roccoschili Chapter 122 Inquiring about Song Jiang
Chapter 122 Inquiring about Song Jiang
"Mountain bandits?" Jia Zhuo frowned subconsciously. "May I ask, didn't the county magistrate previously set up a business called a security escort agency? He asked us to cooperate and accompany him to clear the way and protect the trade route."
"If we were to be forced to descend the mountain and become bandits again, aside from the potential disruption to trade routes, wouldn't it also damage the county magistrate's reputation?"
Out of instinct, Jia Zhuo, who felt he had already cleared his name, was unwilling to bear the stigma again.
In his view, Li Chong's statement was most likely an attempt to get them to act as spies and do some shady things for him behind the scenes.
This is not difficult for officials to understand.
However, Jia Zhuo knew that doing dirty work would inevitably lead to being abandoned, and he might be pushed out as a scapegoat at any time.
Therefore, he was already somewhat disappointed in Li Chong and was preparing to see if he could decline the offer.
Li Chong glanced at him and noticed his worry.
Li Chong then smiled and reassured him, "Mr. Jia, please don't misunderstand. The bandits I'm talking about might not be the same as what you imagine. After all, they are Xiao Mei'er's elders, and I can't possibly let you go out and rob again."
"Please enlighten me, Your Excellency," Jia Zhuo asked cautiously.
"There's a saying that goes, 'Where there are ghosts, there are gods; where there are thieves, there are soldiers.' If there were no bandits, how could the escort agency's business thrive?"
Li Chong explained leisurely, "If you hadn't blocked our way, how would those stingy misers have been willing to pay for a security escort agency? The existence of you bandits is the very foundation of the security escort agency."
Jia Zhuo suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. The county magistrate wants us to intimidate those wealthy households so that they will seek protection from us."
He nodded secretly, inwardly giving Li Chong a thumbs up; Li Chong's move was truly impressive.
He made money off others and then expected them to thank him.
However, Jia Zhuo felt that although this method was good, it was somewhat dishonest.
Of course, given his emotional intelligence, he would only express admiration and wouldn't say anything that would spoil the mood.
Jia Zhuo could control himself, but the others around him couldn't.
Hu Changyong looked at Li Chong with a strange expression: "You're full of cunning ideas, managing to make money this way. Are all you scholars this treacherous?"
Jia Zhuo's expression turned anxious, and he spoke up to stop him: "Third brother!"
Li Chong raised his hand to stop him, looked at Hu Changyong, and then said with a smile, "Let those people spit out the wealth they've embezzled from the people, and I'll use it to benefit the people. That's taking from the people and using it for the people. Can that really be called insidious?"
The two stared at each other for a moment, and then Hu Changyong suddenly grinned.
"Haha! You're right! Just because you can arrange things for these old buddies, I'll trust you. I agree to this!"
Jia Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Fortunately, the third brother was straightforward and immediately agreed with Li Chong.
Otherwise, if the two of them really start arguing, it will be difficult to resolve the situation.
Jia Zhuo immediately smiled and said, "What the third brother says is true. The county magistrate is a rare and good official. Being able to work for the county magistrate and bring benefits to the people of Yanggu can be considered as our atonement for the harm we caused to the village before. We are willing to obey the county magistrate's orders."
Seeing that the two of them had agreed, Li Chong shook his head again.
"It is the county's duty to benefit the people, so there's no need for you two to say more. I have another reason for asking you to continue being 'mountain bandits,' and I hope you will agree."
Jia Zhuo's expression softened slightly: "Please speak, Your Excellency."
Li Chong said earnestly, "Help me find out about someone. His name is—Song Jiang!"
"Song Jiang?"
Jia Zhuo and Hu Changyong exchanged a glance, confirming that neither of them knew the name.
"Who is this Song Jiang that the magistrate has to inquire about him?"
"Him?" Li Chong stopped and pondered for a moment, "Perhaps he is the one who will herald the beginning of chaos in this world."
The Song Jiang uprising occurred before Fang La's uprising. Although Song Jiang's uprising was not as large as Fang La's, and he did not capture important southeastern cities like Hangzhou.
But Song Jiang, who started his rebellion as a bandit, roamed Shandong for several years, and the Northern Song government army was unable to subdue him.
In the end, it was only through Zhang Shuye's personal intervention that Song Jiang was defeated.
Given Song Jiang's reputation, Fang La must have heard of him.
Even with his small force, Song Jiang made the Northern Song court look extremely bad. It's hard to say whether this action fueled Fang La's ambitions, leading him to later raise the banner of rebellion.
Therefore, it may not be an exaggeration to say that the Song Jiang uprising was the prelude to a chaotic era.
Li Chong spoke casually, but Jia Zhuo was shocked upon hearing it, and Hu Changyong, who was standing to the side, was also quite surprised.
For an official of the imperial court to openly say that chaos is imminent is clearly treasonous.
"Your Excellency, what... what are you talking about?" Jia Zhuo forced a smile as he looked at Li Chong.
Li Chong sighed, "Mr. Jia, you are a scholar yourself. Don't you notice anything amiss? These days, there are more and more bandits on the roads, while the taxes levied on the court are getting heavier and heavier. With powerful enemies outside and treacherous officials inside, how can the world be at peace?"
"What does the county magistrate mean?"
Jia Zhuo wanted to test Li Chong.
If he really has any ulterior motives, we should all stay away from him as soon as possible.
At least until now, the imperial court still holds considerable authority, and no one is willing to get involved in a rebellion for no reason.
Li Chong smiled faintly. He was just giving them a heads-up; he certainly wouldn't confide in them.
"There are treacherous officials in the court now, who have tricked the emperor into enacting this harmful law. This land reclamation law will take away the livelihoods of countless people, and there are bound to be some ambitious individuals among them. I sent you to gather information in order to prevent such a disaster from happening in the first place."
Li Chong sighed, feigning a worried expression: "My only wish is to maintain the stability of Yanggu amidst future chaos. I hope you two can lend me your full support."
Jia Zhuo nodded with some skepticism; he didn't entirely believe Li Chong's words.
He is truly a loyal minister of the court; he shouldn't have said those things just now.
Of course, he never imagined that Li Chong would dare to think about how to overthrow the Northern Song Dynasty.
A mix of conflicting thoughts swirled in Jia Zhuo's mind, causing him to momentarily lose his composure.
Hu Changyong's booming voice woke Jia Zhuo.
"Then how do you know about this Song Jiang? Is he the ambitious person you described?"
Li Chong shook his head: "I have my own sources of information, so you don't need to know them. All you need to do next is make a name for yourselves and then help me find out about Song Jiang on the outlaw trail. You can put everything else aside for now; this is the most important thing."
Seeing Li Chong's serious attitude, Jia Zhuo and Hu Changyong naturally couldn't refuse, after all, a whole group of people depended on Li Chong for their livelihood.
The two noted down Li Chong's request, and after catching up with Zhong Mei, they set off back to the mountain.
Along with them, Li Chong also brought supplies he had prepared, because they couldn't have come all this way for nothing.
After making arrangements for them, Li Chong composed himself. Now, he was about to face the most important test: waiting for his "wife" to arrive.
A few days later, news came that Li Chong's brother-in-law had arrived with his wife.