scourge the qing dynasty

Chapter 124
(PS: Once again, I wish all my friends a happy Mid-Autumn Festival in advance and ask for a monthly ticket. I will inform my friends casually, because tomorrow Pure Wolf will go to my parents’ house to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Tomorrow’s update, Pure Wolf can only be said to be my best effort. If you have to ask for leave, Pure Wolf It will also be notified in a single chapter.)
When the first snow fell in the capital, the turmoil of Wu Sangui's private casting of Hongyi cannons finally came to an end. Given that there is no direct evidence, it is impossible to prove that the two Hongyi cannons seized by Gan Wenkun were illegally cast by Wu Sangui. The Qing court had no choice but to accept Wu Sangui's explanation and ruled that the two Hongyi cannons were refurbished old cannons—it was only because the refurbishment was so good that Gan Wenkun mistook them for new cannons.These two 'refurbished' cannons were also used by Xiao Mazi under the excuse that the refurbishment technology was too good to be learned, and they stayed in the capital for the Beijing Cannon Casting Bureau to study and study, and did not return them to Wu Sangui.

In addition, in order to further verify the firearms and equipment of Wu Sangui's army, and to contain Wu Sangui's military development, Xiao Mazi sent Mingzhu's nephew, the minister of the guard, and the imperial guard with a sword Wu Dan as an imperial envoy to Wu Sangui's army to reward Western soldiers. With a hundred muskets and a thousand pairs of bows, they took the opportunity to find out the truth and the true military situation of Wu Sangui's army.Although this move will definitely not have much effect, at least it can grasp the first-hand information, and at the same time give Wu Sangui a warning in disguise, warning Wu Sangui not to do whatever he wants, implying that the emperor has been staring at him—— Under the current situation where Oboi is severely constrained, this is the strongest sound that Xiao Mazi can make.

When the second snow fell in the capital, the Eight Banners Fushou Cream Shop secretly manipulated by the Pingxi Palace set off firecrackers to celebrate the opening of the No. 30 branch of the Eight Banners Fushou Cream Shop. All of them were replaced with the new Eight Banners Fushou Ointment produced in Yunnan this year for sale, and among the more than [-] bannermen in Beijing, more than [-] bannermen fell in love with this panacea from the bottom of their hearts, and scrambled to get the panacea that they had just received from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The grains and rice that arrives are sent to these drug stores, and they are exchanged for wisps of green smoke that is inhaled into the lungs, enjoying the supreme pleasure of being immortal.

Also addicted to drugs are Baqi Banner Ding from his hometown in Northeast China, as well as their family members, parents and brothers. The climate in Northeast China is cold, the land is sparsely populated, and the life of Banner people is monotonous. There are almost no entertainment facilities. The speed is inevitably faster.Also addicted are the Han officials and wealthy merchants in the capital, as well as the Eight Banners Manchus, Han landlords, rich salt merchants, officials and generals in major cities in the south of the Yangtze River.

The money from the capital, the money from the northeast, the money from the south of the Yangtze River, and the money from the West flow into Yunnan and Guizhou like the tide.The calls from the Qing court to impose heavy taxes on the Eight Banners Fushou Gao are growing louder, and there are also calls for the Pingxi Palace to release the control of the Eight Banners Fushou Gao, so that other provinces can also have the opportunity to plant the Eight Banners Fushou Gao to get rid of poverty and become rich. , Inside and outside the Great Wall, the sound shook the sky.

It is a pity and of course that Wu Sangui is not that stupid, even if Wu Sangui agrees, Wu Sangui's gang of wolves and hungry tigers will definitely not agree.In the Pingxi Palace, the call for Yunnan and Guizhou to be independent and get rid of the control of the Qing court is also quietly sounding.

The eyes of envy have spread all over China, the eyes of greed and jealousy have also flooded the government and the public, the seeds of hatred have sprouted, the existing contradictions are intensifying, and the gunpowder of the conflicts has also been accumulating, where is the fuse of the explosion?Will it be ignited again on that day?

Wu Sangui and his think tank were thinking about this problem, Obai was also thinking about it, and Xiao Mazi was thinking about it even more.But at this time, the time for the civil servants and generals in Yunnan and Guizhou to change their three-year term has come, and the time for the three-year term of the cronies promoted after Xiao Mazi took office has also arrived. Wu Sangui, Obai and Xiao Mazi The personnel dispute also gradually kicked off.

The first conflict in the personnel dispute between Xiao Mazi and Obai was of course Mo Luo, the governor of Shanxi Province. Everyone rides on the head of the Han people to control the central government and local government.This is actually a conflict between Oboi and Xiao Mazi's ruling ideas. Let's not talk about him for now, but the personnel conflict between Xiao Mazi and Wu Sangui is actually a conflict over who will control the military and political power in the Southwest.

It's also why Wu Sangui didn't fight with Xiao Mazi on this matter. In just a few months, the three-year term of office was about to expire. There were actually governors of Yunnan Lin Tianqing, governors of Guizhou Tong Fengcai, and governors of Sichuan Zhang Dedi who were closely related to Yunnan and Guizhou. Three crucial local officials, as well as a large number of local guards, including Wang Fuchen, the general soldier of Youzhen in Yunnan, Tian Jinxue, the general soldier of Yongbei in Yunnan, the general soldier of Weining, Guizhou, the general soldier of Zhenyuan and the general soldier of Qianxi, etc. During this period of time, if Wu Sangui does not compete with Xiao Mazi, he will wait to be swallowed alive by Xiao Mazi.

Tong Fengcai, the incompetent governor of Guizhou, of course has to go away—Xiao Mazi and Wu Sangui are both seriously dissatisfied with him, and Cao Shenji, the servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, replaced him—this is a typical white-eyed wolf. Guizhou went to monitor Wu Sangui, but Wu Yingxiong sniffed out the news for some reason. Wu Sangui had already worked hard on him secretly and turned him into his own. So after Xiao Mazi decided to let him be the governor of Guizhou, Wu Sangui said Protesting on the Internet, but the stomach is already stealing joy.

Compared with Tong Fengcai, it was Lin Tianqing, governor of Yunnan, who made Xiao Mazi more dissatisfied and furious. Back then, Xiao Mazi abandoned his promising Li Tianyu and chose Lin Tianqing because Lin Tianqing sold Wu Sangui on the issue of salary. Xiao Mazi felt that It is rare for a talent to choose him as the governor of Yunnan. However, after three years in his term, he not only failed to monitor and constrain Wu Sangui, but also helped Wu Sangui make Yunnan rich and powerful, allowing Wu Sangui to earn enough money. With the money to expand the military, Xiao Mazi has the heart to eat him alive, so how can he be allowed to continue working in the position of governor of Yunnan?
Some friends will definitely say that Yunnan's becoming so rich is mainly due to the Eight Banners drug, and it is also the fault of Fatty Lu. Why does Xiao Mazi not hate Fatty Lu, but hate Lin Tianqing instead?Here I want to explain that our County Magistrate Lu planted the Eight Banners Fushou Gao in Qujing just to make life easier for the common people in Qujing. He never thought that the Eight Banners Fushou Gao would be so powerful that it could reverse Yunnan and Guizhou’s self-sufficiency in food and wages in one fell swoop. The passive situation is an unintentional mistake.

Afterwards, our County Magistrate Lu also regretted it very much. The first time he wanted to donate the seeds of the Eight Banners Fushou Gao to Xiao Mazi, it was only because of various accidents that Wu Sangui took advantage of it—this was personally proved by Gan Wenkun, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou. .Moreover, in order to oppose Wu Sangui's monopoly of the Eight Banners drug seeds, the county magistrate Lu was slapped by Wu Sangui's son-in-law Hu Guozhu, so although Xiao Mazi was seriously dissatisfied, he really couldn't find any excuse to blame Lu Fatty—Xiao Mazi You shouldn't blame Fatty Lu for not benefiting the common people, right?What did the world think of Xiao Mazi that day?

Compared with Fatty Lu who knows his mistakes and can correct them, Lin Zhongcheng is a bit too serious. When Fatty Lu was fighting against Wu Sangui with his seventh rank, Lin Zhongcheng didn't even dare to fart, let alone stand with Fatty Lu. They fought against Wu Sangui together, watched Hu Guozhu slap Fatty Lu on the ear, and watched Wu Sangui pocket the precious Eight Banners drug seeds.Afterwards, Lin Zhongcheng also tried his best to help Wu Sangui expand the planting of the Eight Banners drug ointment, and helped Wu Sangui monopolize the cultivation of the Eight Banners drug ointment (this is a bit unfair, Lin Zhongcheng just dared not object), and watched Wu Sangui's crazy expansion of armaments.

Under such circumstances, although our Lin Zhongcheng very much hopes to continue to use his spare heat to serve as the governor of Yunnan, Wu Sangui has no objection, but our little pockmarked emperor refuses to do anything. He decided to let Lin Zhongcheng go home for the elderly, and change to a more loyal and obedient lackey to go to Yunnan to watch Wu Sangui, restrain and contain Wu Sangui's armament expansion.So naturally, under the influence of Fatty Lu's wings, Xiao Mazi thought about the rotation of the governor of Yunnan more than a year earlier than in history.

Although the idea is good, it is not so easy to find a loyal and obedient lackey who is not afraid of Wu Sangui's despotic power. Xiao Mazi has considered several replacement candidates, but after some tests, he found that these people are either old with Wu Sangui or courageous. Relatively small, I'm afraid he can't handle Wu Sangui's threats and temptations, or because he has too little experience, he may not be able to fight the old fox Wu Sangui when he arrives in Yunnan. Appropriate, as long as he is a Manchu, sending him to Yunnan as a governor would definitely offend Aobai, and the gain outweighs the loss.

Just when Xiao Mazi was having a hard time thinking about this matter, Xiong Cilu, the new favorite academician of the Imperial Academy and lecturer of Jingyan, recommended a person to him, saying: "Your Majesty, why don't you think about the candidate for governor of Yunnan?" The Han army is from the Yellow Banner, Zhu Guozhi who once served as the governor of Jiangsu?"

"Zhu Guozhi?" Xiao Mazi was stunned for a while, and then said angrily, "Nonsense, that Zhu Baidi who was demoted five ranks in a row, what qualifications does he have to be the governor of Yunnan?"

"Your Majesty, it is true that Zhu Guozhi was downgraded five ranks in a row because of the case of dismissal and the crying temple case, and his official reputation is also extremely bad, because he was named Zhu Baidi because of his excessive corruption. But I hope that the emperor does not use his virtue, nor does he use him. His ability - but to use his greed, and use his courage!" Xiong Cilu smiled and said something that made Xiao Mazi dumbfounded.

"Use his greed, use his guts?" Xiao Mazi was a little confused.

"Your Majesty, please think about it, what would happen if a corrupt official like Zhu Guozhi arrived in Yunnan?" Xiong Ci said happily, "Now Yunnan is full of golden mountains and silver seas. When others go there, they may not dare to mess around because they are afraid of Wu Sangui, but who is Zhu Guozhi? After arriving in Yunnan, he will be polite? He will not seize the opportunity to become greedy, make Yunnan a miasma, and make Wu Sangui feel helpless quiet?"

"Also, the most precious and important seeds of the Eight Banners Fushou Gao in Wu Sangui's hands. Others are afraid of Wu Sangui and dare not sell them privately. Zhu Guozhi will treat him politely? Although Zhu Guozhi's theft and sale of the Eight Banners Fushou Gao seeds will not be of much benefit to the court, but these seeds Being exiled to other provinces, wouldn't that weaken Wu Sangui in a disguised form? Given time, after a large number of plants are planted in other provinces, will the Eight Banners Fushou Ointment in Wu Sangui's hands be as valuable as it is now?"

"So...it makes sense." Xiao Mazi began to be tempted. It doesn't matter if an upright official goes to Yunnan, and it doesn't matter if a capable minister goes to Yunnan. Why not let a well-known corrupt official go to Yunnan to fight Wu Sangui? It is not certain that it will receive miraculous effects.But after thinking about it carefully, Xiao Mazi hesitated again, and said: "The question is, after Zhu Guozhi arrived in Yunnan, would he have the courage to fight Wu Sangui? Also, Zhu Guozhi's reputation as an official is so bad that Yunnan is full of complaints." what to do?"

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten? Zhu Guozhi is not even afraid of Zheng Chenggong for money, let alone a mere Wu Sangui?" Xiong Cilu said with a smile: "During the Shunzhi period, Zheng Chenggong's navy repeatedly violated the coastal areas of Jiangsu. As a result, only after Zhu Guozhi took office, under the pretext of building fortifications along the coast to defend against Zheng Chenggong's navy, he took the risk to go to the coast to supervise the work in person, and took the opportunity to embezzle more than half of the coastal defense work funds, but inadvertently played my Eight Banners bow horse With the advantages of cavalry and archery, Zheng Chenggong harassed the coast several times but was blocked by his piers, which won the time for reinforcements from our Qing cavalry, and finally forced Zheng Chenggong to withdraw from Jiangsu."

"As for causing complaints in Yunnan." Xiong Cilu said lightly: "According to the information we have, the cultivation of the Eight Banners Fushou cream in Yunnan is mostly concentrated in the domains directly controlled by Wu Sangui, and the tenant farmers of Wu Sangui's descendants Most of the folk planters are concentrated in the Qujing area. Wu Sangui did not allow too many people in other prefectures to plant too much in order not to cause the price to drop due to the over-planting of Baqi Fushou Gao, and to facilitate control and management. This is It is said that after Zhu Guozhi arrived in Yunnan, he would only focus on Wu Sangui's descendants, not ordinary people in other prefectures -- Yunnan is so poor that Zhu Guozhi can't get it if he wants to."

Speaking of this, Xiong Cilu added with a smile, "Even if Zhu Guozhi really caused Yunnan to complain and had to take care of it, the emperor will make him rectify the law of the country? Such a person, there is no need to die. My heart hurts, the emperor can take the opportunity to win over some people in Yunnan and Guizhou, wouldn't it be perfect?"

Xiao Mazi was even more moved. After thinking for a long time, Xiao Mazi decided: "How about this, you can tell the Ministry of Rites to arrange it, and find any excuse to let Zhu Guozhi come to the palace to meet him, so that I can see with my own eyes how good he is. There is no need to say any more."

"I obey the decree." Xiong Cilu respectfully agreed, but he did not rush down to deliver the decree, and took advantage of the rare opportunity that Suo'etu and Mingzhu were not by Xiao Mazi's side, and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, when it comes to Baqi Fushou Hey, I suddenly thought of Lu Yifeng, the magistrate of Qujing County, Mr. Lu—if I remember correctly, in February next year, Mr. Lu will be serving for three years, right?"

"That's right." Xiao Mazi nodded, and said casually: "Gan Wenkun has come to report, saying that Lu Yifeng is diligent in his job, the prison case is clear, and he has been ranked first in Yunnan and Guizhou in the performance appraisal of the Ministry of Officials for three consecutive years. He recommended Lu Yifeng to be promoted to the prefect of Qujing on the spot. Zhang Gaomo, the former prefect of Qujing, was transferred to other provinces."

"Then I dare to ask, what does the emperor think about this? Does he plan to let Lu Yifeng take over as the prefect of Qujing on the spot?" Xiong Cilu asked.

"Why are you asking this?" Xiao Mazi was a little alert, and said: "I know that you and Kong Sizhen are very close, so maybe she wants you to do something to Lu Aiqing again? I can warn you in advance that Lu Aiqing is mine. Minister of Humerus, you'd better not speak ill of him in front of me, or don't blame me for not giving you face."

"Your majesty misunderstood, of course I dare not frame Lord Lu at will." Xiong Cilu denied it, and said: "I just want to ask the emperor if he can further reuse Lord Lu, for example, directly promote him to Taoism. Take office in Taiwan, or even be directly promoted to the office of ordinary or vassal Taiwan? Let him benefit more Qing people?"

"I have plans to continue to use Lu Aiqing again, but the current situation does not allow it." Xiao Mazi felt relieved and said, "Qujing is the throat of Yunnan and Guizhou, and it is also the first line of defense against Wu Sangui's change. If this place is under control, If there is a change, I and Gan Wenkun can buy precious time to respond, and I don’t feel at ease if I don’t put a loyal and capable minister like Lu Aiqing there. So I have no choice but to continue to wrong Lu Aiqing.”

"The emperor still wants to keep Fatty Lu in Qujing." Xiong Cilu's heart sank, knowing that the worst prediction had really happened.But Xiong Cilu was not in a hurry, he just peeked at Xiao Mazi's face, and said more cautiously: "Your Majesty, since Qu Jing is so important, and Lord Lu's responsibility is so great, why doesn't your majesty consider testing Lord Lu again? Look at Lu Is your lord worthy of a further important task?"

"Test Lu Aiqing again?" Xiao Mazi was a little surprised, and asked, "Why do you need to test? How?"

"Your Majesty, there is a very strange thing about my minister." Xiong Cilu said unhurriedly: "Why did Wu Fan's army suddenly think of casting artillery and developing firearms after Mr. Lu arrived at Wu Fan's place? Fan relies on the Eight Banners drug cream to make a lot of money and has ample money, but why is Wu Fan's first firearms camp not located in Kunming? Why should it be located in Qujing Prefecture?"

Xiong Cilu's words just hit Xiao Mazi's vital point. Xiao Mazi, who had doubts about this for a long time, frowned slightly, and his doubts inevitably deepened.Xiong Cilu looked at his words and took the opportunity to say: "Of course, this is not ruled out to be a coincidence. Lord Lu has also repeatedly stated that he knows nothing about firearms. When he said that he helped Wu Fan forge firearms, I was the first one not to believe it! ——However, your majesty, you also know that Mr. Lu is too proficient in Western learning. The Eight Banners drug cream and glass mirror made in Qujing are a sensation in the world. Firearms help, so what?"

Xiao Mazi frowned even tighter, and said after a while: "Continue talking."

"I obey the order." Xiong Cilu agreed, and said: "In view of these circumstances, I think, why not take the opportunity of Lord Lu's three-year term to carefully test Lord Lu's loyalty to the emperor, and observe Wu Fan's reaction, if Lord Lu passes this test, the emperor can naturally use him further, but if Lord Lu fails this test, there is still time to make remedies."

"How to test?" Xiao Mazi said calmly.

"Let Mr. Lu be promoted to a higher level and transferred out of Yungui." Xiong Cilu saw that the time had come, and he said firmly: "After the emperor promulgates this imperial decree, it is a great grace to let him be promoted and transferred. If Mr. Lu is really He has nothing to do with the Wufan Firearms Camp, so he will definitely obey the order and lead the order to take up the post. It will not be too late to transfer Master Lu back to Qujing to serve as the prefect until the second half of next year when Zhang Gaomo, the prefect of Qujing, will serve as the prefect. If you entrust him with further important tasks, you can rest assured."

"But what if Master Lu refuses to accept the order." Xiong Cilu's voice suddenly turned cold, "For example, Wu Fan intervenes and forces Master Lu to stay in Yunnan and Qujing, or Master Lu resigns from his official position and insists on staying in Yunnan. ——Then it should be clear whether Wu Fan's firearms battalion has any connection with Mr. Lu?"

Xiao Mazi was even more silent. After a long time, Xiao Mazi suddenly said: "In your opinion, where should Lu Aiqing be transferred?"

"Okay, the emperor is finally tempted." Xiong Cilu was overjoyed, and quickly said: "As far as I know, the magistrate of Daxing County, Gyeonggi Province has reported to Ding You as usual because of his father's death. My lord fills in this gap? Maybe after Mr. Lu arrives in Daxing County, he will use his western learning ability to create a way of making money for the people of Daxing, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

"Well, let's do it this way." Xiao Mazi made up his mind and ordered: "You go to the Ministry of Officials to deliver an order, and the Ministry of Officials draws up a bill to let Lu Aiqing be promoted to two ranks to make up for the real shortage of magistrate in Daxing County. Also, replace him I have prepared a secret decree for Gan Wenkun, asking him to keep an eye on Wu Fan and Lu Aiqing's reaction to this matter."

"My minister obeys the decree." Xiong Cilu was overjoyed, kowtowed his head and agreed, and added viciously in his heart: "My surname is Lu, you still haven't shown your fox tail this time?! Even if you see through my intentions, Deliberately taking office in Daxing County, waiting for the opportunity to return to Yunnan——under our noses, without the protection of old Wu Sangui, isn't it something we can do if we want to round you up?!"

(End of this chapter)