Late Song Dynasty: From Imposter Magistrate to Emperor Donning the Imperial Robe

Chapter 88 The Hidden Agent

As early as after successfully capturing the mountain stronghold, Li Chong began to consider how to settle Zhong Mei and his group.

Simply turning them into political achievements doesn't really mean much to Li Chong.

In officialdom, especially in the Northern Song Dynasty, the most important thing was having powerful connections and a strong background, rather than having any personal ability.

Li Chong naturally had no powerful backing. He was appointed as the county magistrate only after his father-in-law had pulled strings several times. If he had a powerful backer, things would not have turned out this way.

It was only about ten years before the complete collapse of the Northern Song Dynasty. In those ten years, even if Li Chong did his job exceptionally well, he would not be able to rise to a high position.

In that case, it's better to secure tangible benefits in our hands first, rather than pursuing unrealistic political achievements.

Apart from the old and weak, most of Zhong Mei's group were strong and capable men, and they were all brave and daring. Even ten years from now, many of them would still be in their prime.

Li Chong naturally intended to bring such a team under his command.

Not only them, but even Li Chong was somewhat tempted by Xue Ming's men.

These days, not many people have witnessed bloodshed and dare to fight. Keeping them in your possession is a valuable resource.

But this matter is not easy to put down. After all, he is an official, and he is secretly raising strong men. What is he planning to do?

Therefore, these people cannot be registered under Li Chong's own name.

Therefore, Li Chong set his sights on that mountain stronghold. Located deep in the mountains, it was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, it controlled a vital road connecting Yunzhou to Daming Prefecture, making it a natural transportation hub.

As the saying goes, "Those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water." It's not actually that difficult to support this group of people.

Since highway robbery was not an option, Li Chong thought of another direction, a completely opposite entrepreneurial path.

He was confident that he could eventually bring these people under his command through his own methods.

Li Chong hadn't yet figured out exactly what to do with them in the future, but having subordinates made him feel much more at ease and gave him more room to maneuver when things went wrong.

This is why he tried every means to fool Zhong Mei. Of course, it can't be completely called fooling. In Li Chong's view, it's a win-win situation.

"A security escort agency?" Zhong Mei looked completely bewildered. "What is that?"

Of course she didn't know that the earliest escort agencies didn't appear until the Qing Dynasty. Before that, there was no fertile ground for such institutions to exist in China.

Firstly, during the Tang and Song dynasties, the central government had much stronger control over local areas than during the Ming and Qing dynasties, making the risks of long-distance trade relatively controllable.

Secondly, during the Tang and Song dynasties, large-scale goods were often organized by the government and transported through a system called "gangyun" (纲运), such as the famous "Huashi Gang" (花石纲).

Thirdly, during the Tang and Song dynasties, weapons were strictly controlled, martial arts were not popular, and there was a lack of fertile ground for such institutions to exist in the private sector.

But at this point in time, in Li Chong's view, these three questions are no longer problems; it is the time for the escort agency to show its skills.

Due to Zhao Ji's actions, the livelihoods of ordinary people in the Northern Song Dynasty became increasingly difficult, and peasant uprisings occurred one after another, with large-scale uprisings seemingly aimed at changing the dynasty being commonplace.

In local areas, it goes without saying that small groups of bandits are simply impossible to eradicate.

In this environment, the imperial court's freight transport might not be a concern, but ordinary wealthy merchants would certainly need to be equipped with sufficient guards before daring to set out on their trade routes.

In other places, business activities might not be frequent enough to support a security escort agency.

However, in Yunzhou and Yanggu, because Daming Prefecture was right next door, merchants made far more money than farmers.

Although the mountain bandits have been eliminated, the roads are still not peaceful, with many small groups of thieves remaining. The emergence of the escort agency is timely.

It just so happens that Li Chong was able to gather a group of men, which he could bring under his command under the guise of a security escort agency.

Seeing Zhong Mei's confusion, Li Chong smiled slightly and briefly explained the role of the escort agency.

Zhong Mei gradually realized what was going on: "You're planning to have Uncle Hu and the others serve as guards?"

"No."

Li Chong's answer surprised her again: "They're still doing what they've always done. After all, you need thieves to have soldiers. How can a security escort agency operate without a substantial threat?"

Zhong Mei was confused again: "But you said before that we shouldn't rob people on the road anymore."

"We can't rob people on the road, but we can collect tolls," Li Chong said calmly. "As long as it doesn't happen in our Yanggu territory, it won't affect me, the escort agency's business can continue, and your third uncle and the others can support themselves."

Zhong Mei's expression was complicated, and she kept her head down without saying a word.

Li Chong's words contained a lot of information; she needed to think about them carefully.

After a long pause, Zhongmei said in a low voice, "If that's your plan, then why keep me by your side?"

"What do you think?" Li Chong chuckled. "I've set up such a big operation, I can't let it benefit others, can I? After it's done, all of you will be under my control, and keeping you around is like using you as leverage to control your second and third uncles."

"When the time comes, those who don't want to honestly farm can stay in the mountains and be under the care of your two uncles. Whatever supplies they need, I'll send someone to contact them, and you'll mediate. Only in this way can I trust them; otherwise, why should I trust them?"

Li Chong's words were very impolite, implying that he was using Zhong Mei as a pawn to control others.

For some reason, Zhong Mei was not unhappy when she heard these words; on the contrary, she was secretly pleased.

"He trusts me, which is why he trusts his second and third uncles."

With these words on her mind, Zhong Mei's attitude softened.

In truth, she still trusted Li Chong, and when she learned that Li Chong was not the real county magistrate, she felt a little relieved.

After all, compared to a county magistrate who came from a proper imperial examination background, her status was truly not respectable.

But now, at least in Zhong Mei's mind, she and Li Chong are considered equals.

"You trust me that much?" Zhongmei put her hands behind her back and kicked her toes on the ridge of the field. "Your government office can't hold me. If I run back to the mountains, you'll really be doing all the work for someone else."

Li Chong chuckled. Of course he believed Zhong Mei, but not because he believed in Zhong Mei as a person. Rather, he was certain that Jia Zhuo, Hu Changyong, and the others couldn't do without him.

Regardless of whether those who came down from the mountain to farm had relatives or friends, life in the mountains was not easy.

They can rob food and cloth, but what about other supplies? For example, salt—where are they going to get that?

If you want to buy in the county, a small amount is fine, but a large purchase will definitely not escape Li Chong's notice.

As for leaving Yanggu, that's even more impossible. People are considered worthless when they leave their hometown. Why would they inexplicably betray Li Chong just to go far away and be bullied by others?

Therefore, they had no choice but to go to Li Chong.

In front of Zhong Mei, Li Chong softened his voice and said gently, "Of course I trust you. Otherwise, why would I hand Deng Meng over to you? Do you think I didn't know he had something on me?"