Chapter 336: The Siege of Jiangning (10)
"Luo Yiren..." Huo Chong felt that this name made him unconsciously think of Mu Renzhi.
"Teacher, has Chen Mingtai gone mad? He actually sent a person from a Qing official's family." Wan Qian asked.
Huo Chong looked at his sixth apprentice's bulging belly and could only pretend not to notice it and smiled, "Perhaps Mr. Chen thinks it's time for us to surrender and accept the rebels."
Hearing this, Wan Qian couldn't help but roll her eyes and muttered, "He thinks too much."
Huo Chong did not respond to this question, but only asked about the personnel arrangements behind the Statistics Bureau she managed. After hearing this, Wan Qian grabbed Huo Chong's arm and said, "Teacher, I will come back to work after giving birth, so don't chase me away."
"Sixth Brother, the Chinese court is not the Qing Dynasty, and women cannot be officials. As an official, you are not yet of retirement age. Can you just leave if you want? You are overthinking."
After hearing what Huo Chong said, Wan Qian felt a little relieved. They talked about work for a while before leaving.
After Wan Qian left the door, Gong Yu was brought in. "My Lord, I wonder who you want me to see."
"This person was sent by Chen Mingtai. He should be interesting."
Gong Yu frowned, "The person sent by Chen Mingtai... he must be a strategist."
"Anyway, he must be better than me in many ways, otherwise Chen Mingtai probably wouldn't have sent such a person from Yangzhou here."
"Zhang or Luo?"
"Oh? Do you know him?"
Before Gong Yu could answer, the guard had already led Luo Yiren in. Luo Yiren clasped his fists and saluted, "Hello, Mr. Huo."
Huo Chong took a look and saw that the young man opposite him was about 20 years old, chubby, with bright and sharp eyes, and a sense of disobedience. He must have some resentment towards Huo Chong.
Before Huo Chong could speak, Luo Yiren's eyes fell on Gong Yu. He tilted his head subconsciously, and his eyes became more unfriendly.
Gong Yu laughed, "Brother Luo, I didn't expect you to come too."
"How are you, Brother Kong? I heard that he is now the governor of Jiangsu."
Seeing the two of them were a bit on edge, Huo Chong was a little confused about what the grudges between these guys were. Instead, he found it more interesting. He ordered, "Little friend, sit down."
Luo Yiren sat down and told Huo Chong what he was thinking without any hesitation.
In terms of the hardship of livelihood in the world, the Hakka people who had to go to the south to explore because they had no land were of course the hardest off. However, in terms of the overall hardship of livelihood, the Huai River and the Huai River were undoubtedly the hardest off in the world.
As the Yellow River flowed southward for hundreds of years, a group of lakes were formed in Anhui. Since these lakes had no smooth outflow channels and were shallow, they would flood during the rainy season. The people were in danger of losing their lives and their lives were extremely miserable.
"Mr. Huo, I think you are too arrogant. The people in Lianghuai live in such a harsh environment that they have soldiers. If Mr. Huo implements land reform in Lianghuai and recruits soldiers, 100,000 elite soldiers will be easily available. With 100,000 soldiers, the Qing Dynasty will not have to worry about conquering the world."
Huo Chong was a little surprised after hearing this. Luo Yiren's view on the life of the people in Lianghuai was the same as Huo Chong's, but Huo Chong was thinking about how to solve the flood in Lianghuai. If possible, Huo Chong sincerely hoped to open up the river so that Lianghuai could restore the situation of being a land of fish and rice in the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Without waiting for Huo Chong to speak, Gong Yu said coldly: "All you think about is how to achieve quick success and instant benefits."
Luo Yiren rolled his eyes and replied disdainfully, "The affairs of the world are always a matter of one person taking the stage after another. Although my method is short-sighted, it also provides a way out for the people. The so-called eternal plan is nothing more than those people flattering themselves. Is there really any method that can remain unchanged for a hundred years? Just like when Zhu Yuanzhang established military households and nine frontier military towns. In just a few decades, the military households became slaves of the frontier generals. The military towns also served as a defense for the court. Mr. Huo can have the situation today because he was the first to make changes."
Huo Chong could understand what Luo Yiren said, but when he saw the situation between Luo Yiren and Gong Yu, he became curious. It seemed that there was a deep grudge between the two.
Gong Yu retorted: "Have you ever thought that if we use a large number of Lianghuai soldiers..."
"It's just that I'm worried that the Lianghuai guards will become powerful in the army. That's not difficult. Recruiting Lianghuai guards, we say they will be useful for a few years. If they are said to be useful for three years, in fact, they will only be used for two years. In the remaining year, they will be thinking about how to save their lives and go home. It's better not to use them. If there is no war, they can always be used to defend the city. As for the other guards, they can be recruited from Lianghuai. I think Mr. Huo is unwilling to let these brave and ruthless people with no ideals become officers and have a say in the army. Let's do what we say and give them three years, only two years. There will be at most three waves of people, a total of six years. Once the general trend of the world is achieved, it won't take that long to annex the world. It will only take more than ten years at most. At least three to five years. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Mr. Huo used the good families you recruited in the wealthy places to form an army, and they still suppressed the local areas one by one."
Huo Chong felt that he was really persuaded. Luo Yiren's method was indeed short-sighted, but Luo Yiren had set a short-sighted goal, so it was not a problem.
The whole plan was logically self-consistent and reasonable from beginning to end. It was even trustworthy and legal, which was a bit righteous.
"Little boy, what do you want?" Huo Chong asked.
Luo Yiren asked straightforwardly: "Mr. Huo, I want to ask you one thing. Why are you so persistent about land reform?"
"…This is a political philosophy. The so-called foundation of a country is that you cannot bully others."
Luo Yiren was neither excited nor moved. He stared at Huo Chong with bright eyes and continued to ask, "Who is a human being in Mr. Huo's eyes?"
"Huh?" It was the first time that Huo Chong was asked such a sharp question, and he was unable to answer it immediately.
"Mr. Huo wants to seek benefits for the people. I know that. But Mr. Huo treats the people as human beings, so those who oppress the people are probably not human beings."
"Yeah. I'd like to say it's true. But I don't want to say that."
"Mr. Huo, please don't blame me. I thought that officials and gentry were all good people. Before I saw Mr. Huo's proposal, I knew that landlords and gentry were no longer self-cultivating farmers. They did not produce anything and relied on exploitation. It is not unfair to say that they exploited people to death. However, some people did it, and some people did not like it, but could not escape. Although Mr. Huo pointed out that those guys who exploited endlessly were beasts and evil ghosts in human skin, did Mr. Huo want to tell the world how to turn people into ghosts, but did Mr. Huo tell the world how to turn ghosts into people?"
Huo Chong was stunned, and suddenly doubted for a moment, could it be that Luo Yiren was also a time traveler?
If Luo Yiren was not a time traveler, why did this sound so familiar? And Luo Yiren could actually express a deeper meaning in this statement.
"Hmph! Mr. Luo, what you say sounds nice now, but how did you act in the past!" Gong Yu's voice was full of hatred.
Luo Yiren snorted, "What crops can grow on saline-alkali land? Even if everyone thinks that this world is wrong, they can only grow monsters. When we were young and frivolous, we wanted to overthrow the court, but in the end, didn't we all realize that we couldn't do it? Besides, you think I betrayed you, but I think someone among you betrayed you. If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter!"
Huo Chong found it more and more interesting. Huo Chong had always thought that in the Qing Dynasty, scholars all supported the Qing system, but he didn't expect that there would be anti-establishment elements in every era. Based on Huo Chong's understanding of Gong Yu, Kong Bugeng, and Weber, they were just that kind of people.
However, where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. It seems that Gong Yu's old acquaintance Luo Yiren is also one of them, and he has a very inhumane past with this small gang.
Gong Yu snorted after hearing this, his expression full of murderous intent. Luo Yiren didn't care at all, and continued: "Mr. Huo, the world's affairs are just about who can take the lead. Mr. Huo is both virtuous and talented, and he has already made the Qing Dynasty shaky. So far, only some marginal figures or those who have been involved in it have come to Mr. Huo for help. Right?"
"Yeah. I also think that the Manchus are very loyal." Huo Chong nodded in agreement.
"That's because Mr. Huo overestimated the Qing Dynasty. The reason why those people seemed loyal before was that they believed that the Qing Dynasty was still the legitimate government of the world. How did Mr. Huo think the Ming Dynasty fell? Why didn't any officials defect to the bandits like Li Zicheng or the Qing Dynasty before the fall of the country? Even when the north was in turmoil and the Qing Dynasty kept entering to plunder, the situation remained the same."
Huo Chong didn't expect that there are still people in this era who can tell history like this. He was really interested. "This... I haven't studied it."
"In the Battle of Songshan in the north, the government troops led by Hong Chengchou were destroyed. Sun Chuanting in the northwest was destroyed. Lu Xiangsheng in Henan was destroyed. Since then, the Ming field army has been completely destroyed. Whether it is the nine border military towns or officials in various places, they all think that the Ming Dynasty is over. If Chongzhen could be like Yu Qian, even if the emperor was captured in the Tumu Incident, he would not rush to mobilize the best troops in the world to enter the capital, but stabilize all parties. In this way, the field army is still there and can respond to the government and military towns in various places. However, Chongzhen was eager for quick success and instant benefits. Seeing that the situation was critical, he gambled lavishly. If he lost everything, he would lose everything."
"Oh... I see." Huo Chong felt his mind become clear, and many things that he had once thought complicated became clear at a glance.
Even when praised by Huo Chong, Luo Yiren remained calm. It was obvious that this was not the first time he had said such words, nor was it a new thought. Before saying this to Huo Chong, Luo Yiren had not only formed his own view of the world, but also perfected and thoroughly understood this view.
Luo Yiren continued calmly, "Mr. Huo, it was extremely dangerous for you to start an army in Shandong. However, Mr. Huo was popular in Shandong. The people of Shandong thought that Mr. Huo was a good man and that it was Emperor Yongzheng who was cruel and wanted to kill Mr. Huo. So when Mr. Huo fought against the Qing Dynasty, everyone who had nothing to do stood by and watched. When Mr. Huo occupied Shandong and defeated 100,000 government troops, the people of Shandong understood one thing: in Shandong, Mr. Huo's words counted. Although they were forced, they also admitted that in Shandong, Mr. Huo was the most powerful."
Huo Chong couldn't help but defend himself, "Hey! Little friend, isn't it because I share the same sufferings with the people?"
Luo Yiren was not polite. "That was because Mr. Huo and his men shared hardships. The people of Shandong don't think so. They just know that as long as Mr. Huo is still around, the court can't control Shandong. That's what they say, a county magistrate is not as good as the current one."
Huo Chong could only sigh when he saw Luo Yiren like this. It was indeed the youth who were full of vigor. And if these scholars really had the intention to rebel, their determination was shocking.
"Mr. Huo killed Yongzheng, and the Qing Dynasty was shaken. Many people in Jiangnan talked about this, saying that since the Tianqi Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, people have died casually. It is said that the Tianqi Emperor fell into the water and died of illness not long after. Chongzhen died casually, hanging himself on Coal Hill. After that, every emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty died a good death, and died casually. On the Qing side, Huang Taiji died casually. It is said that he was killed by Dorgon. Shunzhi died casually. It is said that he died for a woman. Although Kang Si was the emperor for sixty years, he was riding a horse and walking around two days ago, and then he was beheaded. In the past two hundred years, emperors have appeared one after another, and they died casually like ordinary people. Everyone thinks that these people should not have been emperors, but they became emperors. So they were backfired."
"Die casually... is there such a thing? Haha." Huo Chong was amused.
However, Luo Yiren looked very serious, "Mr. Huo, don't laugh. You said that you share the same fate with the people. When Kangxi was alive, he did a lot of things. He repaired the river and sorted out the land. He made many plans to protect the Manchus' country. But it is not true to say that he did nothing good. But what can be done about it? After Kangxi's death, Mr. Huo rose up in a few years. He messed up the world. If you only know how to share the same fate with the people, it is just a fleeting moment and self-pity. People like to say that the present is not as good as the past, but that is all bullshit. Even when Kangxi was at his peak, with Mr. Huo's current strength, are you afraid of Kangxi?"
Huo Chong felt that Luo Yiren was afraid of his flattery, but when he heard this, he felt relieved. The reason why Huo Chong did not rebel during the reign of Emperor Kangxi was not because he was afraid of Kangxi. It was because Huo Chong really had no power. If he had enough power, it would not matter when he rebelled.
"Mr. Huo. Although I don't know if Mr. Huo planned the battle of Jiangning, it was right. If Mr. Huo hadn't planned, he would be a natural talent and would go to his destiny. As long as the hundreds of thousands of Qing troops in Jiangning are destroyed, Mr. Huo ordered your good family sons to maintain the situation from Shandong to Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Use the elite soldiers of Lianghuai to fight all the way to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. If you can capture Baidi City and block the gateway from Sichuan to Huguang, everyone in the world will understand that the Qing Dynasty is no longer the court. Although the loss of these hundreds of thousands of people is not a loss that can really destroy the Qing Dynasty's hundreds of thousands of troops and millions of Eight Banners. However, once the Qing Dynasty is considered to be just the Qing Dynasty, not the court, the people of the world will immediately abandon it. At that time, Mr. Huo will recruit surrenders and reorganize the local areas. The situation of the Southern and Northern Dynasties will have been achieved. And... hehe..."
Just when Luo Yiren was showing off, Gong Yu suddenly shouted, "Have you said enough?"
Luo Yiren looked at Gong Yu's anger and couldn't help laughing out loud, "Haha, not bad. The latter part is what Brother Gong saw, I almost showed it off."
Huo Chong turned to Gong Yu, and before he could speak, Gong Yu said, "My lord, we were young and frivolous back then. We also made some big claims. If the situation had come to this, my lord would have sent a small army north to cross the Yellow River and recapture the capital. Then we would have marched west along the Taihang Mountains and captured Taiyuan. This would have destroyed the people's hope for the Qing Dynasty. If the Qing Dynasty only controlled the northwest, no one would have thought that the Qing Dynasty was the imperial court. The Manchus and Mongols were just northern barbarians at that time. Although the world was ravaged by the Qing Dynasty, China has recovered. The only question is how to recapture the old land in the northwest."
After hearing this, Huo Chong finally understood. It turned out that these guys did not have enough knowledge to come up with a rebellion plan that was in line with the Qing Dynasty. Instead, they came up with this plan first and then decided to come to Huo Chong to propose it to him.
The whole pattern is very similar to the idea of Zhuge Liang presenting the Longzhong Plan to Liu Bei.
Interesting. Huo Chong touched his chin and found it really interesting. So this is how the literati of this era do things.
I was thinking about it. Then I heard Luo Yiren say, "Mr. Huo, I want to ask, Mr. Huo, will you really not let people have private land?"
Huo Chong didn't even need to think, and answered decisively: "Land is state-owned, or publicly owned. This is justice. Little friend, this is justice."
Luo Yiren asked, "I wonder what Mr. Huo thinks is justice?"
"Justice is an unshakable belief. If it is shaken, it is not justice. Justice itself is the most bloodthirsty, the most brutal, and the most resolute. Because the means to achieve justice at the political level is war." At this point, Huo Chong wanted to test Luo Yiren's thoughts, so he asked, "Little friend, what do you think war is?"
"There were no righteous wars in the Spring and Autumn Period." Luo Yiren answered very decisively.
"That's right. Because the wars in the Spring and Autumn Period were all for interests, not justice. It can be said that Qin's unification of the world was in Qin's interest. However, this kind of war has justice and injustice. War is the continuation of politics. The real war is to impose my justice on others. I, I firmly believe that public ownership of land is justice. And the comrades who believe in my justice gather together. What we have to do is not to seek warmth in a group, nor to feel sorry for ourselves. We have to announce our justice to the world. So, we chose war. In this war, anyone who chooses to survive must accept our justice. Anyone who wants to gain a position in this war must support our justice and work for our justice."
After Huo Chong finished speaking, he felt that Luo Yiren might be crushed by this heavy weight of justice.
Unexpectedly, Luo Yiren actually had a smile on his face. Although this smile looked a bit like the arrogance of a young man who was unwilling to obey, Luo Yiren was not scared, let alone overwhelmed. He replied: "Since Mr. Huo wants to promote justice, please first make it clear who is a human and who is a ghost. You must also make it clear why those injustices turn people into ghosts, and justice is how to turn ghosts into people. If you can do this, wherever the flag goes, the wind will blow and the grass will be subdued, and the world will be united."
