You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 216 The Imperial Guards Set Out in All Directions to Clear the Banners!
We left the Forbidden City.

The four riders led the way for half a mile, clearing the path, while Jiang Qingyun himself returned to his residence under the escort of fifty elite cavalrymen.

The pomp and circumstance were so extravagant that not a single person in the court dared to impeach them.

A person's name, the bark of a tree, the domineering Chiang Kai-shek, the biased emperor, and the silent colleagues.

In reality, Jiang Qingyun wasn't concerned about the pomp and circumstance, but rather about the fear of being assassinated.

The path he walked was adorned with flowers, but also teemed with assassins.

……

evening.

South of the city, at the Chiang Kai-shek residence.

Zhou Shao looked up:

"This 'Beijing Banner Population Survey White Paper' contains such complex data, how long did it take you to complete?"

"Two months."

"Incredible, how did you do that?"

"Just made that up~"

"what?"

"Of course, it can't be said that it's all made up; there's truth to some of it. It's mainly because the Emperor was urging us too much, so I had no choice but to make something up. Anyway, this version of the data has limited reference value."

Zhou Shao reacted quickly.

"Are you preparing to clear the flag?"

"Yes."

Does the Emperor support this?

"I give my tacit support, verbal support. If the Qingqi rebellion ends well, I am acting on orders; if it ends badly, I am the scapegoat. This has always been the case, nothing surprising."

Jiang Qingyun remained calm; there was nothing new under the sun.

"Third brother, there are rumors circulating outside that when you were the military governor in the south, you drove Manchu officers into battle, resulting in heavy casualties."

"It's not a rumor, it's true. As long as it doesn't reach the palace, let them say whatever they want."

"What if someone impeaches me?"

"As long as I keep winning, as long as my blade remains sharp, even if I pierce the sky, no one will dare to stand up against me. There are many people in the capital who hate me, but they only dare to curse me from the gutter."

……

Has the China Open been reinstated?

"Restore everything exactly as it was, word for word. Would you like some minor modifications?"

“Don’t change any of the taxation systems,” Jiang Qingyun said with a smile. “Any tax reform based on the imperial framework (pure taxation without any other supporting measures) will only further increase the burden on the common people. The more you reform, the worse it will get, and the more you will be doomed.”

"Isn't there even the slightest possibility of a positive outcome?"

"no!"

Having lived two lives, Jiang Qingyun's answer was resolute and unwavering.

Zhou Shao nodded:
"I gave the mountain people some basic training as you instructed, and assigned them to oversee one or two links in the process of collecting taxes and grain in Zhili. Are these illiterate mountain people really useful?"

"Yes! Because we don't need too many experts, we just need some people who dare to tell the truth."

"What if, and I mean what if, these people have stayed in the capital for too long and become slick and cunning?"

“Punish, eliminate, and then replace with a new batch of people.”

"Repeating endlessly?"

"Yes, running water never stagnates, and a frequently used door hinge never rusts. Don't harbor the delusion of a permanent solution. Even the best stone dam only lasts for two or three hundred years. We need to keep striving, keep improving, and always be on the road. Our journey is to the stars and the sea."

Zhou Shao mustered his courage and asked:

"Is a world of great harmony truly achievable?"

"I don't know. But I don't care about the result; I care more about the process. I'll improve things as much as I can. I will kill a lot of people in my life, both enemies and my own people."

Zhou Shao was greatly shocked and stood up, bowing deeply.

Jiang Qingyun smiled.

"Brother, you don't need to do this. Like I said, let's work together and create a different era, shall we?"

"I can't ask for it."

"If we fail, we may die a terrible death. If we succeed, we may also die a terrible death."

"It doesn't matter. I've wasted over 40 years of my life, so I might as well take a chance."

...December.

The office of the Commander of the Nine Gates Infantry was officially put into use, with high and thick walls and a strong defense.

The 460 Secret Service agents who had completed their training (originally 500, with 40 becoming the first group of dissidents to be executed during training) threw themselves into the intense task of arresting people.

Even in the era of the Five Cities Military Command, they still knocked on the door.

During the period of political tutelage, there was no need to knock on the door; they would simply break down the door and arrest people by force.

The Blue Banner Defense Zone.

A squad of imperial guards quietly entered a certain alley.

"is it here?"

Guide: "Yes, this is the Feiyanggu family."

Two guards lifted a log, just like they did in the training ground, and shouted "one, two, three!" before smashing the bolt and kicking the door open.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

A Manchu woman carrying a kitchen knife rushed out of the kitchen and was shot down by a crossbow bolt.

"Help~"

The daughter of the family that emitted the sharp, explosive sound was also fatally wounded by an arrow to the throat, collapsing to the ground convulsing.

The fine steel crossbows, custom-made by skilled craftsmen from the Ministry of Works' Armory, were standard equipment for the Imperial Guards. Each crossbow cost 20 taels of silver, was made with high-quality materials, and was ingeniously designed, capable of eliminating dissidents with a single arrow.

Kneel down! Put your hands behind your head!

Knowing that there was something sinister inside, the male homeowner immediately knelt down, covered his head, and shouted, "Stop killing people! I'm a law-abiding citizen, I'll go with you!"

The imperial guards carried crossbows.

"You are Fei Yanggu?"

"I am Poseidon."

Where is Feiyanggu?

"He's my neighbor! You bastards, you've arrested the wrong person!"

huh~
A short arrow struck Poseidon in the forehead.

The next moment, his two sons were also pierced by crossbow bolts.

The leader of the elite guards grabbed the guide, pinned him against the wall, and gently slit his neck with a short sword. Under the immense pressure of the carotid artery, blood spurted onto the wall.

Anyone who has committed murder knows that bloodstains on clothes are very difficult to wash off after a murder.

Such murders leave no stain on your clothes.

Professionals, professional methods.

The Discipline Office never made a mistake; every single case could withstand the test of the Qing Dynasty.

……

"The Feiyanggu family has no back door."

"Very good, break down the door."

The two men carried the log toward the black wooden door. The next second, instead of the expected loud noise, they were seen staggering and flying inside while carrying the log.

It turned out the door wasn't bolted; they had used too much force.

The foreman's eyes twitched as he watched.

"on!"

The group rushed in with short crossbows, only to be stunned to see Fei Yanggu's entire family kneeling in the courtyard, heads in their hands.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, a total of thirteen people.

"Sir, we are law-abiding citizens."

"Whether you are law-abiding citizens or not is not up to you to decide, but up to the disciplinary office. Take them all away."

The well-trained imperial guards stripped everyone of their shoes, cut their belts, and ordered them to line up and leave their homes with their trousers up.

No one in the alley dared to watch.

Upon seeing several brand-new prison vans parked at the entrance of the alley, Fei Yanggu suddenly grabbed his pants and ran wildly to one side, attempting to escape punishment.

He was barefoot, holding up his pants, and his movements were awkward, so he couldn't run fast at all. As soon as he let go, his pants slipped down to his ankles, and he tripped and fell.

A guard stepped on his head, drew his short sword, and perfectly slit his throat. Hot blood gushed out, and the surrounding ice and snow melted away.

Professionals, professional methods.

(End of this chapter)