Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 553 A carefully woven lie: It will arrive the day after tomorrow!

Chapter 553 A carefully woven lie: It will arrive the day after tomorrow!
Li Yu believed that apart from fur, the vast Siberia had no economic value.
The so-called rich minerals, timber, fisheries and other resources are all false concepts. If they cannot be transported out, they are worthless.

It's just wealth on paper.

This is the 18th century!

An era when transportation conditions were extremely primitive.

Apart from gold and furs, two high-value, small-volume specialties, Siberia has no resources worth transporting thousands of miles away.

……

It is nonsense to encourage a large number of people to settle in Siberia to enrich the border. Except for criminals, which normal person would be willing to move to a place of ice and snow with a temperature of minus 50 degrees Celsius?

Since ancient times,

We have only heard of the impoverished barbarians from the far north going south to burn and kill, but when have we ever heard of the people from the Central Plains going north to snatch their snow caves?
Even if you are an emperor, you must respect the facts.

Even if some people were forced at bayonet to move to Siberia to settle down, these people would escape.

Therefore,
Siberia is always vast and sparsely populated, with fewer people than wolves.

The most outstanding value of this absurdly large piece of land is that if the empire does not occupy it, the enemy will.

……

Many historical records have shown that maintaining a long-term military presence in remote and wild places is very expensive.

In the early days of the empire, perhaps it could be afforded.

Once the empire declines, it will no longer be able to afford it.

Therefore, handing it over to private forces is a very cost-effective model.

The specific mode is:

With the lure of high profits, some adventurers from the Wu State voluntarily went to Siberia to set up settlements.

They were allowed to control the local tribes on behalf of the imperial court and pay tribute to the local tribes on time. This would achieve the goal of not sending officials or immigrants, and the empire could actually control the wild lands.

The important officials all agreed with this.

To sum up: use economic means to control all border areas like Siberia that have no economic value but cannot be abandoned.

……

The king and his ministers had the same idea and began to work hard.

Ministers spent huge sums of money to buy high-end fur products.

As can be expected,

This winter, anyone with a little status in Wu State would feel embarrassed to call himself a "big official" if he didn't wear a mink coat when going out.

The 4th Corps stationed in Dayuan made a lot of money.

Furs are in short supply and their prices are rising steadily.

In order to make more money, they decided to catch all the wild animals in a corner of Alishan in the south of Dayuan Island.

For this purpose, 1 civilians were mobilized, with familiar natives leading the way, to clear the mountains with armed forces.

Burn as you go.

The savage tribes who attempted to resist suffered heavy casualties. The hunting grounds left by their ancestors were burned down by fire, the mountain streams changed color, and thousands of animals fled the mountains in terror.

Either crash into the net or fall into the pit.

Speaking of the matter, high-quality furs often come from cold regions. The quality of animal furs in Dayuan is very average, and it can only be said that it is better than nothing.

……

The Han territory expanded by several hundred square kilometers in one go.

All the land obtained from burning mountains and destroying forests belongs to the people.

Huang Si proudly wrote in the military newspaper:
"The savage tribes rely on nothing but high mountains and dense forests. They are familiar with the terrain and are fierce and tough. Our troops will cooperate with the local officials to burn the mountains in a planned manner, and then plant crops and sugarcane. This will gradually reduce their living space."

"The southwest will be transformed into a land-based government, and the high officials must also be transformed."

"The 4th Army is determined to eliminate the savages and turn Tainan into the empire's granary and sugar warehouse."

……

The governor of Dayuan, fearing a possible counterattack from the aboriginal tribes in the mountainous areas in the future, requested the court to sell some weapons—spears, crossbows, and matchlock rifles—to the people of Dayuan.

After careful consideration, His Majesty agreed to sell self-defense weapons to villages near the Fan Boundary.

However, gunpowder management must be strengthened.

Anyone found making or selling gunpowder privately will be sentenced to death by shooting, no matter how much.

Simultaneously,

For the sake of checks and balances, patrol officers are not allowed to be locals. They must be rotated in from other provinces, with a three-year term and then replaced at the end of the term.

The Patrol Office was the exclusive dealer in gunpowder in every county, and all purchasers had to be kept on record.

Compared with other provinces, Dayuan is particularly special.

More precautions are needed and the roof must not catch fire.

……

The junction of Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Anhui.

The atmosphere in Xuzhou was tense. Even in broad daylight, only one city gate was open.

Additional soldiers were deployed, barricades were set up, and patrols were carried out continuously.

Although the sun was shining and the clouds were clear, everyone felt that there was a gloomy haze overhead.

No food~
After rounds of collection of land taxes, every family's rice jar was empty.

Everyone had a hunch:
About to explode.

Tens of millions of fellow villagers could no longer suppress their anger.

……

In Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan Governor Liu Yong's eyes were red from staying up late.

The clerk whispered:
"Futai, would you like to go to the back hall to rest for a while?"

"No. I want to see with my own eyes the last 5 dan of grain being shipped to the capital."

After a while, the Lieutenant General of Fu Biao’s Central Camp came hurriedly.

Blood on armor:

"Governor, hundreds of people have gathered outside Kaifeng City to make trouble and demand that the granaries be opened to release grain. I have killed the two leaders."

Liu Yong responded coldly:
"Why did you only kill two people? You should know that in times of chaos, severe punishments should be used. If you encounter similar incidents again, you should lead the Central Camp Cavalry to suppress the troublemakers."

The lieutenant general looked up in surprise, then quickly lowered his head.

Kneel down on one knee:

"The general understands."

……

The governor's office, coming in and out.

All states and counties sent in reports of civil unrest, with the number of people ranging from a dozen to hundreds.

Liu Yong gave all the instructions:
"If a similar incident occurs again, no one will be spared, no instructions will be given."

After dealing with a pile of official documents, Liu Yong, who was thin and had protruding cheekbones, stood up to inspect the city defense.

outside the city,

Several bastions are being built.

He frowned at the strange shape and wanted to complain, but he held it in. After all, it was the emperor's order, and it was said to be the best choice for defending the city.

He also knew about the father and son in the capital fighting for the throne.

After careful consideration, he handed over a smooth letter of loyalty, which was roundabout and confusing.

Finally expressed a meaning:
"I swear to be loyal to the emperor until death. I will be loyal to whoever is the emperor."

……

"Governor, urgent news from southern Henan."

Liu Yong took the paper, unfolded it, and read it quickly.

"Nanyang people rioted, killing more than 10 gentry officials. The county magistrate and the gentry decisively killed more than 1500 rioters and burned down 12 villages."

"The people of Xinyang Prefecture were in turmoil, with thousands of people rioting. All 54 wealthy families in the prefecture were robbed. The officers and soldiers were defeated in the field battle and retreated to the prefecture city to defend it."

"Gushi County people are in turmoil~"

"The people of Shangcheng County are in turmoil~"

A series of news.

Liu Yong threw the note off the city wall and cursed:
"There are pits and valleys full of people who should be killed but have not been killed."

"Local officials in southern Henan were soft-hearted and ignored the imperial order. The imperial court had already made it clear that the flames of rebellion must be nipped in the bud. But they just wouldn't listen."

The officials around did not dare to say a word.

Southern Henan borders Hubei.

Once the Wu army advanced and southern Henan was lost, the local grain reserves might be used to support the enemy. Therefore, the grain collection was extremely ruthless and had reached a mad level.

……

Southeastern Henan, Guangzhou Shangcheng County.

The magistrate was quick to follow Liu's advice and decisively adopted Mr. Liu's strategy:

cheat!
The county government kept sending officials to the countryside, beating drums and gongs and shouting: The grain carts are on the way and will arrive the day after tomorrow.

In Hujiawan, the village was deathly quiet.

Everyone was either lying down or leaning back, trying to conserve energy.

Dangdang~
The familiar sound of a gong came from far away, and it was very loud.

"Fellow villagers, hold on a little longer. The latest news is that the grain trucks have arrived in Gushi County."

"It'll be there the day after tomorrow! It'll be there the day after tomorrow! It'll be there the day after tomorrow!"

In a thatched hut about ten feet away, on a straw kang.

The hungry old woman muttered:

"You bastard, we were deceived badly."

The son beside him stared blankly at the straw hanging from the roof:
"Mom, I'm dying."

After a long while, there was no movement.

The old woman struggled to crawl over and held the cold hands that were hanging down, and the last tear fell in her sunken eye sockets.

Silently:
"Second Master, this bastard should be put in the oil pan."...

Hujiawan was cheated by the second master.

The second master was deceived by Mr. Liu again.

However, the people of Liu Village next door did not believe Mr. Liu’s lies.

The reason was simple. A servant in the fortress secretly passed the message to his relatives.

"There's no food. There's no food in the whole of Holland."

"Escape south and go to Hubei to join Wu."

The fort was sturdy and housed 100 servants.

Mr. Liu and several local gentry purchased in advance 30 muskets, 2 earth cannons, 3 portable guns, 20 bows and arrows, 100 swords and spears, and a dozen large and fierce dogs.

The stored grain is enough for everyone to eat for several years.

……

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at this time,

Mr. Liu was giving a lecture to his servants:
"Hold the fort. Don't worry about other people's lives, just take care of yourself. If you survive this disaster, I will give each of you 10 mu of irrigated land."

"Don't scold me for being cruel. There's nothing I can do. In this world, whoever isn't cruel will die first."

Just as Mr. Liu was about to continue boosting morale, a rapid gong sounded from the watchtower.

Everyone looked outside and gasped.

In the distance, I saw a large crowd of people coming.

……

The crowd moved very slowly, like a slow motion movie.

The hungry people, like skeletons, had empty eyes and moved forward slowly and resolutely.

Survive!

2 quarters of an hour later,
The vanguard of the crowd approached the dock, then stopped and knelt down.

The leading man shouted:
"Sir, for the sake of our fellow countrymen, please give me something to eat."

The maid standing next to Mr. Liu had sharp eyes and saw several familiar faces in the crowd.

Pleading:

"Mr. Juren, we are all fellow villagers, so please give us some rewards."

slap~
Mr. Liu slapped the maid to the ground and stepped hard on her head:

"A woman's perspective."

"If I dare to give out porridge today, all the hungry people in southern Henan will come and kneel before me tomorrow."

"Shoot, kill the leader first."

……

The loyal servant held a torch close to the fuse of the cannon. The fuse shortened rapidly, and sparks flew into the barrel through the ignition hole, igniting the gunpowder powder tightly packed in the barrel.

Boom~
A cloud of gravel spurted out, and the kneeling hungry people fell to the ground.

Mr. Liu waved his arms excitedly:

"Beat him, beat him hard."

In order to get 10 acres of irrigated land, the servants stood on high ground and fired guns and cannons crazily, and the hungry people, dominated by the fear of death, scattered again.

Corpses were piled up outside the fort, and the number of people trampled to death far exceeded those killed by gunfire.

……

On the third day, the crowds returned.

There was no end in sight, at least four or five thousand people, carrying several ladders.

Mr. Liu was stunned and furious:
"Who is behind this?"

Actually,
He was right. Someone was indeed plotting in secret.

Several spies from the Intelligence Agency rode their horses and had sharp swords, and were smart and calm. The leader pulled out a telescope and observed silently.

……

In the fort, guns and cannons rang out.

However, the lead arrow is like a stone dropped into a lake, and its impact is limited.

A huge crowd rushed to the fort and set up ladders.

Survival
Everyone knew that as long as they rushed into the fort gate, they would find food.

Hearing the banging noise of someone banging on the door below, Mr. Liu was terrified.

Shouting:

"Pour oil on them, burn them, burn these poor bastards to death."

The hungry people who were banging on the door were drenched on their heads. Many of them looked up blankly, savoring the aroma of the fat.

Torches falling from the sky
They wailed, rolled, and struggled.

……

The head servant stumbled over to Mr. Liu:
"Master, we can't fire anymore. If we fire again, the barrel of the gun will explode."

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"Open the door and kill with the spear."

"Yes." Mr. Liu gritted his teeth and raised his right hand. "Afterwards, each person will be given an additional 5 mu of water to irrigate the land."

The gate of the fort creaked open, and a dozen fierce dogs that had been hungry for two days rushed into the crowd and bit them madly.

Dozens of servants marched forward with spears in hand, looking like athletes fighting in kindergarten.

Mr. Liu jumped up and down and shouted:
"Good, good, good kill."

……

In the distance, the spies from the Intelligence Agency sighed and rode away.

Director Liu Qian selected hundreds of ruthless action team members and scattered them in Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Anhui and other regions.

Observe first and intervene with caution.

This is a brutal mission!

When they passed by the mall, they wanted to instigate the hungry people to take over the fort, in order to prolong the lives of these people and to assess the strength of the Henan gentry's armed forces.

At present, the organization of the fortress is good and the hungry people cannot take it down at all.

It is actually unrealistic for a group of hungry people to easily break into the landlord's compound as in "1942".

but,

A strong fortress is often breached from within.

The maid bought by Mr. Liu saw countless corpses outside the fortress and had a mental breakdown.
midnight,

She ran to the kitchen and started a fire, and soon the fire spread to the roof of the granary.

The next day, everyone in the fort fled in all directions.

Mr. Liu also fell into starvation and his whereabouts were unknown, probably he was dead.

……

Lu'an Prefecture next to Shangcheng County.

Jinzhai Village, in the heart of Dabie Mountains.

At the entrance of the village, dogs were barking.

Zheng Chunshou, dressed in shorts, walked out of the house and looked at the newcomers with a frown. Four yamen runners in black uniforms swaggered in.

"Captain Zheng, where is the grain in your village?"

Zheng Chunshou bent down slightly:
"Everything is ready."

"Really? Take me to see it."

……

The four yamen runners walked into the village, unaware that danger was approaching.

"what sound?"

"Forging iron."

An old yamen runner came over with great interest:
"Captain Zheng, your village is quite prosperous. Hey, what kind of iron tool are you making? It doesn't look like a hoe or a hatchet."

The blacksmith smiled innocently and said:
"It's a spear."

"Spear~Spear~" The old yamen runner looked up suddenly as if struck by lightning and saw a row of long swords leaning against the wall.

He fell to his knees.

"Grandpa, spare my life."

"I was wrong, I was wrong."

……

"Where did you go wrong?"

"I, I don't know either. Grandpa, please spare me."

Zheng Chunshou took the long knife handed to him by the blacksmith, held it with both hands, exerted force suddenly, and chopped it diagonally.

The blood flew high.

It dripped down along the adobe wall next to it.

Zheng Chunshou looked at the blade and saw that it was not bent. He praised happily: