plumnovel Chapter 333 Bottom Line
Chapter 333 Bottom Line
After the training was over, each person received a reward of five strings of cash.
The soldiers cheered and shouted, their voices echoing in all directions, as their respective squad leaders led them back to camp to familiarize themselves with the equipment.
Surrounded by ten guards, Shao Shuyi arrived at the small village and sat down to chat with several people from Jiangyin.
Li Yi and Zhang Duan had recovered, but they were still somewhat silent. In the end, Ge Daji had to break the ice and liven up the atmosphere. "Shao She may not know this, but this judge of Haiyan Prefecture, Zhang Duan, also known as Zhang Xiyin, is from Jiangyin. He lives in Xishun Township. He was intelligent from a young age and was known as a child prodigy. Now he is proficient in poetry, lyrics, and prose, and has written books. He is known as 'Mr. Gounan'," Ge Daji introduced.
"My apologies." Shao Shuyi cupped his hands in greeting and said, "west Shun is a wonderful place, with fertile fields and beautiful scenery."
Zhang Duan returned the greeting and said, "I have been back in Jiangyin for many days, but I have not been able to go home yet. I have been delayed by some trivial matters. I am ashamed."
Kolijis looked left and right, then said with a smile, "Xiyin is a lover of traveling and sightseeing. He said he wanted to come to Matuosha to see the scenery of the riverbank, and now that he has seen it, he should be able to return home satisfied."
Zhang Duan smiled and said, "Although Ma Tuo Sha is remote and desolate, it has a tranquil and rustic charm. However, we must cherish this paradise." "Zhang Gong's words have a deeper meaning," Shao Shuyi laughed. "But I lead the people to reclaim wasteland, dig ditches, build houses, and do business. Can this be considered cherishing?" Zhang Duan nodded and said, "This is indeed loving the people, but we must also be mindful of fate."
What is destiny?
"To serve the court with my useful life and bring peace and prosperity to the world."
"Does Master Zhang understand destiny?"
"The Great Yuan Dynasty has been established for one hundred and forty years. The current emperor reigns over the world and raises children for the people. Although he is in the highest palace, his heart is with the whole world." Zhang Duan said, "Knowing that Henan and Hebei are plagued by constant floods, and Huainan and Jiangdong are plagued by war and disaster, he has granted a general amnesty, exempted three-tenths of the taxes, and completely exempted those in flood-stricken and drought-stricken areas. Is this not a sage ruler? With such a sage ruler, one can know the will of Heaven."
"Master Zhang is truly eloquent," Shao Shuyi said with a smile. "But whose fault is this flood and war?"
"Shao She," Li Yi interjected, "What hope Yin said is indeed true. Now that the Holy Emperor is in power, we should work together to eliminate old abuses. In the future, when our descendants talk about this day, they can all say that we were happy to be born in the Yuan Dynasty. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Koligis listened attentively, nodding repeatedly, but dared not speak to express his opinion, and could only remain silent.
Shao Shuyi smiled but remained silent.
These two, especially Zhang Duan, were probably unwilling to serve the new dynasty after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty. But faith is faith, and people live in reality. Their faith wasn't so firm that they would die for the Yuan Dynasty, otherwise they wouldn't have spoken in this tone.
"Nowadays, southerners who come north to seek official positions are all called 'dried chickens.' For many years, the Kheshig (imperial guards) have also refused entry to southerners. The court treats southerners so harshly, yet it still eagerly supplies over a million shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain to Dadu (Beijing). It's truly baffling." Shao Shuyi said, "Whether I was born in the Yuan Dynasty or not, I don't care. I don't want to be any official or clerk. Now I only wish to wander leisurely among the forests and springs, lie peacefully on the riverbank, have fine wine to fill my stomach, and have beautiful women to attend to me. That would be enough for me."
Li Yi and Zhang Duan exchanged a glance, unsure whether Shao Shuyi was telling the truth or lying.
Kuoliji, observing the situation, clapped his hands and laughed, "Shao She's wish is also my wish. It's a pity I haven't read enough and can't say anything. Shao She is only eighteen years old this year, right? I heard that he is quite fond of the second daughter of the Fei family. Many people in the state don't think so, but in my opinion, this is just a young man's infatuation. It's normal, normal."
Li Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in confusion, "Who is this second daughter of the Fei family?"
Koligis immediately said, "She is the daughter of Fei Gong, the deputy commander of the grain transport office."
After saying that, as if he felt it wasn't enough, he added fuel to the fire, saying, "Shao She is utterly enamored with this young lady and is willing to give up all his wealth to marry her; the whole of Jiangyin knows this."
Li Yi suddenly realized what was going on, and then exchanged a glance with Zhang Duan.
If Shao Shuyi is truly like that, then there's not much to worry about. With such vast wealth, how many brave men could he recruit? How many great things could he accomplish? Just thinking about it is frightening.
However, he was willing to use money as a betrothal gift to marry Fei Xiong's second daughter, which clearly showed that he had no great ambitions and had no intention of rebelling.
However, this is only one side of the story of Korigis and cannot be taken at face value; further investigation is needed.
"It's only natural for a young man to admire women," Li Yi said with a smile. "However, Shao She is only eighteen years old, a time when he has great potential. Why not serve the court and immediately strive for fame and fortune?"
Shao Shuyi glared at Kuolijisi secretly, seemingly blaming him for using too much force. He then said, "When Bi Si caused trouble on the canal and ambushed merchants, it was I who led my troops to quell the rebellion."
Li Yi was taken aback and said, "Wasn't it Harsha, the Darughachi of Wuxi Prefecture, who cleverly ambushed the thieves at night and captured this man?"
Shao Shuyi shook his head and chuckled, not intending to explain.
Li Yi understood; it was another common trick used by local officials to fool their superiors.
"Capturing and killing Bi Si would be good, but there is an even greater one."
"The Huai bandits roamed Qinwang Mountain, killing civilians and committing endless evil deeds. It was I who led my troops to kill them," Shao Shuyi added.
Li Yi paused, then turned to look at Korigis.
Korigis wasn't embarrassed at all, and simply said, "Shaoshe did indeed contribute."
Zhang Duan felt he couldn't dwell on these trivial matters any longer, so he said, "Those who were just training were Shao She's troops, weren't they? They looked quite formidable. With the bandits rampant in Hunan and the imperial army short of manpower, we desperately need the strong support of powerful people like Shao She. Once they achieve merit in suppressing the bandits, they'll be rewarded with official positions and titles, and their status will be different. At that time, wouldn't it be a sure thing to marry Lady Fei?"
Shao Shuyi shook his head and said, "Those people were all boatmen, quite attached to their hometowns and unwilling to travel far. If I force them, I won't be able to control them, and I'm afraid..."
"What?" Zhang Duan asked instinctively.
"I fear they might scatter and cause chaos." Shao Shuyi's expression turned serious. "It's already the eleventh month of winter. By the twelfth month, the grain transport office will be confiscating ships in preparation for next year's spring grain transport. If they cause trouble and raid important grain-producing areas like Yifeng Granary in Wuxi and Longyun Transfer Granary in Jiangning, and then attack and capture Pugang along the river, destroying the grain ships, wouldn't that ruin the nation's affairs?"
Li Yi and Zhang Duan's expressions turned serious.
Shao Shuyi, ignoring their expressions, continued, "That's not all. The worst part is if they incite the porters and boatmen of Jiangyin and Wuxi, and the seafarers of Taicang and Liujiagang, to rebel together. That would make things even worse. I've heard that the incense army in Wujin and Danyang hasn't been quelled yet. If they collude with them, and the east and west coordinate, it could devastate Jiangnan. What will most people eat then? The nobles in the palace will suffer, and in their fury, how many heads will fall in the Jiangnan officialdom?" He sighed and said, "The likes of Cai the Raider can only wreak havoc at sea, and they have the Qingyuan Coastal Ten Thousand Household Office watching them. But the grain transport points are mostly along the rivers. If they start a rebellion, the harm they cause will be far greater than that of Cai the Raider."
Li Yi and Zhang Duan's faces had turned ashen.
Korigis opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.
At the critical moment, Ge Daji came to the rescue again, saying, "With Shao She here, Cai Luantou shouldn't be able to capture Yifengcang and Longcang, right? He's only strong at sea; once he's on land, how could he be a match for Shao She's troops?"
Shao Shuyi nodded slightly and said, "With me here, the Yangtze River is safe. Without me, who knows what might happen."
The attitude was clear, and somewhat arrogant. But failing to state the bottom line was clearly unacceptable.
Historically, Shi Nai'an wrote "Water Margin" based on the social ecology of the late Yuan Dynasty. The Jiangzhe Province mostly wanted him to go to Hunan to fight the Yao bandits. Wasn't that just like Song Jiang pacifying Fang La? And then my Wu brothers were beaten to the point of only having one hand left?
"Damn it, Brother Shao Gongming will protect you for life. Amnesty, amnesty, what kind of amnesty is this? It's made our brothers' blood cold, it's made our brothers scatter everywhere." Meanwhile, Ge Daji continued, "With Shao She here, there are fewer bandits in Jiangyin. When the Huai people come south, they hear Shao She is in charge, so they have to take a detour. Shao She really can't leave. If he leaves, the canal will be cut off, the granaries will be gone, bandits will swarm in, how will we survive? Brother Ming, isn't that right?" Ge Daji looked at Kuolijisi.
The latter realized what was happening and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Shaoshe is the towering jade pillar on the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal."
After speaking, Korigis looked at Chen Zi.
Chen Zi was surprised that he also had to express his opinion, and stammered, "Shao She is all alone and not yet married. Why not wait until he marries Fei Erniangzi and has children before making any other plans?"
Shao Shuyi couldn't help but glare at the guy.
I was about to go see Zheng Yonghe, and you pull this stunt on me? What's wrong with your brain?
Unexpectedly, Chen Zi misunderstood and was startled. He quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Even if you marry Lady Fei, you must stay in Jiangyin to ensure the safety of the area." Shao Shuyi was helpless and didn't bother to pay him any more attention.
Li Yi and Zhang Duanfu exchanged another glance.
Their attitude was firm; they had no intention of going to Hunan to fight the bandits, and only wanted to remain in Jiangyin. Moreover, they posed a real threat to the Grand Canal transport, especially at this critical juncture.
Therefore, the only option left is to appease him and prevent him from causing trouble, while ensuring the grain transport next year. Once the province has the resources, there will be a decision on whether to appease or suppress him.
It's unclear whether this person simply wants to be a local tyrant, ruling Jiangyin with impunity, or whether he harbors ulterior motives and intends to rebel.
If it's the former, then it's perfectly acceptable.
If it's the latter, we must find a way to eradicate it, no matter how difficult it is.
The two then stopped probing and casually chatted about the local conditions in Matuosha, taking the opportunity to find out how many people lived there and to what extent they were controlled. That afternoon, they even suggested going to the countryside for a stroll, and Shao Shuyi agreed.
They would stay in Jiangyin for a few more days before returning to Hangzhou to report back.