Xia Houyuan looked at Cao Ang with a complicated expression.
Although he is a military commander.
But he also knows how to read and write, and knows some truths.
Cao Ang's words fundamentally deny the Confucian theory that the court should not compete with the people for profit.
After all, the real people have never had any benefits. Whether the court fights or not, this benefit will not reach them.
It's nothing more than standing on top and holding these people with ropes, switching back and forth between the court and the wealthy merchants.
These people are just the products of being represented.
As for Cao Ang's deeper meaning.
Xia Houyuan was even vaguely enlightened.
Throughout the ages.
Anyone who can truly base his views on the common people of the world, rather than limiting his vision to the middle and upper classes, is a wise king and a heroic leader who will go down in history.
With his nephew's attitude, he swallows mountains and seas with anger, holds countless things in his chest, and has the universe in his heart.
In addition, he is accomplished in both civil and military affairs, his vision is far-reaching, and his means and courage are far beyond those of ordinary people.
It’s hard to say that he is not a wise king and hero in the future!
Think of this.
Xia Houyuan couldn't help but feel moved in his heart.
He has never been loyal to the so-called Han Dynasty court and the Han Dynasty with the surname Liu.
The clan he loyal to and fought for has always been the clan dominated by the Cao clan and the Xiahou clan, two clans united into one.
So in his opinion.
If Cao Ang really has the opportunity to take another step forward in the future, he will step onto the ninth-five position that cannot be looked directly at.
Wouldn't the Cao family and the Xiahou family be soaring into the sky because of this, and become a big family that has been passed down for thousands of years?
However, Xia Houyuan soon suppressed these thoughts. We will talk about the future later. There are some things that we can think about but not say at this stage.
…………
Just as Xia Houyuan's thoughts were racing.
Soon, Cao Ang's voice came to my ears again.
It's just that it can be clearly perceived.
At this moment, Cao Ang's mood had calmed down and his speech was much calmer than when he was standing by the window before.
"The restructuring of this dynasty has given these Qilu aristocratic families and merchants too many conveniences. They have been controlling the mining of sea salt for generations. Even the price of salt in the world is almost always determined by their words. Something to decide."
"In this land, I don't know how many small clans have become big clans, big clans have become famous clans, and ordinary businessmen have become extremely rich because of it, becoming extremely rich in the world. The prosperity of money and land is more valuable than that of princes!"
"It is a great blessing to allow them to lie on the salt mine and enjoy it for so long and operate it for generations. However, they take it for granted and only think it is a gift from God."
"To regard my move on behalf of the imperial court to return all the salt fields to official status as a swindle and plunder is really ignorant and makes people laugh!"
After a faint mocking tone.
Cao Ang turned back from the window and returned to the house.
After walking quickly to Xia Houyuan, he immediately looked serious and gave him instructions in a solemn tone.
"Uncle, no matter who comes to the door next, they will all be blocked. Unless his status is special enough to be worth seeing, otherwise he will be closed and thank you."
…………
While saying this.
Cao Ang pointed out two fingers.
Then he talked non-stop.
"The imperial court collects local taxes. The rule is that the stronger the imperial court, the greater the tax amount. On the contrary, the weaker the imperial court is, the more taxes will be stolen and missed."
"And the salt tax is a special tax. It coincides with the chaos in the world in recent years, and Qingzhou has been displaced. The salt officials appointed by the court have long gone, so the salt that these families and salt merchants have stolen has The taxes are countless, and this cannot be covered up."
"So the first thing to do next is to take advantage of this. Anyone who refuses to cooperate in selling the salt farm to the government will be punished according to the laws promulgated by the state government. At the same time, we will go through old accounts to find out the taxes they missed. With a two-pronged approach, I will see how they run away!"
This is one.
And after folding one finger off.
Cao Ang rarely smiled again.
"When dealing with these people, we need to have both harsh and gentle methods."
"Any salt farm that is resold before the stipulated deadline will cost us five baht. Even if it is taken over at a very high price the day before the decree is promulgated, we will take it over intact to avoid Some people say that we are taking advantage of others."
"Then get ahead of others and be the first to give up the salt field and choose to leave safely without making any noise. Not only will they eat all they can, but they will also be given an extra reward. The amount is up to you, uncle."
"In this way, rewards and punishments are carried out at the same time. If there are those who are stubborn and stubbornly resist the state government's orders, then we can only blame them for their bad luck. They have to try my knife!"
Intimidating and tempting at the same time.
Directly break down the opposition’s ranks.
As long as the number of people is small, Cao Ang will be able to take action without any scruples.
………………
Mid-March.
In a luxurious mansion located in Huang County, Donglai County, several middle-aged people in rich and luxurious clothes, who looked extremely wealthy, were having a secret gathering in the study.
In line with this luxurious mansion, the study area is also quite large, and it looks full of grandeur from the outside.
And once inside, it's even more magical.
There are not many real collections of books, but rather exquisite and seemingly valuable objects, which are piled up on one shelf after another.
Compared with the interiors that are only suitable for building gorgeous and exquisite things, the faces of the people who participated in the secret gathering were particularly ugly, and they sighed one after another.
If this scene were changed to another era, I'm afraid the room would have been filled with smoke, and the floor would have been covered with cigarette boxes and cigarette butts.
"well!"
Another sigh sounded.
The silence in the study was suddenly broken, as if some clear signal had been given.
Immediately someone answered and said, "Brother Li, please stop sighing. With you as our leader, we and other clans are all looking at the Li family in Huang County."
"If you can't do anything and can only sigh here, then this time the Cao family takes away our salt farm, everything will be a foregone conclusion!"
This person's words were immediately recognized by everyone, and soon there were people on the side who followed suit.
"Brother Wang is right! The deadline set for us by the state government is the end of March, and now it is mid-March. There is only half a month left before the deadline. Such a short period of time can be said to have passed by in a flash. "
"If we don't do something, and if there is no effective way, we can only watch helplessly, and we may even have to lay down the foundation of the family with our own hands!"
"Brother Li, and everyone else, can you just sit still and endure it?"
…………
This person's shouts were immediately recognized by everyone in the study, and the voices of the first words of great momentum could be described as one after another.
After all, if he could really sit still and endure it, he wouldn't come to this secret party.
It's just compared to the excitement of the crowd.
Li Xu, the representative of the Huang County Li family who was promoted as the head of the families in Donglai County, who attended the secret gathering, couldn't help but rolled his eyes, and then shook his head.
"I can't sit still, and I can't bear it, but what can I do? There is really nothing I can do!"
"You should know that in the past half month, I have gone to see Cao Zixiu many times, just to meet him in person and intercede."
"But he was blocked every time, and no one could see him. Not to mention him, even his general Xia Houyuan, I couldn't see him."
"You know, I went there in person time and time again. I even broke my legs when I ran, but it didn't work at all. What else do you think I can do?"
Speaking of which.
Li Xu paused for a moment.
Then he looked a little gloomy again, raised his head and half looked at the ceiling, and said bitterly.
"The meaning is clear enough, that is, to be merciless and treat everyone equally."
"The most critical thing is that the salt workers in the salt factory were sent home because the offshore sea was frozen and they could not dry the salt. They could not gather together in a short period of time."
"In this case, I have no choice. If there is no other way by the end of the month, I will simply hand over the salt farm."
…………
They saw the Li family, whom they regarded as their leader.
At this moment, under Cao Ang's iron fist, there was nothing they could do and they were ready to surrender.
Frustration suddenly filled the study room.
After all, the leader has fallen, so they have nothing to resist, so they can just surrender.
Just when everyone is at a loss.
A person on the side suddenly said: "Brother Li, you said that our families will join forces and arrange for the people under them to disguise themselves as ordinary people and salt workers to cause trouble in the county government and other places. Can you delay it a little longer?"
"Gah!!!"
The words just fell.
What was waiting for him was not the enthusiastic response from the others, nor the endless discussions.
Instead, everyone looked at him with frightened eyes, and people close to him on the left and right moved their seats and desks away, as if they were worried that this person would soon have blood splattered on them.
"Brother Xu, I admit that you are brave, but you should try not to do things like seeking death."
"Even if you want to die, don't drag us with you. We just want to protect our wealth, but we don't want to risk our lives to protect it. If compared to saving our lives, then I would rather give up these salt fields, these so-called foundations."
"That's right, Brother Xu, you shouldn't have been staying at home these days, right? If you take a look in the streets, government offices, and outside the city, you will know how serious the current situation is."
"In my opinion, the Cao family's troops stationed in this city number in the thousands or even tens of thousands. If you can really mobilize the people, it's better to rely on the few people you have to disguise yourself. Then don't spill blood on the city. It’s on us.”
Listening to everyone's unanimous rebuttal.
The man named Xu retracted his words with a look of sadness on his face and retracted his original position honestly.
The scene of the Cao family leading their troops into the city.
Of course he had seen it.
Good guys, they are all elite soldiers, all wearing armor and holding weapons in their hands.
On the first day after entering the city, the county government, county government offices and other confidential locations were all under control. Military camps were set up outside the city and a large number of soldiers were stationed.
The situation is indeed as stated.
Once you dare to attack with force, you must be mentally prepared to lose your head after being investigated, or even confiscate your home and exterminate your family.
…………
The person named Xu had a bad idea.
But what was rare was that his words broke the silence in the study and tore through waves of frustration.
Soon someone took over and asked.
"Brother Li, are we the only ones still resisting now? What is the situation of the other ethnic groups? What is the attitude of the princes and princes in Muping County, Yeguo County and other places towards this matter?"
Li Xu obviously had a good grasp of the situation.
He just recalled it briefly.
He answered decisively and simply.
"The ones appearing here right now are the ones I can contact, and they haven't given up their struggle yet."
"The vast majority of the remaining small and medium-sized families, as well as the wandering merchants, have given up resistance and sold the salt farm to the government obediently. I even heard that some people received rewards from above because they sold quickly."
"In addition, there are a small number of families who are still waiting and watching. They neither choose to participate in the discussion nor agree to sell the salt farm."
Speaking of which.
Li Xu remembered the second question the man asked.
A sneer suddenly appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he snorted rather disdainfully.
"As for the princes and queens you mentioned, what use are they? I don't see them taking less benefits on weekdays. At critical moments, one shrinks faster than the other."
"Now that the imperial court is weak, people with the surname Liu only dare to shrink their heads and be human. At this time, they are more afraid of the Cao family's reputation than we are."
"There is also the Mouping Liu family, who can be regarded as the largest prince and queen in Donglai County. If they stand up and say a few words, maybe they can be of some use."
"It's a pity that the original governor of Yanzhou, Liu Dai, was from this clan. Now Yanzhou is the territory of the Cao family, and Cao Mengde is the shepherd of Yanzhou. Although the two families have no hatred, who can say for sure what will happen after the Liu family of Mouping jumps out? , will he be targeted by the Cao family and have the idea of eradicating the roots?"
…………
What he said was extremely eerie.
Conspiracy theories have been taken to the extreme.
It immediately made everyone in the study shudder.
Dang even stopped talking.
The only blame is that the Mouping Liu family was unlucky. He finally became a powerful figure, but in the end he couldn't control himself and killed himself.
Not even the family dared to raise their voices.
But what everyone doesn’t know is.
The bad luck of the Mouping Liu family will continue. Liu Yao will soon take over the position of Yangzhou Governor Chen Wen and be promoted to Yangzhou Mu.
But Yangzhou is a place that Yuan Shu has been eyeing eagerly, so how good can the consequences be for this person?
Never mind that.
It just means that everyone can't succeed with one plan, but another plan is made.
At that moment, someone pointed to the location of Changguang County on the desk map and asked with a hint of probing and hesitation.
"Then why not mobilize the strong men entrenched here? I heard that there is a man named Guan Cheng, who seems to be a powerful person. Can you let him take the lead?"
I just finished saying this.
Li Xu shook his head.
"What is called a strong man is nothing more than gathering a group of disciples and young men under his control, claiming to be a local wealthy and powerful family."
"But these people usually run rampant and tyrannical in the counties and villages. If they really provoke the Cao family's army, I think Cao Zixiu will be happy to regard these strong men as bandits and bandits, and kill them one by one as a warning to others. Serve as a warning and break our courage!"
Local tyrants like Xu Chu only play to defend their homeland and are righteous.
But there are more people like Guan Cheng who are a little bit black. In front of the regular army, such people are really just ants that can be killed at any time.
Instigate such people to jump out.
Not only does it have no positive effect.
On the contrary, it may anger Cao Ang.
So this is also a bad move.
…………
The next quarter of an hour.
Everyone's thinking can be said to be jumping in all kinds of ways.
We work together to come up with a solution that can be useful at the moment, but every time someone puts forward a suggestion, it is quickly rejected.
Until someone figured out a way.
"Brother Li, and all the wise brothers here, I have a way, you can see if it works."
"Didn't Brother Li say before that he went to visit Cao Ang many times, but was turned back without even meeting him? This not only shows that Cao Ang is determined to deal with us, but also shows that our weight is still too light."
"If we can invite a person with weight to visit Cao Ang on our behalf and intercede on our behalf, will it be of some use?"
The words just fell.
Everyone's eyes suddenly lit up.
Many people had expressions of sudden realization on their faces, feeling that they had grasped the key point.
"It makes sense. It makes sense. I wonder if you have any suitable candidates in mind?"
The person who offered the advice immediately raised his hand and said.
"The Mi family of Donghai may be able to do it!"
…………
As soon as the name came out.
Everyone's eyes suddenly filled with thoughts.
The person who made the suggestion took the initiative to explain: "The Mi family in Donghai is one of the richest people in the world. At the same time, I heard that Mi Zhu, the head of the Mi family, has now been appointed as Xuzhou Biejia. Whether in business or officialdom, his weight is greater than ours." These guys are much heavier.”
"Even if Cao Ang will not be persuaded by the Mi family, he will definitely not avoid it. It is absolutely okay to give them a chance to speak."
"At the same time, the people of the Mi family also have a salt mining business. Although most of them are in Xuzhou and other places, we are essentially in the same boat. After all, who knows whether official salt will spread to the north and south in the future?"
"So they naturally have the attitude to speak for us. This is our last chance to stand up and give it a try. If we still fail, then everyone should stop racking their brains and just donate salt to the fields with peace of mind."
Such a detailed explanation.
Immediately everyone cheered.
After carefully analyzing the feasibility of the matter, it was confirmed that the Mi family was qualified and would most likely be willing to help them.
Everyone immediately planned to send someone to the Mi family to invite someone, as a last chance to make a comeback!
As for whether Cao Ang will accept this or not.
Then no one can control it.
It's just a try, if even the Mi family doesn't have any chance to stand up.
The worst case scenario is to sell the salt farm and return to the traditional powerful landowner practice of buying fields and land. I think it can be passed down from generation to generation.
…………
Monthly ticket recommendation ticket
(End of chapter)
