Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 177: Memorial
"If you ask me, why go to so much trouble? Wouldn't it be easier to just chop it off with a knife?" Liu Zun was quite dissatisfied with Liu Daogui for going to so much trouble.

In order to capture Dai Qizhi and Dai Yuanzhi, seventy scouts and thirteen Tiger Guards were dispatched.

This guy is indeed cunning. He did not leave from Xia Pi, but went from Langya to Huaiyin.

But no matter how cunning they were, they could not escape the cavalry and scouts. Liu Daogui had spies on the waterways of Lanling, Langya and Donghai.

His mistake was that he shouldn't have taken the water route.

Of course, the result is the same if you travel by land. Two legs will definitely not be able to outrun four legs.

All the more than one hundred pieces of equipment they brought were sent to Chishanying for mining.

Once you enter the mine, not even a fly can get out.

The cavalry camp was set up here. The slaves supervised each other. If one person escaped, all the people in the house would be beheaded. However, if they could report other people who escaped and the report was verified, they would be turned into civilians.

"There's a saying that goes, 'Don't turn back until you hit the wall. Look, aren't they much more honest now?'" Liu Daogui repeatedly reviewed Dai Qizhi's memorial, which stated that the Pengcheng Liu family had nothing to do with the Yandu robbery. The people of Lanling County were simple and honest, loyal to the court, and courageous.

Dai Qizhi was indeed a smart man. After experiencing a setback, he immediately realized his situation.

This memorial was not so much sent to Sima Yuanxian as it was to express one's true feelings to Liu Daogui.

After checking the memorial repeatedly, I found that the wording and sentence structure were normal and there were no secret codes.

It's just that the words I used are a bit exaggerated. The people are simple and honest, loyal and brave...

Liu Daogui got goose bumps on his back.

Cao Ji looked strange. "Talent! If this kind of person can use his mind for the right purpose, he can also be a capable official."

"Send it back and have him write a new memorial, saying only that they've found some clues that link it to Liu Yi, but they can't confirm it yet and need time to verify it. As for the nonsense about the people being honest, loyal, and courageous, don't write it."

Sima Yuanxian is good at internal fighting. Since he sent Dai Qizhi here, he must have heard some rumors.

The memorial denied all wrongdoing and highly praised the people of Lanling County for their honesty, loyalty and courage. No one would believe such words, which only made Sima Yuanxian more suspicious.

Yandu is the property of the Sima family. Liu Yi has a dirty hand and his goal is bigger.

Now it's his turn to step forward and attract other people's attention.

"The Dao is indeed...powerful." There was a hint of fear in Cao Ji's eyes.

Liu Daogui knew that he had always been wary of him, so he asked sincerely, "If I didn't have this method, would I have gotten this far?"

Cao Ji nodded slightly and said nothing more.

"Dai Qizhi is really playing tricks. I'm going to teach him a lesson. I heard that he brought two beautiful concubines with him on this trip..." Liu Zun licked his lips.

Liu Daogui glanced at him sideways and said, "Your abacus beads are about to fall on my face. He still has some use. Don't provoke him."

Sima Yuanxian would not care too much about Dai Qizhi as long as he was alive. He was very busy with affairs of state, with many things to do and people to deal with, and it was never his turn.

If it weren't for Dai Qizhi and Liu Yi, there wouldn't be so many problems.

If he is killed, Sima Yuanxian will definitely send others.

The most important thing right now is time. If Tianshidao doesn't move, Huan Xuan will definitely move.

As long as the war breaks out, the Liu family of Pengcheng will have no worries.

Liu Daogui and Liu Yu will be able to further control military power.

In fact, the internal strife in the court was getting more and more intense. Wang Gong raised an army at that time just to scare Sima Daozi and force him to surrender. However, once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. The development of things exceeded their expectations and they could not stop it even if they wanted to.

Later, he lost his life. And Yin Zhongkan of the Western Prefecture was also reluctant to start a rebellion at the beginning and was hesitant.

Later, he was forced to take action, but it made his subordinates Huan Xuan and Yang Qunqi stronger, which in turn made Huan Xuan the leader of the alliance.

The Huan family's thoughts are almost known to everyone.

Not to mention Liu Daogui, anyone who knows the current situation would know that the Sima family and the Huan family would have a war sooner or later.

As ruthlessly as the imperial court suppressed and excluded the Huan family, so cruelly was the Huan family's revenge later.

Moreover, the imperial court recently issued an edict requiring the households, servants, and commoners of the Three Wu to move to Jiankang as "music subjects", which caused a lot of uproar. Not only did the common people complain, but even the gentry were very dissatisfied.

The Sima family ate meat themselves, but overturned other people's tables.

Tianshidao had been patient for so long and finally waited for an opportunity.

Sima Yuanxian was gifted in internal fighting, but he was too eager for quick success and instant benefits in governing the country. His ideas and direction were right. He wanted to enrich Jiankang and expand the military force.

But the timing was wrong. The interests of the gentry and the people of the Three Wus should not be violated at this time.

After the memorial was sent back, another arrived half a day later. This time, the wording was much more normal. According to Liu Daogui's words, some clues were found, and between the lines, it was vaguely mentioned that Liu Yi was involved...

Nothing else was said.

Dai Qizhi's writing is first-rate, using the style of the Spring and Autumn Annals. He deliberately conceals the details about Liu Yi, but anyone with a careful mind will definitely connect it to him.

Especially Sima Yuanxian, he will definitely focus his attention on Liu Yi.

No one can withstand scrutiny. Liu Yi has offended many people and done even more things in private. He has also gathered a group of northern refugees under his command, so he is not afraid that Sima Yuanxian will not suspect him.

Liu Daogui checked it repeatedly and made sure there was no secret code before sending someone to Jiankang.

Afterwards, he personally wrote a memorial requesting merit, appointing Liu Guangzhi as the county Sima and the magistrate of Lu County, Wang Yuande as the county chief historian and the magistrate of Wenyang County, Cao Ji as the senior accountant and the magistrate of Fan County, Wang Zhongde as the county magistrate, Mao Dezuo as the county lieutenant, Liu Zhong as the inspector, and Liu Zun as a Gongcao clerk.

Others such as Zhao Yuan, Meng Ganzhi, Xu Changming, Gou Zhong and others were also listed as officials of the various Caos.

The three county magistrates were of the seventh rank, and the others were corrupt officials of the eighth and ninth ranks, which meant they had officially entered the ranks of the poor.

The governor of a county could appoint his own clerks, and the imperial court would generally not reject his decision.

Moreover, border areas like Lu County are prone to fighting at any time, and the children of noble families look down on it and dare not come.

"Thank you, Governor. I will..." Cao Ji became excited when he saw his name on the official list.

Liu Daogui quickly helped him up and said, "We are all family, why are you saying these things? He is just a senior accountant."

Holding an official position and not holding an official position are two different things.

Liu Zun said with a big tongue, "Hahaha, to tell you the truth, my Pengcheng Liu family will definitely be a noble family in the future. If you follow Agui, your Cao family will definitely benefit from it. There is no doubt about it!"

"Today, the governor has shown his true feelings!"

The temptation of promotion was so great that Cao Ji even changed his address.

If this memorial is not sent to the imperial court, it will take many years to come down given the court's efficiency. It will definitely be faster if it is sent to Jingkou.

Liu Laozhi was the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of the six states and originally had this power.

After receiving the promise, Cao Ji became much more diligent. The entire Cao family was mobilized, and they took out real money to contact other powerful people in Lanling County, such as Xiao, Sun, and Zhao, and went north to build a fort together.

They all provided their own food, weapons, and equipment, and braved the scorching sun, full of energy...

(End of this chapter)