The effect of using force to intimidate and appease was bound to be more effective, and Yang Sanlang was obviously well versed in this. At that time, he had already captured a group of bandits alive, and there was nothing wrong with putting them all in jail. This way, he could better intimidate the bandits and make them not dare to have any ideas about the Yang family. However, who could guarantee that the bandits that were surrounded were the entire group of bandits? If a portion of the people didn't come, would they hate Yang Sanlang to death? Would they take revenge?
It was said that one should not be afraid of thieves stealing, but they should be afraid of thieves remembering. Once hatred was formed, it was difficult to resolve. Some of the surviving bandits were likely to take revenge fiercely. Even if there was only one person, as long as he was determined to take revenge, he could bring great panic to a family.
It was easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against a stab in the dark. If they ran to seek revenge openly, there was nothing to be afraid of. But if they hid in the dark and secretly made trouble, it was quite terrible. Obviously, Yang Saburo was worried about this situation. Therefore, he did not put all the bandits in prison. Instead, he chose to be friends with the bandits. In other words, he and the bandits minded their own business and did not provoke each other. It was best for them to live in peace.
Why were the bandits so difficult to exterminate in ancient times? Firstly, the transportation conditions in ancient times were too backward. It was indeed difficult to find the bandits when they were hiding, and it was too difficult to completely exterminate them. Secondly, it was the doctrine of the mean. Everyone wanted to protect themselves and were not willing to sacrifice themselves and their families to take care of the interests of more people. Everyone was selfish and prioritized themselves and their families.
The concept of a country in later generations was to have a country first and then a family. Without a country, there would be no family. In ancient times, it was more important to have a family first and then consider the concept of a country. Therefore, people in ancient times valued family and family very much. For the interests of the family, they could even betray the interests of the empire. This kind of thing could be found everywhere.
For example, Yang Saburo. If it was for the interests of the Tang dynasty, he should have put the captured bandits in prison. But in this way, once the bandits escaped, his family would have to live in fear of the unknown. In order to avoid bringing trouble to his family, he was willing to let the bandits go.
Regarding his behavior, the Yizhou Provincial Governor and old man Xianyu did not have any harsh words. They also understood Saburo very well. They knew that the bandits could not be eliminated. Instead of using violence to suppress the bandits, it was better to have a good discussion with the bandits and let them reduce their harassment of the people as much as possible. If they went too far or showed signs of growing stronger, it was necessary to send troops to encircle and suppress them.
Maintaining the scale of the bandits within a controllable range was obviously the most beneficial for the generals and officers at the border. In the absence of foreign invasion, the army was somewhat redundant and extremely lacking in opportunities to perform meritorious deeds. The existence of the bandits gave the army a little value. Since ancient times, there was a saying that it was better to raise bandits for self-respect. Without bandits, how could they experience the importance of the army?
Because of the existence of bandits, ordinary people and merchants needed the protection of the army. In this way, the army could openly collect protection fees. The position of the army and government runners in the eyes of ordinary people and merchants became higher and more indispensable. No matter whether the soldiers actively encircled and suppressed the bandits, as long as there were soldiers, the bandits would not dare to go too far and would not do anything too outrageous. At least, the interests of ordinary merchants could still be protected. No one dared to say anything bad about the soldiers.
Since ancient times, it has been said that officials and bandits were one family. This was the truth. Although the soldiers and the bandits were opposite, they could also cooperate. As long as the soldiers and bandits cooperated, both sides could make a lot of money and easily achieve a win-win situation. Merchants and ordinary people were the losers, and so was the imperial court.
The imperial court had always been severely cracking down on the secret collusion between the soldiers and the bandits. No imperial court would tolerate the collusion between the soldiers and the bandits. However, these collusion often happened in private and under normal circumstances, it was difficult to be discovered. It was not easy to obtain evidence. Therefore, it was difficult to put an end to it under normal circumstances. Moreover, most of the time, the soldiers and the bandits did not have any contact. Everyone just had a tacit understanding. When the bandits robbed, they tried to avoid the soldiers as much as possible. When the soldiers entered the mountains to encircle and suppress the bandits, they often went through the motions and bragged casually. This was considered an explanation to the people. Under such circumstances, how could they find evidence of secret collusion between the soldiers and the bandits? They did not have any contact at all.
The soldiers who directly colluded with the bandits were all people who were blinded by profit. The soldiers who tacitly refused to work hard to suppress the bandits were more for the benefit of themselves and their families. They did not want to go to the extreme. Giving the bandits a way out was giving themselves a way out. From time to time, they would take the time to attack the bandits, which could bring them a steady stream of military merits.
Since ancient times, the soldiers and bandits liked to brag when suppressing the bandits. For example, if they killed two or three people, they could boast that they killed hundreds of people. If dozens of people fell into a ravine and could not be found, or dozens of people fell into a mountain stream and were washed away by the water. In short, there were many ways to falsely report their achievements. With these boastful achievements, they could shamelessly ask for rewards from the imperial court. They could also ask for protection fees from the merchants who were protected. It was really a good thing to kill many birds with one stone.
The higher the mountain and the further the place was from the emperor, the more obvious the situation of the bandits and the officials. Regarding this situation, the imperial court did not have any effective way to solve it. The best way was to let the army and generals move. Today, they would be stationed here and tomorrow, they would be stationed elsewhere. This way, they could avoid staying in one place for a long time and colluding with the bandits.
Not everyone could not withstand the test. There were some soldiers who sincerely wanted to suppress the bandits for the people. For example, Ang Lee was such a person who cared about the people. Every time he went to a new place, Ang Lee would always be very concerned about whether there were bandits in the area and how the people were doing. If he had time, he would personally deploy troops to suppress the bandits and use his own ability to solve the problems that existed in various places.
This time, Ang Lee did not have a lot of time. It would be difficult for him to do anything in Da Ta Hill. However, Ang Lee had already set his sights on that place. This time, he would go there to take a look and see what was the situation in Da Ta Hill. After going to Dongnu Province, he might pass by this place on his way back. At that time, if the situation was still like this, Ang Lee would have to have a good talk with old man Xianyu about life.
Since Ang Lee insisted on going there to take a look, the lieutenant of Yi Province naturally did not dare to stop him. However, he immediately gave a look to the soldiers behind him, asking them to go back and report the situation. They would probably send some cavalry to protect him. After all, eliminating the bandits was a small matter. However, nothing must happen to Ang Lee. If something happened in Yi Province City, old man Xianyu and the Yi Provincial Governor would not look good. Even if he was only slightly injured, it was still unacceptable. They had to ensure Ang Lee's absolute safety. They could not allow Ang Lee to be in any danger. If he was scratched, it would be because they did not do their job well.
Twenty to thirty li was not a long distance. It would only take a while to ride a horse. The road here was still okay. It might be a bit bumpy when riding a carriage, but it was not much of a problem when riding a horse. Whether the road was completely flat or bumpy, there was no difference to riding a horse.
On the way, they encountered dozens of ox-carts filled with goods. The road that these ox-carts were traveling was not far from Da Ta Mountain. It was only about ten li away. It was more dangerous to transport goods in this area. However, the ones in charge of the transport were not other caravans, but the ox-carts of the Yang family. The bandits would not dare to rob them easily. Otherwise, they might face retaliation. In other words, they should have some kind of agreement that they would not rob the Yang family's transport team.
This group of fifty ox-carts were loaded with Central Sichuan's local specialties purchased from the countryside. The destination of the transport was naturally Yi Province City. After arriving at Yi Province City, these goods would be loaded onto ships and directly transported to the capital, Chang 'an City through water and land. These local specialties were not worth much in the local area. However, if they were transported to the capital, the price would be several times higher. After deducting the transportation fee, there was still a profit to be made. Otherwise, the merchants would not be so reckless. They would not do things that did not bring them benefits.
"I heard that bandits often appear in Da Ta Mountain. Are you not afraid of being robbed by bandits?"
Ang Lee asked.
The middle-aged leader said proudly, "Which bandit ate the guts of a leopard and dared to rob the goods of the Yang family? Besides, these are local specialties. They are not very valuable. Why don't you try them?"
After saying that, he grabbed a handful of dried dates and gave it to Ang Lee.
They were not in a hurry to work. They were only ten li away from Yi Province City. After the goods arrived, they would directly return to the manor. Therefore, it was not a big deal for them to rest on the way.
"So, the bandits are afraid of the Yang family?"
Ang Lee said.
"Of course. Our Saburo has three hundred cavalry under its command. They are stationed in Yi Province City. As long as the Saburo's soldiers and horses come out, no amount of bandits will be enough to stop them."
The middle-aged man said proudly.
"Since your Saburo is so powerful, why don't you kill your way into Da Ta Mountain and wipe out all the bandits? Then, there will be no more bandits in Da Ta Mountain."
Ang Lee said.
The middle-aged man looked at Ang Lee in surprise and said, "Our Saburo certainly has the strength. However, Da Ta Mountain is too big. It is not easy to wipe out the bandits if they always hide. Unless we set a big fire and burn all the plants on Da Ta Mountain. Then, the bandits will have no place to hide. However, setting fire to such a big mountain is not a decision that anyone can make. It requires the approval of the imperial court!"
This guy was quite clear. He knew that the local government did not have the right to burn a big mountain. A big mountain contained a lot of resources. It would be a pity to burn it all. Unless it was absolutely necessary, they would never burn a big mountain. They could not burn a piece of fertile land just because there were a few rats in it. If they did, there would be no food in the world. Which piece of fertile land did not have some damn rats? The existence of rats only proved that the crops were growing well. The rats coveted them.
"Your Yellow Ox works for several hours a day. Does he do this all year round?"
Ang Lee asked.
"Not necessarily. At most, he works for twelve to fourteen hours a day. At least, he works for three to four hours a day. He works most of the time in a year. Occasionally, he will rest. Anyway, he is an animal. He won't die of exhaustion."
The middle-aged man said.
"That's good. I didn't raise these cows for nothing! They work almost every day. In my hometown, many of the cattle are raised at home except for the spring plowing. They don't have a good life! "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
The middle-aged man nodded and said, "Normally, cattle are prepared for the spring plowing. But how can our Yang family be the same? Our Yang Family's Patriarch isn't an ordinary person. He's very wise. With just a few small ideas, he's able to earn a lot of money. Cows eat grass, but transporting goods for people can earn real money. Isn't that great? "
Li An nodded. He realized that the fifty people driving the bullock-cart were not very professional. Moreover, they were generally old and weak. They were either very old or underage. All of them were men. There was not a single woman.
The people driving the cart were all old and weak. This made Ang Lee have a hunch. In order to confirm his hunch, he asked, "Who are these people driving the cart? Why are they not old or young? None of them are in the prime of their lives! This can also save a lot of money! "
After that, he looked at the people driving the cart with a smile.
The middle-aged man nodded and said with a smile, "You are right. They are our Yang family's tenant farmers. They are given two meals to eat every day. This can save a lot of food for the family."
This confirmed Ang Lee's opinion. These old and weak were the Yang family's tenant farmers. Those in the prime of their lives with good physical strength naturally had to work in the fields, such as weeding the crops. Occasionally, they could go to Yizhou City to find some coolies to do. However, these old and weak people were too weak to do any heavy work. Even if they went out to find work, no one would want them. They were quite suitable to be in charge of driving the cart. There was no skill involved in driving the cart. They only needed to be familiar with the cows. When they were tired and couldn't walk, they could sit on the cart to save their strength. Anyway, the middle-aged man was easy to talk to and wouldn't be too harsh on them. The cows were strong enough that they didn't care about the extra weight of a person.
For the landlord who didn't pay them and only gave them two meals, the old and weak couldn't resist. Moreover, they really couldn't do anything at home. Going out to drive the cart could be considered as a distraction. They could also eat two full meals. It wasn't a loss. So what if the pay was lower than labor? These old and weak people couldn't find a job at all.
Of course, the thing that made them have no choice but to accept this unfair request was that they had rented other people's land, so the initiative was naturally in the hands of the other party. If they dared to refuse the conditions, the owner could take back the land they rented, and these tenant farmers did not have land. After losing their land, they might not even have a way to survive. Although working in the workshop was a way out, other than a few regions like the capital, there were not many workshops in the rest of the regions, so how could there be so many job opportunities?
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