Unlike Wu Ta, this Qingjun old man named Shen Xiangdong can be regarded as having a far-reaching reputation.

He was originally the leader of the largest salt gang in Dongfu. He traveled across the southeastern part of Dagang, selling illegal salt, robbing the court tribute, and even killed several high-ranking officials. Everyone in the court was frightened, and no one wanted to go to the southeastern part of Dagang. Serve in a land of plenty.

The imperial court repeatedly sent large armies to conquer, but all failed. Either no one could be found, or they were beaten by the salt gang and fled in panic. In the last expedition with an army of 50,000, less than 10,000 survived.

Emperor Wanlong was furious, beheaded his commander, and ordered Prince Chun to personally lead an army of 100,000 people and a naval force of 100,000 people to pacify the southeast in one fell swoop.

Before dispatching the troops, for some unknown reason, Shen Xiangdong was captured by the Tiannan Song family and escorted to Zhuocheng.

The Song family also lost many masters along the way. Emperor Wanlong was very happy and felt the Song family's contribution. Regardless of the opposition of several ministers in the court, he gave Songya the title of King Yunan. Everyone in the court praised him. Emperor Long was prosperous and prosperous, and the Song family guarded the southern border of Dagan.

The first few years were fine, and the amount of tribute money and grain required was the highest among other states. However, the imperial court demanded more and more, and the Song family's tribute became less and less.

If officials from the DPRK and central government urged and supervised the implementation, they would only act in a shady manner, and gradually become too big to lose.

Prince Chun originally intended to eradicate the scourge, but many ministers in the court strongly opposed it. Even the voice of opposition came from Emperor Wanlong's harem. Before the issue of sending troops was reached, the whole city was already in trouble. The Song family got the news early, and almost Raise an army and stand on your own feet.

At this time, the Xirong army was in great power. Emperor Wanlong and Prince Chun had no choice but to marry one of Emperor Wanlong's biological sisters to Song Yayu, and promised Yuzhou, the land where the Song family was located. In addition to the governor, even the officials The governors of all states can be appointed by the Nanwang Palace.

With this order, the Song family was stabilized. In the following years, the Song family also paid tribute on time. In the past few years, except for Prince Chun and Emperor Wanlong, no one in the court mentioned the southern expedition. It was Emperor Wanlong's The death of my sister in Tiannan was ignored, and the court did not hold her accountable too much.

Shen Xiangdong was known as the Hidden Dragon. When he was in his prime, the Dagan court gathered hundreds of thousands of people in Cang'er Prefecture, which could be regarded as a strong force, but the details are unknown.

Cang'er Prefecture is famous all over the world for its pearls and corals. In addition to Dagan's purchase, they are also used by the northern and southern countries of the Western Region. When Shen Xiangdong dominated Cang'er, although the annual production of pearls and corals was much less, the price was high. Not much has changed.

After being captured by the Song family, the Cang'er Salt Gang also disbanded, and the Song family gained credit. The imperial court granted the Song family permission to do business in Cang'er, exempting them from taxes for ten years, which was regarded as borrowing Shen Xiangdong's reputation.

Several years have passed since Shen Xiangdong was escorted to Zhuocheng. The court did not kill him, but only because of rumors in the world that Shen Xiangdong secretly hid a treasure that was as rich as the enemy.

There were many coveters in the royal city, but no one dared to tell the truth. Naturally, they were even more reluctant to kill Shen Xiangdong like this, so they imprisoned him in the sky prison and kept him there until today.

It wasn't until Li Luo mentioned it that Emperor Wanlong remembered Shen Xiangdong and his treasure. After a little hesitation, he made up his mind.

That day, Li Luo took Emperor Wanlong's handwriting to see Shen Xiangdong in Tianlao. The jailer hurriedly led Li Luo to Shen Xiangdong's prison. It was heavily guarded and was no less than the prison of Grand Master Yu Chengyun that day.

Li Luo shook his head secretly, walked to the cell door, looked in, and saw an old man lying on the brocade couch with his eyes closed and concentrating. When he heard Li Luo come in, he remained motionless.

There were tables and chairs in the cell, all ready. Li Luo looked around in great surprise, then turned around and asked, "Why is there such a cell in the sky prison?"

The jailer only said that it was arranged by Mr. Fu Yin. He didn't know why. At this moment, he saw Shen Xiangdong turning over in the cell and coldly snorted: "You know why you are asking."

Li Luo thought for a moment, figured out the reason, and said with a dumb smile: "Sure enough, it's too much to ask. Please step aside. I have something to talk to Gang Leader Shen."

Several jailers looked at each other and replied: "My young prince, this Shen Xiangdong is extremely vicious. If the young prince is frightened, we will not be able to bear the responsibility. We still stay here and ask for your permission." "

Li Luo smiled slightly and said: "If I ask you something, you can explain it to others. But I have been ordered to talk in secret. If you stay here, I'm afraid I will walk out of this prison with my life."

Several jailers shuddered and hurriedly retreated. One of the jailers took a chair and asked Li Luo to sit down.

Li Luo turned to the cell. Shen Xiangdong was still sleeping soundly. Li Luo did not speak and sat on a chair. The jailer shouted angrily before leaving: "Shen Xiangdong, why don't you come and see the young prince soon?"

Shen Xiangdong opened his eyes suddenly, with a flash of light in his eyes, and looked directly at the jailer and Li Luo. The jailer was startled and took a few steps back. He didn't dare to make a sound for a while and walked out quietly. Li Luo was quiet. He looked at Shen Xiangdong. Shen Xiangdong glanced at him coldly, with a slight flash of surprise in his eyes. He turned around and lay down on his back, ignoring Li Luo.

Li Luo smiled and said to himself: "Mr. Shen, I haven't heard news about Cang'er for a long time. Since the Song family moved to Cang'er five years ago, the magistrates and governors sent to Cang'er by the imperial court are now very close to the Song family. The amount of pearls and corals produced has nearly doubled compared to five years ago, and prices have remained high.

I heard that the tribute of pearls and corals starting next year will increase by another 70%.

The finances of Cang'er Prefecture can almost match that of Yuzhou where the Song family is located. According to the memorial submitted by the Governor of Cang'er Prefecture, the lives of the people of Cang'er Prefecture are much better than when Mr. Qianlong was there. However, there were rumors from businessmen a few years ago that Cang'er Prefecture There have been a lot of desperadoes recently, and I guess they are jealous of this pearl and coral, and they are not willing to take risks, but they have not become popular. The Song family has been a leader in suppressing bandits for many years, and it is indeed one of the six great families."

Shen Xiangdong was still lying on the bed. He didn't know whether he didn't hear it or if he really fell asleep.

Li Luo continued: "The governor of Cang'er Prefecture thought of a good way. In order to prevent the common people from being deceived into stealing grass, he specially invited the court and implemented the method of continuous sitting. It was limited to clans and checked every three months. If one member of the clan is missing, the entire clan is implicated.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! As soon as I heard this method, there were a lot less bandits in Cang'er Prefecture, as well as the tribute from the imperial court."

"Who are you?" Before Li Luo could finish speaking, Shen Xiangdong stood up abruptly and walked to Li Luo, his face turned cold.

Li Luo stood up and bowed, saying: "Mr. Qianlong is indeed worthy of his reputation. I am the eldest son of Prince Chun's palace, and my name is Li Luo."

"Huh?" Shen Xiangdong said slightly surprised: "Li Chengye's son?"

"good."

"It is said that Prince Chun Li Chengye is the number one military general in Dagan. He is invincible in every battle and can conquer all attacks. It's a pity that he has no chance to see him on the battlefield. I wonder if he is well-deserved for his reputation?" After saying this, Shen Xiangdong's eyes shot out with a compelling fighting spirit. Staring straight at Li Luo.

Li Luo smiled slightly and replied: "Thank you very much, Leader Shen. I heard that my father was on the battlefield without a single defeat. It's a pity that I didn't have the opportunity to see him on the battlefield."

Shen Xiangdong's eyes flashed with strange light, and he said: "Back then, your father was supposed to raise an army in Cang'er, but I fell into a trap by mistake, so I didn't compete with your father on the battlefield, which made Prince Chun's reputation as a victorious one. "

"As expected, Gang Leader Shen's heart is as high as the sky. What happened back then, although there was no decisive battle on the battlefield, after Gang Leader Shen was captured, the Salt Gang was scattered. Now Cang'er has returned to Dagan, but there is one more Tiannan Song family."

"What do you want?" Shen Xiangdong asked coldly.

"I want to make a deal with Gang Leader Shen."

"Hmph," Shen Xiangdong looked at Li Luo disdainfully and said, "After all, I'm not here just for the rumored treasure. If Li Chengye wants it, let him do it himself." After saying that, he turned around and went back. sleep.

"Wait a minute." Li Luo said loudly.

"If there is anything else, please finish it quickly and don't disturb my good sleep."

"Gang Leader Shen is now in prison. I wonder if he still remembers why he fought against the sky for his life?"

"Why?" Shen Xiangdong yawned and replied, "When I have nothing to do, I just do the opposite and pass the boring and sad days."

"That's it." Li Luo continued. Shen Xiangdong glanced at Li Luo coldly, moved the corners of his mouth slightly, and did not respond.

"Gang Leader Shen comes from a famous family in Cang'er. His family is well-off and he does not have to work hard to make a living. The people of Cang'er are different. Corals are better. Pearls are said to be produced in the deep sea. The court collects more and more. Cang'er goes to the sea to search for pearls every year. There were countless casualties, not to mention some wealthy families who competed for money. For a while, every family was in a state of poverty. The leader of the self-sinking gang was in Cang'er. These things seemed to be much better. The family had more than enough food and lived in a somewhat stable life for a few years. But..." Li Luo. There was a pause.

"Just how?"

"It's just that the people of Cang'er today are in dire straits. They are even worse off than Gang Leader Shen was when they were there. They often implicate the clan. Although I haven't been there personally, I think it won't be any worse. Furthermore, I heard people say that Cang'er women are petite in stature, but extremely soft. Now there are quite a few Cang'er women sent to Zhuo City, and there are also several in the palace. Someone in the court has said that with this Cang'er tribute, there will be more Cang'er women in the future."

"Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor are in the sky. Emperor Wanlong doesn't want to take care of these things. What do I, a small mountain people, want to do with these things?"

"Gang Leader Shen doesn't want to think about why he raised troops, robbed tributes, killed corrupt officials, and exempted the common people from exorbitant taxes. The court recruited several people, but Gang Leader Shen remained unmoved. He was not interested in fame and fortune. He was captured that year. Yan who followed Gang Leader Shen Nearly 5,000 members of the gang were beheaded, and nearly 100,000 were massacred for being implicated. Even if they went into the deep sea to search for pearls, so many people would not be killed. Gang leader Shen had his own treasure to protect himself, and the family was saved. , is still alive, but now he is just a prisoner, I am afraid that the leader of the Shen gang will not be so lucky."

Shen Xiangdong said angrily: "Shut up! Yes, I have missed the life of Cang'er hero, and even death is not enough to apologize. It's just that I, Shen Xiangdong, do things by myself. If it weren't for the imperial court's tyranny, how could I have raised an army to do it?" On the contrary? Huangkou kid, I am a hero of the Salt Gang, and you are the one who can comment on me?"

Li Luo nodded and said, "What Gang Leader Shen said is right. When the imperial court and the Song family arrested the remnants of the Salt Gang, we only heard of those who died in battle or fled. It was rare to hear of those who surrendered and were summoned to peace. They are indeed heroes." After finishing speaking, Looking at Shen Xiangdong, Li Luo said slowly: "When the incident failed, Gang Leader Shen, have you ever thought about honoring the promise you made to the heroes of the Salt Gang?"

"What kind of promise did I make? It was just a few words from me that blinded my mind."

"Gang Leader Shen, Li Luo believes that when you do something for others, no matter whether it is right or wrong, you just want to feel no guilt in your heart. Gang Leader Shen has been dying in Zhuocheng Tianlao for five years, but you feel guilty in your heart?"

"That's nonsense. Where does I feel guilty?" After speaking, Shen Xiangdong turned around and shouted: "Go away quickly, you have made me upset for nothing."

"If it's not guilt, then Gang Leader Shen must be unwilling to accept it." Li Luo said in a deep voice: "The way of heaven is unfair, so you should fight against it. You don't want to be famous for eternity, but you must be upright and do your best before you die. It is worthy of the life and death of an acquaintance and the hundreds of thousands of people who died tragically in Cang'er."

"Hmph, if I tell you about the treasure, can you ask the court to reduce the tribute tax on Cang'er?"

"I'm not here for Gang Leader Shen's treasure."

Shen Xiangdong turned to look at Li Luo and asked, "Then why are you here?"

Li Luo did not answer, but said directly: "In my opinion, every mountain, every river, every thing and every person in the thirty-three prefectures of Dagan is a treasure. Speaking of it, the tens of thousands of heroes of the Salt Gang are probably the biggest treasure of Gang Leader Shen. "

Shen Xiangdong didn't speak, a trace of pain flashed in his eyes. Li Luo saw it, sighed slightly, and continued: "As Li Luo requested, Gang Leader Shen, please accompany me in the West Mansion. Although Li Luoxian has no important position, I promise Shen The leader of the gang has promised that within three years he will ask the emperor not to increase the tax on Cang'er, and within ten years the tax on Cang'er will be as it was when Gang Leader Shen was in charge."

Shen Xiangdong looked deeply at Li Luo and said slowly: "Aren't you afraid that I will escape?"

Li Luo smiled softly and said: "Where can Gang Leader Shen escape to? Cang'er is here, and no matter how far Gang Leader Shen runs, he will eventually go back."

Shen Xiangdong took a long breath and said, "Why did you choose me? Why did I believe your promise?"

"The leader of the Shen Gang joined forces with the brave heroes to fight against Da Gan and the Song family in Tiannan. They defeated the many with less and defeated Da Gan several times. Even with ten thousand people, they were able to dominate for decades. This shows that Mr. Shen is extremely resourceful. I once inquired in the Privy Council that in the past ten years, many troops have been raised in the four areas of Dagan, but only Mr. can sustain it for so long. If Mr. is not in Cang'er Prefecture, or my father is here, the number of wins and losses will be , it is still difficult to make a conclusion. Furthermore, what you seek is not power or beauty. I respect your character and come here to invite you. As for whether you believe my promise or not, you will make a decision when you get to Xifu."

"You want me to sacrifice my life for Da Gan." Shen Xiangdong lowered his head and thought deeply.

"My life is yours, I don't want it. No matter whether things in Xifu succeed or not, I will definitely keep my promise. Sir, I have been in this prison for five years. You might as well follow me out to Dagan to see Cang'er and the Song family." , I also want to take a look.”

Shen Xiangdong suddenly raised his head and stared at Li Luo, and said slowly: "Jiangmen Huzi, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse to have you in Da Gan."

Li Luo smiled and said: "It's just good and bad that depend on each other. Mr. Shen, this dynasty cannot be overthrown, so you might as well try to do something with me to save it."

After a while, Shen Xiangdong said word by word: "Okay, I promise you. But if you don't keep your promise, I will take your life no matter where you are in the world."

"Okay." Li Luo nodded and said, "If you can't see what I'm doing, sir, you can leave." Shen Xiangdong raised his head in surprise, and Li Luo said lightly: "I don't want Cang'er to cause any more injustice."

After saying that, he stood up and was about to call the jailer to come in and release the man when he suddenly heard Shen Xiangdong say sadly: "I have one more thing to ask for."

"you say."

"The members of the Salt Gang who died in the battle, with the approval of the imperial court, can return to the clan mourning hall."

That day, he took Shen Xiangdong out of the prison. Before he could go out, he was intercepted by the governor and blocked in every possible way. Li Luo was secretly annoyed and took out the imperial edict, saying that anyone who resisted the edict would be killed. Then he took Shen Xiangdong away. It is unknown whether anyone else made suggestions to Emperor Wanlong after that. Before leaving Zhuocheng, Li Luote asked Emperor Wanlong for a decree that Cang'er would tragically kill the people, and that no matter whether they were traitors to the party or not, their souls could be returned to the clan.
Chapter completed!