Chapter 132 Luo Dagang: Killing three birds with one stone!
Su Sanniang heard this and nodded.
"That's true."
In Su Sanniang's opinion, Li Yi is indeed a person who pays great attention to rules.
Otherwise, Luo Dingshan would not have died.
But to some extent, it is actually reassuring to follow a boss who pays attention to rules and prefers the rule of law rather than the rule of man.
In the Restoration Army, as long as you don't break the law, you are safe.
Li Yi will not target you because of personal likes and dislikes. If you can make contributions, even if he hates you, you will not lose the reward you deserve.
This may not be the case in other places.
Well, I'm talking about you, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!!
Ever since Feng Yunshan's death, she and Luo Dagang and others have been treated differently.
……
The Grand Military Governor's Office of the Restoration Army!
Li Liang came to Li Yi with a happy face and reported.
"Great Commander, good news. Xiangshan, Shunde, Foshan, Huaxian, Xin'an and other counties under the jurisdiction of Guangzhou Prefecture have been captured by our army."
"Now the entire Guangzhou Prefecture belongs to my Restoration Army!"
The Restoration Army did not rest after capturing Guangzhou and recovering Hong Kong, but continued to mobilize troops everywhere and successively took over various counties of Guangzhou Prefecture.
Well, now almost the entire Pearl River Delta has been controlled by the Restoration Army.
Hearing this, Li Yi stopped what he was doing, nodded with a slight look of joy on his face.
"very good!"
"The soldiers have done a good job. Let the Personnel Department do a good job of compiling military merit statistics, and reward those who deserve rewards, and promote those who deserve promotions."
As he spoke, Li Yi walked to the map hanging in the room, began to look at the map, and thought about what the Restoration Army should do next.
"The next major deployment direction of our army will be in Zhaoqing, Gaozhou, and Luodingzhou."
"In order to connect our army's territory into one!"
Li Yi pointed his finger on the map, sliding it along the upstream and downstream of the Xijiang River, his eyes full of sharpness and edge.
Although the Restoration Army made rapid progress in this eastward expedition, it was like a big bear picking corn, breaking off one and throwing it away.
Most of the provincial capitals and towns along the way were just passed by. Only in places with extremely important geographical locations, such as Zhaoqing and Sanshui, would the Restoration Army send troops to garrison there after conquering them.
The purpose was to not give the Qing army too much time to react, so that they could reach and capture Guangzhou as quickly as possible.
But now that Guangzhou has been taken, the Restoration Army should set about taking back all the prefectures and counties that were lost before.
Only in this way can it be truly called the confluence of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Otherwise, the Guangxi and Guangdong parts of the Restoration Army would be too easy to be cut off.
Just as Li Yi was looking at the map, Li Liang spoke.
"Grand Commander, there is one more thing."
Li Yi nodded slightly and continued to look at the map, saying without turning his head.
"speak!"
Li Liang nodded and said.
"Grand Commander, I just received a tip from below that there is a secret society in Guangzhou that wants to transport a batch of opium that they have hidden in the city out of the city."
When Li Yi heard this, his smiling face suddenly darkened, and then he asked.
"Whose person?"
Li Liang replied.
"To reply to the Grand Commander, they are Chen Xianliang and Li Wenmao's men."
"Also, Chen and Li went to visit Brigadier General Luo's residence yesterday. The two sides had a secret conversation for a quarter of an hour. The Military Intelligence Department has not been able to find out what they talked about."
Upon hearing this, Li Yi's hands paused and he couldn't help but start to think.
Is this matter related to Luo Dagang?
Was it because Luo Dagang was dissatisfied with himself because of Luo Dingshan's death, so he colluded with Chen and Li to hinder the ban on opium?
After a moment's hesitation, Li Yi made a decision and spoke.
"Li Liang, go find Chen Yucheng. The two of you should work together to capture all those thieves who are trying to smuggle opium. Leave no one alive."
"Besides that, go and present the outline to this governor."
Li Yi didn't know whether this matter had anything to do with Luo Dagang or whether it was just a misunderstanding, so he planned to call Luo Dagang to ask him about it in person.
There is no best. If there is, Li Yi will have to find a way to take down Luo Dagang...
The relationship between a monarch and his subjects is sometimes similar to the relationship between a man and a woman, and misunderstandings are common.
But the correct solution is for the two of them to talk things out face to face, rather than making random guesses or letting the other person guess what you are thinking.
If you guess too much, something bad will happen sooner or later!
Besides, we are currently conquering the world, and this is not the time to play checks and balances.
Li Yike doesn't have the extra energy to put on such bullshit.
He was too lazy to guess at something that could be solved by just opening his mouth.
Li Liang nodded to show that he understood.
……
Li Yi continued to stand in front of the map and study the strategy.
He didn't have to wait long before Luo Dagang arrived.
Li Yi met him in his study, asked Luo Dagang to sit down, and then asked.
"Commander Luo, do you know why I summoned you here today?"
Luo Dagang shook his head in confusion, then said.
"Replying to the Grand Commander, I don't know."
Li Yi concealed the change in his eyes by drinking tea.
He was trying to determine whether Luo Dagang really didn't know or was just pretending to be confused.
After a moment, Li Yi asked directly.
"The Military Intelligence Department has just received a secret report that a group of Tiandihui members are preparing to smuggle a batch of hidden opium out of Guangzhou."
"I wonder if Brigadier General Luo knows about this?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Dagang couldn't help but look surprised.
But he soon thought of the fact that Li Wenmao and Chen Xianliang came to visit him, and also thought about why Li Yi called him over for questioning.
Luo Dagang hurriedly shook his head.
"Replying to the Grand Commander, I really don't know about this matter."
Li Yi continued to ask.
"So what did Li Wenmao and Chen Xianliang discuss with you in secret?"
When Luo Dagang heard this, his heart skipped a beat and he knew that what he thought was right.
Then he spoke honestly.
"In reply to the Grand Commander, Li Wenmao and Chen Xianliang came to me because they wanted me to ask the Grand Commander for compensation for the confiscation of the opium den."
"But I clearly rejected them!"
"This incident has absolutely nothing to do with me."
Luo Dagang made a solemn statement.
Li Yi narrowed his eyes and asked.
"Then Commander Luo, do you think this incident has anything to do with Li Wenmao and Chen Xianliang?"
"Did their subordinates act on their own initiative? Or did they condone or even push for it from behind?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Dagang shook his head.
"To reply to the Grand Commander, I do not know."
"But I think it's best if this matter has nothing to do with Li and Chen..."
Li Yi hummed lightly and said after a moment.
"Commander Luo is right!"
"No matter whether this matter has anything to do with the two of them, it must not be related at the moment."
"My Restoration Army has just recovered Guangzhou Prefecture. If we want to use troops against other prefectures in Guangdong, we will need the support and cooperation of the local associations."
"At this time, Li and Chen can't get into trouble!"
Suddenly, Luo Dagang made another suggestion.
"Grand Commander, I think you might as well let Li and Chen redeem themselves by being responsible for confiscating this batch of smuggled opium."
"In that case, firstly, regardless of whether this matter has anything to do with Li Chen or not, the Grand Commander can give them a warning."
"Secondly, the local gangs saw that Li and Chen were fully cooperating with the Grand Military Governor's Office to ban smoking. Naturally, they would not dare to have any other ideas."
"Thirdly, we want to let them investigate their own subordinates, so as to prevent the rebels who have just been incorporated into our army from feeling grief-stricken over this."
"This kills three birds with one stone!" Luo Dagang didn't say another word, which was to use this opportunity to alienate the relationship between Li and Chen and their subordinates.
So as to prevent their power from becoming too powerful in the military!
After hearing this, Li Yi understood. It seemed that this matter really had nothing to do with Luo Dagang.
Moreover, Luo Dagang did not harbor any resentment towards himself because of Luo Dingshan's death.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come up with this idea for me.
A smile appeared on Li Yi's face, and then he said.
"What Brigade Commander Luo said makes sense. Let's arrange this matter according to what Brigade Commander Luo wants."
Upon seeing this, Luo Dagang hurriedly clasped his fists.
"The Grand Commander is wise."
Li Yi continued to chat with Luo Dagang with a smile for a while, then seemed to remember something and spoke.
"If I remember correctly, Commander Luo should be 40 years old this year, right?"
Luo Dagang nodded.
"If the Grand Commander is not mistaken, I am indeed forty years old this year."
Born in the 16th year of Jiaqing, he is exactly 40 years old this year.
Li Yi picked up the teacup and took a sip, then continued.
"I heard from Caiyu before that since she lost her mother at the age of three, Commander Luo has been single and has never remarried. There is no one to take care of him."
"Now that the army has captured Guangzhou, we have settled down for the time being. Does Brigadier General Luo have any thoughts of remarrying?"
"If there is a girl you like, just tell me and I will be your matchmaker."
Li Yi pondered, since Luo Dagang was worried that the death of his nephew would cut off the Luo family's bloodline, wouldn't it be enough for him to marry a woman and have a son himself?
Lao Luo is only 40 years old this year. He is in his prime and should still be able to have children.
Upon hearing this, Luo Dagang's old face turned red for a rare moment.
"I... I am already this old, it's good to live alone, I'd better not to bother..."
Li Yi heard this, smiled and shook his head.
"That won't do, Brigadier General Luo."
"You are too lazy to bother, but Sanniang can't just follow you around without any status, right?"
Li Yi knew that Luo Dagang and Su Sanniang had a close relationship. During this period, he frequently went in and out of Luo's mansion. Anyone with a normal eye could see the relationship between the two.
When Luo Dagang heard this, his old face turned red again.
Li Yi continued to speak with a smile.
"Since you two are interested in each other, you should get married as soon as possible. I will be your matchmaker."
"From now on, we can rely on each other!"
Luo Dagang lowered his head in thought, then looked up after a moment and spoke solemnly.
"I will obey the Grand Commander!"
Li Yi clapped his hands and laughed.
"That's the best way."
People can only feel at ease when they get married!
Luo Dagang took his leave and soon after, Chen Yucheng came to ask for a meeting and brought a piece of news for Li Yi.
France, the United States, Portugal, the Netherlands and other countries chose to cooperate with the Restoration Army in banning smoking.
A total of nearly one thousand boxes, weighing a total of 100,000 kilograms of opium, were handed over to the Anti-Smoking Office of the Restoration Army in Guangzhou City.
Li Yi was quite dissatisfied when he heard this.
"What are these foreign devils doing to fool people?"
"When Lin Wenzhong banned opium in Guangzhou, he confiscated more than 2 million kilograms of opium. Over the years, opium has become even more rampant. How could the foreigners only have 100,000 kilograms?"
"Don't even mention 100,000 jin, I'm afraid it's probably more than 1 million jin."
There was obvious anger on Li Yi's face.
He knew that the foreigners' willingness to hand over 100,000 kilograms of opium was actually a statement showing their willingness to support the Restoration Army's ban on opium.
But Li Yi believes that this is not enough.
He could not allow even a pound or two of opium to remain under his rule.
Since he wants to ban smoking, he must ban all smoking!
Not to mention that he didn't know, even if he knew that the foreigners were planning to transport the remaining opium away instead of continuing to sell it in Guangzhou, Li Yi would not agree.
Opium, a harmful substance, must be destroyed as soon as it passes through his jurisdiction.
Irreconcilable with opium.
This is Li Yi’s attitude!
Taking a deep breath, Li Yi spoke.
"Send a message to Fang Haiyang, asking him to lead his troops to block the mouth of the Pearl River and Macau for me, and not let any foreigners escape."
"Then, Yucheng, you will lead the troops in person to seal off all the shops and warehouses of the foreign merchants under the rule of my Restoration Army and Macau."
"Search every room one by one. No room should be left out."
"If even a pound or an ounce of opium is missed, you will be held responsible."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yucheng's expression immediately became stern and he began to speak.
"Don't worry, Grand Commander. I promise to complete the task."
Li Yi heard this and nodded slightly.
"Go!"
……
It was late at night on October 13, the first year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign in the Qing Dynasty.
There was an almost full moon, like a white jade disk, hanging in the sky, dotted with stars.
The cold moonlight cast a hazy shadow on the earth.
There was a rustling sound in the dark alley.
Soon, a team of carriages were seen slowly driving out of the alley, and then heading towards the city gate along the street.
The sound of wheels rubbing against each other could be heard, and a bald head shone brightly in the moonlight.
He lowered his voice and spoke to the coachman.
"Hurry up, there's a smoking ban these days, don't get caught."
"Otherwise it will be hard to explain!"
Upon hearing this, several drivers just nodded.
The man opened a box, looked at the black opium paste inside, spat a mouthful of thick phlegm on the ground and said.
"Bah, damn it."
"This is all pure silver. Can you, the Restoration Army, confiscate it just like that? I won't agree to that!"
These people were all native Guangdong people and were quite familiar with the roads. They took many detours to avoid the patrol teams in the city and soon arrived at the city gate.
The bald man walked to the city gate and shouted at the top of the city wall.
"Old Zhong, I'm here, brother, please open the door for me."
The reason why he chose to go through this city gate was because the officer guarding this city gate was familiar to him.
The two parties had already agreed to collude with each other, and as soon as he arrived, the city gates would be opened and they would be let out of the city.
But what the bald man didn't expect was that not only did no one open the city gate for him, but a burst of cursing was heard from the top of the city.
"Fuck you, you good-for-nothing."
"The Grand Commander has issued an order to ban smoking, and you dare to disobey it? Fuck, you are embarrassing me."
The bald man looked up and instantly felt scared to death.
Because the person who was yelling and scolding at him from the top of the city wall was his boss Chen Xianliang.
At this time, Chen Xianliang was cursing at the bald man, his face full of anger.
He wasn't pretending; he was genuinely angry.
Even if Chen Xianliang was beaten to death, he would never have thought that he was ready to give up the opium business and fully cooperate with the Restoration Army in banning smoking in order to gain a good impression with Li Yi and make plans for the future.
As a result, this bastard Hu Laosi got himself into a big poop!
Damn it, are you trying to kill him?
(End of this chapter)