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Chapter 376: Taking Over Qiangyin
Chapter 376: Taking Over Qiangyin
September 25, 2017
As soon as Lu HaiKong initiated his plan to develop Qiangyin, the first order of business was to eliminate the aristocratic families within the county.
No one was going to challenge Lu HaiKong's authority in the territory he aimed to develop. How could he possibly allow other voices to exist? The idea of letting these aristocratic families enjoy the benefits of his development was absurd!
Li Xiong's first move was to directly expel the three major aristocratic families.
Even the Zhao family was not spared, as all their properties, fields, and shops were to be transferred under Lu HaiKong's name.
This ruthless act of plunder caused significant discontent within the Zhao family, but their resistance was futile. With Lu HaiKong's backing, Zhao Xie forcefully expelled all dissenting voices from the family.
From the moment Zhao Xie pledged his allegiance to Lu HaiKong, he knew there was no turning back. Everything he had was given by Lu HaiKong, and if he dared to betray him, he would lose everything. Thus, Zhao Xie firmly stood by Lu HaiKong's side, and he would show no mercy in purging the Zhao family.
With Zhao Xie in charge, the process went smoothly, and all opposing voices were expelled.
The three aristocratic families, however, hesitated. Lu HaiKong's demands were excessive and domineering, as he wanted everything except their liquid assets.
Who would willingly give up their land, which was their lifeline? Although they knew resistance would likely lead to a dire outcome, no one wanted to surrender easily until the very last moment. It took immense courage to make such a sacrifice.
But what else could they do besides delay? At most, they could only buy a day or two of time before ultimately complying.
By this time, Lu HaiKong was no longer just a mountain bandit. He was the County Magistrate of Qiangyin, possessing the formidable military might that had consecutively defeated two fifty-thousand-strong armies. He also had a stealthy assassination squad capable of wiping out entire clans without a trace. Backed by Zhang Ran, a powerful eunuch, Lu HaiKong had become virtually unstoppable in Bingzhou. No one within Qiangyin or Bingzhou dared to challenge him, and neither the Zhang family nor Ding Yuan had any intention of provoking him.
In the end, the three aristocratic families reluctantly handed over their assets and left Qiangyin, carrying their liquid wealth and harboring deep resentment towards Lu HaiKong.
They should have been grateful that Lu HaiKong, having just stabilized his position, did not want to unleash a massacre. Moreover, Lu HaiKong did not consider them a significant threat, or else none of them would have been spared.
After the aristocratic families departed, Lu HaiKong officially took control of Qiangyin!
Although Lu HaiKong had appointed Wang Jun as the County Magistrate, it was Li Xiong, the most capable person in the mountain stronghold, who came to oversee the transition.
While Li Xiong was not well-versed in governance, he had the most knowledge about the external aristocratic families. Moreover, the initial focus was on external affairs, so it made sense for Li Xiong to lead the way. Additionally, Wang Jun was still in the process of handing over his responsibilities at the stronghold, and he would take charge of Qiangyin's affairs once the transition was complete.
Many people were closely watching the developments in Qiangyin.
Ever since Lu HaiKong's redemption, the aristocratic families of Bingzhou had been keeping a close eye on him.
Especially for those who had business dealings with Lu HaiKong, their emotions were particularly complex. To them, Lu HaiKong, who had been cleansed and then associated with the Eunuch Party, was like a delicacy that had been licked by someone else. They wanted to partake, but they also feared being disgusted by it.
They were indeed tempted by the business opportunities in the stronghold, and when Li Xiong approached them, each of them had their own thoughts, but no one dared to take the initiative.
For this very reason, Lu HaiKong's business couldn't be restarted right away.
They were hesitant to make a move, and they couldn't bear to give up, so everyone was closely watching Lu HaiKong's actions.
At this moment, seeing Lu HaiKong forcefully taking over the assets of the Qiangyin Aristocratic Family, many aristocratic families were puzzled by Lu HaiKong's motives. Some believed that Lu HaiKong did this because his business couldn't be restarted, and the stronghold's finances were burdened. Others thought that Lu HaiKong, having been a bandit for so long, assumed that becoming the County Magistrate of Qiangyin meant Qiangyin was his...
There were all sorts of speculations, but no one approached Lu HaiKong. No one dared to take the initiative at this time, but this restraint could easily be broken. If someone were to dangle the carrot of benefits, there would be plenty of shameless individuals ready to pounce.
However, Lu HaiKong wasn't going to throw out that carrot just yet, as he wasn't fully prepared.
He wanted to transform Qiangyin into the largest trading market in Bingzhou, a complex process that required someone capable of controlling the overall situation.
Currently, Li Xiong's external affairs were manageable, but when it came to internal affairs and controlling the overall situation, he fell slightly short. At the moment, among the members of Lu HaiKong's stronghold, only Wang Jun could shoulder this heavy responsibility, but he needed a few more days.
There were still some issues within Qiangyin that Lu HaiKong needed to address. First and foremost, he had to gain control of the military and win over the public sentiment.
Seizing military control was relatively easy, as Lu HaiKong had already expelled the aristocratic families. At this point, the Qiangyin County Troops were mostly composed of common soldiers. Lu HaiKong directly transferred a team of the Fire Battalion, originally from the Second Battalion, and within a few days, he had control over the Qiangyin County Troops.
Qiangyin's military strength needed to be enhanced, but for now, this was sufficient.
After all, Lu HaiKong had expelled three aristocratic families as soon as he took office. The common people knew he was a bandit-turned-county magistrate, and currently, they were in a state of panic. Lu HaiKong couldn't afford to mobilize troops at this time; he needed to calm the public sentiment first.
This task wasn't particularly challenging. Lu HaiKong had already driven out the aristocratic families, and the properties and real estate under their names now belonged to him.
The properties and real estate weren't of much concern, but the farmland was crucial, as it was a powerful tool for winning over the public.
However, Lu HaiKong didn't immediately distribute the land to the people. If you give away everything at the start, how can you manage them later?
Lu HaiKong personally handled this matter, renting out the farmland previously owned by the aristocratic families and collecting only five layers of taxes.
Although five layers of taxes seemed like a lot, it was actually twice as much as the people received when the land was in the hands of the aristocratic families. By first making this grand gesture, Lu HaiKong then sent his people to mingle with the commoners, praising Lu HaiKong's glorious image. With Lu HaiKong's team working to benefit the people, it was easy to win over their hearts...
(End)
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