Fu Shanhe

Chapter 392 Everyone gets what they need
Guangzhou Prefecture, Governor's Office.

"Governor, there are many vicious people among the pirates. We cannot pardon all of them!"

Guangdong Governor An Qingfeng persuaded in a panic.

Just one sentence and the people below will run themselves to pieces.

The pardon order was issued by the Governor-General's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi, but the specific work fell on a group of officials in Guangdong.

Helping with the work is no big deal.

Most of the spoils looted by pirates from Annan were transported to Guangdong for sale, and everyone made a lot of money from it.

However, as pardon orders were continuously issued, the big fish that were previously wanted by the court also appeared on the pardon list.

Unlike ordinary pirates, these guys had robbed wealthy and powerful families, and some extremists had even killed officials.

If these people were also pardoned, the impeachment memorials from the censors would probably be so numerous that they would not even fit in a room.

Once things get out of hand, someone will have to be held accountable.

The Annan War is still going on, and the imperial court will not easily touch Governor Li Mu, so he, as the governor, is a ready-made scapegoat.

"Did they deliver the rebel heads?"

Li Mu asked calmly.

No sugar cane is sweet at both ends, and there will definitely be drawbacks to pardoning pirates.

Naturally, one would have to pay a price to use the power of pirates to attack Annan.

Although most pirates were coastal fishermen, many of them became corrupt after years of plundering on the sea.

However, what An Qingfeng was worried about was obviously not that the murderer had escaped.

For officials, robbing the people can be forgiven, but once the interests of the aristocratic families are affected, it becomes an unforgivable crime.

On the one hand, it is a natural class position, and on the other hand, it is for one's own official hat.

The emperor cannot hear the voices of the people in the Forbidden City, but the dissatisfaction of the gentry can affect his official career.

"Delivered."

An Qingfeng answered somewhat reluctantly.

The pirates who robbed the noble families and were still able to live at large were all brave and valiant.

Not only did these people get the heads that were exempted from punishment, they also had a large number of surplus heads that they could exchange for official positions from the court.

“Now that it’s been delivered, let’s follow the rules.

There are simply too many pirates on the southeast coast. Even if the navy's strength is increased tenfold, it will be difficult to wipe them out completely.

Instead of leaving it alone, it is better to recruit some and suppress some.

Since they can make amends for their crimes, the past events can be forgiven.

If there are any illegal acts in the future, it will not be too late to deal with them according to the law.

Don’t forget, the number of rebel heads sent by these pirates is over 200,000, and the number is still increasing.”

Li Mu replied seriously.

Once a promise is made, it must be fulfilled.

Li Mu had no pressure to offend some coastal gentry for the sake of his own reputation.

I'm not afraid of them making noise, I'm afraid of them being quiet.

Pardoning pirates without authorization seems very serious.

In fact, from a global perspective, it is just a trivial matter.

With the title of Dayu's number one general, he had more than 200,000 soldiers under his command, and his former subordinates were spread across the eight southeastern provinces.

Anyone who sits in the position of Emperor Yongning will have doubts in his heart.

If we continue to get along well with the local big families, it will be a definite threat to us.

If some non-principle mistakes are made at this time and some trouble is caused, and the emperor is asked to come out to clean up the mess, it will actually help stabilize the relationship between the monarch and his subjects.

An Qingfeng's fear of being blamed is purely due to paranoia.

Even if the coastal families did not retaliate, Li Mu would arrange for the censor to impeach them himself.

The bigger the hat you put on someone and the more outrageous the crime, the better.

As for offending people, that's just overthinking.

In the officialdom, many of the relationships that are revealed on the surface are meant to be seen by everyone.

Pardoning pirates does not mean providing them with unlimited protection.

If someone wants to settle a personal grudge, Li Mu will not stop them.

An Qingfeng would definitely be retaliated if he did this, but he was a civil servant after all, so there was no risk of retaliation.

If it was a powerful official like Li Mu, it would be a completely different situation. If you are not sure of killing him with one blow, you have to consider the risk of backlash.

On the issue of levying tariffs, the noble family did offend a number of coastal clans.

However, when it comes to maintaining the stability of maritime trade lines, the two sides become allies.

In the past, when we were engaged in smuggling trade, no matter what happened overseas, we had to find a way to deal with it ourselves.

In the past year, the government has intervened and coordinated many times due to trade conflicts.

The brand of the Dayu Dynasty is still very useful in Southeast Asia, and all forces have to give it some face.

Especially after the outbreak of the Annan War, Dayu defeated the little bully in South Asia and formed a deterrent to all major forces.

The number of times Dayu merchant ships encountered unfair treatment when going out to sea has dropped significantly.

In addition, as a large number of pirates moved their bases to Annan, the probability of merchant ships being robbed also dropped significantly.

It seems that everyone loses a lot by paying tariffs, but in fact they earn more.

As a result, these coastal clans, on the one hand, opposed the nobles' imposition of tariffs, and on the other hand, strengthened cooperation with the nobles to maintain the smooth flow of maritime trade routes.

The intertwined interests make the relationship between the two sides increasingly complicated.

Without a deep understanding, it is difficult for outsiders to sort out the conflicts of interest involved.

"Subordinate to obey!"

……

Capital.

"I am Lan Linjie, your humble servant, and I am here to greet the Prime Minister!"

Seeing the old man coming over, Lan Linjie hurriedly stood up and stepped forward to salute.

Deep down, he was extremely excited at this moment.

The Prime Minister of the Cabinet is the pinnacle of civil service.

In the past, a minor scholar like him who came from a poor family would not even be qualified to enter the palace.

"No need to be polite!"

"Why did your Lord send you here?"

Wan Junhui asked straight to the point.

Although it was not easy to be the Prime Minister of the Yongning Dynasty, the power in his hands did not diminish in the slightest.

Not to mention the daily busy schedule, it is basically impossible to just relax.

If Li Mu came in person, the two sides could exchange a few pleasantries.

Lan Linjie's status and position were too low, and it was not worth his effort to make friends with him.

“Reporting to the Prime Minister, the Marquis asked me to come here mainly to discuss the affairs of Annan.

The situation in the court is complicated, and the Marquis is thousands of miles away and it is inconvenient for him to intervene. He would like to ask the Prime Minister to mediate on his behalf.

After the matter is accomplished, the Marquis will definitely reward you handsomely."

Lan Linjie replied immediately.

If possible, he also wanted to build a relationship with the Prime Minister, but the gap in status between them was too big.

There is no point in getting close to him at this time, except to make people dislike him.

After following Li Mu for so many years, he gradually saw through the nature of official connections.

If there is no equal value, and you rashly try to establish a relationship with someone, you will only bring disgrace upon yourself.

"I don't accept gifts, so please don't give me a big reward."

"Rebuilding the Jiaozhi Provincial Government is too costly and there is too much opposition from the court. It is very troublesome."

Wan Junhui shook his head and said.

The essence of politics is compromise.

If the nobles were willing to pay a certain price and get the court to pass a resolution, it would not be impossible to do so. But Lan Linjie came here today, obviously only representing Li Mu personally, not the entire noble group.

Individual to individual, it is a private transaction of interests.

As the Prime Minister, Wan Junhui was destined to never be short of money.

The people outside who wanted to spend money on him could line up from the capital to Annan.

If he doesn't accept gifts, it means that if you want his help, you have to use your political resources to make a deal, and there is no guarantee of success.

"My Lord Prime Minister, rebuilding Jiaozhi Provincial Government is indeed very expensive, but it is not impossible to find a workaround.

If the imperial court established an Annan Protectorate above the Jiaozhi Provincial Administration, and used the Protectorate to manage local military and political affairs, administrative expenses could be greatly reduced.

Since it saves your majesty's face, the officials have no reason to object."

Lan Linjie replied calmly.

Compared with the Governor's Office, the authority of the Protectorate is obviously much higher.

Not only does he manage civil affairs, he also manages the military and has diplomatic authority.

Because the institution was relatively simple and subject to fewer checks and balances, the Protector-General's authority was almost unlimited.

It is possible to levy taxes, recruit troops, handle relations with foreign nations, and have a certain right to launch foreign expeditions.

It frequently appeared during the Han and Tang dynasties. During the Dayu dynasty, the authority of the Protectorate was weakened and it was gradually replaced by the Wei Suo.

There is no doubt that the weakened Protectorate will not be able to handle Annan’s current situation.

If the imperial court does not want to spend money, it must delegate power.

“Establishing the Annan Protectorate is indeed a good solution.

But what good will this do for the Marquis?"

Wan Junhui asked doubtfully.

It was only necessary to establish the Annan Protectorate and, with the power of the nobles, directly propose it in the court.

In order to save administrative costs, the probability of passing is very high, so there is no need to send people to lobby the Prime Minister.

There will be no dispute about who will be the first Protector of Annan, and Li Mu will definitely hold the position concurrently.

Even if the imperial court has some ideas, it will have to wait until the situation stabilizes before making personnel adjustments.

“Sir Prime Minister, the struggles in the court are too dangerous. My Lord is still young and does not want to get involved too early.

So I want to withdraw from the storm before a new round of civil-military disputes breaks out."

As soon as Lan Linjie finished speaking, Wan Junhui's face changed drastically.

"Hanshui Hou wants to follow the example of Qian Guogong and plan to establish Annan as a hereditary garrison!"

After all, he was the prime minister and saw through Li Mu's plan at a glance.

"The Prime Minister is wise!"

Lan Linjie said frankly.

Essentially, this is a deal.

If you don't tell others your purpose, there will be no deal.

The situation has developed to this point, and after the return of several bigwigs from the noble family, their voice will inevitably increase greatly.

If the nobles want to fight, it is very likely that the coexistence of civil and military officials in the early years of the founding of the country will reappear.

Compared with the frequently replaced civil servants, these noble officials have no term limit.

The four giants are all heroes. As long as they don't commit suicide, it is almost impossible for them to be brought down.

Traditional political means are useless. The current group of nobles has the power to overturn the table.

Unless they are disintegrated from within, it will be difficult to defeat them with external forces alone.

The worst thing is that the relationship between the civil service group and the emperor was not good.

If the nobles and the emperor join forces, the situation in the court will change.

Wan Junhui was anxious to step down from the position of Prime Minister because he saw the danger of the subsequent struggle between the civil and military officials.

Unfortunately, he saw it, and other smart people saw it too, so there was no way they could escape at this time.

In order to relieve the pressure, he joined forces with the Qingliu Group to rescue Xu Wenyue from Shu.

Li Mu was stationed in Annan for generations, away from the court disputes, which was equivalent to the loss of a giant in the noble family.

This is undoubtedly good news for the civil service group.

"Hanshui Hou, you really have a plan that is perfect!"

Wan Junhui couldn't help but sigh.

Compared with the prosperous capital, Annan cannot compare at all.

With Li Mu's merits and age, it is only a matter of time before he becomes the boss of the noble faction.

However, this also brings with it the risk of becoming too successful and threatening the ruler.

The war in the south is over, but there is still a war to be fought in the north.

When the northern barbarians marched south, he, as the most famous general of Dayu, must have been in charge of the situation.

If you go through this a few more times, you will find yourself in an awkward situation where you can no longer block any more titles and can no longer receive any more rewards.

It's okay in the short term, but if it goes on for a long time, the emperor will definitely not be able to bear it.

Even a small thing that may seem inadvertent may become a thorn in the emperor's heart.

When the relationship between the monarch and his subjects comes to an end, it will be hard to say what will happen next.

Smart people would not allow this kind of situation to occur, but Li Mu's retirement was still a little too early.

According to prior estimates, he believed that this time point should be more than ten years later.

Several bigwigs of the noble faction have all grown old, but Li Mu, who has made great military achievements, is still in his prime. He gradually realizes the seriousness of the problem and actively seeks opportunities to retreat.

But at that point, you can no longer withdraw just because you want to.

Choosing to escape now is undoubtedly the best time.

In order to suppress the noble faction, he, the head of the civil service, has almost turned gray with worry.

Once the dispute between civil and military officials arises again, the Prime Minister will be the first to bear the brunt.

The temptation is too great to be able to get rid of a big shot from the noble faction before the party struggle breaks out.

"Forget it, I will accept this matter!"

After hesitating for a moment, Wan Junhui agreed immediately.

Even though he knew he was being used, he was still willing to take the blame.

He could completely ignore the curses from the noble members.

He didn't believe that Li Mu hadn't discussed such a big matter with the bigwigs of the noble faction.

Since the nobles and high-ranking officials have reached a tacit understanding, the risks of making this happen can be almost ignored.

In the eyes of many literati, contributions in both civil and military affairs are more useful than any political achievements.

If he does this well, his reputation among the civil servants will surely increase greatly.

In subsequent political struggles, the tolerance rate will also increase.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Prime Minister!"

Lan Linjie responded quickly.

Things went unexpectedly smoothly, which made him a little unbelievable.

I originally thought that I would have to rely on his eloquent lobbying, but now it seems that I was just overthinking.

To be the prime minister of the cabinet, it is impossible not to have political vision, and he can see the essence of the problem at a glance.

Both parties get what they need, so there is no need to waste time.

“Tell your Lord that the court will have limited resources to invest in Southern Xinjiang in the future, so let him be mentally prepared in advance.

The series of problems facing the Annan region should be solved as soon as possible.

If it drags on for too long, he will have to rely on himself to find a solution.

The term of office of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi is only three years, and I cannot guarantee that he can be re-elected."

Wan Junhui spoke up and gave a suggestion.

It’s not that he has good intentions, but he is mainly afraid that Li Mu is young and not determined enough, and he might suddenly change his mind later.

If the person concerned strongly objects, the court cannot force him.

In order to reduce trouble, just talk about it to avoid trouble in the future.

(End of this chapter)