Chapter 176 Catch the thief on the spot

Chapter 176 Catch the thief on the spot

Not to mention the Lu brothers who killed each other in Baishui Manor, after Li Tai led his troops back to Luoxi Office, he immediately asked people to transfer a batch of materials from Shangyuan Manor as the starting funds for Baishui Defense City.

The expansion of the troops is urgent, and the sooner you master a considerable armed force, the sooner you can enjoy the corresponding power and benefits.

Li Tai really wants to distinguish between public and private, or spend the court's money to do his own things, but the environment of Guanxi Bafu does not allow it. The Bafu can only give some policy and position care, and there is no more practical support.

Not only Li Tai, who is keen on building his own power, but even many officials of the Taifu actually maintain a state of ruining their families to help the poor, using private money to fill the financial gaps in their duties, so as to maintain the normal operation of the regime and allow the power they have to exist and continue to develop.

As the saying goes, one is born in trouble and dies in comfort. To some extent, the confrontation between the Eastern and Western Wei was not just a duel between Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai. At least in the Western Wei, although there were inherent deficiencies in the regime, the depth and breadth of its rule were beyond the reach of the Eastern Wei regime.

Take Li Tai himself, if he was in the Eastern Wei or the Southern Dynasty, he would never be so selfless as to pay out of his own pocket to do things that needed to be undertaken by the government. On the one hand, the power structure of the other two regimes did not have such great autonomy, and on the other hand, there were other ways and means to achieve it.

But in the Western Wei, everyone from officials to civilians was so poor that so many people were staring at even a little rag in Baishui. If you were not willing to pay, your power would have no foothold and no way to extend.

This year, the business momentum of Li Tai's own manor was still good. Although it experienced the twists and turns of the Heba brothers, Li Tai did not need to make any actual efforts under Yuwen Hu's intervention.

As for the weapons purchased from the people in Hedong, they were delivered with part of the spoils of the battle in northern Shaanxi, and the new order would be paid next year. Therefore, this year, Li Tai's own industry is estimated to have a surplus of more than 30,000 pieces of silk.

This is already a very considerable fortune. If it were a peaceful world, Li Tai could even retire and enjoy his life.

But in this chaotic world, if you want to protect your wealth, you must have power. If you want to have power, this little money is still a drop in the bucket, and you need to continue to work hard.

While still on the road, Li Tai had already ordered the news of building a defense city in Baishui and recruiting local tyrants as soldiers to spread, and in addition to cooperating with the county's plan to eliminate bandits, when he returned to Luoxi Office, many local tyrants had gathered here, wanting to find out more inside information and participate in it.

Li Tai received some local tyrants and told them that his responsibilities were, in principle, only to manage personnel along the Luoshui River, and he was not qualified to directly recruit local people.

But if these people can join the Channel Alliance and organize their troops into channel households, they can join the Baishui Defense Armaments presided over by Li Tai.

The reason for adding such an obstacle is naturally to avoid direct conflict with local officials.

Although Li Tai is not afraid of these local chief executives, he cannot indulge in any power struggles with them. He can only find a face-saving reason to give each other a step, so that there is room for buffering even if there is any conflict.

The second is to strengthen the local influence of the Qu League. The larger the Qu League organization is, the deeper it penetrates into the countryside, and the power in Li Tai's hands can be maintained in more dimensions. Even if he can no longer dominate along the Luo River due to the adjustment of his position one day, he can maintain his control through the Qu League.

For those rural tyrants, if they are just curious and ask whether there is an obstacle to the Qu League, they are unlikely to join in person. If they are full of enthusiasm, joining the Qu League is not an obstacle.

The previous Qu League was still based on the mutual benefit of the local sentiment and local law, and its development momentum is not bad. Now with the power in Li Tai's hands as an endorsement, the number of people joining has increased sharply. So much so that Li Tai had to open a separate production line to print the personnel registers in Qumeng.

Thanks to the enthusiasm of the hometown, Qumeng quickly submitted a list of 1,000 people to recruit soldiers to expand the army. Li Tai also selected several veterans who were proficient in military training from Heba Sheng's old subordinates to join Qumeng as the head of the army to preside over the recruitment and expansion of the army.

As for himself, he took time out to prepare gifts and returned to Huazhou City to visit Dugu Xin.

Dugu Xin's mansion in Huazhou City was adjacent to Heba Sheng's old residence. It was not originally, but when Dugu Xin returned to participate in the review this year, he asked his family to arrange to move here.

When Li Tai visited, the mansion had not been moved and renovated.

There was no large mansion nearby that was large enough to accommodate Dugu Xin's many family members and troops, so this mansion was spliced ​​together from several nearby mansions. Various materials were piled up in the courtyard, and many people were working day and night.

Dugu Xin had to return to Longbian before the New Year, so he did not follow the Grand Executive to inspect the river defense, and stayed in Huazhou City to enjoy the time with his family.

Li Tai had just sat down in the front hall when Dugu Xin walked into the hall. Unlike when he met outside, Dugu Xin was dressed casually at home, wearing a blue inner robe and a feather cloak that reached the ground. He looked elegant and graceful.

"I'm sorry, Boshan. I was just fiddled with the new things in the house, so I didn't expect my clothes to be stained. You are not a stranger, so you came to see me like this."

Duguxin raised his hand to signal Li Tai, who had stood up to greet him, to sit down. He looked relaxed and casual, probably still immersed in the warmth of teasing his children just now, and he also got a little closer to Li Tai.

When Li Tai heard this, he couldn't help but think about it. He knew that Dugu Xin's step-sibling Cui gave birth to a little daughter in the middle of the year, who was later known as Dugu Jialuo, and he sent a congratulatory gift from his family.

At this time, when he heard Dugu Xin complaining that his little daughter had peed on his robe, Li Tai suddenly felt secretly happy. He thought, "You should be kinder to your little daughter. When your family falls into decline in the future, it will all depend on this little daughter to save you." Pulled again.

The two chatted for a while in the hall, and the noise of craftsmen working could be heard from time to time outside the hall. Duguxin felt a little embarrassed, so he stood up and said: "Moving to a new house, there are many discomforts, it is really not a good place to entertain guests. There are other industries in the village. Your hometown is near Boshan. Would you like to go on a hunting trip with me?"

After hearing this, Li Tai quickly stood up and said with a smile, "I won't tell you why I'm disturbing you. I'll just treat you as a guest and do as you please."

"Then please wait for a moment while I go in to change my riding clothes."

After leaving these words, Dugu Xin walked out of the hall and went straight to the inner house.

Li Tai waited outside for half an hour before Dugu Xin returned. His whole outfit was brand new. Not to mention the handsome and gorgeous hakama pleated robe, even his hair was neatly styled and shiny, showing the burden of being an idol. It's still very heavy, and I have to pack it upright every time I go out.

Dugu Xin, who regained his majestic demeanor, looked unhappy. He first raised his hand to signal Li Tai to wait a moment, then he pointed at the slave and scolded him.

Li Tai was a little curious about what made Dugu Xin so angry, but he didn't want to go up and listen to other people's housework. He just stood there awkwardly, tiptoeing and kicking the fallen leaves on the ground.

"Boshan, you are laughing at me. There is no master in the house to take care of me. The slave actually lost control of my beloved thing. It is really infuriating!"

After a while, Dugu Xin came over angrily, holding an exquisite rhinoceros leather scabbard in his hand. He said with some distress and helplessness: "It would be fine if it were something else, but that old sword The knife was made by a famous craftsman when I was in Hebei in the early years. It is a sharp weapon and has been with me for many years. When I went to town in the middle of the year, I was in a trance and accidentally left it at home, but I didn't expect it to be lost..."

Listening to Dugu Xin's nagging complaints, one could see that he was deeply saddened by the loss of this precious sword. It is natural that he could be so concerned and regretful about something other than a mortal thing. However, Li Tai felt something was wrong amidst the murmurings and raised his arms without any trace. He pressed on the hilt of his sword and turned slightly sideways.

"Alas, Su Tie's method is only seen in Hebei, but rarely seen in Guanxi. What's more, my sword has been with me for many years, and it has become familiar with human nature. When I lived in Jiangdong, the Liang Lord gave me a piece of rhinoceros skin, and I cut it myself. It became a scabbard. Now the container is still there, but the knife is gone. It makes people sad to see it. I give it to you, Boshan..."

As he spoke, Duguxin handed the rhinoceros leather scabbard in his hand to Li Tai, and subconsciously turned his gaze to Li Tai's waist. At this glance, his gaze became fixed, and his brows wrinkled slightly, and he turned his gaze after a while. Looking at Li Tai's face, he hesitated to speak.

Since coming to this world, Li Tai has experienced many embarrassing situations, but this time, it made him feel almost social and uneasy, and he didn't want to face it at all.

Seeing Dugu Xin like this, he obviously recognized his favorite knife. Although he knew it was in vain, Li Tai still tried his best to cover the handle of the knife with his arm, feeling a little embarrassed to look at Dugu Xin.

There was a silent stalemate between them for a while, and finally Duguxin poked Li Tai's elbow with the scabbard. He didn't ask any more questions, but said solemnly: "Take it, the rhinoceros skin moisturizer is far better than the common leather. Don’t waste your famous things.”

Li Tai nodded awkwardly, raised his hand to take the rhinoceros leather scabbard, took the sword out of the cowhide sheath and put it on. When he was about to buckle it back to his waist, he came to his senses and held up the knife to gesture to Dugu Xin.

Dugu Xin only glanced at it and then looked away. He coughed dryly and then said: "It's not a shame to give a gift for your past efforts. Keep working hard. I still have many such famous swords. Not only are they used frequently."

After saying this, he led the horse over, turned over, and rode the horse out. He did not stop until he reached the former residence of He Basheng next door, looking at the half-closed door thoughtfully.

When Li Tai and the members of the Dugu family arrived, Dugu Xin stared at Li Tai again, then pointed at the gate and said: "Why is the defense here so lax? I don't know that my wife lives in Huli? Send a group of people to come here day and night. Don’t leave!”