Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 114 You can question the gentleman’s character, but you have to trust his vision
"Can you get some more Lee Model II sawed-off shotguns?"

"For whom?"

"Give it to the sword and shield bearers, one for each of the five. When the enemy rushes to the front of the formation, spray them with gunfire and then fight."

"Demonstrate."

Li Yuren found several corresponding weapons and made some gestures.

The two discovered the problem at the same time,
The shotgun is still too long and cumbersome to carry.

"Trunk it shorter? Make it thicker?"

"Okay, anyway, we are attacking the enemies in front of us. It might be a good thing to spread them widely."

"Where's the shield?"

"Iron-covered wooden shield should not be too big."

"I think there are two blades in front of the shield. The kind Liu Qian collects is more vicious in close combat."

"Military advisor, why not spray lime powder with one click?"

"What you are talking about is too magical and cannot be mass-produced."

"Also, this knife should not be too long. It is difficult to hold the knife with one hand."

"How about changing it to a broad-bladed dagger?"

Li Yu thought of the classic equipment of the Roman legion and drew it.

When Lin Huaisheng thought about it, it really made sense.

"Let Lao Zhang make some samples and you and your subordinates can think about it."

……

In order to calm things down, Huang Tongpan

He met with Yan Jiansheng privately and compensated for the losses of the two shops.

Not satisfied, this one came up with some bold ideas.

"The government office, which is late in life, is very tight and needs money everywhere. Many families in the town have died. Aren't the fields and homesteads a land without an owner?"

"what do you mean?"

"Being born late means that you can use some of it to compensate those of us who are still alive."

"You're quite thoughtful." Huang Tong smiled angrily.

"The whole family of these people is dead, and no one will come out to cause trouble again."

After Yan Jiansheng was sent away, Huang Tong was so angry that he threw two porcelains.

If he hadn't been so good at nourishing qi, he would have exploded just now.

For a moment,

He had the idea of ​​letting Li Yu kill Yan Jiansheng in private.

But then I thought about it, it was unwise to give others an excuse.

thinking about it,

He decided to stabilize this greedy old guy before the magistrate was appointed.

Give him something sweet.

Wait until he is free to take action, then slowly deal with him.

Let him know what the word "guan" means.

……

Li Yu also heard about it and lamented that Yan Jiansheng was a business man.

Very good at controlling the heat.
However, the approximate life span is not long.

He called Lai Er again and asked him to go to Chaozhou Prefecture again on official business.

"8 taels of funding?"

"Correct."

"Please tell me how to spend it."

"Du Ren will go with you and open a trading house in Chaozhou Prefecture, and you will be the shopkeeper. Copper, lead, sulfur, Western guns, machinery, I will accept anyone who comes."

"clear."

"There is another very important thing. Find a way to establish some relationships with foreigners."

"What does the master mean?"

"I'll lure them with huge profits and let the foreigners come to see me. No matter how high or low they are, they can be businessmen, sailors, deserters, priests, or fugitives. Open the door first."

"I will definitely live up to my master's trust."

Laiji thought for a while and said:

"The one in my house has just become pregnant. She will definitely be too tired to ride the horse all the way, so I ask you to take care of me."

"Okay, I will send someone to find her a clean and elegant house on Xishan Island."

Li Yu thought for a while and said:
"I will arrange another personal maid for you. There is a world of flowers in the south. I am on a business trip for a long time, so I am afraid that you will be unsettled."

"Thank you sir."

Laiji happily accepted the gift.

What can I say, they are all men, why are they pretending?

2 days later,

Li Yu asked someone to find a suitable candidate.

This girl was born into a farmer's family, and her parents were arrested by the grain sergeant because they owed money and grain.

teenage girl,

He actually knelt at the yamen door every day and begged anyone he saw wearing official clothes.

Lasted for half a month.

Huang Si felt that this girl had amazing perseverance, so he urged her to go to Lijiabao.

……

Li Yu accepted this favor.
With a piece of paper, the government office released him.

Moreover, all the accumulated debts over the years were written off, which was very satisfying.

then,

This girl named "Cui'er" firmly believed that Li Yu was the benefactor.

As for her benefactor's arrangement, she had no complaints.

"This trip can take as little as half a year, or as long as one or two years. I will arrange your family affairs."

"Thank you sir."

"I own a coal cake shop and leave it to your parents to take care of. I can make an income of seven or eight taels per month. In a few years, when your brother gets older, he can take over."

"Don't worry, sir, I will serve you well."

"anything else?"

"The slave will always remind him to be loyal to the master."

"Occasionally."

Li Yu's plan in his heart is:

After a year or two, if Cui Er feels that Lai Er is a good person, she will arrange to get married and become a real wife.

Can't talk about it now,
It's like putting eyes and ears next to Laiji. The sky is high and the emperor is far away, and a lot of money is spent in your hands, and people's hearts will change.

The scribe's widow he picked up was always not reassuring.

It doesn't matter if she is a nobody, but if she becomes a real wife, Li Yu will feel uneasy.

just in case,

People's hearts are separated from each other, and the wind blows by the pillow every day. Laiji is now considered a confidant and knows too many secrets.

If fear hadn't chilled the hearts of her subordinates, this woman would have sunk into Taihu Lake long ago.

And Du Ren,
I also want to temporarily leave my post on Xishan Island and go to Chaozhou Prefecture.

The backbone of the Li Group,

In terms of communicative ability, Du Ren ranks first.

So he had to go there and make connections.

There is one more task on this trip.

The Di newspaper wrote that civil unrest occurred many times around Guangzhou Prefecture.

What is the situation?

Li Yu was very interested and wanted to learn to teach Ying to be a remote control stirrer.

If the rebellion situation in Guangdong is good, the world will be very active, and he won't mind selling some guns to get there.

The gun is stamped with the steel seal:

Lee
Only weapons that have been tested on the battlefield can expose their shortcomings.

……

Forbidden City,
The military plane arrived at Zhang Jing, walking straight towards it with small steps.

"Your Majesty, urgent report from Suzhou."

Qianlong, who was in his 60s, raised his eyelids.

He took the military report handed over by the eunuch and spread it out on the case.

"Yeah, good job. Good, good."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Long Yan is delighted, which seems to be good news.

"I have long said that the problems in Suzhou Mansion are not simple. Can the White Lotus Sect be capable of this? It is obvious that there is someone behind the scenes."

"The worries of our Qing Dynasty have never been external, but internal."

As soon as these words come out,

Several important ministers present shrank their heads and did not dare to answer the question.

"The dignified second-rank official of the imperial court, the deputy general of Green Camp, turned out to be a traitor! I really underestimated Shi Linglun and overestimated the Shi family of Marquis of Jinghai."

"Huang Wenyun did a great job. He was able to share my worries and was willing to do things."

He Shen, who was standing aside, was suddenly startled.

Why does this name sound so familiar? Yes, the one with 1 taels.

Professional ethics and conscience do not allow me to remain silent any longer.

He steps forward:
"This servant feels that this credit belongs to the Emperor."

"Oh?"

Qianlong suddenly became interested and sat upright.

If you want to flatter me, I will not fall asleep.

He Shen knelt down and explained:
"If Emperor Qiangang hadn't acted arbitrarily and handed over the Suzhou City garrison, which was originally under the control of the governor, to Huang Wenyun's control, where would he have the troops to put down the rebellion?"

"Well, Heshen, get up and talk."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." He Shen continued his analysis, "So I boldly speculated that the Emperor had long been suspicious and guessed that there was a huge thief among the Suzhou officials, so he laid the groundwork."

……

Qianlong nodded reservedly and smiled:
"You must have thought that I was giving random orders, right?"

Once these words came out, how could the ministers dare to accept them?

A rainbow output, you praise me.

He Shen said nothing and stood quietly aside.

Qianlong spoke:

"You all shut up and listen to He Shen."

Everyone looked at the young Eight Banners disciple with envy, and wished they could kill him dozens of times.

You flatter me under the same sky, why do you always look so outstanding in your photos?

At such a young age, one cannot learn well.

He Shen looked calm and continued:
"There were frequent riots in Suzhou, and the local government was powerless. The emperor had a keen eye. He could see through the problem just from the report from 3000 miles away."

"There are endless troubles in Jiangnan. How can the secret gangs have such methods? There must be something wrong with the Jiangnan officialdom. The emperor kept his face and let them perform. He only took action when he got carried away."

Qianlong happily took a sip of Biluochun:

"I have been in charge of the world for 40 years, and I still have this bit of vision."

"The servants are really stupid. No one can see through the Emperor's Sacred Heart."

The ministers quickly agreed, yes, yes.

I stabbed He Shen several times in my heart, you bastard, you stepped on us to get the upper hand.

"The governor of Jiangsu, the chief envoy, the inspector, and the prefect of Suzhou have been vacant for too long. Let the Ministry of Personnel draft a few candidates. Huang Wenyun, this person seems to be an official, and he comes from a poor background. He is not a clique or a party, so he is promoted in an unusual way. , act as the prefect of Suzhou."

"The ministers obey the order."

"There are also those meritorious soldiers reported by the Ministry of War. Please do as you please."

"Your Majesty is wise."

"The Marquis of Jinghai family, deprive them of their title, let the head of the Shi family investigate and correct themselves, and report back to me later."

Shi Linglun was just a concubine from the sidelines,
Therefore, Qianlong would punish the Shi family, but only to the point.

The Shi family is not a civil servant.

With the imperial decree, the whole clan knelt down obediently and accepted the punishment.

If you are in a hurry, you have the ability to bite people!
……

"Yu Minzhong, He Shen, you two will stay here for a while."

The hall quickly became deserted.

"Give me a brocade stool."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Yu Minzhong, who is also an old minister, sits on the brocade stool with peace of mind.

He Shen, on the other hand, sat on one-third of the stool.

Qianlong glanced at it secretly while reading detailed military reports.

After a while,
He then spoke: "Yu Aiqing, what do you think of the counter-insurgency in Suzhou?"

"It's all the Emperor's planning."

"Let me ask you, do you think there is anyone behind Shi Linglun?"

Yu Minzhong's back instantly broke into a layer of cold sweat.

"I feel that the officials and gentry in the south of the Yangtze River are loyal to the imperial court and will not do such disobedient things."

"Haha, didn't Shi Linglun just do it? It's been so long and no one has reported it to me. Did you really not see it?"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.

Yu Minzhong's CPU was running at high speed and he said carefully:
"I suggest that the emperor can send senior officials to the south of the Yangtze River to conduct a strict investigation."

He Shen answered immediately:

"I do not agree with you, sir."

Qianlong smiled and said:

"Then what do you say?"

"Promote local officials and eliminate the remaining evildoers. If it still doesn't work, I will ask the emperor to go to the south of the Yangtze River."

Qianlong was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, pointing at Heshen and saying:

"Do you know that this is encouraging me to be extravagant and travel around?"

"I feel that every time the emperor tours the south of the Yangtze River, it will be of great benefit to the country and the people."

"There are a lot of expenses along the way. How many imperial officials have advised me to cherish the people's power."

"The censors are blind to the truth. They only see the emperor's expenses, but they don't see the benefits."

Seeing that Qianlong's expression was normal, He Shen continued:

"The first is to purge the government. The emperor is aware of everything and will remove some unqualified officials every time."

"Second, build water conservancy projects. Where the emperor wants to inspect, the project will naturally be of great concern."

"Third, reduce taxes and win the support of the people."

……

The hall was quiet for a long time,
Qianlong then spoke quietly:

"You have seen my good intentions. You should also take care of the household affairs."

"The slave has vulgar qualifications, is young and impulsive, and is afraid of being mismanaged."

"I don't trust people when I trust them, but I don't trust people when I use them."

Yu Min was annoyed in his heart and had already seen through everything.

However, his position did not allow it.

He is from Jintan and is also a well-known family in the local area.

Each of the emperor's southern tours was bad news for the wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River.

Because they need to pay!
The official opened his mouth:
"Voluntary donation."

"Everyone, this is voluntary. Donating 1 tael is not too little, and donating 1 taels is not too much. We want the emperor to eat well and have fun in Jiangnan."

How about we, a huge country, have extensive and profound Chinese characters?

Just by "volunteering", you can write a social science paper.

Among the wealthy people in the south of the Yangtze River, there is no one who has not eaten two kilograms of coptis in their hearts.

The face also needs to match the performance.

Do the princes of the imperial court really not understand?
No, they are all pretending to be confused.

The same goes for Yu Minzhong, but it concerns his own wallet.

The only option is non-cooperation.

He was already old, but the emperor didn't nod, and he didn't dare to casually propose resigning and returning home.

I rely on ginseng to keep my spirits up every day when I go to court.

After decades of ups and downs in the officialdom, he had already seen through it.

You’ve earned enough of what you should earn, and it’s time to find an opportunity to quit quickly.

Pedantry, stubbornness, and ignorance of the holy will are the labels he most wants to label.

Unfortunately,
Although Qianlong scolded him from time to time, he still used him.

……

He Shen also breathed a sigh of relief.

After leaving the palace, he got on his carriage and closed his eyes to meditate all the way.

There are officers from Shuntian Prefecture ahead to open the way.
The well-informed subordinates had already gathered at the gate of He Mansion.

"Congratulations to my lord, congratulations to my lord."

A guy with a fleshy face and a somewhat feminine look walked over in small steps.

He said with a flattering smile:
"Our household department has been vacant for so long, and we finally have a backbone. I would like to treat you to Mr. He and have a light meal at noon. My colleagues still have many questions about their work, and I would like to ask Mr. He for your guidance."

He Shen thought for a moment and said with a smile:

"Today at noon, I invite you to eat at the house. Liu Quan."

"What is the master's order?"

"The restaurant at the entrance of the alley makes good noodles. I'd like to give you a little more money and invite them to cook at my house."

"what?"

"Go quickly."

Everyone in the household department was also dumbfounded, but it didn't matter.

From another perspective, I praise Mr. He for his honesty.

Be flexible.

When a new official takes office, he invites his colleagues to eat noodles at Hefu.

Spread the word and get a good reputation.

however,
This bowl of noodles is so expensive!
A dozen people ate the noodles and left a total of 3 taels in silver notes after finishing the meal.

The noodle chef was so nervous that he was sweating profusely.
This is the first time that so many imperial officials have been fed.

Word spread, and his stall became a must in the capital.

reputation,

This started gradually.

From a small stall, a noodle shop was opened.

Diners flock to it. After all, you can question the gentleman's character, but you have to trust his vision.

……

Li Yu was also slurping his noodles while facing Fan Jing.

This is a small noodle shop in an alley.

The shop owner managed the business miserably, but slowly developed a reputation.

Although it is not a high-end restaurant, the seasonal noodles they make are excellent.

From three shrimp noodles, large meat white soup noodles, to crab roe noodles.

They were the only two people in the store.

The shopkeeper took 2 taels of silver and avoided it.

There were 6 guards standing at the entrance of the store, and 2 horseback riders at the entrance of the alley.

Fan Jing eats quickly;
Yi Mo Zui asked:

"Military advisor, why do you bring so many bodyguards when you go out now?"

"I have done too many bad things and feel guilty."

Li Yu took a sip of ginger shreds soaked in vinegar and answered without raising his head.

Phew, Fan Jing almost broke the defense.

Although it was the truth, it was also a bit too frank.

"This time, I will give you another promotion. Go to Wuxian County to make a history."

"Will the officials approve it?"

"Don't worry, this time I'm borrowing the east wind, they won't reject it."

……

A county in the Qing Dynasty,
County magistrates, county magistrates, administrators, and historians are appointed by the imperial court.

Therefore, Dianshi is also called the "Fourth Master".

The fourth highest position in the county government office, in charge of arrests, inspections, prison inmates, and public security.

In Li Yu’s eyes,
It's more affordable than any other job.

Can control the armed forces and openly accumulate troops.

"What about the Shihu Inspection Department?"

"Pick someone from the bottom to be on top. This position cannot be given to others."

"Wouldn't it cost me money again?"

"No need, let Huang Tong judge, oh no, it's time to call Magistrate Huang and ask him to help."

"Military advisor, Inspector Li wants to move up a bit."

"Okay, how much money can he offer?"

"I'll ask him later."

Li Yu finished his last bite of noodles and felt relaxed all over.

suddenly,

There were noises and shouts in the distance.

The horseback guard at the entrance of the alley rushed over immediately and reported:

"It's on fire over there."

Li Yu walked to the street and found that it was already crowded with people watching the excitement.

There are guards leading the way,
He quickly walked out of the alley and saw the fire.

It's a warehouse.

The fat shopkeeper rolled on the floor and cried bitterly.

The guys who put out the fire didn't dare to get too close because the fire was too strong.

……

Putting out the fire is just a show, it cannot deal with the raging fire.

If the houses that are not affected are removed, the fire zone will be removed and the fire will not continue to spread.

finally,
A warehouse of cotton cloth was burned to a crisp, and the guards came out to clean up the situation.

It is nothing more than extinguishing the sparks to prevent their resurgence.

The businessman fainted from crying. This may be a lifetime of hard work.

Water and fire are ruthless.

Li Yu was moved by the scene and said:
"You also need to be careful in the Xishan Island warehouse area to prevent fire and theft."

"Don't worry, military advisor. We have water storage, watchmen, and rules."

"Isn't it available in Suzhou City?"

"Rich families have their own water tanks, watchmen, but there seems to be no public fire prevention measures."

Li Yu's eyes suddenly lit up,

He summoned a servant and asked a few questions.

"Does the city have a government-run fire brigade?"

"No."

"Is there a fire brigade run by businessmen themselves?"

"No."

The guard also carefully explained:
“The job of putting out fires is thankless, and you don’t make any money just by investing money.”

……

Of course Li Yu understands,

This is a public undertaking, and there is no profit to speak of.

Besides, when did I, Mr. Li, do things based on profit?

The main thing is to leave no overnight money and spend money like water.

"Fan Jing, what do you think if I set up a private fire brigade?"

"Is the military advisor doing a good deed?"

"Yes or no, just think about it."

Fan Jing's eyes lit up,
A firefighting team that responds at any time and is spread throughout the city.

Plus lookout points scattered throughout the city,

It can not only put out fires, but also raid any house.

It couldn't be more convenient to use to attack opponents.

"Wonderful, it's called the Fire Brigade, but it's actually a private army that infiltrates the entire city and keeps watch around the clock."

To put it more vaguely,
With a hammer in my hand, everything looks like a nail.

Where there are no nails, create nails.

Li Yu looked at the curling white smoke and said quietly:

"Accumulate some merit in your daily life."

"Once the war breaks out, we can burn the government offices and the whole city."

"All over the city?"

"You still don't know, right? The latest news that Wang Shenxian got from Beijing is that Qianlong has plans to build a city in Suzhou."

(End of this chapter)