The wind carried the hustle and bustle of Yanshi County to the Luo River.
The lanterns on the pier have all been lit, and the bonfires on the shore have also been lit. For those who don’t know, they thought another large canoe had arrived at night.
The pit workers had already nominated twelve people. Although a few people recognized Ren Mulan and were willing to nominate her, the number was too small and she was ultimately defeated.
After the twelve people boarded the ship, they first talked with Xue Bai.
"I am the newly appointed Yanshi County Lieutenant. I have been in office for more than half a month. I only have the opportunity to meet you tonight." Although Xue Bai was smiling, he carried the power of an official, "I hope it is not too late."
If possible, he should have intervened in water transportation earlier, because the core of his entire power-grabbing plan was to dismantle water transportation.
Where did Gao Chong's power come from? With An Lushan as his backer, he gained profits from smuggling. Power and money enabled him to manage everything up and down, and the Caobang was the basis of his force.
To break this foundation of force requires greater power and money.
So Xue Bai lied, saying that the saint sent him to investigate the case. In fact, he said that he "wanted to go and check it out for the saint." He was just following Li Longji's illusion that "if I don't leave the pass for ten years, nothing will happen in the world." If he broke
Zhaoying County Magistrate Li Xi has learned from this illusion before. Fortunately, no one can expose this lie for the time being, and now is the time when its deterrence is strongest.
With the imperial mandate as the background, plus Du Youlin, the deputy envoy in charge of water transportation, this is Xue Bai's power, but it is not enough. For the plan to be implemented, two people must be killed - Guo Wanjin and Li San'er.
.
Guo Wanjin lived up to his name, so by getting rid of him, Xue Bai could confiscate his ill-gotten wealth and use it as a money bag to bribe the canal workers.
Li San'er must be eliminated. As long as this Qu Shuai lives for a day, Xue Bai will not be given any chance to contact water transportation. A few days ago, Xue Bai just went to the Wharf Finance Department to check the account of Chief Sun.
Li Saner came forward immediately. How could he be allowed to put his hand into the canal?
Let the secret house rob Zhang Sanniang, search the secret house, kill Guo Wanjin, provoke Gao Chong to take action, trap and kill Li San'er, drive the officials and gentry to drag Gao Chong, Xue Bai took this opportunity to use the banner of Du Youlin to win over the water workers.
This is the entire plan. There are only three key steps: create evidence, get rid of key figures, and divide and win over.
The core is to win over the magistrates. They are the cornerstone of the noble force and the easiest to win over.
If the gentry in Yanshi County control half of the land, they are the masters; then the laborers, farmers, and cultivators are slaves, but they are actually the owners of the other half.
The water workers are more concentrated and more vicious than the tenant farmers; they are more determined than the gentry, and they do not have as big an appetite as the gentry.
Of course, Xue Bai could not get all the four thousand canal workers in Yanshi County to side with him overnight. He only needed to get them to stop supporting Gao Chong, and that was enough.
The time left for him was very short, only the period between Li San'er's death and Gao Chong's reaction.
Even so, Xue Bai still behaved very calmly. He glanced at the twelve people and greeted them calmly.
Most of the twelve people were relatively real canal bosses or ship owners who took over the work for the plow workers, except for one old man.
"The little old man's surname is Bing. The county captain can call him 'Lao Bingtou'. He is from Yanshi, and he is the county's official accountant."
"Since Mr. Bing is a county official, why is he still on the dock at night?"
Xue Bai chose to come here at night, in order to avoid the high-ranking people as much as possible. Most of the county officials and merchants went to the city to rest at night. As soon as the official ship of the transfer envoy arrived and the lights were on, everyone who gathered there was
Bitter haha, these are the people who have not benefited from water transportation, and they are likely to be bribed in an instant.
It is up to them to recommend candidates whose daily character is trustworthy.
Lao Bingtou said: "My wife and children are no longer here, so I live next to Jinshu. I heard loud noises at night, so I came here."
Xue Bai asked: "Is the canal work under your control?"
"Returning to the county captain, the water works are not part of the government. They spontaneously recommend people to take over the work. If we say who is in charge, they are also civilians and are under the control of the county magistrate."
"Is there a special Cao Department in the county?"
Lao Bingtou stroked his sparse beard and responded: "In the past, the imperial court had a 'boat administration' to manage the canal affairs. It was abolished thirty years ago. The transshipment envoy was in charge of the general transportation, and it did not involve the specific canal workers pulling the ships.
, after the 'Changyun Law' was changed to the 'Zhuan General Law', it was made clear that the county magistrate along the river would be in charge of the water transportation in the local area."
What Xue Bai wanted to ask was whether Lu Linghao had specially appointed someone to take charge of water transportation. After hearing what he said, he knew that there was no such thing. Water transportation was completely in the hands of Gao Chong.
His eyes fell on Old Bingtou's ragged clothes and asked: "How do Old Bing and Director Sun get along?"
"Sigh." Lao Bingtou sighed first and said: "Every year, the imperial court transfers grain from Luoyang to Chang'an and recruits canal ships. For every thousand guan, Chief Sun gives Li San'er 500 guan, and Li San'er pays it.
Then the watermen are selected for transportation, so the watermen all listen to Li San'er."
Being able to answer like this shows that Old Bingtou saw something and knew that Xue Bai and Li San'er were not going to deal with each other.
After roughly understanding the situation in this way, Xue Bai began to convey his thoughts.
"Both Du Gong and I are from Chang'an. The sage cares about you very much and asked Du Gong to treat the canal workers well. I took the opportunity to ask Du Gong to come to Yanshi County first."
"Okay! Du Gong, the county captain is so kind and virtuous!"
"First of all, what needs to be done is to increase the income of the canal workers. At ten qian a day, we can only live hand to mouth, not to mention that most of the canal workers earn less than ten qian a day. In the prosperous times, people cannot survive."
Xue Bai couldn't understand how these people could only earn five loaves a day for fifteen miles of slimming. They continued to suffer. If it were him, he would have rebelled long ago.
He did not just talk about this matter, but had already asked Yin Liang to make a complete plan.
"For the money that the sage rewarded to the water workers, Du Gong will also check its whereabouts, and the county will provide compensation to the water workers."
"The county lieutenant said...distribute money?"
"Well, do you know that there is a wealthy businessman Guo Wanjin on the Cao River? This man robbed good people and smuggled goods, and he has been captured by the county magistrate. The Transportation Department and the county office plan to use the confiscated property to provide compensation.
Two methods have been given to the laborers: one is to increase wages, and the other is to redistribute the fields so that those who have lost their fields can go back to farming, and the remaining people will receive more money."
"Let's talk about the wages first. It's divided into two points for traveling downstream and upstream. The one we pull in Yanshi is from Luoyang to the mouth of the river. It costs one mile for traveling downstream and three cents for traveling upstream. I at least guarantee that the wages paid by the government are,
Every penny goes to the water workers."
"..."
None of the waterworkers went back to sleep, they all gathered on the shore and waited.
It took a long time before the official ship dared to dock.
Twelve people got off the official ship and called their subordinates on the dock to convey the message they wanted to convey to the transfer department and the county office.
"Don't worry, Duke Du has just arrived."
"The wage increase is certain. Guo Wanjin's house was ransacked and Li San'er was killed."
"The saints have shown personal concern. Isn't the court's determination still strong?"
"One mile and two cents? Isn't that three times the original price?! Three times?!"
"It's four to five times as long as it's against the current?!"
"The key is that everyone has to cooperate..."
At the same time, Du Youlin also stood on the bow of the ship and made a promise, and sent people to loudly promote the new policy.
Fortunately, although the officialdom has begun to deteriorate, the imperial court still has prestige, and the canal workers believe in the guarantee of the transfer envoy.
What I am afraid of is that even the credibility of the imperial court will be destroyed.
Time passed little by little.
Explaining the policy clearly to thousands of canal workers was more time-consuming than killing people, until the morning light faintly emerged from the lower reaches of Luoshui River in the east.
Some officials and staff under Gao Chong finally arrived. They lived in the city and had been watching the investigation of the "fake Zhang Sanniang case" at night. They had not paid attention to the dock before and were not aware of the changes that had taken place on the dock.
There were only a few officials who had to summon more people to the county town to help Gao Chong.
"Everyone listen!"
"Quiet! Listen to me. There is a monster thief pretending to be a royal relative and attacking the county office. Now the county magistrate is recruiting you to capture the monster thief. Afterwards, each of you will be rewarded with ten coins. A punch is equivalent to stretching your body by fifteen miles. You will be strong and loyal.
Stand up!"
This sound also reached the official ship.
Xue Bai hoped to persuade the canal workers to no longer be dominated by Gao Chong, but unfortunately, the time left for him was too short.
Gao Chong and Li Saner used smuggling and gang profits to profit the small canal head, intimidating the canal workers, and operated for many years; but Xue Bai only had this chance in the middle of the night, and could only promise them three to four times the wages.
Regardless of the outcome, there is no room for retreat.
"Do you know why the court wanted to kill Li San'er? Because Guo Wanjin, Li San'er, and Gao Chong were the masterminds of the Lishan assassination case, committing a major crime of rebellion! The saint only kills the leader of the thieves, but the prerequisite is that you don't help the tyrants to commit crimes!"
"Guo Wanjin and Li San'er are dead. Only Gao Chong can resist and eliminate this cancer so that the canal workers can live a good life."
"..."
On one side is the county magistrate, on the other side is the county lieutenant and the land and sea transport deputy envoy. Both sides accuse each other, saying that the other party is guilty, or is committing major crimes such as "pretending to be an imperial relative" and "conspiracy of rebellion".
What Gao Chong needed was for the Cao workers to help him, while Xue Bai just wanted them to stay still. Gao Chong had more manpower to control the Cao workers, and Xue Bai promised greater benefits.
Although the plow workers were more organized than the tenant farmers, they were actually disorganized and a rabble. It would have been better if they had only one voice, but they really didn't know what to do when the orders from the two county magistrates came at the same time.
After a long quarrel, Yuan Yiheng also arrived.
He pushed through the crowd and squeezed towards the ship, and finally found Xue Bai.
Xue Bai learned from the county doorman Zhao Liukou that Yuan Yiheng was sent to Luoyang, so he sent someone to intercept him.
Yuan Yiheng was able to convince Yuan Yiheng because taking the dead Guo Wanjin to bear the blame was in the best interest of most of the powerful people in Yanshi County and would only cost Gao Chong's interests. Yuan Yiheng, as a staff member of the county magistrate, could see this clearly.
"County Lieutenant, something happened!"
"Mr. Yuan is here."
Yuan Yiheng said anxiously: "Gao Chong has led people to rob the arsenal. I'm afraid the guards won't be able to hold it!"
"The county magistrate is the head of a county after all. Can't he mobilize more people?"
"The Mingfu is just an official, how can he be as ruthless as Gao Chong, a rebel?" Yuan Yiheng, as an aide, knows Lu Linghao very well, "I am still thinking about He Xini until the last moment, the Mingfu can't stop him.
!”
"Is there any official document?"
"Bring it with me." Yuan Yiheng quickly took out the documents, "The Ming government issued an order to capture the rebel Gao Chong."
"It's 'hunting'." Xue Bai said: "You and Duke Du are here to deliver the county magistrate's official document to the canal workers...and where are my people?"
"He was taken from the post house to the county jail."
Yuan Yiheng understood what Xue Bai meant and directly handed over Fa Cao's talisman and said: "The Ming government requires that the incident be resolved as soon as possible."
"good."
Lu Linghao's attitude has long been stated, the county magistrate or the county captain, whoever takes action again will be a traitor.
Xue Bai had already put down his sword, but Gao Chong still wanted to rob the arsenal. Lu Linghao would get angry no matter how temperless he was.
At this point, the benefits to the canal workers were promised in the name of the transshipment envoy, and the official document of the county's highest governor was also available, and the world gentry was willing to let Gao Chong take the blame.
~~
Xue Bai planned to take Lao Liang and Xue Xin with him, but Du Jin took Aunt Gongsun's two disciples and followed him.
Dressed in red, she looks like a swordsman, but she actually doesn't know any martial arts.
"You can stay."
"I brought those people, I have to go."
Xue Bai said: "It's more important to stay and help your grandpa win over the canal workers."
"Sister can do this better."
Xue Bai then shook Du Jin's hand. He wanted to tell her about the incident of setting fire to the building in the post house, but when he met her ambitious eyes, he knowingly did not mention it again, but whispered: "I
I want to live a noble life."
"Why?"
"You will know later."
There was a chaos at the city gate. The guards guarding the city gate were Lu Linghao's men, and Gao Chong also sent people to seize the gate. There were both servants of the gentry and the Guo family in the city.
Instead of cleaning up this mess, it would be better to capture the thief first and capture the king first. Xue Bai simply went straight to the county office.
Gao Chong and his henchmen went to seize the arsenal, while the county office was watched by the officers.
"County Captain."
Zhao Liu saw Xue Bai from a distance and rushed up to him, saying: "Meng Wu has defected to Gaochong, and he is leading people to guard the county office."
"Qi Chou, where is the Shiba Inu? I asked them to escort him back."
"County Captain."
On the other side of the alley, Qi Chou and Shiba Inu stepped forward and said, "We have been waiting at the county office."
"Go in."
Without saying a word, Xue Bai straightened his official uniform and strode into the county office.
From the front, Meng Wu led his officers to meet him and said: "Xue County Lieutenant, you are involved in the 'Fake Zhang Sanniang Case'..."
"Xue Xin!"
Xue Xin strode forward, drew out his sword, and slashed it down.
Meng Wu was still talking, but before he could react, he was directly knocked to the ground.
Xue Xin killed someone, lowered his head and took a deep look at Meng Wu. He knew that it was not a serious crime for a servant to seek refuge with the county magistrate, but there was no way. There was only one squad leader in a county.
Fighting for power is not about playing house.
"Still watching?!"
Qi Chou had worked with Meng Wu in the county office for many years. Seeing that he was killed with a single blow, he felt no sadness, only fear. He shouted: "Gao Chong has rebelled, and the ships of Henan Prefecture have all arrived at the dock! Those who don't want to be accomplices, step aside!"
If you want to get rid of your crime and make meritorious service, follow the county captain!"
His words were faster than Xue Bai's lifting of the talisman.
Xue Bai then threw the talisman to him and led the people straight to the county jail.
Aunt Gongsun was not in the county jail and was placed in the guild hall for temporary surveillance. Xue Bai did not intend to let them get involved again.
In the county jail, Shi Zhong and his gang were still being held, and they didn't even have time to be arraigned.
There is also Cui Youfu, who is working hard to instigate the jailer.
"I am a direct descendant of the Boling Cui family. Gao Chong was crazy to take me. You also want to be beheaded with him... Xue Bai? You were not burned to death?"
"Mr. Lang!"
"Open."
There was a "crack" sound and the chain fell to the ground.
"Where are your knives?"
"Taken away by the noble ones."
Xue Bai then asked Qi Chou to hand over more than twenty knives from the officers, while the others took water and fire sticks.
At this time, Gao Chong probably still had more than 200 armed forces, but he didn't know if the servants raised by the gentry could stop him from seizing the arsenal.
~~
East of the county.
Several groups of people were fighting in a chaotic manner.
"Where's the county magistrate?!"
Cui Jun was so anxious that his mouth went dry.
He had already urged Lu Linghao to capture Gao Chong. If he did it early, he would strike first and catch him by surprise. Until now, he was passive everywhere. There were only more than thirty guards in the county, and they had not been trained for a long time. They had to guard the arsenal and the city.
The most damning thing is to guard Lu Linghao's house.
On the other hand, Gao Chong was so arrogant that he would kill people whenever he wanted. At this time, several people had fallen into the pool of blood in front of him.
"The county magistrate...the county magistrate has gone to guard the capital gate."
"What?"
"The county magistrate asks all the gentlemen to take shelter first. A gentleman will not stand under a dangerous wall."
Cui Jun said: "Gao Chong is about to seize the arsenal! He has taken the arsenal, who can control him?"
"The county magistrate has sent guards and appeased the canal workers. He will also ask the Henan Prefecture and the imperial court for instructions."
"Just these few guards? He..."
"Mr. Cui, retreat quickly!"
Cui Jun knew that officials from other places were like this. When the situation was bad, they were always ready to save their lives. Anyway, their ancestral property and ancestral tombs were not here.
The next moment, because another person died, his servants were defeated. Cui Jun had no choice but to turn around and run away.
Neither side is a soldier. In comparison, the smugglers and human traffickers are indeed more ruthless than the servants who bully the farmers.
This is also Gao Chong's greatest reliance.
Gao Chong sneered, pointed in the direction of Song Mian, and said: "Kill them and drive them away."
Looking at the situation, it is definitely possible to suppress the chaos in Yanshi. It depends on how to calm the situation.
If he said that such a big mess happened tonight and he could hide it from the court, others would definitely not believe it.
But in fact, after the Wei Jian case, there were many riots in Jianghuai that were much more serious than tonight, but they were concealed. Officials covered it up at all levels, and the people asked their sons to go to Chang'an to complain, and finally the "Wild Wu Yi"
Has the emperor investigated the major case of "Xian"?
Can't be checked.
He wields force and defeats all the officials and gentry in the county; he also has many connections, which makes it impossible for them to expose the matter.
If he hadn't acted cruelly tonight, he himself wouldn't have known that he was the local emperor of Yanshi.
"There they are!"
Suddenly there was a shouting in the west alley.
Gao Chong turned around and saw many cannon workers running towards us, and couldn't help but laugh.
This is what people want.
The foolish emperor thought he was in a prosperous age, but he didn't know that the local states and counties were in ruins. The tax laws and military systems had collapsed, and the interests were intertwined. The foolish emperor wanted the world to transport grain to Chang'an and tribute to the Taifu.
He was so bad that he couldn't deal with it at all, so he only dared to hide in Chang'an and deceive himself and others, hiding his ears and stealing the bell.
He has not been to Luoyang for ten years. Now, even if the Hunjun comes to Luoyang again, he will not be afraid. When he raises his arms, tens of thousands of water workers on the Luoshui River will cause trouble, and even the Hunjun will have a headache!
"Don't follow Gao Chong in rebellion! The court is going to raise wages!"
"The saint rewarded us with two thousand strings!"
"The county captain will give us Guo Wanjin's wealth, so stop fighting!"
"..."
After all, the plow workers misunderstood Xue Bai's meaning.
In short, they rushed into the city, surrounded the hundreds and dozens of water workers who were still helping Gao Chong, and started talking in all directions.
"you……"
Gao Chong didn't quite understand what was going on, so he ordered the old soldier Fan Yang around him to shock them.
"Everyone in the Cao Gang listens to me. If you suppress the rebellion for the county magistrate, each person will be rewarded ten coins!"
"Twenty dollars!" Gao Chong shouted loudly.
He frowned and couldn't understand what the pit workers were saying noisily. It was probably because Xue Bai also gave them money, three times or four times.
These waterworkers were originally his people, and he took them for smuggling.
He never believed that people's hearts could change so quickly. The day before, he said, "Gao Xian Cheng is so kind." Today, he said, "Get rid of Gao Chong's cancer and live a good life." How could a person be so heartless?
No.
He won't fall out so quickly.
"For suppressing the rebellion, each person will be rewarded with a hundred coins!" Gao Chong still wanted to redeem himself.
Counting the number of people, this is already a lot of money.
When Li San'er was here, he ordered the canal workers to do their work without any reward. Anyone who didn't listen to him would not be given work, and he would even beat him severely.
What Gao Chong didn't expect was that today, when he promised him a huge profit, the porters were still talking nonsense, as if they were going to rebel.
"Xue County Lieutenant is here!"
The plow workers suddenly shouted.
Gao Chong was stunned for a moment when he saw Xue Bai, and he understood instantly.
"consistent!"
"Anyone who works for the county magistrate will be rewarded with a reward. Anyone who kills the traitor Xue Bai will be rewarded with a reward of 1,000 yuan. He can replace Li San'er as the commander-in-chief of the Ququ!"
Despite heavy rewards, there are still brave men.
Several Guo family servants armed with knives immediately rushed in Xue Bai's direction.
But the thugs around Xue Bai were not like the servants of the Shishen family who had never killed anyone before. They rushed up and killed them to the ground without mercy.
…
Gao Chong also became fierce, gritted his teeth, and wanted to let the old soldiers around him go up and kill Xue Bai. The next moment, he was worried about his own safety.
He looked around and saw that the gentry had a backbone and began to gather the servants.
The situation has changed.
Without Li San'er, he would not be so handy if he personally directed the people.
If force cannot suppress him and Xue Bai colludes with these worldly gentry, no one knows how to frame him.
After thinking about it, Gao Chong still had a mad look on his face, but his eyes flickered.
He glanced around and saw that the members of the Cao Gang had abandoned their swords and turned against each other, and then he saw the servants of the world gentry surrounding them.
Outside the city, more water workers rushed over and shouted: "Get rid of Gao Chong's cancer and live a good life."
When there are more people, it is a huge shock to the soul. No matter how brave and fierce the enemy is, seeing more and more enemies, it is inevitable to feel timid.
Is it fighting? Is it retreating?
"Protect me as I go."
There was no need for Gao Chong to risk his life. He turned to the old soldier Fan Yang beside him and said, "Go through the east gate. There is our boat on the Luo River..."
~~
"Gao Chong has escaped! Chase him quickly."
When the shouts rang out, Song Mian looked around and quickly found Xue Bai and said: "County Lieutenant, it's time to kill Gao Chong."
While Xue Bai ordered his men to chase after him, he asked: "Why?"
He actually knows why.
When she came out of the secret house, Ren Mulan said that she had killed Song Li on the way here, so Xue Bai stopped by and did some tricks.
As expected.
"Gao Chong killed my brother." Song Mian said: "If the county captain can avenge Ba Lang, the Song family will surely get rich rewards."
"Okay, I'll try my best."
Xue Bai's expression did not change and he said: "Let your people surround Gao Chong from the north."
"good."
"Today, Mr. Song has made great contributions to the imperial court."
"Should be done."
After pushing Song Mian away, Xue Bai and Du Jin looked at each other. Du Jin understood and immediately whispered a few instructions and arranged for several people to chase him.
~~
"Kill out!"
When Gao Chong rushed to the city gate, there were still six guards guarding there, wearing armor and holding halberds. The formation was such that ordinary people would not dare to stand against it.
Several servants who followed him dropped their knives and went to the city to find a place to hide.
Only four old Fan Yang soldiers dared to charge forward, but as soon as the two sides started fighting, the pursuers arrived.
The fight ended with Zhuang Asi being the only one left to protect Gao Chong and run out of the city.
"County Magistrate..."
"quick!"
"I can't walk anymore..."
Gao Chong turned around and saw a broken knife stuck in Zhuang Asi's back, so he had to say: "I'll help you."
He supported Zhuang Asi with one hand and held the handle of the knife with the other hand. He quickly pulled out the knife and stabbed it again.
Zhuang Asi let out a "cluck" and fell down.
If you die, the secret will not be revealed.
Gao Chong threw down his knife and hurried to the river. He also had a smuggling boat at the mouth of the Yiluo River.
~~
"What?"
"Gao Chong ran away."
Xue Bai looked a little hesitant, but had to accept the result.
Song Mian wanted to kill Gao Chong even more than Xue Bai. He took a few steps and felt a little worried.
"Mr. Song, what's wrong?"
"I wish I could avenge my brother."
"Don't worry, Mr. Song. As a county captain, I will definitely arrest Gao Chong."
While talking, Lu Linghao finally arrived at the county office.
"Gao Chong escaped?"
"yes."
"well."
Lu Linghao sighed and said, "Such a big thing has happened. I don't know how to explain it to the court."
Xue Bai asked: "What is the intention of Yi Mingfu?"
Lu Linghao turned to look at Song Mian and said, "Mr. Song, can you say a few nice words to Wei Fuyin?"
"Don't worry, Mingfu." Song Mian said: "I am also from Yanshi, so I will definitely consider Yanshi."
"That's good, that's good." Lu Linghao finally had a smile on his face.
Song Mian stood up and said goodbye.
Lu Linghao looked at Xue Bai again, and the smile on his face faded, and said: "The crime of rebellion is still too serious. According to what I saw, Guo Wanjin robbed and sold his beloved, minted copper coins privately, and colluded with monsters and thieves last night.
, Lieutenant Xue Xian suppressed Guo Wanjin. Gao Chong colluded with Guo Wanjin and fled in fear of crime. How about it? "
"Is this what the Ming government plans to do?"
"Isn't this what Xue Lang said at the beginning?"
"At this time, at that time, Gao Chong had not yet rebelled." Xue Bai seemed to be like an official, with a straight face and said: "In full view of the public, can you hide it?"
Lu Linghao laughed again and said softly: "Look, Mr. Xue, the sky in Yanshi County has not fallen yet. This matter cannot be stabbed up."
"Yeah?"
"From now on, you and I will go hand in hand and work together for the good of Yanshi."
Seeing that the county magistrate was so good-tempered, Xue Bai regained his composure and said, "The county magistrate will decide how to report."
He stood up and said goodbye.
After leaving the county office, Xue Bai was still unhappy.
After all the busy work, Gao Chong, a key figure, ran away in the end. Of course he wouldn't be happy.
"County Captain!"
From a distance, Ren Mulan ran over and said, "Pen'er is sick."
"Take me to see him."
This way.
Ren Mulan then led Xue Bai through the alleys in the east of the city, twisting and turning, going further and further away.
Today there are still many escaped demon thieves who have not been caught. The streets are not very safe and many residents in the city dare not go out. Xue Bai turned around several times but saw no one.
Finally he entered a dilapidated hut.
A hole was punched through the wall inside. Through the hole, there was another dark room. Someone opened the cellar.
The unhappy expression on Xue Bai's face changed little by little.
His eyes were getting brighter and brighter, as if they were flashing with light, a little crazy.
That is the light of ambition.
~~
"Huh...huh..."
There was darkness before his eyes, and Gao Chong was breathing heavily.
Suddenly, someone pulled the sack off his head.
The light from the torch was dazzling and made his eyes hurt, but he still opened his eyes wide and saw a person standing in front of him.
"Xue Bai?"
Xue Bai did not answer, but looked at Gao Chong as if looking at a priceless treasure.
Gao Chong smiled and suppressed Xue Bai's momentum with a ferocious smile.
"Haha, do you think you won? You didn't. You can't cure my sins, do you believe it? Because I didn't open the arsenal. Everything I did was because you committed a big crime first. You found someone to pretend to be a royal relative.
.”
"I know."
"You can't even think of following me to investigate..."
"I know."
Gao Chong said: "You know nothing."
Xue Bai said: "I know An Lushan is behind you, and I also know he wants to rebel."
"Hahaha." Gao Chong shook his head and said: "Idiot, you can't do anything, you know? Let me tell you, no one will believe you. People will never be able to pierce the sky, but you can
Try it. I know what you want to do, but you can't trust Lu Linghao and want to hand me over to Henan Prefecture directly."
"Wei Ji, Linghu Tao has also been bribed by you, I know."
"You know? Then you want to hand me over to Chang'an? Hand me over to the saint. You can give it a try. I will let you understand that everything you do is useless. You are just like Wang Yansiam, a fool.
it's useless……"
"Hey——"
"ah!"
Gao Chong screamed.
But Xue Bai directly picked up the branding iron and branded it on his body, which made him feel heartbroken.
A cloud of smoke came out, and Xue Bai threw away the soldering iron in his hand, and then said: "I know everything I told you, but you insist on guessing, and your guess is completely wrong."
He was a little unusually excited, but he was still controlling it.
Therefore, Gao Chong did not see the ambition in his eyes.
"Li Longji will not believe that An Lushan rebelled. Even if An Lushan attacks him, he will not believe it." Xue Bai said: "He is confused, selfish, arrogant, and hopeless. I
Will you count on him?"
"What did you say?"
Gao Chong was still hissing in pain. Hearing this, his eyes widened and he stared at Xue Bai.
He didn't even call the saint by his name, but Xue Bai did.
Xue Bai said: "You have always been sure that you can win, because you have guessed all the methods I can use. It is useless for me to complain, and it is useless to tell Li Longji. The eunuchs around him, such as Wu Zhongshi, only convey one message.
You can kill me; it's useless to tell Li Linfu, he wants me to die; it's useless to tell Yang Sui, because his ability can't handle things eight hundred miles away; it's useless to tell Wei Ji, because he is incompetent.
He was also bribed by you."
"The Tang Dynasty was deceived from top to bottom, with fierce party disputes and corrupt government. No one wanted to touch the sore of water transportation. So what if the truth was revealed? The emperor was old and could not handle it. He was unwilling to deal with it. The loyal and upright officials were dismissed
The ones whose loyal advice was offensive have been demoted. The rest are busy amassing money to add fuel to this prosperous age. Whoever touches the sores will die. What’s the point of uncovering them?”
Xue Bai was a little crazy, but his eyes were very decisive.
There will never be another person in the world who can be like him, who has no expectations for the imperial court from the beginning, and takes action with the most ferocious attitude from the beginning.
That's why he didn't die like others, nor did he die like Wang Yanxiang...
Gao Chong didn't know what to say. He always thought that Xue Bai's back-up force was in Luoyang or Chang'an.
It was precisely because he knew too well that the powerful people were enjoying themselves in peace and prosperity, and could not interfere with water transport, that he dared to act unscrupulously.
Unexpectedly, Xue Bai's goal was the canal engineering.
The most unexpected thing is that the canal workers can turn against each other overnight. This is impossible and fake.
"Tell me, what happened on the dock?"
"Nothing happened. I just gave them a salary increase of three to four times."
"Ha, where did you get so much money?" Gao Chong said: "It's so fake, I don't believe it! I will never believe it!"
"Believe it or not." Xue Bai said: "But I have been a grassroots official, and I know the simplest truth. Only when people have constant income can they have perseverance. For most people who don't have enough to eat, having enough food is the truth.
.All I need is a chance to give them hope."
"It's ridiculous, it's extremely ridiculous." Gao Chong didn't believe it until the end.
He would rather believe that his defeat was due to a strange combination of circumstances and that it was God's punishment for him. He would rather believe that Li Tang had God's blessing than that Xue Bai could convince thousands of canal workers overnight.
"Give four thousand people an extra 20 yuan a day, which is 30,000 yuan a year." Xue Bai said: "It's not unfair that you lost to 30,000 yuan... are you worth 30,000 yuan?"
Gao Chong sneered and asked, "Do you know how much I earn in a year?"
Xue Bai said: "I really want to know."
Gao Chong's eyes were filled with pride and he said, "I won't tell you."
"Then let me tell you a few secrets."
Xue Bai said: "Li Longji didn't ask me to investigate the assassination case at all. He would rather believe in the prophecy of the Golden Sword than believe that he has governed the world into a mess. In fact, he sent me here just because he felt that I had nothing to do with Yang Guifei.
Too close, he hates me and wants to send me far away. He also thinks that he is not so stingy, so he lies to himself, "I will let him go to Henan to have a look", but in fact, he doesn't care what I say.
He will believe it. He doesn't care about the people in the world, he only cares about himself."
"I knew it!" Gao Chong said, "I knew it was like this! What a shame, old turtle Lu Linghao didn't believe it!"
"It's okay, it's fine that you and I know."
Gao Chong suddenly realized something - Xue Bai was speaking too carelessly in front of him.
The more secrets he hears, the less likely he is to survive.
"You want to kill me?"
"you guess."
Gao Chong was furious and said: "You want to deceive me? I will never betray..."
Xue Bai said: "I want to replace you."
"What?"
"I want to replace your position in Yanshi County and your role in water transportation and smuggling. Do you understand?"
Gao Chong didn't understand, but he finally noticed the madness in Xue Bai's eyes.
"I did all this not to wake up the faint king who pretended to be asleep, nor to maintain the Tang law that only spoke for the powerful. I am not Wang Yanxiang, I am the next 'Gao Chong' for the time being. Of course, I will definitely do better than Gao Chong.
It has to be a hundred times better.”
"You madman! You are a madman!"
"Don't worry, we have a long time to chat." Xue Bai said: "I need to know a lot of things. Where do you mine iron and stone? Who transports it on land? Where is copper mined? Copper coins
How to make it privately? Weapons..."
Gao Chong gradually calmed down and murmured: "You must be trying to defraud me. You must want more evidence of guilt."
"Hey——"
The screams started again.
Xue Bai said: "I've talked to you so much and you still don't understand? I'll say it again, Li Longji is hopeless. Do you understand? Stop talking nonsense."
"I understand...I understand."
"Say it's useful."
"You...you also want to...help Mr. Anfu achieve great things?" Gao Chong's eyes gradually brightened and he said, "You also think that he is a foolish king. Let's overthrow him together."
When Xue Bai heard the words "An Fujun", he felt a little sarcastic, which was not easy to detect.
He said that he wanted to replace Gao Chong for the time being, but what he actually meant was to temporarily learn from Anlu Mountain and save money. But he did not need to temporarily occupy a corner like Anlu Mountain, using Fanyang and Pinglu as his bases, because he planned to compete with Anlu Mountain.
But it's different... He has an identity, but he needs strength.
These are nothing compared to Xiao Xiao’s noble but indescribable saying: The sparrow knows the ambition of the swan.
"Just take it as such. Just answer whatever I ask." Xue Bai said, "Where did the iron stone come from?"
"郾...郾城."
"Where is Yancheng?"
"If you want to...join us." Gao Chong murmured, "You should meet my adopted brother..."
"Hey——"
The plot structure and framework are all ready, and I finally finished it~~ There is no second chapter today, please vote for me~~