Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 584 The Wind Blows North China 3
The Datong Basin is dry and cold, and there is not much land that can be cultivated. The people of Datong are half farming and half pastoral. They grow crops in some places with slightly better irrigation conditions, while other places can only graze.It is also because of this that the officers and soldiers guarding Datong have a very difficult life. The output of the military station is not enough, and most of the military rations have to be transported from the interior, and the cost is so high that it makes people crazy.Even when the power of the Ming Dynasty was at its strongest, the soldiers in Datong Town would often gnaw the bark from hunger. Now that the power of the Ming Dynasty is declining, their life is even more difficult. They are hungry and full, and their military pay is delayed for six or seven months. Poverty and hunger have become the main theme of the life of the defenders in Datong... In other words, except for the big local tyrants of the Guanning Army and the two new armies of Heluo and Tianxiong, the officers and soldiers everywhere are like birds.

Hunger and poverty have already polished off the blood of the border soldiers. They are not interested in studying how to strengthen the border defense line, kill the enemy and make meritorious service, and being able to eat is what they care most about.The border generals also didn't focus on killing the enemy and making contributions to strengthen the border defense. Instead, they had a lot of experience in smuggling and selling food, salt, fur, tea, steel and other materials to make huge profits. The elite servants under their command were used to protect the smugglers. As for the ordinary soldiers and military households, who cares about their lives!The whole of Datong exudes a smell like stagnant water, which is unbearable.

But with the arrival of the Tianxiong Army, this stagnant water caused waves.The Tianxiong Army's magnificent military appearance, excellent equipment, and high morale all shocked the people of Datong. The common people didn't care. ...Isn't the Xiongjun too strong today?It is not a good thing for them to put such a strong and disciplined army at the border!

This time, Lu Xiangsheng led a total of [-] cavalry and [-] infantry.Such a large army will take some effort to settle down. There is no way. The military fields, military horse farms and even military camps have been occupied by generals and local wealthy people. If you don't take care of them, you can't live in peace.However, the Tianxiong Army did not accept this trick. They marched arrogantly into the military horse farm and military camp that only nominally belonged to Datong Town, and told everyone who stayed there to get out. Don't you accept it?If you don't agree, come and reason with my bayonet!Many military camps have been turned into small towns, with all kinds of inns and warehouses. The Tianxiong Army accepted them without any courtesy, and the merchants and generals who left the country complained endlessly. As a result, they suffered heavy losses!Some merchants angrily accused Tianxiongjun of being too barbaric. Tianxiongjun said, "Those who are not convinced can file a lawsuit. Anyway, we must take back these assets belonging to the army!"

Who dares to sue?They invaded the military settlements, military fields, and military horse farms. They didn't take it for granted, and they went to sue the imperial court. The one who sued was Su Yihou, who was deeply trusted by the emperor. His brain is flooded!
In the face of absolute strength, all the flowers and intestines are like floating clouds. The Tianxiong Army fell three times and five times with an unreasonable attitude, and took back the 80 mu of military land and 200 million mu of grassland that were occupied by the rich and generals. Datong wailed, but no one dared to protest.Cao Wenzhao smacked his tongue when he saw it, darling, this Lord Hou looks gentle and elegant, but his actions are unambiguous at all, it's amazing!Out of good intentions, he couldn't help but walked into Lu Xiangsheng's shogunate and reminded him: "Brother, it's a good thing for you to take back the military fields and the military horse farm, but you will offend too many people... There are people in the middle, you have to be careful of them, don't tear yourself apart with them!"

Lu Xiangsheng raised his head from the pile of documents, smiled, and said: "These things belong to the army. I just took them back. What's wrong? Even if the lawsuit is brought to the emperor, I will It also makes sense!"

Cao Wenzhao sighed: "I'm afraid that people won't reason with you at all...Be careful, these guys have no other skills, but they are first-rate in the black hands behind the scenes!"

Lu Xiangsheng sneered: "A trick in the back? I'm not afraid of them doing something in the back, I'm afraid they won't move...Old General Cao, what's the strength of your thousand cavalry?"

Cao Wenzhao said proudly: "I'm not afraid of your jokes, Mr. Hou. Lao Cao and I fought with a thousand cavalry from Gansu and Ningxia to Shanxi without encountering an opponent! The Guan Ning cavalry trained by Governor Yuan is already very powerful. Xiao Cao learned a lot of ingenious tactics from you and Champion Hou during the Battle of Daling River. He trained those guys in accordance with the law for two years, and their combat power doubled!" At this point, he looked at After looking at Lu Xiangsheng's face, he changed the topic and said, "It's a pity that our equipment is so poor. A pair of armor lasts for four to five years. It has many damages and cannot be replaced. Many war horses were damaged in the battle..."

Lu Xiangsheng said generously: "Go back and let the athletes under your command throw away the old equipment and replace them with new ones. As for the horses, first pick some from our army's horse farm to make up for the shortage."

Cao Wenzhao originally wanted to cry and complain about his grievances, but he was satisfied when he asked Lu Xiangsheng to give him a couple of hundred armors. When he heard that Lu Xiangsheng asked him to throw away all the old equipment, he couldn't help being startled, and asked a little stammeringly: "Old... Brother, you are not joking about Lao Cao, are you? These are thousands of armors!"

Lu Xiangsheng said: "No kidding, just change clothes, don't save me money."

Cao Wenzhao reminded him: "A pair of armor costs thousands of taels of silver..."

Lu Xiangsheng smiled bitterly: "But we made a pair of high manganese steel helmets and breastplates for less than 50 taels of silver... Hurry up, I will regret it if I tear it down."

Cao Wenzhao rushed out like a rabbit who had been shot, and left the matter of persuading Lu Xiangsheng to restrain himself and not to offend the rich man of Datong to death.

Watching Cao Wenzhao leave in a hurry, Lu Xiangsheng shook his head with a smile, took out a document from a pile of documents more than a foot high, wrote a line of words on it with a quill pen, stamped it, and called Lei Shisheng: "Take it and announce it, and implement it immediately."

Lei Shisheng opened it and saw that it was about building a farm.He is very familiar with recruiting landless refugees to establish military settlements and military horse farms. This is how the Tianxiong Army survived the most difficult stage of entrepreneurship.He didn't speak, but gave a military salute and retreated.

After a while, there were bursts of warm cheers in the city of Datong.

Lu Xiangsheng signed another document, called Cao Huan to hand it to him, and said, "Give it to Jin Yiwei, let them keep an eye on Fan, Chang, and Qu, and report to me immediately if there is any trouble! "

Cao Huan looked at it once, and asked in surprise: "This is almost going to cover up the entire Shanxi merchants. Is it necessary to involve so much?"

Lu Xiangsheng said: "For a group of lunatics who dare to smuggle even new-style gunpowder and other military and national weapons that are related to the country's destiny, I can only uproot them, and I can't be soft!"

When Fan Jian was arrested, Cao Huan was still accompanying the queen to Nanyang. When Lu Xiangsheng told him about it, he broke out in a cold sweat and scolded the Shanxi merchants for being insane.He has been in the Tianxiong Army for a long time, and he has been in contact with various more advanced things, and his vision has also broadened a lot. He knows the power of new explosives. He dared to smuggle such things to Jiannu. Those crazy people are really sick. It's hard work.Recalling the old story, the always smiling eunuch's face also became gloomy, and he walked out with the document, came to the Jinyiwei Qianhu Office, and handed it to the local Jinyiwei Qianhu Lingyue.

After reading it, Ling Yue's expression changed.If he follows this list, he doesn't know whether the entire Shanxi business community will be uprooted. Anyway, those families in Datong can't escape. These families are his parents for food and clothing!
Cao Huan put his hands behind his back, looked up at the roof, and asked indifferently: "Why, can't you bear the filial piety that those Shanxi merchants gave you?"

After swiping, cold sweat broke out, and Ling Yue said repeatedly: "Subordinates dare not, subordinates dare not!"

Cao Huan nodded and said, "The Fan family, the Qu family, and the Chang family give you as much as 500 taels of filial piety every year, which is a lot of money. We would be reluctant to change our family."

Ling Yue knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly: "Elder-in-law, forgive me, father-in-law, forgive me!" He was frightened, he knew in his heart what good things he had done in collusion with Jin merchants, and killing his head ten times was not enough. , now Cao Huan knows exactly how much money Jin merchants give him every year, needless to say the others, he can't even bring up the courage to argue!
Cao Huan ignored him, continued to look at the roof, and said leisurely: "You don't need to be afraid, money is a good thing, everyone likes it, this place is so bitter, who doesn't want to save a sum of money and find a way out of here? Our family understands, Our family used to be more ruthless than you. However, in the past few years, our family has understood a truth. Money is a good thing, but you can only take what you deserve, otherwise you are not a thing. Look at our family Now, I have saved a net worth of 10,000+ taels of silver. I was drowned in saliva before, but now? I don’t know how many people are saying good things for our family. I wish our parents would kill the people! Why? Because of our family The money was earned in a dignified way, and besides making money, it also provided employment opportunities for more than 500 people, allowing them to have food and houses to live in, wouldn't they be grateful!" He stretched out his hand to support Ling Yue, and Literally said: "Get some snacks, and do the things that Su Yihou ordered. Our family will try to get you out of Datong, and send you a sum of money to let you go to Daming Road, do business in an upright manner, and earn clean money. How about silver?"

Ling Yue nodded heavily: "This subordinate obeys orders!"

Cao Huan stared at him, asked for the document back, tore off the signature and seal on it, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it, and said: "Our family can't trust you now, but there is no one else who can use it except you, just to be on the safe side." , can only do so.”

Ling Yue was stunned: "Elder-in-law, you..." He knew very well that if he handed over this document to Shanxi merchants, Shanxi merchants would soon be able to use their own channels to send it to the capital as evidence to sue Lu Xiangsheng fiercely. And Cao Huan tore off the seal and signature, which means that if he really betrayed Lu Xiangsheng, the dead eunuch would take the charge without hesitation!

Cao Huan smiled and said: "Su Yihou is a good man and a man who does great things, but he is too upright and has no city. Someone must guard against those villains behind him and do some dirty work, so as not to He was wounded by the wind knife and frost sword."

Ling Yue thought for a while, took out the torch and lit it, burning the entire document to ashes.

(End of this chapter)