The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 136 Tieling Reorganization
As Ding Bi's base, most Tieling merchants were involved in the smuggling trade with the Jiannu.

The smuggled goods range from grain and cloth to the medicinal herb ginseng.

Liu Zhaosun was quite shocked by this.

However, if he was slightly familiar with the history of Jianzhou's rise, he would not be surprised by this wave of basic operations of the Liaodong merchants.

The gold and silver that the Jiannu had plundered in Liaodong over the years piled up into mountains. In the words of Lao Tie, they were not short of money.

Driven by high profits, some businessmen even bribed workshop craftsmen at high prices, trying every means to steal the Kaiyuan new fire gun drawings and sell them to the Later Jin.

Even a fool knows how valuable this thing is.

Liu Zhaosun has always treated Liaodong merchants well, and thought he could win people over with his virtue, but he didn't expect to get such a result in the end.

"Why not sell me to Huang Taiji? Chop me up, weigh me, and see how much I can sell for!"

Everyone was silent.

Pei Dahu whispered, "Master Thirteen, we should quickly send people to hunt down those fleeing craftsmen. If the Tartars get them..."

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything. Upon hearing this, Ping Liao Hou flew into a rage and slammed the table and roared:

"Chase? They've been gone for a long time, where can we chase them?!"

"Pass on my order: Anyone involved in this slave trade, including corrupt officials, will be executed, no matter who they are!"

At that time, all the soldiers, merchants and craftsmen involved in the case were beheaded, and their families were sent to work in the mines.

A total of eighty-seven people were beheaded and three hundred and twenty people were punished to varying degrees.

There were crowds of people at the north gate of Tieling.

A gun barrel craftsman named Dong was also implicated.

Dong Jianghu was originally an old man in the Eastern Army. He followed Liu Jing in his early years and was acquainted with Pei Dahu and others.

Because the workshop he was in charge of had a few missing gun and cannon blueprints that did not match the actual number, he was arrested by Zhang Mazi and severely tortured.

"Tell me! How much silver did you receive from the Tartars?"

"Tell me! Who are your accomplices? When will you start the rebellion?"

Unable to bear the torture, Lao Dong confessed under duress that he had accepted fifty taels of silver from Huang Taiji and planned to reunite with his brother outside the city and flee to Jianzhou...
The next day, Dong Jianghu was executed.

When Dong Jianghu's younger brother, who lived outside Tieling City, heard the news, he packed up his gold and silver jewelry, along with the artillery drawings that his drunken brother had left behind at home, abandoned his wife and children, and fled to Hetuala overnight.

~~~~
Liu Zhaosun was well aware that as the territory expanded, good and bad people would mix together, and chaos like this would be inevitable.

Unless an emerging force emerges to check and balance the old force, and unless institutional adjustments are made, all efforts will be unable to escape the law of cycles.

But what could he do? Could he hope to brainwash millions of people with a single wave of support, like the protagonist in an online novel?

Reality is not fiction. He lived in the cruel reality of the late Ming Dynasty, an era of natural disasters and man-made calamities where people were eaten without leaving any bones.

I'm sorry, it's very difficult to expect to change the world four hundred years ago by one's own efforts.

He is not a librarian that appears once in a thousand years, nor is he the fantasy protagonist who becomes emperor with a bowl at the beginning. He does not have the white-bearded grandfather in the system, and he even has few servants left.

From Sarhu to now, all he could do was to survive with a group of people.

Now, after defeating the Jiannu and making great achievements, I look back and suddenly realize that there is an even more terrifying opponent waiting for me.

The road ahead will be difficult, just as Master Zhang of the Qing Palace said.

Liu Zhaosun is like Sisyphus in Greek mythology, who was destined to spend his entire life pushing a boulder up the mountain, or like the Jingwei bird that vowed to fill up the East China Sea, and was determined to fill the sea with stones.

Use the power of one person to fight against a single interest group, against the entire world.

Fight again and again despite repeated defeats, even death is an honor.

~~~~~~~
Liu Zhaosun's old injury relapsed and he needed to recuperate in Tieling for a few days. The case will continue to be tried by Kang Yingqian.

Lao Kang set up a court in the General's Mansion and presided over the trial of the people involved.

All officers above the rank of sergeant were present, and a combat captain, two flag captains, and three civil officials were accused of embezzling 10,000 taels of silver.

Kang Yingqian encouraged everyone to expose each other, and soon they made significant gains.

The civil official surnamed Qian was not only corrupt, but also colluded with Ding Bi's merchants to smuggle grain to the Later Jin for a long time. It was conservatively estimated that 10,000 shi of grain were smuggled in two months.

What was even more shocking was that on the third day after Liu Zhaosun and his men left Tieling, some merchants approached Qian Liyuan to discuss cooperation. Encouraged by a gift of 500 taels of silver, Qian Liyuan agreed without hesitation to supply food and firearms to the merchants sent by the Jiannu...

Then, he used his beauty and money to lure the captain into a trap. The two of them sold the military rations for disaster relief to the victims to the Later Jin merchants at a higher price, making tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Selling food is just the beginning, more terrifying things are yet to come.

When Pei Dahu sent people to the Tieling Arsenal to take inventory, he found that the amount of gunpowder and flintlock rifles stored in the arsenal was also wrong...

Liu Zhaosun knew very well that Huang Taiji had no shortage of craftsmen under his command, so he didn't dare to think about it any further.

When Lao Kang heard about this, he was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He was about to follow the old Emperor Wanli to heaven.

While he was fighting bloody battles with the Jiannu on the front line, such a rat had already appeared in the rear, disregarding the safety of the soldiers on the front line and providing food and weapons to the enemy.

Punishment must be carried out.

At Kang Yingqian's command, all officials involved were sentenced to immediate execution. Liu Zhaosun failed to control his subordinates and had no way to manage them, so he was guilty of the same crime as his subordinates and was also beheaded.

However, considering that he was the commander-in-chief of the three armies and Kaiyuan could not be without a leader for a day, his death penalty was temporarily spared.

In front of more than 20 squad leaders, Kang Yingqian personally cut off a section of Ping Liaohou's long hair, which was considered as beheading, and then beat him with 20 military sticks. He also announced that Ping Liaohou's salary would be confiscated for two years.

In fact, Ping Liaohou did not have much salary. His salary was either withheld by the court or added to military pay and distributed to soldiers.

His life was not unlike that of a Puritan ascetic.

He is not fond of beautiful women, is not greedy for money, does not like delicious food, and does not like hunting.

Even the frosty and beautiful Jin Yu Ji has the habit of reading novels, but Liu Zhaosun seems to be uninterested in anything except fighting.

As the saying goes, "Wu Yanzu of Liaodong is very reliable in fighting", which is absolutely true.

After marrying Yang Qing'er, he never made a move on the fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl, and he was also somewhat distant towards Jin Yuji. His daily diet was exactly the same as that of an ordinary soldier, and he donated his entire twenty-liang monthly salary to the workshop. Perhaps time travel had changed the timid Nandu programmer.

Or perhaps it was the 999 roses that shattered the time traveler's desire.

In fact, there is only one truth. In this Shura field, in the Eastern World, the only thing is the endless fighting.

~~~~~~
This punishment of criminals greatly deterred the entire Kaiyuan army. After witnessing General Liu setting an example, everyone gained a deep understanding of military law.

On the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Ping Liaohou recovered and led his army out of Tieling.

Before leaving, the two hundred soldiers who were originally stationed at Tieling were recalled, and the defense was taken over by the thousand veterans from the headquarters.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is more corruption lurking in the dark.

Qiao Yiqi and Yuan Chonghuan welcomed all those who came to the Liao Dynasty to seek refuge, and the number of soldiers in various places was rapidly expanding. The backlash caused by the rapid expansion has now become a reality.

Before external threats were completely eliminated, internal problems began to erupt.

If drastic measures were not taken, this army would have become corrupt and decadent, and would have disappeared without a trace in the disputes of the late Ming Dynasty.

During this period, all energy was focused on the decisive battle with the Jiannu, and internal construction was slow to catch up. It is necessary to strengthen the interests of the army and increase the cost of their degeneration.

Unlike other time-traveling experts, Liu Zhaosun didn't immediately master social psychology, business management, or MLM. With his previous life's ability to manage a small team of five, he could only think of using land, families, and other resources to bind his soldiers.

This incident made him realize that the military must be banned from doing business and no connection between the military and commercial interests must be allowed.

Officers are only responsible for leading troops to fight, and matters such as training and logistics should be separated and left to other people to take charge.

Liu Zhaosun began to hesitate about whether to strengthen the secret police rule. Although he was open-minded and believed in the so-called great principles, he still needed to resort to necessary political tactics.

In the future, a separate supervisory department will be set up to monitor all improper actions of officials.

In case of emergencies, they can execute first and report later. Of course, in order to check and balance these people, they need to support another force, similar to the East Factory and the West Factory.

After the bloody battle of Hunhe, the original core combat troops had suffered casualties. If no action was taken, Liu Zhaosun was worried that he would be sidelined.

The total population of the five cities under its jurisdiction now exceeds one million. With so many people, naturally there are more diverse ideas.

Liu Zhaosun hesitated whether to introduce the monster of secret police rule.

He had a bad impression of organizations like the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Gestapo, and the KGB, and was worried that if this door was opened, a terrifying and bloody monster would be cultivated.

However, if left unchecked, the dragon slayer will soon turn into a dragon.

~~~~
For several days, Liu Zhaosun stopped joking with Kang Yingqian as usual, and he became somewhat cold towards Jin Yuji. The Korean girl thought that Ping Liaohou was homesick and missed the woman in Kaiyuan.

Thanks to his son-in-law's great achievements, Yang Qing'er's father made a comeback and became a high-ranking official in Shandong.

Jin Yuji was filled with jealousy and sadness. While the Concubine still had her father, her parents were gone, and now even the man she could rely on was fickle.

Ping Liaohou was unaware of this and thought that Jin Yuji was unwell. After asking about her well-being and noticing that she was frowning, he said:
"When we get back to Kaiyuan, let Bumbutai decide. If she wants to go back, we'll send her back to Khorchin. It's not good to keep her in the general's mansion all the time."

Jin Yuji laughed and said, "Why did you bring this up so suddenly, sir? That girl is naughty and clever. If she goes back to Mongolia, I don't know how much suffering she will have to endure. Let's talk about it later."

Jin Yuji's face flushed crimson. Now she realized that Liu Zhaosun still cared about her the most. She said with some shame:

"Bumbutai is a fairy-like girl, just like the White Snake. I don't mind having another sister. Your Excellency has never even touched a royal consort, let alone her."

Liu Zhaosun knocked on Jin Yuji's forehead and said, "You are the White Snake. The Leifeng Pagoda collapsed, and then released you, this evil creature. Fortunately, I ran into you."

Jin Yuji laughed.

Liu Zhaosun sighed deeply. If Yang Hao had not insisted on marrying his daughter to him, he would not have a wife and concubine now.

Just marry Jin Yuji.

"Kaiyuan's military laws are strict. The Jiannu have not yet been defeated, and powerful enemies are at our side. How can I have three wives and four concubines and indulge in revelry every night? Even if the Mongols don't want her, she must be sent out of the general's residence."

Jin Yuji was speechless.

"You're partying every night? You sound like you really did. I'm thinking..."

~~~~~
Liu Zhaosun and Kang Yingqian rode their horses to the front, chatting as they walked.

"This kind of killing will not help."

"Oh?"

"Emperor Taizu punished corruption by skinning daylilies and executing countless officials. Do you think there are fewer corrupt officials now? As the saying goes, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. If you help others, you will also help yourself."

Liu Zhaosun retorted, "Taizu was unfair in his conduct, executing only civil and military officials while condoning the violators of law and order. Of course, he cannot win the support of the people!"

Liu Zhaosun spurred his horse forward.

"General Liu, do you know what's going on in Kaiyuan City?"

"Passing what?"

Liu Zhaosun looked confused.

"About your concubine."

Kang Yingqian clapped his hands and laughed. "General Liu, don't even think about how powerful you are in Liaodong now. Even for a small lieutenant general, having three wives and four concubines is not uncommon. Our old friend Zu Dashou from Liaoxi is almost fifty this year and has one wife and eight concubines! During the bloody battle at Hunhe, I heard that he bought a thirteen-year-old skinny horse from Yangzhou. It became a legend in Liaozhen."

"A good story?"

Liu Zhaosun was surprised that Lao Kang was so well-informed.

Kang Yingqian stared at his face, as if he were sizing up a monster. "Having numerous wives and concubines, and a thriving family—that's the true blessing of being an official. General Liu, I've advised you to accept this beautiful woman as your Heavenly Khan, but you've always refused. You're truly a hopeless case."

Liu Zhaosun was silent for a long time.

"Marquis Ping Liao has the heart of a saint. He treats himself harshly, eats and drinks from a bowl of rice bowl, and fights the slaves and bandits to the death. He is almost a saint. I admire him very much. But what ordinary mortals want is nothing more than silver and women."

Kang Yingqian said sternly, "General Liu, I've watched you make this journey from Sarhu, and I've had some things to say to you that I've been holding back. I'd like to take this opportunity to speak them out."

Liu Zhaosun Ce rode forward and looked at Kang Yingqian seriously.

"Who in the world isn't greedy? Now that you've taken over Liaodong, you should learn from Zu Dashou and give more benefits to your confidants. Let them take all the money and land they want. It's okay to be a little greedy. Isn't it for women and money that soldiers fight? Military law is strict. If it's too strict, sooner or later something bad will happen."

(End of this chapter)