Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Jinan Prefecture, Governor's Office.

While Liu Ye was discussing matters with Guo Songtao, Li Junfeng, and Ding Baozhen, a yamen runner rushed in and said urgently, "My lords, Shi Qiang, the comprador of the Yanzhou Coal Mine, is here to see you urgently!"

Liu Ye raised his eyebrows. Yanzhou Coal Mine, Shi Qiang?

"Let him in immediately!"

Not long after, Shi Qiang ran in from outside. The distance from Yanzhou to Jinan was about 700 miles, but Shi Qiang ran back in just three days. His warhorse was exhausted and he was no longer in good shape!

"Master Futai, something happened, something happened!"

Shi Qiang walked into the room and sat down on the floor. It was difficult for him to speak, and he spoke with difficulty in a hoarse voice.

Guo Songtao shouted, "Come here, help Shi Qiang to a chair and bring him a bowl of water!"

Shi Qiang sat on a chair and drank a bowl of warm water before he could catch his breath.

Guo Songtao asked, "Shi Qiang, what happened at the Yanzhou coal mine?"

Shi Qiang replied, "Your Excellency, three days ago, Yanzhou Governor Lu Mingsong sent people to the coal mine to meet Zhang Chunping and me, demanding that we pay a tribute of three thousand taels of silver. Chunping sternly refused. That afternoon, Lu Mingsong brought nearly a hundred people to the Yanzhou coal mine, threatening to close it down and ordering the yamen runners to arrest Chunping. As a result..."

Guo Songtao quickly asked, "What happened?"

"As a result, Chunping was furious and ordered the guards to fight back, knocking down all the yamen runners and even placing Lu Mingsong under house arrest..."

Shi Qiang said with difficulty.

I go!

Guo Songtao almost fainted!

This Zhang Chunping is exactly like the legend, a fool! Couldn't you just hold off for a bit? If the matter were reported, how could a little Lu Mingsong turn the tables? Now, not only is he openly resisting arrest, but even the prefect has been detained. This is a serious crime of treason!

And that Lu Mingsong, what a fool! How could a dignified prefect like him be so clueless? He knew full well that Liu Ye was in charge of the Yanzhou Coal Mine, and it was his private property. And yet you, braving the Governor's ban, are simply asking for tribute. Aren't you just asking for trouble? Even if Zhang Chunping gave you a tribute, I'm afraid you'd be paying it back with interest in a few days!

Ding Baozhen frowned and said, "You two governors, this Lu Mingsong is outrageous. It wasn't long after our ban was issued, and he dared to defy the law. He is truly despicable! And Zhang Chunping is also reckless. He directly imprisoned an official of the imperial court. Is he planning a rebellion?"

Liu Ye sneered and replied, "Brother Zhihuang, regardless of Chunping's affairs, I was the one who gave the order. The Yanzhou Coal Mine and the Laiyang Iron Works will be the first cornerstones of our country's prosperity and military strength. Anyone who wants to undermine these two cornerstones must get out of here! Hehe, Lu Mingsong, I've wanted to investigate him for a long time, but I had too many things to do, so I kept him here until now. Since he's walking into the trap, it's not my fault!"

Liu Ye's murderous intent was radiating. Ding Baozhen, standing beside him, was secretly shocked. He whispered, "Liu Futai, isn't this a bit inappropriate? Although Lu Mingsong demanded a bribe first, Zhang Chunping's actions are also a bit excessive. If we let this continue, won't it cause chaos?"

Liu Ye replied, "Brother Zhihuang, it's precisely because of Zhang Chunping's erratic character that I'm using him to manage the Yanzhou Coal Mine and the Laiyang Iron Works. You should be aware of the current state of government in the imperial court. Nine out of ten officials are corrupt, and many are on the verge of corruption. Without someone who's brave, responsible, and daring, how can we deter those officials from reaching out recklessly? Honestly, if it were someone else in this situation, do you think Lu Mingsong would be brought to justice?"

amount……

Ding Baozhen's face froze. Liu Ye was right. These days, collusion between officials and businessmen, and mutual protection among officials, are the norm. If it were someone else, if the prefect wanted a small gift, wouldn't his subordinates rush over to deliver it? As for exposing it to the public, that was out of the question. Three thousand taels of silver could buy peace, a talisman, so why not? Only someone as aggressive as Zhang Chunping could do such a thing. Not only did he refuse to pay, he even detained the prefect himself!

Guo Songtao said in a deep voice, "Brother Zhihuang, what Brother Ziming (Liu Ye's courtesy name) said makes sense. There are priorities. The two ports of Dengzhou, the factories and mines of Yanzhou and Laiyang, and the banks of Jinan are the places that we in Shandong must protect. We must not allow anyone to destroy them. Three years from now, these will become the guarantee of a rich and strong country. Lu Mingsong is just one person. This time, he must be severely punished. Kill a monkey to scare the chickens!"

Kill a monkey to scare the chickens?

Ding Baozhen immediately understood what Guo Songtao meant. Lu Mingsong, that was a dignified fourth-rank prefect. He had heard rumors in the capital that he wanted to be promoted to a high position in the capital. In Shandong Province, a fourth-rank prefect was definitely a distinguished position. Besides the governors, provincial governors, judicial governors, and the governors, the prefect was the most powerful! Using the prefect's official hat to intimidate the scoundrels was definitely enough. The deputy governors, magistrates, and county magistrates below him would become extremely honest!

Ding Baozhen nodded and asked, "Ziming, do you mean to kill him?"

Liu Ye said in a deep voice: "That's right, Brother Zhihuang, this is just the beginning. You will be busy from now on. Whether it is Yanzhou Prefecture or all the prefectures and counties under it, we will conduct a thorough investigation. It will take half a year. I will use half a year to carry out a major purge in the Shandong officialdom. Anyone who reaches out for help or acts recklessly, no matter who has the support, must be cleared out. As for those with good character and outstanding abilities, they will be promoted. If we don't build a team of honest and upright officials in Shandong Province, then they will never be able to turn things around!"

In half a year, there will be a major cleanup!

Even though Ding Baozhen had seen a lot of things and hated evil, he was still horrified by Liu Ye's radical tactics. He thought that this would at least chop off a few heads and remove more than a dozen official hats...

Ding Baozhen smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Ziming, you should know that although you have the final say in Shandong, the relationships below are extremely complex. Just take my position as the Prime Minister. Is it really a pool of clear water? No, it is very deep. I have just arrived and do not have a capable team. It is not easy to cause a storm in Shandong. If we don't do it well, we may all be disgraced. It will be embarrassing..."

Liu Ye laughed heartily and said, "Brother Zhihuang, don't worry. Since we've asked you to come and monitor Qi and Lu, how can we do that without a capable assistant? I've already prepared a helper for you. Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at the latest, we'll see the outcome!"