After sending Hu Qi away, the two of them were silent for a while, and then Wei Huai spoke. He held up the cane and said slowly: "Wan Dang did this to force us to fight him to the death."
After Xia Yuanlong heard this, he stood up resolutely: "If they can't accommodate the academy, the worst they can do is fight against them! Although they have no soldiers and no power, they have the support of so many people behind them! Mr. Wei, as long as you give a shout, the people will surely They responded in droves and stormed the government offices in the name of redressing the injustice of Zhenjiang President Song, vowing not to give in and see what the party would do to us!"
Wei Huai's eyes showed hesitation, he scratched the ground with his crutch for a long time, and sighed: "Zhenjiang has learned from the past. If we resist the law again, even if there are tens of millions of people, it will be difficult for us to succeed. Moreover, Ye Tinglong loves the New Deal and has repeatedly saved people." I am in the midst of fire and water, and I really can’t bear to drag him down.”
Xia Yuanlongfu raised his hands and admonished: "The situation in Zhenjiang is different from here. First, the public opinion there has not been accumulated, and a group of people suddenly came, and it always takes time to adapt; second, Zhenjiang is an old and small town, and the academies that are difficult to develop are weak and weak. , and encountering such a powerful enemy as the Mainland Party, it will naturally collapse easily. But it has been five or six years since the three of us joined forces and took root in Nanjing. The people have benefited from the favorable government, and they have rescued you from prison on a large scale, and you are with the academy. The feelings are very deep, and I respect you as much as my sages. In this way, it will be even more difficult for the government to control the situation and stabilize the people's hearts. As for Ye Yongjia, he is not happy to see your husband retreat lightly, right?"
Wei Huai heard that his analysis was quite reasonable, so he slightly stretched his eyebrows, stamped his feet, and gritted his teeth: "I, Wei Huai, have never been afraid, and I only worry about the future of the academy. Now that Ren Ying has made it clear, let's press Do what you say. But Wei's ability is limited, and he is afraid of causing more trouble and ruining the plan... In this way, let Yuanlong handle it by yourself."
"Yuan Long must shoulder the heavy responsibility to repay the kindness entrusted to him by the alliance leader!" After saying that, he half-knelt forward and bowed without any explanation.
With a smile on his face, Wei Huai quickly stretched out his hand: "We are like brothers and sisters. There is no need to talk about grudges. We just need to work together to resist the enemy and survive this hard time!"
Yuan Long hurriedly stood up and said, "You foolish brother is so eager for a moment, so don't blame the people."
After receiving the news of Hu Qi's return, Wan Heshun, who was full of joy, did not realize that the negotiation had broken down. Xia Yuanlong conveyed Wei Huai's intention to the entire Literary League at this time, causing quite a stir. Rather than being a sensation, it is better to say that it has brought vitality to the academy, which has been quiet for a long time, making all colleagues in the academy happy and excited. The fight they had been looking forward to, which would not lead to compromise, finally began.
After the excitement, they still need to calm down and discuss further countermeasures with Xia Vice Meng, that is, implementation issues. Xia Yuanlong synthesized several feasible opinions and believed that he should continue to obey all parties and expand the New Deal to avoid suspicion; secretly, he distributed "Xing Yao" to the people and set up a corner of the academy as a lecture hall to promote the New Deal every day. , to unite the people's hearts, attract people, and wait until the time is right to catch the government off guard.' Colleagues were convinced and couldn't wait to take action. They all expressed their approval and officially started to act according to the plan.
The failure of Ji Yongshou Tian deeply disappointed the people of Nanjing. When their lonely mood could not be relieved, they seemed to cheer up after seeing a notice. The notice is also very eye-catching:
"In response to the letter sent by the Imperial College's Jiu Weihuai, the government will use the power of the academy to implement the new policy of 'reducing and merging nuclear fields' to benefit the people."
This so-called "reduction and merging of land" is very different from the previous calculation of land use. It is to calculate the number of acres of land owned by each major landowner and whether it can be compared with the account books. If there is someone who has misappropriated the land without signing a contract or reporting it to the official, that is, Returned land will be returned to the original owner, and if there is no one to claim it, it will be given to poor farmers.
That group of squires had always been domineering. When the people saw this new policy, they all applauded and rekindled their thoughts about the new policy. They all said that they must be punished.
Wan He took advantage of the situation to persuade a group of wealthy gentry, saying nothing more than "Wei Huai's previous envoys were hypocritical, but they really wanted to benefit the princes. Just imagine that Tian Yi was taken over and the clan was weak. How could they control the villagers and protect their ancestral property?" ? I didn’t want everyone to fall into the quagmire, but now that the decree has been issued, it’s too late to regret it. You should take care of yourself and don’t blame others!”
Seeing the seriousness of what he said, the squires were as frightened as tigers. They all sighed and howled, crying to heaven and earth. Of course they did not want to sit still and wait for death, and sent hundreds of letters to the government, begging for forgiveness of their sins. The officials were also frightened by this situation, and they were filled with indignation. They scolded Wei Huai for meddling in his own business and ruining his family's reputation. They all began to hate him to the bone.
Xia Yuanlong saw this sign, so he hurriedly sent people to the bookstalls to sell "Xing Yao". Because this "Xing Yao" did not cost passers-by a penny, and it was written by Mr. Wei, there was a rush to get it, and it was all sold out in a short time. Xia Yuanlong rushed to send people to print and distribute the new books. He simply took a wooden cart to hold them and pushed them to Lishe Bridge and other places for distribution. In three or four hours, they were all distributed. When someone came back from inquiring about the news, they said that Mr. Wei had left the city and started measuring the land. Xia Yuanlong knew that it was not too late to act and let out a heavy breath.
In addition, a simple lecture hall was built in the northeast corner of the academy. Fearing that the government would know about it, it was hidden next to the warehouse in the corner. It opened during the day and covered the door with wooden boards at night. The street in front of it was still a haunt for people from the city. , so he started speaking quietly, and gradually a small number of fifty people gathered.
That night, Wei Huai finally returned to the academy in a sedan chair. When he saw Xia Yuanlong sleeping in the back room, he quickly lit an oil lamp and came to his bed.
Yuan Long was sleeping soundly and felt heat on his cheeks. When he opened his eyes, it was Wei Huai who was breathing heavily and holding a lamp. The two looked at each other and smiled.
"There's a curfew outside? Aren't you going back home?" Xia Yuanlong lifted the quilt, sat up, and took a coat.
Wei Huai sat aside and put down the lamp: "Don't worry, I just came back from doing business, and there is a lantern from the Imperial College on the sedan chair. The patrolmen won't check it."
"That's good." Xia Yuanlong put on his clothes, but still felt cold, and leaned against the lamp again, "How is the progress of the nuclear field?"
Wei Huai beat his legs and said, "It's okay. The few small households I asked today had many problems, but few dared to make trouble or deny it, so they all handed over their fields. We will check the big households tomorrow, but Those people are going to die. How are you doing here?"
"Wan Heshun has been sending people through the city gate all day long. Those who are not on the same road as you are trying to incite the emotions of the wealthy gentry and make them move closer to anti-New Deal. So I started distributing books and opening lectures in advance. They were all successful and no one noticed for the time being. "After Xia Yuanlong said that, he looked into the distance worriedly.
