Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 448: Distinguish between public and private matters
When Wang Ziteng's battle report reached the capital, the city was in an uproar and the topic of conversation among the people was this.

The people in Beijing could not understand the suffering that the war brought to the local people. The war thousands of miles away was just a hot topic of conversation, like some rational people on the Internet.

The emperor and the cabinet took this matter very seriously. Wang Ziteng, as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, signed an agreement with the Kingdom of Annan to cede half of Annan. Wang Ziteng was still a bit shameless and did not ask for compensation.

Wang Ziteng also proposed how to resolve the matter. The solution was to re-establish Jiaozhi County, now called a province.

After looking at the map for a long time, Emperor Chenghui came to a conclusion: "The surrounding small countries are too weak. The power of Guangdong and Guangxi alone is like a mountain pressing down on us."

Wang Ziteng did not embellish himself in the battle report, but reported the truth. His intention was to send troops to Annan to protect the local overseas Chinese. The King of Annan resisted with force and was defeated. Thus, this agreement was made!
The specific operation is as simple as possible.

This is like an adult beating up a three-year-old child. It's not worth bragging about at all.

Although Wang Ziteng did not mention the so-called fiefdom in this memorial, let alone the emperor's promise, at the cabinet meeting, Emperor Chenghui did not break his promise and proposed that since it was called Jiaozhi Province, Wang Ziteng should be granted the title of Jiaozhi Duke. The previous Annan Marquis was not a good name to be spread out.

The cabinet had no idea about the administrative power of Annan, and directly stated that Wang Ziteng had the right to appoint and dismiss local officials. Ning Ke, the Minister of Revenue, had some opinions and asked, "How about taxation?"

The question is, since Annan is a province, should taxes be paid? This question needs to be clarified.

Emperor Chenghui knew very well what Wang Ziteng was thinking. He was definitely not satisfied with the southern part of Annan and definitely wanted the whole of Annan, so he suggested setting up Jiaozhi Province.

Anyway, in fact, that place was Wang Ziteng's fiefdom, but he conquered it. The problem is that the resources used to fight Annan belonged to the country.

"Within ten years, Annan's tax revenue will be used for local development." Emperor Chenghui was also very decisive. He kept it vague for now and would talk about it later.

The most powerful group of people in the court decided the matter with just a few words. Wang Ziteng did not mention the fiefdom, intending to obtain more resources with his status as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Once he mentioned the fiefdom, he could not mention it anymore. If he mentioned it, he would lose face, and the court would not give it to him.

In essence, Wang Ziteng was borrowing the power of the country to conquer his own territory, which was also a form of digging into the imperial court. It seemed that there was no difference between him and the gentry, but in fact there was a difference. The new territory required immigrants, and the large number of landless farmers along the coast had a way to survive, which could greatly ease domestic conflicts.

The reports on the Annan War in the capital's newspapers were somewhat free-flowing.

What is the King of Annan disrespecting the Celestial Empire, abusing overseas Chinese, and being cruel and inhumane. It is purely a question of stance, the same as the BBC.

Wang Ziteng's approach was also very particular. He left Wang Yi in Jiaozhi as governor and returned to Guangzhou to take charge, starting a large-scale immigration.

Without immigrants, that place would not be able to survive. At the same time, Wang Yi launched an expulsion operation in Annan. All the gentry in the south who had not surrendered before were driven out by force and driven directly to the north.

If we don't drive them away, where will we get the land to accommodate the immigrants?

Jia Lian was also very concerned about this matter, but he had no intention of showing it until Emperor Chenghui summoned him to the palace and asked him about his opinion on the matter. Only then did Jia Lian speak.

"General Wang used the resources of the imperial court to conquer the land and make it his fiefdom. I, your humble servant, also want such a good thing."

Emperor Chenghui felt very comforted after hearing this. Look, these are the words spoken by his own people.

"I can't break my promise and get rich!" Emperor Chenghui couldn't help but feel a little regretful. Jia Lian said lightly: "The various materials needed by Annan are actually no longer public to public. The governors of Guangdong and Guangxi must learn to protect their food."

[Protecting food] This made Emperor Chenghui laugh. It was true, we had to fight for what we should fight for, we couldn't just pamper him like this.

"In that case, I will discuss this with the cabinet and explain the relationship to Wang Ziteng. After all, he is an important official of the court and must consider the interests of the court when doing things."

The truth is so simple, you can't just take without giving. Unfortunately, such a simple truth, in the mouths of some people, is a loss.

"There is one more thing. The cabinet should warn Wang Ziteng not to continue smuggling and selling opium in the country. The wording must be harsher."

Jia Lian made a patch in advance to give the emperor and the cabinet an impression.

Emperor Chenghui paused for a moment and said, "This matter does need to be taken seriously, but it cannot be made public."

This is also a reminder to Jia Lian that he should be careful when speaking. It is fine if everyone knows about many things. If you tell others, it will be embarrassing. Will the court punish him severely? Or will it punish him severely?
"The court can encourage Wang Taiwei to continue to develop southward. There are many overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. The excuse of protecting overseas Chinese is very useful. Just continue to use it."

Jia Lian meant to have Emperor Chenghui teach Wang Ziteng a lesson, saying that he should not just take the benefits without working. The lands conquered are all yours.

To be honest, for the time being, Wang Ziteng really doesn’t have much energy to continue expanding, after all, Annan needs to be managed.

But what can I say? He must be put in a golden hoop, and if he goes too far, he will be cursed to tighten the hoop.

Although the Jia and Wang families are relatives, Jia Lian's words were all directed at Wang Ziteng. Many people think this approach is ruthless, but in fact it is a good approach for both parties.

Interests must be clearly distinguished, and the boundaries of interests cannot be blurred because of so-called favors. If one day the interests cannot be distinguished, there will be no friends left, and countries may even fight each other.

Fortunately, there is no so-called concept of a nation-state now, and the local people do not have much sense of national pride. No matter who is the king, they all live their own lives.

In this way, even if there is resistance, it will be difficult to form a joint force.

Xue Pan, who was still in the capital, came to the Jia Mansion again. This was his formal visit to seek a meeting after his marriage.

Jia Lian gave Xue Pan a chance to meet him. Before Xue Pan could speak, he warned him, "The court has a clear attitude towards the smuggling and selling of opium. I hope you will learn from the last time you were caught."

Xue Pan was hit on the head with a stick and felt a little dizzy. It took him a while to react. He was not angry but just scared.

"My uncle wrote to me, hoping to get the support of the second master." Xue Pan explained carefully, not daring to ask why Wang Ziteng didn't write to Jia Lian personally and why he needed to deliver the message himself.

In fact, if he asked, Jia Lian would tell him clearly that correspondence between relatives was not a big deal, but the Jia family would not be dragged down by the Wang family's affairs.

It was because Wang Ziteng saw this clearly that he asked Xue Pan to convey a message. His original intention was not to ask Jia Lian to help, but to ask him not to make trouble.

"What support does Wang Taiwei want? My ability is limited, I am afraid I can't help much." Jia Lian said it directly, don't think about getting it for free. "Uncle..., Wang Taiwei wants some skilled craftsmen. Look, they are all in the R&D Department. It's just a matter of your words." Xue Pan is not too stupid to not mention the word uncle. Jia Lian directly called the official title, which seemed to be respectful, but in fact it was demarcating.

"Guangdong and Guangxi are under the jurisdiction of Taiwei Wang, and Nanjing is the lair of the Wang family. Aren't there enough craftsmen in these two places for Taiwei Wang to arrange? It's actually very simple to want good craftsmen. Treat them well, let them work consciously, and give full play to their intelligence and talents." Jia Lian didn't give in at all. What a joke, how long did it take me to train a group of craftsmen who can barely rub steam engines by hand, and you want to ask me for people? Are you shameless?
It's not that Wang Ziteng hadn't thought about making his own muskets and cannons. He was indeed making them in Guangzhou, but the things he made were just a little bit off. Not to mention, he was still playing with flintlocks, while Jia Lian was using percussion cap guns. Shenji Town was the first to be equipped.

Let's put it this way, as long as Jia Lian gave in, Wang Ziteng dared to put forward further conditions, asking for the production process of the percussion cap, the casting process of the cannon, and so on.

Jia Lian wanted to enrich himself, but it was too easy. He just had to agree to it and there was no need to worry that Wang Ziteng would not give him money.

But how can I put it? Wang Ziteng's idea is very good, but Jia Lian doesn't buy it at all. The things made by the R&D department are the most advanced of this era. How can they be obtained for free? Selling them at a low price will be a big loss.

Xue Pan was really frustrated. In the past, Jia Lian would still be somewhat polite when talking to him, but now he was really rude.

Relative, if you weren’t a relative, you wouldn’t even be able to enter the door. Do you really think that you can enter the Duke’s Mansion casually?

"If you have anything to say next time, go to the yamen and talk about it!" Jia Lian added in the end, which completely put an end to Xue Pan's thoughts.

Xue Pan said goodbye and went home, feeling more and more depressed. When he entered the room, he saw Xia Jingui confronting Aunt Xue.

The relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law became very bad in a short period of time.

"What's wrong again?" Xue Pan had a severe headache. Aunt Xue had no intention of complaining, but instead took Baochai and turned away.

"You go ask her!" Xia Jingui faced Xue Pan's inquiring eyes, said a few words, and turned back to the house.

Xue Pan stood there in a daze for a moment, sighed, and decided to go ask Aunt Xue first.

After asking, we found out that the incident was caused by the gift that Xia Jingui brought back when she returned home.

The Xue family had some top-quality oriental pearls, and Aunt Xue had planned to make a necklace for Baochai to wear during the New Year so that she would look a little brighter when she went out.

Unexpectedly, Xia Jingui took it without asking and took it home as a return gift. It was the end of the year, and Aunt Xue went to the storehouse to look for the pearls but found nothing. When she asked, she found out that it was Xia Jingui's work.

When Aunt Xue went to ask Xia Jingui, this woman was not easy to deal with. She immediately made some sarcastic remarks, saying that girls are money-losing goods, so why should I be so nice to her? I am going to give birth to children for the Xue family, so what's wrong with giving her some beads? The return gift is generous, which means that I married well and am a glory to the Xue family. Why do I have to go back in a poor state? Is it to make the Xue family look good?
Anyway, there was not a single nice word to say, just a lot of sarcastic remarks, and Aunt Xue's low blood pressure was cured without any medicine.

After that, Aunt Xue said to Xue Pan, "Aren't you very capable? How come you can't even take care of your wife? If you continue like this, I will move out with Baochai to make room for your wife."

Xue Pan's character of bullying the weak and fearing the strong was fully exposed, and he angrily said: "What do you think of mother? Will you be happy only if you force your son to death?"

Aunt Xue was struck by lightning and was stunned. She stood there stupidly. Xue Baochai stood there with her mouth open, unable to say a word.

This brother has only improved over the past few years and seems to be more responsible, so how come his old habits have relapsed?

Baochai felt chilled to the bone after hearing this and was speechless. After Xue Pan shouted, he also felt something was wrong and turned around and left.

"I'm afraid I can't live like this." Aunt Xue murmured to herself. She didn't expect that the daughter-in-law, who had only been married for a few days, couldn't even say a word to her as a mother-in-law, and her son didn't even help her.

Let’s put the Xue family’s affairs aside, there is still follow-up to Li Yuan’s affairs.

Li Yuan, who followed Captain Long Jin to the countryside, experienced great ups and downs in his life. After changing into cloth clothes, Li Yuan came into contact with real poor people.

After ten days or so, his worldview collapsed. He tossed and turned in bed at night, unable to fall asleep. He kept muttering to himself, "I have been living in a lie and cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood. What's the use of reading so many books? Am I still like a fool, being deceived?"

As the saying goes, people cannot teach others, but things can teach people, and they will learn once they are taught.

From childhood to adulthood, even if Li Yuan heard a few words of truth, they were embellished.

The last time he went to the suburban counties, he had direct contact with the local county magistrates and gentry, and he took everything they said seriously.

This time, the people he came into contact with were peddlers and low-level farmers. Looking at their clothes and food, and comparing them with the previous officials and gentry, Li Yuan realized how ridiculous things were.

Local officials do have to rely on gentry to collect national taxes smoothly, but how much should they collect?
Wherever Li Yuan went, he saw petty officials as ferocious as hungry wolves, and the people were so overwhelmed by the heavy taxes that they could not stand up straight. In the better county towns, no taxes were collected at the city gate, but in the more ruthless ones, money was collected when entering the city.

Li Yuan also saw gentry bringing evil slaves to use usury to abduct girls, saw gentry letting dogs bite passing beggars, and saw petty officials overturning old farmers' stalls in the market. There were so many things, too many to count.

If it weren't for Wei Long Jin stopping him, Li Yuan would have rushed up and hit people several times.

It was already late at night, but Li Yuan still couldn't sleep. He kept repeating a line from a poem: "There is no idle land in the world, yet farmers still starve to death."

The next morning, Li Yuan entered the palace with dark circles under his eyes. When he faced Emperor Chenghui again, his expression became a little more resolute.

"I, your son, would like to go to Shaanxi and Gansu to serve as your father's eyes and see how the officials below are providing relief to the victims."

Emperor Chenghui looked at Li Yuan, who had become much calmer, and said without hesitation: "If you want to go, go. Before you leave, remember to say goodbye to your mother. She will miss you during the New Year."

When Jia Lian learned that Li Yuanzhen went to Shaanxi and Gansu, he was really surprised. He didn't realize that this guy was so ruthless in doing things. Li Heng now had a rival.

But it doesn’t matter much. It doesn’t matter who becomes the emperor to Jia Lian.

It is already late autumn. If Li Yuan leaves now, he will definitely not be able to return before the New Year.

On the day Li Yuan left Beijing, a ship also docked at Tongzhou Wharf. A slim woman, accompanied by her maids and old women, went ashore and got into the car. Then she took off her veil and breathed a sigh of relief.

【News from the south was not smooth, and the drought in Shaanxi and Gansu was known half a year later. I missed an opportunity. I had been away from the capital for these days, and I never expected that the world would change so quickly. The northern tribes knelt down and kowtowed, Liaodong and Ningxia reached a reconciliation with the court, and even Li Ni sent envoys to Beijing to ask for canonization and trade. The cause of the religion suffered a heavy blow again.】

(End of this chapter)