Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 75 Compliance Test

Huang Tongpuan shuddered and could hardly believe his ears.

Ma Zhongyi asked again in the same tone:
"Weigetang Li Yu, is this person suspected of killing officials and rebelling?"

"The official is not familiar with him."

"Don't be nervous. I just want to hear your thoughts. Anyone who speaks is not guilty."

Huang Tong calmed down and said:

"I don't think it will happen as expected. Although this person is greedy for money and behaves erratically, he has no real evidence of rebellion."

Ma Zhongyi smiled and motioned for him to sit down and chat about some interesting things.

Half an hour later, Huang Tongpuan left the government office.

His back was covered in cold sweat.

If Ma Zhongyi said so, he would send troops to destroy Lijiabao.

Huang Tongping will definitely support Li Yu with both hands today. He will list Li Yu's ten major crimes to prove that he is a rebel.

However, Ma Zhongyi was obviously just asking and had no immediate plan to kill him.

Then he wouldn't dare to say it.

Because this talk and laughter might reach Li Yu's ears.

It is widely rumored that Weigetang recruited 12 swordsmen from Mobei, called the Twelve Taibao.

The day before yesterday, Li Yu visited him again and gave him a 1000 tael silver note.

Tell him that other colleagues have accepted it.

Take other people's money and don't speak for them.

Whether in temples or in the world, he will be cast aside.

And if Li Yu knew that she was giving him eye drops, the probability of a fire in his house would increase sharply.

This is an ignorant bastard.

That night, Huang Tongpuan had a nightmare.

Woke up in a cold sweat.

……

This is exactly what Li Yu planned. He is not afraid of wearing shoes if he is barefoot.

Gradually spread some news that is both true and false to make others fear you.

A person who breaks the rules of the game at any time is terrible.

You can't control him within the rules.

Fear is sometimes a kind of protection.

Ma Zhongyi did not just believe someone's words. He suspected that Li Yu was promoted because of two things.

One was the General Manager of the Jinjixun Foreign Affairs Committee. He moved to Hengtangxun due to his military exploits and became the ninth-level General Manager, with the word "Foreign Committee" removed.

It’s equivalent to a temporary worker becoming a regular employee!

There is another person, Huang Si, the head of the Yuanhe County government's express team, who actually has money to attack the government's arrest position.

These two people have a close relationship with Li Yu.

General Hu transferred him to Hengtangxun, where he focused on military achievements and also used money behind his back.

It's a bit abnormal for a class leader from Huang Si District to be able to come up with 1000 taels.

Although Ma Zhongyi accepted his money, he originally wanted Liu Lu to find out the details of Huang Si.

As a result, when he heard that everything Liu Lu said was good, he knew that this guy had taken money from others.

Therefore, he temporarily sent someone else to inquire.

This man accidentally asked this question while drinking with a government official from Yuanhe County.

I got the answer immediately.

"Bantou Huang is crazy about becoming an official, so he borrowed a total of 900 taels from the Huitong bank. Tsk tsk."

When I got here, I still felt uneasy.

The inquirer went to the Huitong bill number again and confirmed the authenticity of the news.

The shopkeeper of the ticket account reluctantly revealed the truth for the sake of the government office.

Huang Si indeed borrowed 900 taels of cash, as evidenced by the loan documents.

……

"I'm relieved now." Ma Zhongyi breathed a long sigh of relief.

Since the source of the money is not Li Yu, there is nothing to worry about.

He also accidentally connected these things together and became suspicious.

Zhang Youdao, the magistrate of Yuanhe County, Mr. Hu from Jinjixun, squad leader Huang Si, and the thugs from Weigtang were enough to give him some vague associations.

Just being friendly, that's okay.

If Li Yu was the one behind the scenes to finance and promote his promotion, then there would be great suspicion.

Fortunately, the most critical part of verification was OK.

At this time, Li Yu was also sweating coldly.

He never expected that this guy Ma Zhongyi would go to explore Huang Si's background.

If it weren't for the fact that in order to increase his rationality, he gave Huang Si some money in private and then suggested that he go to a bank to borrow money.

To deceive others!

I'm afraid my claws will be numb today.

Once Ma Zhongyi becomes suspicious, he will keep a close eye on him.

There is nothing wrong with even sending troops to raid the Li Family Fort.

The magistrate, if you want to kill someone, all you need is suspicion.

The evidence can be added later.

A bag of washing powder is the best example.

the next morning.

An uninvited guest knelt outside the castle gate, carrying thorns on his back.

"Military advisor, he came with the clerk of Wu County last time, the security chief!"

Li Yu was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses.

laughed:

"Why is he here? Didn't he get beaten enough last time?"

"This old boy said that he was short-sighted and came to plead guilty so that you, the master, would not remember the faults of the villain."

"Let him kneel, I don't have time to care about him."

……

Li Yu was standing on the observation tower, which might be more appropriately called the Triangle Watchtower.

Standing on the inside of the fort wall, you have an excellent view.

Lijiabao's defense is still very basic and lacks a sense of security.

But he can't do it too obviously. If he builds a city, everyone will know that he is going to be a rebel.

The current method of camouflage is greening, planting trees and placing bonsai everywhere.

It gives the impression that this is a wealthy man's suburban estate.

Du Ren complained to himself, saying that Fan Jing spent money like water and moved all kinds of junk home.

He was like a hamster, constantly moving various supplies into the warehouse.

The warehouse is so big that walking is difficult.

Li Yu just smiled. He felt that Fan Jing understood him.

Because I understand, I feel a sense of crisis.

Another carriage, covered with linoleum, drove into the fort.

It turned out to be Laiji who was driving the car.

Li Yu waved to him, and the guy quickly jumped out of the car.

He ran to the observation tower, wiped his sweat and said:

"Commander, I got another load of good stuff, sulfur."

"Where did you buy it from?"

"The royal merchant from Jiangning."

Li Yu and Du Ren were both stunned, wondering if they were afraid that others wouldn't know.

Laiji quickly explained:
"Huang Shang is the most reliable."

"Their goods are good and their channels are wild. No one dares to check their goods."

"He didn't ask you why you bought it?"

"I said it was a good idea to open a mine and blow up the mountain, and they readily sold it to me."

……

What Laiji said is really not nonsense. The proportions of gunpowder used in mine blasting are different.

Sulfur accounts for almost 7%.

If this kind of gunpowder is placed in a gun, it will explode immediately.

The imperial merchants are all a bunch of big men in the capital, and they all show off their power.

The Qing law has always been regarded as nothing.

Lai Er bought the sulfur openly and went back to mine and blast the mountain, which was not suspicious.

Moreover, after paying more money.

Huangshang also undertook the transportation, taking the waterway all the way to Xujiang Wharf.

Li Yu felt that this guy was really a talent.

Sure enough, it is important to make the best use of people.

Recently, gunpowder workshops have been operating at full capacity, and there is a huge demand for raw materials.

Among the three elements of black powder, charcoal is relatively easy to obtain.

"Is the saltpeter channel reliable?"

Raiji shook his head.

Li Yu could only go to Uncle Wu and ask him how to solve it.

It's strange to say that Uncle Wu was beaten so severely that he almost died.

However, he actually accepted Li Yu's solicitation.

Became a technical advisor to the gunpowder workshop.

It's probably the so-called "Stockholm effect".

The injury is almost healed, and I am busy every day.

After hearing Li Yu's purpose, he explained:

"The saltpeter caves in Sichuan are the best source of saltpeter. As long as there are dozens of coolies, the output can be considerable."

Clearly, this is not realistic.

Uncle Wu proposed a second method.

"Collecting the topsoil from saline-alkali land and replacing it with plant ash solution can also produce nitrate."

But there is no saline-alkali land in Suzhou.
Unless you go to Fu'an Salt Field and Hai'an Salt Field in Yangzhou Prefecture.

Or Chongming County, Taicang Prefecture, there are large areas of saline-alkali land.

……

You can do this when your power expands to a certain extent.

But now, Li Yu suddenly had a crazy idea.

"Uncle Wu, do you think we can artificially create salt-alkali land?"

"what?"

"Yes, can you?"

Uncle Wu was stunned. In theory, it is possible.

However, no one would think about it this way.

After all, the paddy fields in Jiangnan are so precious.Salt-alkali land is worthless.

This is like a piece of tuna meat, marinated first and then stir-fried in chili soy sauce.

Most people's minds are not that big.

"It's okay, but it's a bit wasteful."

"It's okay. At worst, I'll buy all the land around it."

Saline-alkali soil means that the salt content in the soil is too high.

Suzhou Prefecture is not close to the sea, so there is no way to divert sea water back into the city.

Then just sprinkle some salt on it.

For the sake of the Qing Dynasty, ah no, for the sake of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, it is nothing to waste dozens of acres of land.

When everyone heard it, they were stunned for half a second.

Military Advisor, what kind of devilish trick is this? Sprinkle salt and turn the surrounding area into a saline-alkali land?
If the news spreads, I'm afraid it won't make the farmers feel distressed to death.

Besides, this salt is quite expensive.

Da Vinci didn't even dare to invent like this!
However, Li Yu didn't think so.

There is cheap salt. Go buy fishing salt.

Fishing salt is specially bought by fishermen to pickle salted fish.

Much cheaper than regular table salt.

However, fish salt has several characteristics: it is thick, bitter, has many impurities, and is dark red.

……

Li Yu doesn't care about these shortcomings.

Go directly to the clerk in charge and buy fishing salt.

A dilapidated warehouse turned out to be an official office selling fish salt.

"Sir, this is Mr. Li from Weigtang. I want to buy some fishing salt."

The clerk stood up and looked at Li Yu suspiciously, looking up and down.

With his clothes and clothes, he doesn't look like someone who eats this kind of salt.

"This official, the fish salt doesn't taste good."

"It doesn't matter, I don't pickle fish."

"Ah, what is that for?"

"I want to dig a pond, fill it with salt water, and raise some sea fish."

Li Yu's words almost shocked the clerk to the point of falling down.

"Officer, are you using me for entertainment?"

"Are you worthy of letting me have fun? If I want to have fun, I always go to Mianyue Tower."

With that said, Li Yu took out a banknote.

Not much, just 100 taels.

"This is for you personally. I want as much fish salt as I want, and I will pay the full price."

"okay."

The clerk's excited expression lost control.

He shouted inside:
"Bring out all our salt."

"Master, please sit under the tree. It's cool here."

The clerk wiped it three times on the lounge chair under the tree with his sleeve.

Then he bent down and respectfully invited.There were 4 carts of salt packed, and there were people pushing it to help.

The clerk squatted on the ground and turned the banknote over and over again.

I usually deal with miserable fishermen, so I never get the chance to experience the feeling of receiving gifts.

After standing up, he suddenly felt that his waist was straighter than usual.

First, he went to the town to exchange the tickets for cash, and then walked into the yard with two ingots in his pocket.

……

Jian Nei is busy cooking.

The clerk cleared his throat.

"Where did the dead go?"

The clerk held his head high and didn't even look.

She took a silver coin out of her sleeve and took a peek, her eyes lit up.

After another tablet was passed out, the back molars of Jie Nai Xiao came out.

"Fry me two side dishes and warm a pot of rice wine."

"Okay, okay, are you warm? I'll boil water for you to take a bath, stir-fry a few side dishes, and serve a bowl of eel noodles."

The clerk feels relaxed after eating and drinking enough.

Picking my teeth and thinking,

No wonder, the gentlemen all look so confident, and the wives and concubines in the house are very gentle.

It turned out that it was all supported by this money.

……

Everyone in Lijiabao was mobilized.

Sprinkle salt!

This somewhat idiotic decision left everyone stunned.

Li Yu sat on the horse and watched the reactions of these people.

Although the original cousin brothers and the people in Qingyue Village did not understand, no one raised any objections.

The reactions of the refugees outside the fort were different.

Some people were chattering that this was wrong.

What a beautiful paddy field, it was ruined like this.

No matter what the reason, you can't do such a thing that harms the world.

Li Yu saw it and suddenly realized that this was an excellent opportunity.

It's an obedience test.

"You guys think it's inappropriate to do this, right?"

"Yes, sir. What a good paddy field, just sprinkle it with salt and it's over."

Li Yu interrupted him, raised his riding crop roughly and asked:

"Does anyone else think so?"

Two more people stood up.

Yang Yunjiao stood on the fort wall and sighed.

She knew that these people were finished.

"Wei Xiu, what do you think?"

"I think these people have no conscience."

Sure enough, Li Yu shouted loudly:
"I took you in, gave you food and drink, and came to find fault after you were full?"

"Kneel down and tie me up."

……

Several men drew out their daggers and surrounded these people.

"Sir, spare your life. We let lard fool us."

Looking at these people crying and crying, Li Yu felt disgusted.

"Send it to Xishan Coal Mine and go down the mine."

"As ordered."

A small episode left everyone speechless.

However, this also made Li Yu realize the true meaning of the mob.

Relying solely on win-overs is too inefficient.

If you use work for relief, you may end up raising a bunch of white-eyed wolves.

There are too many paddy fields around Lijiabao, but not many that truly belong to Li Yu.

Suddenly, he had other ideas.

Ma Zhongyi's suspicion of himself, and the ever-expanding population and buildings of Lijiabao floated before his eyes.

"That security guard, are you still kneeling?"

"Yes, I have been kneeling for several hours."

"Bring him here."

After a while, Liu Akun slipped the security guard over and threw him on the ground.

"Please spare your life, Mr. Li. This villain has too much eyesight to recognize Mount Tai."

As the security guard said this, he slapped himself hard.

One on the left and one on the right, hitting very hard.

Only then did Li Yu speak:

"Okay, tell me, why are you blind?"

The security chief kowtowed again before speaking:
"Last time, the clerk of the household in Wu County ordered a villain to come to Lijiabao to collect taxes. The villain was confused for a moment and hoped that the officials would spare my life and not kill me."

Li Yu narrowed his eyes and tapped Bao Chang's shoulder with his riding crop:

"Don't talk nonsense. Master, when have I killed anyone?"

"Yes, yes, it's a villain who can't speak."

The security guard was slapped again, and his cheeks were red and swollen.

He also took out a banknote.

100 taels, although not much, is really a lot for a security guard.

It is not easy for adults to make money. Where the money is, there is sincerity.

"I, Dong Er, swear to God that from now on I will be willing to be a lackey of a high official."

"is it?"

"I swear on the lives of my whole family, it's true."

……

Li Yu stared at this man's eyes and smiled after a while:

"As the ancients said, those who know the current affairs are heroes. Get up."

"Thank you, sir."

"Whose owns these paddy fields in the west and north?"

Baozhang Dong immediately said:
"It belongs to more than a dozen different families. The two largest families are the Zhou family and the Wen family, each with two to three hundred acres."

"There are many mosquitoes and frogs in summer, which affects my rest." Li Yu called one of his men, "Sprinkle salt on all the surrounding fields."

"Military advisor, these landowners will definitely not agree."

"If you don't agree, use force."

The people of Lijiabao were very obedient this time.

In no time, a hundred acres of land were destroyed, first by galloping, and then by digging up the fields.

Then the knight carried his pocket and sprinkled salt on the horse.

Liu Akun was the most engaged and had the loudest laughter in the audience.

The dark red fish salt quickly blended into the rice fields.

After a while, people nearby were attracted.

Everyone was crying and heartbroken.

This is the paddy field in the south of the Yangtze River. It is a first-rate good land in the Qing Dynasty.

Once it is sprinkled with salt, it will be useless from now on.

Even if it is washed repeatedly by river water, the soil fertility will be greatly reduced.

……

Li Yu laughed loudly and ordered him to go back after spreading the salt.

Baozhang Dong didn't know what it meant, but he didn't dare to say anything. He just watched silently from the side.

I thought to myself, this Li Yu really cannot be offended.

He had already guessed that this person was responsible for the scribe being burned to death.

He was so bold that the magistrate even invited him to drink.

Today, we destroyed the surrounding paddy fields again and sprinkled so much fishing salt.

Typical bully!
Fortunately, I knew the current situation and took the initiative to repent.

Otherwise, when he remembers it one day, he will definitely have his whole family killed.

The scribe's widow is still begging for a living near Hengtang Town.

He encountered it once and had a nightmare all night when he returned.

Li Jiabao's evil deeds will naturally have follow-up reactions.

The people whose fields were destroyed nearby elected two representatives and arrived outside the fort gate with great fear.

After being ignored by Li Yu for half an hour, he got a reply.

Think of it as selling the land to Li Daguan, and only give 2 taels per acre.

This price is a bully.

In a normal year, one acre of paddy fields in Jiangnan sells for 6 to 10 taels.

Everyone was in an uproar and could not accept this fact.

A group of tattooed men rushed out of the fort and beat him up.

……

The sad people returned home.

But an uninvited guest was welcomed, guarded by bodyguards, waiting for them.

"Dear fellow villagers, the Nu family is originally from Qingyue Village."

"The senior official in my family has a hot temper. Two taels per acre of land is too little. The slave family feels it is inappropriate, but they dare not persuade me."

Wei Xiu opened a small box:

"Here is some personal money from the slave family to subsidize the fellow villagers."

With that said, he gave a blessing.

They paid 7 taels per mu of land, and an extra half a tael was given to each person as medical expenses.

The people who lost their fields were all moved.

Everyone thought Li Yu was a bully, but this woman was a good person with a bodhisattva heart.

"Girl, how did you enter the Palace of Hell in Li Family Fort?"

"Hey."

Wei Xiu sighed and turned around to hide his face.

In the eyes of these villagers, they understood instantly.

This was snatched away by King Li Yan. A weak woman was helpless.

Their eyes were full of sympathy, but it was just sympathy.

"You must never dare to tell anyone, otherwise~"

"Don't worry, girl, we all understand."

Although the villagers are ignorant, they are not stupid.

If he told anyone, the people from Lijiabao would definitely come to ask for his money and would be beaten up.

……

The Zhou family and the Wen family were ordinary large families nearby, and some of their fields were destroyed.

They are country gentlemen, so naturally they have different confidence.

He sent a butler to the door to ask for an explanation, and threatened to go to the Yamen to see the official if he didn't give an explanation.

Li Yu didn't even pay 1 cent this time, but directly ordered the labor team outside the fort to take action.

A beating with a stick and the man was beaten away.

These refugees beat a squire's family for the first time.

Everyone is nervous and excited, and it seems they won't be able to sleep tonight.

To fight a squire is to challenge the rules.

Once they have done all the things that challenge the rules, their respect for the government will drop to freezing point.

Li Yu could feel at ease and incorporate these people into the armed forces.

……

The Zhou family and the Wen family both took the post and went to the Yamen to file a complaint.

And those people who had received compensation were unwilling to go to see the officials together.

In their words:

"Although destroying fields is a bit bullying, we ordinary people can live our lives as long as we can tolerate it. Lijiapu has so many villains, who dares to file a lawsuit against him?"

The Wuxian county government accepted the petition.

However, he did not give an explanation. He only said that the case was complicated and required detailed research and repeated confirmation.

When will the case be heard?
do not know.

Li Yuanwu, the county magistrate, is waiting for an opportunity to make a fortune.

Between a powerful man and a country squire, this lawsuit cannot be rushed, it must be fought slowly and carefully considered.

There are at least a thousand taels of benefits here.

Li Yu has already sent someone to deliver the message, and the words have the same meaning, delay!
He also gave 300 taels of cash as a gift.

From the county magistrate to the gate, everyone has a share.

If the Zhou and Wen families want to litigate, they have to deal with it from top to bottom.

As a result, all the officials in the county government had a good meal.

Li Daguan's reputation gradually spread in Wuxian county government.

Coupled with the evidence from colleagues in Yuanhe County, it became even louder.

Several government officials gathered together to drink and chat.

"Li Daguan is the most generous person."

"I think back then, Yuanhe, the yellow boy and the little brat in the Kuai class, were nothing and nothing. Now, they are already the boss of the government."

"I don't understand, what does the official see in him?"

"When a high-ranking official plays horse, he helps pass the towel. When a high-ranking official wants to teach someone a lesson, he first copies the guy. In one word, loyalty!"

"Isn't this just being a dog?"

“If you want to become a human being, you must start with a dog.”

……

(End of this chapter)