Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 239 I feel that there is no injustice for Li Yu’s failure. He should not blame the court for his ugly words, but should reflect on himself.

The Jiangning Chamber of Commerce used the bundling sales strategy of medicinal materials to make money crazily, and the profits were unimaginably high.

All kinds of high-end medicinal materials that were unsalable in the medicinal material dealers' warehouses were taken advantage of this opportunity to be cleared out.

The gentry collectively hemorrhaged, feeling both hatred and helplessness.

The situation was so crazy that even Liu Qian, the leader of the intelligence organization, felt that it was a bit too much.

He can already foresee the future fate of Jiangning City and the future fate of these chamber of commerce members.

……

in temporary housing,
"Director, do you need to ask the lord for instructions?"

"No need, there is no need to let the lord know about such dirty things that cannot be brought to light. It will damage the lord's reputation. I will just bear the responsibility. By the way, have you contacted Duolong, the leader of the Zhenglan Banner?"

"Don't worry, Director, he is very sensible."

"~Ai Qing should select elite Qin soldiers, not afraid of hardships, and attack the lair of the religious bandits with light troops. The religious bandits have brought trouble to Hubei and restrained the officers and soldiers of several surrounding provinces. The court cannot concentrate all its efforts to quell the chaos in Jiangnan. Ai Qing should follow Zhaohui as an example, Don’t let me down~”

The third secret edict was sent to Ma Zhongyi, the commander-in-chief of Hanzhong.

"It's good to be sensible. After this battle, maybe he can be promoted to a higher level. If not, he can even get a title like Batulu."

Not only that, but all those who have held positions in Suzhou Prefecture in the past five years and later became or moved to official positions will be exiled and have their homes confiscated.

From the siege to today, 47 days have passed. The vast majority of people no longer have cash.

Another one was sent to Guangzhou Prefecture, and the content was concise and cold.

The current market price is 120 taels per catty. A family of five needs 1 tael of silver to buy grain every day, which is 30 taels a month.

"~If things cannot be done, my beloved does not have to die in the city. You should endure the humiliation and bear the burden, be brave after knowing your shame, and sneak to the north of the Yangtze River to continue dealing with the bandit chieftains. You must block the bandits' front south of the Yangtze River~ Qieqie."

……

A household of five people would normally need 5 kilograms of grain a day. Just to save your life, you will need 10 pounds.

He knew the inside story. The master had two secret cards and was reluctant to play them out.

Once he takes action, it will be a blast!
A green battalion lieutenant general and an Eight Banners assistant leader were both leading troops. If they were slightly tilted at the critical moment, Qianlong would burst into tears.

……

"Don't worry, Director."

"Zhu Gui, the magistrate of Nanhai County, neglected to observe when he was in office in Jiangsu, which led to the thief chieftain becoming powerful. He was guilty of neglecting to observe. The crime cannot be forgiven. In memory of his old age, I will give him a section of Bai Ling~"

"I feel that there is no injustice in his failure. We should not blame the court for his ugly handwriting, but should reflect on ourselves. I will engrave 100 copies of this paper for everyone in the world to enjoy. I always believe that people who cannot write a word well can , must not be able to do big things.”

It was not until the city was besieged that 3 shi of rice were urgently replenished. For a city with a population of hundreds of thousands, it was a drop in the bucket.

After his men went out, Liu Qian said to himself:
"After the fight against Jiang Ning is completed, the personnel within the Intelligence Agency will be reorganized. House rules will need to be established."

The more Qianlong thought about it, the angrier he became. He felt that all the errands in Suzhou Prefecture should be killed.

"This matter is highly confidential, very serious."

……

Qin Si picked it up, glanced at it and said with a flattering smile:
"This calligraphy is worse than the servant Qie Dun in the Imperial Kitchen."

Old Summer Palace,
Man Zhangjing, a member of the Military Aircraft Department, knelt on the floor tiles and wrote a secret edict while holding his breath.

Of course, Li Shiyao's efforts will not be in vain. Every time the rice came, 2% was used as military ration, but half of it was actually lost in the water.

There was no shortage of officials in the Qing Dynasty, and re-promoting them would make them more loyal.

While he was thinking about the entire empire in his mind, Qin Si, the eunuch in charge, came, walking neither lightly nor heavily:
"Master, here is the test paper for the thief chief Li Ni from back then."

Qianlong waved his hand and signaled to send it directly.

He was tired and didn't want to waste his energy on such small things.

A large number of Qing troops were escorted along the way to prevent robbery.

This was a decree sent to Li Shiyao, the governor of Liangjiang.

As he said this, Liu Qian couldn't help but laugh, thinking this was too funny.

As soon as the four rice-laden rice boats docked, the long-awaited coolies immediately swarmed up. The rice was unloaded onto wheelbarrows and transported into the city.

Qianlong took it and looked through it for a while, then threw it on the ground in disgust:
"The arts and sciences are superficial, the logic is confusing, and the calligraphy is especially bad! The imperial examination did not fail him, it was he who failed the imperial examination!"

Then there is only one way, pawn!

Outside Jiangning City, Xiaguan Wharf.

Others could not be killed, so Zhu Gui, the former chief envoy, could only be put to death first.

……

Queues began to form at the entrances of various rice shops again.

Zhang Jing of the Military Aircraft Department finished drafting the order and knelt down for a few steps to ask the emperor to see it.

But this was the Qing Dynasty, and the actual food reserves were only 4 shi. With the passage of time, there were too many rats.

Jiangning is the largest city in the southeast. The theoretical grain storage of the official warehouse is: 30 shi.

The threshold for the pawnshop industry is very high, so it is easier to form a monopoly.

What should I do if it happens to be a war? Lower the price!

Mingwalang is a bustling street in the city. There are three pawn shops on one road, and the proprietors behind them are the same person.

Behind the tall counter, the accountant opened the account book and said half-deadly:

"You don't have to do living things, you just have to do death things. They are smoky, clumsy and hairless, with a broken incense burner and three taels!"

The guest exploded:

"This is a Xuande furnace! In the past, when someone offered 100 taels, I didn't even sell it."

Mr. Accountant spat and said coldly:

"You also know it's the past? Why didn't you sell the past?"

"~"

"3 Liang, if you like it, sell it or not. If you don't sell it, I will fall, and you will be the next one."

"Sell, sell, sell."

As the saying goes: Three robbers can't keep up with one medicine seller, and three medicine sellers can't keep up with one pawnshop owner!
……

The man suddenly jumped up, grabbed a plate of silver and ran away.

The cashier jumped to his feet and shouted:
"catch him."

Two men in black immediately chased him out and held him down within a short time.

A group of soldiers passed by on patrol and looked at everything coldly.

The accountant hurriedly came to the side of the foreign affairs manager who was leading the team and touched his sleeves.

"Master Jun, do you think this man is robbing someone on the street?"

He felt the weight inside his sleeve, which was just enough to grab some anti-diarrheal medicine for the children at home, and said coldly:
"According to the military order of the Governor's Palace, behead him."

The two soldiers grabbed the man's arms from behind and lifted him up hard.

Another person grabbed the braid and pulled it hard. The kneeling man was in pain and stretched his neck involuntarily.

With a click, the first-level Guru rolled to the side.

The cashier returned to the high counter proudly and snorted. He had to lower the price, hard.

"next."

"Insect-eaten and rat-bitten, bare board and hairless, with a broken face and a tattered coat, 1 tael! Should I take it seriously? Should I not take it seriously, get out of here!"

The stunned guest was holding a 90% new fur coat. As soon as he uttered a word of "Blue Whale Yayan", he was dragged aside by two thugs and beaten until he vomited blood.

Similar scenes happen every day in Jiangning City, and they are becoming more frequent.

Liu Qian, who was sitting in the carriage and witnessed this scene, silently lowered the curtain and muttered:
"The volcano is about to erupt. Even if the Da Luo gods come down to earth, they can't save Jiangning City."

He realized that the glimmer of light was not far away.

He whispered to the coachman:

"Tell the brothers to kill a few more lone Green Camp soldiers in the next few days with a knife."

"Yes."

……

Green camp soldiers were attacked one after another in Jiangning City during night patrols. He was killed with random knives and his money was taken away.

After an examination, they concluded that it was done by hungry rioters because the wounds were messy and the blade was not very sharp.

However, Wu Zuo ignored that all the corpses had one thing in common, there was a stab wound on the side of the waist.

肾！
This is what Liu Qian learned when he traveled around the world. When stabbed here, one cannot make a sound, cannot shout, and has no strength to struggle. Especially suitable for use by intelligence organizations!

As murders occurred repeatedly, the nerves of the green battalion patrolling the city became tense.

They always felt that there were rebels hiding among the hungry people.

Coincidentally, the second tunnel dug by Li Jiajun was finally completed.

2000 kilograms of gunpowder were stuffed into a sealed coffin. Taking advantage of the fact that it hadn't rained recently and the tunnel could barely drain water, they blasted it late at night.

After a dull loud noise, the southern city wall collapsed, with a gap of 5 feet wide.

However, the Li Jiajun did not seize the opportunity to break through the gap. Instead, they arrived belatedly and exchanged fire with the Qing army's firearms, which were busy blocking the gap. The two sides exchanged fire all night long, with continuous gunfire. Li Shiyao was so frightened that he stayed up all night.

There was poison in front of the case, a sword in his hand, a war horse tied in the yard, and his face was ashen. It wasn't until the sun came up that he realized at a loss that the thieves had not broken through the city.

"Making the platform, the gap is finally blocked."

"How are our troops' casualties? How are our enemy's casualties?"

"More than 1500 people were killed in the Green Camp, and more than 300 people were killed in the Eight Banner garrison."

……

These people were all shot to death by Li's army's guns in order to block the gaps in the city wall.

Wooden beams, bricks, fences, and horses blocked the gap. Although there were gaps, at least people couldn't get through smoothly.

Standing on the city wall, he couldn't help but tortured his soul:
"Since the thief chief blasted the city wall, why didn't he gather heavy troops early and take the opportunity to attack the city? This is not in line with common sense."

"My subordinates also feel that something is fishy. Maybe there is a conflict within the bandit army?"

Li Shiyao stared at the subordinate officer and suddenly felt that this was really a possibility.

Then he invited Chongdao, Fu Changan, Yu Yunzhong, and He Lin to study the strangeness of this matter. Everyone felt that this possibility was very high!
No one thought about the lack of troops and gunpowder.

Because they think it's impossible. Since ancient times, rebellions have coerced strong men, and spears are soldiers. The most indispensable thing in the Qing Dynasty was people. How could there be a shortage of troops?

Thieves and soldiers are not officers and soldiers. There is no need for armor, ordnance, horses, or firearms, as long as you are a strong man, you can be considered a soldier.

Li Shiyao said:

"If I were a thief chief, I would have summoned tens of thousands of people and told them to march into the city and rob them for three days. There is no way there would be a shortage of troops or gunpowder."

Everyone nodded, even Yu Yunzhong, who had no battlefield experience, agreed, because this was how it was done in the late Ming Dynasty, and he had read it in the book.

……

Chongdao is thoughtful:
"Zi Taiwan, can we make use of it?"

"Use what?"

"Using the internal contradictions among the thieves, we recruited one group and attacked the other group. Maybe Jiangning can be defended, and the bandit chaos in Jiangnan can be quelled. This is a great achievement~"

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Li Shiyao frowned and admitted that this was a good strategy.

"Then let's try it? There's nothing to lose anyway."

Fu Changan also spoke:

"We cannot make hasty contact. We must first understand the internal situation of the rebels and know ourselves and the enemy."

"This is easy to handle. There is a group of merchants in the city purchasing rice from Jiangbei. I know without asking that they must have bribed the pirate navy."

So Lao Gao was invited by the governor.

As soon as he entered the door, he bowed his head and knelt respectfully without any arrogance.

Li Shiyao nodded with satisfaction:
"sit down."

"Thank you Tai, thank you all."

"The military situation is like a fire, so I won't beat around the bush. How much do you know about the thief situation? Which little thief chieftain do you know?"

Lao Gao jumped up in fright and waved his hands:

"No, no, I don't know him. I am a clean and honest businessman and I never do anything illegal."

General Jiangning Chongdao smiled:

"Don't be afraid, Mr. Gao. If you know the thief chief, you will not only be innocent, but also meritorious."

"what?"

……

An hour later, Lao Gao left the Governor's Mansion.

He thought about it and decided to discuss it with Liu Qian. He was a little unsure of the intentions of these grandsons.

Liu Qian almost jumped up after hearing this:

"What did you say? Taiwan Production wants to talk to Mr. Hu about recruitment?"

"Yes, that's right."

"is it possible?"

"Master Hu personally said last time that he belongs to the liberal faction among the thieves and often has conflicts with the die-hard faction. They also attack in one direction outside the city."

Liu Qian's expression was solemn, pretending to be thinking. He realized that the plot might be going astray again.

During this period, the Jiangning Chamber of Commerce, headed by Lao Gao, often went out of the city to contact Hu Xueyu.

Hu Xueyu claimed that he and the navy belonged to the same faction, so he had great reputation.

When Jiangbei purchases goods, he only needs to hang up the special flag he issued, and the journey will be smooth.

There used to be competitors in the city who also wanted to secretly transport goods from Jiangbei and make a lot of money.

As a result, even the ship and its cargo became Liu Wu's spoils of war. The cargo owner suddenly experienced a rapid decline in class, and his whole family went to the Chenghuang Temple to join the dirty clothes sect.

……

"Lao Niu, do you want us to withdraw?"

"Hold on for a few more days. Let's see how the negotiations progress between the two sides. It won't be too late for us to evacuate. Don't worry, we have prepared a big boat at Xiaguan Pier and a small boat in the nearby reed swamp. The boatmen are all well-fed and absolutely loyal."

"Sure. Wealth can be found in danger."

"Mr. Gao, after finishing this order, we can wash our hands in a golden basin."

"Are you satisfied with just 30 taels?"

"How can I compare with you? Earning 30 yuan in this life is already a blessing in disguise."

"Old Niu, do you know what I admire most about you?"

"Please give me some advice, Elder Gao."

"Satisfied! You are different from those people. They are too greedy. Just the day before yesterday, Lao Zheng, who sells herbal medicines, deposited 35 taels into Tian Chengyuan. He has been working for three generations, and he has never seen so much cash in his life. You don’t even know your last name anymore.”

Liu Qian lowered his head, hiding the sarcasm in his eyes, and said respectfully:
"I will accept you. If you eat meat, I will drink soup."

……

The south city was blasted and a section of the city wall collapsed.

This news is good for the growth of Tiancheng Yuan's silver deposits. The panicked gentry lined up to deposit money inside. The 4% handling fee is a pain, but it is better than thieves entering the city and robbing them all.

There is a rumor among the people that Tiancheng Yuan's banknote number is wild, and money is transported to the north of the Yangtze River by boatloads without any hindrance.

Liu Qian was worried that the gentry in Jiangning would hesitate and stop depositing money if the news spread that the governor's office was trying to recruit people.

Something needs to be done to raise the expectations of the wealthy households in Jiangning about the imminent fall.

The next day, there was a queue of more than 2 miles in front of a rice shop.

Suddenly someone yelled:
"Is there any royal law in this world? Rice costs 120 cents per pound, and they are more evil than the thieves outside the city."

"This city is still guarded, so why not let the thieves break in?"

"Young and old men in Jiangning are grabbing rice."

The people have been dissatisfied for a long time, and their anger is like lava erupting instantly.

Countless people rushed into the rice shop and grabbed rice frantically.

……

The government servant who was maintaining order in the distance ran away quickly to move reinforcements.

When Li Shiyao heard this, he gave a sharp order:
"Suppression, no mercy."

The Eight Banners garrison cavalry rushed to the scene first, drew their sabers and rushed towards the crowd, bringing with them lots of blood.

Just now, people were in a frenzy over grabbing rice and running for their lives.

On the stone streets, red blood and white rice were mixed together, which was horrible to look at.

2 streets away,
The man who saw this scene through the private room window of the restaurant said silently:
"Team leader, I don't want to work in the Intelligence Agency anymore."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"When the war in Jiangning is over, I will go to the director to apply to lead troops in the First Army Corps."

"Our Intelligence Agency's remuneration when out in the field is higher than that of a battalion commander. Look at this table of food. What kind of generous treatment is this? Don't you regret quitting?"

"I just want peace of mind."

"There are a hundred times more corpses on the battlefield than on that street!"

"That's better than this. At least they died by swords and guns, not by conspiracy."

In silence, the team leader picked up a piece of fish, looked at it for a long time, and sighed:

"When Jiang Ning's trouble is over, you can leave. It's very dangerous for you to have this idea. Staying in the Intelligence Agency will only harm your colleagues. I will personally go to the director to let you go to the First Army. But I have to remind you that this Please be sure to abide by the rules for a while, otherwise~"

After that, he raised his glass.

The two drank it all and parted ways.

……

(End of this chapter)