Kingdom of Heaven and Han

Chapter 164 Why Care About What You Think?
The garden at night is quiet, with a gentle breeze, carrying the fragrance of plants and trees.There were insects chirping in the grass around him, and a few bats were flying in the night sky.A round of moon in the sky hangs quietly, shedding a cool brilliance.

Wang Ruohai and Lu Qing sat facing each other, and on the table in the middle were some melons and fruits and a jug of wine.

It had been two or three days since they returned to Xinye City, and the two of them were so bored that they ordered a jug of wine at night, drinking and chatting.

After drinking for a while, Wang Ruohai suddenly said: "Taiwei, what do you think of Wang Xiaohun?"

Lu Qing said: "I heard about him when I was in Kaifeng Mansion. At that time, all the armies were defeated, but he was the only one who won consecutive battles from Yong'an to Gong County. It seems that others are causing trouble. Later, when I came to Henan Mansion, I was quite respectful. It took only a few months to defend Ruzhou, and it was not easy to defeat Yang Jin."

Wang Ruohai nodded: "It's more than simple! To tell you the truth, I have watched his deeds in the past few days. Now there are few generals in various places who can compare with him. It is not just that there are rules in commanding troops, but also in governance. There are also many ideas in the local area. Although I don’t know how he earns money to support the army without collecting money from the peasants. But being able to avoid exorbitant taxes and knowing the sufferings of the people is already very extraordinary.”

Lu Qing said: "Yes, there are many generals who lead troops who are brave and kind, and those who know how to govern are rare."

Wang Ruohai picked up the wine glass and drank a glass of wine with Lu Qing.After being silent for a while, he said: "It's just that Wang Xiaolie acted on his own temperament in several states, disregarding the court's laws, and made a big change. In my opinion, it's really hard to say that he is a loyal minister."

After hearing this, Lu Qing was stunned.He is a military commander, so he doesn't think about it from this angle at all.When Wang Ruohai mentioned it, after thinking about it again, it was indeed the case.Judging by Wang Xiaolie's appearance, all military and political affairs are in his own hands, and he has never thought about the court.

Seeing that Lu Qing didn't speak, Wang Ruohai said, "Now the Jin army is coming south from time to time, and there are civil strife in the court again. It is not unusual for the generals leading the troops to have their own thoughts. As long as they don't seek refuge with the Jin people, they will always be loyal ministers of the Song Dynasty."

Lu Qing was a little dazed and nodded.He really hadn't considered this issue, Wang Ruohai mentioned it, and didn't know what to say for a moment.After a while, he said: "Wang Xiaolie was born in Qin Wang's army and fought many times to death with the Jin army, so there is no need to worry about him joining the Jin army."

Wang Ruohai nodded, not knowing what to say for a while.In the past two or three years, are there still few people who surrendered to the Jinren?Many of them were former loyal ministers of the imperial court, and they were finally cast under the account of Jinren.How can this kind of thing be made clear?
A gust of wind blows, the shadow of the tree shakes, and the moonlight dances under the tree.The two sat in the moonlight without speaking.

The mountains and rivers are broken, and the wind and rain are precarious. The Miao Liu Mutiny happened at this time, and the impact on people's hearts is really too great.Wang Xiaolie's contempt for the court was not without reason.At this time, the generals leading the troops either actively rescued Zhao Gou, or had their own ideas.Not only Wang Xiaolie, but many powerful factions are like this.Whether it is a monarch or a minister, due to reality, it is difficult to say anything about this kind of behavior.

After a while, Lu Qing said: "By the way, I heard people said that there have been many rebellions under Wang Xiaolie's rule in the past few months. The biggest disturbance was the Ruzhou Mutiny. Occupied the Xinyang Army. From this point of view, his rule is not peaceful."

Wang Ruohai shook his head: "Taiwei, we have all seen that now Wang Xiaolie has over ten thousand soldiers. And he also said that all those who join forces in several states will be recruited into the army. In this case Excuse me, what's the use of rebellion? Within a state, no matter how big the rebellion is, hundreds of soldiers are enough. Only when there are large groups of soldiers from other places can they threaten these state capitals."

Lu Qing said: "Even so, it's not a good thing if there are constant rebellions under the rule."

Wang Ruohai said: "I asked, because Wang Xiaolie was extremely strict with the public officials of the prefectures and counties, and he attacked the powerful, so some people made rebellions. This kind of rebellion has no foundation, and if it is put down a few times, it will be all right. The Qin and Han Dynasties At that time, it was common for the government to attack local tyrants. As long as the people don’t follow the tyrants to make trouble, there will be no major issues. If the tyrants are eliminated, the place will be peaceful for a long time, which is not a bad thing.”

Lu Qing nodded, thinking that Wang Ruohai was right.But whether he was right or wrong, he couldn't tell.

Wang Ruohai said: "In my opinion, Wang Xiaolie made no big mistakes whether he was managing the army or the local area. Within a few years, he will become a powerful force without any accidents. Just judging by his attitude towards the court, it is really hard to tell. It's a blessing or a curse."

Lu Qing said: "The supervisor, if this is the case, why did Wang Xiaolie bring us to Xinye to see it? According to what you said, he should hide everything. He is not afraid of being seen, and everything is revealed to others. Seems ambitious."

"Yeah, I can't figure this out either." Wang Ruohai sighed and frowned.

If Wang Xiaolie had the heart of disobedience, why would he take the initiative to bring himself to Xinye?Now, for outsiders, no one knows what Xinye looks like.As long as it is not seen by others, who would doubt that Wang Xiaolie is not a loyal minister?

Wang Xiaolie sat in the yamen, looking at the recent official documents, frowning.Of course he doesn't care what other people think.What kind of loyal minister and second minister is not important to Wang Xiaolie.The most important thing now is to have soldiers, soldiers who can fight.You need money, enough money to raise soldiers.What are the things you do that you can't let others see?Whoever wants to see it, let them see it.

If Zhao Gou himself resolutely resisted the gold and must take back the lost ground in the Northern Expedition, who can win his position?Even Wang Xiaolie, I'm afraid it won't work.But if Zhao Gou wants to negotiate peace and become a Taiping Emperor, as in history, that is another matter.For Wang Xiaolie, what he does is not important, what is important is what Zhao Gou does.

In the past few days, the subordinate states have sent official documents, saying that there is not much money in their hands.The most serious case is in Tangzhou, where there is no money to continue paying the officials' salaries next month.In the rest of the states, it can only last for one or two months at most.The only exception is the Xinyang Army.In Zhang Jun's official document, it is said that the income is rich, and the government's money is enough for use.Wang Xiaolie deeply doubted Zhang Jun's statement.

It's the end of March, and it's the time when we're not picking up.The money snatched from Yang Jin a few months ago was almost spent. Wang Xiaolie forbade the prefectures and counties from extorting miscellaneous taxes. Except for Ruzhou, how much money could they earn just by collecting business taxes?Fortunately, there is enough food, and big troubles will not be inevitable.

Wang Xiaoliegui frowned, thinking of a way.This is the time to test yourself.

To reduce the burden on the common people, and at the same time, the government has enough manpower to support a large army. Who wouldn't think so?In the end, they couldn't do it, and most of them really couldn't help it.For Chinese officials, most people understand that oppressing the people and taxing too much comes at a price.But what if officials' salaries and army money and food are on their own, and they don't collect money from the people?
How to do?Wang Xiaolie rubbed his forehead lightly, thinking of a way.If you can't bear the pressure at this time and collect money from the people, your previous efforts will be in vain.But if you don't collect money from the people, where does the money come from?

There are indeed many ways to make money in Xinye City, but now one is immature, and the other is that there is no capital.How can you do things without money?Without capital, even raw materials cannot be bought.

All beginnings are hard.This year is destined to be the most difficult year.

(End of this chapter)