Really--in the mafia headquarters, four guards sit opposite each other like sculptures. It wasn't until the sound of the secret door closing above came from the copper pipes on the wall, and the lingering sound lingered, that Xuanwu slowly spoke: "It seems that they have made a choice. If it weren't for the fact that this discussion is so important today, it must be We have to refer to the movements of the fake mafia before making a decision, and we will not take the risk of reuniting here. Now, do you have anything to say?"
Suzaku said coldly: "Liu Yu finally has a chance to realize his long-cherished wish. This is what he has always arranged. He deliberately left the northern part of the Yangtze River undefended and attracted the Nanyan cavalry to attack, so that he would have an excuse to attack. And through the war, he further implemented militarized management in Jiangbei and Wu, compressing and controlling the estates under the name of the aristocratic family. Humph, he was not the only one to do this, even Liu Yi saw it and did it too!"
Bai Hu smiled slightly: "Why, Lord Suzaku, are you worried about your family's manor? But in the past few years, haven't you occupied a lot of new land in Jiangbei? Ordinarily you won't suffer any loss."
Zhuque said bitterly: "Give some small profits first, and then seize the big power. Just as Liu Yi said just now, this is called boiling frogs in warm water. Now Xie Hun and the other children of the aristocratic family have lost their apparent political decision-making power and all government orders. Are they all produced by the Jingba Party, or are they made secretly like a fake mafia? Is this a good thing?"
Qinglong said calmly: "There is no way, the current rules are like this, you have to show your merits to get a title or an official position. It's not like the old family tradition where father's business is inherited by son, father's job is inherited by son, so even Yu Yuedu rushed to join the army. Liu Yi was afraid that more and more children from aristocratic families would turn to Liu Yu's side, so he became ruthless and refused to allow other children from aristocratic families to follow. He secured a position to guard the rear and transport food and troops to the front line. The power is also considered as credit, although it is not as good as fighting directly, but it can still earn credit for many children of the aristocratic family, and this gives me the confidence."
Suzaku said solemnly: "Then if this is the case, when will our family regain power? I am here to discuss important matters with everyone, not to make myself more and more disappointed!"
Xuanwu smiled slightly: "Master Suzaku, please be patient. I think things are slowly getting better. Haven't you noticed? Compared with previous years, the situation has slowly reversed."
Suzaku said disdainfully: "Reversal? Reversal of what? I only see that our power and our living space are getting smaller and smaller. In the past, the Qiu Ba people had to give some face to the family, and the position of chief assistant was given to Wang Mi. If people like this come to sit, they can simply leave it empty now.”
Xuanwu shook his head: "That's not the case, Master Zhuque, you can't regard the power in the world as the official position in the court. To be honest, it was because of this kind of thinking that the aristocratic families slowly lost their power. You understand What do I mean?"
Qinglong's eyes flashed: "Master Xuanwu, do you mean to control the military? But this is the weakest thing for the children of our family. When it comes to fighting, how can it compare with the martial arts who have been strong since childhood and practiced killing people?"
Xuanwu smiled slightly: "No, I didn't say military power. Now this is the same as the court power when the family was in the world. Don't think about it. We are going to take another path."
Bai Hu laughed: "What Lord Xuanwu is talking about, he should be referring to those places, the power at the grassroots level, just like Liu Yu was the Li Zheng of Jingkou back then."
Xuanwu said sternly: "That's right, I'll make you faint if I say it."
Suzaku curled up his lips in disdain: "I wonder what kind of incredible power it is. After working for a long time, it turns out that he is this kind of official who collects rent and taxes. What is there to envy? To let the children of such a noble family like us , To be those Li Zheng, Qiu Kui, that is an insult. Couldn't we just send a steward to handle this kind of thing in the past? "
Xuanwu sighed: "If Master Zhuque always thinks like this, then we will never be able to regain the lost power. In the past, these village officials could just send a steward to collect rent. No one dared to disobey. But is it still okay now? Nowadays, in large areas, those warriors who have returned home after receiving military honors are serving as officials, and even the policemen need some civilians with military honors. Do you think anyone will send a housekeeper to collect rent? Listen to your orders? Even the land is no longer ours. They only need to be responsible to the court and the country that allocated their land."
Suzaku gritted his teeth: "So, we have to find a way to take over the land from the Qiu Ba people. These people are not very good at governance. Now our action of taking over or renting the land is relatively smooth. Liu Yi's cooperation with us has also Mostly in this aspect.”
Xuanwu's eyes flashed coldly: "Liu Yi wants those who follow him, whether they are descendants of aristocratic families or Jingkou warriors, to be allocated newly occupied land in Wu and Jiangbei, and then let these people manage it, while he only Taking a small part of the rent, so that the small amount adds up to more, and his resources will become more and more. Moreover, in the name of the country, collecting rent from the people is an honest matter, unlike the high-ranking families in the past. Store the grain in his own warehouse and settle the population. In this way, he will have grain and soldiers, and the manor owners in these places will be grateful to him and let him run it for ten or eight years. Then Yangzhou will follow Huan Wen Just like Jingzhou back then, his surname will always be Liu."
Suzaku frowned: "So, Liu Yi is a more dangerous enemy than Liu Yu? And he is wearing the skin of an ally to make us lose our vigilance?"
Xuanwu nodded: "Yes, in my opinion, that's the case. Although Liu Yu openly opposed the aristocratic family and proposed this system of merit and nobility, he would not rashly seize the title in Wudi, the place where the aristocratic family has the deepest roots. In the past few years, he has been enclosing land in previously undeveloped places like Jiangbei and implementing his various new policies. Now he is going to the north to conquer Southern Yan, and I am afraid it will go further and further north in the future. Even if he makes troubles, he will still follow us, Wu Di Lao The aristocratic family has little to do with it, but Liu Yi, huh, today he finally exposed his ambitions, what he really wants is to be the leader of the aristocratic family, and he wants to be Cao Cao!"
Qinglong's expression changed: "Does Liu Yi still have disobedience and wants to usurp the throne?"
Xuanwu nodded: "This man's character is that he will not be inferior to anyone, even to Liu Yu. He is capable of both literary and military skills, and is cruel and ruthless. He almost doesn't care about the bottom line when doing things. He is exactly like Cao Cao, a peerless tycoon like Huan Wen. , if he is really allowed to overthrow Liu Yu, he will definitely follow Huan Xuan's old path. I advise everyone to have a clear understanding of this. In the past, he cooperated with the aristocratic family because of lack of strength. He needs help to deal with Liu Yu, but now, the role of the aristocratic family to him has become smaller and smaller. Even Xie Hun and Xi Sengshi can only be regarded as his subordinates, not allies. I think he will have new ones soon. What a move! There will be new friends!"
