Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 200 The noble fangs

The experienced Yue Qi immediately made adjustments after a brief moment of astonishment.

All the cavalry of the three armies attacked, trying to capture the main force of the rebels. The infantry and artillery pressed forward in attack formation, not giving the defeated enemy a chance to regroup. It can only be said that this strategy is still too conservative, but it is better than no reaction at all.

Jia Lian still said nothing, because it is difficult for people to jump out of past experiences.

Yue Qi had been stationed on three sides for a long time, and the people he fought against were all nomadic tribes on the grassland. The tactics of relying on mobility to come and go like the wind left the root of his disease. At any time, be in an invincible position first.

There was no objection in public, but in private the communication between the master and the apprentice took on a different tone.

"Purely from a combat perspective, General Yue is a qualified general. The soldiers trust each other with their lives. Don't worry. I just hope that after this battle, General Yue can learn from experience and lessons and realize that different tactics should be adopted for different opponents. Yun The Yang civil uprising lasted more than a year and failed to subside, which fully illustrates the problem. "

Yue Qi's plan cannot be said to have failed. It can only be said that he did not have a clear understanding of the word "bandit" in the official tone.

This is because I have not read Yao Xueyin’s masterpiece "Li Zicheng". Oh, there is no such book in these days, so forget it.

During this expedition, Yue Qi had three thousand cavalry under his command. If it was a long-distance pursuit, this wave of cavalry, which valued the advantage of short-distance speed sprint, was not good at it. The key is that the fleeing people who were trapped did not run fast. The chasing cavalry kept intercepting large groups of people. They looked at this group of ragged people with numb expressions gathered together shivering, without any will to fight.

At the current price of grain in Beijing, a bushel of high-quality wheat costs only five cents of silver, and rice costs seven cents of silver.

Yue Qi was silent for a while and said: "The old and the weak are trapped and killed, and the rest are sold to the local gentry for military resources."

The price of a bushel of wheat in Nanyang Mansion is ten taels of silver. Can you believe this? This is not the best, it is mixed with a lot of things.

The problem of how to deal with the tens of thousands of rioters who were held captive caused a fierce collision among the troops heading south.

Yue Qi glared, and Jia Lian glared in response, and the two sides formed a confrontation.

At the end of the day, Jia Lian had the following information. Half of the people who were abducted were from Nanyang, and they were all newcomers who were abducted. The people of Yunyang Mansion accounted for a small part. From their mouths, I learned that Yunyang Mansion had experienced people fleeing famine and civil unrest. Now every county under its rule has ten houses and nine empty houses. A large number of gentry have fled and their homes have been destroyed.

The cavalry units of various departments often just let go of these "rioters" who were fleeing on foot. It was not because the cavalry's conscience found out, but because they killed these people who were being held hostage, they would not be credited with credit. They could only be ordered to stay where they were, not to run around, and then continue the pursuit.

Zhang Ting'en rebuked the Nanyang magistrate in front of everyone: "Incompetent, just wait to be impeached."

After a busy day, the cavalry pursued for fifty miles and intercepted more than 50,000 rioters who were held hostage, but not even a leader was caught.

Jia Lian, who had been silent all this time, burst out, rushed out from behind Zhang Ting'en, pointed at Yue Qi's nose and cursed: "What the hell are you doing? You have no parents, no brothers and sisters? Why did these people become rioters? You don't have any idea in your heart." How many? Do these innocent people have to suffer the consequences of the inaction of the court and the government? Don’t think that I don’t know that you are taking advantage of the local gentry and making profits for them. "

In response, Jia Lian showed no fear, clapped his chest with his hands and said: "You can order me to be killed, but please let these innocent people go. Otherwise, as long as Jia Lian does not die, there will be no room for relaxation between you and me, and we will be destined to live and die in the future." "

What does it mean to use force to suppress others? This is using force to suppress others.

It is absolutely possible to announce the answer. As long as Jia Lian is beheaded, the Yue Qi family, no, the three clans, should immediately pack their bags and run away overnight. It's not okay to run slowly.

If it had been any other person, from a legal perspective, Jia Lian, who was completely unreasonable, would undoubtedly die.

But this man was Jia Lian, the direct grandson of Duke Rongguo, cousin of Concubine Yuan, and the supreme champion. That's right, at this time, the identity of the top pick plays the least role. Especially after Jia Lian said "life or death", even with Yue Qi's courage, he did not dare to have evil thoughts.

"Jia Lian, you are so presumptuous. In this army, military law is followed. As a military judge, if you contradict a superior officer, you should not violate the law. I can kill you at any time." Yue Qi was still very good at talking and directly seized the commanding heights.

Jia Lian has been busy understanding the actual situation, constantly questioning the intercepted rioters, and learning from their mouths the current status of Yunyang Mansion, because the official report cannot be accepted.

Zhang Tingen was dumbfounded. Is this my student? Are you so stunned? Didn't you hear me say convention?

The reason was that the prefect of Nanyang went out of the city to meet the army, saying that there was no food in the treasury and could not provide support to the army. Zhang Ting'en said that he was not short of money and could spend money to buy grain from the gentry. The prefect of Nanyang responded with silence and repeatedly stated that there was no food. After a brief investigation of the actual situation, it was found that the local food price in Nanyang was twenty times more than the current price in Beijing.

Because the scene was too chaotic and military discipline was more difficult to control, Jia Lian did not even dare to disperse the officers because it was not safe.

At this point, Zhang Ting'en could not be dismissed by the prefect, so he could only go through the process of impeaching him. The incompetent Nanyang prefect was directly kicked out of the meeting. Later, Yue Qi said that 50,000 rioters had no food to eat. Sooner or later, there would be chaos. How should we deal with it?
Zhang Ting'en asked him: "What's the practice?"

Since joining the army, Jia Lian, who has always kept a low profile and is easy-going regardless of military law, showed his noble fangs for the first time.

Although he didn't know why Jia Lian was so fierce, Zhang Ting'en, as a teacher, decided to support him.

After being stunned for a short time, Zhang Ting'en immediately coughed, breaking the confrontation between the two, and spoke slowly: "Jia Lian, you must have evidence when speaking, otherwise it will be a capital crime for the army to contradict a superior officer."

Yue Qi almost spit out blood when he heard this. Can Zhang Xianghu be so calm and calm when he is short, can his tone be harsher and his eyes more fierce? Do you think we are drinking tea and chatting, or treating guests to dinner?

"According to Prime Minister Zhang, half of the people who were kidnapped by the rebels were local people in Nanyang. Many of them had little land in their families. Once the men were killed and the women were sold, the annexation of the local land in Nanyang was a matter of course, and by the way, it could be done at a very low price. , and harvested a group of women and children as domestic slaves. The reason why the Nanyang magistrate was so powerless was because of the local taxation and the help of the gentry. For the sake of political performance, the army had to compromise and bow to the local gentry. In order to restore local peace, the local gentry paid nothing. In this case, don’t blame the army for being ruthless. For the benefit of the court, they can only suffer the local gentry. "

Zhang Tingen's scalp felt like it was going to explode. What kind of argument is this?
But after thinking about it carefully, there seems to be no problem. As the same saying goes, we cry as a family, weep together, choose one.

Yue Qi couldn't agree with it and couldn't help but fight back: "It's nonsense. The people who caused this chaos have themselves to blame."

Jia Lian frowned slightly and counterattacked rudely: "Whether it is Yunyang or Nanyang, it is not so much that the officials forced the people to rebel, but it is better to say that the officials and gentry colluded and joined forces to force the people to rebel. The root cause of the civil uprising has not been eradicated for a long time. The reason is that the people have no hope. The Yunyang civil uprising killed all the rebels, and the people in Nanyang were killed. So, will the civil uprisings in other places also kill the people and cause chaos in the world? Kill all the people in the world? If the people are not afraid of death, why should they be afraid of death? People who cannot survive are destined to rise up. You should know this truth after reading the book. Hong, pressed the handle of the knife. The generals behind Jia Lian were not slow at all. They all pressed the handle of the knife and looked at Yue Qi with evil eyes. If you dare to take action, they will kill you first.

The generals behind Yue Qi were also not to be outdone, and took a step forward, holding the handles of their swords.

At this time, everyone can see the background of the Jia family. The four generals in the hall showed no signs of shrinking in the face of more than ten generals. They all stared at Yue Qi, with one intention: to kill this grandson first.

When Zhang Ting'en saw that something was wrong in the atmosphere, he slapped the table hard: "You're so outrageous, everyone who has nothing to do with you should get out of here."

For the first time, Zhang Tingen used his identity to oppress others.

Jia Lian first turned around to signal, and the generals withdrew reluctantly. Yue Qi was slower and also forced the generals to withdraw with his eyes.

When there were only three people left in the hall, Zhang Ting'en asked Jia Lian: "You have a stable temperament, why are you so reckless now?"

The confrontation atmosphere in the hall disappeared. Yue Qi's face was still ugly, but he also showed curious eyes. After all, Jia Lian, with his status as such, actually speaks for the rebellious people so unreasonably, even at the risk of death. This is not normal.

"Don't just look at the surface of everything. The ins and outs of the Yunyang Civil War were clearly investigated by Lieutenant Long. Marshal Yue came to fight, so he didn't care whether the local aftermath was good or bad. Although his mentor was a supervisor, he was responsible for restoring the local area. The national economy and the people's livelihood, without the people's livelihood, how can we talk about the national economy? Just look at Nanyang Mansion and you will know that this place is no longer the world of the court, but the world of the gentry. "

Just put a hat on it. Naturally, choose the largest one.

At this moment, a report came from outside that the Nanyang magistrate had returned and asked to see Prime Minister Zhang.

Zhang Ting'en signaled to let the person in. After the person entered, he glanced at Yue Qi and ran directly to Zhang Ting'en. After a big gift, he stood up and choked with sobs: "Prime Minister Zhang, it's hard to be a low-ranking official. It has been more than two years since I took office. Everything is in the hands of the local evil gentry. Nanyang is besieged by the rebels, and those who lead the army cannot follow the wishes of the officials. "

Zhang Ting'en asked: "Why don't you go to the memorial?"

The magistrate of Nanyang said: "Yuan, the censor of Youdu, was born in the Yuan family of Nanyang, and the governor of Henan, Mr. Liu, was the same year as him. In the past, whether it was the third division or the governor, there was no lack of filial piety in the place. Speaking of Nanyang Mansion, now It's the Nanyang Mansion of the Yuan family. The official's memorial has not yet left Nanyang territory, and his life is in danger."

Say it, the magistrate of Nanyang knelt on the ground and cried loudly.

Zhang Tingen glanced at Yue Qi, who immediately lowered his head and said nothing. It seemed that things were about to get serious, and the little benefit he received was really not worth paying too much for.

"Teacher, the desperate people are the source of the civil unrest. Yesterday in Yunyang and today in Nanyang, this is the reason. The student believes that a large army should be used to take over Nanyang Mansion, and secretly report to His Majesty, waiting for the holy will before making a decision. In addition, in the name of military control , Take over the local granary. By the way, may I ask, Lord Magistrate, how is the situation in the official granary?"

After hearing this, the Nanyang magistrate stopped crying and raised his voice again: "Wherever there is any grain in the official warehouse, it has been emptied by the local gentry. There is a ready excuse to settle the accounts. The rioters besieged the city. Open a warehouse to recruit strong guards."

Yue Qi also became quiet this time, and things were in trouble.

Zhang Ting'en didn't ask him either, so he probably couldn't come up with any good ideas.

He turned around and asked Jia Lian directly: "Do you have any good ideas?"

Jia Lian did not immediately come up with a solution. Things are not that simple to do, and the process must be legal.

"The army temporarily stayed in Nanyang City and was under military control. I reported to Your Majesty secretly to explain the situation and wait for the follow-up. Secondly, regardless of whether it is public or private, the granary will be taken over by the military. After the war, compensation will be based on the capital city price. Finally, after receiving the food, the food will be paid per person. Dismiss the trapped people. As for the local people, they will work for relief and serve the army in exchange for food. "

Despite Jia Lian's fierce tone, the strategy he spoke was very gentle. The previous violent reaction was too much to bear. It is said that human life is like a piece of grass. Reading records in books and seeing them in person are completely different things. Jia Lian simply could not accept Yue Qi's so-called practices, although Yue Qi's practices were considered too normal by people at the time.

Yue Qi had no objection to this policy. In fact, he was the one who was most worried. Once Jia Lian completely turned against him, his road to the capital camp would be destined to be difficult, and the retaliation he would receive would undoubtedly be very fierce.

Zhang Ting'en, who had the highest status, directly made the decision: "Just follow Jia Lian's strategy. Magistrate Ma, you have to sign the paper. If something goes wrong, you can't run away." The magistrate of Nanyang was overjoyed and swore repeatedly that there was one word he needed to say, and the sky was like thunder.

Jia Lian thought to himself, this place is not far from Luoshui, so you should be careful when speaking.

Once the strategy is established, it will naturally be implemented vigorously and resolutely. The main forces of the three armies were originally stationed outside the city. After giving the order, the army entered the city. Zhang Ting'en sat in the government office and issued a wartime notice announcing that Nanyang would be under military control due to the need to suppress bandits.

Controlling the four gates and taking over the defense of the military camp, Jia Lian and the prefect of Nanyang were asked to write a memorial immediately. Before dark, the army successfully took over Nanyang City. Some of the troublemakers killed more than a dozen and arrested more than a hundred people. Nanyang Prefecture quickly After calming down, the local gentry did not dare to let out a fart in front of the knife.

The military controlled the city gate, so the news could not be sent out. That day, some gentry failed to see Zhang Ting'en and left angrily. It was night and just after dark, Jia Lian asked people to help put on armor. A group of fifty new gunmen were stationed in various parts of the city to guard against accidents.

Although Yue Qi was very dissatisfied with this, he had no objections and could only keep accounts silently for the future.

That night, hundreds of thugs showed up, armed with torches and swords, trying to kill people, set fires and create riots. The place they chose was a gathering place for ordinary people, as well as some houses near the government office.

Unfortunately, what he met was Jia Lian, who had a full understanding of the gentry. These thugs were divided into several groups. As soon as they started to light the fire, they were attacked by continuous firepower. The grouped fire gunmen were surrounded on all sides, and most of the thugs were captured. Only a few slip through the cracks.

The fire was quickly put out without causing much commotion.

As soon as this incident came out, Yue Qi, who was sitting across from Zhang Ting'en for discussion, had an expression of embarrassment beyond words.

Jia Lian really got it right. Never underestimate the moral bottom line of these gentry who are willing to control the local area.

(End of this chapter)