Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 263 The Trick of Fate

The people nearby had just fished out two corpses in boats and placed them on the riverside. The straw sandals were tattered and the calluses were obvious. They were obviously poor.

It is estimated that the person has no way out and runs into the Yangtze River.

This kind of thing is not new.

"Lao Gao, dig a hole and bury it. The master in town will reward you with 5 cents."

"Hey, good."

President Gao and the only loyal servant who did not run away to follow him buried the body hastily and said sadly:

"It stands to reason that if I'm as good as I am now, I should commit suicide by throwing myself into the river."

"But wow, I really don't want to die."

"They are poor people. They have never had a good life in their lives. They suffer when they are alive and have no regrets when they die. But I am different from them. I have been rich all my life. I know what is delicious, what is fun, and what is there in this world. How much fun. I, I can’t bear to die~"

I couldn't help but ask:
"Master, we have a bank deposit slip issued by Tiancheng Yuan Bank. It's a total of 130 million taels. Why don't you take it to Yangzhou Mansion to cash it?"

I was dumbfounded. In just a few days, the organization was gone.

"Then let's sue the officials. At worst, the officials will get 7, and we will get 3."

The house slave picked up the hoe and sighed.

……

"You can't go. If you go, you will be killed immediately." Lao Gao waved his hand, "All the hundreds of people in the Chamber of Commerce were slaughtered, and I am the only one left alive. Don't you understand? This is a huge scam."

It took him a long time to accept this reality. Next, we have to face the cruelest reality: where to go!

"Dad, let's stay away from the Yangtze River."

"He's a steward from the village. Let's talk?"

More than 20 people cheered at the moment when "the mountains and rivers are full of doubts and there is no way out, and the willows and flowers are bright and there is another village".

The house slave felt cold and shivering all over under the bright sun.

Although Zheng Chunshou is young, he seems to be the backbone of these 20 people.

The Qing army had tidied up the battlefield and left.

So Zheng Chunshou spent several days searching for some more Bailian soldiers from the mountains who were lucky enough to survive.

"Second son, you have been with me for so long. If you still trust me, follow me as far away as possible. From now on we will be treated as father and son. Don't worry, I just lack a little capital. I can buy a decent job in a few years. family property.”

"Baby, I see you are not very old, so why are you so vicious?"

……

Everyone gathered together and went to the village together.

The two brothers who followed him also looked ugly and lost their minds.

He held the hatchet and met Zheng Chunshou alone.

"Will they take us in?"

Apart from broken knives and broken spears, corpses, blood, and flies, not a single living person was left.

"How about we go to that village?" Zheng Chunshou asked tentatively.

Zheng Chunshou returned from investigation.

"Uncle, there's nothing we can do. We have to survive."

Lao Gao sat on the river beach and said to himself:
"A huge scam requires a huge amount of energy. How many people in the world do you think have such energy? You can't say it. If you say it, you will die. You can't think about it either. If you think too much, you will be scared to death."

"It definitely won't work for three people, but it will be fine for 3 people."

"By the way, the eldest wife, the second wife, and the third wife are all in Yangzhou Mansion, do we want~"

It’s hard to find without a guide!
The mountain road is so rugged that people who go around it will feel dizzy.

There is a chill coming from behind the slave:

However, there are conservation laws in the world.

"No." Lao Gao objected. "Now that I don't have any money, who wants to recognize a bad old man? Besides, if I show up, my whole family will probably sink into the Yangtze River. Let the world think I am dead~ "

People in the village will not watch them occupy the magpie's nest.

They built a stone wall, picked up weapons, and prepared stones to block the entrance to the village.

"Are you Green Camp deserters?"

There is another person who is also trapped in the "trick of fate" and cannot extricate himself.

After a while, an old man came out.

This scene is hope and heaven.

Tranquil valley bottom plains, green rice fields.

"No, it's Bai Lian. He was killed by the officers and soldiers and has no way to survive. He wants to live in your village."

……

"There are 51 men in the village, you can't get in."

"We have knives, swords, spears."

"We dare to fight hard."

……

Negotiations reached a deadlock.

Zheng Chunshou's eyes were very firm. Along the way, he killed many people.

Suddenly a furry head emerged from the cloth bag.

Meow meow~
Xiaoju couldn't hold back anymore and looked at the two people who were at war with each other in front of her.

The old man was shocked:

"Your cat?"

"Correct."

"You take your cat with you to the war?"

"Well, I was brought here from Wuhan. What is this place called?"

The old man answered this seemingly meaningless question: "This is called Jinzhai Village."

Silent for a long time,

Zheng Chunshou spoke: "We are defeated and have no place to go. Take us in and we will become the people of Jinzhai Village. We can farm, hunt, and help defend against bandits."

The old man was still vigilant: "What if you doves occupy the magpie's nest?"

"Then make an alliance based on blood!"

The old man looked at him and then at the young men behind him.

Leave a word:

"I want to go back and discuss it."

"can."

……

An hour later, the old man came back, holding a black ancestral tablet.

He directly laid out his conditions:
"You kowtow in front of your ancestors, change your surname and return to the clan, swear a poisonous oath, hand over your weapons, and then marry a woman from the village. It will be easier for you to be a family in the future."

Zheng Chunshou smiled. He saw what was written on the tablet: First, take the exam for Mr. Zheng Gong Fugui.

"Clan leader, my surname is Zheng. The flood almost washed away the Dragon King Temple."

"Baby, don't lie."

Zheng Chunshou took out his dagger and cut his palm seriously:

"The Zheng family is unworthy of their descendants. I will pay homage to my ancestors in the spring of my birthday. From now on, everything will be focused on Jinzhai Village. If you have second thoughts, your bones will be shattered and ashes will be thrown away after death, and you will be reincarnated as a pig or dog."

The rest of the people followed the instructions one after another, forming an alliance based on blood.

Later, some people changed their surname to Zheng, and some even married widows with children in the village.

It turns out that Jinzhai Village suffered a bandit attack last year. Although the bandits were repelled, the men died heavily.

Fully 15 families lost their husbands!

In the farming era, families without men could not survive. The clan leader also has a headache. He is both afraid of outsiders and looking forward to outsiders.

Zheng Chunshou and his party handed over most of their weapons in exchange for integrating into the village.

The money they carried with them was also used as betrothal gifts to form 15 new families.

In this way, everyone is happy.

……

Xiao Ju also found long-lost happiness in the village. As an "auxiliary orange cat" with a unique temperament, she became the leader of the cat group as soon as she arrived.

Leading groups of village cats, they hunt small rodents, rabbits, and turtle doves in the nearby woods.

And most of the White Lotus believers just want to find a way to survive.

Now that I have a house, a field, and a wife, I can integrate into this place from the bottom of my heart.

I made my own bows and went hunting in the surrounding woods to supplement my family income. We also repaired the weak points of defense in the surrounding villages.

The autumn harvest is around the corner. Although the population has increased, the harvest from hunting can also be added.

They hope to build a "paradise" in the hinterland of the Dabie Mountains, where men will farm and women will weave, and spend their lives with simple meals.

……

Qizheng, the deputy capital of Chengdu, led his troops back to Jiujiang triumphantly.

Except that the body of Master Hong was not found, everything else about this battle was successful. It's a complete victory!
Wild beasts roam the valley.

The body had obviously been chewed up, leaving some traces of regret behind.

The first-level silver reward has been obtained, and the official promotion has to wait for the approval of the court, sooner or later.

He originally wanted to return to Chengdu, but he received the latest military order from General Fuyuan.

"Supervise the battle?"

"Yes, Prime Minister is preparing for a large-scale attack against the Jiangnan rebels." "My men have been fighting for more than two months and are already exhausted. They need to rest!"

"Don't be angry, sir. In this battle, the Eight Banners warriors do not need to go into battle in person. They only need to supervise the Green Camp soldiers from behind."

Qi Zheng squinted at Mr. Qian who was delivering the order:
"Got it. Get lost."

"Whoo."

Since it was a break, it was nothing more than eating, drinking, gambling.

With a silver reward, time, and motivation, more than 1000 people stationed at the Eight Banners in Chengdu had a great time.

……

Agui took a fancy to Qizheng's ability to command troops.

In his words, even if he takes 2000 people out of the city for an outing, 1995 people will not be safe when they come back, let alone commanding a war.

When the Eight Banners marched out of Chengdu, there were a total of 2000 horse infantry sailors.

By the end of the bandit suppression, more than 400 people had been killed and more than 200 injured. This number is remarkable.

He already knew the emperor's latest secret decree.

Central idea:

Don't use the Eight Banners soldiers to fight Li Yu anymore, let the Green Camp soldiers come. When the Torgut cavalry from Mobei arrives, let them come too.

Jiangxi, Hubei, and Hunan Green Camps are all recruiting troops.

As long as you can raise military pay these days, you won't have to worry about having no soldiers.

"Report, the new governor of Hubei, Mr. Wang Jie, wants to see you."

"welcome."

Wang Jie is quite senior and has a good official reputation.

After receiving the courtesy, Agui asked someone to bring a chair to show his courtesy.

……

"Axiang, I'm here to borrow some food. The bandits have done too much damage and many places are short of food."

"Well, let's borrow some military rations and talk to you about our urgent needs."

"Thank you, Prime Minister. I also sent a letter to the court asking for food relief."

"Stay through it for another month, and by the autumn harvest, we will be able to overcome the difficulty."

Wang Jie smiled bitterly:
"Axiang, I'm afraid I won't be able to get through this difficulty!"

"Ok?"

"According to Xiaguan's rough estimate, at least 3% of the rice fields have been damaged. They have long dried up and died."

Agui sighed and set the tone for this matter:
"This is all the evil done by the bandits of the Hong Ni Sect. You should scrape the bones and heal the wounds to completely remove the remaining poison of the White Lotus."

"Your Majesty understands. As long as he is indeed a remnant of White Lotus, he will be severely punished."

"Sir Wang, I have another idea that requires your strong cooperation."

"Axiang, please speak."

"With less food and more people, this contradiction cannot be reconciled. It just so happens that the imperial court wants to use troops in Jiangnan, and there is a big gap in the Green Camp soldiers. Therefore, I will send people to Hubei to recruit refugees to rebuild the Green Camp."

Wang Jie was stunned for a moment, then nodded seriously:

"I will give you your full cooperation."

……

After sending Wang Jie away, another uninvited guest came.

The current commander-in-chief of Hanzhong, Ma Zhongyi.

The wind and snow outside the Great Wall, the setbacks in his official career, and the experience of killing people in Yunyang Mansion were like cutting grass, all of which changed this man like a carving knife.

The whole person exudes a "bloodthirsty" smell from the inside out.

Agui is very familiar with this smell. She has been like this after being on the front line for a long time.

He looked at the man in blue cotton armor, kneeling on one knee, and said calmly:
"Mr. Ma, get up."

"Thank you, Axiang."

"Please report on the progress of suppressing bandits in Yunyang Mansion."

"Following the emperor's secret order, I launched a surprise attack with light troops and killed a total of more than 3 strong men and more than 2 family members of the bandits. In the entire Yunyang Mansion, there is no underground secret altar for the bandits."

Agui raised his eyelids, feeling a little unhappy.

"Good job, get down."

"Whoo."

……

The guard watched Ma Zhongyi disappear and whispered:

"These days, cats and dogs can also obey the emperor's secret orders."

"Shut up and get out."

After being scolded by his master, the guard went out with a sneer.

Agui is also dissatisfied with Ma Zhongyi, but he will not express it.

He has considered the cancer of Yunyang Mansion many times.

Massacre is the most effective and longest-lasting method! There is nothing wrong with it except that it sounds bad.

The many wars of the Qianlong Dynasty all verified a truth:
For enemies who repeatedly rebel and are unruly, the best way is to defeat them and then slaughter them.

This is even more true for an organization like Bailian that has existed for thousands of years.

The Yunyang Mansion was completely slaughtered, and Bai Lian might not be completely eradicated, but at least his vitality was greatly damaged. In 50 years, Bailian will not be able to make any waves.

As for 50 years from now, I believe in the wisdom of future generations!

……

"Is Mr. Zhou, the prefect of Yunyang, here?"

"I'm coming."

Geshiha shouted, and Zhou Baochang, who was waiting to be summoned, quickly held his hat and trotted into the account.

From governor to prefect, he is now a frightened bird.

Agui glanced at this unlucky guy and ordered straight to the point:

"Yunyang Mansion has ten rooms and nine empty houses. It is difficult for you to be the prefect. I have asked the court to move 4 landless people from Gansu and Henan to fill Yunyang."

"Whoo."

"Do you know how to place it?"

"We should promote the king's ideals and teach them to cultivate the fields and receive food."

"You should mix the immigrants from the two provinces. Let them be mixed with each other. The two provinces are hundreds of miles apart and have very different customs. There will definitely be conflicts when living together. If there are less than 10 casualties, the local officials do not need to intervene in mediation. At the same time, A mountain ban order has been issued, and anyone who enters 5 miles of the mountain will be killed without mercy."

"I understand."

Agui waved his hand and dismissed this guy.

After Qianlong saw his proposal for relocation, he immediately agreed. He also expressed his emotion in public: Agui is old and wise in seeking the country and has far-reaching plans in doing things.

If only the people from the northwest are moved, Yunyang Mansion will be dominated by one family again, making it difficult to manage in the future.

Now that the two provinces live together and keep each other in check, no big fish can be hidden in the water.

……

Suzhou Prefecture.

The shopkeeper of Wangbei Tower, Ling Aliu, was thinking hard.

He received an order for military rations at a good price.

The requirements are also quite stringent, ensuring that it will not deteriorate for more than 20 days even in the wettest season in Jiangnan.

He called all the cooks and worked together.

"The shopkeeper can smoke, bake or dry it. If you add more salt, I guarantee it won't spoil."

"This is His Highness King Wu's military rations. There must be no mistakes, otherwise there won't be enough heads to cut off."

"Don't worry, shopkeeper, we are cooks and we know what we are doing!"

There are many kinds of food requirements listed on the list, which are roughly fried rice with oil and salt, grilled naan, bacon and air-dried meat, dried vegetables and fruits, etc.

According to common sense, meat should not be processed in the summer!

Large scale productions are definitely best in the winter and now it's summer.

But the cooks at Wangbeilou still tried to slaughter two pigs, then add a lot of salt to marinate them, and then bake them.

Fried rice and baked naan are much simpler. Add more oil, salt, and green onions to enhance the flavor.

It is not difficult to slowly bake vegetables and fruits on the iron plate to remove the moisture.

Samples of military rations were sent to the General Staff Headquarters for inspection by Acting Minister Tan Muguang to decide whether to place a large order in winter. Although the Li Jiajun has a special logistics camp, there is no need to be distracted by such complicated and trivial matters.

……

Li Yu rushed to Ma'anshan three times this month to inspect the situation.

"Your Majesty, after this period of running-in, some initial problems have been overcome. The 52 small blast furnaces can produce a total of about 200 furnaces of molten iron every day, and each furnace of molten iron is about 1000 kilograms. In this way, the pig iron production per day is 20 kilograms. "

"I remember the daily output was only 3000 kilograms before?"

Old Chen smiled awkwardly:
"There is no way. In the past, we relied on dozens of masters. The apprentices started from scratch, and three blast furnaces burned down. Now we have promoted the standard iron smelting process and no longer rely on personal experience, which saves a lot of worry."

Li Yu nodded, thoughtfully.

Then he asked worriedly:

"Is the quality stable?"

"After many adjustments, the proportions of ore, coking coal, and limestone have been fixed. The furnace temperature and time are also basically fixed, and the quality of the molten iron has improved a lot."

(End of this chapter)