Qing Yao

Chapter 324 Greetings, Your Excellency!

Luojiaji, an inconspicuous little place in southern Suzhou, became lively a few days ago with the arrival of several thousand soldiers.

The governor of Anhui, Zhu Gui, also moved his headquarters here, and for a time, the small town of Luojiaji became the power center of the entire Anhui province.

A flood of urgent reports about the resettlement of disaster victims, the shortage of food and fodder, and the unquenched banditry poured in from all directions, causing Zhu Gui, whose braid had turned white from the disaster relief efforts, to show his exhaustion deep in every wrinkle. Yet, the old man under the candlelight looked incredibly stubborn.

After writing his comments on document after document, Zhu Gui suddenly stopped. Zhu Xijing, who was helping his father with the documents, noticed his father's unusual behavior and looked up at the document in his father's hand. After reading only two lines, his expression changed drastically, because it was a "notice" refusing to allocate military pay.

It is a reply from the Anqing treasury.

A few days ago, in order to reward the Green Standard Army soldiers who had made meritorious contributions in suppressing bandits, Zhu Gui, in the name of the governor, wrote to the Anqing Provincial Treasurer, requesting that 30,000 taels of military pay be allocated to the front line. Unexpectedly, the Anqing Provincial Treasurer refused to allocate the funds on the grounds that the treasury was insufficient.

"Those people at the treasury are utterly incompetent! Don't they know what this money is for?!"

Zhu Xijing was furious. He had already informed the Green Standard Army about the 30,000 taels of silver for military pay, but the provincial treasury refused to allocate the money. How was his father supposed to explain this to the Green Standard Army soldiers?

"The large warehouse?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhaoxing, the advisor who was drafting proclamations for his benefactor at the opposite table, put down his pen, got up and went to his benefactor's desk. After glancing at the reply that Zhu Gui had placed on the desk, he frowned and muttered, "Most of the officials in charge of the provincial administration were promoted by the Lord. How could they make such a mistake?"

He paused, then asked suspiciously, "Could it be that Zhao Youlu has already sent someone to Anqing?"

Previously, Chen Dawen, the Provincial Governor of Anhui, was recuperating at home due to illness. Zhu Gui recommended Jing Daoqian to act as the Provincial Governor. Jing Daoqian listened to Zhu Gui's advice because of his recommendation. Since Chen Dawen did not actually take office, most of the main officials of the Anqing Provincial Governor's Office were appointed by Zhu Gui. This made Zhu Gui, the governor, effectively control the Provincial Governor's Office.

With its control over the provincial secretariat, the provincial secretariat would comply with any expenses required by the governor's office. The fact that the governor's document requesting funds was suddenly returned could only mean one thing: the provincial secretariat had been replaced.

Who can replace the provincial governor?
Who else could it be but Zhao Youlu, who succeeded Jing Daoqian?
It is said that a local official is more powerful than a county official. Even though Zhu Gui was the number one official in Anhui, he could not interfere with the personnel and business adjustments made by the number two official in his own office.

In Anhui, the power of finance is held by the second-in-command.

If the second-in-command deliberately restricts the first-in-command's right to use funds, then Governor Zhu Gui's words on money matters become meaningless.

Without money, Zhu Gui's work would undoubtedly become very difficult.

From major issues like military pay and disaster relief to minor ones like the expenses of the local government and its subordinate agencies, everything was being obstructed by the second-in-command of the Finance Department, making Zhu Gui, who was in the first position, extremely awkward.

Unless he writes to the court stating that "the government and the court are not on good terms" and requests that the second-in-command, Zhao Youlu, be transferred, he will be constrained by financial problems for a long time.

The problem is that, given the current situation, Zhu Gui has no chance of submitting a memorial.

His good student, Prince Jia, advised him to resign voluntarily to avoid the vortex of "Zhu Gui returning to Zhu".

The reason Zhu Gui refused to resign was simply that he wanted to use the White Lotus Sect to bring down Zhao An, firstly to prove that he had no collusion with the White Lotus Sect, and secondly to prove his ability to the old master again, and also to leave some strength for the "Fifteenth Party".

In the past few days, most of the troops transferred from various places have headed north to Luojiaji. Zhu Gui ordered his deputy general Li Zhong to take full command of the Green Standard Army to quell the rebellion. The day before yesterday, Li Zhong led the vanguard to within fifty li south of Suzhou City. If the progress is rapid and the officers and soldiers are brave, good news should arrive in the next two days.

Once the good news arrives, all problems will be solved.

Therefore, Zhu Gui simply placed the reply from the Anqing treasury lightly on the table without getting angry. He then picked up another official document and wrote the four characters "to be handled immediately".

Having followed Zhu Gui for many years, Wang Zhaoxing knew exactly what his benefactor meant when he saw this, and said no more.

Seeing that his father didn't look well, Zhu Xijing, as the son, couldn't help but feel sorry for him, so he advised, "Father, it's already past midnight. You've been working too hard these past few days, so please rest for a while."

Zhu Gui didn't even raise his head, his voice slightly hoarse as he said, "How can we rest? The situation in Suzhou is dangerous and fraught with peril. Hundreds of thousands of rebels have gathered there. Although Li Zhong is brave and his troops are elite, the government forces only number a few thousand. What if something goes wrong?"

At this point, Zhu Gui put down his pen, rubbed his throbbing temples, and said in a slightly low voice, "I don't know why, but my heart is still unsettled."

"Dongweng,"

Wang Zhaoxing hurriedly handed over a teacup, saying, "The White Lotus Rebellion is nothing but a rabble, and it was a hasty uprising. Although the government troops number only a few thousand, their equipment and combat strength are far superior to those of the rebels. In my opinion, once the government troops arrive, the rebels will surely collapse. You can rest assured, sir!"

Zhu Gui picked up his teacup and took a sip. Wang Zhaoxing's words made him feel somewhat relieved. It wasn't that he didn't trust Li Zhong's command ability. Since heading north to Bozhou, Li Zhong had performed well, having killed several thousand rebels. He was truly the bravest general under his command. If he could quell the rebellion this time, he would definitely write to the court to recommend him for the position of General of Huaibei Garrison.

What worried him was Zhao Youlu, who was backed by Heshen's faction. This man had requested reinforcements from him, the governor, half a month ago, but had not been heard from since, which made him uneasy. It would be fine if he were trapped by the religious bandits, but he feared that this man would break through the encirclement to seek help. If that happened, it would be hard to say who would get the credit for suppressing the rebellion.

Knowing that the battlefield was ever-changing, he had to wait patiently no matter how worried he was. In addition, he was indeed exhausted, so he asked his son Xijing to put down the bedding for him and made do with the night in the governor's tent.

The next day, before dawn, a sudden downpour began. The sound of the large raindrops woke Zhu Gui early. He casually threw on a robe and stood in the tent, watching the continuous rain with mixed feelings of joy and worry.

The good news is that this long-awaited rain will effectively alleviate the disaster, truly a welcome relief after a long drought. The worry is whether this rain will affect the officers and soldiers in suppressing the rebellion.

After all, the heavy rain would make it difficult for the soldiers to fire their muskets and would also slow down their offensive. If the heavy rain prevented the soldiers from suppressing the White Lotus Rebellion in time, then there would be countless variables to follow.

At the town entrance, two gas lamps swayed violently in the wind under the eaves. Dozens of soldiers, awakened by the sound of rain, huddled under the eaves, chatting and laughing. Most of the town's residents had gone out to escape famine; those staying in the houses were soldiers under the governor's command, numbering five or six hundred.

Just as the soldiers were praising the rain, a rapid hoofbeat suddenly came from the depths of the rain in the distance. Soon after, dozens of dark figures rode straight to the town entrance. The clatter of horseshoes startled the soldiers at the town entrance, who nervously placed their hands on their sword hilts, fearing that the approaching figures were White Lotus Rebels.

"This is the Governor's residence. All visitors must dismount and are not allowed to trespass!"

Out of a sense of duty, the commander on duty put on his straw hat and led his men to the town entrance in the rain, shouting and trying to stop them.

"Shut up!"

Upon hearing the shouts from ahead, the approaching knights immediately reined in their horses. The captain, seeing through the rain that the approaching men were all dressed in the same uniforms as them, immediately waved to the archers behind him: "We're on the same side!"

Upon hearing this, the soldier with the bow quickly put it down and casually placed the arrows back into the quiver.

The knights had already dismounted and led their horses to the town entrance in the rain. As they got closer, the captain's eyes suddenly changed, because although the first few men were wearing straw hats, they were actually wearing yellow jackets that were soaked by the rain!
From Beijing?

The captain dared not be negligent and quickly stepped forward to inquire about the other party's identity and purpose. However, after taking only a few steps, a loud voice came from the other side: "The governor has arrived! Why haven't you all paid your respects yet!"

Is the Governor here?
The commander was stunned by the voice: Wasn't the governor in town? When did he go out?

He subconsciously looked back at the town, completely bewildered. When he turned around, the people had already arrived. In addition to a few guards wearing yellow jackets, there were more than a dozen officers who knew him and had accompanied Vice General Li Zhongbei to quell the rebellion.

"Commander An, don't stand there like an idiot! Pay your respects to the new governor!"

The speaker was Liu Dahu, another commander of the Fubiao Army, whom Commander An knew. He often gambled and drank with Liu.

Several other officers also nodded to Commander An in confirmation.

"The new Lord Futai?"

Commander An was stunned again, hardly believing his ears. The soldiers behind him were also bewildered, not knowing what was happening.

At this moment, a young man in a yellow jacket came up to Commander An amidst the crowd. Looking at Commander An and his men, who were soaked by the rain, he said indifferently, "I am Zhao Youlu, and I have been appointed by the Emperor to act as the Governor of Anhui."

"what?"

Realizing what had happened, An Qianzong didn't have time to think. He quickly patted his sleeves and knelt on one knee in the mud, saying respectfully, "This humble servant An Deshun greets Your Excellency!"

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Seeing this, the group of dumbfounded officers and soldiers quickly stepped forward and saluted. Confused as they were, they still had to perform the salute.

"Get up, all of you,"

Zhao An glanced at Ming Antai and Xiao Jinglun, who had come with him, and took off the bamboo hat on his head, revealing his face. He said to An Deshun, who had already stood up, "Where is Zhu Gui now? You should take me there immediately. The court has dismissed him from his post, and the emperor has given him another decree."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the oil-paper umbrella in the hand of Wang Zhaoxing, Zhu Gui's advisor who had just rushed over upon hearing the sound, fell to the ground with a "thud" and was immediately blown around by the wind.

Mr. Dong has been dismissed from his post?
Wang Zhaoxing, his face ashen, stared blankly at the newly appointed governor and his entourage walking toward the town, the only sound the patter of raindrops hitting the rooftops.

Accompanied by the sounds of wind and rain, Zhao An walked calmly toward the town. Every now and then, soldiers taking shelter from the rain under the eaves would kneel down and say "Greetings, Your Excellency Governor" like radio waves, which would travel forward until they reached the ears of the former governor who refused to move into the civilian house.

(End of this chapter)