dognovel Chapter 1080 You've Been Taking My Official Position?
Chapter 1080 You've Been Taking My Official Position?
Yang Tong knelt on the ground, his head bowed low. The fat on the back of his neck folded into deep wrinkles, and beads of sweat slid down his hairline, hitting the rammed earth and spreading into a small dark patch.
“When I came to this place to take up my post, the salt wells here were said to be under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, but in reality they were all in the hands of the old man Agula.”
“Agula was extremely fierce and brave, and his colleagues feared him like a tiger. He was also quite fluent in the Qing language and had connections with the Qiang and Man tribes in the south.”
“He could keep nearly half of the salt produced by the salt well each month, and less than 30% was handed over, and it was all inferior quality.”
"The tax collectors and guards sent by the imperial court were either bribed by him with salt and women, or they died inexplicably in the mountains."
He paused, glanced at the oblivious Atuna beside him, and continued:
“I was young then, and my family spent money to send me to this godforsaken place, hoping to gain some experience, but who knew it would turn out like this.”
"I also tried to explain the pros and cons to him, and advised him to make more friends, so that he could at least save face, but that Agula..."
A fierce look flashed across Yang Tong's face: "In front of many of his colleagues, he threw a bag of salt at my face and said, 'Qing Guan is like a bird that flies over the mountain. He chirps a few times and then flies away. The salt well and my life belong to the mountain, but the mountain is mine.'"
Seeing his rapid breathing, Li Che could imagine how humiliated he had been at that moment.
He finally managed to buy an official position, but ended up being a servant to a powerful official family in Chengdu, and even after moving to the mountains, he still had to serve as a servant to the local people.
I can't stand any guy with a penis.
“I know that either he will sideline us like the previous rulers, or we will have to get rid of him.” Yang Tong’s voice lowered. “But we can’t force him. Agula has too much prestige among the familiar officials, and he is always accompanied by more than a dozen of the fiercest Liao people. My old, weak and disabled soldiers are not even enough to fill his teeth.”
"Go on," Li Che said calmly.
“I started by waiting and also tried to win people over.” Yang Tong gestured with his chin to the person crawling beside him. “Atu is Agula’s younger brother, but he is weak-willed and never cares about tribal affairs. He is not like his brother who learns the Qing language and befriends the Qiang and Man tribes.”
"I often invited him to drink and gave him some trinkets from outside the mountains. Over time, we became friends."
"I have been waiting for almost a year, and the opportunity has finally come." Yang Tong licked his dry lips. "The White Wolf Qiang in the south and another Qiang tribe are fighting over grasslands. They came to Agula seeking help, wanting to exchange salt for ironware."
“Agulai wanted to benefit from both sides, but was afraid of getting burned, so he decided to go to the south to meet with the Qiang chieftains on both sides to negotiate the price. That was not his territory, so he wouldn’t bring too many guards.”
Li Che tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the bamboo chair, his interest piqued: "You did something?"
"Yes," Yang Tong admitted readily. "I bribed two familiar officials who frequently traveled the mountain roads. They had long harbored resentment towards Agula's tyranny. I had them ambush him in advance at a treacherous ravine on his return journey. When his cavalry passed by, they shot and killed the lead guard, causing chaos, and then pushed down a large, pre-loosened boulder..."
He paused, his voice even hoarser: "Agula and his personal guards, along with their horses, were all buried under the rubble of the landslide."
"Afterwards, I happened to be patrolling the mountain with my men and found only a few mutilated corpses and torn clothes. The mountain stream was too fast, and the rest had probably been washed away."
Li Che continued, "Then you supported Atuna to ascend to the throne?"
“Yes,” Yang Tong said. “Atu Na has no real power base in the tribe, but he is the old chief’s son and Agula’s younger brother. His status is enough.”
“He is timid and ignorant, and also a heavy drinker… I helped him take care of the two most respected elders in the tribe. The remaining Liao people saw that Atuna was being supported by me and could get a little more salt each month than when Agula was there, so they accepted it.”
"So, the rule that 70% of the salt must be handed over every month is one you set?" Li Che asked.
"Yes." Yang Tong nodded. "Atu doesn't manage things. The actual amount of salt produced and how it is distributed are all up to me."
"I have increased the proportion of taxes to be handed over to the state to seventy percent. Firstly, I want to make a political achievement and see if there is a chance to be transferred. Secondly, I am also afraid that a serious superior will come to investigate. The more taxes are handed over, the better the accounts will look."
"As for the 30% left by the tribe, after deducting the consumption and the share given to Atuna, I also kept 10% for myself, in case of unforeseen circumstances."
After he finished speaking, he seemed completely exhausted, with only his shoulders trembling slightly.
Li Che remained silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on Yang Tong's plump, trembling back.
"What about the White Wolf Qiang in the south? Will they give up?"
Yang Tong replied, "I told the local people that the old man was killed by the White Wolf Qiang, and asked them to repair the fortress to guard against them and cut off their trade."
"Then, under the pretext of training soldiers, I selected Liao people who knew the Xia language and were close to the Qing people from among my acquaintances to serve as soldiers."
"I thought we would have to fight the White Wolf Qiang eventually, but General Luo has been sending troops to conquer the Qiang and barbarians for years, and the White Wolf Qiang have suffered heavy losses."
“They came several times, but seeing that the place was heavily defended, they gave up the idea of attacking and went to other salt wells instead.”
Upon hearing this, even Ying Bu, who had been guarding the door, subconsciously glanced at him.
What a brilliant scheme of cutting off the enemy's supply lines and using one enemy to devour another!
If this person hadn't become an official, he might have made a name for himself as a general.
"You're being honest."
Li Che spoke softly, his eyes still devoid of emotion: "Killing the chieftain who was under the control of the court, taking control of the salt wells, deceiving superiors and subordinates... According to the law, any one of these offenses is enough to warrant several deaths."
Yang Tong trembled, but instead of looking up, he pressed his forehead even closer to the ground: "Please punish me, Your Majesty."
“However,” Li Che changed the subject, “being able to organize these chaotic salt wells into a well-ordered system in just one or two years, with the amount of salt handed over far exceeding that of the past, control the Shu Liao tribes, and also deal with the Qiang and Man tribes in the south... that shows that you have some skills.”
Yang Tong was overjoyed and held his breath.
"I will not kill you."
Yang Tong shuddered, then his forehead slammed against the ground with a thud. Li Che was afraid he would knock his head out.
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty! Thank you for sparing my life! I will repay Your Majesty with my life!"
Li Che let him wail for a while before calmly saying, "I ask you, all the workers in the salt fields are Liao people, but I haven't seen any Qing people cooking in the salt fields. Where have all those Qing people gone?"
Yang Tong wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve and replied breathlessly, "Your Majesty is wise and insightful. The smoke from boiling salt is harmful to the lungs and internal organs. At best, it causes incessant coughing and wheezing; at worst, it leads to a premature death."
"Though I am not talented, I know that the people of Qing are Your Majesty's subjects. How can we drive them into this poisonous miasma?"
"Therefore, only the soldiers of Qingren were ordered to be responsible for supervising the construction, patrolling, and escorting the goods. Their residences were also specially located upwind, far away from the kitchen."
Li Che raised an eyebrow: "Oh? So these Liao people are barely clothed, starving, and toiling day and night in the toxic smoke, and this is how you treat the people under your jurisdiction?"
Yang Tong's fat face jiggled, and a shrewd glint flashed in his eyes: "Your Majesty, please allow me to report that these salt-making workers are all genuine Liao people. They only recognize their chieftain, not the law."
“When I first arrived, I knew that it would be difficult to win his heart with kindness and righteousness, and it would not be a long-term solution to intimidate him with force. The only way is to keep him busy and struggling for food all day long, so that he has no time to care about anything else, and his body will be weak and his mind will be numb. Only then can he be controlled.”
"As for those usable officials, I will select the strong ones to serve as guards and patrolmen, provide them with better food and clothing, so that they are different from the cooks, and they will naturally be of use to me."
He glanced at the emperor's face, and seeing no anger, continued, "The wild grass in the mountains and forests is like weeds; it grows back after being cut down. As long as the salt wells are here, there will be no shortage of people to use."
"As long as it doesn't affect salt production, it doesn't matter if more or fewer people die. We can just catch some more from the other side of the mountain to make up for it."
Li Che listened and suddenly laughed.
That smile was faint, yet it sent a chill down Yang Tong's spine.
"I understand." Li Che leaned back. "Yang Tong, you're a sensible man. I'll let you tell me yourself, what do you want from me?"
Yang Tong's pupils contracted sharply, his heart filled with wild joy: "Your Majesty, I only ask to stay by your side. If I could serve Your Majesty, it would be a blessing I have accumulated over many lifetimes!"
Li Che laughed and scolded, "You wish! Your behavior just now outside the pass clearly showed that you are a treacherous minister."
"Even if I wanted to use you, how could the censors and officials in the court tolerate a sycophant who had risen to power? Their constant impeachment memorials would keep me from having a moment's peace."
Yang Tong's fervent hopes were instantly extinguished by ice water, and his face turned ashen.
Seeing his distraught appearance, Li Che changed the subject: "How about this, I will first grant you the title of 'Rongcheng Salt Transport Commissioner' and keep you in the imperial court for the time being. When I leave Shu, you will serve under the Prince of Jin."
The Prince of Jin is now the governor in charge of the administration of Shu. Although going to his side is not a direct entry into the central government, it is still like stepping from the remote wilderness into the mansion of power, which can be described as rising to the top in one step.
Yang Tong, having narrowly escaped death, was so excited he was almost incoherent: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace! I will serve you with all my might and live up to your trust!"
"Alright, go down. After you've tidied up, come with me to inspect the salt wells." Li Che waved his hand.
Yang Tong kowtowed twice more before bowing and pulling the bewildered Atuna backward out of the bamboo house.
Outside, Wei Xiang, Luo Yueniang, and the other civil and military officials did not go far; they all waited quietly in the courtyard.
When Yang Tong came out, everyone glanced at his disheveled appearance with indifferent eyes, all showing disdain.
Yang Tong didn't recognize any of them, but he didn't dare to be negligent. He just smiled and bowed to each of the officials.
Even if no one paid him any attention, he still performed all the proper courtesies.
Finally, at the very end, Yang Tong spotted a familiar face: Wei Xiang.
He quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply: "This humble official greets Lord Wei."
Wei Xiang was staring blankly in the direction of the salt fields when he heard this. He turned his head, glanced at him, and casually said, "Has His Majesty finished giving his orders? Did he promote you?"
Yang Tong nodded hurriedly, forcing a grateful smile on his face: "I am deeply grateful for His Majesty's grace in promoting me to Salt Commissioner of Chengdu."
“Hmm, Salt Commissioner, not bad, a real…” Wei Xiang replied casually, but stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.
He slowly turned his head, his eyes widening slightly as he looked at Yang Tong: "What did you say? Salt Commissioner?"
Yang Tong felt a little uneasy under his gaze and carefully replied, "Yes... His Majesty said it himself, the Salt Commissioner of Rongcheng."
Wei Xiang's expression froze. Who was the previous salt commissioner...? It was me, wasn't it?
No... If you take my official position, what am I supposed to do?