and Xingping Village can be resettled separately, letting them stay far apart so they have no opportunity to fight."
Seeing that Zhu Jinsong's expression remained cold, the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commissioner quickly changed his suggestion: "Alternatively, some people can be drawn from the two villages and relocated to the Lanfang Provincial Administration, where they will also reside together."
"Your humble servant believes that if they remain in Xingping Village and Xingan Village, they will inevitably continue to compete with each other. However, if they go to the Lanfang Provincial Administration, they will become fellow villagers, and their relationship will slowly ease. The people of Xingping Village and Xingan Village will miss those in the Lanfang Provincial Administration, and the relationship between both sides will likely be eased, so there will be no need to relocate them elsewhere."
Zhu Jinsong's expression finally softened a bit, and he grunted, "You handle it."
The matter of Xingping Village and Xingan Village was a life-threatening affair for the Ruijin County Magistrate, a serious but not life-threatening affair for the Ningdu Prefect, and truly not a major event for the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commissioner. As for Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Great Ming, this matter was at most a minor interlude.
Therefore, the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commissioner clearly understood that Zhu Jinsong summoned him not only to resolve the issue of Xingping Village and Xingan Village but also to reprimand him.
As expected, while the Ningdu Prefect and the Ruijin County Magistrate were busy with the Xingping Village and Xingan Village incident, Zhu Jinsong summoned the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commissioner to his side and instructed, "There must be more than one place like Xingping Village and Xingan Village in Jiangxi."
"This time, it was fortunate that I happened to pass by. If I hadn't, Xingping Village and Xingan Village might have ended up in a bloodbath?"
"In the future, conduct a thorough investigation. Dispatch more personnel to persuade the people to voluntarily surrender any firearms and grenades they have illegally possessed. In any case, such a large commotion must not happen again."
The Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commissioner immediately bowed and agreed, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. Your humble servant will do his utmost to resolve the issue of civilian possession of firearms as soon as possible."
Zhu Jinsong grunted, deliberated for a moment, then waved his hand, signaling the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commissioner to leave.
This was because Zhu Jinsong suddenly thought of a very important issue.
There has always been the saying that imperial power does not reach the villages. However, if one carefully studies history, one will find that the saying "imperial power does not reach the villages" does not mean that the emperor's decrees do not reach the villages, but rather that the clan forces in the villages are sometimes more effective than the emperor's decrees.
What's more frustrating is that officials throughout the dynasties, to some extent, acted as helpers to the emperor's inability to reach the villages.
Did they not understand the disadvantages of imperial power not reaching the villages?
No, they understood. What could these refined individuals, who had gone through a rigorous selection process like crossing a single-plank bridge with a thousand troops and horses, not understand?
Therefore, they were well aware of the disadvantages of imperial power not reaching the villages.
However, they were even more aware of the benefits of imperial power not reaching the villages—
What about the clan forces in the villages?
After the Tang Dynasty, the powerful families and the Five Clans and Seven Great Families had already declined. After being suppressed by Zhu Yuanzhang, the Confucian scholars and academic cliques failed to grow. It was only in the late Ming Dynasty that they became influential. After the Great Qing's "literary inquisition," the Confucian scholars and academic cliques were also abolished.
Coupled with Zhu Jinsong's establishment of the Peasant Association, which directly extended the tentacles of the imperial court from the county level to the village level, the Great Ming should ideally have no clan forces.
However, the reality was the opposite; the Great Ming also had clan forces.
And the greatest beneficiaries of these clan forces were precisely the officials in the imperial court!