The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

Chapter 154: Surrounding the City with the Countryside

Ignoring the pleas of the father and son, Stone ordered the soldiers to throw them down.

"Ah! Ah!" A large crowd of people surged over, raining down fists on the father and son.

When the women couldn't fight back, they scratched and bit! The scene was chaotic and bloody; even the most timid person wouldn't dare to look.

At first, the father and son were able to scream in agony, but gradually they fell silent.

After the soldiers pulled everyone apart, only two piles of mangled flesh remained on the ground. The gruesome sight of Etai and his son terrified the other Manchus, who kowtowed and begged for mercy!

Next, the other Manchus were tried one by one. Apart from the more than a dozen who were executed for their heinous crimes, most of the rest were sentenced to forced labor.

When we arrived, the Marquis had instructed us that the Northeast is a vast and sparsely populated region, and every person is precious. We should try our best not to kill anyone if possible.

Next, they confiscated the homes of several nobles. The father and son, Etai, were hereditary Niru Zhangjing (a high-ranking military officer), and over two hundred years, they had indeed accumulated a considerable amount of wealth.

There were over 300,000 taels of silver and over 10,000 taels of gold. Countless other items were also seized, including mink furs, jewelry, antiques, and more than 60,000 dan of grain.

Now Stone and the others were full in one bite!

Of course, they couldn't keep all of this for themselves, so they gave each of the more than four hundred Han Chinese households two dan (a unit of weight) of grain. The people were very grateful and happily carried the grain home.

More than 300 Manchu households were all purged; those found guilty were beheaded or forced into labor. Their property was confiscated, and slaves were freed.

Several other remote forts under the jurisdiction of Efeng Fort were also wiped out, and more than 500 Han Chinese civilians were rescued.

Shi Tou and his men distributed all the more than 100,000 mu of land that originally belonged to the Manchus to the people. Each household received between 100 and 300 mu of land based on the number of people in their household. Of course, the Manchus also received land, but they would have to cultivate it themselves from then on.

It was only because there were many cattle and horses outside the pass that they could cultivate so much land. Only when the common people received the land could they truly stand with Shi Tou and his people.

Taking advantage of the situation, Shi Tou and his family formed a militia, with each family sending one able-bodied young man to begin training.

News of the capture of Jafeng Fort by the Husbands, and the subsequent land redistribution by Shi Tou and his men, quickly reached Qiqihar.

However, at this moment, a large number of Russians were stationed just a few dozen miles away from Qiqihar. The local government of the Qing Dynasty was practically defunct. The General's Office had fought a battle with the Russians and suffered a complete defeat. Now, it was simply unable to send troops to encircle and suppress them.

The news reached General Shoushan of Heilongjiang. Shoushan was in a terrible state of panic! He had suffered a series of defeats, losing cities and territory. If Shen Lian hadn't won in the capital, he would have committed suicide.

With his limited forces currently preoccupied with defending against the Russians, he had no energy left to suppress bandits. He didn't even bother with a small border fortress.

They had initially expected a fierce battle and were prepared to abandon Jawfon Castle. The outcome, however, proved unexpected, making their worries unfounded.

Having ascertained the Qing court's strengths and weaknesses, Shi Tou grew bolder and began expanding into nearby fortified villages. As long as they didn't attack important towns, they shouldn't attract much attention from the Qing court at this time.

The situation in the Northeast quickly reached Shen Lian, who was surprised to find that the Qing government's control over the regions was weaker than he had imagined. It seemed he could start taking bigger steps now.

He swiftly issued orders to secretly establish underground organizations in various provinces, employing the old tradition of our Party: encircling the cities from the countryside. Ignoring the cities, they gradually seized control of the rural areas.

They also began to send a large number of military and political cadres to the Northeast to strengthen leadership.

Shen Lian also ordered a commendation for Zhang Shishou, the first to establish a base area, and promoted him one rank in the military.

He entrusted these matters to Wang Kaiyun and his apprentice for planning, as the two of them were probably the most skilled at this kind of thing.

As expected, Wang Kaiyun perked up considerably upon receiving the task. His master's ambitions were indeed far from small, and the master and apprentice were deeply moved by the trust they had earned. They immediately began working overtime to get things done.

Everything under his jurisdiction is back on track, and Shen Lian should go back to the modern world for a few days. He hasn't spent two New Years at home, so it's time to go back this year. He also has some matters to attend to back home.

Shen Lian then announced that he would begin inspecting all the regions under his jurisdiction and told his family that he would not be spending the New Year at home this year. The two women were reluctant to part with him, but there was nothing they could do.

Accompanied by a small entourage of guards, Shen Lian slowly inspected various locations, visiting government offices, military garrisons, and mining enterprises.

Under his pressure over the past two years, local governments have changed many of their operating rules. Although they're still a bit lacking in initiative, let's take it slow!

In the current environment, Shandong officials are probably the most incorruptible in the country. The old practices of extortion and bribery have virtually disappeared, and the oppression of the people has almost vanished.

Of course, this was also because Shen Lian returned a considerable amount of tax revenue to the local government, and all the clerks and former miscellaneous servants were incorporated into the official staff. The local government's finances were much more relaxed.

Since everyone has a decent income on the surface, there's no need to risk exploiting the people.

Shen Lian had an extremely low tolerance for corruption; anything over 100 taels would result in impeachment and dismissal. Anything over 500 taels would lead to confiscation of property and exile.

He promoted many young officials from the Provincial Surveillance Commission to form an anti-corruption bureau, which kept a close eye on the officials under his jurisdiction.

After dealing with dozens of officials, especially executing several particularly corrupt ones, the atmosphere in Shandong's officialdom underwent a dramatic change.

Although being an official under Shen Lian was a bit tough and had more rules, it also meant less socializing and no need to curry favor with superiors. You just had to do your job well.

For example, a seventh-rank county magistrate's annual salary was stipulated by the imperial court to be forty-five taels. Shen Lian directly subsidized them with two hundred taels. They also received the full amount of allowance due for maintaining integrity.

This is more than enough for their whole family to live comfortably. If they're still not satisfied, then they shouldn't blame Shen Lian for being impolite.

Along the way, the lives of people in various places have improved considerably. Shen Lian abolished many exorbitant taxes and levies, and also canceled forced labor. This has greatly reduced the burden on the people.

Now there are construction sites all over Shandong. As long as you have some strength, you can earn a couple of ounces of wages every month.

The increase in the floating population, coupled with the presence of troops stationed in various places, created a large demand for grain, meat, and vegetables. The government encouraged people to grow more vegetables and raise poultry and livestock, which brought considerable income to each family.

Seeing the people under his rule living in peace and contentment, Shen Lian felt very satisfied. He had been here for more than two years and had finally achieved some results.

However, this is only in one province. If we want to extend these policies to the whole country in the future, it will not be easy.

That would require a massive amount of funding, which is also the main focus of my work when I go back this time.