The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 348: Playing Infernal Affairs

In Mai Ma Street, at the Governor-General's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi, Li Shiyao let out a long sigh.

The imperial court's transfer order has arrived, and Yonggui, who came to replace him, has also arrived in Ji'an Prefecture in southern Jiangxi.

Well, generally, Manchu officials would not take sea ships, because at that time, sea ships were still somewhat dangerous. If they fell into the sea or were robbed by ignorant pirates, it would be a joke.

Therefore, they basically choose the land route which is time-consuming and laborious but relatively safe.

Moreover, if you go by land, you will be greeted and seen off by officials of all levels along the way, and you can also receive many ceremonies. You can also enjoy the scenery along the way, eat local delicacies, and treat it as a trip. Isn't it wonderful?

But this time, Yonggui came very quickly. He ran from Beijing to Ji'an in just over a month, and walked about 60 miles every day. Considering the road traffic conditions of that era, it can be said that he hardly stopped.

This shows how anxious Emperor Qianlong was, and also shows that the emperor had no trust in him as the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.

Li Shiyao estimated that although his life or death would not be in danger this time when he returned, he would definitely be idle.

Alas, from now on, I can only rely on the two million taels of silver I greedily stole, and eat abalone, shark's fin and fish maw every day to support my retirement. Whenever Li Shiyao thought of this, he felt uncomfortable.

"Master, that Zhou guy refused to say what it was, only saying that Mo Wu's people were going to make a big move."

The old servant Li Yulong also became rich, but he still maintained a certain humility in front of Li Shiyao, as he had been used to it for decades.

Well, if Huang Zhongtong were here, he would be scared to death, because Zhou Dianshi of Panyu County, whom he relied on very much and even regarded as his most successful example of rebellion in recent years, was actually a double agent.

But I, King Mo, would not be surprised, because Li Yulong is also a double agent and had sold out Li Shiyao long ago.

"Damn it, what did Huang Zhongtong give to Zhou?" Li Shiyao was furious.

“Although the Dianshi is not a high-ranking official, he is still an official appointed by the imperial court. He also has the status of a scholar. With the recommendation of this governor, it will not be difficult for him to become an official of high rank in the future.

Isn't this even worth more than what a pirate could give? What the hell is going on in this bastard's head?"

Li Yulong curled his lips slightly and said, "Master, you are just talking nonsense. They are giving us real things."

Besides, even if you are not talking nonsense, it is already amazing that Zhou Dianshi can get an eighth-rank post as a Zhaomo Suozao or a ninth-rank post as an ambassador to Zhili Suozhicang in the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office.

And what did Huang Zhongtong hold in his hands? He held the entire family of Zhou Dianshi. From Zhou Dianshi's wife, sons, and daughters to his uncles and brothers, all were under Huang Zhongtong's control.

In this situation, Zhou Dianshi was willing to pass back some information, which was very kind of him.

You have to know that the underworld brothers under Kunlun Mountain are all over Guangdong Province. They are the kind of ruthless guys who will kill your whole family tonight and will never wait until the next morning. It is not impossible to kill a few prefects if you piss them off.

Seeing that things were getting out of control, Li Shiyao couldn't help but whispered bitterly, "If I had known this bastard was so unreliable, I wouldn't have arranged for him to get close to Huang Zhongtong."

Damn, Li Yulong's eyes suddenly widened. It turns out that it was you who arranged for Zhou Dianshi to get close to Huang Zhongtong. No wonder the whole family was captured by Huang Zhongtong so quickly. It turned out that he was an undercover agent ordered by the emperor.

No, if he was ordered to be undercover, why would Zhou Dianshi take the initiative to expose his family to Huang Zhongtong as a handle?

It's messy, it's really messy.

Li Yulong only felt a burst of pain in his head. He was not smart enough, so he decided to act as a mouthpiece and quickly inform Prince Mo of the news!
After scolding, Li Shiyao realized that he had spoken out of turn. Seeing that Li Yulong was a little stunned, thinking that he was upset, Li Shiyao quickly made amends:
"Third brother, you have been our servant since you were eleven years old, and it has been thirty-five years now.

You and I may appear to be master and servant, but in reality we are brothers. This isn't because I'm not telling you, but because this is a matter of great importance. The fewer people who know, the safer we'll be."

"Master, I see what you're saying. I've been your servant for thirty-five years, and I've always been taught to watch less, ask less, and do more. Master, you're the governor, and you have your own considerations. How can you tell everything to an old servant like me?"

Li Yulong still spoke very humbly and did not show any dissatisfaction on his face, but he was indeed a little uncomfortable in his heart.

This kind of discomfort would never have occurred to Li Yulong in the past, but since he took on the mission to Southeast Asia, he felt that he had made many contributions and most of the people he interacted with were kings. Gradually, his mentality was no longer completely that of a slave.

To put it bluntly, Li Yulong wants to be a human being.

After listening to what Li Yulong said, Li Shiyao always felt that something was strange, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. Anyway, he just felt that there was something wrong.

The two of them were in awkward silence for half a minute. The more Li Yulong thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. At the same time, he could no longer suppress the desire to show off in front of his master.

After hesitating for a long time, Li Yulong took the initiative to speak, "Master, don't count on Zhou Dianshi. His entire family is controlled by the people of Kunlun Mountain. It's extremely rare for him to reveal a little information now. He won't tell you anything else no matter how much you give him."

Huh? Li Shiyao's eyes immediately became sharp. For the first time, he looked seriously at this servant who had followed him for thirty-five years. His face turned from flushed to pale.

The confidence of me, Li Dazhitai, suddenly suffered a fatal blow. This was one of the people he trusted the most!
After a long while, Li Shiyao slowly said word by word: "You are in contact with Huang Zhongtong, no, you are also in contact with Mo Wu?"

Li Shiyao didn't directly say that Li Yulong was bribed by Mo Zibu because he really couldn't say it.

Li Yulong smiled bitterly. He didn't expect Li Shiyao to be so perceptive, but he had his own plans, so he simply stopped pretending.

"Master, Mo Wu is the king of Tiannan, commanding tens of thousands of elite soldiers. He can even kill a ruler like the White Elephant King at will. If I don't give you something, how can I meet such a person casually? Sometimes there is nothing I can do." Li Shiyao looked at Li Yulong again for a moment, then shook his head. "That's not the reason, because there are many ways to solve the problem you mentioned."

Li Yulong gritted his teeth and said, "Master, I will tell you the truth. I have followed you for many years and, thanks to you, I have saved more than 100,000 taels of silver."

If this happened outside, if I could buy thousands or even tens of thousands of acres of land with hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, I would be a wealthy man. But if I were to return to the capital with you, what would I, Li Yulong, be? I would still be a servant."

As he spoke, Li Yulong became a little excited. "Master, I want to stay in Guangdong. I'm already fifty years old. I also want to buy a few concubines and live the life of a master. I don't want to die and still be called a slave and serve others."

"I understand, it's my fault!" Li Shiyao suddenly remembered that there was a time when Li Yulong especially wanted him to help him find a way to become an official in another place.

But it is a pity that Li Yulong is not a bannerman, and secondly, he is too old and can hardly read or write. It would be very difficult for Li Shiyao to arrange a real vacancy for such a person.

In addition, Li Shiyao was reluctant to give up this bridge of communication between him and Mo Zibu, so he kept delaying it and did not give it to Li Yulong. I think the mentality of this long-time slave began to change from that time.

"However, do you really think that the river fairy Mo Wu can make it to Guangzhou? Aren't you afraid that your efforts will be in vain?" Li Shiyao asked in a low voice.

Li Yulong shook his head. "It probably won't work, but it will be difficult for the imperial court to take Annan away from him. If I can't be a master in Guangzhou, it will be the same if I go to Jiaozhi to be a master."

"You still have a daughter with the old lady, right, third brother? We have been master and servant for 35 years. If you want to be the master, I am willing to help you.

But you have to tell me what Huang Zhongtong wants to do. Once you tell me, I will let you go."

After the discomfort, Li Shiyao's politician instinct returned. What he cared about most now was what Huang Zhongtong wanted to do before he left.

Li Yulong took a deep breath. His wife died early, and he had a daughter who stayed in the capital. She was already married and had two grandchildren.

However, Li Yulong did not have a good relationship with his wife and was away from home all year round, so his daughter and grandson were not close to him.

Li Yulong originally didn't plan to take care of it, but after hearing what Li Shiyao said, he still felt reluctant to let go. After all, this was his own flesh and blood. It would be great if he could take care of the child. At least he would have someone to take care of him when he got older.

"Prince Mo has sent an order to kill Debao Defutai!"

"What!" Li Shiyao was struck by lightning, and it took him a while to come back to his senses. "Don't talk nonsense, a province is a border, and you kill people just like that?"

"Prince Mo's special envoy has arrived, how could it be fake!" Li Yulong said with certainty, because Chen Agao was able to enter Guangzhou City easily because he was the one who went to pick him up, so he naturally knew everything very clearly.

"What does Mo Wu want? What is he going to do?" Li Shiyao was so anxious that he was running around in circles.

"This won't do him any good. If Debao dies, the Emperor will be furious. He might have to send 30,000 soldiers instead of 10,000. What does Mo Wu think?"

After a long moment of anxiety, Li Shiyao suddenly felt like he was about to die. "Mo Wu! It was Mo Wu who wanted to harm me. I have never wronged him!"

Li Yulong didn't react for a moment, but fortunately Li Shiyao continued speaking.

"If I hadn't left and Debao had died, it would have been my fault that the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, who held military power, was incompetent, and I would have been the one to bear the biggest blame.

If Debao died right after I left, that would be even worse, because there would be no way to explain it. With the Emperor's petty mind, he would definitely think that I was unwilling to give in and was cooperating with Mo Wu to show off."

Ah, can we play it like this?
Li Yulong expressed his disbelief, but Li Shiyao seemed to have already believed it. "Old Third, quickly tell Mo Wu that if he is willing to take action more than ten days after I leave Guangzhou, I will tell him a big secret."

The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi had actually gone a little crazy in order to land safely.

He was now very afraid of any problems, because Qianlong already disliked him, and any problem might involve him.

Well, this is what you said yourself. Li Yulong felt that Mo Zibu wanted to kill Debao, not to trick Li Shiyao, but since Li Shiyao said so, he was happy to go with the flow.

. . . .

"Brothers from Dongjiang Hall reported that another 1,500 soldiers came through Dongjiang to Guangzhou today. They are suspected to be Gan troops from Jiangxi."

"Brothers from Foshan reported that the Governor's Office has issued a mandate to cast fifty cannons, most of which will be nine-section, ten-piece cannons."

"Brothers from Wuzhou have reported that the Tartars are bribing the local chieftains in the counties and villages of Si'en and Taiping, apparently recruiting wolf soldiers as escorts."

In Xishan Temple, Huang Zhongtong was stunned when he heard the news. The Zhuang people are the Zhuang ethnic group, and Si'en and Taiping prefectures are Chongzuo, Bama and Wuming areas in western Guangxi.

The Zhuang and Miao chieftains here often fought with Annan and were very familiar with the soil, water and climate of the Red River Plain. Moreover, their wolf soldiers were powerful and were by no means an easy opponent to deal with.

Huang Zhongtong opened his mouth and was about to order his brothers in Wuzhou to find out more details, at least to know which Zhuang chieftains the Qing government was recruiting and which Zhuang chieftains were willing to fight.

At this moment, Li Yulong arrived with a list in his hand. "The governor wants Brother Huang to postpone his actions. If we can take action after the New Year, he will give you the list of the chieftains of the Zhuang people.

In addition, the governor asked me to inform Brother Huang that the court has dispatched 2,000 Xibai musketeers and 2,000 Ili cavalry, and they have already crossed Gansu."

(End of this chapter)