This is a question that has always puzzled Li Kuo, and it was not until today that he finally understood it.
There are no thieves in the world. It is people who are forced into desperation and become thieves in Luocao.
Most of these thieves are from poor backgrounds and have very similar miserable experiences. Whether it's Jiang Chui'er, Scarface, Black-faced Yan Jun or Qi Laosan, they are all such people.
Thieves are all forced out.
¡°If the world is full of people like He Qing and Haiyan, who never close their doors at night, how can anyone risk losing their head to eat this food? As long as there is still hope for this day, even if it is just a glimmer, they will not do this business!
The problem ultimately lies with the court itself!
In fact, since the reign of Empress Wu, this problem has begun to emerge. This is the land conflict.
When the dynasty was established in the past, the Sui Dynasty inherited most of the unclaimed wasteland, and the population in the early Tang Dynasty was only one-tenth of what it was at the height of the Sui Dynasty. Therefore, the land equalization system promulgated by Emperor Gaozu can be implemented very well, so that every family can have land and cultivate land.
A hundred years later, after the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, the population of the Tang Dynasty increased dramatically, and the acres of land gradually became insufficient. If it were just like this, it would be easy for the common people to deal with it. After all, even if everyone is divided into smaller acres, it would still be fair.
The only thing to blame is the greed of the human heart.
After a hundred years, the wealthy families, princes and princes were naturally no longer satisfied with the meager amount of land, which led them to purchase large amounts of land from the common people. If things go on like this, ordinary people will have fewer and fewer acres of land in their hands, while the land in the hands of Gongqing's family will become more and more, and one day it will reach an imbalance. How do people live when they have no land to farm? Are you afraid that the fallen grass will turn into a bandit?
In normal times, this harm is not obvious. After all, the Tang Dynasty was still in its heyday, and it was impossible for grassroots thieves to commit brazen theft and plunder. But what if there is chaos?
An Lushan's rebellion and the rebels' march south had an impact not only on itself. Countless bandits and thieves will feel that the time has come, and they will take over the mountain and become kings at this time. Like the thieves in Heiyun Village, they would plunder food and grass in the name of rebels and rapidly expand their power.
People¡¯s desires are endless. Maybe these thieves just want to live a life of drinking and eating meat. But if their strength increases to a certain level, they may have other ideas, right?
Becoming king and dominating may be every man¡¯s dream, but due to the situation, people are used to hiding it and suppressing it. Just hiding depression does not mean that it does not exist. It is like the flickering fire in Huozhezi, which may rekindle at any time.
And once it reignites, it will ignite a wildfire and cause endless harm.
To take a step back, those grassroots bandits have no idea of ??becoming kings and hegemons. Can they guarantee that there will be no big boss, second boss or even third boss?
As long as a leader has such an idea in his mind, these grassroots bandits will flock to follow those leaders to conquer the country.
This may be the underlying reason why more and more bandits were suppressed in the late Sui Dynasty.
Today¡¯s Datang has the possibility of developing in this direction, but fortunately it has not yet reached the point of losing control as it did in the late Sui Dynasty. Li Kuo needs to catch this sign in time to prevent it from recurring!
"Is this true?" Qi Laosan stared at Li Kuo, as if he would regret it if he distracted his attention for a moment.
"Seriously!" Li Kuo smiled slightly, as bright as the bright sunshine.
"I will never stop brothers who want to return to Heiyun Village. Brothers who want to make a living by farming again, I will allocate twenty acres of farmland to you in Tangzhou. As for brothers who join the army, as long as you can pass my selection, I will definitely Treated like ordinary soldiers."
Li Kuo¡¯s answer was resounding and unquestionable.
Qi Laosan looked at Li Kuo blankly. For a long time, he bit his finger to make sure he was not dreaming. After being captured by Li Kuo, he had thought about thousands of outcomes, but he never imagined that it would end like this.
Even the confidants of Tongwuying could not understand Li Kuo's actions. Everyone knows that the governor is kind-hearted, but he has never been kind to traitors. Still, it is really shocking.
Li Kuo looked at the horse thieves with a smile, waiting for them to make a choice.
No one wants to be a thief when he is born, and some horse thieves are even purer in heart than some children from two families.
"Things that are close to vermilion are not necessarily red, and those that are close to ink are not necessarily black. This is Li Kuo's always-held view. As long as you stick to your original intention, there will be a day of nirvana and rebirth.
"I, I want to stay." Scarface took a step forward coyly, hugged Li Kuo and said, "General, I want to find a job in the army, I don't know."
Li Kuo nodded and said: "Those who want to stay should register with Captain Xianyu. As long as they pass the general's examination, they can join the Jianghuai Army."
"Hey, hey! Thank you, thank you." Scarface, who was born with brute strength, was not worried about losing the election at all, and he was overjoyed when he saw Li Kuo nodding in agreement. When he turned around and saw Qi Laosan's dull face, his heart skipped a beat. He tugged on the third master's sleeve and persuaded: "Brother Qi San, please stay too. It's good for the brothers to be together and take care of you."
Qi Laosan was obviously very hesitant. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't make up his mind.
"General, I want to farm"
"General, I also want to farm"
""
Once someone takes that most difficult first step, it will be much easier for those who follow. More and more horse thieves are choosing to join the army, or plan to join the army, or return to farming.
In the end, less than 30% of the horse thieves chose to return to Heiyun Village, and among them was the black-faced Yan Jun.
Li Kuo followed the agreement and gave these horse thieves corresponding horses, and watched them escape into the red sunset.
"General, how did you know I would stay?"
After a fierce battle, the Jianghuai army returned to Tangzhou City. Qi Laosan held the reins with one hand and asked in a deep voice.
The city walls in the distance became increasingly blurry and dim. Li Kuo smiled slightly: "People have to look forward after all."
The process of integrating the horse thieves into the Jianghuai Army was not easy. Firstly, because they were accustomed to making a living by robbing, they were suddenly unable to adapt to various restrictions.
Secondly, after all, these horse thieves were enemies of Jianghuai Army soldiers just a moment ago, and their bodies were even stained with the blood of their former heroes. Although Li Kuo had ordered his soldiers not to be prejudiced against these new brothers, who numbered more than a thousand people, the soldiers of the Jianghuai Army would inevitably have a repulsive mentality towards the horse thieves.
This is human nature, but it is not difficult to understand.
Li Kuo once gathered Wang Xiaochun and other soldiers in Hekou, and he was very clear about their thoughts.
For these horse thieves, the most difficult thing is to cross the hurdle in their own hearts. Only if they regard themselves as part of the Jianghuai Army can they truly integrate into it. What they have to do next is to prove their strength with their military exploits and win the trust of Pao Ze. This is something they can only rely on themselves, and no one can help them.
The campsite is set up on a leeward hillside, and nearly a thousand tents are set up in a row, which is quite spectacular.
Night wind, starry sky, moonlight, and fine wine are all there, but the only thing missing is the mood.
When Li Kuo is not in the mood, he is used to drinking alone and being in a daze, and tonight is no exception.
"Qi Lang, have you ever thought about what to do next?" Zhou Wuwei found Li Kuo, sat down on the grass next to him, pulled out a straw and made grasshoppers.
"Not yet." Li Kuo lay quietly on the grass, enjoying this rare quiet time.
Since Yanji left, his life has become quiet. Sometimes silence is a good thing, sometimes not.
Excessive silence will make people's mood become gloomy. At this time, it is obvious that a confidant is needed to talk to.
However, Li Kuo didn¡¯t expect that it would be Zhou Wuxin who took the initiative to speak.
"Perhaps, there is no choice anymore." Li Kuo sighed sadly, looking at the stars in the sky, his voice seemed a little hoarse and helpless.
"Perhaps there was no way out when I refused to lead the army to Lingwu. But now is the time of chaos, so he can't do anything to me. If the rebellion is suppressed, then"
Li Kuo suddenly stopped talking and shook his head with a wry smile.
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¡ Today's Emperor of the Tang Dynasty does not have the magnanimity and magnanimity of an emperor at all, so he relies on his own behavior of resisting the imperial decree, fearing that he will be punished for bullying the emperor.
"You know that the final result will be like this, but you still want to go down a dead end. You are very similar to Zhang Yanji in this regard. You are a mere mortal."
Zhou Wuwei had already knitted the grasshoppers and handed them to Li Kuo: "Maybe you have other choices."
"What other choice?" Li Kuo was lost for a moment and said dumbly: "What choice?"
Zhou Wuwei rubbed his palms to calm himself down. After a long time, he said word by word: "Support the troops and stand on your own feet!"
PS: Qilang seems to have no choice. If he continues to follow Li Heng, he may not end well. It seems like this is the only way to go.