Chapter 332 Li Tai’s poison plan
On this day, the area around Kuamagou was packed with people. Qinzhou people from all over the country filled up the slopes and ridges. As far as the eye could see, the crowds were so dark that the color of the slopes could not be seen at all.
Seeing such a lively scene around him, Li Tai felt a little nervous for a while. He expected that the Li and Quan families would find it difficult to mobilize thousands more tribesmen, but he still underestimated how popular this matter was in Qinzhou Township. People from all over the country flocked here, and the number was more than a few thousand!
Although I felt a little nervous, I had no intention of turning back. No matter what the situation was, I had to go on with this scene.
The virtuous elders in Qinzhou were also very considerate. All the families that Huangfu Mu visited and invited also sent representatives to Kuamagou one after another. Most of them were not alone, and each led a group of tribesmen. , probably because I was gossiping but at the same time I was worried that the fight between the two would be affected, so I had to take safety precautions.
Under the introduction of Zhao Yan, a member of the Cang Cao army, the local tycoons present also came forward to pay tribute to Li Tai. On the surface, their attitude seemed to be quite respectful, but they knew what they really thought in their hearts.
Compared with the powerful people in Guanzhong, the powerful people in Longyou are subject to less control and are relatively more independent. Although the governors of prefectures and counties are appointed by the court, if they really commit public outrage, they will be resisted and harmed by the powerful clans of these prefectures and counties in minutes.
During the Zhengguang period of the Northern Wei Dynasty, when the Six Towns Uprising just broke out, the Qinzhou governor Li Yan was so harsh and harsh that his subordinates became resentful, so a rebellion broke out and the governor Li Yan was killed in the state capital. This Li Yan was also from the Li family in Longxi, and had a very close blood relationship with Li Tai. He was the biological brother of his grandfather Li Qian.
Although this incident took place in the special era of uprising and public sentiment in the six towns, the sturdy style of the people of Qinlong can also be seen.
Li Tai held many official positions and could be regarded as the second person in Qinzhou under Dugu Xin, but these powerful people in Longyou could not say that they were in awe of his status. His willingness to treat others with courtesy probably stems more from his background as Li family in Longxi.
But also because of his background, after many villagers present learned about it, they subconsciously felt that he was going to use the power in his hands to suppress the Tianshui Quan clan.
Therefore, not everyone can be kind to him. Several powerful Qu Shuai, who is relatively close to the Quan family, directly said that there is something special about the border country and hoped that Li Tai could handle the matter carefully. There was a strong warning in his words. and threatening.
Moreover, these people refused to follow the instructions and arrangements of the state officials and stay in the camp. Instead, they wandered around at will, saying hello to people they knew, and occasionally chatting shoulder to shoulder. .
Obviously, in the minds of these people, Li Tai's status may be worthy of being treated with courtesy, but it only goes beyond that. It is far from enough to overwhelm the crowd.
As time went by, more and more powerful people came to the scene, and many people led their troops into the camp regardless of dissuasion. The situation gradually became chaotic. Li Tai's hundreds of strong soldiers from the tribes and the 500 state soldiers dispatched by Huangfu Mu seemed to be an unsociable and vulnerable group in the camp. They were squeezed into a small space in the center of the camp by the various tribes present. in the space.
Li Tai has the gift of not panicking in times of trouble. Seeing this situation, he became calmer. If these Qinzhou powerful people are as confident as they appear on the surface, why come here to join in the fun? They must also be worried about what changes his actions will bring to the situation in the state.
So he didn't bother to get together to watch those people perform. He just ordered his subordinates to guard the big tent in the camp that would be used for discussions later. Even the state officials came to report that the two families who were originally detained in the camp were detained. The powerful men who entered the camp were released privately, but he ignored them and just waited for the arrival of the principals of the two families.
"Reporting to the Chief, Shijun Yang, the Duke of Huashan in Hezhou, is already outside the camp. The officer asked the Chief if he is allowed to enter the camp?"
A state official walked into the account and reported to Li Tai with his hands crossed.
"Huashangong? What is he doing here?"
After Li Tai heard this, he was suddenly surprised. Yang Kuan, Duke of Huashan County, was born in the Yang family of Hongnong, and now serves as the governor of Hezhou. Although Li Tai knows his name, he does not know his person. Moreover, Hezhou is far to the west of Weizhou and adjacent to Liangzhou. As the governor of Hezhou Why did Yang Kuan appear here and rush here to join in the fun?
Although he felt a little strange in his heart, Li Tai did not dare to neglect. He stood up in a hurry and went out of the camp to meet Yang Kuan himself.
When he arrived at the gate of the camp, he saw that many powerful men who had been wandering around in the camp had already come over to greet him and surrounded Yang Kuan several times. When I saw these people again, they looked attentive and enthusiastic. They were truly respectful to Yang Kuan, far from the perfunctory attitude they had when facing Li Tai before.
There is nothing to complain about. Yang Kuan's own qualifications far exceed that of Li Tai. The Hongnong Yang family is also the first-class family in Guanlong, and Yang Kuan's father, Yang Jun, served as the general of Huaishuo Town in his early years. During the mutiny, the He Basheng brothers and other Beizhen powerful men were recruited and led by Yang Jun to resist the rebels.
Because of this relationship, Yang Kuan could be said to be the yamen of his old boss's family who was recognized by both the Eastern and Western Wei Dynasties. He himself followed Xiaowu to move westward, so Yang Kuan was also a person who could get along well in all aspects.
Although the folk customs in Longbian are tough, they are not closed-minded. These powerful people are also clever and cunning in dealing with others, and they naturally dare not be rude when facing Yang Kuan.
Li Tai stood outside the crowd and waited for a while. The crowd's welcome to Yang Kuan's arrival came to an end. He then walked towards the crowd and soon saw Yang Kuan surrounded by the crowd.
Yang Kuan was in his forties, with a square head and a big face, a beautiful beard, and a well-tailored brocade robe. He looked like someone from aristocratic family. He soon noticed the man who came forward. Li Tai, taking advantage of Li Tai's bowing ceremony, raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder. He was not alienated and cold because of their first meeting.
"I've long heard that a young man from the family's acquaintance has entered the pass for justice, and his reputation has gradually increased during his time in the pass. It's really impressive to see him today!"
Yang Kuan looked Li Tai up and down, then praised him with a smile, and then said: "I went to Weizhou a few days ago and heard that the Duke of Hanoi said that he had a talented person in the house to help him, so that he would have no worries. I also heard that Li Chang Shi, you are going to judge the nostalgia here today, and you are really curious, so you come to watch, Li Changshi won’t mind the unannounced harassment, right?”
"How can it be that Mr. Hua Shanggong calls me by my first name? Mr. Hua Shanggong condescends to come here to watch the younger generation's actions. This is exactly what I want. I hope to be corrected. I would like to ask Mr. Hua Shanggong to come into the camp and rest for a while."
Hearing that Yang Kuan said that he came from Weizhou, Li Tai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
When he was engaged in this battle, he also sent people to Weizhou to report to Dugu Xin. Probably Dugu Xin was worried that he would not be able to control the situation, so he specially invited Yang Kuan to come over to build up his momentum. In this way, even if the development of things is not satisfactory, there will still be a slight buffer, which is much better than Duguxin going into battle personally.
As Yang Kuan entered the tent and sat down, the other powerful men in the state no longer looked unruly and unruly. They each led the tribes crowded into the camp to settle outside the camp, and then hurriedly entered the tent to chat with Yang Kuan. Get up, and the order in the camp must be greatly improved.
After a while, the state officials came into the account again and reported that the two families had arrived near Kuamagou, each with nearly a thousand people, and each occupied an area outside the camp.
When everyone in the tent heard this, they immediately cheered up and turned to look at Li Tai to see what he planned to do.
"Order each of the two clans to elect a person who can make the decision to join the account. The local sages in this seat will settle this grudge in person."
Li Tai also straightened his posture in the banquet and gave orders to the state officials.
The state official took the order and left, but after a while he returned. Behind him was only a man who looked to be in his early thirties.
"Weizhou Sima and Commander-in-Chief Li Yunxin have met Hua Shanggong."
After entering the account, this person first saw Yang Kuan sitting at the top and quickly bowed to Yang Kuan.
Hezhou and Weizhou are close to each other on the surface, and Yang Kuan is no stranger to the people from Longbian. He first nodded slightly in response, then pointed to Li Tai next to him and said to Li Yunxin: "The person in charge of the account today, Li Changshi, is you. The eldest grandson of the late Taiwei Xuanjing, a famous official in the clan, I don’t know your genealogy in detail, so you two can tell it for yourself.”
Then Li Yunxin turned his attention to Li Tai, and Li Tai was also looking at this person with great interest, not only out of curiosity about his fellow villagers, but also because he had heard of this name.
Li Tai knew that Li Yunxin did not learn the information only after he came to this world, but he knew a little bit about him in later generations. Li Yunxin has not been recorded in history, but his name was passed down to later generations because of his deeds of worshiping Buddha.
Among the four major grottoes, the Maijishan Grottoes, the largest of which is also known as the Sanhua Tower, was built by Li Yunxin when he was the governor of Qinzhou. The scale of the Sanhua Building is even more spectacular when viewed in later generations. One can only imagine how much manpower and material resources were required to build it in ancient times.
Looking at the celebrity worshiping Buddha standing in front of him, Li Tai felt very angry. This prodigal spent so much manpower and material resources on building Buddhist caves. If all of them were devoted to his great cause of Lu, he would sit on the ground to divide shares and crack the soil. Isn't it more satisfying to be crowned king than to build a Buddhist cave?
Although it is said that the Buddhist cave was only built in the Northern Zhou Dynasty in history, and there is no trace of it now, it does not prevent Li Tai from seeing this prodigal son displeased and planning to squeeze him out.
Li Yunxin also had little affinity with Li Tai. Even though Yang Kuan pointed out Li Tai's identity, he just bowed and said, "I have met Li Changshi in my humble position."
Hearing that Li Yunxin had no intention of having a relationship with Li Taipan, a burst of whispers suddenly sounded in the big tent.
Although it is impossible to write two Lis in one sentence, the relationship between different clan branches of the Li family in Longxi is also quite alienated.
In particular, the Li clan members of Li Bao's lineage have almost no experience of growing up in Longxi. When Li Yan was working as a herdsman in his hometown, he didn't necessarily care much about the people in his hometown. When he was in trouble, few of the Li people in this hometown came to rescue him, and they were almost strangers to each other. A lot of people were implicated and died at the hands of the rebels that year.
Li Tai's grandfather, Li Qian, and Li Yan were direct brothers. This relationship naturally made Li Yunxin feel no sense of closeness as members of the same clan.
Before Li Tai could speak, Li Yunxin continued: "Since Li Changshi wants to resolve the feud between the locals, he should know the story here, and I will not say more in my humble position. I don't know what Changshi thinks about this, but as long as I, the Li clan, are My son, I don’t want to see this ravine filled with earth and rocks, and I would rather see it filled with the flesh and blood of the Quan clan! If Chang Shi can help fulfill this long-cherished wish, all the people in this village will be grateful for this deep friendship!”
Hearing what Li Yunxin said, Li Tai couldn't help but laugh angrily. If I don't work with you to join the Quan family, I won't be considered a descendant of the Li family in Longxi? Those with special numbers don't take me seriously, the leader of the Kansai branch appointed by Daxingtai! If I don't keep you in check, how can I lead the team?
"Shuzi's tone is not small! I am standing here now, whose flesh and blood are you going to fill the valley with?"
Before Li Tai had time to express his position, another middle-aged man with gray beard rushed into the tent, raised his finger and pointed at Li Yunxin before yelling angrily.
Li Yunxin was not willing to be outdone. He raised his arm to hold the handle of the saber, pointed at the man with the other hand and sneered: "The sword is sharpened diligently, just to kill Quan's old dog!"
Everyone present saw that the two sides were about to draw swords at each other if they disagreed, and they immediately became nervous. They quickly stood up and stood on the side of the acquaintance to give advice. At the same time, they kept frowning and looking at Li Tai: You have brought together these two sides who are in conflict. Come together and solve the problem quickly!
Faced with everyone's anxious stares, Li Tai just raised his hand to wave in a leisurely manner, and not long after, two armored soldiers carried a basket full of earth materials into the tent.
Li Tai stood up and slowly got off the table. When he walked to the basket, he grabbed a handful of sand inside, rubbed it in his hands and threw it to the left and right. He said with a smile: "This is the golden bran in the ditch." The mineral soil excavated in the mine is indeed rich in gold, which is very exciting. "
When everyone heard this, they all lowered their heads and looked at the thrown soil. With the sunlight refracting in from outside the tent, there were dots of golden light shining in the sand, which was indeed a moving treasure.
Seeing this matter that was closely related to the two families, Li Yunxin and Quan's expressions became even more sad, angry and angry. They each roared and tried to break away from the person who was pulling them, and then fight each other desperately.
"stop!"
Li Taidun stopped and shouted, and a dozen strong armored soldiers rushed outside the tent. They pushed the two people who were almost crazy to the carpet inside the tent and refused to let go no matter how hard they struggled.
Li Tai then walked back to the table and sat down. He looked around at everyone present and then looked at the two people who were pinned to the ground. He sneered and said, "The hatred between your two families is indeed as deep as the sea and it is difficult to resolve. Even even There are many local sages here who have a close relationship with your two families, and they have no idea how to solve it. How can I, a new guest from Guanzhong and a short-minded young man, make your two families put aside their hatred? We won’t stop until our entire family is exterminated!”
"Li Changshi, please be careful what you say!"
"Summoning a crowd here just to ridicule?"
As soon as Li Tai finished speaking, there was an uproar of discussion in the tent. Several powerful villagers couldn't help but glare at Li Tai. Even Yang Kuan, who was sitting in the banquet and watching, frowned.
Li Tai ignored the excitement of the crowd, but raised his hand and slapped the plan in front of him to suppress everyone's voices, and then said to the two people: "Looking at the angry and hateful expressions of the two of you, you must agree with what I said. In that case, Then I have a solution to the problem.
You two are both clan leaders who have the final say in your respective clans, and you both want to put the other to death. I will give you an opportunity now. You can each consider how much of the proceeds from this gold mine will be donated to me. Whichever company transfers more, I will lead the state army servants to help him eradicate the enemy and leave no chickens or dogs behind! "
As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the tent, and almost everyone present jumped up in shock. They had no idea that Li Tai's so-called solution was to openly ask for bribes from the two families, and then help eradicate the opponent.
Even if this method is not shocking, it is still enough to be called deviant. For such a handsome young man, he didn't expect that he could be so evil and wild in his heart.
Li Tai clapped his hands, and more soldiers poured into the tent. He completely controlled the situation to prevent anyone from rushing out of the tent and disturbing the surrounding people. He then ordered the representatives of Li and Quan to be separated into a small tent nearby. They each weighed and thought.
"I'm sorry everyone, the preface is just a joke. Of course I will not trample on the ethics of rural order and do such evil things. The reason why I made this shocking plan is just to let you have a look. If the feud between locals is not restrained and is indulged blindly, What kind of evil consequences can this evil thought bring about!”
After the two people were led out of the tent, Li Taicai looked at the surprised people in the tent and said with a smile: "Sitting around is boring. I would like to ask you to take a guess. Do those two people agree with the solution I proposed? If so, , how much benefit will each give up?”
At this moment, everyone was completely in no mood to answer the questions raised by Li Tai. It was not that they were ignoring or neglecting him, but that they were in mixed moods. At the same time, there was a hint of awe in the eyes looking at Li Tai.