Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 178: This job is very risky, and decent people can’t avoid it, but you, a virtuous son-in-law, are different.
After Li Yu heard about it, he came to visit Wu Simai.

"Take good care of yourself. You were just careless this time and didn't dodge."

"Yep."

"If there are occasional small setbacks, don't take it to heart. I believe that the Mongolian warriors are far better than the Eight Banners outside the Pass."

"Yep."

"It's just that there is a traitor among you who is willing to be the Manchu's dog. I want to annihilate the Jingkou Meng Eight Banners. What do you think?"

"I raise my hands to support!"

"Those are your compatriots."

"There are so many tribes on the grassland. If they are not from my tribe, they cannot be considered as compatriots!"

Seeing that Wu Simai was so knowledgeable, Li Yu nodded with satisfaction.

Then he ordered:
"You recall the number of soldiers, horses, weapons, and combat characteristics of the Eight Banners in Jingkou. I will send someone to record them."

"Don't worry, my lord."

Wu Simai stood up, pressed the moon with his right hand, and bowed his head in salute.

After leaving here, Li Yu climbed up to Piaomiao Peak, the highest point of the island.

It was cloudless today and the view was extremely wide.

Looking from a distance, one can even see the faint outline of Fucheng.

In the vast Taihu Lake, there is almost no ship in sight.

He asked:

"Xiaowu, how is the progress of banning navigation and fishing in Taihu Lake?"

"Thanks to my foster father, it went very well. We sank 12 merchant and fishing boats and captured 4. No one dared to come."

"In what name?"

"Our ship flies the flag of Taihu Hall, and the bloody skull and crossbones flag hangs on the sea around Sanshan Island."

At this time, representatives of the gentry from Changzhou Prefecture and Huzhou Prefecture were sitting in the Suzhou Prefecture Yamen to protest.

They can't understand, are Suzhou people crazy?

You actually want to monopolize the huge Taihu Lake (equivalent to one-third of the area of ​​Songjiang Prefecture)? ?

Don’t you talk about the feelings of Jiangsu fellows at all?

"Master Huang, your warships shelled foreign merchant ships. Are you going to rebel?"

"Shen Yan, do you have any evidence?"

"Exactly!"

"But the officers and soldiers of our government said that water bandits have been rampant in Taihu Lake recently. They are water bandits pretending to be merchant ships."

"This is strong language."

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary things are done. Now that banditry is rampant, order in Taihu Lake needs to be rectified. Our government has issued a notice. Can your foreign merchant ships apply for a navigation permit? With the navigation permit, they can even be escorted by our officers and soldiers!"

"You, you, you~"

……

The furious representatives of the officials and gentry of Huzhou Prefecture returned home.

From then on, I laughed at myself for being a "Huzhou" person. If you take away the three points of water, Taihu Lake is really unreachable.

People from Changzhou Prefecture went to the Chief Envoy's Yamen to continue their protest.

The effect was still there, Zhu Gui compromised.

From now on, half of the fees for Changzhou Prefecture merchant ships to apply for navigation certificates will be refunded at the end of the year.

Seeing what the chief envoy said, everyone accepted it.

After all, we are all from Jiangsu, so we can’t be too dark!

Huzhou Prefecture is different. It belongs to Zhejiang and can be regarded as an outsider.

The concept of region still needs to be discussed.

Even if another 500 years pass, we still have to talk about it.

(The above is the official concept. In fact, among the people, the relationship between Suzhou and Huzhou is closer.)
In short, under the threat of gunboats and the arrogant and unreasonable attitude, the ban on navigation in Taihu Lake was finally implemented.

The price is that Suzhou's gentle and elegant image is ruined.

Song, Chang, Hu, and Jiadu angrily criticized Suzhou people as bandits, and their image was tarnished for a while.

However, Li Yu said with emotion:
“Whether Suzhou’s image is good or not, it’s not up to outsiders to decide, it’s us Suzhou people who have the final say.”

From top to bottom of the government office, gentry and merchants responded one after another.

You are so domineering when you shout these words, don't let those people next door spoil you.

(Greater Jiangsu, in bulk, has a long history of regional disputes, and is well aware of the weaknesses of neighboring cities and counties. The author wears a steel helmet, with a dog's head to protect his life, and the ridicule is not malicious!)

……

No matter the scolding, life must go on!

Every merchant ship must apply for a navigation certificate in advance.

It's not expensive, only 20 taels per time.Large businesses can also apply for unlimited subscriptions for a year.

Suzhou Prefecture has sent personnel to station at more than 20 docks around Taihu Lake for a long time to connect and open navigation.

Set out every three days, or as soon as a fleet is assembled.

We were escorted by an official ship, which was very considerate.

Every now and then, you'll encounter a "water bandit" attack.

Then, the two sides fought violently several miles apart, with water splashing and dead fish floating all over the lake. The merchants looked nervous and excited.

In Li Yu's words, you have to make people feel that the money is worth it!
We must create momentum to make everyone believe that Taihu Lake is not safe and must accept our protection.

Huang Wenyun was worried and quietly asked several times what was going on with the warships.

Li Yu told him in an understatement that it was the Caobang's boat, with several broken tiger squatting cannons mounted on it.

The businessmen have never seen the world, so they are just talking.

Lord Fu, just be at ease and prepare for promotion.

Every time he mentioned promotion, Huang Wenyun was full of expectations.

Water transportation was blocked, but he did a big thing.

The two ships of tax money were escorted to the capital.

It's just that landing in Jiangbei took 10 extra days of effort, manpower, carriages, and then replaced by canals.

The Ministry of Revenue has gone crazy with poverty and constantly urges the provinces to escort money and grain to Beijing.

Huang Wenyun's approach was equivalent to providing help in times of need. Heshen, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, appreciated it very much and publicly praised Mr. Huang's outstanding official performance in the Di newspaper.

The civil and military officials of North Korea and China expected that Huang Wenyun would be able to move up soon.

……

As for water transportation, it is very unsatisfactory.

The Ministry of Household Affairs kept issuing messages to urge the construction deadline, and their tone became more severe every time.

The price of food in the capital has increased by 5%.

Those rice stores with good backgrounds have begun to hesitate to sell, creating a tense atmosphere, and are preparing to make a lot of money.

Tongzhou warehouse moved out all the old green rice from the bottom of the warehouse.

They were treated as hard-core crops and distributed to the banner people, and there was a lot of resentment.

The harvest in Shandong this year is not very good either. Two prefectures suffered snow disasters, so support is limited.

It is said that the Ministry of Household Affairs has begun to study buying grain from Wandao!
Since the conquest of this island during the Kangxi period, rice production has been soaring.

Fertile land, warm climate, abundant rainfall, and a sparse local population!
There is a surplus of rice every year.

Exporting rice has become a pillar industry in the local area.

Fujian and Zhejiang provinces purchase from it every year to fill the gap in food rations.

(These two provinces cannot be self-sufficient in food for a long time, and the gap is huge! There are many factors, mainly terrain, followed by agricultural structure.)
Qianlong once again issued a secret edict in a bad tone.

It implies that Qian Feng will restore water transportation at all costs.

Then, there is no need to rush back to Beijing. In the name of rebuilding the green camp in the south of the Yangtze River and verifying the money and food of the local government treasury, secretly investigate the anti-Qing forces. No matter whether they are officials or civilians, they can be arrested if they are suspected.

If you are below the fourth rank, you can kill them directly without asking for the king's orders!

There is a particularly terrifying line in the secret decree, "You can kill the wrong person, but you can't let it go. I don't care about the occasional cruelty and misjudgment. I only want to dig out the anti-Qing leaders."

At the end of the secret decree, he also affirmed his achievements in decisively taking down the big worm Yuba Shi, and at the same time hinted that he could capture more "Yubashi" and purge Jiangsu's officialdom.

However, smart people all know that purging officials is just a superficial statement, while confiscation of homes is the real purpose.

As the richest province in the Qing Dynasty, the officials here also had the most prosperous life.

Qian Feng couldn't make a deal without copying three or five typical examples for one to two million taels of silver!
His eyes were really red and he was ready to kill.

The number of civilians who have died of illness and exhaustion from digging rivers has exceeded 1500, and this number is still rising sharply.

In the season when it turns warm and cold, it is easy for people to get sick.

What's more, the peasants were soaking in cold muddy water, blowing cold wind, and eating mostly cold food.

With such arduous corvee work, one can imagine the enthusiasm of the people.

No matter how many people there are, the progress of the project is still as slow as a snail.

How to solve it, there is only one word: money!Qian Feng is an upright official and doesn't love money, but he knows the importance of money.

Difficulties in this world are often linked to "money".

What money can't solve, neither can the Jade Emperor.

……

Li Yu's cheap father-in-law, Mr. Hu, is also in Yizheng.

As the highly paid master hired by the Governor of Water Transport, he naturally had to be worthy of the job.

"Dong Weng, you have lost weight."

"Lao Hu, you have to help me think of another way. If the water transportation is blocked, I really don't dare to live."

Wuwuwu, Caodu actually cried like this.

He lacked the magnanimity of a court official, which made the officials and staff feel embarrassed.

He used to weigh 170 pounds, but now he only weighs about 100 pounds. He is so thin that he loses his appearance.

The official robes were hanging around him, which was very funny.

His beard was unkempt, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was on the verge of collapse.

Master Hu sighed: "Dong Weng, don't worry, I'll think of a solution."

Governor Cao looked at the large circle of people in the room and begged:

"Everyone, please help me. Anyone who can help me get through this difficulty will be my benefactor for the rest of my life."

He cupped his hands and bowed in a circle.

All the officials felt uncomfortable, what kind of world is this, turning a dignified official of the second grade into a third grandson.

On the hillside, the imperial envoy's flag was erected.

The figure standing tall in the wind is the Imperial Envoy.

Master Hu just glanced at it and was no longer interested.

Qian Feng is really a fool. In order to encourage the people, he stands on that high place and drinks the northwest wind every day.

This kind of self-abusive behavior has alleviated the grievances of the people a lot.

Otherwise, this kind of high-intensity corvee, coupled with the hint of digging out the stone figures, will lead to trouble if everything is not preserved.

Dangdang,
The gong rings, signaling the end of work.

The peasants threw down their tools and swarmed to the place where the smoke was rising, preparing to eat.

If you are not active in eating, there is something wrong with your brain!
Recently, several salt merchants in Yangzhou City showed kindness and donated a lot of money, saying that they wanted to give the people a bite of hot food and reduce the incidence of illness.

Each person has a bowl of hot pickled rice with a little bit of oil starch.

The peasants squatted down to eat like food-protecting animals.

"No one is good, but the imperial envoy is a good official."

"Yes, it was the food money he forced the salt merchants to donate."

"Hey, whoever could kill a thousand people tore up this river embankment is committing an evil act."

"It's just the cooks on the beach who said they had no food to eat and rebelled."

"They wanted to rebel, so they went to rob the government office. Why are they tearing up the river embankment? This damn cold weather is causing us to suffer."

"Forget it."

……

"My lord, Master Hu from the Governor's Mansion is here."

"Hurry up please."

Receiving Lao Taishan naturally needs to be warm and grand.

Although you don’t have to step back to meet the new weather, you still need to show the warmth of spring.

Because Lao Taishan brought a good deal, shipping grain!
"What? You want to promote shipping grain to Beijing?"

"Exactly."

Li Yu took a few steps back and forth and asked in a low voice: "Old Taishan, teach me?"

"Hahahahaha, shipping grain to Beijing was the first time in the history of the Qing Dynasty. There are three benefits. One is to legally and reasonably expand the power to the Yangtze River Estuary. The second is to serve as a preview of a surprise sea attack on the capital. The third is to raise the Qing court's opposition to the capital. The price for your action."

Li Yu knew the first two points very well.

The third point is that he wanted to confirm whether he meant what he thought.

"What you mean is that once I successfully organize this shipping grain shipment, then I will be a capable person in the Qing Dynasty, and Jiangsu's officialdom will be inextricably related to me. In this case, anyone who wants to touch me The price is too high (the value of the barrel war)."

"Yes, my virtuous son-in-law understands me. It has become a tumor on the body of the Qing Dynasty. I dare not cut it, otherwise it will bleed."

Li Yu thought for a while and asked:

"Have you ever thought that this is tantamount to staking the enemy?"

"I must point out something. Even if this year's grain delivery is delayed for three months, it will not harm the foundation of the Qing Dynasty. The officials, gentry, Eight Banners, and Green Camp can all be well fed. It is nothing more than a sudden increase in grain prices, and people will starve to death for thousands of miles. It’s just a few hundred thousand people. The court will be in a panic, it will be in a hurry, and it will lose some of the people’s support, but that’s it. My dear son-in-law, you are a smart man, you should understand what I mean!”

Hu Ling'er also came, sitting aside and holding Li Yu's palm.

"I don't think it makes much sense as it will create a food crisis."

"You have to detonate this mine at the most critical moment. For example, when the imperial army goes south to conquer you, and you cut off the grain supply, the whole north will be panicked. At this time, if you send another partial division to land along the coast, they will destroy you along the way. Attack, and let the northern seas be filled with smoke. The imperial court will be exhausted, putting out fires everywhere, and unable to concentrate on dealing with you."

……

Li Yu finally nodded: "You are right! But will the imperial court approve shipping?"

Master Hu picked up a piece of candied fruit and threw it into his mouth:
"I just make suggestions and persuade Dong Weng to submit a letter. Whether to approve it or not is a matter for the court and the emperor. If you approve it, you just go with the flow. If you don't approve it, you have no loss."

And said:
"If the imperial court allows the states and counties to organize their own shipping fleets, this job will be very risky and serious people will not be able to avoid it. But my dear son-in-law, you will be different."

Seeing that Li Yu was a little embarrassed, he quickly explained:
"What I mean is that a loyal minister is known by a rough and turbulent wind, and a strong grass is known by a strong wind. There is an order from the court, but no one dares to take it. You stand up and raise your arms. How kind of loyalty is this?"

"The magistrate was so worried that he saw a fool volunteering to take on this job and bankrupting his fortune. My virtuous son-in-law, what do you think he will do?"

The corner of Li Yu's mouth twitched, and he said faintly:
"The local officials will be obedient and are afraid that I will give up my choice. So I should seize the opportunity to speak loudly and make reasonable and unreasonable requests."

"Wonderful."

The father-in-law and son-in-law ended their conversation and began to act like normal people, chatting about trivial matters at home.

Before leaving, Master Hu said with emotion:

"Wonderful son-in-law, it would be great if I were 20 years younger. In this life, it would be such a blessing to be listed in the history together with Zhang Liang and Xiao He."

……

Take a boat all the way to Jiangbei.

Then he went to see Cao Du and found that he had lost weight again.

After listening to Haiyun's suggestion, Governor Cao was not angry at all, and there was a glimmer of light in his eyes.

This made Master Hu lament that once a person reaches a dead end, he will not dare to believe anything.

Even a poisonous snake is a floating life-saving straw in his eyes.

He threw a piece of rotten wood casually. In the eyes of the governor, it was a sturdy Noah's Ark.

"Brother Hu, could you please write a memorial? I have insomnia every day and my hands are shaking so much that I can't hold the pen."

"Don't worry, Dong Weng."

"Hey, hey, hurry up."

As expected of a high-paid worker, the discounts are freshly baked in just a cup of tea.

Master Hu gently dried the ink while waiting for Governor Cao's thoughts after reading it.

"Okay, okay, let's expedite 800 miles to send it to the emperor for inspection."

After watching Kuai Ma leave, Cao Du, with dull eyes and hunched back, suddenly said:

"Brother Hu, if I can survive this calamity, I will do half of it and you will do half of it for the second-grade officers from now on."

"You're welcome, Dong Weng."

"It's not polite, it's sincere. In order to save me, you pushed your son-in-law into the fire pit. I will remember this kindness forever."

Seeing Master Hu's awkward expression, Governor Cao quickly explained:
"Brother, don't worry. If your son-in-law is really exiled to Ning Guta, I will definitely find a good-looking, well-established, and promising husband for your daughter. If that doesn't work, my youngest son is only 8 years old. You can decide first. Come down. I'm not a conservative-minded person and the age gap is not a problem."

Master Hu's eyes widened and his head was buzzing.

Governor Cao quickly promised:
"I swear to the ancestors of the Guarjia family. If I break my promise, the men of the whole family will go to Caishikou, the women will go to the Qinhuai River, and the ancestors will be thrown into the sea."

"From now on, we will treat each other as brothers when we work together in public and in private."

Two men, no longer young, looked at each other.

There are tears in my eyes!
What a friendship this is.

……

The imperial envoy went to the camp,
Qian Feng and Hailancha talked secretly for half an hour. After leaving the tent, Hailancha mobilized troops.

Then they temporarily requisitioned the Yangzhou government office hall to entertain guests, and sent invitations one by one according to the list of officials.

Everyone was uneasy and decided to come.

Even subordinate officials at the level of prison chief were invited.

Qian Feng's face was calm:
"Everyone, the imperial court is encountering difficulties now. The emperor is very worried. We ministers should share the worries of the emperor and father. I don't want to say anything more. Can you all express your determination?"

[This book currently has 2300 subscriptions, and the latest chapter has 24 subscriptions within 1200 hours, which is more than enough.The bald and adorable new author writes books part-time, and updates are limited, which affects his performance.But it doesn’t matter. I’m a newbie with a good attitude. It’s a traditional historical novel. If you write a good story, it will have enough stamina.By the way, destroying the Qing Dynasty is just a small step. Li Yu’s goal is to let the whole world learn Chinese and art together. 】

(End of this chapter)