The mage in the late Qing Dynasty

"Honest?" Li Guangzong half-smiled, "I'm afraid I used it in the wrong place."

Xu Shichang: "..."

Li Guangzong said simply: "If people in the Ming Dynasty don't tell secrets, just setting up a new government, and the space is not enough for our leader to turn around."

Thinking about Zhao Chuanxin's elusiveness, traveling hundreds or thousands of miles a day, Xu Shichang wiped away the cold sweat, and he was really right.

Having said that, Xu Shichang could not let Li Guangzong lead the way. He said earnestly: "Xing Dao, please note that this appointment does not focus on ability or reputation. The court has its own concerns. In economic terms, killing is even more important on the battlefield. If we work together to block it, it will be a pity that all your years of hard work will be ruined."

Judging from the fact that they have made concerted efforts to mobilize all forces to boycott Zhao Chuanxin's industry this time, they are indeed serious about it.

Zhao Chuanxin made them anxious.

After not hearing a reply from Li Guangzong for a long time, Xu Shichang continued: "Xingdao, on the battlefield, Zhao Tangong is invincible. But in practice, it cannot be solved by fighting and killing. You can't put a knife to your neck and force people to do business, right? …”

He's right.

But Li Guangzong didn't speak because he was looking down at the map.

I rubbed my fingers on the map, and smoothly connected the area on the left bank of the Ergun River to Lubin Prefecture in a line, dividing the whole area.

By the way, my finger slid to the left again, including the four Khalkha alliances.

Li Guangzong suddenly asked: "Governor Xu, General Ulia Sutai and Minister of Affairs Kulun, are the constraints on the Four Khalkha Alliance still strong?"

General Ulia Sutai is similar to General Shengjing before the reform of Guanwai, integrating military and political affairs.

The minister of affairs was in charge of border affairs, mutual markets, justice, inns, and communication with Tsarist Russia. The main positions were held by Manchus, while the deputy positions were held by Mongolian princes and Taiji.

Xu Shichang was still chattering and was stunned by Li Guangzong's words. After thinking for a while, he said, "It's pretty solid. Why do you say this in practice?"

"It's nothing." Li Guangzong said: "Tsarist Russia is watching with eager eyes and has encroached on Khovd many times. Three-tenths of it has been occupied. The Japanese are not good at all, and are ready to move behind the scenes to instigate the Mengqi rebellion. General Ulyasutai , in my opinion, we can only take into account Tangnu Ulianghai. If we don’t set up another general post, it won’t be too many. From the left bank of the Ergun River, connect with Lubin Prefecture, plus Teha and Suo Lun, Barhu, and other places, all to the west as far as Kulun, are all under the jurisdiction of the newly appointed general."

"..." Xu Shichang broke into a cold sweat.

He also had a map at hand.

This is incredible, good guy, before I always heard that Tsarist Russia was encroaching and invading, but now Zhao Chuanxin’s number one butler Li Guangzong has begun to plot to rebel and invade Tsarist Russia.

And I want to incorporate the Chechen Khan tribe in Outer Mongolia under the rule, which is a big appetite.

This may be a joke coming from other people's mouths.

But for Zhao Chuanxin, I can only say that he is a basic man.

Even though he knew Li Guangzong couldn't see him, Xu Shichang couldn't help but shake his head: "General, that will definitely not happen..."

Li Guangzong interrupted him: "Governor Xu, Cixi and other powerful countries want to force the head to leave the Central Plains. The price of a single prefect is far from enough."

Xu Shichang said: "The imperial court does not hesitate to appoint more deputy generals from the left and the left. If it can add more generals, Tsarist Russia will be wary and will definitely obstruct it."

Li Guangzong spread his hands and said: "Then break the soil and become the king. The grassland is so big that there should be at least one and a half more princes and nobles."

"I once mentioned that the court only gave a four-word reply - absolutely impossible!"

"What about Governor Heilongjiang?"

"To be fair, the imperial court can appoint Zhao Tanggong as the prefect of Heilongjiang, or even give me the governorship to him, but do you really think it's appropriate? I have to tell you that the imperial court is currently negotiating with the great powers, and Tsarist Russia is not involved in it."

Xu Shichang said it very sincerely.

Li Guangzong: "..."

He understood what Xu Shichang meant.

It was impossible for the Qing court to confer a title of king.

The general can set it up and the governor can provide it, but the problem is that this three-thirds of an acre of land comes into contact with Tsarist Russia on a large scale. First of all, Tsarist Russia will not give up and will definitely cause trouble for the Qing court - you are deliberately joining forces to cause trouble for me, right?

Secondly, with Zhao Chuanxin's temperament, Heilongjiang Province might directly go to war with Tsarist Russia!

As for the position of governor of the three provinces, it is not impossible for Zhao Chuanxin to start a war with both countries at the same time outside the customs... Whether he can win or not, he will never swallow his anger.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Xu Shichang said helplessly: "I thought of a way to get the best of both worlds."

"Governor Xu, please speak."

"The prefect is still the prefect. Teha, Solon, and Barhu are all under the jurisdiction of Lubin Prefecture, with Hulunbuir City Bingbei Road as the boundary. To the north, as you said, the left bank of the Ergun River... I can report it The imperial court has drafted a secret decree. If Zhao Tangong can manage Lubin Mansion well, what's the problem of extending the jurisdiction to the west to Kulun? The place under his jurisdiction will be autonomous!"

In fact, Xu Shichang didn't really believe that Zhao Chuanxin could really manage that troubled place.

Even the name Lubin Mansion is not worthy of its name.

What's more, the geographical location of Lubin Mansion is very embarrassing. Manchuria was originally official land and was donated to Tsarist Russia by the Qing government for free. It is now affiliated with the China Eastern Railway.

Originally, Lubin Mansion could be located there, but now it not only needs approval from the China Eastern Railway Administration, but also needs to pay land rent.

Pay rent to others on your own land?

The Qing government could not afford to lose that person, and Tsarist Russia would not allow it.

Moreover, Xu Shichang also learned in detail that in the year of the Gengzi Incident, Tsarist Russian soldiers destroyed the Karen there, and the cardkeepers fled one after another.

Lubin Prefecture needs to resume its responsibility of guarding the border, but it has to face the situation of having no cards to guard.

The boundary Obo there is a pile of stones that demarcates the boundary. Many of them have been destroyed, resulting in unclear boundaries and frequent frictions.

As a result, tasks such as recruiting people to reclaim wasteland, setting up taxes, and gathering refugees will become arduous. No one is willing to farm on a land where tensions are rising every day.

Zhao Chuanxin has never proven that he has the experience to govern a party. Even if he can be given a general position, he may end up in disgrace.

Worried that Li Guangzong would not agree, Xu Shichang added: "Furthermore, the sentiments of the four Khalkha alliances are different. The court has spent hundreds of years subtlety, and there are still dissatisfaction. Not to mention Zhao Tangong's violent methods, I am afraid there will be It is better to force some people to the side of Tsarist Russia for nothing than to do it step by step."

Anyway, if Zhao Chuanxin can't cure Lubin Mansion by then, he may not have the shame to ask for more territory.

He should first be comforted and then complete the tasks assigned to him by the court.

To be honest, Li Guangzong knew that Zhao Chuanxin actually knew a lot and was smart enough. But he didn't think that Zhao Chuanxin, who was accustomed to being a hands-off boss and had a lazy temperament, could calmly manage a party.

As long as you add a recliner to Zhao Chuanxin's home, it will definitely become swollen. In Lugang Town, Zhao Chuanxin always lay down and listened to Li Guangzong's work reports. Like a toad in autumn, it pokes and jumps.

He bargained, firstly, he had to do this so that the Qing court could not feel that they could manipulate them at will.

In addition, he wanted to give Zhao Chuanxin a bigger name.

At least it sounds awesome.

In fact, Li Guangzong didn't have the confidence to refuse, he was just pretending. Zhao Chuanxin is so staunch, at best he will be destroyed together.

But Xu Shichang finally added autonomy, which made Li Guangzong very excited. With autonomy, there is much to be done even in bitterly cold places.

Finally, he had a huge concern.

But this concern cannot be discussed with Xu Shichang.

Li Guangzong said: "I need to seek the opinion of the leader before he agrees."

He is not dealing with Xu Shichang. He only has the power to make suggestions and cannot make decisions for Zhao Chuanxin.

After hanging up the phone, Li Guangzong sent a telegram to the Kaiping Mining Bureau explaining the situation.

Zhao Chuanxin crossed his legs, held a cigarette in his hand, and read the contents of the telegram.

Rebecca Levy was serving him tea.

While Zhao Chuanxin was frowning and thinking, the second telegram arrived: Xinhai is approaching, and you must keep a low profile. When dynasties change, the new dynasty has always been the most powerful. We still need to develop quietly and become stronger secretly. When we no longer need to rely on others in the future, it will not be too late for the leader to make plans. When the old and the new change, it is better to leave first.

He never mentioned the fact that the industry was boycotted by the Qing court and the great powers.

Because he mentioned it, Zhao Chuanxian had no better way.

If he slaughtered everyone, no one would dare to have anything to do with their property.

Ten days and a half may be enough to sustain them, but over time, they will be knocked back to their original shape.

Zhao Chuanxin was not interested in being an official at all.

When he said he wanted to split the earth and become a king, it was just a joke.

If he is really sealed, he will definitely be Prince Qingxian, it’s just a title.

But he could feel Li Guangzong's attitude from his words.

Reply: What are the benefits of this prefect?

Li Guangzong quickly sent him a message: There is no room for error in Tangnu Ulianghai. Mr. Wang once said that the Mongolian princes in Kulun in the year of 1911 led the split, and everything is planned in advance. Why don't we make arrangements in advance to break their disobedience? ! The teacher once said that regardless of the earth-shaking changes, it is the duty of ordinary people to guard the territory and defend the land. In addition, Lubin Prefecture has autonomy. The husband can encroach one by one, and it is easy to expand the territory. At that time, your husband may become an unprecedented prefect, with jurisdiction over thousands of miles...

Li Guangzong knew Zhao Chuanxin well and knew what points could impress him.

Sure enough, saying this gave Zhao Chuanxin a sense of mission to "bear the humiliation and bear the burden".

Look, the reason why I became this small magistrate is for no other reason than to protect this huge territory.

And what Li Guangzong said at the end is that maybe Zhao Chuanxin, the prefect, is unprecedented and unprecedented.

Thinking about it makes me a little excited.

Being a prince is nothing, can you leave a name in history? You might even be scolded as a remnant of feudalism... But if you open up new territories and expand your territory, you will definitely leave your name in history.

So Zhao Chuanxin replied: Yes.

Li Guangzong breathed a sigh of relief.

I am extremely grateful to Zhao Chuanxin for his unconditional trust in him.

Whether it can be managed well or not is irrelevant, but Li Guangzong will find out the details of Lubin Mansion for Zhao Chuanxin, so that he can take office with confidence.

…

Liangzhou City.

The weather is still dry.

The wheat autumn has arrived, and there is not only no food, but also no water.

To make matters worse, opium is widely cultivated in Liangzhou and is very poisonous. During the current tobacco harvest season, the government has to levy three times the flower tax, which is beyond the range that the barren and arid land can bear.

It was still early at this time and the city gate was not open.

A merchant who was waiting for the city gate to open and rushed into the city to collect cigarettes looked at the Daguangming Temple outside the east city with confusion.

Early in the morning, he saw many strange faces coming in and out, especially those in ragged clothes.

But no incense was raised.

In fact, temples are not temples for poor people. Only dignitaries can offer incense.

When the city gate opened, he was shocked to realize that something was wrong.

When the city gate was fully opened, countless people were seen pouring out from Daguangming Temple and rushing towards the city gate.

When the city guard saw this, the number of soldiers could not exceed a thousand? How dare you stop me?

These people were organized and premeditated. The first thing they did after entering the city was to knock down the police watchtower on Fourth Street.

In this way, once the military and police are dispatched, at least they will not be able to climb up and see far away, learn the whereabouts of the people, and set up roadblocks to stop them.

The people are all a mob. Once violence starts, some people want to take advantage of the situation and go to nearby shops to rob.

Wang changed his name to keep in mind what Benjamin Goldberg told him: "You must not rob wantonly, otherwise the nature will change."

He came forward with the Guanshan knife and asked, "What are you doing?"

The man's eyes were a little red: "Of course I will make a fortune!"

"If you dare to reach out, I'll chop off your claws."

"Why should I move?"

Wang changed his name and raised his sword.

"ah……"

The people around him were shocked.

Wang changed his name and shouted loudly: "Listen up, we are corrupt officials. We are here to protest and want to make things bigger and reach the heavens. We are not rebelling, not plundering. Whoever dares to act differently will be your fate!"

Everyone agreed.

With Wang changing his name to kill the chicken and scare the monkey, everyone became more restrained.

The soldiers were divided into two groups, and one group went to besiege the county government office and pull out Mei Shunan.

The other way went to the chief police officer Wang Zuocai and the arresting officer Zhang Fulin.

These people came with great force and soon arrived at the county government office.

The county magistrate Mei Shunan was a little flustered, but fortunately, he got some information from a female teacher a few days ago and was well prepared.

More than a dozen patrol policemen poured out of the county government office gate and stepped forward with sabers in hand.

The common people follow the instructions and only rely on the strength of the group to support their courage.

Once they see the real guy, some people will be timid.

At this time, Yu Chenglin, the leader of this group of people, shouted: "Don't panic, don't panic!"

Seeing this, Liu Ai reached out his hand and stretched out three fingers: "Array!"

He is responsible for firepower output for Yafeng, with auxiliary beside him, and support behind him.

Starting from him, several more triangular formations formed in a chaotic manner.

Liu Ai shouted, carrying the Guanshan knife, and faced the patrolman without fear.

Liu Aida's main focus is "quick". Although others are feminine, his moves are not "soft" at all.

laugh……

As soon as the patrolman raised his knife, a hole was made in his ribs.

The police patrol failed at the start!

Liu Ai slashed one after another, slashing left and right. With the help of the assistants nearby, he was able to fight against three sabers without losing.

A fourth person wanted to attack, but the supporters stepped forward to stop him.

The rest of the people could see the situation more clearly. Behind Liu Ai, they saw a dense crowd, and there seemed to be hundreds of people who dared to fight.

In fact, it was just a triangle formation. When the fans were opened to charge, it looked like a sea of ​​people. There were hundreds of people in total, not even fifty.

Those who truly dare to fight, the first three rows are the "elite" headed by the Sky Flying Swordsman, supplemented by the elites of the Ge Lao Hui, and the ones in the back are the members of the Ge Lao Hui leading the common people, holding farm tools to build momentum.

But that's not the impression it gave people. The remaining patrol officers felt that everyone behind them was a lunatic like Liu Ai, wielding knives to risk their lives.

So before they could fight, they decided to retreat: "Go back to the county government first, go back to the county government first!"

I'm scared.

Liu Ai finished the last blow, took a deep breath, and stepped aside.

He is a warrior, not a leader.

Qi Zhenlu and Yu Chenglin discussed it together and decided to give the magistrate some time to send someone to negotiate.

So they divided their troops and surrounded the county government.

On the other side, the leader Lu Fuji led people to the homes of Wang Zuocai and Li Tesheng, only to find that the two were kneeling on the ground with quick guns pointed at their heads by Aries and Dunzi flying in the sky.

Lu Fujii was confused: "This is..."

Aries said: "Yesterday, Mr. Little and I spent the night in the city. Early in the morning, Mr. Little told me to capture them and wait for them to be handed over to you."

Mr. Little, talking about Benjamin Goldberg.

Lu Fuji nodded and took over Wang Zuocai and Zhang Fulin.

At this time, Aries said again: "Mr. Xiao, I asked you to send some people to wait on the fork road near Manying, waiting to pick up the horses. After picking up the horses, go to the east gate of the city to guard, and don't let anyone catch turtles in the urn after closing the door."

Lu Fuji didn't know how serious it was.

It feels like nothing has happened yet, but people have already calculated every detail of the future.

Outside the city, the people in the countryside were led by Li Feihu, who took them to the manors of Cai Lvzhong, Li Tesheng, Wang Ziqing and other evil gentry who had colluded with the government to cause trouble in the countryside.

Here, there is no such thing as not being able to grab it.

Li Feihu said that he could rob whatever he wanted. Whoever robbed it would be his own. If he couldn't take it away, he would destroy it.

When they arrived at Li Tesheng's manor, Li Tesheng recognized Li Feihu, the family member, and pointed at him and said: "Li Feihu, if you rebel, I think you are going to rebel. The imperial court will punish your nine tribes..."

"Li Tesheng, this is only the first time. When you rebuild the manor, if you continue to be rich and unkind, even if Li is not here, Zhang and Wu will lead the people to destroy your family business!"

Li Tesheng's face was ashen.

County government.

As expected, Mei Shunan sent a small official out to negotiate.

The clerk said that he was not afraid, but he was lying. He only dared to come out after drinking a sip of wine: "You are so brave, besieging the county government office, what do you want?"

Qi Zhenlu secluded himself behind the scenes, so Cheng Lin stepped forward to answer: "Abolish the triple flower tax. We and other people just came here for this, and we really can't survive. The excessive levies and miscellaneous taxes are as fierce as tigers. Magistrate Mei County should have thought that this day would happen."

As soon as he finished speaking, the people behind him went crazy and shouted: "Cancel the red and white monthly donations!"

"Advance loan and military deposit cannot be reset!"

"The wise man has given up the price of the mule. My family can no longer afford to raise a mule!"

The bitterness is great and the hatred is deep, and the face is red and the ears are red.

Speaking of which, I have a lot of bitterness and nowhere to vent it.

The clerk looked at the turmoil and licked his lips: "Yes, yes, I will tell the magistrate truthfully..."

"I think the county magistrate will handle it carefully..."

"On the premise that the dispute can be resolved, you will have to step back first..."

"These taxes should really be abolished..."

The people who didn't understand the reason gradually became quieter after listening to the officials' words.

But Yu Chenglin's eyes widened: "Well, you are a slippery little official. You have been talking for a long time, but you haven't said a single word of truth! Tell me quickly, does Magistrate Mei agree to it or not?"

The clerk wiped the sweat from his forehead. If he spent a long time, he was actually buying Mei Shunan time to jump over the wall.

"This, Meizhi County will probably agree to it, it's not a big deal..."

Liu Ai couldn't listen anymore, and slapped the clerk on the cheek with the scabbard: "If you continue to talk nonsense, I'll cut out your tongue!"

At this time, Wang changed his name and ran over with people.

They held down one person. Although he was not wearing a cap, Yu Chenglin and many other people recognized him as Mei Shunan, the county magistrate.

Wang changed his name and smiled: "He also wanted to jump over the wall and escape, but I caught him."

Yu Chenglin bowed to Mei Shunan, and then said: "Master County Magistrate, we are waiting for the people to come here because they have no way to survive. You have to give me an explanation no matter what!"

What he said was better than what he sang.

Mei Shunan broke free from the constraints of Wang changing his name, adjusted his robes, and made a "hum" sound from his nose: "Explanation? The court is reforming, it is the time of the Restoration, building railways does not require money? Building new schools does not require money? Doing industry does not require money? The court hopes The country is rich and the people are strong. As a small county magistrate, I also feel that I should do my duty. During the Han and Tang Dynasties, Liangzhou City was an important city second only to Chang'an. Nowadays, it is also home to merchants from all walks of life and has a variety of scenery. It is not a good idea to spend some money. Should you? How dare you come here to knock on the door for such a good thing that will benefit future generations. Don’t you think about future generations?”

Wang changed his name and whispered to Liu Ai: "I can't listen anymore. I want to beat him."

Liu Ai shook his head: "Don't be impatient. The young gentleman has an explanation."

Wang changed his name and stopped talking.

Yu Chenglin's nose felt very crooked: "Meizhi County, the people can't afford to live now, how can they dare to talk about their children and grandchildren? The price of food is so expensive that households are empty, and there are already people dying of hunger on the roads outside the city. Meizhi County is really not afraid of what others say." ?”

"I'm just enduring the pain for a while." Mei Shunan said calmly, stroking his beard.

"You, how dare you do this, I, I..."

Mei Shunan saw that he had been caught, but these people were still very restrained, not so afraid in their hearts, and asked with a stick on his neck: "Where are you going? Do you really want to kill officials and rebel?"

Just bully them into being strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Yu Chenglin was angry and was about to move when someone grabbed him.

The one who pulled him was Qi Zhenlu.

Seeing that the scene was frozen, Liu Ai suddenly said: "Mei Shunan, to tell you the truth, if we don't kill you today, it's not a rebellion after all. But don't think about delaying time, waiting for the military and police to come to rescue you. Don't hide it. You said, today is just the first time, but if you don't solve it, there will be a second or third time in the future, and there will always be times when you will cry. Let's see how you explain it to the court then."

Mei Shunan's face froze.

He was indeed stalling for time.

But Liu Ai's words are extremely threatening.

Liu Ai said that if it really happened, then he, the county magistrate, would definitely not be able to sit firmly, and he would definitely be punished.

He couldn't afford to investigate.

For today's plan, there are two ways to go.

One is to promise a three-fold tax exemption.

The second is to eradicate the person in front of you.

Mei Shunan opened his mouth, but he preferred the latter, so he didn't say anything.

Liu Ai took out his pocket watch, looked at it, raised his head and said, "Okay, the goal has been achieved, we should withdraw."

Yu Chenglin was stunned: "Leaving now?"

"Yes, the young gentleman has already told me."

Why leave in a hurry?

Because Benjamin Goldberg calculated the reaction time of both the patrolman and the battalion of soldiers.

At this time, the gate of the castle full of camps in the north of the city opened, and a group of cavalry filed out.

They wore black military uniforms, carried rifles on their backs, and had sabers hanging on their saddles.

There are more than fifty cavalry coming out one after another, followed by some infantry.

There were people watching in the streets, pointing and pointing, and they didn't feel bad about watching the excitement.

At this moment, suddenly all the horses in the cavalry camp were frightened at the same time.

Kick, jump forward, jump backward, hit...

Countless cavalrymen were thrown off.

The horses on the outermost edge were squeezing outwards, and the horses inside followed suit when they found an opening.

Seeing this, those left behind cavalry rolled on the spot cleverly and barely escaped.

The unlucky ones were trampled and vomited blood.

The horses in front ran away, and the horses behind rushed towards the infantry.

For a moment, people were on their backs.

The onlookers screamed and fled.

Only Benjamin Goldberg, who was hiding in the tree, calmly put away the Shocking Thorn.

Lu Fuji, who was leading people to hide nearby, saw some unmanned horses running out from the direction of the camp, equipped with sabers and saddles.

I could only admire: "Young gentleman, you are truly unparalleled in your calculations!"

Please stop fabricating positions for no reason.

As governor of the three provinces, Xu Shichang had to give up.

General Shengjing and General Heilongjiang have just been withdrawn, and it is unrealistic and unreasonable to add more.

If it is purely a military position, you can be picky and particular. There is no need for a military and political position.

In addition, what the Chinese people hated most at that time was the bear... In fact, the bear was also hateful, and it cut off the outer ring of flesh.

Forget it, let’s not talk about it, it’s too disharmonious and still angry.

I couldn't bear it any longer. I went to the hospital today because my fever wouldn't go away.