Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 166 Great Wealth
Liu Taozi took a few steps forward.

He almost pushed against the He Shikai in front of him, then slowly lowered his head.

"Do you want to kill me?"

He Shikai took a few steps back, almost bumping into the wooden door behind him. He sneered and said, "General Liu, the confidant of the Prime Minister, how could I have such ability?"

"It's just that I can't kill him, but my king might be able to kill him."

"Does Prince Changguang want to kill me?"

He Shikai pursed his lips and asked, "Why is General Liu so aggressive?"

"General, you may not know that your father and my king are close friends regardless of age difference."

He Shikai said, "My king thinks highly of you and thinks you are a great talent for governing the country. My general is short of a military officer. As long as the general is willing, my king can personally take charge of the prime minister's affairs. How about that?"

"The general is only a seventh-rank official at the moment. How can it compare to serving as a military officer beside the king?"

"Isn't it convenient to be with the king, whether it's getting rich or getting promoted?"

"The king values ​​the general so much, it's really enviable. I've had some disagreements with the general, but I still hope the general won't care about these grudges. We will serve the king together. The king is a person who will never be stingy with his subordinates."

He Shikai forced a very kind smile and slowly stretched out his hand, wanting to hold Liu Taozi's hand.

Liu Taozi took a step back and distanced himself. He said calmly, "I wonder why the king wants to recruit me as a military officer?"

"That's because I value the general."

"What do you value about me?"

"I don't know. Maybe they value the general's ability to kill people. Why do you think so much? Isn't it a good thing for people like us to be valued by others?"

"From here, I will go to Yecheng to serve as a military officer in the palace. This is a meteoric rise. I don't need to make any new achievements. As long as I can make the king happy, I can be a general, even a chief minister."

He Shikai's voice was very gentle, slowly inducing.

"General, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Go back and thank the king for me. However, I am not talented enough to be employed, so I will not show my ugliness in front of the king."

He Shikai was stunned. He quickly asked, "What is the general talking about?"

He suddenly turned angry and asked, "General, are you looking down on my king?"

"Do you really think my king is as virtuous as Hui Luo?! Hui Luo can't kill you, but how can my king kill you?!"

Liu Taozi looked at him calmly without saying anything.

He Shikai was shocked and angry. He blocked the door and said, "Liu Taozi! Don't be so presumptuous!"

"Those who obey my great king will live, those who disobey him will die!!"

Liu Taozi walked up to He Shikai again, reached out and grabbed his shoulders, lifted him up like a chicken, then put him aside, pushed open the door, and walked straight in.

He Shikai stood there in a daze, looking at Liu Taozi who had closed the door.

His face was red and his whole body was trembling.

Thinking of the confident promise he made to the king before leaving, his eyes were filled with anger.

Suddenly, he laughed out of anger.

"It is my incompetence, my incompetence, that has failed to persuade the general to submit to the king. The general has backbone! He has backbone!!"

He laughed and turned away.

The laughter was so unbridled that the surrounding military officers all leaned over to look.

At this moment, Wang Chong, who was inside the room, holding a document, listened to the noise outside and asked curiously, "General, who is that?"

Wang Chong was an old clerk brought by Liu Taozi from Liyang. After Tian Zili, Cui Gang and others left, he was temporarily in charge of clerical work.

"King Changguang's men."

"General, Prince Changguang is extremely powerful. Unlike Huiluo and his ilk, he is the legitimate son of Emperor Shenwu. You cannot provoke him."

"I didn't provoke him."

Liu Taozi didn't say anything more and simply asked, "Have you found out?"

Wang Chong nodded, and hurriedly placed the thick document in front of Liu Taozi with great effort. After repeating this several times, Liu Taozi's desk was piled with documents.

"General, please take a look. This is the preliminary statistics from various places. There are 236,213 civilians in the garrisons on the border."

“The results are completely different from those in the eighth year of Tianbao.”

Liu Taozi's eyebrows twitched.

"Let the garrison commanders in various places fill in the gaps with assistants. We can no longer let you run around and do things for them."

"only!"

"Any news from Zili and the others?"

"Not yet."

"Well, keep busy."

"only!"

Wang Chong left the document and left the place carefully.

Liu Taozi sat down and picked up the documents in front of him. Each piece of paper was filled with people's names, some of which stated when they came and where they came from.

Some wrote about age and appearance.

Some have only names and nothing else.

A thick pile of papers took up the entire wooden desk, while a light piece of paper was filled with the broken hearts of countless families and the cries of countless people.

On the black and white paper, one can vaguely see the abandoned farmland, the crazy old woman, the hungry children, the father exposed to the sun, and the woman looking into the distance with tears in her eyes.

"Boom."

A gentle knock on the door interrupted Liu Taozi's thoughts.

"Come in."

The wooden door was pushed open again. Kou Liu walked in quickly, closed the door, walked up to Liu Taozi, and bowed to greet her.

"Brother!"

"How's the situation over there?"

"Hui Luo has already left. An angel came today. I saw Hui Luo get into the car. There were knights guarding him from front and back. He left the county and headed south."

"Well, leave some people in the city, and you can come back."

"Brother, there is one more thing."

"Oh?"

"Today, a group of people came in from the south gate with great fanfare. They came almost at the same time as the angels. Judging from their attire, they seemed to be Turks. They entered the government office but came out very quickly. They are now staying in the city."

"I don't think we should retreat in a hurry. I will keep an eye on them for a few days. My brother sent out troops earlier. Maybe they came for my brother."

Liu Taozi slowly raised her head and looked at Kou Liu's red, bloodshot eyes.

"No need."

"I'll give you three days off. Go to sleep."

"This"

"Ok?"

"only!!!"

The sun was glaring and the air around was exceptionally dry.

A huge team was walking on the official road.

Lou Rui rode on a warhorse, shielding his eyes from the dazzling light with his hands, muttering something, his face showing an unhappy expression.

Tian Zili walked beside Lou Rui, while Cui Gang walked behind.

Tian Zili asked with a smile: "Governor, are you unable to bear the climate in this frontier?"

Lou Rui smiled and said, "This place is not as good as the Central Plains. It's either hot or cold. I haven't been here for many years. What city did you just mention?"

"Zhaoyuan."

"Oh, it's all Yang Yin's fault. The names of the counties have been changed over and over again, and their affiliations have also been constantly changing. Just by looking at the names, I don't even know which is which."

Tian Zili lowered his head and did not respond.

This time, Lou Rui's army was no longer on the same scale as before. More than a thousand knights were stationed in front and behind him, making for an extraordinary force. Of course, his most trusted people were still only those dozens of people.

And now these people have become officers among these cavalrymen, and Lou Rui controls the entire army through them.

When they approached the city, officials had already gathered outside the city gate.

These people also came in huge numbers, with hundreds of them, almost occupying the entire city gate.

They looked hurried, and several prefects were so anxious that they were sweating profusely.

None of them had expected that the governor would come so hastily and did not give them time to prepare.

"I'm coming!"

someone shouted.

Everyone was ready, and several governors even took the initiative to step forward.

At this moment, the group of people in the distance suddenly changed direction. Instead of heading towards the city gate, they headed directly to the north.

Many officials just watched the troop passing by their doorsteps without even a glance at them.

"What's going on?!" "This"

"Quickly send someone over to ask! Don't let the governor take the wrong road!"

A knight hurriedly galloped away from here.

After a while, the man came back here again, looked at the governors, saluted and said: "The governor said that he would go to Wuchuan first and then come here."

The governors looked at each other in astonishment.

Why is this???

"Good nephew!!"

Lou Rui jumped off his horse, laughing, walked quickly to Liu Taozi and grabbed her hand.

Liu Taozi bowed her head and saluted, "Lord Lou!"

"Why are you being so formal? Just call me Sir as you did before!"

Lou Rui then looked at Wuchuan City behind him, "Wuchuan, I haven't been here for a long time. My dear nephew, come, take me into the city quickly!!"

Tian Zili and Cui Gang stood not far away, looking at Liu Taozi, seeming to want to say something but stopping themselves.

Liu Taozi glanced at them, motioned for them to follow, and then led Lou Rui towards the city.

Lou Rui strode on the road, looking at Liu Taozi beside him, his eyes full of satisfaction.

"My dear nephew, I haven't seen you for a long time. When I was in Liyang, I knew that you had great potential. It's true. Now, you have attracted the attention of the whole world!"

"Hahahaha, I can come here because of my nephew!"

The two of them came to the government office. The atmosphere was very cheerful. Liu Taozi led him into the office. Lou Rui asked everyone to leave first and only went into the room with Liu Taozi.

After sitting down, Liu Taozi asked someone to bring wine and food.

Lou Rui sat in the upper seat and Liu Taozi sat next to him.

Lou Rui took a sip of the wine and exclaimed, "I haven't had frontier wine for a long time, but I can't even remember the taste."

"My dear nephew, you don't have to worry about Hui Luo's matter. Brother will not let him leave Yecheng easily again."

"Here, with me here, no one dares to embarrass you."

Lou Rui grinned, "My nephew also knows that I am a straight man, unlike those Han officials who are hypocritical. My nephew sent someone to say that there is great wealth here."

"Now can you tell me how great this wealth is?"

Lou Rui didn't waste any time. As soon as he sat down, he started asking about the plan to make money.

Liu Taozi said, "There is no need for me to say more about local affairs. Lord Lou knows what to do."

Lou Rui was a little embarrassed, "Zhizhi, this fortress is different from the Central Plains."

"The Han Chinese clans here were all killed, there aren't many left. Most of them are from noble families. These people are related to me, so it's hard for me to take action."

"Besides, they are not something that officials can kill. In the Central Plains, a few jailers can break into their houses and steal their things, but every noble family here has warriors. Unless I lead the cavalry to kill them one by one, I am afraid I won't be able to hold this position for a month if I kill them like this!"

"This noble family is different from the big family. It's not easy to deal with them. It's not easy to deal with them."

Liu Taozi said, "If you have any concerns, you can leave the local affairs to me."

"If the tribute is insufficient, let them share the burden. If they can't pay, I will take care of it on your behalf."

Lou Rui's face was particularly tangled. "My dear nephew, it's not easy to deal with. If we deal with them, we will offend a lot of people. I am not afraid of offending the Han people, but I cannot offend these people."

"Don't worry, sir. You are here for the sake of courtesy. With the border soldiers here, they dare not refuse to pay."

Lou Rui waved his hand, "Let's not talk about this for now, you should talk about that day when you were rich."

Liu Taozi then said: "There are three great fortunes at the moment."

Lou Rui's eyes lit up, "My dear nephew, please tell me."

"The first wealth is this farming."

"There are more than 200,000 civilians in the border towns. If we can properly settle them, distribute farmland and farm tools to them, and lend them oxen and seeds, the annual output will be a considerable amount."

"Of the food they paid, I kept enough for them to survive and gave it to the soldiers. The rest will belong to you."

"Can a borderland produce so much?"

"Even if the civilians here start to cultivate the land, the government still needs to distribute food. There are so many refugees in various places right now. As long as we can settle more people in private, the government will know that there are 200,000 people here, and in fact, it can be 300,000 or 400,000."

Lou Rui took a deep breath, "How can there be so many farmers?"

"In recent years, the imperial court has conscripted laborers everywhere, and many have fled. There are also border soldiers and nobles who are causing trouble for the local area. There are countless refugees inside and outside the border. In addition, there are those outside the border who can be captured and used to farm."

Lou Rui clapped his hands suddenly, "Okay! Let's do it!"

"What about the second great fortune?"

"fighting."

"The Prime Minister will be here soon. Lord Lou must know that this place borders the Pseudo-Zhou, the Turks, the Xi people, etc. The border soldiers are strong and these people are no match for us. Regardless of the size of the battle, Lord Lou, as the commander, will never suffer any loss."

Lou Rui pondered for a moment, "Well, this one is a little worse, but I can still get something. Tell me about the third one."

"trading."

"The Xi people have set up a market outside the Great Wall and have made a lot of money by trading with the three kingdoms. If we can control all the routes or send our own caravans, the benefits will not be underestimated."

"Won't this help the enemy?"

"Tea, silk, porcelain. How can exchanging them for military pay to subsidize the border troops be considered aiding the enemy?"

"Hahaha, my dear nephew, what you said makes sense! It makes sense!"

Lou Rui sat there, his eyes flickering. He said nothing, as if he was calculating the gains and losses.

Liu Taozi didn't disturb him, but just sat quietly by the side, waiting for him to think it over.

After a long silence, Lou Rui suddenly raised his head and said, "Nephew, let's start with this first thing."

"When I was leaving, the Prime Minister told me to pay attention to the money and grain issue. Now that I'm here, I must not let the Prime Minister down!"

"You should quickly organize the laborers from all over the country and let them all go to farm. Report 200,000 people to the government first. Let me send officials to help you. It's too late to farm this year, but it's just right to prepare for next year. It will take four or five years to reclaim the land. I'll figure out how to farm the land. You should help me organize the people first. Tell me if you need anything. If anyone is hindering you, tell me too!"

"Don't think about anything else, just organize the people!"

"Also, the army's training cannot be neglected. We cannot neglect it at all before the Grand Prime Minister arrives!"

Lou Rui stood up and said, "I have to go back to the county, nephew. I'll leave everything to you."

"Then I'll go back?"

Liu Taozi stood up and said, "I'll see you off, sir."

The two walked outside. Lou Rui looked at Liu Taozi several times, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

"My dear nephew, I heard that the Luo family had a lot of treasures that time?"

Liu Taozi nodded, "Yes, there are quite a few."

"What good treasures are there?"

"I distributed the money and food to the soldiers. As for the paintings, calligraphy and jewelry, I can't tell whether they are good or bad."

"So when you arrive, we sent someone to deliver it to your office so you can enjoy it yourself."

Lou Rui suddenly stopped and turned to look at Liu Taozi in front of him, so excited that he could not speak.

He punched Liu Taozi's chest hard several times.

"I just said you're the most sensible! You can accomplish great things!"

"My dear nephew, you can be bold in doing anything in and outside the town. It doesn't matter how you do it. It doesn't matter if you make mistakes or do it badly!!"

"Remember, I'll support you in everything, just do it!!"

"Thank you, sir."

Lou Rui left here happily.

Tian Zili, Cui Gang and others hurried forward, "Brother!!"

Liu Taozi looked at the people kneeling before her, her eyes slowly narrowed, a faint smile on her face.

"I haven't seen you for a few days. How come you have turned into mandrills?"

Tian Zili burst out laughing, he touched his face, "I wanted to be as majestic as my brother, so I stayed in the sun for a few more days."

"Hahaha~~~"

Everyone laughed.

Lou Rui hummed an unknown tune and returned to the county town again.

The officials were in a panic and the welcoming ceremony was extremely grand.

Officials at all levels came to pay their respects, informed him of their identities, described the local situation, and gathered around him, marching towards the provincial government in a mighty procession.

Lou Rui's response was quite cold.

The provincial government office was redecorated, which suited Lou Rui's taste.

The officials held a banquet to welcome the new governor, and the scene was extremely lively.

After drinking some wine, Lou Rui sat at the upper seat, not smiling at anyone, looking quite majestic.

Halfway through the banquet, the governor found an opportunity, slowly sat down next to Lou Rui, and said, "Lord Lou, the envoy sent by the Turks is in the city right now, waiting to see you."

"Turks? What are they doing here?"

"It's because the border soldiers sent troops out without permission, and they seem to want us to give an explanation."

(End of this chapter)