The garden is quiet at night, with a gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of vegetation. There were insects chirping in the grass around me, and a few bats were flying in the night sky. A round moon in the sky hangs quietly, casting a cool light.
Wang Ruohai and Lu Qing sat opposite each other, with several fruits and a pot of wine on the table in the middle.
It had been two or three days since they returned to Xinye City, and they were bored. They ordered a bottle of wine at night and drank and chatted.
After drinking for a while, Wang Ruohai suddenly said: "Lieutenant, what do you think of Wang Xiaolie?"
Lu Qing said: "I heard about him when I was in Kaifeng Mansion. At that time, all the armies were defeated, but he was the only one who broke up the rear. From Yong'an to Gongxian, it can be said that he won consecutive battles. In Kaifeng Mansion, he held the barracks tightly and could not It seems that others are causing trouble. Later, when he came to Henan Prefecture, he was quite respectful to me. He came to guard Ruzhou and defeated Yang Jin in just a few months. It was not easy."
Wang Ruohai nodded: "It's not just simple! To be honest, Lieutenant, I have seen his actions in the past few days, and there are few generals everywhere who can compare with him. Not only does he lead troops in a disciplined manner, he also governs The local government also has many ideas. Although I don’t know how he can make money to support the army without collecting money from farmers. But it is already very remarkable to be exempted from exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes and to know the suffering of the people."
Lu Qing said: "Yes, there are many generals who lead troops who are brave and good, but there are not many who know how to govern a place."
Wang Ruohai picked up the wine glass and drank a glass of wine with Lu Qing. After a moment of silence, he said: "It's just that Wang Xiaolie followed his own temper in several states and made reckless changes regardless of the court's laws. In my opinion, it is difficult to say that he is a loyal and good minister."
After hearing this, Lu Qing was stunned. He is a military commander and does not think about it from this angle at all. Wang Ruohai mentioned it and thought about it again. It was indeed the case. From the look on Wang Xiaolie's face, he had the final say in all military affairs and had no thought of the imperial court.
Seeing that Lu Qing was silent, Wang Ruohai said: "Now that the Jin army comes south from time to time, and there are civil strife in the court, it is normal for the generals who lead the troops to have their own ideas. As long as they do not take refuge with the Jin people, they will always be loyal ministers of the Song Dynasty."
Lu Qing was a little confused and nodded. He really hadn't thought about this issue. When Wang Ruohai mentioned it, he didn't know what to say. After a while, he said: "Wang Xiaolie was originally from King Qin's army and fought many deadly battles with the Jin army. There is no need to worry about him joining the Jin army."
Wang Ruohai nodded, not knowing what to say for a moment. In the past two or three years, are there still few people who have surrendered to the Jin? Many of them were former loyal ministers of the imperial court, but in the end they surrendered to the Jin people. How can you explain this kind of thing clearly?
A breeze blew, the shadows of the trees swayed, and the moonlight danced under the trees. The two sat in the moonlight, neither talking.
The mountains and rivers were shattered and the wind and rain were in turmoil. The Miao and Liu mutiny happened at this time, which had a huge impact on people's hearts. Wang Xiaolie's contempt for the imperial court was not without reason. At this time, the generals leading the troops were either actively rescuing Zhao Gou, or they had their own ideas. Not only Wang Xiaolie, but also many powerful factions. Regardless of whether you are a monarch or a minister, it is difficult to say anything about this behavior due to reality.
After a while, Lu Qing said: "By the way, I heard from people that there have been a lot of rebellions under Wang Xiaolie in the past few months. The biggest rebellion was the Ruzhou mutiny. The rebels marched all the way through the state and the capital, and finally Occupied the Xinyang Army. It seems that there is no peace under his rule."
Wang Ruohai shook his head: "Lieutenant, we have all seen that Wang Xiaolie now has more than 10,000 soldiers and horses. Moreover, he also said that all those in the several states who can join forces will be recruited into the army. In this case "Excuse me, what's the use of rebellion? No matter how big a rebellion is within a state, a few hundred soldiers and horses are enough. Only a large number of soldiers and horses from outside can threaten these state capitals."
Lu Qing said: "Even so, it is not a good thing to have constant rebellions under your rule."
Wang Ruohai said: "I asked, because Wang Xiaolie was very strict with the public officials in various states and counties and cracked down on powerful people, so some people started to cause chaos. This kind of chaos has no foundation. If it is quelled a few times, everything will be fine. The Qin and Han Dynasties At that time, it was common for the government to crack down on local tyrants. As long as the people did not follow the tyrants to cause chaos, there would be no major problems. If the tyrants were eliminated, the place would be peaceful for a long time, which is not a bad thing."
Lu Qing nodded, feeling that Wang Ruohai was right. But whether it was right or wrong, he couldn't tell.
Wang Ruohai said: "In my opinion, Wang Xiaolie has done nothing wrong whether he is managing the army or governing the local area. Within a few years, he will undoubtedly become a powerful force. Just looking at his attitude towards the court, it is difficult to say It’s a curse and a blessing.”
Lu Qing said: "Prison Court, if this is the case, why would Wang Xiaolie take us to Xinye to see it? According to you, he should hide everything. He is not afraid of people seeing him, and shows everything to others. Like he’s ambitious.”
"Yeah, I can't figure this out either." Wang Ruohai sighed and frowned.
If Wang Xiaolie had a disobedient heart, why would he take the initiative to bring him to Xinye? Now to outsiders, no one knows what Xinye is like. As long as no one sees it, who will suspect that Wang Xiaolie is not a loyal minister?
Wang Xiaolie was sitting in the yamen, looking at the latest official documents, his brows furrowed. Of course he doesn't care what others think. What loyal ministers and ministers are, is not important to Wang Xiaolie at all. The most important thing now is to have soldiers, soldiers who can fight. You must have money, enough to support an army. Is there anything you can’t do for others to see? Whoever wants to see it, just let them see it.
If Zhao Gou himself resolutely resists the Jin Dynasty and must make the Northern Expedition to recover the lost territory, who can win his position? Even Wang Xiaolie might not be able to do it. But if Zhao Gou wanted to negotiate peace and be a Taiping emperor, as in history, that would be another matter. For Wang Xiaolie, what he does is not important, what matters is what Zhao Gou does.
In the past few days, the subordinate states have sent official documents saying that they don’t have much money in hand. The most serious situation is in Tangzhou, where officials will no longer have the money to pay their salaries next month. The rest of the states can only last for a month or two at most. The only exception is the Xinyang Army. Zhang Jun's official documents stated that his income was substantial and the government's money was sufficient. Wang Xiaolie was deeply suspicious of Zhang Jun's statement.
It's the end of March now, which is the time when the economy is slow. The money he snatched from Yang Jin a few months ago has almost been spent. Wang Xiaolie does not allow prefectures and counties to impose excessive taxes. With the exception of Ruzhou, how much money can he make just by collecting business taxes? Fortunately, there is enough food, so big trouble is not inevitable.
Wang Xiao Liegui frowned and thought of a way. This is the time to test yourself.
Who wouldn't think so to reduce the burden on the people, and at the same time, the government has enough manpower to support a large army? In the end, they can't do it. Most of them just have no choice. For Chinese officials, most people understand that oppressing the people and collecting too many taxes comes with a price. But what should I do if I don’t collect money from the people when I am burdened with officials’ salaries and military expenses?
what to do? Wang Xiaolie gently rubbed his forehead and thought of a solution. If you cannot bear the pressure at this time and collect money from the people, your previous efforts will be in vain. But if we don’t collect money from the people, where will the money come from?
There are indeed many ways to make money in Xinye City, but now one is immature, and the other is no capital. How can you do things without capital? Without capital, we can’t even buy raw materials.
All beginnings are hard. This year is destined to be the most difficult year.
