?Li Guolou held a hairpin and squinted at Fei Lingxue. The hairpin was a carefully crafted concealed weapon. When he pressed the petals, three fine needles popped out from the machine spring and shot towards the window pane about ten feet away, emitting a bright blue light.
"Hmph." Li Guolou snorted coldly, and sat down on the Grand Master's chair with a golden sword. He didn't even let Fei Lingxue sit down, let alone watch tea.
Today is different from the past. Fei Lingxue quickly clasped her fists and saluted, and said with a cheerful smile: "Master Li, please don't mind me. I am a traveler in the world. I wear jewelry for self-defense. There is absolutely no malice. Please also ask Li." Your Excellency does not remember Fei Hu’s mistakes!”
Li Guolou picked up the tea cup and said slowly: "Feihu, what do I say about you? Since you claim to be a member of the Jianghu, you should understand the rules of the Jianghu. I have no longer asked about Jianghu affairs. You can see for yourself." Do you have any brothers in the martial arts under your command?"
Fei Lingxue glanced at the two Gesheha standing motionless next to her, and sneered secretly. The bigger the official hat, the weaker the courage. Even when meeting guests, someone needs to be protected.
Scabbard Yun was impatient and interjected: "Mr. Li, we have no choice. We can't talk to the Monkey King. That skinny monkey is only willing to find a job for about thirty of our brothers. But we have to take care of our family. It's too late." There are more than 200 people. How can we live like this? This guy is really unreasonable. I wish I could just slap him to death with a brick and let him know what liver tremor is!"
Li Guolou sneered and said: "The rivers and lakes also bully the weak and fear the strong. Like you, you raise so many good horses and people eat the horses' chews. You are not welcome wherever you go. Otherwise, you can go back to your old profession and fight with the officers and soldiers." , whoever’s idea makes the difference, whoever makes the decision!”
People are used to being pampered, so how can they really use swords or guns? Fei Lingxue's hundreds of horse thieves have already made a big fuss. The people in the capital militia are good at fighting and have excellent weapons. How can the horse thieves dare to fight against the militia? Moreover, they They were seeking wealth, not rebellion. They risked their lives to seize territory, and were accused of rebellion by the government. Wouldn't that affect their families? After negotiating with the Monkey King Sun Yue to no avail, Fei Lingxue and Scabbard Yun went directly to Li, the leader behind the scenes. There was originally a trick to frighten Li Guolou by Guo Lou's trick, but Fei Lingxue's hidden murder weapon was confiscated by Li Guolou, and the situation was absolutely passive.
"Master Li, we will not use swords or guns in the capital area unless it is absolutely necessary, but you can't bully people too much. Rabbits bite when they are anxious." Fei Lingxue gritted her silver teeth and glared at Li Guolou. She was originally in the capital. They freely collected protection fees in the northern region, but they did not expect that the militia in the capital would not even give them this way of survival. Of course, they had already found out who was behind the militia.
Li Guolou glanced at Fei Lingxue and Scabbard Yun. These two people were disguised as horse thieves, but they were actually the remnants of the Tiandihui. The reactionaries from the south had lurked into the Gyeonggi area, and even came to him to befriend him, hoping to gain a foothold in the Gyeonggi area. When they become stronger and bigger, and the sky changes, these people will be like a sharp knife stuck in the waist of the Qing Dynasty, rebelling and becoming the second Nian Army. Li Guolou is like a awn on his back, carrying too many mountains on his back. The greedy princes and nobles, the intrigues of Jianghu sects, and even the anti-Qing gangsters could not be wiped out.
"Hehehehe, sit down, you two. Since you two still regard me as friends, let's have a cup of tea. There is always a way. It is said that you can put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha immediately. If you are willing to keep yourselves and make money to support yourself in old age, I can give you some advice. If you are still determined to create a bright world, you will double-deal with me, and you will still promote the so-called gang rules after getting benefits. My hands are dark, and Xiantian Dao is the precedent. I will not issue a gauntlet first, but just kill them all. , Feihu, Scabbard Yun, your old boss has known this for a long time, so please go back and discuss it with your brothers, and come back to talk to me after you think about it!"
After Li Guolou finished speaking, he picked up the tea cup and drank it all in one gulp. Ma De understood the idea wholeheartedly and shouted: "Send off the guests!"
"You, Li Guolou, is this how you treat guests?" Fei Lingxue slapped the table and stood up, glaring angrily in front of him. He could be killed but not humiliated, or he would have to start all over again.
Li Guolou put down his tea cup and said: "The Jianghu is actually darker than the government. If you are allowed to come forward, millions of people will not stop until millions of people die. So I will make the matter clearer now to save the trouble in the future." Tigers are in danger. I am an official of the imperial court, and I must shoulder the emperor's trust. There are no so-called friends in the world, only slaves who obey orders. The Qinggang is your model for learning. The path of innateness is also another path. There is no third path. Gyeonggi region If you are not welcome, there will be no place for you in the Qing Empire in the future!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Scabbard Yun turned over and knelt down with a plop, clasped his fists and said: "Master Li, I have a bunch of people under this villain who are willing to surrender!"
"You, traitor." Fei Lingxue didn't expect that Scabbard Yun would betray her. She was so angry that she ran out with stars in her eyes. Her subordinates had different ideas and were already at the point of falling apart. It turned out that Scabbard Yun had already been with Sun Yue. Fei Lingxue was filled with anger because she wanted to take refuge in the government, treated people as unkind, and regarded such wolf-hearted people as friends. She wanted to see how many brothers would betray her. In the darkness ahead, there was a light. The lanterns are like big cannibal mouths. The cannibalistic society must be overthrown, and the sun will rise on the land shrouded in darkness.
With a smile, Li Guolou lifted up the scabbard-bearded Scabbard Yun, nodded in approval and said, "Well, those who know the current affairs are heroes, Scabbard Yun, you will have a bright future in the future, and I will entrust you with many things to handle. Wealth and glory are rewarded to those who understand the current affairs and take care of themselves!"
"Thank you, Lord." Scabbard Yun's eyes were filled with tears. The turning point in life can only happen in an instant. He has had enough of the days of living in the open without a fixed place. A hero needs to find a big backer when he is recruited. , he has a rugged face and a careful mind. He has already planned today's move. Selling out the "big boss" Fei Lingxue is nothing. If the lord gives the order, he will directly twist off Fei Lingxue's head.
There are more than thirty brothers under Scabbard Yun, and Fei Lingxue's men are among those who can fight and fight. Even they are not willing to live a life of licking blood from the edge of a knife, which shows that there are not many promising people among the horse thieves. Brothers believe that the anti-Qing and restoration of the Ming dynasties can be accomplished. Now that Li Hongzhang controls the Zhili area and 30,000 Huai troops have been deployed in the nine towns, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the living space for horse thieves has become smaller. If they don't make a decision, they will Will be exterminated by the officers and soldiers. Scabbard Yun, this gang of horse thieves, has long been in Cao's camp and his heart is in the Han Dynasty. He has agreed to seek refuge with Li Guolou. There are very few people in the underworld who are willing to accept the underworld in the government. Li Guolou's reputation Outside, he specializes in finding a way out for the gangster brothers. He is praised by the people as a divine catcher, so Scabbard Yun will take the initiative to surrender and buy a certificate of surrender.
"My lord, my subordinates don't have anything good to show me, so I specially brought two good horses this time." In Sword Sheath Yun's family, there are the most horses.
"Oh." Li Guolou raised his eyebrows and said in surprise: "Okay, let's go and take a look. You know my scabbard, I'm preparing the equipment of a battalion of cavalry. For the sake of your intelligence, I'd like to remind you. You go and train 280 military horses for me at one time. They need to be medium-sized Mongolian war horses, and all of them are gelded stallions. They should have a gentle temper, do you understand?"
It is best to use a castrated stallion as a military horse. It has a good temper, obeys orders, and will not buckle. For military training, of course, start with the regular route.
"Zha subordinates must do their jobs well. The training of the war horses is taken care of by the villain." Scabbard Yun was overjoyed. Wealth and glory came in a blink of an eye. This was the beginning. Follow Li Guolou's saddle and horse, and get a good job for food and clothing. Don't worry.
Wang Xiaofei, the governor of Shuangqiao Town, and Yan Weizhong, the general manager of Qian, happened to come to have dinner together. They accompanied Li Guolou to visit the military facilities in the hospital and watch the dinners eaten by the soldiers. With sufficient food and expenses, Shuangqiao Town The facilities and equipment in Guanyi are first-class.
There is a special horse-drinking pond in Guanyi. Shuangqiao Town Guanyi is the strategic point between Tianjin and the capital. There are more than thirty horses raised there. Each one is fat and strong, and is famous for its endurance and speed. This is what Daanyi has to offer. The Qing Dynasty's conventional armaments, no one dares to waste them when attacking the capital. The military facilities seen here make people feel inspired, and the spirit of the people and horses is decent. If Shuangqiao Zhenguanyi is used as the standard, the military construction of the Qing Dynasty has already On the road to modernization, there is no need for restructuring.
Li Guolou made a tour with his hands behind his back and repeatedly praised Governor Wang Xiaofei and President Qian Yan for his majesty, loyalty, and ability. When he came to the horse gallery and looked at the fat and strong horses, Li Guolou was very happy and nodded and said: "President Yan Qian, become smarter. Well, you know how to spend your money, this is the right thing, you have to be good at making money and operating well, if it still happens like last time, I will be held accountable!"
Mr. Qian Yan Weizhong said in a rough voice: "Master Li, last time I almost lost my job in Jingzhou, I have deeply reflected on it. There are many ways to make money, and the appearance skills must be in place, so that everything can go smoothly!"
"Okay, okay, Mr. Yan Qian, I appreciate your awareness. We will update the weapons and equipment. Your battalion will be the first batch, all German-made pike uniforms, eight hundred people, right?"
Yan Weizhong almost choked. The military register stated that there were 1,212 people. Li Guolou directly cut off one-third of the number for him, but it was difficult to say, "Sir, you are wrong." That was a taboo word, so he hurriedly smiled. Said: "Master Li is right, there is still a fraction, 80 people, exactly 880 people, hehe!"
"Well, write it down." Li Guolou asked his accompanying adjutant Ghosh Hamad to write it all down in the notebook. The New Wutang will train the officers of the army in the Gyeonggi region and replace the weapons and equipment. These things will be started by him. The manager, of course, won't look at the roster, leaving room for the army, and he can't raise these ruffians to be cunning. These bastards, if they are a little softer, will immediately climb on top of your head.
Li Guolou knew that everything he saw here was fake. It was a model show for the officers who came and went. There were too many false things in the army. The Qing army was organized into battalions, with a strength of four battalions. Even if they are elite, there are at most 2,000 people stationed in one camp. The number of troops that a Qian Zong can handle will not exceed half. The rest are either taken up or used for business. He is very concerned about the restructuring. In fact, I don't have much interest in the personnel system of the army. It is just a superficial thing to make the emperor happy. The employment of people who inherit the system makes the army lifeless. Most of the people who are born to be generals are no longer suitable for the times.
"Mr. Yan Qian, the fort on the left side of Shuangqiao Town needs to be renovated and all the cannons need to be replaced. The Ministry of War will come to verify the replaced cannons and transport them back for destruction. Do you understand?" Li Guolou tilted. Take a look and say no more.
"Thank you, Mr. Li, for telling me." Yan Weizhong bowed and saluted with respect. If there was a missing cannon in the army, he would be beheaded. Li Guolou told him in advance that he would replace the missing cannons. Above, it’s a cannon that’s about to be destroyed anyway. It’s a little older and a little damaged, so it doesn’t matter.
Li Guolou glanced at Yan Weizhong. Officers like this were the elite of the Qing Dynasty. They guarded the key points of the capital and defended the capital. If there was a war with the Eight-Power Allied Forces, the troops here would be cannon fodder. They would fight on the plains and the range would determine the outcome. Western powers would not The cannons with the longest range were sold to the Qing Empire. The Qing troops hiding in the fortifications could only be bombed. The battle was already lost before it was fought. The defenders here died gloriously for the Qing Empire and sacrificed their lives on the fort. It's inevitable.
The capital is not suitable to be the capital of the country, but the opinion he submitted was rejected by the court. What to do? Looking at the dark night sky, Li Guolou was a little confused and helpless. He could only defend Tianjin and defend the Qing Dynasty. There is only one road in the capital of Tianjin. There is no room for loss in Tianjin. Let’s share it.