It is now October, but unlike the north, winter has not yet entered in Jinling. It is only late autumn, and there is not much chill yet.
But at this time, Sun Tu felt a little cold, not physically, but in his heart, just because Tong Mu had detailed what happened near Jinling in the past few months—
Since Fangla proclaimed himself emperor and Zhu Meng abandoned Suzhou and fled to Jinling, the people here have really suffered. After the officials who suffered heavy losses arrived in the Sanwu metropolis, they began to impose unscrupulous taxes and plunder the people's wealth by all means. Not only did they impose a lot of excessive taxes, but they also often used the name of colluding with the rebels to seize the wealthy businessmen in the area. The despicable means of imprisoning Gou Gou and then seizing his property are simply appalling.
In fact, it would be fine if it were just some officials who were so rampant, but they still had deeds and deeds, repeatedly plundering people's wealth, killing good people and taking credit for their merits, which would really drive the people to a dead end. At first, it was just the officers and soldiers who ran away from Suzhou and other places to commit evil, but as time went by, soldiers and horses from all walks of life who were ordered by the court to come to Jiangnan to quell the chaos also arrived one after another. After seeing the chaos here, these soldiers and horses Naturally, he won't be polite.
As the saying goes, thieves are like combs and soldiers are like grates. Thanks to the "efforts" of these officers and soldiers of the Song Dynasty who have no bottom line, in just a few months, the once prosperous and bustling Jiangnan town of Jinling has been devastated and the people are in dire straits. It was so tragic that it was unbearable to watch.
What's even more annoying is that those evil guys put all the blame on Fang La and a group of rebels. They only said that the people here suffered numerous casualties due to the intrusion of the rebels, and it was thanks to them that they sent troops in time. , they repelled the rebels and saved many people. And the imperial court actually believed their words, which really confused right and wrong to the point of being unbelievable.
This time, Tong Mu came to the dock early to wait for Sun Tu's army to arrive, because he was afraid that he would do things like other soldiers and plunder and harm the people. For this reason, he even asked for help from the government. I got a batch of wine and meat to reward Sun Tu's troops.
After listening to this story, Sun Tu's face was so gloomy that he could drip water. No matter how delicious the food and wine in front of him were, he had no intention of using his chopsticks at all. After a while, he snorted: "Second brother, do you think I am such a bastard who doesn't care about the overall situation and doesn't care about the lives of the people?"
"Don't worry when you're thousands of miles away. I'm just doing this just in case. I can trust you as a human being, but it's hard to tell the soldiers below, especially when they come from afar and have no food to eat." Then you can do anything." Tong Mu hurriedly explained, followed by another heavy sigh.
Sun Tu didn't dwell on this anymore. He also knew that the other party had a heart for the people, so he couldn't blame him too much, so he quickly changed the topic: "But there is still one thing I can't figure out. Why did Zhu Meng and others do this?" Do you dare to do evil in Jinling so unscrupulously? Does the court really not care at all? Also, what happened to Fang La is a lesson, aren't they afraid of provoking the people of Jinling to rebel again? "
Tong Mu smiled bitterly and shook his head: "If they were really afraid, they wouldn't do such a thing. So, it's just because they firmly believe that the court will not interfere with the situation here. Do you know why Zhu Meng would
Did he do such a crazy thing after coming to Jinling? In addition to wanting to compensate for the damage left in Suzhou here, I also wanted to send a huge amount of property to the capital to bribe officials in the DPRK and China to say good things to them. At the same time, a lot of money and treasures were sent to the palace... "
Sun Tudeng was stunned when he heard this. He was stunned for a long time before sighing again. It turns out that the reason why these guys were so bold was that they were sure that the court would not hold them responsible this time. Since Fang La was the traitor who took the blame, they simply ransacked Jinling as well. As for those in the court, they only care about feeding themselves and making a profit, and the life and death of the people in Jiangnan are not in their calculations. It can even be said that it was precisely because Zhu Meng and others plundered the people's wealth and anointing in Jinling and sent them to the capital that they were able to escape from the serious crime of losing Suzhou and other important towns.
After thinking about all this, the anger on Sun Tu's face turned into a sarcastic sneer - laughing with anger. At this time, he felt that any further anger would be a waste of his emotions, because the things in front of him were too ridiculous. .
Tong Mu's words have not yet been finished: "As for the worry that you mentioned that the people of Jinling will be forced to rebel, it has actually happened. Just at the beginning of last month, a chaos broke out in Jinling City, but it was The 30,000 soldiers and horses stationed in the city quickly suppressed it. And now the number of officers and soldiers in Jinling has reached 1,340,000, how can the people here make trouble?"
"Hey, these guys are useless for suppressing thieves, but they are very brave and good at suppressing the people." Sun Tu commented mockingly: "But this also means that the official army has lost the hearts of the people in Jiangnan. Once Fang La prepares All right, if we lead the army to attack, I'm afraid Jinling will be captured in a short time, right?"
"That's exactly what happened. When Suzhou City was conquered by his 20,000 soldiers in five days, it was because the people in the city suddenly revolted and cooperated with the rebels outside. This resulted in officials like us having no choice but to flee in a hurry, almost risking our lives. There!" When mentioning the past, Tong Mu was still frightened and indignant.
"Is there no sensible person in Jiangnan who can advise Zhu Meng and others? What they are doing is, to put it mildly, drinking poison to quench their thirst. To put it seriously, they are seeking death." When he said this, Sun Tu said His eyes fell on Tong Mu's face. He was a Suzhou official, and at least his status among Jiangnan officials was not low.
But what he got was another wry smile from Tong Mu: "Didn't you tell me that I didn't advise you? Not only me, but many colleagues also signed a petition after arriving in Jinling, admonishing Zhu Meng not to do anything else, let alone Treating the people harshly. But in the end, he didn't take it seriously at all. Two people were even accused of colluding with rebels because of their slightly fierce words, and they are still in prison. Although I said Relying on the relationship between uncle and uncle, I can say a few words in front of Zhu Meng, but it is of no use. What's more, now not only are Zhu Meng and other officials acting recklessly, there are tens of thousands of officers and soldiers below who are plundering people's wealth, and it is impossible to suppress them. ah."
Sun Tu shook his head and sighed again. Now it seems that the situation here in Jiangnan is ten times more serious than he thought. Once Fang La and the others really seize the opportunity, taking over the entire Jiangnan will not be a problem.
Although thieves and bandits are a scourge, in comparison, corrupt officials do more harm to the people!
After being silent for a cup of tea, Sun Tu just looked at Tong Mu again: "Have you really never thought about solving this problem? Are you willing to watch the situation in Jiangnan deteriorate and eventually bring disaster to our country, the Song Dynasty? "
Tong Mu looked at this old friend with some surprise, and asked hesitantly: "What do you mean? Although I have this intention, I have no power. When I was in Suzhou, I couldn't stop Zhu Meng from conquering the country in the name of the emperor. Hua Shigang amassed money, but when he arrived at Jinling, he no longer had the ability."
"Really? Have you never thought of reporting to the court secretly? Maybe other officials here don't have this ability, but you, Tong Mu, are different. Maybe you have already been in cahoots with them?"
"Of course not!" Tong Mu immediately denied it loudly: "No matter how stupid or greedy I am, I still can't do something so harmful to the country and the people. Besides, I have never been short of money, so why would I want to get benefits from it?"
"Then why don't you try to report the truth here to the court? Even though Tong Shuai is far away at the border now, he still has many disciples and former officials in the court. How can he not help you?" Sun Tu said Here, a sudden change occurred in my heart, and a person flashed across—Fang Qian.
Isn't Fang Qian an important chess piece that Tong Guan remains in the court? Moreover, his relationship with Tong Mu is also very close. If Tong Mu really couldn't stand this situation, would he not find Fang Qian to find a solution
For Zhu Meng, a favorite of the emperor, even if Jiangnan is really messed up, as long as he admits his guilt and takes care of things, he can naturally be transferred to another post afterwards. As for the other local officials, all they could think about at this time was taking the opportunity to get a sum of money to consider after losing their official positions. But he, Tong Mu, is still young and his career has just started. Will he be willing to be dragged by these guys into the abyss and eventually be dismissed from office
The more he thought about it, the more Sun Tu felt that there were many interesting things about this matter. Did Fang Qian really go to Qingzhou because he was ordered by Cai Jing and others, rather than because of Tong Guan's order? And by doing this, he might have a close connection with Tong Mu in front of him!
Being looked at so intently by Sun Tu made Tong Mu feel a little uncomfortable. He raised his glass and took a sip of wine, hiding his uneasiness and saying, "What do you mean? I've said it before, although my uncle I am the privy envoy, but I don’t want to rely on him. Besides, the situation in Jiangnan is too complicated, and he is now suspected by Cai Jing and others. I really can’t drag him down anymore. "
"Really?" Sun Tu said noncommittally: "Second brother, you and I have known each other for many years, and I have always regarded you as my most trustworthy friend, but do you really treat me like this?"
Seeing Sun Tu suddenly change the topic to this, Tong Mu was also stunned. After a while, he said: "Of course, I, Tong Mu, have always regarded you as a brother..."
"Is this really the case? I can't see it." Sun Tu also raised his glass and took a sip, and then said leisurely: "In fact, even until now, you have been pretending to be another self! Maybe you wear it in front of everyone You are wearing the mask of a gentle gentleman, but you really don’t need to pretend like this in front of me. Do you think I really don’t know what kind of person you are?”
After just a few words, Tong Mu's expression suddenly changed, and his pupils shrank slightly, but he still said: "Why don't I understand you at all..."