Thief Emperor

Chapter 368 Emperor's Ambition

Near noon, a carriage arrived at the gate of Yangzhou City. The driver was none other than Liu Bo.

After arriving at the city gate, Envoy Du in the carriage lifted the curtain to look, and then asked with a smile in surprise, "The gate of Yangzhou is not closed?"

Liu Bo turned around and said with a smile: "It was originally closed, but after occupying it for so long, it was not appropriate to keep it closed all the time. In addition, the Pinglu Army had stopped, so the city gate has been open."

Du Qian thought for a moment and asked, "Aren't you afraid that the Pinglu Army will disguise themselves and enter the city, cooperating with the Pinglu Army in Chuzhou to cause trouble?"

Liu Bo shook his head slightly: "Chuzhou already has people watching. If there is any movement there, we will know immediately. When the city gate is closed, no matter how many people sneak in, it will be of little use, and..."

Liu Bo looked at the soldiers guarding the city gate and said with a smile, "It's not that easy to sneak into the city."

Du Qian nodded thoughtfully, then said, "Brother Liu, please stop the car. I will walk down and take a look at Yangzhou City."

Liu Bo responded and quickly stopped the carriage. Du Qian jumped off the carriage, looked back at the middle-aged man who was traveling with him, and said with a smile, "Brother Meng, let's go for a walk together."

The middle-aged man surnamed Meng responded and followed Du Qian into Yangzhou City.

Walking in Yangzhou City, Du Qian looked around. Although there were not as many people on the streets as in Jinling City, there were still quite a few people. It was already a very normal city.

It doesn't look like it's in turmoil at all.

Du Qian was very concerned about the situation in Yangzhou City. This time when he went north, he took the initiative to ask to go to Jiangbei to take a look. He looked left and right, and unknowingly delayed some time.

Just as Envoy Du was walking on the street, a tall figure came towards him with a hearty laugh: "Brother Shouyi!"

Du Qian looked up and saw Li Yun coming towards him. He bowed and said with a smile, "Why is Erlang on the street?"

"I heard that Brother Shouyi had entered the city, so I went out to take a look. Not long after I walked, I ran into him head-on."

After the two exchanged a few words, Du Qian stepped aside and smiled, "Erlang, look who's here?"

Li Yun looked behind him and saw a tall, but thin, haggard middle-aged man standing behind Du Qian. After seeing Li Yun, he knelt on the ground without saying a word and bowed his head: "Meng Chong greets the envoy!"

Li Yun then remembered who he was, and hurried forward to help him up, then turned to look at the two bodyguards beside him.

"Go quickly and call Meng Hai over."

This person was none other than Meng Hai's father, Meng Chong, who was also the leader of the villagers of Hexi Village in Shidai and later the leader of the Hexi bandits.

Li Yun hadn't seen him for more than two years. Two years ago in Shidai County, Meng Chong was still a strong man and was very capable. But now, not only did he lack energy, but he also had a lot more white hair.

"I haven't seen you for more than two years. How come you look so much older, Brother Meng?"

After Meng Chong was helped up, he sighed and said, "It's already a blessing to be alive."

He looked up at Li Yun, bowed sincerely and said, "If it weren't for you, I'm afraid it would be hard to keep anyone alive in Hexi Village, not to mention Meng Hai, Meng Qing and the others, who have jobs under you."

"This is a great favor, and everyone in Hexi Village will never forget it!"

Li Yun shook his head slightly: "I just did some things that should be done. Besides, the two brothers Meng Qing and Meng Hai, as well as the young people in Hexi Village, have helped me a lot in the past two years."

At this point, he also sighed: "When Hexi Village was in turmoil, Li was unable to save the entire village, so today, there is not much left of Hexi Village."

Meng Chong shook his head: "At that time, the envoy was only the head of Qingyang. It was not easy for him to save so many people."

While the two were talking, Meng Hai, who had received the news, trotted over. After looking up and seeing his father, Meng Hai's eyes turned red, and he knelt on the ground with a plop, bowed his head, and tears flowed down his face.

Even though Meng Chong was a generous person, he couldn't help but burst into tears. The father and son hugged each other and cried loudly.

Li Yun and Du Qian, who were standing by, felt sympathetic when they saw this.

The father and son cried for a long time before they went into the Yangzhou Governor's Mansion with everyone else. Li Yun let the father and son talk alone, while he and Du Qian sat in the main hall of the Governor's Mansion.

As soon as he sat down and drank a sip of tea, Du Qian asked, "That Mr. Meng..."

Li Yun put down his tea and told Du Qian the story of Hexi Village in Shidai County. He shook his head and said, "There were more than a hundred households in Hexi Village, but now there are probably less than forty people left."

Even Du Qian couldn't help but frown when he heard this. He said in a deep voice, "In the third year of Xian De, the tax was increased. I remember that the court wanted to collect 180 coins from each household. But in Hexi Village, it was increased to 1 guan!"

“It’s really appalling.”

Du Qian shook his head and sighed, "Along the way, I talked to that brother Meng, and he was also a very patient person. He didn't say a word. I guess he was afraid that if he told what happened back then, it would implicate you, Erlang."

Li Yun lowered his head to drink tea and sighed, "There is more than one Hexi Village in the world, and there is more than just the current Hexi Village."

He looked at Du Qian and asked, "For example, in Jiangdong, if we collect taxes from the lower reaches of the countryside where the government has no control, will the story of Hexi Village happen again?" "I'm afraid it will."

Li Yun said silently: "Human hearts are like this, their desires are insatiable."

Du Qian thought for a moment and said, "As the saying goes, if the superior likes something, the subordinates will follow it. It still depends on the atmosphere of the court. If everyone from the emperor to the prime minister is honest, they will naturally choose people who are like them, from the top to the bottom."

"Finally, when we get to the local area, things will be much better."

Li Yun shook his head slightly and said, "Brother Du's statement is at most a temporary solution, and even a temporary solution is difficult. If the imperial power does not go down to the countryside, the people at the top will not be able to see what the real situation is like at the bottom."

“This is an eternal problem.”

Li Yun was also somewhat helpless: "I'm afraid no one can solve it."

Du Qian looked at Li Yun and said with a smile: "It seems that Erlang wants to solve this problem."

Li Yun was startled: "Me?"

Du Qian put down his teacup and asked, "If Erlang becomes the emperor and the ruler of the world in the future, won't he also have to face these problems?"

These words left Li Yun stunned.

Until now, all he had been thinking about was how to make himself stronger, but he had never thought about how far he could go in the end, or whether he would become an emperor.

“Thinking about this now…”

Li Yun shook his head and said, "It's too early."

“It’s not that early.”

Du Qian said softly, "Now if we count Yangzhou and Xuanzhou, there are more than ten prefectures and counties that have submitted to Erlang, and they are all relatively wealthy prefectures and counties, and they were the main force in supporting the court."

"Looking at all the military governors in the world, apart from the Jiannan military governor, there is no other military governor who has as many prefectures and counties as Erlang."

"What Erlang lacks now is nothing more than the number of soldiers and a suitable opportunity. As long as he seizes this opportunity, Erlang will immediately become one of the few powerful forces in the world."

Li Yun took a sip of the tea in his hand and put it back on the table. He was still a little uncomfortable: "How can it be so fast?"

“It’s that fast.”

Du Qian smiled and said, "It took only seven or eight years for Emperor Taizu of the Great Zhou Dynasty to start his business and establish the country."

Li Yun thought for a while and shook his head slightly: "I can't think about these things now. If I think about them now, I will be at a loss."

Du Qian nodded and said, "The court has already known about Jiangbei's situation. I estimate that it won't be long before a written document is issued and handed over to you, Erlang."

"Most likely, they want to give you, Erlang, the paperwork for promotion."

Li Yun thought for a while and asked, "What official position can the court give me? The Jiangdong Surveillance Commissioner has already been appointed. It's impossible to recall Mr. Fei to the court, right?"

"I don't know what rank you'll be promoted to, but I'll definitely give you a promotion."

"After all, in the area of ​​Jiangbei, Erlang, you are at a disadvantage compared to the Pinglu Army. The court should now try to balance the local forces to prevent the emergence of increasingly powerful local vassal states, so it will naturally help the weak instead of the strong."

He paused and added, "I wrote a letter to my father about this matter, and I think he also helped a lot."

Li Yun then nodded slowly and said with a smile, "Thank you, Brother Du."

"Too polite."

Du Qian smiled and said, "We are now in the same boat. Wherever we can help Erlang, the Du family will naturally do their best to help him."

The two chatted about court affairs for a while before Li Yun pulled out Gu Wenchuan's poem from his sleeve and placed it in front of him. He sighed and said, "This is a poem that just circulated from Qingzhou. It is said to be Mr. Wenchuan's last work before his death."

"Mr. Wenchuan must have died at the hands of Zhou Xu."

"Brother Yiyi, please take a look."

Du Qian was stunned at first, then he took the poem and took a look at it. After reading it, he was stunned for a long time before he let out a long breath and his face turned pale.

"Yes…"

"It was me who harmed Mr. Wenchuan."

(End of this chapter)