Chapter four hundred and twentieth nine chaos in the south
In the autumn of the eleventh year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign in the Sui Dynasty, Song Que, the leader of the Song Dynasty in Lingnan, was granted the title of Zhennan Gong by the Sui Emperor, and he would forever rule Lingnan!
After reaching an agreement, peace returned to the Lingnan area. The main force of the Sui army withdrew and spent half a year recovering in Jiankang City before slowly returning to the north.
The main force of the Sui army withdrew from the south, which made all the powerful nobles and powerful factions in the south heave a sigh of relief.
Some people are unwilling to be lonely and are ready to take action.
At this time, Lei Hu was focused on farming quietly and had little interest in the changes outside. It was just that the trees wanted to be quiet but the wind did not stop. He wanted to live a stable farming life, but others would not let him be so leisurely.
"General, the powerful nobles in the territory have been doing some unusual things recently!"
In the study outside Wuhou's mansion in Qiantang County, an ordinary-looking young man was reporting to Lei Hu on the affairs in the territory. Recently, the powerful nobles in Wuhou's territory have been quite restless.
"Why, are they making trouble again?"
Lei Hu sneered: "Do they still want to compete with me?"
It is said that Wu Hou led a series of policies to benefit the people, which allowed the people in the territory to live a prosperous and happy life, but it seriously damaged the interests of the local gentry and powerful people.
Apart from other things, the land policy formulated by the Marquis of Wu alone made a group of powerful nobles with extensive land complain incessantly, and almost caused a ridiculous situation where there was no land and no one was cultivating it.
The common people have been allocated high-quality paddy fields, even the elderly and children. As long as they are willing to work hard and have a full stomach, how can they continue to accept the exploitation of the powerful nobles?
The government's land rent was set very low, no more than 45%. This was the standard set by Lei Hu because he considered practical factors and did not want to attract too much attention and become an outlier that the aristocratic family wanted to quickly eliminate.
Even so, the people who received the inheritance land are still grateful and grateful, and they are just as good as the thunder tigers who are transformed into Buddhist Bodhisattvas and Taoist moral beings.
If one rents land from a wealthy noble family, the land rent will be at least 60% to 70%. In a good year, one can barely survive, and one has to collect a large amount of wild vegetables and eat them in order to be 50% full.
Not only that, but there are many additional obligations, which are almost like being a slave in a powerful noble family, and life is even more difficult.
This even attracted many hidden households to register their household registration with the government, causing all the tenants in the hands of powerful nobles to disappear at once.
Now, it's the turn of these guys who used to be aloof to have a headache.
The common people were protected by the Marquis of Wu, the government and the army, and were all included in the "Production and Construction Corps". They really didn't have the guts to act recklessly.
But they can’t work in the fields themselves, right?
It's no joke that the south is vast and sparsely populated. There is no powerful noble family in the area that doesn't have dozens or hundreds of fields, and some even have thousands of people.
With so much land to be cultivated, a lot of manpower is needed.
Not to mention, Wu Hou Leihu also issued a strict order that the fields under the direct jurisdiction of the government should be abandoned for up to three years. If it is not cultivated after three years, then the government will directly confiscate it.
As a result, the local nobles were forced to use all the land at hand.
In this era, there is no saying that officials and gentry will not pay taxes. The troops and spies under Lei Hu are not vegetarians. They will clearly know the fields of the powerful local gentry under their rule. When the time comes, they will come to collect the taxes on the fields. Who dares not to pay the taxes?
Just wait for bad luck.
The old and young of the Shen family in Taihu, as well as the young and middle-aged, are still undergoing endless "reform through labor." No matter which powerful noble family wants to use their wrong ideas, they must first consider whether they can bear the consequences.
In short, the longer the military control of the territory lasts, the more obvious it will be to weaken the powerful nobles in the territory.
This is Lei Hu’s conspiracy!
Even if the powerful nobles in the territory knew that it was not good, they could not let go of their years of management and did not have the strength to fight against Wu Hou Leihu, so they could only accept the management honestly and slowly integrate into the economic life of the territory.
Thunder tigers have not been exterminated. The output of the land is only enough for food and clothing. It is a fool's dream to make a fortune by foraging in the soil.
Only by doing business can you make a lot of money. Besides, in the Wuhou Territory, except for the department stores set up by the government, only the powerful nobles have the ability to do business with the outside world and revitalize the local economy.
What Lei Hu wants to do is to push the powerful nobles in the territory into the economic field, so as to prevent them from focusing on the land without control.
In short, during the period when the Sui Dynasty reached an agreement with the Lingnan Song clan and retreated their troops back to the north, Wuhouli was peaceful and calm, the commercial economy had greatly improved, and the entire territory's plate was coming to life.
However, as the main force of the Sui army left, local forces throughout the south breathed a sigh of relief, and some ambitious people couldn't help but want to take the lead.
Wu Hou Leihu received a report from his chief spy, saying that the powerful nobles in the territory had close communication with local powerful factions in the south, and there were also large-scale grain transactions.
"Have you found out what they want to do?"
Lei Hu didn't pay attention to this. The nobles in the south had been unscrupulous for too long, and they couldn't bear to live a life where they couldn't be suppressed and restrained by others.
Of course, if the difference in strength is too big, you have to endure it even if you can't bear it anymore.
Unfortunately, the main force of the Sui army left a little too simply. There were only less than 50,000 troops left in the entire south, and they were basically stationed in towns along the Yangtze River such as Jiankang and Jingkou (Zhenjiang). The number of troops stationed in the hinterland of the south was insufficient.
Naturally, local control and deterrence have also been greatly weakened.
Apart from other things, if Wu Hou Leihu raises his troops to rebel, half of the south of the Yangtze River will be completely corrupted in a short time. I wonder what Emperor Yang Jian of the Sui Dynasty thought?
It was also Lei Hu who had been suppressing the powerful nobles in the territory. The relationship with them was tense and cold, and there was basically no interaction with them. Otherwise, the so-called scholars who took the initiative to encourage Lei Hu to rebel would have come long ago.
Obviously, Wu Hou Leihu had no idea of acting rashly, but the powerful nobles in the territory could not sit still and were very interested in taking risks.
"General, they want to rebel!"
The spy leader was straightforward and said directly: "Except for the general, in places like Kuaiji, the further south you go, the more commotion there is. I'm afraid it won't be long before there will be a rebellion!"
"Did any of the powerful nobles in the territory go into battle with bare arms?"
Lei Hu smiled and continued to ask, "What measures are being taken by Jiankang?"
"General, the powerful nobles in the territory don't have the courage, and they don't dare to give the general a reason to attack. They are just in close contact with their counterparts in the south and have no intention of participating directly!"
The spy leader smiled and said: "As for Jiankang City, there is nothing unusual about Han Qinhu!"
The highest military officer of the Sui army left in the south was Han Qinhu, the general who had been named Shangzhu Kingdom. He was the unlucky guy who was seriously injured by Lei Hu's sword in the Battle of Jiankang.
Despite this, Han Qinhu is definitely an existence that no one dares to underestimate!
"This guy's lack of reaction is the biggest problem!"
Lei Hu shook his head, waved his hand and said: "No matter what the storm is outside, as long as we don't join in randomly, who else dares to seek death?"
At this time, Wu Houling can only be said to have just started to develop, but the geographical location is advantageous and the land is fertile. Although it has only concentrated on development for about two years, it has got rid of the trouble of shortage of money and food, has become self-sufficient, and can also provide external services.
Lots of 'local specialties'.
All the 50,000 troops under his command have successfully trained in Iron Clothes, and their strength is unparalleled in the south. As long as he is not willing, no one can force him, otherwise he will have to bear Lei Hu's amazing strength.
Time passed slowly, and in a blink of an eye it was the time of summer harvest in the twelfth year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign.
The entire Wuhou clan was enjoying a grand harvest scene. From Wuhou Leihu to an ordinary child, everyone's eyes were focused on the summer harvest, and the entire territory was filled with a festive atmosphere.
But at this moment, shocking news suddenly came from Jiankang. The Sui army general Han Qinhu who was stationed in Jiankang was suddenly assassinated in the city and seriously injured. Jiankang city was in chaos.
"Damn it, the script shouldn't be like this!"
After hearing the news, Lei Hu was a little surprised but didn't care much. He had no sympathy for Han Qinhu in his heart, but only contempt and disdain.
Nima told you to pretend to be a wolf with a big tail, now pretend to be dead.
Needless to say, the leader of the Sui army in the south is seriously injured and dying. The Sui army in Jiankang and Jingkou will definitely be in chaos for a while. Isn't this a good time for some people to cause trouble?
It happens to be a bumper summer grain harvest at this time, so it’s really nice to catch a wave!
"Pass it to me and send another one!"
Lei Hu immediately summoned his confidants and ordered: "Tell the guards on the edge of the territory to keep an eye on me and don't let the thieves take advantage of it!"
"In addition, notify the local government and garrison troops to keep an eye on the powerful nobles under their jurisdiction. Anyone who makes any unusual move will have their homes confiscated directly. You're welcome!"
As Leihu's order came out, the garrisons in several towns on the edge of the Wu Marquis territory immediately stepped up their vigilance. At the same time, the powerful noble families within the territory also received immediate warnings from the government and the garrisons. They were not allowed to act rashly, otherwise they would be severely punished.
Such overbearing behavior naturally aroused dissatisfaction among these powerful nobles, but at this time they were able to suppress their anger and obey the rules honestly and not act randomly.
"Do you want to wait until the south is completely in chaos before committing another act of chaos?"
Lei Hu sneered. He didn't take it to heart at all. The troops stationed in various places were not vegetarian. At this time, the powerful nobles under his rule could only mobilize their clan troops. Against an army that was successful in practicing iron cloth shirts,
It will definitely give them a good eye-opener.
Lei Hu did not wait long. A few days after the Sui army general was assassinated and seriously injured, several powerful forces in various parts of the south suddenly raised their flags to rebel.
They killed government officials, massacred the people of the Sui Dynasty and the forces that had good relations with the Sui Dynasty. Their attack on the city was unstoppable. In just ten days and a half, they had swept through one or even several counties in the south.
A large area is caught in the flames of war, and the situation looks quite grim.