Wang Churen did not escort Li Guolou to the village office, but took him directly to his home. He knew very well that he could not sit in order based on his dignity in the officialdom. He had to bow down and salute when speaking. That would be a big disadvantage for the people of Qilitun. When talking to him at home, he got close to Li Guolou as a friend.
Along the way, we pointed out the scenery of Qilitun. The buildings and facilities are complete. Chastity archway, earth temple, bathhouse, theater, mill, large granary, village office. Everything is available. The people live in tile-roofed houses, brick houses, and thatched houses account for one third. There are also many people wearing rags on the road. Overall, it looks much better than the village in Balizhuang. It is a large village with wealth and scale.
From the name of the village, you can tell that "Qilitun" is smaller than Balizhuang. However, through the efforts of generations of Qilitun villagers, they have continuously encroached on the territory of nearby villages. Qilitun has long since become a large village.
Li Guolou just listened silently along the way. He waved his whip and returned the salute to Muramasa Jiangmasa, Baozheng Wang Zangqiang and others who came to pay homage. He said, "I am on military duty. I forgive you for not dismounting your horse and returning the salute." To those present. Human beings regard official authority as awe-inspiring and inviolable.
In the flower hall of Wang's mansion, the maid poured tea and handed water. The host and guest took their seats one by one. The two parties met again, introduced each other, and spoke politely in Mandarin.
Wang Churen assumed the posture of his master and said with a smile: "Masaji Jiangcun, don't be restrained. Captain Li is my good friend. I have also told Captain Li about the difficulties we have here. Why don't you stay with me first?" Let me say a few more kind words to you. Is it better to resolve this enemy than to end it?"
Jiang Zhengwu is tall and thick. He looks very strong. He looks like a thug. He is under forty years old. He is about 1.7 meters tall. He has a wide face, a high forehead, and a big nose. His single eyelids are a little swollen. His face is red and he looks like he is drunk. disciples.
"Hey." Jiang Zheng was like an obedient puppy. He didn't even look at Li Guolou. He lifted his official robe and knelt in front of Li Guolou. He looked like a hero. He said loudly: "Jiang Zheng doesn't understand the rules. I offend you." I'm sorry, Chief Li. I also hope Haihan." After Jiang Zheng said, "dong dong dong dong." He kowtowed first and apologized. He didn't care about official etiquette at all.
Li Guolou saw death at a glance. Jiang Zheng was clearly a slave of Wang Churen's family. Wang Churen alone had the final say in Qilitun. He said with a smile: "Jiang Cun is coming soon. We don't know each other if we don't fight. Why bother to apologize?" I'm sorry. A good man in the world of martial arts is very particular about revenge and complaining. If one of your subordinates died, you can seek revenge from me."
Jiang Zheng glanced at Wang Churen. He saw Wang Churen blinking desperately and waving his hands. He quickly said: "I don't dare. The dead Xuan Xiaojue didn't understand the rules. He committed rebellion by shooting at the officer. It's a serious crime. Please ask Chief Li to show mercy and absolve Xuan Xiaojue's family from the guilt."
"Oh, we'll talk about this later. Jiang Cun is sitting and talking. I've heard your name for a long time, and it's like thunder in my ears." Li Guolou looked sideways at Jiang Zheng. He wished he could have a fight with Jiang Zheng and use his fists to solve the problem directly. That saves a lot of effort.
"How dare you, how dare you. I only have the strength to show off." Jiang Zheng was a little proud. He is a well-known hero. Who dares to make trouble on the head of Tai Sui?
Wu Jinshui jumped out. He stood up and clasped his fists and said: "Brother Jiang has heard of your name for a long time. I am Wu Jinshui. People in the world call him the Iron Palm Boss. He only has some stupid strength. I hope you can give me some advice."
This is to combat the arrogance of the villagers in Qilitun. Since you can't use swords or guns, let's decide the place according to the rules of the world and judge by martial arts.
The eighteen brothers of the Beihai Martial Arts School have now become legendary heroes in the mouths of storytellers. Their reputation has been widely spread in the north. What about "bodyguards fighting robbers", "alone ax gangs", "overpass competitions" and "green gang conferences" How could Jiang Zheng not know this? When he heard that the hero in front of him was Wu Jinshui, the "Iron Palm Boss", he didn't even dare to compete even though he had three courages.
"Ah, I've heard the name of Master Wu, the boss of Iron Palm, for a long time. It's better to meet him than to be known. He is indeed a good man. I must offer Master Wu three glasses of wine later. I also want to accept you as my master." Jiang Zheng bowed. Just resolve the crisis and sit in the position of Muramasa. If any god comes and sings any drama, how can he capsize in the gutter?
Li Guolou glanced at him, pursed his lips, and told Wu Jinshui to back off. He was not fooled. He originally wanted to teach the bully Jiang Zheng a lesson, but he was afraid that this matter would go wrong. He wanted to retreat. He regretted that he brought two Balizhuang villagers to show his face. The above cannot excuse Qili Tun. Next, we will talk about land and water sources. It will be difficult to talk about it.
The living room was filled with the sound of people drinking tea and sipping water. The two parties, each with their own agenda, were smiling happily. After thinking for a while, Li Guolou put down his tea cup and said, "Jiangcun Zheng, you are a local official. This and The conflict between Balizhuang is so great. It has reached the point of shooting at each other. So many people have died. As a local official, you did not report the knowledge. This caused the rebellion of the White Lotus cultists. How big a crime this is. Let the Qing Dynasty Do you know how much the empire has suffered?"
A big hat. He was blamed as the cause of the rebellion. Li Guolou killed people without leaving any trace. Now he will settle accounts in the future. Cunzheng Jiangzheng of Qilitun will be punished to death.
Jiang was about to argue, but before he could sort out his thoughts, Wang Churen heard the crux of the problem. It was related to the rebels. Wasn't he going to confiscate the family and exterminate the clan? He was so anxious that he stood up and bowed and said: " Chief Li, please do it for my sake no matter what. Do us Qilitun villagers a favor. Don’t get involved with the rebels anymore. Talk about something if you have something to say. Let me get along with my old face."
Li Guolou said: "Master Wang, you have the final say in this matter."
"It's done, my Lord. I swear by the black gauze hat on my head." When a king takes office, he has an official hat and official robe. He is an official and gentry who pays grain and donations.
Landlords in places like this all have official hats. It was popular in the Qing Empire to buy officials and get an honorary title. If you don't have an official hat, you will be at a great disadvantage. In the scene, everyone is seated according to their rank. People who have no rank, where should they sit?
"Okay." Li Guolou slammed the table and said loudly: "Zhou Jian, Dongqing, you guys come and reason. Let me hear which side is reasonable. I will make a judgment on the spot." After speaking, Li Guolou said He threw off his official robe, crossed his legs in an elegant manner, picked up the tea cup and drank tea. It was a good fight. He also had the ability to pronounce the word "official" twice. He was also very good at it.
Now the scene was lively. Muramasa Emasa's secretary came well prepared. He opened the account book and found the evidence. He had the evidence and started a verbal argument with Zhou Jian and Dongqing. You said something to me. They were in the living room. There was a quarrel. One said, "Shameless." The other said, "You are not afraid to travel all over the world if you are right."
People from the two villages talked for more than an hour. Neither side finished talking about the old almanac. People who couldn't hold back their urine came in and out. They were busy.
Li Guolou heard the reason and came. Balizhuang was definitely in the red. Their village's land account books had been burned by the White Lotus cultists long ago. With just words, the loss of 500 acres of land was certain. But a river controlled by eight In the hands of Lizhuang, the fish will be dead and the net will be broken, and Qilitun will not be able to reap any benefits.
Wang came to give the butler a few words to prepare a sumptuous banquet. The aroma of the dishes came from the West Flower Hall next to it. The butler bowed and said, "Sir, the food and wine are ready. Please take your seats."
Wang Churen said: "Captain Li, let's finish the meal and let's talk about it. Our two villages have a long history. We can't finish it until tomorrow."
Li Guolou stood up and said, "Zhou Jian, Dongqing, don't talk anymore. Drink and eat. I will listen to my decision later. Take a step back and the sky will be brighter. Jiang Cunzheng will demolish the two towers as soon as possible." Is this true?"
"That's right, that's right. What Captain Li said makes sense. Take a step back and the world will be brighter. I will send people to demolish it now." Muramasa ran out of the living room at a trot. With a little effort, sell it first.
There were three banquet tables in the West Flower Hall. Everyone was seated separately. The good wine and food of the country people were big fish and meat. Everyone drank freely. Li Guolou maintained his official authority and rarely used chopsticks. After drinking three glasses of wine, here. The King of Foot takes charge of face.
Li Guolou kept urging his old man Zhou Jian to drink a few more drinks. He first made the elder unconscious. When he saw that everyone was almost drunk, he put it in the wine glass and said: "I saw people from your two villages sitting together. It's great to drink. Don't fight anymore about five hundred acres of land. I don't think no matter how much you argue, it won't change the reality. From now on, it will belong to Qilitun. But Mr. Wang Daguan, you have to express your intention. You can't rob it. Kidnap Mr. Zhou Daguan. It's always wrong to ask people to pay a ransom to get something. I'll give you half the price. Thirty taels of land per acre, a total of fifteen thousand taels of silver. Mr. Wang Daguan, what do you think?"
Wang Churen didn't feel bad. It was a lie. Fifteen thousand taels of silver. It was like tearing out the flesh of his heart. But when he saw the look Li Guolou looked at him, he understood that if he didn't agree, this captain who dared to shoot civilians... what? He can do anything. Just fabricate the accusation that he is a bandit, and dare to kill his whole family. Not to mention the problem of water source. It always depends on Balizhuang's face. The consequences of not plucking away a dime will be disastrous.
Wang Churen pretended to be generous. He raised his wine glass and said, "Okay. Captain Li and I are close friends of life and death. I will give up this little extraneous thing."
Li Guolou did not give Wang Ren a chance to breathe. Official execution was a long-standing problem. He said: "I will take it back now. Mr. Wang, please take out the money. Hahahaha."
Wang Churen was forced into a corner by Li Guolou. He had no choice but to ask the housekeeper to prepare the money.
"Okay. Since Mr. Wang Daguan is so cheerful, I won't mention the river thing in the future. Let's be good neighbors. Come, let's raise a toast to celebrate." Li Guolou couldn't mention how beautiful it was. Just a few words and the public account was too much. Ten thousand taels of silver and five thousand taels of silver were divided up. If the windfall was not distributed to his subordinates, they would be blackmailed. Who would believe that he deposited all the money in the public account.
Zhou Jian, Dongqing. You look at me and I look at you. You dare not say anything. Anyway, it is Zhou Papi’s land. They get the benefits and are bored.
The silver box was brought up. Li Guolou felt much better and said: "Master Wang, I saw that there are too many people in your village. You have to go out. Otherwise, there will be big trouble in the future. I am not trying to scare you. Jiang Cunzheng If someone else does it, it will be your turn next."
"Really?" Wang Churen was half drunk. He still didn't believe it. He had guns, high walls, watchtowers and guards. Who dares to rebel?
Li Guolou said seductively: "Master Wang, the White Lotus Sect was wiped out by me. But other sects are still preaching everywhere. The common people also want to live a good life. They will always look for new sustenance. The power of faith is infinite. Master Zhou That's how it's finished. When your guards also become religious, you will be a piece of cake. The day the leader of the religion says something bad about you, you will be finished. So you can't let people stay together and let the villagers go out to wander. Now in Shandong Land is so cheap. And poor people are welcome to reclaim the land. You should organize a group of villagers to go there and let your accomplished sons build another family business."
"Hey, I thought about letting my youngest son go to Shandong and buy some land. But the people there are not familiar with it. Don't be fooled by the local governor. Buy the land and give me saline-alkali land. Nothing can be grown. How can I It’s not a waste to die.”
Of course Wang Churen knew about the people's invasion of Shandong. Most of them were poor people who reclaimed unowned land. The government also encouraged this practice. But if the rich resold the land, Shandong Governor Ding Baozhen was a ruthless person who made decisions for the people. When the time comes, you won't lose the rice by stealing the chicken.
Li Guolou nodded and said: "That's what Wang Daguan said. But it all depends on manpower. The people above are different from the people below. Since you have more people now, why not bring a group of people to give it a try. This is a place in Shandong. Officials. Most of them are military attachés under my third uncle who became local officials. You carry the banner of my family. People will always buy your face. Who do you think we are friends?"
Wang Chuiren smiled brightly and felt happy from the bottom of his heart. Even a poor man can live a good life in Shandong. His family has a big business and can make a lot of money. He said urgently: "Brother Li Xian, please write a letter to me when the time comes. I'll think about it. Which one is better?"
Li Guolou solemnly said: "Official Wang, let me make it clear to you. Root a group of people. Don't just think about selling the land. Otherwise something will happen. I will turn my back on you."
Wang Churen patted his chest and said, "Brother Li Xian, don't worry. It's successful. At least five to six hundred people have immigrated. Why do I need so many people here? You are really timely. Now I see children in the village being born. I don't think too much." I'm tired of it. Come here. Cheers. Let's have a good chat in the afternoon. Eat dinner before leaving."
Li Guolou promised to leave at night, but he sent someone to take away the fifteen thousand taels of silver. He could not leave with the silver box. If someone was interested in the money, it would not be a loss to kill him. Now it is seven miles. The people in the village tried to kill him, but to no avail. Li Guolou spent the whole afternoon in his study making plans for Wang Ren. A map of Shandong's land reclamation was actually completed by him.
Li Guolou couldn't help but sigh. He was too talented. An upright official could not change an era. Ding Baozhen, the governor of Shandong, had a grudge against him. This time he pushed several problems to Ding Baozhen. He wanted to see what Ding Baozhen could do to control the gangs. , corrupt officials, country gentry and big landowners.