I want to ruin the country

After receiving the emperor's order, Lin Zexu made arrangements at home and set off in a hurry.

His first stop was Shanyang, Jiangsu to pay homage to Guan Tianpei.

When Lin Zexu banned opium in Guangzhou, Guan Tianpei was the admiral, and they worked together well and were close comrades-in-arms.

On the sixth day of February in 1841, the British army launched a fierce attack on the Humen Fortress and the Jingyuan Fort where Guan Tianpei was stationed.

Guan Tianpei, who was in his sixties, personally fired back. In the evening, the British devils attacked the artillery position, and Guan Tianpei fought hard with a knife.

He was first slashed on the left arm, then hit by a bullet, and suffered more than ten injuries all over his body, but he still fought to the death.

In order to prevent the Japanese from seizing the seal of the governor, he asked his attendants to take it away. The attendants cried and pulled him to go with them, but Guan Tianpei refused. In the end, he died a heroic death for his country.

His eldest son Guan Kuilong had served as garrison commander, guerrilla commander and lieutenant general, and died of illness while in office.

The second son, Guan Conglong, inherited the title of Yunduwei and served as the deputy governor in Anhui.

Lin Zexu paid tribute to Guan Tianpei with tears in his eyes.

Then he met You Zongtang on the canal and took a boat to the capital.

Many days later, Lin Zexu's boat was about to arrive in Dezhou.

Dezhou is the thoroughfare connecting nine provinces.

During the reigns of Emperors Yongzheng and Qianlong, the canal was diverted and the Dezhou wharf was fixed. Due to the canal transportation, Dezhou became a hub for water and land transportation between the north and the south. Since the Yuan Dynasty, it has become an important grain transit station.

After Zhu Di established the capital in Beijing, nine provinces, including Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan, were required to transport grain to Beijing.

In the 30th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, a city was built on the east bank of the river bend, which was used to store grain from Shandong, Henan and other places.

In the ninth year of Yongle, after the Huitong River was opened to navigation, Dezhou became one of the four major granaries in the country. During this period, Dezhou warehouse transported 450 million shi of grain every year, and Dezhou became the largest water and land port on the canal.

Although the Texas Terminal is no longer as important as it once was, it is still quite busy on the canal route.

Ships were coming and going in the canal, the dock was crowded with people, and workers were busy carrying things up and down.

There are many snack vendors in some vacant places nearby, selling fried dough sticks, steamed buns, sesame cakes, wontons, lamb intestines, and old tofu!

The most famous dish here is the "Dezhou Braised Chicken", China's top chicken that has been a tribute since the Qianlong period.

The reputation of "Dezhou Braised Chicken" has long been known to everyone, so I will not elaborate on it.

In the flower hall of the second hall of Dezhou prefectural government office, Dezhou prefect Xing Guodong's back was soaked with sweat at this time when the spring equinox had just passed and Qingming Festival had not yet arrived!

Years ago, during the imperial examination, he bribed many people and got an "outstanding" grade. This gave him the capital to move up in the imperial court. His goal was to become an inspector, that is, a magistrate.

Unfortunately, bad luck struck him. Just when he was ready for everything, the Ministry of Revenue suddenly inspected the warehouses.

In the past few years, the official granary in Dezhou had been emptied by him, and the grain was exchanged for more than 200,000 taels of silver, part of which was given to the Governor of the Grand Canal Mu Zhang'a, and part was given to other granary officials.

That's how he earned more than 100,000 taels of silver.

Xing Guodong was filled with resentment. In two or three months, he would just leave and hand over the accounts to the next person. Anyway, the successor would not open each warehouse and weigh the food one by one. How could he know whether there was any grain in the warehouse?

Once I take office as the Chief Justice, I will be in a high position and have great power. Even if the next person finds out that I am short-changed, it is still unclear whether he will dare to confront me.

Even if you argue with him, he is not afraid. Why didn't you do that before? When I gave it to you, there was not a pound less of food. Who can you blame? It will be a mess that cannot be sorted out later!

Besides, over the years, I have shown so much filial piety to the Governor of the Grand Canal, Lord Mu, and the Minister of the Granary. We are all in the same boat. If the boat capsizes, no one can get up. We all prosper and suffer together. They have to fight to protect themselves!

What was unexpected was that the Ministry of Revenue ordered an inspection of the warehouses as soon as the new emperor ascended the throne. Isn’t this just idleness?

Not only that, what he feared came to pass. For some unknown reason, his classmate Li Mengxiang, the grain commissioner of Shandong, had his eyes on him and actually made him discover the deficit.

He originally thought that he could just give him thirty or twenty thousand and get rid of him, but he didn't expect that Brother Li Nian was so stubborn and stayed at his house every day, asking him to make up for the deficit.

What the hell, the deficit is already there, how can he make up for it? He can't ask Lord Mu Zhang'a for money!

Even if we have silver, we can't solve the problem in a short time. The warehouse is filled with grain, not silver. Where can we get so much grain in a short time?

There is no other choice but to fight against Li Daotai and see if he can be defeated!

If that doesn't work, then the only option is...!

Li Mengxiang, the grain commissioner of Shandong, sat upright, with a cold light flashing in his bright triangular eyes.

He has come to the prefectural yamen three times. Xing Guodong promised to make up the deficit immediately. Considering their friendship as they were of the same age, he repeatedly extended the deadline. However, after such a long time, Xing Guodong did not move at all. He was getting anxious!

Li Mengxiang said coldly,

"Master Xing, the food shortage in your treasury is certainly not fake. The amount is so huge that I, Li Mengxiang, cannot afford it. If you don't want to report me, you should just make up for the shortfall quickly. It will benefit us all!"

After saying that, he raised his head high, looked at the roof beams, and stopped talking!

Xing Guodong felt a chill in his heart, knowing that in the face of one or two hundred thousand silver coins, the friendship between the two of them for many years was no longer of any use.

"Brother Li, it's not that I don't want to patch the hole. It's just like I said, someone borrowed the food, and they've already promised to ship it back as soon as possible. They won't let you, my dear, suffer any consequences!"

Li Mengxiang smiled coldly again.

"I don't know how bold these people are to lend me food worth nearly 200,000 taels of silver!

Your brother and I haven't been friends for three or five years. If it weren't for this, I would have submitted a memorial long ago. I wouldn't have the time to waste on such nonsense!"

Xing Guodong wiped the sweat from his head and said hurriedly,

"I'm deeply grateful for your kindness, but the amount is so huge that it's impossible to store it all in one go. I beg your patience!"

Li Mengxiang retracted his gaze and said to Xing Guodong with his triangular eyes,

"The current market price of polished round-grained rice is one tael, four or five qian of silver per dan, which is a sky-high price. Don't think I can't imagine how much profit there is in it!

I've told you several times, this time the boss is coming with such force, you must find out the actual amount of grain in the warehouse. What's different from the past is that I heard this time it's the Emperor's order!"

Xing Guodong gritted his teeth, took out a few banknotes from his sleeve and placed them in front of Li Mengxiang.

"Brother Nian, this is 40,000 taels. If you can help me settle this matter, I will never forget your kindness in my lifetime, forever and ever!"

Li Mengxiang glanced at him sideways and pushed the banknote back.

"Master Xing, don't do this. Who can resist the emperor's order? If you don't do it well, you will lose your head. I don't dare to spend this money!"