The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Chapter 157 Liu Mu: Li Meng, you have guts!

The game "The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in on Beijing" is full of classic quotes, so come and find resonance.

Liu Mu was dressed as a scholar, and the children looked at him with envy. Just as the children were about to leave, Liu Mu called them back.

"Are you all family members of the guards of Tianjin?"

Liu Mu stopped them because of their clothing. It was only the third day of the third lunar month, and they didn't have to work in the fields, yet their pants were all torn.

I knew that the Han Dynasty gave the garrison soldiers dozens of acres of land, which was even better than what the Ming Dynasty gave them. Last year, after winning a battle, each soldier was given a subsidy of three taels of silver.

Given the prices of that time, after two years of rest and recuperation, their families, while not necessarily dressed very well, at least had warm clothes.

Among the group of children, a slightly older boy, about thirteen years old, stepped forward respectfully.

"Are you a scholar passing by? We're all from Li Family Village! May I ask what brings you here?"

"If you don't mind, you can stay at our village!"

Hearing the boy's words, Liu Mu nodded. He wanted to find out what was going on. If a whole village was struggling, then the officials in the garrison must be in trouble.

"Come with us, scholar!"

Seeing Liu Mu nod, the boy was very happy and led the other boys, skipping and hopping towards the village.

Hebei is a vast plain, so villages are concentrated at the intersection of wheat fields, making it convenient for farmers to watch over their fields.

This Li Family Village seems to have a large population, with an estimated thousand households, which means there are a thousand guards.

When Liu Mu entered the village, he was immediately enraged.

Because the elderly in the village are dressed even worse than these children, some even have clothes made of straw ropes, how can such things keep them warm?

And there was the woman sticking her head out of the window.

It's obvious that the girl has no clothes to wear and can only stay at home. If she wants to go out, she can only wear her family's clothes.

Oh My God.

Under Lao Tzu's rule, such a thing actually happened.

Liu Mu suppressed his anger and looked at Liu Dingbian.

"Quickly, mobilize troops, mobilize troops!"

Liu Mu, in his anger, even forgot to refer to himself as "I".

As for troop deployment, regardless of who embezzled the funds, the commander who remained on duty today will have to pay with his head.

Liu Dingbian was also furious. He had never been this bad when he was a herdsman for Lindan Khan's grandson on the grasslands. After receiving the order, he ran wildly out of the village.

As for the warhorses, they were all left at a distance.

Riding a warhorse, what's this called, traveling incognito?

Seeing Liu Dingbian leave angrily, the boy, though curious, didn't think much of it and continued to greet Liu Mu.

"Scholar, come, this is my home!"

"We're having a great meal today!"

Liu Mu suppressed his anger, forced a slight smile, and followed the boy into the thatched hut. Inside, there was only a table and two simple beds. The kitchen was outside the hut.

There wasn't even a stove or pot.

It consisted only of a simple mound of earth and a coal bin.

An elderly woman, nearly seventy years old and with noticeably poor eyesight, groped her way into the room carrying a charcoal canister, looking embarrassed.

If Emperor Kangxi hadn't died, he would surely know here that this old lady was his savior.

The old lady looked embarrassed.

"My son is in the army, and we only have one grandson, so our meals are simple. Please forgive us!"

Liu Mu looked at the earthenware jar and found that it contained bran mixed with some beans. These beans were the good stuff the boy had mentioned because they could fill one's stomach.

Liu Mu couldn't eat, but he was too embarrassed to refuse, so he scooped up a small half bowl with a spoon and forced himself to eat it, feeling as if a razor blade was cutting his throat.

He will remember this suffering for the rest of his life.

Compared to Liu Mu's discomfort, the boy ate very happily. At the age of thirteen, he was in the prime of his growth, and not eating was more painful than having his throat cut.

Liu Mu took a sip of water, rubbed his throat, and finally recovered before looking at the old lady.

"The imperial court has always treated its guards well; they even gave them three taels of silver as a winter bonus not long ago. Why are the villagers still so poorly clothed?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady seemed startled, dropping the rice bowl she had just taken a couple of bites onto her lap, and hurriedly stopped Liu Mu.

"I dare not say, I dare not say!"

The boy next to him had also finished eating, but upon hearing this, he became quite bold, revealing a fierce look.

"Because my father went to serve as a soldier for the dog emperor, we migrated from another place. At first, things were really good. We lived in Tianjin Wei City and had meat every few days."

"But before two months had passed, the commander said that the emperor had ordered that taxes would be increased in the south due to the fighting against the Manchu Tartars. So he sent us to this village and then stopped all supplies. Ninety percent of the grain my uncle grew last year and our family's grain were confiscated!"

boom!

The little boy slammed his fist on the table as he spoke.

"If I ever gain power, I'll make sure that damned emperor eats bran and lives in a thatched hut every day!"

Wow, you're pretty brave, kid.

They dare to call me the dog emperor.

However, I did eat the bran, but it was awful!

Thinking of this, Liu Mu closed his eyes and began to wait for the army to arrive. The three thousand imperial guards were only twenty miles away, and an hour would be enough.

Seeing that Liu Mu kept his eyes closed and didn't speak, the little boy stood up.

"Scholar, why aren't you saying anything!"

"Tell me quickly, what's it like outside? Is everyone here struggling to survive like us?"

Liu Mu opened one eye halfway.

"We're well-fed and warmly dressed, why ask this?"

The little boy looked incredulous upon hearing this.

"No way! With this damn emperor levying such high taxes, how can his people possibly have enough to eat and wear? I don't believe it!"

Liu Mu sensed from the beginning that this child was extraordinary, and now he felt even more strongly that he was a tiger, so he asked:

"What's your name, kid?"

"You can't address the emperor carelessly, or you'll lose your head!"

Liu Mu had intended to scare him, but to his surprise, the guy was not afraid at all and instead threw a punch on the spot.

"My name is Li Meng, the 'Meng' in 'fierce general'!"

"Anyone who dares to starve me will have their life taken!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Mu could no longer sit still.

Li Meng, from Hebei, was young, and everything matched up!

This guy couldn't be Li Meng, who joined the army at sixteen, led five hundred Green Standard Army cavalry at eighteen, defeated Wu Sangui's three thousand cavalry, and captured Changsha at twenty, killing Wu Sangui's nephew in battle.

This guy later followed Kangxi in fighting Galdan. He was hit by three arrows from a Dzungar soldier but did not retreat. After killing a Dzungar general in battle, he was granted the title of Baturu by Kangxi.

Good heavens, the nemesis of Jungar!

I, the person in question, ran into them today!

I used to think it was just a joke, but now that I think about it, if Li Meng's grandmother starved to death under the rule of the Han Dynasty, given his unruly nature, he would definitely run south and become an enemy of the Han Dynasty again.

The enemy still carries a bit of luck.

It's scary to think about it.

Thinking of this, Liu Mu smiled like an aunt.

"Li Meng, do you think it's possible that the emperor really did give you a lot of things, but the officials intercepted them and didn't distribute them?"