Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 116 As a conservative, I think you are too conservative
The wind stopped and the rain stopped. Outside Baima City, layers of armored soldiers lined up, adding a solemn and murderous atmosphere to this autumn day.

A large number of corpses of Xianbei nobles were placed in the government office.

"How are the nobles? How are the nobles?"

The worried voice was accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps. Inside the office, everyone saw a young man hurriedly walking in. Seeing the corpses on the ground, he cried out in pain:

"Damn Liu Lisheng!"

The fact that the Duke of Tang, who was personally appointed by the imperial court, was so young shocked everyone present.

"All of you nobles have been loyal and righteous for generations, guarding important areas for the Great Wei. I never expected this, I never expected this!"

Li Shuang hit his chest twice, coughing and choking continuously.

Behind him, there were hundreds of soldiers following, which made his appearance even more convincing.

Wang Sizheng stood up, looked at Li Shuang's expression, and consoled him:

"Governor, please accept my condolences!"

"No!"

Li Shuang refused outright, which surprised Wang Sizheng.

"It's not enough to just express your condolences. Today, it's you nobles lying here. Tomorrow, it could be you or me!"

"As long as Liu Lisheng is not punished by law, there will be no bright sunshine in Hedong!"

Everyone in the crowd was shocked.

"This governor has decided to suppress the bandits!"

"We are willing to follow the governor to suppress the bandits!"

Inside the government office, everyone bowed their heads.

After hearing this, Li Shuang burst into tears again. Wang Sizheng saw this and helped him into the inner hall.

The door closed gently. Wang Sizheng turned around and saw Li Shuang sitting on the chair. There was no trace of sadness on his face.

Wang Sizheng felt some inexplicable emotions in his heart. Is this person treating him as one of his own?

"Governor, you just mentioned suppressing the bandits. I don't know how to suppress them."

Li Shuang listened with great interest.

"What do you think?"

"I believe we should appease the powerful, recruit volunteers, cultivate land and store food to resist the bandits."

"Who is the most powerful tyrant in Hedong?"

"Pei Qingsun of the Pei family and Xue Xiuyi of the Xue family. However, Xue Xiuyi is leading troops outside and is not in Hedong at the moment."

Li Shuang nodded.

"Then please ask him to come over!"

"Does the governor want to meet in the city?"

"No, in the dock."
-
Outside Pingyang Fort, Wang Sizheng and Pei Qingsun came to the banquet.

Pei Qingsun looked at the fortress so close at hand and praised:

"It's not a small gesture!"

"Be careful!"

Wang Sizheng gave a reminder, and Pei Qingsun saw the door slowly open, and a guy with long and short legs and a wretched face was waiting there.

"Both of you, please!"

This dock is a simple U-shaped structure.

The outer wall was more than two meters high, made of rammed earth and covered with bricks. Beneath the wall were built soldiers' quarters, stables, and kitchens.

There is no shortage of water in the dock and the drainage system is also very smooth.

Inside is another inner wall, and through the door of the inner wall is where the owner lives.

Unlike the rough decoration on the outside, the interior walls are exquisitely decorated, and there is even a courtyard with fruit trees.

The two followed Hou Jing to the west side of the building, went upstairs, and saw three short tables placed in the attic.

Li Shuang sat in the main seat, watched the two people go upstairs, and stood up.

"This must be the famous General Pei!"

When Pei Qingsun saw the young man, he did not look down on him because of his youth.

"I don't deserve such a reputation as the Duke of the County. You can just call me Shaoyuan."

"Sit down!" After the three of them sat down, Li Shuang said:

"The bandit leader, Liu Lisheng, is truly rampant. He has murdered all the nobles in the city. Hedong is a major tax-collecting area for the imperial court. If the bandit problem continues unabated, trade routes will be cut off and prices will skyrocket. I invited Shaoyuan here to suppress the bandits."

After hearing this, Pei Qingsun asked:

"I wonder how the governor intends to suppress the bandits?"

"Solicit money and food, and recruit volunteers."

Pei Qingsun listened and said with a smile:

"If this continues, I'm afraid the bandit problem won't be quelled within ten years."

Wang Sizheng coughed, but saw that Pei Qingsun didn't care at all.

"Governor, all the nobles in the city have perished, but their fields and pastures are still there. In this time of crisis, it would be better to take their land and distribute it to the refugees. With land, the people can produce with peace of mind, and we can recruit them again with greater efficiency."

Li Shuang listened and was silent for a while, then praised:

"A strong man!"

Wang Sizheng looked at the two of them and thought to himself:

These two people, don’t they even try to pretend?

"The country is facing a time of great turmoil. I see that Shaoyuan is very talented and would like to appoint him as the governor of the state. What do you think?"

Wang Sizheng said at this time:
"To be honest with you, Governor, Shaoyuan will be recruited by the imperial court to Luoyang!"

For a local noble like Pei Qingsun, if he could enter Luoyang for further studies, his resume would surely be much more impressive. At that time, it would be easy to move up to the next level.

"In that case, it's me, Meng Lang, who's being a jerk!"

Pei Qingsun bowed and said:

"The imperial edict has not yet come down, so it cannot be taken seriously. I am willing to obey your orders!"

Li Shuang smiled.

"Shaoyuan, why did you choose to take my little boat instead of the main road?"

"The world is in turmoil. While the road ahead may seem smooth, the future is uncertain. I heard the imperial court has lost the population maps of Hedong, and now, with the war and chaos, they are unable to re-investigate. Bandits are rampant in Hedong. If trade routes are cut off, prices will inevitably soar, and the people will suffer. As a Hedong native, I should be thinking about the people of Hedong! We should build forts, cultivate farmland, plant grain, and raise mulberry trees and silkworms to prepare for any unforeseen events."

Li Shuang heard this and raised the wine glass in his hand.

"This statement should be made clear."

Li Shuang finished drinking and put the glass down.

"Shaoyuan's words resonate deeply with me. However, I think Shaoyuan's plan is a bit too hasty."

Pei Qingsun was stunned after hearing this.

Is this urgent?
"How does the governor intend to proceed?"

Pei Qingsun raised his wine glass and was about to pick it up when he heard Li Shuang say:
"Who is the richest person in Hedong now?"

"Of course it's the Xianbei from all over the place..."

Pei Qingsun answered without thinking, but before he finished speaking, he opened his eyes wide and looked at Li Shuang with an expression of disbelief, and then became extremely excited.

"——Noble!"

Pei Qingsun emphasized the word "noble" with a heavier accent.

Li Shuang nodded.

"Farming, planting crops, raising mulberry trees and raising silkworms all depend on the weather! However, there are unpredictable events. Bandits are rampant in Hedong right now, and even farming is unstable. Our next priority is to protect the lives and property of you nobles and the leaders of the surrounding Hu tribes."

Pei Qingsun slammed the table when he heard this.

"The governor is right. I was too impatient. We need to take our time!"

Pei Qingsun stood up, walked to Li Shuang, and conspired loudly.

"Governor, I know a group of thieves who are very authentic in their work."

"No, no, you can't ask outsiders for help. You don't have experience with this kind of thing. You can't kill them all. Find the ones who are guilty of the most heinous crimes first."

"Why?"

"He will shave it if he commits a heinous crime!"

"What a wise idea, Governor!"

Wang Sizheng looked at the two people awkwardly, feeling that he should not be here, but under the table.

I'm still here!
(End of this chapter)