knife

Chapter 356 Bargaining
Chongxu led the four into a quiet room, clasped his hands in greeting, and quietly withdrew. The door closed, and the inside and outside became two separate worlds.

They're all old foxes, so naturally they're less pretentious and hypocritical.

"What do you want?" Wei Zhengdao asked directly, getting straight to the point.

He needed to know where Li Dachui's bottom line was, and he needed to see if he could afford to give it to him.

Li Dachui pondered for a moment and said, "I want the Great Qin to be prosperous and peaceful, with its mountains and rivers unharmed. I want the Great Qin to be forever stable, with peace and tranquility for all people. I want the people to be wealthy, healthy, and live in peace and contentment!"

Wei Zhengdao looked at Li Dachui with a mixture of disdain and surprise, and said, "Guardian Li, there are no outsiders in this room, so let's not talk about these high-sounding words."

Li Dachui smiled slightly: "Minister Wei, do you believe me when I say this is what I think in my heart, and it is also the principle I have always practiced. All my actions are aimed at this goal."

Do you believe it?

Or believe it.

Wei Zhengdao couldn't help but think back to his youth.

Isn't it also about wanting to manage one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world?
But the further I went, the more I realized how incredibly difficult it was to achieve all of this.

Everyone who has taken their place in this position...

Who wouldn't want this country to be incredibly powerful?

When a nation is strong, its own people will naturally be strong.

What benefits can a weak nation gain?
Just like right now, so many people want to come and share Chang'an, isn't it because the country is weak?

Thinking about it is one thing, doing it is another.

“Minister Wei has never been beyond the Great Wall. If he had seen Tai’an City, Helan Plain, Baoping City, and places like Yuan’an and Xuan’en, he would know that my Protector-General had not uttered a single falsehood!” Zhang Qingyun, sitting cross-legged behind Li Dachui, said softly, “It is precisely because I have seen all of this, and witnessed the stark contrast between these places beyond the Great Wall and those within, that I, Qingyun, have made up my mind to follow the Protector-General and contribute to the Qin Dynasty. Others say that beyond the Great Wall is a harsh and cold land, but they do not know that what is now beyond the Great Wall is actually a paradise on earth.”

Wei Zhengdao gave Li Dachui a meaningful look and said, "Since we are both working for the sake of the Qin Dynasty, then there is even more room for cooperation between Li Duhu and me."

“Of course!” Li Dachui nodded.

Of course, he wanted to protect the Qin state, but his understanding of the Qin state was probably very different from Wei Zhengdao's understanding of it.

“As long as Protector Li publicly acknowledges the legitimacy and authority of His Majesty the Emperor and his full support for the court, the court will certainly not be stingy with rewards of titles and ranks. I think Protector Li will not lack anything else!” Wei Zhengdao smiled and took out the seal of the Prince of Zhenbei, Feng Hao, from his bosom. “The golden book and jade tablet can be delivered at any time.”

Li Dachui glanced at the imperial edict on the table with some disdain.

The imperial seal that protects the country is fake; the real one is kept in his own hands!
First, marquises and dukes were worthless, and they were lavishly bestowed upon them; now even kings are worthless?
A few days ago, I even saw the title of the King of Lantian!

Although He Bing is dead, those guards will probably still send these things to Luoyang.

"On the contrary, I don't care about titles or anything like that; I prefer real gold and silver!" Li Dachui laughed heartily. "Minister Wei, to put it bluntly, we're practically in a chaotic world right now. What's most important in a chaotic world? Of course, it's strength. Whoever has soldiers is king! Titles and ranks are constantly depreciating, and they'll continue to depreciate over time. Before long, I'm afraid the swallows that once graced the halls of noble families will fly into the homes of ordinary people. At least when I passed through Hedong, I saw many former ladies of high society and noblewomen who had become soldiers' wives, barefoot and with their trousers rolled up, working in the fields!"

"Then what do you want?"

“Chang’an is still very rich!” Li Dachui said bluntly, “while Shu is really poor.”

"You want to use the wealth of Chang'an to make up for the poverty of Shu?"

“Of course!” Li Dachui said, “Because Chang’an will not be able to be defended sooner or later.”

“If you are truly willing to help, you can hold out!” Wei Zheng said. “Unless you only want to use this matter to blackmail me, and in reality you just want to harm Chang’an and enrich Shu!”

“I will naturally help Wei Xiang defend Chang’an!” Li Dachui shook his head and said, “It’s just a matter of circumstances. If Linghu Ye fails to take Chang’an in the initial assault, he will inevitably leave a part of his army to hold Chang’an back, while his main force will turn to attack Gansu and Shaanxi, and Guanzhong. Once he takes over this land, Chang’an will become an isolated city, and even with the support of Shu, it will not be able to hold.

"You can lead your troops into the pass!"

"If I were to march into the pass, the favorable situation outside the pass would be ruined!" Li Dachui categorically rejected the idea. "I can come here to join forces with Minister Wei to counter Linghu Ye, but doesn't Linghu Ye know how to join forces with the Northern Yuan to create trouble for me? Minister Wei, don't forget, I have too many of Linghu Ye's old subordinates under my command." "So, retreating to Shu is inevitable?"

"It's just a matter of time!" Li Dachui shrugged and said, "Unless Prime Minister Wei has the courage to launch a preemptive strike and defeat Linghu Ye's army in open battle, which I do not recommend, because Linghu Ye's army is still one of the most powerful armies in the world! The Imperial Guards might be able to hold their own against them in a city, but in open battle, they would likely crumble at the first touch!"

Master Wei Zheng took a breath and stared intently at Li Dachui: "Governor Li, you intend to exploit the wealth of Chang'an to enrich Sichuan. Then, please tell me, how can my interests be guaranteed?"

"Hanzhong and other places are in the hands of the Grand Secretary," Li Dachui laughed. "Moreover, Sichuan is vast enough to accommodate both of our families! Prime Minister Wei has never cooperated with me before and doesn't know my style. I am dedicated to continuously expanding this pie in my hands, so that all my partners can make a fortune. If the pie isn't expanded, even the best partners will turn against each other, but as long as our interests are guaranteed, this cooperation can naturally last for a long time."

"So, does this mean that the Wei family can also participate in the profit sharing in Shu?"

“Of course!” Li Dachui nodded and said, “I hope that Chang’an can hold out for a longer period of time, so that I can have more time to manage Shu. Only with a stronger force can we gain the upper hand in the future confrontation with Linghu Ye and his people.”

After a moment's thought, Wei Zheng said, "But I don't trust Zhang Songlin."

"Why?"

“Once a person betrays us, he can never be completely trusted again!” Wei Zhengdao said slowly. “I think Governor Li would agree with me. To you, Zhang Song is a surrender, but to me, he is a betrayal. Now that the Governor wants to make him the governor of Shu, he will definitely do his best to suppress us. Wu De is the same.”

“Zhou Xuan is a confidant of the Prime Minister of Wei and is extremely capable. He can be the Chief Clerk of Shu!” Li Dachui said.

"This is not enough!"

"What suggestions does Minister Wei have?"

“I want to transfer someone back from outside the pass under the Protector-General’s command to oversee the administration of Shu!” Wei Zhengdao glanced at Zhang Qingyun: “And the Protector-General will certainly trust this person.”

Li Dachui smiled and said, "Does Prime Minister Wei intend to recall Scholar Zhang Ruo?"

“That’s right!” Wei Zhengdao nodded and said, “Scholar Zhang and I are not on good terms. When his Zhang family fell into trouble, I was one of the planners. However, Scholar Zhang is selfless and of noble character. I believe that when he arrives in Sichuan, he will speak out for the greater good of the country.”

"I have nothing to say about this choice!" Li Dachui shrugged. "Then let Scholar Zhang be stationed in Sichuan as the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. Prime Minister Wei can issue an order immediately for the Beiting Protectorate to release him unconditionally. Although we are reluctant to part with Scholar Zhang, we have no choice but to do so for the sake of the bigger picture."

A shadow crossed Wei Zhengdao's eyes.

“The gentlemen outside the pass all have different thoughts!” Li Dachui sighed. “Scholar Zhang is of noble character, and his words and deeds are impeccable. With him there, some people are too embarrassed to speak out about their little thoughts. Now that he’s gone, I’m afraid many troubles will arise outside the pass.”

"Next, let's discuss the selection of personnel for the county seats and government offices under Shu Commandery!" Wei Zhengdao took out a map from his pocket and spread it out in front of Li Dachui.

Li Dachui couldn't help but chuckle; it seemed Wei Zhengdao had really put a lot of thought into it.

Hong Zhan sat cross-legged behind Wei Zhengdao, staring dumbfounded at the two powerful figures before him, some of the most influential people in the world, haggling over every position as if they were business partners, as if these positions were mere vegetables in a market. The two haggled over every penny, sometimes even negotiating for a single military post in a county for quite some time.

This made Hong Zhan shake his head repeatedly.

Ordinary people may think these big shots are incredibly high-class, but only those who are closest to them know that these big shots are actually just like ordinary people, and sometimes even more unbearable.

What Hong Zhan couldn't understand was of paramount importance to Wei Zhengdao and Li Dachui.

No one understands the workings of the government better than these two. Sometimes, seemingly insignificant positions play a crucial role in the operation of the system, and even the slightest obstruction can bring the entire system to a standstill.

Zhang Qingyun, standing behind Li Dachui, found it amusing.

Having a thorough understanding of how the government operated outside the Great Wall, she knew that Li Dachui's current antics were merely to mislead Wei Zhengdao.

It is conceivable that when the father entered the pass, a large number of grassroots officials would follow him into Sichuan. Once the well-established bureaucratic system outside the pass was in full swing, the ability of individual officials to influence the system was actually reduced to a minimum. This is fundamentally different from the bureaucratic system inside the pass.

The layered, multi-tiered system architecture and the checks and balances in its operation make officials an integral part of the system. Once you enter, you will be pushed forward against your will, and if you try to go against the grain, you will be swallowed up by the institution.

Of course, by the time Wei Zhengdao understands all this, he will most likely no longer be that important.

(End of this chapter)