For these farmers in the villages, if you were to speak in a refined manner about expelling the Tartars and restoring China, these old farmers might not understand, nor would they necessarily be interested in listening. But if you told them that if the Tartars were not driven out, their descendants would all be oppressed by the Jiannu court and the Manchu officials, these old farmers would understand.
Zhu Xiaosong spoke very directly, so these old farmers became interested.
The old man who was smoking tapped the bowl of his pipe and asked, "Young Master Zhu, what is this Farmers' Association you speak of? Is it to make the common folk in our villages become officials?"
Zhu Xiaosong nodded and said, "Old sir, what you say is both right and wrong. This Farmers' Association is, firstly, to mobilize all our people, so that we can collectively resist rent, resist debt, resist taxes, and resist grain levies. Secondly, it is to listen to the opinions of our people, and to handle matters for our people, doing good deeds and practical things."
"Those wicked gentry found ways to occupy our land, and then demanded that we pay them rent, five or six tenths at a time. In a year of disaster, they would force us to incur interest that would roll over like a donkey's kicking. What do you say, isn't this bullying people?"
"And what about the government officials? If they were to act justly on behalf of our people, collecting taxes and grain properly, then we would have nothing to say. After all, the court needs to support soldiers, and there are rivers and bridges to be repaired and built. Collecting taxes and grain is understandable. But how do these Tartar officials operate?"
"In our hometown of Ningyang County, in the forty-ninth year of Qianlong's reign, they were collecting taxes for the ninety-fourth year of Qianlong's reign. I heard that in some places, they have collected taxes for over a hundred years in the future. What do you say, how can we pay these taxes and levies?"
"That Qianlong Emperor, while traveling south on his tours, would exempt taxes. But he exempts his taxes, and the officials collect their taxes. At most, it's just a change of name. What do you say? Even with the governor and the censor, how dare those officials still collect? Where did all that money go?"
"And, the incident in Henan a few years ago, you must have heard about it. The disaster-stricken people blocked Qianlong and appealed to the throne, but he handed over the plaintiffs to the defendants for questioning. He also said that the common people are like children, and officials are like parents. There are no parents in this world who are not good, and children must never be allowed to accuse their parents. What do you say, isn't this just talking nonsense!"
"Therefore, we thought of establishing this Farmers' Association, precisely to allow our people to make decisions for themselves. We will unite to drive away the Tartars, and from then on, we will no longer be oppressed by anyone."
As Zhu Xiaosong spoke, the old men nodded and agreed with smiles. After Zhu Xiaosong finished speaking, the old man who was smoking suddenly asked, "Then, Young Master Zhu, will you collect grain? Will you collect taxes?"
Zhu Xiaosong laughed and said seriously, "Yes! But not now, and not indiscriminately in the future."
"Back in the day, Li Zicheng did say 'no officials, no grain, let everyone live happily.' But what happened to him later, and how did he perish, old sir should have heard of it."
"So, if we say like Li Zicheng that we won't collect grain or taxes, it's all nonsense. You elders have lived long lives, and you should understand that a country needs to support soldiers, build roads, build bridges, and build schools. Everywhere requires money. If we don't collect money or taxes, where will the money come from?"
"However, we will not collect taxes and grain now, nor will we collect them indiscriminately in the future."
"We have not yet driven away the Tartars, and the Tartar officials are still collecting taxes and grain. If we collect again, won't that make it even harder for everyone to live? Then what's the point of our Farmers' Association?"
"After we drive away the Tartars, we do not intend to collect much tax or grain from the common people."
"To put it bluntly, how poor have the common people become? Even if you were to take the finest meat from a heron's leg, or carve out the fat from a mosquito's belly, how much money could you collect?"
"We have so many wealthy merchants and rich families, why don't we tax them? If we only target the common people and harm them, aren't we afraid that the common people will unite again and drive us away?"
"I'll put it here today - if one day, I Zhu Xiaosong no longer speak and act for the common people, and instead turn around and harm the common people, then you should unite and drive me away too!"
"Besides, this Farmers' Association is composed of our people. If the Farmers' Association is unwilling, can we collect money?"
The old men were merely listening to Zhu Xiaosong's earlier words.
As the old saying goes, storytelling and opera singing are not real; what is said is not as good as what is sung. No matter how nicely Zhu Xiaosong made promises now, they could be taken as mere theatrical scripts.
In the eyes of these old men, no matter how good his words were, they were useless. After driving away the Tartars, would Zhu Xiaosong collect taxes? Would he collect grain? If not, what would he eat and drink? If yes, then what's the difference between him and the officials? What's the difference between having him or not having him?
Only the last sentence, that if the Farmers' Association is unwilling, money cannot be collected, truly made these old men somewhat interested.
An old man asked, "Hearing the young master's meaning, this Farmers' Association will continue to operate? Even after driving away the Tartars, it will continue? Won't your government send people?"
Zhu Xiaosong nodded seriously and said, "The Farmers' Association will continue to operate, and its members must be selected from each village by everyone. The government will only supervise the selection process, but cannot directly send people."
"Let me put it this way, if our Xuzhuang village wants to establish a Farmers' Association, it must be chosen by the people of Xuzhuang village themselves. Whoever is supported by the people of Xuzhuang village can be elected. Whoever is not supported by the people of Xuzhuang village cannot be elected. We will not interfere."
"After we drive away the Tartars, the rules of the Farmers' Association will be changed to selection every three years, and a maximum of six consecutive years in the position before being replaced. No one can hold the position indefinitely."
Another old man asked, "Then, by doing this work in the Farmers' Association, will there be money and grain to receive?"
Zhu Xiaosong nodded and said, "Yes, this Farmers' Association is itself to handle matters for everyone. It's possible it might interfere with one's own affairs, so there will be some money and grain to compensate. However, this money and grain will not be much. It is not much now, and it will not be much in the future. Do not expect to get rich from this."
The elderly man who was smoking exchanged glances with the other old men, then took a deep draw from his pipe, tapped the bowl clean, and said solemnly, "Then I'll do it! I have three sons, and I'll let the second and third follow you!"
"When Emperor Yongzheng was still on the throne, he implemented the '攤丁入畝' (Tān dīng rù mǔ - merging population and land taxes). At that time, the lives of the common people were better for a few days, but then they gradually became difficult again. When Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, the lives of the common people became even more difficult."
"My five Xu brothers, three are bachelors! Without heirs!"
"If life were not so difficult, my three brothers would not have ended up unable to find a wife."
"I have endured this hardship, my son has endured it, but I cannot let my grandson endure it!"
Zhu Xiaosong nodded, clasped the old man's hand, and said, "It will pass. This difficult life will surely pass. Then, every household will have land to farm, food to eat, and new clothes to wear for the New Year."
Mr. Lu Xun said that the beginning of everything is difficult, meaning that except for driving, other things might feel difficult the first time, but later, with the repetition of difficulty, you get used to it and it doesn't feel difficult anymore.
It is the same with establishing the Farmers' Association now.
As long as a good start is made in Xuzhuang village, it will be much easier for the villages adjacent to Xuzhuang, and it will become easier as time goes on, requiring at most a few more words to repeat what was said in Xuzhuang.
This is also unavoidable. The main reason is the literacy rate. After all, my Great Qing would prefer that everyone in the world be an illiterate illiterate. Therefore, Zhu Xiaosong had no way to print articles and newspapers in large quantities, and could only repeat his propaganda over and over again.
Zhu Xiaosong never worried that the Farmers' Association/Sports Meeting would accidentally harm some gentry who did not oppress the people.
Great Ancestor also clearly stated in the first volume of "The Five Volumes of Dragon Slaying Secret Arts" that to correct something crooked, it must be overcorrected; if it is not overcorrected, it cannot be corrected.
When the rabbits first started, there were distinctions between rich peasants, middle peasants, and poor peasants. In my Great Qing period, there were only two types of people – humans and slaves.
The Manchu Banners are humans, and the rest are all slaves. However, among these slaves, some have become officials and prospered by flattering the Manchu lords, some have their own land, and some do not even have their own land. Thus, they are distinguished as gentry-slaves, small independent peasant-slaves, and tenant-slaves.
It is obvious that, apart from the gentry-slaves who will strive to maintain the rule of their masters, the remaining small independent peasant-slaves and tenant-slaves will absolutely not support the rule of the Manchu lords.
Among them, tenant-slaves will definitely support rebels like Zhu Xiaosong because they already have nothing, and they yearn for someone like Zhu Xiaosong to stand up and bring about a earth-shattering change to drive out the Manchu lords who are riding on their heads.
As for those small independent peasants, they will hesitate and waver because they have their own land. They will hesitate, they will worry. They both hope that Zhu Xiaosong can drive out the Manchu lords, and they also worry that Zhu Xiaosong will oppress them like the Manchu lords.
It is precisely because of this that the Farmers' Association is even more necessary.
It is to unite those small independent peasants and tenant farmers, and to strike down the Manchu lords and those gentry-slaves who support the Manchu lords.
...
Xu Shitong always felt that these past few days were like living in a dream.
This was the first time in his life he had left home, the first time he had eaten his fill with an open stomach, and the first time he had worn new clothes that belonged entirely to him.
Yes, ever since he could remember, Xu Shitong had never worn new clothes. When he was a child, he always wore hand-me-downs – clothes that his elder brother couldn't wear were given to his second brother, and when his second brother couldn't wear them, they were given to him.
Finally, when he grew up, his family still had no money to make clothes for him, so he could only continue to wear the old clothes of his father and brothers.
He heard that those few old clothes were worn by his grandfather…
As soon as he thought of his grandfather, Xu Shitong remembered the sight of his grandfather kneeling and weeping on the field ridge.
No, it wasn't just his grandfather weeping on the field ridge, but the whole family was crying. His mother was crying, holding his father's arm; his elder brother was looking at the field ridge and crying; his second brother was holding him and crying.
Because their family finally had their own land, land for which they did not have to pay rent to the landlord.
With land, they could grow grain. With grain, they would not go hungry. If there was surplus grain, perhaps they could exchange it for some money. With money, perhaps they could arrange a marriage for his elder brother – his elder brother had long passed the age for marriage, but because the family had no money, he was still a bachelor.
He wondered how his elder brother was doing now? Was he also thinking about these things?
Xu Shitong's mind wandered through these jumbled thoughts. He stood with his hands behind his back, maintaining a standing posture. Even though his nose was frozen red, and a clear snot was about to run down, Xu Shitong still maintained his standing posture motionlessly.
Xu Shitong didn't know what the use was of repeatedly standing, lining up, and folding quilts these past few days, but Xu Shitong clearly remembered that when he left home, his grandfather had personally instructed him to be obedient.
To be obedient meant to do whatever the small leader managing him said, without any bargaining.
Oh, right, they don't call them small leaders anymore; they call them squad leaders. He heard that above squad leaders, there are platoon leaders, and above platoon leaders, there are company commanders, and even further up, there are the great chieftains – aren't these still the terms for bandits and horse thieves?
Never mind, he wouldn't think about the titles anymore. After all, he had to be obedient. To be obedient meant to honestly follow the squad leader's orders. And the squad leader in front of him was really strict, especially when he cursed, he could make people cry.
Xu Shitong felt that he had cried once, which was enough. He could not cry a second time, because he couldn't bear to lose face.
Since the squad leader was teaching them like this, everyone should do what they were supposed to do according to the squad leader's instructions.
They must be obedient.