Chapter 100 Jiaozhou Preparation

As a result, the two wealthy and powerful families in Jiaozhou City were eating and drinking in a quiet voice on the Shaohai Tower. The scene was very depressing.

"A few days ago, I went to Gaomi to suppress the bandits. The money spent seemed to be flowing. Yan Ding had to do everything big and big, so I remembered Brother Zhou's words that day. Every word was so exquisite."

It was Li Meng who broke the silence first. When Zhou Juren heard Li Meng's question, he was shocked. He really didn't know how to answer. He simply picked up a glass of wine and drank it all. Seeing this Juren's desire to speak but stopped, Li Meng simply spoke again:

"You need to have territory, but Brother Zhou said that Shandong is dead, the land is barren, and it is too easy to be surrounded by people. Li thought about it for a long time but didn't know why. May I ask, sir, where is the so-called place to establish myself today?"

This was indeed too real. Zhou Yang's sip of wine was choked in his throat, his face turned red, he hurriedly covered his sleeves and coughed for a long time. He turned around and saw Li Meng looking at him with a smile and not speaking. The so-called scholarly businessman's enthusiasm is instructing the country. Zhou Yang and other scholars are usually thinking about the general trend of the world. Now someone asks that answering may lead to a disaster. If you don't answer, you feel itchy.

After a while, this week, Juren gave himself another cup, raised his head and drank it dry, coughed a few times and said:

"It's really uncomfortable if you don't say it's really uncomfortable, it's better to have Zhou's fight today, so I have to say it's so happy."

Li Meng was waiting for this sentence. With a smile, he picked up the wine pot and poured a glass of Juren Zhou on the opposite side, and said leisurely:

"In this Jiaozhou city, I, Salt Ding, are guarding you. Who dares to take you Mr. Zhou? The swords and guns I hold under my hands are not decorations."

"Although the world is big, it is nothing more than the southeast, northwest, northeast, cold weather, and the east envoys and the east envoys are rampant. Not to mention him, there is nothing more than the Qinchuan area to operate in the west. But now the imperial army and the thief army are coming and going, killing each other, and the local population has dropped sharply, which is already ruined and not the foundation."

It was amazing when he spoke. When Li Meng asked this, he really evoked the words of Juren Zhou. Li Meng listened there carefully, for fear of missing a sentence. Li Meng's actions made Juren Zhou's agitation even more. Zhuge Liang had to ask for advice sincerely and sincerely, so he said that Longzhong was right. I think his sincere and studious attitude could easily arouse him. This was exactly the case with Juren Zhou, who cleared his throat and said:

"Now, the only places that have not been poisoned by military disasters are all over the south of the Yangtze River. It is just that the roads in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi are difficult and barren, and they are not long-term places. Although there is a natural barrier in Sichuan, after entering, they can prevent foreign enemies and trap themselves in it."

Li Meng has been looking for books to study during this period. When he heard Zhou Juren talk about this, he pondered and interrupted:

"That's what I said, the places I can go to are nothing more than Jiangnan and Huguang..."

Just as Zhou Juren was about to speak, he suddenly heard the crackling sound of firecrackers outside, drowning his words. Li Meng was shocked. Several salt stewards outside were also nervously on guard. Zhou Yang was even more panicked and thought something had happened. At this time, someone outside shouted:

"Congratulations to Mr. Li Meng and Li for his promotion. The official documents of the Ministry of War have arrived. Please come down and accept the documents!"

There was a burst of rapid footsteps coming from the stairs not far away. The salt diners did not stop him, but the shopkeeper Lin from the restaurant ran up. The shopkeeper's face was full of enthusiastic smiles and shouted before he even entered the door:

"Mr. Li, no, Lord Li, the official document of the Ministry of War of the Capital, you have always been promoted because of your great achievements."

The other guests on the second floor came to congratulate him, but then a few salted men came up downstairs, with joy on their faces. When they saw Li Meng's face, they quickly explained the truth. It turned out that the official documents of the Ministry of War were passed directly in the capital and went directly to the palace of the inspection yamen.

The Master Ning Gan Guining, who was in charge of the presidency, saw the promotion document and knew that it was a rare event and a good opportunity for the people in the inspection office of the Salt Ding System to be proud of Jiaozhou City. While arranging the wine and food, the Tiqi who issued the order was arranged to buy firecrackers and red paper. Many people went to the street to set off firecrackers to promote the news of Li Meng's promotion, and then came to Shaohailou to find Li Meng to go back to receive the documents.

Although he was a little dissatisfied with his subordinates' actions of promoting publicity, Li Meng was also quite happy. He was beaten to death in Xiazhuang that day and lost a brother. Today's promotion was rewarded.

He hurried back to his house. Today's conversation obviously could not continue. When Zhou Juren saw Li Meng's promotion, he relaxed his heart even more. He opened his mind so much and talked to Li Meng about this secret and banned topic. Whether it is now or in the future, the relationship between the two parties will obviously not be too bad, which will be of great benefit to him.

When Li Meng was about to go out, he suddenly turned around and said with a smile:

"Mr. Zhou, Mr. Li is just a inspector of the salt administration at this time. He is not a minor official of the ninth rank, but he talks about the general trend of the world with Mr. Zhou. It seems that he is a general and governor. You can say it is ridiculous, sir."

Zhou Yang was stunned when he said this suddenly for no reason, and then he came back to the taste, took a sip with his glass, raised him to signal to Li Meng. Li Meng laughed and walked downstairs quickly. No matter what he used to be, everything was gone at this time.

Leaving the private room upstairs, from the second floor to the street, anyone who could say hello warmly came forward and said congratulations. Li Meng responded politely, so he really delayed a lot of time on the way. Since the matter has been confirmed, there is no need to worry anyway.

When he returned to the inspection yamen house, the Jinyiwei who brought the order in the main hall was already quite impatient. If the documents appointed by such officials were urgent or special, even if the emperor issued an order, a tiqi and a fast horse would come out of the capital to pass the order. This time, the relationship between the eunuch Liu, the eunuch, was of course considered a special situation.

Tiqi is just a small ant in the capital. After coming out, he will be a special envoy to send orders. His identity is different, and he is preparing to make a fortune.

Unfortunately, this Jinyiwei met Li Meng. After the last incident, it was difficult for Li Meng to have any good impression of these characters. According to the usual rules, he gave dozens of taels of silver to directly accept the documents and prosecutors. Seeing that the other party's attitude was not at all attentive, he could only make an order with a cold face:

"Li Meng, the general banner of Lingshan Guard, made great contributions to pacifying the thieves of Gaomi. Although it is a peaceful time, there are still evil people who are rampant in the village and colluding with the thieves. In order to pacify the local plan, they specially ordered the general banner of Chen Dazhong to promote Li Meng to the garrison of Jiaozhou, guarding the side, and all military affairs, the governor of Shandong and the governor of the governor of the government and the governor of the government, and contact them on their own."

After talking about the contents of the document, the seal and the prosecutor were stunned at the table and went out cursingly. Li Meng stood up and took the bronze seal and the document, looking at it over and over again. I don’t know if the stamp button on the copper seal was carved by a wolf or a dog. The metal products were quite weighty in my hands, and the document was even bright red seals and black and white.

There are only three people in the main hall, Chen Liu, Wang Hai and Master Ning. The three of them were very happy to see Li Meng as they were promoted. When Li Meng was promoted, they must have also risen with the flow. But seeing Li Meng was silent and mosuoed with seals, without any expression on his face, they all felt that Lord Li Li Erlang was really a natural material for great people, and he was so calm when he was not surprised when he was favored and criticized.

Li Meng waved his hand and signaled them to go out. The few people hurriedly bowed and then retreated. When they arrived in the yard and explained, Yanding, who was waiting for the news, suddenly cheered loudly.

The main hall was very quiet. Li Meng looked at the copper seal in his hand, and his mouth was raised, and a silent smile appeared, but his heart was like a turbulent wave.

"I am now in the name of legally leading troops..."

Li Meng, a military clerk in Lingshan Guard, led the people to defeat Gaomi's soldiers and riots. He was promoted to the garrison of Jiaozhou for his merits and was appointed as the fifth rank of military rank, guarding Jiaozhou, Jimo and Gaomi areas.

No one noticed this order from the Ministry of War. A fifth-rank military officer was just an appointment of local garrisons. Compared with the Shaanxi thieves who were wandering in Henan and Nanzhili, the Donglu Jurchens who were eyeing the pass outside the pass, the complicated natural disasters and man-made disasters in various places were more eye-catching than this matter.

The garrison is an official position of the fifth rank. It would be great if it was a fifth rank civil servant. If it was a fifth rank military officer, no one would look down on it. The children of noble families from the north and south, and the titles of military officers of the fourth and fifth ranks were everywhere on their bodies, which was not a big deal.

The reason is very simple. Military officers lead the troops, but the soldiers are not paid, but the Ming Dynasty's finances are tight everywhere. Even the so-called elites in the capital and the soldiers on the nine sides are like beggars and refugees, half hungry and half full. Leading a group of beggars and leaders, he is just a capable beggar.

It is no match for the herdsmen and officials in prefectures. Over the years, if they had made thousands of taels of silver, they would have been widely circulated in the name of a clean official. The income difference was so huge. Moreover, since the three major battles in the Wanli period, there was no victory for the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers inside and outside.

Since Nurhaci raised his army, the East Lieutenant Jurchens have never heard of any victory in the fight against the officers and soldiers. Famous generals and governors either lost their heads or surrendered. After the famine in Shaanxi, there was a victory today and a great victory tomorrow. But what was the result?
Chapter completed!