Liu Daogui gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "Barbarians are hiding in the Central Plains, demons and thieves are making trouble, and even Shu'er is taking advantage of the national crisis to stand on its own. The country is in a crisis of survival, so the people of Jingzhou are living a hard life. Is it difficult for the likes of us?
The soldiers of Beifu could have lived a more comfortable life in their hometown of Jingkou, so why bother leaving their hometowns and traveling thousands of miles to station in Jingzhou for many years?"
"Don't talk about ordinary soldiers, I am Liu Daogui. I hold a high position and have been away from home for ten years. I can't even see my old mother. In the past two years in Jingzhou, I have taken the lead and fought bloody battles. I have also tried my best to protect every Jingzhou people.
Yes, the taxes they pay and the services they pay are heavier than usual, but do these taxes go into my pocket? Have they become the property of my Liu family? If they are taken from the people, they should be used.
For the people? Can you live a good life if you fall into the hands of barbarians or demon thieves?"
Liu Muzhi sighed softly: "What you said is true, so the people of Jingzhou also respect you and are willing to serve you, but isn't what I said true? From the perspective and standpoint of the small people.
, how could they know these righteous things, and how could they think about the hundreds of years since the north fell into the hands of the barbarians, and the wars continued and the water was in dire straits? They would only feel that life now is not as good as when Huan Wen ruled, at least they would not have to pay such heavy burdens then.
There are no such endless battles, even if the cause of these wars is blamed on our Beifu Army, it is natural."
Liu Daogui said coldly: "Huan Xuan started a rebellion and the demon thieves invaded Jingzhou. Could it be that our Beifu army brought these? We fight thieves for the country. To put it bluntly, don't we give peace to the people of Jingzhou? Even if Huan Xuan goes with him
Just like my father, in the end, only one side was separatist. It was not that we invaded Jiankang and usurped it, nor would we have such a result of death and annihilation. It was not us, but Huan Xuan who harmed the people of Jingzhou. He brought tens of thousands of soldiers to Jiankang.
, he did not repay ten for ten, and after he came back, he conscripted people violently in order to protect themselves. If we had not sent out troops in time and wiped out Jingzhou before he could recruit a large number of people, I don’t know how long Jingzhou would have gone through the war and how many more people would have died.
!”
"After the elimination of Huan Xuan and Huan Zhen, Jingzhou has been at peace for several years. Since I took over as the governor of Jingzhou, I have not asked them to pay heavy taxes. Those taxes are the same as the taxes of the people in Yangzhou. It is just because of the previous civil war in Jingzhou
, the population loss is serious. In order to maintain the supply of tens of thousands of troops for our Jingzhou Legion, we have to draw more soldiers to serve. However, these are not enslavement of the people of Jingzhou. Even our garrison officers and soldiers often have to help
They do farm work and dig canals, and they also do a lot of things beyond their duties. Do our soldiers complain about this?"
Liu Muzhi curled up his lips: "Daogui, I understand your grievances and injustices, but it's useless for you to tell me these things. Who told us to live in this troubled world? In troubled times, wars and disasters
, the people are definitely not living as well as in peacetime, and they must have complaints. As the highest officer, you will be the target of the most complaints, and as the prime minister of the court, I also have to bear such pressure. Just like
When I was in Qingzhou, the people in Qingzhou were not as good as they were in Nanyan in the past two years, so weren't they all scolding me? And the people who indulged these rumors and even instigated public opinion were people like Han Fan, weren't they?
"
Liu Daogui's expression changed: "Do you mean that these rumors and the resentment among the people are actually spread by local powerful people and people with different intentions?"
Liu Muzhi nodded and said seriously: "Yes, don't think that only the aristocratic families in Jiankang City would do this kind of separatist thing, and don't think that only the Huan family would turn Jingzhou into its own independent kingdom. In fact,
, those who really want to segregate local areas, which has not been easy for generations, are the village chiefs, Li Zheng, and township chiefs at the lowest level. These local powerful people control the landscape and human relations of a village and a township, control the household registration, and recruit the people, just like
Your eldest brother, when Diao Kui came to Jingkou, he wanted to build an army and recruit soldiers. Didn't he have to use local heroes like your eldest brother, Liu Xile, to complete these targets? "
Liu Daogui laughed: "My eldest brother is devoted to the country. If it is to recruit troops to fight the barbarians, he will be the first to take the lead in joining the army. The same goes for Brother Xile. But Diao Kui wants to use the name of the country to do something for his Diao family.
Private soldiers, this is unacceptable to us."
Liu Muzhi smiled slightly: "Of course they are different, but if there are similarities, it is that the governance of such places, whether it is tax collection or levy, must be completed by these influential powerful men in the local area.
Even if you have been a governor in Jingzhou in the past few years, would you go to every township and village in person to collect taxes by yourself?"
Liu Daogui sighed: "Yes, this is also my helplessness. I can only send garrison troops to villages near Jiangling to preach these national righteousness. Even so, the effect of taxing and drawing is not good.
If the local elders and village chiefs do not cooperate, or even transfer grain and young people to the mountains, and only leave the old, weak, women and children in the village when we visit, or even fail to register the population, then we have no choice. Sometimes
, knowing clearly that these people are cheating, it is not easy to take forced action. I just hope that they can slowly understand the righteousness."
Liu Muzhi laughed: "So, when the trust between the officials and the people has not been completely established, and even when many people in Jingzhou have blood feuds with our Beifu Army, it is not so easy to govern, but if you want to
Inciting this kind of resistance or even resistance is easy to do. I encountered the same situation in Qingzhou. If the court's laws and orders are to be imposed on the people, there will always be invisible hands pushing the people to resist. Han
Fan Hefengjiang is the mastermind behind these things. My secret guards have actually found out clearly. However, I cannot make these specific evidence of crimes public. I can only accuse them of colluding with the enemy and conspiring to rebel.
Execution.”
Liu Daogui asked curiously: "Since you have evidence in your hands, why don't you deal with it publicly?"
Liu Muzhi shook his head: "Because not only the Han and Feng families, but also almost all the powerful Han families in Qingzhou, local powerful families that can control more than 500 households, are involved in this matter, although it is the Han family and the Feng family who take the lead.
, but except for a few families such as the Pilu family, everyone participated. If I announce these details, almost all the big Han families in Qingzhou will be uprooted, and at least hundreds of thousands of people will be buried under the butcher's knife. You
Is this the result you want? My General Liu, Governor Liu?" ()
This chapter has been completed!