Li Mu could probably guess what they were going to say, so he cleared his throat and said, "If you have something to say... tell me?"
Elder Kun Ling glanced at Wang Ou, and Li Mu frowned and said, "Why, you still want my wife to avoid you?"
"Don't you dare, don't you dare," Elder Kun Ling said hurriedly: "The saint's status is so honorable, how dare you, the lower official, then, then the lower official should speak out."
Li Mu snorted and seemed indifferent. These idiots were so disrespectful to their wives that they really deserved a beating.
Elder Kun Ling also knew that he had said something wrong, so he quickly turned back to business and said: "What the Marquis said last time about native officials, I didn't quite understand. Is there anything wrong with this hereditary native official?"
Standard?"
"Ha," Li Mu sneered and said, "I think you want to ask, can you two become local officials?"
Elder Kun Ling laughed dryly and nodded awkwardly. In fact, he had been thinking about this for a long time before he had the courage to ask. If he went by what Li Mu said that day, he should be able to become a local official.
But in private, he was chatting with Kanqin, and when he talked about this matter, he was a little unconfident.
The reason is that Kan Qin thinks that what Li Mu means is that only the 'village owners' of Shibawu in Jiuxiang can be hereditary native officials. And many of these elders are not actually village owners. The status of many of them is
It is tied to the Snake Spirit Sect. For example, their current position of Great Elder is actually the Great Elder of the Snake Spirit Sect. It was awarded by the leader of the Snake Spirit Sect, not by the imperial court.
It was only when the imperial court appointed officials that they were "highly respected" among the Miao people that they were given a nominal official position. Elder Kun Ling's job was actually that of a Miao doctor.
If the imperial court was reorganized and officials were granted official status, he was afraid that he would not be valued by the imperial court and would not receive an official position because he had no "utility value." That's why he felt uneasy and felt that he still had to ask about this matter.
Also, not all the current village leaders in Jiuxiang Shibawu are village masters passed down from generation to generation. There are also situations where a village leader did not do well and was overthrown. How to solve this part, they have no idea.
clear.
Li Mu had already thought about the regulations in his mind, and he didn't panic when they asked. He talked eloquently: "First of all, there are two criteria for the selection of native officials. One is to be loyal to the court, and the other is to be able to convince people."
First, needless to say, the imperial court will never reuse people with selfish intentions and evil intentions. Second, it is easy to understand. The reason why the imperial court chooses local officials is because of Han, Miao, customs, and human feelings.
, culture and other aspects have considerable discrepancies, so if Han officials are used to govern Miao territory, misunderstandings and conflicts will inevitably occur. In order to reduce these problems, native officials will be chosen. If this native official cannot convince the public, the court
It's better to use Han officials to govern. You should be able to understand such a simple truth, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes," Kun Ling and Kan Qin nodded repeatedly. This was exactly what they were thinking.
"I know that some Miao village owners are not hereditary, but elected by the people, so this is a bit difficult. But you remember this sentence, nothing is difficult in the world, only those who are willing to do it. Difficult things can't be solved.
As long as you want to do something, there is a way." Li Mu glanced at the two of them and said: "In principle, the candidate for the native official is the 'tribe leader' or the 'village leader. If there is no fair clan leader or village leader, then all the people will be chosen.
The people of the Miao village vote to choose one."
"Vote?" Kun Ling and Kan Qin were confused. They had never heard of such a thing as voting.
"Yes, one person, one vote. The person with the most votes will be elected as the leader of the village. The leader will succeed the local official. When voting, he has thought about it himself. He has chosen the one he has chosen. He will be responsible for whether it is good or bad."
This was fair. The two great elders had calculated in their minds how many votes they could get based on their prestige.
Li Mu continued: "I took a rough look at the map of the Miao territory. We won't mention the previous territory. Big or small, it's all in the past. As you said, it was bullied by the Han people.
, that was also bullied by the Han people in the previous dynasty, and has nothing to do with the Tang Dynasty. Let’s just calculate it according to the current situation.”
It's a bit unreasonable, but the two elders also know that even if they don't agree, there is nothing they can do.
"The existing territory of the Miao territory is somewhat uneven. Take the Minjiang River as an example. There are areas on the north bank of the river and some on the south bank of the river. There is no need to organize them. Just clearly define the boundaries according to the size of the existing territory. Wait until the crossing
After the bridges across the Yangtze River are repaired, I will propose that a number of markets be set up in the south and north of the Yangtze River so that the Miao and Han people can exchange what they need and promote the economy."
The two great elders looked at each other. How could they not hear the hidden meaning?
For example, the south bank of the Yangtze River is the Miao territory. If the imperial court sets up a market here, it will definitely set up a permanent Zhechong Mansion. This is equivalent to garrisoning troops. If someone rebels in the Miao territory, even if they cannot suppress the rebellion, the reminder is more than enough.
And the north bank of the river was where the imperial court belonged. Even if there were Miao soldiers, how many could there be?
The thoughts of the Marquis are indeed meticulous and unfathomable. It seems that the information I heard is true. His appearance is frivolous, but in fact, he is a master who eats people without spitting out their bones.
"The current area of the Miao Territory is about the size of one state. Therefore, the official position of the chief official of the Miao Territory is also similar to that of the governor of a state. It is a fourth-level official position. Because he is a native official, he has the function of announcing and pacifying the region for the court, so he is not called
The governor is called the Xuanfu envoy."
"There is only one Xuanfu envoy——"
Before Li Mu finished speaking, Kun Ling and Kan Qin couldn't help but interrupt: "Master Hou, but the Miao family has Bai Bu and Wu Bu -"
Li Mu frowned and said, "What's wrong with you two? You two grabbed me before I could finish my words. How about you two making arrangements so that I don't say anything anymore?"
The two of them were immediately frightened and apologized repeatedly. If they offended Li Mu and directly declared the envoy to the other party, it would be a huge loss.
"There is only one Xuanfu envoy, so how to choose? It is still the old rule, vote. The Miao people in Shibawu, Jiuxiang, first choose the village leader, and then the village leader chooses the Xuanfu envoy. How about that, is it fair?"
As soon as it came out, Elder Kanqin smiled, but Elder Kunling seemed to have eaten a fly, and his old face twitched into a ball.
"Master Hou," Elder Kun Ling couldn't bear it any longer and said, "Master Hou may not know something. The number of Wu Miao people has always been greater than that of Bai Miao people. If this method of selection is used, Bai Miao people are really
It’s a loss.”
"You deserve to suffer a loss." Li Mu retorted directly and said: "I made you Bai Miao people less? Who can you rely on? The court is looking at the people of Miao territory, and the people of Miao territory are a whole, as long as they are
The court will do things that are beneficial to the majority of people without hesitation. Besides, how can there be anything absolutely fair? Some people are born with endless wealth and glory, and some people suffer hardships all their lives without enough food. Who will give them justice?
?”
Elder Kun Ling wanted to speak, but Li Mu waved his hand to stop him: "We have to do things now, and we don't have time to think about how to be absolutely fair? Let's not talk about whether there is such a thing as fairness. Even if there is, everything has been decided.
, one or two years have passed. Can the people wait? Can the court wait? Can the bridge be repaired? If you think so, it is best to do nothing and maintain the status quo."
Elder Kun Ling squeaked and held back his full words. Kanqin, on the other hand, was elated and poured out free New Year greetings.
Li Mu glared at him and said, "Are you so happy? Have you finished what I said?"
"Master Marquis, tell me what you say." Elder Kanqin was not annoyed at all. According to this voting method, the position of the Miao Xuanfu envoy will always belong to the Umiao, and he has already taken a big advantage.
, being scolded a few times will not lose any meat.
"Although there is only one Xuanfu envoy, considering the specific situation of Miao territory, the Xuanfu envoy is not hereditary, but rotates every five years."
Elder Kun Ling's eyes lit up instantly. Good rotation. You don't have to choose the rotation. Just wait! You will definitely get it.
Now it was Kanqin's turn to speak, but Li Mu still didn't let him speak and continued: "If Wu Miao is elected as the Xuanfu envoy first, then after five years, Bai Miao will be the new Xuanfu envoy. No one is selected.
Xuanfu envoys don't have to be too lonely. If you can't be a Xuanfu envoy of the fourth rank, you can also be a Xuanfu envoy of the lower fourth rank. In short, in one sentence, if you want to be a Xuanfu envoy, you can't be a Xuanfu Tongzhi. If you become a Tongzhi,
You can't be a Xuanfu envoy. Two officials can't be in the same family."
Now the two elders understood that Li Mu's rules were just two words: checks and balances, checks and balances everywhere!
No matter what they think, Li Mu has decided what he has already decided and there is absolutely no reason to change it: "The envoy of Xuanfu will be in charge of the Miao territory, but he will not be in charge of the army. Tongzhi will assist the envoy of Xuanfu and will not be in charge of the government, but he will be in charge of the army.
How many people are needed? This will be decided by the imperial court. You can specify how many troops are needed to maintain public security and submit it to the Ministry of War for decision."
Hearing this, both Kun Ling and Kan Qin became upset.
If this is the case, then it is not necessarily better whether the Xuanfu envoy or the Tongzhi are better. One is a civil servant, and the other is a military general. Civil servants are certainly in charge of government, but you must know that at critical moments, you still have to have soldiers and horses. For example, for example
, one day we are really going to rebel. Aren’t those who don’t have troops just farting?
The two great elders, one represents the Bai Miao and the other represents the Wumiao. No one would believe that they can really be of the same mind as the imperial court. Each one has his own little calculation in his heart. Based on the current conditions, it seems that they both know the same thing.
This position is more in line with my own interests. It seems that when it comes time to choose the Xuanfu envoy, I have to find a way to help him.
"The purpose of the imperial court setting up the Xuanfu envoy is to allow the Miao people to govern the Miao as much as possible." Li Mu said solemnly: "I might as well make things clear to you. Now I guarantee that the conditions for the Miao territory will be as long as the Miao territory
If you don't rebel and pay your taxes on time, the court will not care about you no matter what you do. If you are ungrateful, resentful, and do some sneaky things, when the court sends troops to suppress it, it will be useless to surrender and apologize.
.I will also feel very humiliated. When the time comes, I will fall out, so don’t blame me for being ruthless."
"The Marquis is so kind and benevolent that the people of Miao territory will never forget him. They will never dare to let down the Marquis."
"If you say this kind of thing, I will listen to it and let it pass. What you are looking at is still the matter." Li Mu sighed and said: "For the sake of my wife and children, after returning to the court,
I will report to your majesty at the meeting to reduce the taxes on Miao territory for three years, and exempt all the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes set by Cui Yushi and others. In these three years, you must seize the opportunity, do you understand?"
The two great elders were overjoyed and knelt down to kowtow. Throughout the ages, all the dynasties in the Central Plains have treated the Miao Territory harshly. They would never dare to think about tax exemptions. At this moment, the two of them really had a feeling.
The feeling of a soldier dying for his confidant is so deep and profound that if he rebels again, he will really be a bad person.
Of course, this is just a temporary feeling, and it may not necessarily be what it will be like after the emotion passes.
Li Mu helped the two of them up and said: "I am not doing these things for you. I am doing it for the people of Miao territory. Along the way, I have seen that the people are really suffering. Also, let me give you a reminder.
Wake up. I will also use your mouth to convey it to the village owners. Don’t think that you can sit back and relax after being elected as a local official, and that your hereditary inheritance will be ignored. Although the court does not interfere in the autonomy of the Miao territory in principle, it does not leave the Miao alone.
This area of Xinjiang is under the jurisdiction of the Shuzhou Metropolitan Governor's Office. Every year, the Metropolitan Governor's Office will send people to inspect. If it is found that the village owner is bullying others, or fails to play the role of "propaganda" for the imperial court, you, the village owner, will be punished.
Already."
The two elders were solemn and said in unison: "It should be like this, it should be like this."
"If there is a problem with the Xuanfu envoy, the court will also punish him. There is no need to wait for the expiration of the five-year term, and he will be replaced directly by Tongzhi. The guilty officer will be taken to Chang'an and the Ministry of Punishment will judge the crime."
Neither of them had any objections.
After finishing all the serious things that needed to be said, Li Mu thought of another thing and said: "There is also the matter of the Snake Spirit Sect. Your leader is dead. You have also seen his appearance. You don't need to tell me.
You also know that he practiced a very cruel forbidden technique, which is called the right way to kill. There is nothing to regret. The so-called snake spirit passed down by the Snake Spirit Sect has also disappeared. There is no need to pass it down to the Snake Spirit Sect, so
My wife and I have discussed that the Snake Spirit Sect will be renamed Baihua Palace from now on, and will only accept female disciples from now on. I will let you know the specific method of recruitment when the regulations are finalized."
"This..." Elder Kun Ling said worriedly: "Master Hou, the Snake Spirit Sect has a very high status in the hearts of the people in Miao territory. If it disappears all of a sudden, it may cause some commotion."
"So there is the Baihua Palace." Li Mu said: "Beliefs can be transferred. As I said before, as long as you want to do something, there is nothing you can't do. Let me say hello to you first, how to arrange the following, how to
Speak and think for yourself, I just want to see the results."
Li Mu said leisurely: "I have done so many things for you. If you still let me down with this little thing, then I will be really unhappy."
The two of them felt a cold breeze blowing from their backs, and hurriedly agreed, fearing that if they agreed too late, what Li Mu just said would not count.