Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 87 Leader Hong

"From now on, let's not be masters and slaves, let's be uncles and nephews."

"It can't be done."

"There's nothing you can do about it. Except for my woman, you have a share in everything else."

Ma Zhongyi said something that touched his heart:
"I feel that the people in Shengjing are not as smart as the people in this street."

Liu Lu nodded:
"I feel the same way. Did you say anything when we met? There are three hidden intentions behind it."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Ma Zhongyi's mood improved a lot.

As soon as I think about it, the sky widens.

The emperor sent down thunder, and everyone was struck together.

Futai, Fantai, Daotai, let's carry it together.

If it does not lead to a death penalty, the highest possibility is to be dismissed from office or demoted, and the worst is to go outside the customs.

He changed into casual clothes and went to dinner with Liu Lu.

I found a small restaurant deep in an alley serving authentic Jiangnan cuisine.

"tasty."

"As long as the master is satisfied."

After Ma Zhongyi had eaten and drank enough, he held an umbrella and went to Qili Mountain Pond.

I sighed in my heart and took the time to eat, drink and have fun.

Since taking office, I have never experienced this Jiangnan scenery.

If we just go outside the customs, the old friends will ask what the scenery in Jiangnan is like.

If you can't answer it yourself, that's bad.

"Master, I have another suggestion."

"We are in incognito service today, looking for a hotel to play?"

"Sure, I'll listen to you today."

Liu Lu smiled. Normally he wouldn't dare to make such a suggestion even if he was beaten to death.

People, once they are down, become approachable.

Leaving Shantang Street, we walked into a secluded alley.

Knock a small door lightly.

Creak, the door opened.

"You're here." A girl said crisply.

……

Compared to Ma Zhongyi's free and easy attitude, others are not so open-minded.

The governor seemed to be suffering from hysteria when he woke up.

He treats the people around him like dogs, and kills anyone who makes the slightest complaint.

A guerrilla from the Jiangyin camp and a Qianzong from the Suzhou city garrison were both thrown into prison.

Everyone knows it.

This case cannot be solved.

The clues were infinitely close to zero, and the heavy rain covered everything.

It's better to be busy and be practical.

For example, disaster relief!

Many low-lying areas in Suzhou have been flooded.

The deepest part is already up to the waist.

Even the two official warehouses are busy draining water.

If it wasn't blocked by the sack, it might have been filled with water.

Not to mention the villages and farmland outside the city, near rivers and lakes, may have become an underwater world.

Suzhou City was planned by Wu Zixu and it is claimed that it has not experienced floods for thousands of years.

Blocking will never solve the problem.

Mainly lies in site selection and moat.

There are many lakes in the surrounding area, connected by rivers, and the natural drainage is smooth.

Moreover, there are many sluices in the city that can block rivers in time.

It can ensure that Fucheng will not encounter devastating floods.

Minor disasters and waterlogging are unavoidable.

This heavy rain brought great trouble to the empire.

The rainfall range is not just in the south of the Yangtze River, but in the entire Jianghuai River.

Subtropical high, referred to as subtropical high.

He stopped, lazily motionless.

This will bring consistent, abundant rainfall.

Lixiahe area is a low-lying area in Yangzhou Prefecture.

It is an area as large as several counties.

All have been lost, and the country is in ruins.

The imperial military department's 800-mile express delivery became a triathlon.

One day I was riding a horse, another time I was rowing a boat, and another time I was swimming.

In the Forbidden City, Qianlong was anxiously waiting for the latest military report from Jiangnan.

However, the messenger was already rushing to the streets in the flood.

The Huaihe River suddenly burst its banks and swallowed two counties.

In the face of natural disasters, the fast horse postmen who no one dared to stop also became dead souls.

……

Inside the Li Family Fort.

Li Yu thought of the Mongolian Eight Banner prisoner.

Take people to their houses.

He looked curiously at this short, bow-legged, bearded prairie man.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

Everyone laughed, feeling that this guy was a bit funny for actually asking.

"That's what I should ask you."

"I am Wu Simai, a member of the Xiao Riding School under Lord Haierha, deputy commander of the Eight Banners of the Jingkou garrison."

The answer was very straightforward, a bit out of line.

He neither cursed nor begged for mercy.

Li Yu always felt that something was wrong, something strange.

"Are you Qianlong's loyal minister?"

"I am a subordinate of the Mongolian Army with a white flag. I receive military pay from the Qing Dynasty. Naturally, I must be loyal to the emperor."

It seems correct, but it's still a little weird.

Li Yu was silent, pondering the logic behind his words.

It seems that he is not so loyal.

There is a sense of fighting for whomever you eat.

Fan Jing was also present, and he probably felt the same way.

So, asked:
"We are the ones who robbed the ship, the rebels in the eyes of the Qing court. If you fall into our hands, do you know what will happen?"

"Everyone is his own master, I don't hate you."

Wusimai was still so frank when he spoke.

"If I recruit you, would you be willing?" Li Yu asked tentatively.

"Good birds choose trees to roost in. If you want to recruit me, your military rank and salary cannot be lowered."

"Hahahaha." Everyone couldn't help laughing.

Wusimai, who was tied up, still looked confident and confident, and continued:
"In addition, as a warrior of the grassland, I only accept the command of heroes."

"I was the one who commanded the ship hijacking. Does that count as qualified?"

"Although it was a sneak attack, I admit that it was a very good fight."

Li Yu had some doubts in his heart, whether this guy was lacking in strength.

Will he and Liu Akun have something in common?

"Do you have a family?"

"No, my father, mother, and sister have all received the call from the Immortal Heaven. Brother, he went to the temple when he was five years old."

Wusimai's logic is also correct.

The Qing government ordered the eldest son of every family in the grassland to go to the temple to practice spiritual practice.

From a secular perspective, it really has nothing to do with this family.

……

"Then you serve me and let me see your loyalty."

"As ordered."

Wu SiMai knelt down on one knee and performed impeccably.

However, Li Yu was still a little worried.

So I decided to receive a certificate of investment.

"I have a bannerman prisoner here, go and kill him."

"Wusimai obeys your orders."

The Song scribes in the Chief Envoy's Yamen have been drained of intelligence and have lost the value of information.

Li Yuren took him out and gagged him.

In the heavy rain, the Song Dynasty official crawled on the ground in embarrassment.

And Wusimai was also loosened.

He took a knife and walked into the rain.

"Don't come over." Secretary Song yelled crazily.

Click, blood mixed with rain.

Wusimai turned around and knelt on one knee in the muddy water.

Present the knife horizontally:

"From today onwards, Wusimai will be loyal to you."

Li Yu was stunned, and everyone was also stunned.

This guy is probably a potential rebel.

When there is a war next time, he will be assigned as a vanguard.

As long as he fights hard, he can be truly trusted in the future.

……

rain.

Idle is idle.

Li Yu simply discussed it with Wusimai and decided to clear the war.

Junggar is also a part of the Mongolian tribe. Look at this guy's reaction.

Unexpectedly, Wusimai held a neutral attitude and had no feelings towards either party.

Li Yu finally understood that this guy had zero ethnic consciousness and did not recognize his so-called own people.

So, I told him the story of the Swiss mercenaries.

Found him interested and recognized this value.

Be loyal to your employer and fight not for hatred, but as a monetary contract.

In the end, Li Yu concluded:

This person is available, but he can only fight against the odds.

He is loyal to only one master, silver!

Arranged into an armed escort and used as cavalry in times of war.

The guards are all loyal to themselves and don't worry about him making trouble.

After sending this person away, Li Yuzheng and Zhang Blacksmith and his son exchanged the progress of the flintlock gun.

Suddenly someone yelled, "Get him."

A tumult of shouting and confusion ensued.

When Li Yu walked out with an oil-paper umbrella, someone had already caught him.

Wang Liansheng was pushed into the muddy water and struggled hard.

There was blood all over his clothes.

Someone next to me quickly explained:
"This is not his blood, it is another person's."

"what happened?"

"We heard some noise down here in the cellar and found that he had killed another person and then escaped from the cellar."

……

"Li Yu, stop acting so hypocritically. Do you think I don't know you?"

Wang Liansheng yelled.

Obviously, he had long seen through Li Yu's trick of calling himself "Master Chen of the Tiandihui".

However, this person is quite scheming.

"Take him into the cellar."

Wang Liansheng, who was tied to the chair, had fallen into madness and was yelling.

There is no consciousness of being a prisoner at all.

Li Yu picked up a hammer from the ground and walked over.

He hit his finger hard.

A scream made the eardrums buzz.

"I ask a question and you answer a question. Can you do it?"

"Yes." Wang Liansheng's forehead was covered with sweat, and his expression was twisted in pain. "Did you see through it from the beginning? In fact, you know me?"

"Yes, I have known you for a long time."

"That sister-in-law, that's Raven, you know her too, right?"

"Yes, she is the secret liaison of the branch and has a higher level than me."

Li Yu nodded, satisfied with his cooperative attitude.

Continue to ask:

"In that case, we don't have to act. You are a traitor to the White Lotus Sect, right?"

"Yes, those prisoners are not human beings. I recruited them because I couldn't bear the torture."

"It's understandable, they are all mortals. However, I still have a question."

"Hehehe, you want to ask why I didn't betray the Raven clan since I became a traitor?"

"Exactly."

"Because I don't dare. I know there are people from you in the government office. If I tell you, I'm looking for death."

Phew, Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

If you put them together in this way, it can be explained clearly.

……

"Give me a pleasure." Wang Liansheng was a bachelor, so he brought it up directly.

"Well, for your cooperation, I can satisfy your request."

"Can you let me be a dead ghost?"

"can."

Li Yu ordered people to go to the kitchen to get a meal and wine.

Breaking one's head is the most basic etiquette.

Take advantage of this time to chat with this guy again.

"You didn't lie about what you said about Xujiang Wharf, right?"

"It's all true, I don't need to lie to you."

"If you don't mind, tell me more about the White Lotus Sect? I will treat you appropriately before you die."

Li Yu spoke very seriously, and Wang Liansheng also listened very seriously.

It seemed that they were just talking about common things.

Wang Liansheng's rank is not high, so he has very few secrets.

As he ate, he recalled various trivial matters.

There is not much valuable intelligence, most of it is marginal information.

But there was one thing that interested Li Yu very much.

"The leader of the Suzhou branch must be a female."

"Female?" Li Yu smiled, somewhat disbelieving.

"Do I need to lie to you?" Wang Liansheng was a little angry.

"I believe you."

"This woman is not simple, she can disguise herself."

"How did you know?"

"There are many different religions and factions on the pier, and it's very chaotic. Once, someone touched her and accidentally tore off a fake face."

"Wouldn't it scare people?"

"Yes, the guy was scared away on the spot. Within two days, I heard that he drowned in the canal."

Li Yu heard a key factor:
"You didn't show up?"

"Yes, I'm afraid that if she gets angry out of shame, she will silence me too."

For a moment, Li Yu had a ridiculous association.

The image of Lan Yingying flashed in his mind.

Could it be her?
A chill ran down her back. If it were her, wouldn't she have walked around in the hands of death?

"Did you see that person's face clearly?"

"No, no. But it must be a woman."

Li Yu felt annoyed, as he was just one step away from solving his doubts.

If it was really Lan Yingying, he would be in big trouble.

According to the consistent style of the White Lotus Sect, sooner or later he will chop off three of his legs to vent his anger.

……

Yunyang Mansion in Hubei, more than 1000 miles away.

In the evaluation, it is classified as tired, complicated and difficult.

The Qing government adopted a four-character evaluation system for local evaluation: Chong, Complex, Tired, and Difficult.

Chong: Position is important
Traditional: local affairs are heavy
Fatigue: Serious tax arrears
Difficulty: The folk customs are fierce and thieves are frequent.

As for Yunyang Mansion, three words were written on it.

During the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, millions of refugees were stranded here, and a refugee uprising broke out.

By the Qing Dynasty, it was still the same.

Yunxi County is in the northwest corner of Yunyang Prefecture.

This place is bordered by the Qinling Mountains to the north and the Han River to the south.

Surrounded by mountains, the climate is suitable.

Refugees from all walks of life, secret sects, and criminal thieves all have frequent activities here.

An inconspicuous village, Woniu Village.

The main altar of the White Lotus Sect is located here.

Everyone in the village, old and young, are all the most staunch White Lotus believers.

Any stranger entering the village will be closely monitored.

As for official duties, they would not come once every few years.

As long as they don't default on taxes or raise the flag of rebellion, no one wants to set foot here.

In the last years of Kangxi's reign, the then leader of the White Lotus Church traveled here.

After many investigations, it was decided to set up an altar here.

For hundreds of years, no one has seen through it.

None of the middle and high-level non-religious people know this.

This generation of leader Hong Dachang is different from the past.

He felt that the time for "Maitreya to descend to earth and White Lotus to reappear" was coming soon.

……

Hong Dachang's public identity is the head of Woniu Village.

At the same time, he was also a scholar and won the lottery.

This is an anomaly among the leaders of the past generations.

With the identity of Juren Master, activities are safer.

At this moment, there was a person kneeling in front of him.

He is the leader of the Suzhou Branch of the White Lotus Sect.

If Raven was present, he would definitely scream "fuck".

The leader is actually a woman!
Obviously, Li Yu also suspected the wrong person.

"Liu Lan'er, what kind of crime is it to mobilize believers without permission?"

"First offender will be whipped 50 times. Second offender will be punished by trap."

There were three people sitting on each of the two rows of chairs next to them.

There were sharecroppers, blacksmiths, veterinarians, boatmen, and shopkeepers.

However, they all have a common identity. They are the top leaders of the White Lotus Sect, and each of them is in charge.

This time, the White Lotus Sect attacked the imperial envoy's camp, which was the Suzhou branch's "alone" attack.

The leader, including them, didn't know.

Liu Lan'er, this woman, is extremely bold.

"Then what are you waiting for? Enforce the canon rules."

Hong Dachang sat on the chair, still looking kind and elegant.

In the yard, the sound of whipping soon came.

However, there was no sign of anyone begging for mercy or crying out in pain.

Liu Laner is tough enough.

He was whipped 50 times, and his flesh and blood were bloody.

The person and the name have nothing to do with each other.

……

50 lashes, no more, no less.

"Do you know you were wrong?" Hong Dachang leaned down and asked softly.

All the hall masters nearby knew that Liu Lan'er was one of his women.

This is no secret among the middle and higher-ups in the church.

However, this woman did have some abilities, so she was released as the sub-ruler.

"The servant knows it's wrong."

"Okay, merit must be rewarded, and fault must be punished, so that this religion can flourish."

Hong Dachang was still so gentle and sat back in his chair.

And said:
"If it weren't for the fact that you broke into the palace of the imperial envoys of the Qing Dynasty and killed a third-rank official and dozens of soldiers, which is considered a meritorious service, I originally planned to trap you and kill you."

"The servant knows it's wrong."

"Let's end the discussion here today. Hall masters, please come back."

"Master, farewell."

The hall was clear, and only two people were left.

Hong Dachang then squatted down and exerted a little force.

The person was held up like this and placed on the collapse.

"Master."

"Shh, be quiet and listen to me."

However, Liu Laner guessed wrong.

There was a chill on her back, which was actually giving her medicine.

"I'm happy that you're back. But I'm angry that you don't care about the overall situation."

"The white wall is slightly blemished, it's a pity."

Liu Lan'er shuddered, knowing that she was talking about the scars after whipping.

Even the best wound medicine can leave ugly scars.

Hong Dachang poured out the ointment from the small bottle and applied it carefully.

"If I don't stop the follow-up reinforcements of 500 believers, I think you can occupy Suzhou Mansion."

"Jiangnan has been at peace for a long time and has no war experience."

"However, the officers and soldiers from all sides are counterattacking. In less than ten days, you will be a salted head in the hands of the officers and soldiers."

Liu Lan'er wanted to speak and explain her purpose.

But was stopped by his impatient eyes.

"I know, what you think is that as long as you occupy Suzhou City, you can dig out countless gold and silver from the cellars of the officials and gentry."

"Before the officers and soldiers surrounded them, they secretly transported the gold and silver out, hid it in Taihu Lake, then entered Jiangxi from Zhejiang, and finally sent it back to the main altar."

……

Liu Laner trembled.

This man was so terrifying, he actually guessed his plan perfectly.

"Gold and silver are what I want, and the world is what I want. You can't have both. You have to give up gold and silver for the sake of the world."

"The Qing court is a behemoth. If you take away the wealth of Suzhou City like this, Qianlong will go crazy."

"Lan'er, you have to remember that it's useless to fight against the imperial court and win a hundred times."

"Once something happens, you must seal your throat with a sword. Otherwise, you and I will both be White Lotus sinners."

"Be patient! Do you understand?"

"The servant understands."

"No, you don't understand."

Hong Dachang walked into the study and found a clean robe.

He put it down gently, the smile on his face was still so warm.

"Okay, put it on."

However, Liu Lan'er's eyes shuddered.

Hong Dachang walked to the case,
I picked up my pen and wrote one big word: endure.

His calligraphy was praised by the examiner of the provincial examination as having the charm of Yan Zhenqing.

In the circle of literati in Yunxi County, it is also a first-rate good word.

"Lan'er, please rest for a few days."

"After I finish what I'm doing, I'm going to take it upon myself to tattoo the word "forbearance" on your body."

"Forbearance, the sword cuts above the heart. So it should be engraved on the place closest to your heart."

Liu Lan'er's face turned pale, and then she lowered her head silently:

"Thank you, Master, for the words."

Hong Dachang was still staring at the word "forbearance" on the rice paper, frowning slightly.

It seems that there is some dissatisfaction.

He waved his left hand lightly.

Liu Laner knelt down slightly and saluted, then limped out of the study.

(End of this chapter)