Dominate the Country

Xuanwu Lake, in a separate courtyard of the State Guesthouse.

The periphery of the courtyard and the surface of the water were dotted with Guoan personnel. Senior Guoan officials were in charge and surrounded the entire courtyard tightly.

Li Qi was lying on the bed, his face was pale, and the room was filled with a strong smell of medicine. But Li Qi was in good spirits, and there was no blood on the white gauze wrapped around his neck. Half a month had passed since he was stabbed, and the wound had begun to heal. But whether it was Li Qi himself, or Jin Hongxi and Park Canji beside him, they would remember Li Qi's miserable appearance after being shot in the chest for the rest of their lives.

Fortunately, the steel armor provided by China prevented him from dying cleanly after being shot at close range.

The two bullets fired by the pistol hit his neck and penetrated the thin steel armor, but did not penetrate deeply into the flesh. After an hour of surgery, two lead bullets were dug out, and Li Qi, who was bleeding and having his flesh cut out, finally survived after the initial five-day critical period.

Now there is a conversation going on here, and the protagonists are Li Qi and the two most trustworthy humerus around him.

Kim Hong-hee is the younger brother of Kim Hong-chang, the uncle of Li Qi's first wife, and is absolutely loyal to Li Qi, while Park Can-gil is Li Qi's teacher. There was also a Quan Shanxin, who was his guard captain. But he was killed on the spot in that assassination!

"Do you think the evidence found by the National Security Bureau is credible?" The answer given by the Chinese side is that the assassin is not from North Korea, and of course it will not be them, but from the Qing Dynasty.

Along with Li Qi's assassination, a rumor is spreading in Jiangnan that Chen Han wants to eat up North Korea. So the emperor wants to kill Li Qi, and the so-called assassination is a trick of the emperor to be mysterious.

In Li Qi's mind, all suspects of his assassination were from North Korea, and China was never considered a suspect. As a result, when Park Cangji told him this news that suddenly spread, Li Qi was shocked.

"Jiannu..." Jin Hongxi was silent, and Park Cangji spoke first: "I still believe that it was done by Jiannu."

The sudden spread of this rumor that had never appeared in Nanjing, coupled with Li Qi's assassination, made the Qing Dynasty more suspicious than China. If this basin of dirty water is poured on China, not only will North Korea be very dissatisfied with China, but other vassal states will also be secretly wary of China. It can be said that in one fell swoop, the signboard of China's time-honored "umbrella" that has been forged for thousands of years can be smashed to pieces. It caused a lot of trouble for China!

Why didn't Chen Ming let Li Qi be poisoned, so that Li Qi, Li Zhen and Li Qi's children died together? Isn't it because keeping a tainted heir is more manipulable than letting all the direct heirs die and then letting the Goryeo sticks bring out a collateral heir?

But the current situation is different. The assassin dressed as a monk had a Buddha's light on his face the moment before, and when he took out his pistol the next moment, his face was full of murderous intent, which was more creepy than the executioner. Li Qi dared to guarantee that the man wanted him dead and wanted his life. If the Chinese side wanted to take action, how could they not know that Li Qi was wearing thin steel armor?

If they wanted to set up a trap to get rid of Li Qi, they had better opportunities and means. Even on the operating table...

With China's manpower and resources, they could have selected a person with accurate shooting skills to blow up Li Qi's head with one shot from a distance of several steps away, instead of shooting two shots at Li Qi's **** for safety.

Therefore, Li Qi did not doubt China in the first place. Even though his teacher Park Cangji told him the rumors, he didn't really doubt China. But what he thought in his heart was one thing, and how he acted on the surface was another. Just like the question now!

"If the country wants to kill us, there are too many opportunities and too many means." The assassination as ostentatious as that day was too shocking. Jin Hongxi felt that this was not what a wise man would do.

The most important thing is, "If the country really wants to attack Korea, what can Korea do to resist?" The current Korea has no spare power to resist. In the Imjin War, the Joseon Dynasty shouted that it was willing to submit in exchange for the Ming Dynasty's military assistance. The current Korea is even more miserable than the Imjin War.

After the Imjin War, the royal power of the Joseon Dynasty suffered a heavy blow. But the Bingzi Rebellion that followed soon forced all classes of Joseon to unite around the Joseon royal family. In addition, the Lee family turned their fortunes around and produced several relatively capable kings. By the middle and late period of Lee Sun, the authority of the royal family was basically established again. Although it is still far from comparable to the imperial power of China!

But it is very tragic that after more than two decades, Joseon was ruined by the Qing army again. This time, if the performance of Lee Sun and Lee Sun could add a little morale to the royal family, the final performance of Lee Bong and Lee Jin would completely make the Lee Joseon royal family lose the hearts of the people in one day. Whether it is ordinary people in Joseon or the two-class nobles, now they do not believe that the Lee family can "protect" Joseon well. As the king of Joseon, doesn't the Lee family have the obligation and responsibility to protect Joseon?

When a monarch cannot protect the people under his rule, how much respect and love do his people have for the monarch? The brutal invasion of the Qing Dynasty caused enormous losses to all classes in Korea.

If the upper country really wants to swallow up North Korea, at least half of the people on Jeju Island will raise their hands and cheer, right? Jin Hongxi thought sadly.

In addition to some evidence that the National Security Bureau has been looking for these days, Chen Ming's oral order was also sent to reward Li Qi with 100,000 banknotes, 50 pieces of silk gauze, 30 pieces of colored silk, and a batch of gold and silver utensils. The most important thing is that there is a set of eight-tassel and seven-chapter crown clothes, which is the Chinese crown of the prince, and the level is higher than the duke's crown!

Li Qi's face did not show much emotion, but he was ecstatic in his heart. This represents a meaning, a meaning that was not said out loud but actually acknowledged!

"Yeonryeong-gun Lee Pi of Korea bows his head with deep fear and trepidation to make this statement. I humbly believe that the Emperor's virtues are all over the world, and the prosperity of harmony is witnessed by both China and foreign countries. The Emperor's grace is everywhere, and the people far and near inherit the prosperity of Xihao. The five auspicious signs are gathered, and all the ministers look up to him. The saintly man has jade and silk in all directions, and all directions look up to the Emperor of Taiping. The whole world celebrates and the land is jubilant. I respectfully wish that Your Majesty, your virtues are as great as those of Yao and Shun, your achievements surpass those of Tang and Wen, your virtues are renewed day by day, you continue the tradition of the hundreds of kings, your grace is great, and you inherit the heart of thousands of saints. The country is prosperous and the people are well-off. You are glad to meet the saintly and wise people, the times are peaceful and the customs are beautiful, and you are happy to meet the period of Xichun Taiyun. The wind of benevolence is spread all over the four seas, and the eight depths are touched by the grace. I respectfully live in the remote corner of the sea, and I am blessed by the favor of the heaven. Although I sincerely pay homage to you, I really cannot repay you..."

The next day, Chen Ming saw Li Pi's thank-you letter.

……

Inner Mongolia, Suiyuan City

On March 16, Lin Fangyuan got up early. Yesterday was his father's birthday. His family killed a sheep and stewed two fish. The eleven people in the family ate a lot of meat. In the past, even in the best years, they never ate meat like this during the New Year.

Don't think that meat is worthless on the grassland.

Especially for the Han people like them, they can only kill a sheep during festivals, and then they share it with many families.

The Mongolian nobles are the ones who can really eat big pieces of meat and drink big bowls of wine. The poor people of Mongolia live worse than the Han people. At least the Han people work hard to farm, and they all have stutters. Those poor Mongolians, no, all ordinary Mongolian herdsmen, their food is mainly dairy products, supplemented by collected plants, fungi, etc. It is difficult to maintain a nomadic livelihood by killing livestock frequently. If the herdsmen roast large pieces of meat, it is definitely not a good thing: it can only mean that a large number of livestock on which they depend for survival have died.

Therefore, apart from the wealthy Mongolian princes and nobles, the lower-class Mongolian herders rarely eat meat. The livestock is equivalent to their "capital" and the dairy products produced are the "interest". In addition to the harsh environment and low production efficiency, a natural disaster will easily cause the herders' "capital" to be lost. Their lives can be said to be very difficult, otherwise they would not always think about robbing others. From another perspective, they are also forced by life.

Just like their old Lin family farming, the land is the principal and the harvest is the interest. No one will sell the land unless it is absolutely necessary. And life is really unbearable, becoming a bandit, robbing on the road, this is the same reason!

In the past years under the rule of Daqingguo, the Lin family worked hard for a year, and in the end, in addition to food, they had money to buy some cloth and red ropes. The two taels of silver they could save in a year were the best years. But now it is different. The big man has driven Daqingguo away. Now they have cut off their braids and bought land with the loan given by the court. The land they planted is considered their own. The current agricultural tax of the imperial court is much less than that of the Daqingguo. After the autumn harvest last year, Lin Fangyuan, who had lived in Suiyuan for 20 years, saw so much food at home for the first time.

With savings, debts can be paid. Although it is still a long way to go to pay off the debts, this has given the entire Lin family and the millions of Han people in Suiyuan City hope for the future. In fact, the "debt" was just a word from Chen Han. It was just "forced to sell" the land cultivated by Han people like the Lin family to the local people. But is it important? Is the silver in hand important with the food in these Han people's homes? Last year, during the slack season, the four strong laborers of the Lin family went to the construction site to eat public grain and get wages.

The four male laborers worked on the construction site for more than two months and took home eight silver dollars. This astronomical wealth made the entire Lin family quickly turn to the Fu Han Army and support it wholeheartedly. The autumn harvest had not yet arrived at that time.

After the autumn harvest, the Lin family built a sheepfold according to the government's propaganda and built four silage pits. They had their own, neighboring, relatives' and friends' silage, and finally bought money. They got four pits full of silage. In the whole winter, only two of the twelve lambs they raised died. The other ten lambs and four old sheep all survived the cold winter. This is the confidence of the Lin family.

Although the series of bangs last year have ruined the Lin family's newly wealthy capital. But the Lin family's hope is brighter.

There is nothing else to do today. Lin Fangyuan got up early. He was going to the training ground in the north to watch the soldiers there doing training. As for the work in the fields, the wheat has been planted, and there are some small jobs at most, such as repairing the canals beside their own fields. These canals were dug by the village organization when they were built, and then they were maintained by each family. After the busy farming season, the village will repair them together. If the maintenance is not done well on weekdays, the village chief may have to deduct points. If too many points are deducted, more grain will be paid.

Lin Fangyuan went to the yard to wash his face and ate two steamed buns with pickled vegetables. The eldest sister-in-law had already gotten up.

"Old Third, why are you eating cold steamed buns again? Are you going to watch the training over there today?"

Lin Fangyuan bit the steamed bun in his hand with pickled vegetables in it, and nodded vigorously. I quickly took two gulps of cold water and swallowed it. "It's time for target practice today." Mongolia has a long winter and there is no food to eat, so every household must prepare dried pickles.

Lin Fangyuan stayed outside for a whole day. After the garrison target practice, the lead bullets should be recovered as much as possible, but picking up the bullets was too tiring and cumbersome. With a flintlock gun, if you shoot it, you don't know where the bullet will fly. The locals who rushed to the surrounding area to watch became the main labor force for picking up warheads, and then the troops took care of a meal.

Lin Fangyuan has a strong physique and a simple temperament. His hard life since childhood also made him tough. He works very seriously in farm work and works hard in picking up warheads. Every time he picks up warheads, he is one of the best. The more times he picks up the warheads, the more he gets special care.

"Dad, little sister."

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, Lin Fangyuan went home happily, carrying a bag. Not far from home, I bumped into my father who was carrying a hoe. Next to him was a little girl who was only eleven or twelve years old and was driving sheep with a whip.

"Third brother!" Lin Xiaomei showed a bright smile to her third brother. Wearing new clothes, Lin Xiaomei did look a bit like a big girl. I don't think that in the past two years, the Lin family was drained by Daqingguo, and the whole family I can't find a piece of clothing without patches. There are two aunts and one niece in the family. The three girls are dressed in rags and look dirty. How can they be girlish?

Their lives are much better now, and more importantly, things like cloth and iron are much cheaper than before.

The money that used to be able to pull one foot of cloth can now be used to pull two feet. In the past, a sickle cost forty or fifty copper coins, but now it costs two copper coins, which is much easier to use than the old sickle.

As he got closer, Lin Fangyuan smelled a familiar smell. He looked into the basket that his father was carrying with a hoe and saw that it was indeed all young alfalfa leaves.

"Dad, why did you pick so many at once?" Lin Fangyuan's mouth twitched. Blend fresh alfalfa leaves with water and serve cold. It's delicious. But this is too much. Ever since the acre of alfalfa grown at home was harvested again, his parents would pick the young leaves of alfalfa and eat them every once in a while. No matter how delicious the food is, Lin Fangyuan doesn't want to eat it if he eats it every day.

This dish is like a wild vegetable on the grassland. When alfalfa cultivation became popular around Suiyuan City after last year's cultivation, alfalfa leaves, also called alfalfa, also became popular here. Many people no longer go to the grasslands to dig wild vegetables, but instead eat alfalfa leaves.

There is a piece of land in their home dedicated to growing alfalfa, which is a requirement from above. At first, I didn’t even know whether what I said above was true or not. Alfalfa has a large yield, with three or four crops a year, and sheep love to eat it. Last year, the Lin family only planted one acre of alfalfa, because more land was planted with grain. At the end of February this year, the Lin family planted two acres of alfalfa in addition to wheat. As long as the alfalfa in these three acres of land grows well, in winter, the silage needed for feeding at home will not need to be bought from other companies. Great to have extra silage to sell to others!

Father Lin glanced at his third son and said in his mouth: "You are a forgetful person." When the Lin family didn't have a grain of food, the whole family got up early every day to dig wild vegetables. At that time, Lin Fangyuan had never heard of this. I once said that wild vegetables are not delicious.

Little sister Lin is only eleven or twelve years old, but she is already very, very sensible. She didn't see the interaction between her father and her third brother at this time. "Go, go..." Instead, she skillfully drove the sheep forward with a whip, then took off the backpack on her back and used the small broom inside. With a small shovel, he swept up the feces that a ewe had just pulled and poured it into the backpack. After drying, these excrements can be used as fuel and can also be used as fertilizer. Moreover, if a sheep is pulled on the road in the village, points will be deducted if caught.

This is called hygiene! It is said to make people less sick.

Lin Xiaomei didn't know if this would really make people less sick. She only knew that this way, there would be no more excrement pickers in Suiyuan City. No more people will get into fights and scold each other for picking up excrement...

"Little sister, look what this is? Jiang Tuanzheng gave me a reward, called chocolate..."