Previous Chapter: Chapter 536 Quelling the Rebellion and the Great Purge

Zheng Xiaozhang strategized and vigorously mobilized a group of reformed rebels to do dirty work, such as Zhang Shiluo, the son of Ma Hedong's adviser Zhang Jianzhong, and the former Security Bureau was engaged in gold water dissolving. ，。

Song Menglong and Li Hongshui were personally summoned by Li Mao before Li Mao's expedition to the west, and Li Mao had a heart-to-heart conversation with them, dispelling their worries and winning their sincere allegiance.

Li Mao asked the two to pay close attention to the movements of the "caring person" after he left, although Li Mao did not point out who this "caring person" was, but the two knew it well, and in their position, they were very sensitive to personnel changes in Liaodong, and they had already seen the clues.

Sure enough, not long after Li Mao left, Ma Hedong jumped out, and the two deeply admired Li Mao's foresight, but also weighed the pros and cons, they closely followed Ma Hedong's every move, when Ma Hedong led his "50,000 Heroic Division" troops to point to Guizhou, Song Menglong and Li Hongshui judged that they would definitely be defeated.

Guizhou is Li Mao's heart, but this heart is divided into two by Li Mao, Kiejiashan Town and Guizhou are not under each other's control, they are completely ** two systems, even if they are willing to follow Ma and Dong to mess around, they can't gnaw on Kiejiashan Town, just a Guizhou is worthless, even if it is a fluke to beat Kiejiashan Town, it is only a heavy blow to Li Mao, at best, it is a lose-lose ending.

Ma Hedong is really a person who does great things, so he should concentrate all his strength to fight Liaodong City, although Liaodong City is precipitous, but with the corpses of 20,000 people to build a base, he can also build a life gate, and if he takes Liaodong City, he will behead Li Mao, and then it will not be just 20,000 people who will gather under his command, but 100,000, 200,000, and 500,000 is the entire Liaodong

I can't even understand this, what kind of rebellion is there, wait for death.

Therefore, no matter how Jin Shuirong spat and splashed, the two were unmoved, Jin Shuirong said that he was born in the "black crest", but he was a crazy scholar's sour rot, where did he follow, and he also took the country's righteousness to talk about the Eastern Expedition to the Bohai Sea, Generalissimo Jin Tiyong died of illness, they were allowed to return to the country, stayed in Silla for nearly a month, but all returned, and what happened in between, don't you know if Jin Shuirong inquired is not that they don't love Silla, it's that Silla doesn't want them, whether it's Kim Chongxi or Kim sojong, no one wants them. I can't even figure this out, this person's insight can be seen, and he still runs to rebel against them with this kind of knowledge, isn't it a monkey fun

It's ridiculous.

Song Menglong and Li Hongshui decided to put the plan on the horse and Dong together, but before the two of them could do it, the other person's own nephew started first, not to mention a knife on the soft underbelly, that is a pleasure If you don't make up for a few knives, you are sorry for Ma Xiong'an's ambition.

As a result, Ma and Dong's troops were defeated like a mountain, and they were defeated and could not be cleaned up.

Jin Shui dissolved and also had backbone, and actually ran to reprimand the two of them for betrayal in person, Song Menglong sneered and detained him, Li Hongshui wanted to kill him with a knife, to save the name of the dead Jin Tiyong, What is the purpose of the sugar Jin Tiyong to return to Li Mao, I believe that Li Mao has a number in his heart, his death is not clear, and I believe that it is inseparable from Li Mao's pro-army right wing, but Jin Tiyong can have this solution It is not bad, he died a heroic death, and he was extremely sad after his death.

Killing Jin Shuirong made Li Mao suspicious, it was better to keep him alive, but it seemed that his family was above board.

Zheng Xiaozhang and Jin Shuirong talked all night, and the next day, Jin Shuirong agreed to join the Internal Security Department as Zheng Xiaozhang's assistant, and he soon came out of the many murderous "King Kong" and "Iron Man" of the Internal Security Department. It is known for its ruthless and brutal methods, and it is known for killing innocents indiscriminately.

The massacre unfolded vigorously in the prefectures, counties, ministries and bureaus of Liaodong, and the rolling heads made everyone in Liaodong engrave an indelible name in their hearts: "Heiyu Hou".

Li Mao severely criticized Zheng Xiaozhang and ordered him to suspend his post for reflection, and pushed Zhang Shiluo and Jin Shuirong to the front to take the lead.

Zhang Shiluo and Jin Shuirong are grateful for this trust, conscientious, not afraid of difficulties, and do a very good job.

All the designs are proceeding step by step, everything is under control, and Li Mao can already see the dawn of victory.

This should have been a happy moment, but Li Mao's mood was stagnant, and suddenly became very bad and bad, Ma Hedong was right, he had opened his pockets and waited for him to drill, otherwise how could he defeat him so easily.

After the assassination in Fengle Station a year ago, the Internal Security Department quickly verified that the assassination incident was related to Ma Hedong, and he asked Chang Mu Cang to keep people under the knife, and talk to Ma Hedong himself, so that he could stop the horse from the precipice, and the old brother for many years is still better not to use the knife.

The result was a makeshift change, and he struck Ma and Dong painlessly, and coaxed him into the path of rebellion, and from then on he opened an invisible net, waiting for Ma and Dong to jump up, get in, and then sweep them and their sympathizers away from the trouble.

His scheming is too deep, his intentions are too ruthless, and it is not surprising that Ma Hedong has today's defeat, because he has never been able to get out of the circle he drew for him from the beginning to the end.

This is just like the Sun Monkey and the Buddha, no matter how big the Sun Monkey's ability is, he can't jump out of the palm of the Buddha's hand, and when he has played enough, he just needs to hold his hand, and everything is over.

But although he won a big victory, why didn't he have the slightest excitement and couldn't be happy at all?

The mountains lined with military and political circles in Liaodong shouldn't be cleaned up, this truth can even be seen by the arrogant Qin Mo, which shows that the seriousness of the problem is that there are Ma and Dong who will not be saved in the past, and then there are Sang Rong, Zhu Jiu, and Gao Su strongholds, and then there are Song Menglong, Li Hongshui, Xue Bihua, and Xue Jiajiang who are separated from themselves, and even the four departments and eight chiefs who are leaning on their own merits, and how many people are disobedient to themselves, and use the power they give them to confront themselves openly and secretly

It's time to do a big cleaning, to beat them down while they are still young, to teach them a profound lesson, this is not to harm them, this is to protect them, and when they think they are full of wings and can fight, there is no way out for each other. Ma Hedong is a vivid example.

This practice is naturally not above board, but since ancient times, there are a few people who have played with power and are above board, and those who are above board are dead, and those who are alive are not covered with blood on their hands.

But why is his state of mind still so desolate, because of Ma Hedong's words

On the way back to Liaodong City, Li Mao broke away from the brigade, changed into civilian clothes, left the post road, and walked into the countryside. Just four or five miles away from the post road, the scene is completely different.

If Liaodong on both sides of the post road and in the town is a thriving, vibrant, enlightened, full of light and hope, then Liaodong, which is four or five miles away from the post road, is another scene, this Liaodong is dark and barbaric.

The vast majority of them are unclothed and severely malnourished, and there are no tables and chairs in their "home", no pots and stoves, and they can't even get together a bowl or a pair of chopsticks, and they live by drinking grass roots and wild vegetables all year round.

There is no future or hope in these mentally depressed humanoid puppets, this is a lifeless Liaodong, an extremely desperate Liaodong.

Li Mao's hands and feet were cold, his lips were black, he couldn't believe that there would be such absolute poverty under his rule.

Along the way, the more he walked, the more chilled his heart became, and what he saw was not an accidental phenomenon, but a widespread poverty.

He stopped his horse several times and asked Qin Mo: "Is this the land of Wanghua, are you sure that these are not villages inhabited by barbarians, and the barbarians are somewhat lazy and can't operate, and they are to blame for falling to such a point." The people of my Tang Dynasty are so embarrassed, don't you say that our nation is the most industrious and simple, they obviously own a large area of land, is it my tax levy is very high, my tax is not high, what is going on?"

Qin Mo pinched his nose and said with a smile: "Mr. Wen is in charge of the prime minister's place, he is more familiar than me, let him talk about it." ”

The clerk glared at Qin Mo weakly, sighed first, and said: "This is not a foreign place, it is all a state and county territory, it is my incompetence to save them from Hu Chen for so many years, but I still have no food and no clothes. I asked for punishment, just be a county magistrate, and I really can't do it to be the general manager. ”

Li Mao said irritably: "It's not about being held accountable now, I want the reason, what is the reason, what is the reason for making them so embarrassed, why no one told me before"

The clerk glanced at Qin Mo, who gave him an encouraging look. Wen Cheng gritted his teeth and said: "There is only one reason, because of the non-stop foreign wars in recent years, the people, the army and the people have not been able to rest, which has led to the destruction of the economy and the difficulties of people's livelihood." Qin Mo shouted: "Nonsense, it's true that we have been fighting in the past two years, but we have been winning battles, breaking the pots and jars, how many benefits have we gotten, and how many good things that Silla and Bohai have paid us every year, have you swallowed them privately?"

Being provoked by Qin Mo like this, the clerk let go, he raised his head and looked directly at Li Mao: "Yes, I have won a lot of battles and won a lot of things over the years, but these things have to be raised by the army, acquaintances, a point, a share, a drop in the bucket, and most people still can't take care of it." The towns and post roads in Liaodong were prosperous, and this prosperity was earned by the army. ”

In Liaodong, the common people attached to the government and the army were called "acquaintances", and all other people were called "shengmin".

"There are 153,000 households in Liaodong and a population of 488,000 people. and he shall provide for thirty-nine thousand eight hundred soldiers and seven thousand three hundred officials. Almost ten people support one, and about five laborers support one. Because of the perennial war, the sturdy young people are in the army, each household has only one or two strong laborers, and they can barely make a living at home farming, but because they often fight wars, they are required to serve in conscription, they leave their homes, the fields are not planted, the taxes are not reduced, and the days can only get poorer and poorer, many converts who have come out of the mountains and forests have returned to the forests, and more people choose to flee the famine or return to the forests, and if the strong laborers unfortunately die in battle or disease, the life of orphans and widows will be even more difficult. ”

Speaking of this clerk, Cheng burst into tears: "Now the days have been poor to the extreme, born can not afford to raise, sixty or seventy percent of children can not survive the first winter, many places children are born by their parents strangled, drowned or abandoned in the wilderness, and some people because of not enough to eat, the body is weak, that aspect can not be aroused, simply can't even get children." ”

Qin Mo laughed, and Li Mao also laughed bitterly.

Wen Cheng continued: "In the past two years, we have barely maintained ourselves by plundering, salt and iron monopoly, and military tun, but the war continues to be fought like this, and the military tun is a formality, and the people are extremely poor, and they can't even afford to eat salt, and the profits of the iron and salt monopoly are also declining. ”

Qin Mo said: "Mr. Wen is alarmist, I see that the town and the post road are still thriving, they can still eat meat, and they have brocade clothes to wear, and they have a good life." ”

Clerical Cheng smiled bitterly: "I said this, they are acquaintances, there are not enough things, so I can only take care of them first." Afraid that Li Mao would not understand, he further explained: "It's not that we have to put a label on people's heads, it's really something that can't be helped." There are so many things, if they are evenly distributed, everyone can't eat enough, they have to scold their mothers, so they have to divide their relatives, acquaintances eat first, the people are hungry, and the people live on both sides of the towns and post roads are acquaintances, and officials and military relatives at all levels can only take care of them first in order to stabilize the morale of the officials and the army. That's the way it can't be. ”

Li Mao asked calmly: "What is this ratio, and how many people can't take care of food and clothing." ”

"The ratio of acquaintances to living people is about three to seven. ”

Qin Mo said: "Lao Wen, don't say that my brother reveals your old bottom, how can there be thirty-seven, twenty-eight is about the same, and some states, I'm afraid it's nineteen, and nine out of ten people are half-starved." ”

The clerk was exposed, not only was he not annoyed, but he was happy, he always wanted to speak to Li Mao, but he didn't have the guts, so he pulled Qin Mo together, Qin Mo obviously agreed, but he pushed him out to face Li Mao directly, and he was not embarrassed.

Qin Mo was originally waiting here, he was worthy of being Li Mao's good brother, and he really knew Li Mao's temper. The clerk smiled wryly: "I misremember, my mistake." I'm very incompetent as a manager. ”

Qin Mo said: "Don't take care of everything, I know it's not you, it's because they're too lazy, a large area of good land in eastern Liaodong is uncultivated, and the fat is flowing with oil, why are some people fed and clothed, and some people can't take care of three meals, haha." ”

Li Mao frowned, and said to the clerk: "You prepare, after returning to Liaodong City, we will take a look together, what is the economic state of Liaodong at this stage, what are the reasons, and what are the remedies, we must find out." ”

Qin Mo said: "Don't blame me for being too talkative, getting rid of poverty and making people have enough to eat, you don't need any tricks, you can't bear to use troops for three years, and then you will be relieved, today's embarrassment, the root is in your poor army, and you really can't complain about others." ”

Clerical Cheng was happy when he heard this, such a sentence, only Qin Mo dared to say this to Li Mao in person in Liaodong, and if he was a bystander, it was inevitable that Li Mao would not be suspicious, he had gone too smoothly in the past few years, and his pride had grown, and he was no longer able to listen to the advice of others. Such a piercing loyalty, scheming people such as Zheng Xiaozhang and Chang Mucang would not say it if they were killed, Ma Hedong used another way to make a statement to Li Mao, he himself failed, but the words succeeded, Li Mao finally left the town and the post road, walked into the forgotten countryside, and saw the other side of Liaodong.

The clerk actually had one more thing he wanted to advise Li Mao, but he didn't dare to speak after thinking about it again and again.

...