The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 151 I only care about you

"Isn't it good to be the Marquis of Ping Liao? Why do you want to go further?"

"General Qiao, if I don't become king, they will nominate me as king. If I don't become king, the court will kill me."

Liu Zhaosun knew Qiao Yiqi's character. In front of him, there was no need to beat around the bush. Just be straightforward.

Qiao Dazui, who is usually quick-witted, was silent at this moment.

"Jingzhe, Miss Jin and I are getting married, and it would be best if Supervisor Qiao could come."

There were only two people left in the room, with Jin Yuji guarding outside.

The light was dim, casting a shadow over the Marquis of Ping Liao. Qiao Yiqi was enveloped by the shadow and curled up on the bed.

There was a knock on the door, and Old Song was urging at the door.

"General Qiao, it's time to take your medicine."

Liu Zhaosun quickly stood up and brought in the medicine himself.

Qiao Yiqi laughed bitterly, "Are you trying to silence me? Well, I'm usually outspoken and know too much. I deserve to die."

"So this is how Master Qiao sees me? It really makes me sad. You and Kang Yingqian are both my dearest friends, precious as they are. No matter when or where, I will never kill you."

After Liu Zhaosun finished speaking, he handed over the medicine personally.

Qiao Yiqi took the bowl and drank it in one gulp.

"Mr. Qiao, do you know my sworn brother, Wei Zhongxian?"

Qiao Yiqi nodded.

"The eunuch party is killing people in the capital right now. They are killing Donglin, Chu party, Zhejiang party, the Pacification Office, Jinyiwei, and anyone they dislike."

Qiao Yiqi opened his mouth as wide as possible, opening and closing it slightly, like a fish swallowing a boat.

"Who is Wei Zhongxian?"

"He was a fighter. In order to enter the palace, he sold his wife and daughter."

Qiao Yiqi took a deep breath. Coming from a wealthy family, it was hard for him to empathize with the person who castrated him and entered the palace.

"What grudge does Donglin have against him? Why kill him? I have some old friends in the capital, including Dong Qichang, the Junior Minister of Rites..."

Liu Zhaosun interrupted with a touch of regret:

"Dong Qichang (Zi Xuanzai) has had his property confiscated by the Imperial Guards."

"He was imprisoned in the Zhenfu Division Prison, and one of his hands was broken, so he couldn't hold a paintbrush."

Qiao Yiqi said angrily:

"I've been in contact with Dong Xuanzai. He has no other hobbies besides painting and calligraphy and taking concubines. How could such an upright gentleman and honest official end up like this?"

Liu Zhaosun chuckled. In history, Dong Qichang was not a good guy either. In his hometown of Huating (now Shanghai), he bullied men and women and occupied farmland. Eventually, he aroused public outrage and was besieged by local people, which almost led to a civil uprising.

Qiao Yiqi pounded his fist on the bed, heartbroken:
"You bold eunuch! I will kill all the eunuchs! Don't they know how much Dong Qichang's calligraphy and paintings are worth? If you break his hands, how can he paint in the future? This is simply killing the goose that lays the golden eggs!"

"Yes, killing the chicken to get the eggs!"

Liu Zhaosun nodded in agreement.

"The eunuch party was at its peak and rapidly expanding. Wei Zhongxian was no longer able to control it. He had the Five Tigers and Ten Braves under his command, as well as a large group of adopted sons. Their influence spread throughout the government and the country. The eunuch party was killing the goose that laid the golden eggs."

"It won't be long before Wei Zhongxian is sidelined. Rather than saying that Wei Zhongxian controls the East Factory, it's better to say that he is controlled by this group of scum."

"Military Supervisor Qiao, perhaps in the future, if I accidentally interfere with the East Factory's profiteering, or offend one of the Five Tigers, I will be arrested, thrown into the Imperial Prison, and tortured to death."

"Eunuch Wei might not kill me out of friendship, but his men will, and the East Factory will. So, when the time comes, will the Imperial Guard listen to the Five Tigers and Ten Beasts, or to Eunuch Wei?"

Qiao Yiqi didn't understand what Liu Zhaosun was saying.

"If Kaiyuan hadn't been so arbitrary, it would have been like the East Factory, driven only by profit. I would have been sidelined and my subordinates would have done as they pleased. I've already killed a bunch of people in Tieling."

"I want to be king. Only by being king can I better grasp power. Kaiyuan will not become the East Factory, and you will not become the Five Tigers and Ten Tigers."

"Besides, I also have people I need to protect. If I don't claim the title of king, I can't protect them. If I can't protect them, they will be my prey."

Qiao Yiqi seemed to be lost in thought.

"Who is Ping Liaohou going to protect?"

Liu Zhaosun blurted out:

"you……"

Qiao Yiqi got goosebumps all over her body and couldn't help but step back.

"General Kang, Concubine Jin, and many others."

"We are sworn brothers, and we are as close as brothers. Yet, one day, I will be killed by him, or I will kill him. Why? Because we have different ideals, and we cannot work together."

Liu Zhaosun paused for a moment to give Qiao Yiqi time to digest the information.

"General Qiao, you were assassinated this time and nearly lost your life. Do you know why?"

Qiao Yiqi didn't expect Liu Zhaosun to ask this question:
"Because I was too soft-hearted and failed to eradicate the wealthy families in time?"

Liu Zhaosun shook his head. "There are countless local tyrants and evil gentry like this throughout the Ming Dynasty. Why haven't I heard of a military supervisor being assassinated by them?"

Qiao Yiqi thought for a long time, and finally said, "Could it be because of the Great Dao? Letting the Yehe Mongols into the city?"

Liu Zhaosun shook his head: "I have taken the leader of the Bordered White Banner as my personal guard. There are thousands of Yehe Mongols in Kaiyuan City, so why didn't anyone kill me?"

Qiao Yiqi looked bewildered. Liu Zhaosun smiled and said, "It's because Kuandian is in turmoil, and you can't control the situation. There's no leader. People are unsettled, and there are different forces. Some are loyal to the court, some have defected to the Jiannu, and some are only interested in profit."

"From now on, Kaiyuan will only allow one voice. This is the only way to correct people's hearts."

"I don't know who assassinated you, but they are all enemies of Kaiyuan. If they are enemies, they must die."

Liu Zhaosun's thoughts went back to the bloody battle of Hunjiang half a year ago.

"General Qiao, remember how we divided the silver and rewarded the soldiers after the night raid."

Qiao Yiqi nodded, his thoughts drifting back to a year ago.

"Of course I remember. I still remember that Ping Liaohou owed me more than eight thousand taels of silver."

Ping Liaohou rubbed his head and said: "We secretly distributed salaries in Sarhu, and since then we have parted ways with the court. The court will not tolerate me, and I will not tolerate the court either."

Qiao Yiqi smiled and said, "So, if I hadn't lent money to Ping Liaohou, all the problems that followed wouldn't have happened. It's all my fault."

Liu Zhaosun laughed heartily, "Is General Qiao not leaving?"

Qiao Yiqi said helplessly, "I can't leave. If I go back, the Donglin Party won't tolerate me. The eunuch party wants to kill me. It's just like what Ping Liaohou said. I'm different from them."

Ping Liaohou comforted Qiao Yiqi and said:

"Don't worry, General Qiao. I've already sent people back to the interior to bring Governor Song, Inspector Yuan, and their families to Kaiyuan. You won't have to worry about anything in Kaiyuan."

Qiao Yiqi is the only one left in his family. His parents are long gone and he has no worries.

"General Liu, what are your plans next?"

Qiao Yiqi looked at Ping Liaohou with a sharp gaze.

"I am about to start killing people. The great Dao is unstoppable; those who follow it prosper, while those who go against it perish."

~~~~
On the day the Kaiyuan soldiers regained control of Kuandian, Ping Liaohou continued to implement his great cause. General Liu's great cause was broader and more comprehensive than that of General Qiao.

In addition to appeasement, there is also killing.

Kuandian is located at the forefront of Liaodong, and its surrounding areas have long been riddled with holes due to the infiltration of Jianzhou. This place is close to North Korea, and in previous years, North Korean merchants have smuggled in to trade with local merchants, mainly ironware and grain.

Before the Battle of Sarhu, the Later Jin had already disdained to collect ironware, as they already had enough armor and weapons. In the original history, when the Later Jin army conquered Kaiyuan and Tieling, they left the armor and weapons in the arsenal and went to rob food and treasures (Old Manchu archives)

After the Later Jin soldiers suffered heavy losses twice in Kaiyuan and Hunhe, they lost countless armors and were in serious shortage of iron ore and iron materials. Smuggling trade became rampant again. The great principles advocated by Ping Liaohou had to be reflected in these smuggling merchants.

All merchants in Kuandian City were detained. After interrogation by Pei Dahu, it was found that most of these merchants had participated in the rebellion.

In their words, it was General Qiao who first broke the rules of Kuandian, enclosing land and seizing people, and not distributing the benefits to everyone, so all parties wanted him dead.

The merchants thought that the law did not hold everyone responsible, and they were like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water. They all thought that Ping Liaohou would show leniency, just like what happened in Kaiyuan, where merchants had secretly communicated with the Jiannu, but in the end, nothing was done about it.

Liu Zhaosun did not give the merchants any chance to repent and reform. Except for a small number of merchants who did not participate in smuggling, all the others were beheaded.

Kang Yinggan was terrified by what he saw. As far as he could remember, killing more than two hundred people at once was the first time that Ping Liaohou had done such a thing.

"Kuandian is far from Kaiyuan. This place is the heart of Jianzhou. We must practice benevolence and justice, and we must also use thunderous means. Otherwise, it will be Supervisor Kang and me who will be assassinated tomorrow."

After killing the merchants involved in the smuggling trade, Liu Zhaosun ordered some of the merchants in Kaiyuan City to be relocated here. General Liu offered preferential conditions of three years of tax exemption to these merchants who came to open up the New World.

After dealing with these profiteers, the next step is to deal with the wealthy families around Kuandian.

Most of these wealthy families are rich but unkind, and have committed more or less murders of their tenants. To deal with these people, Ping Liaohou uses simple and crude methods.

First, Yuan Chonghuan was sent to check the yellow books of each household, and then he went to the fields to check according to the yellow books.

Anyone found to be inconsistent with the Yellow Book or who failed to pay the land tax on time would be confiscated as the rebel property of the Jiannu.

Of course, if you are willing to pay back the money you owe, we can give you a break.

The wealthy families were unprepared for the sudden change of hostility from Ping Liaohou. What Liu Zhaosun had done in the past six months had left everyone with the impression of an ancient gentleman.

Unexpectedly, Gu Junzi is now going to kill someone with a knife.

In addition to enclosing land in Kuandian, Qiao Yiqi also recruited two thousand auxiliary soldiers. Of course, the quality of the auxiliary soldiers was hard to describe, as many of them were beggars and young men.

Mr. Qiao's strengths lie in calligraphy and his unwavering determination. It would be difficult for him to lead troops in battle.

After General Qiao was assassinated that day, most of the 2,000 auxiliary troops quickly fled and scattered throughout Kuandian. After Ping Liaohou took control of Kuandian, he sent cavalry everywhere to gather them and brought back more than 800 people.

The same group of auxiliary soldiers were a mob in Qiao Yiqi's hands, but after Liu Zhaosun took over, they were inspired and their combat effectiveness increased sharply.

Ping Liaohou's method of boosting morale was simple and practical.

The Yehe cavalry was assigned as a supervisory team, guarding behind the auxiliary troops. Anyone who retreated would be executed immediately.

"Now that you've received your pay and enlisted, you're a member of the Kaiyuan Army. My soldiers will march forward without hesitation! After we win this battle, those who don't want to join the army can return to the garrison and receive their share of the land. But before that, anyone who dares to retreat will be executed!"

Liu Zhaosun personally instigated the auxiliary troops, who were dispatched to the vicinity of Kuandian and began a bloody circle. The number of the auxiliary troops was far greater than before, and any resistance would be killed immediately.

The farmland of Kuandian, situated on the banks of the Yalu River, boasted fertile soil and was considered prime farmland in Liaodong. The landowners, unwilling to let the Marquis of Ping Liao seize their fertile land for nothing, opted to pay the additional land tax.

In just two days, Yuan Chonghuan and his men collected 120,000 taels of arrears in land tax. Of course, some tyrants who were ignorant of the current situation sent out their servants to resist, refusing to pay or give up their land.

These wealthy families naturally became the targets of the auxiliary troops' training. Although Liu Zhaosun did not give any orders, the fanatical auxiliary troops still slaughtered all these families. Ping Liaohou could only acquiesce in this killing.

Qiao Yiqi had just been assassinated and people were in turmoil. If he didn't kill these stubborn wealthy families, he would not be able to establish his authority in Kuandian and intimidate those potential enemies.

After the stubborn elements were raided and their families were exterminated, the landlords and gentry who were still watching paid the money.

The Waking of Insects is approaching.

(End of this chapter)