Yongdu City is still standing tall, but now he has changed his master.

Wang Zunzhi stood at the gate of the city, looking at this once majestic city that had just experienced the war, and was truly moved.

The large sections of the moat were filled, and the flowing river water was cut into one stagnant pond after another. On the city wall, dents of varying depths could be clearly seen everywhere. The city tower no longer existed, leaving only some broken walls and some charred beams and rafters that were still stubbornly exploring to the sky. Half of the brick wall was isolated in it, and it seemed that a gust of wind could completely blow it down, which was already a little shaking.

In the past, the thick city gate that could be separated from the inside and outside the city turned into two worlds, but now it has become a big hole, one leaning crookedly into the cave of the city gate, and the other was simply dragged out and leaning on the city wall. There was a big hole on it, and the entire door was distorted and deformed.

Wang Zunzhi did not see many Ming soldiers, but saw some people wearing Thunder Army officers' uniforms with empty hands, leading teams of ordinary people to clean up the debris everywhere. Some were busy on the city wall. The brick wall that Wang Zunzhi saw just now was soon knocked down by these people holding a pillar. Carts were pushed down from the city, loaded with some cleaned building materials, and piled up on the open space in an orderly manner. Others were waving hoes and shovels to dig the blocked moat.

"Why is there no one guarding me?" Wang Zunzhi asked in confusion.

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "What's there to guard? The war has ended. We all paid wages for these people in the Ming Dynasty, and we are not in vain."

"Repay money? Isn't it labor?"

"Wang Cunzheng, it seems that you are still very unfamiliar with the policies of our Ming Dynasty!" Cheng Xiaoyu laughed: "In the Ming Dynasty, there is no such thing as labor. No matter what the court wants to do or how many people are needed, it will have to be paid. Generally speaking, some merchants contract something from the court, the court pays them, and then they find people to do this. This method is very good. The things are done quickly and well. No one is willing to be lazy and sloppy. The longer the construction period, the less money I earn."

"What happened to these Thunder Army officers?" Wang Zunzhi asked again.

"This is obvious, it is the work of those merchants. They are not familiar with the place here. How can they find people? Someone must trust them! They must have found the military, and the military provided them with some officers. These people are all old people from Yongdu. There is no problem in recruiting some people to work. And they can also make the locals trust more, right? This is the most convenient way." Cheng Xiaoyu seemed very familiar with these things, mainly the same thing. He had done it in Hulao, Danyang, Xingyuan and other places, and he was one of the participants at that time.

"The court is not afraid that these officers will take the opportunity to retaliate against the people?" Wang Zunzhi was a little shocked.

"What's scary? There are so many garrisons outside the city? What can you say? No one is fool. Someone will do things that have no future? It's better to be honest and make a good impression and make more money. Besides, these Thunder Army officers are still in the detention period, and they are still unclear about their future. So, do more and leave a good impression, and you may have any benefits in the future, don't you?" Cheng Xiaoyu explained.

Listening to Cheng Xiaoyu's words, Wang Zunzhi was a little confused. This was completely different from his previous concept. The court recruited the people to do things and even paid money? This completely subverted his perception.

"Can't figure it out?" Cheng Xiaoyu said proudly: "I didn't understand at the beginning. Later, one of my superiors told me about the truth here. He was an old Ming. He said that if the people have money to make money, the people will have passion. Only when they make money can they have food, and only when they have food can they feel at ease. If they are stable, they will naturally not cause trouble. This is a way to calm down a place. Moreover, the people always have to spend money when they make money. If they want to buy things, the money will flow back to the merchant's pocket. The merchants need to pay taxes to the court. The court did this so that the money was made outside, and part of it was still returned to the treasury, but the matter was done well."

"It's really this!" Wang Zunzhi nodded. Although he didn't understand it very much, he always thought it was this principle.

"There is a saying in the Ming Dynasty that if money flows, this thing will be useful, otherwise it will be hard to wipe your butt!" Cheng Xiaoyu said with a laugh. Of course, this sentence only applies to the Ming Dynasty now. After all, it is only the Ming Dynasty, and paper money is the currency in circulation.

The group stepped into the city, and there were several Ming soldiers guarding the city gate. Although Cheng Xiaoyu was wearing the Ming army uniform, he still honestly took out his waist card and handed it to them, and then pointed out Wang Zunzhi and the others what they said. The group entered the Yongdu City without any obstacles.

Just like outside the city, the city is also in a very lively scene. Houses near the city walls were almost destroyed in the war and are now being cleaned up. Occasionally, several intact houses can be seen, and now they have become shops, with not many goods inside, and basically they are mainly food and daily necessities for family use.

The merchants who followed the Ming army to fight around had already figured out what the people needed most after a war.

Obviously, the business of those shops is very good, and it is full of people. As Cheng Xiaoyu said, when ordinary people make money, the first thing they do is to buy everything they need in their daily life. The wages may have turned into various daily necessities and food in their pockets before they can be warmed up.

"Now no one has come to collect their taxes in Yongdu City. These merchants can earn enough." Wang Zunzhi felt a little regretful.

"Want to ask for taxes?" Cheng Xiaoyu chuckled, "They dare not even use their courage to use them. These merchants now declare sales to the court's tax department for one month for one month. Then, if they pay taxes to the court based on these, if they dare to evade taxes, they will lose all their money, and you will never want to stay in this industry again."

"Isn't you able to commit fraud? I sold 1,000 taels and insisted that I only sold 100 taels, who knows?" Wang Zunzhi said unconvincedly.

"People who think like you are now regretting it!" Cheng Xiaoyu sneered: "Control from the source. You have purchased goods and have accounts. You have purchased goods from that workshop. The other party has accounts, right? Our Ming Dynasty tax department is cruel, and it is amazing to check the accounts. Some people in our Huzhu did this in the past, but now they all go to mine. So our Ming Dynasty merchants are honest. Who would like to spend the rest of their lives on their own?"

Wang Zunzhi listened silently and said for a while: "It's true that it's different from our Daqin."

"Of course it's different." Cheng Xiaoyu laughed, "So now the Qin Dynasty has become the Ming Dynasty."

"By the way, Brother Cheng, you are a soldier and have never done business. Why are you so clear about these things?" Wang Zunzhi asked curiously.

Cheng Xiaoyu sighed and patted his legs, "General Ma said he wanted to ask the master to give me a pair of prosthetic legs so that I could still fight on horseback, but I dare not hold such a head. If I can't be a soldier, I will naturally not do farm work. I just thought about doing business in the future, so during the period of recovery, wouldn't I beg for these things all day long? There are many merchants in the left and right Shuanglian City, and these things are easy to find out. In the future, I will raise a woman and a baby! We have to do what promised Liu Kui, and we must not tell them what wealth they can enjoy, so why should we let them have food and clothing? So, we have to think about ways to make money."

"You are really a good man who values ​​faith and righteousness." Wang Zunzhi looked at him with admiration, "Actually, if you don't admit this, no one will say anything about you."

Cheng Xiaoyu changed color: "Although I have never read any books, I still know a little about being a human being. Liu Kui could kill me at that time, but he spared my life. When he was dying, he told me this and I agreed in person. What I promised will naturally do. If I die in the battlefield, it would be fine. Since I am alive, I will naturally have to do the things well."

"Well, Brother Cheng, I'll make up for you brother." Wang Zunzhi patted Cheng Xiaoyu's shoulder and said, "Brother, it's not easy to live in the city. Even if the Liu Kui family is still alive, it will definitely be difficult for the orphans and widows to be in the city. Why don't you persuade them to come to our Huangnishan Village? With my care, you will be less concerned in the future."

"Let's talk about it, find someone first, recognize the door, and then talk about the future." Cheng Xiaoyu said: "By the way, how can you get to Sanyuanli?"

"I'll take you there!" Wang Zunzhi said a few words to the people who were accompanying him and asked them to leave first, but he took Cheng Xiaoyu to another street. "It's quite far from here. Liu Kui used to be of a low level and could lead thousands of cavalry to fight alone, which was not comparable to a small fish like me. They lived in Sanyuanli, which was also a relatively wealthy neighborhood in Yongdu City. But later on, the battle was the same, unless the real wealthy people had some privileges."

"This is really a trouble for Wang Cunzheng, which delays your business." Cheng Xiaoyu felt a little embarrassed.
Chapter completed!