Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 479 Smooth Handover
Emperor Chenghui seemed very generous in giving Wang Ziteng a three-year term as governor, but in fact he also drew a line: he had to leave after three years.

The place that Wang Ziteng took over was clearly the area centered on Saigon in the south, but he insisted on calling it Jiaozhi.

Jiaozhi is the old name for what is now Hanoi.

The smell is so strong that you can smell it from three miles away.

Therefore, Wang Ziteng expressed his attitude without any reservation: just raise your hand within three years and don't watch him too closely.

So, in what ways can Jia Lian check and balance Wang Ziteng?
There are too many things to worry about. In principle, Jia Lian, as the highest official in Guangdong Province, can interfere in all affairs of the province. If he goes against Wang Ziteng, he can be paralyzed on one side of his body.

The most important of these is the Maritime Customs. As long as Jia Lian tightens his power in the name of governor and delays carrying out the governor's orders, Wang Ziteng's profits from foreign trade will be sharply reduced.

Facing Wang Ziteng who did not hide anything, Jia Lian did not show any politeness and directly refuted: "After conquering Annan, the court did not get a single tael of silver, but lost the fiscal revenue of the two provinces in the past three years. This matter must not continue in the next three years. Secondly, the migration of craftsmen in the province must be stopped immediately. Finally, hand over the military power of Guangdong's navy and land, especially the navy was purchased with the court's money. It's too much for you to take half. What's the matter, are you still thinking about setting up the capital of Jiaozhi in Guangzhou?"

Jia Lian drew the line very firmly and decisively, telling Wang Ziteng what he could and could not touch in Guangdong, which he would be in charge of in the future.

Do you think Jia Lian is very unkind and aggressive? Wang Ziteng was clearly asking for help, but Jia Lian was just being unreasonable.

Only if you think about it carefully can you see clearly that Jia Lian did not touch the majority of Wang Ziteng's interests.

After listening to this, Wang Ziteng remained calm, because he understood that this was not only Jia Lian's opinion, but also the opinion of the cabinet and even the emperor.

The richest southern region of Annan, which is so huge, had no money to pay to the court after it was conquered. There are so many things that can be done about this matter. It is true that Annan is a small country, but it is also a country. How could there be no gains? After so many years of accumulation, not to mention the huge amount of wealth, it can at least sustain Wang Ziteng's subsequent development in the next few years. Not to mention, there are also a large number of fixed assets.

"I agree to all three. You are indeed my own family. Thank you, Brother Lian, for understanding me as your uncle." Wang Ziteng had a plan in mind and naturally started to mention his relatives. It was definitely not because of Jia Lian's threat at the end.

Jia Lian heard Wang Ziteng change his address, so he changed it too, and said in a seemingly sincere tone, "Uncle, the court can tolerate Li Ni in Mobei, learning from Su Wu to herd sheep, can tolerate the King of Dongping restoring the Nurgan Regional Command, and can tolerate the King of Xining crossing the Pamirs and re-establishing the Anxi Protectorate. They all look like the same fiefdoms, but there are also fertile and poor places. To be honest, no one is jealous of those three people just now. You have been to Liaodong and the Western Regions, and you know what those places are like. Annan is different. Your fiefdom is actually densely populated and has fertile land. Your Majesty can treat uncle like this for two reasons: to reward him for his merits and to set a benchmark for his past merits in going south, to encourage outward development, and to ease the contradiction between people and land in the country."

These words are all true, but they are not sincere. Jia Lian still has selfish motives, he needs enough power to show his abilities.

"I understand. It's just that some officers and soldiers have already married and settled in Annan." Wang Ziteng expressed his meaning very subtly. They are one family, so we can't settle old scores.

Jia Lian nodded speechlessly: "From the day I took over, the past is the past. But since we have settled in Annan, the military pay has to stop. Later, I will go to the barracks to count the heads and pay the military pay according to the number of heads. Uncle, don't blame Jia Lian for doing this, it will be good for everyone."

Wang Ziteng also nodded: "No problem, it's just about the Xue family, how should I explain it?"

Jia Lian had already thought about this and answered directly: "The Xue family works for me in Annan, and they work for the Wang family in Annan. Why do you want the Xue family to move to Annan?"

Wang Ziteng was actually reluctant to give it up. After all, the Xue family had accumulated a hundred years of wealth. He had not taken a bite of it before because he was concerned about his status. If Jia Lian did not protect the Xue family, Wang Ziteng wanted to swallow it all in one gulp.

No matter how unwilling he was, Wang Ziteng would not fall out with Jia Lian for the little money from the Xue family. The reason why he could call Jia Lian uncle in private was because Wang Ziteng knew the limits well.

Jia Lian did not stay at the Governor's Mansion, but stayed overnight at the post station. Before officially taking office, he had to make himself clean.

When he returned to the post station, Baochai was still awake and waiting for him to come back.

After entering the room, Baochai led the maids to help her change clothes. The weather here was hot and there was no air conditioning, which was indeed not friendly to northerners.

After taking a shower, Jia Lian changed into a thin shirt and drank tea to rest. Baochai also changed into a thin shirt and sat aside to talk.

Jia Lian looked at her. How could he explain it? She looked so dignified and generous, but she made people want to beat her and make her cry.

"How did the talks go with my uncle? He has no objection that the master doesn't live in the Governor's Mansion, right?" In fact, what Baochai was most worried about was that Jia Lian and Wang Ziteng would fight. This uncle has always been strong, and Jia Lian is also a stubborn person.

"In front of officials from all levels of the province, what can't we sit down and have a good talk about?" Jia Lian said, closing his eyes and leaning back in the rattan chair.

Rattan chairs are also a type of furniture with southern characteristics, and are much more comfortable to sit on than official chairs.

Seeing that he looked tired, Baochai stopped talking and stood up behind him to massage his shoulders. Unfortunately, the young lady did not have enough strength and could only pretend to do so.

Ping'er used to be the best at massaging shoulders, but now it's Siqi's turn as she is big and strong.

Baochai also has her advantages. She smells very fragrant and is pleasant to the touch.

"It's getting late, go and take a rest." After resting for more than ten minutes, Jia Lian opened his eyes and spoke.

Baochai said, "Master, please take a rest first. I will go and clean it up."

The weather here is hot, and even if Baochai chooses something thin to wear, she will still sweat. Although there are thinner materials, she can't wear them, because they can't cover anything. Unless she doesn't appear in front of people.

This is an inn after all. Once you move into the backyard of the government office, you will have more freedom.

In the backyard of the Governor's Mansion, Wang Yi, who had not shown up, actually came back quietly just to find out Jia Lian's methods and strength. As the heir of the Wang family, he was the most anxious.

Wang Ziteng met with him alone in the study. After Wang Yi told him about his private conversation with Jia Lian, he heaved a sigh of relief and said, "They do seem a bit like relatives. It's not too much."

Wang Ziteng glanced at him calmly, "One should be content with what one has. Jia Lian didn't say it explicitly, but the reality is clear. Saigon is a rich place. The accumulation of hundreds of years of local big families has all gone into the pockets of the Wang family, and the court has also paid for the military expenses. You have to know that no matter whether it is the King of Dongping or the King of Xining, they have to pay for anything they want. Jia Lian wants the Wang family to hand over the military power. The main force was in Annan before. Do you think he is a fool? Can't you just call him uncle in private? Otherwise, an impeachment will be filed, and the Wang family will not get any benefits from this side in the next three years. He has the ability to strangle you to death."

Wang Yi really wanted to refute, isn’t it just fighting against the grassland tribes? The Wang family has fought against the nomads in the Western Regions before.

But if you think about it carefully, there is still no comparison. At that time, Wang Ziteng had tens of thousands of the most elite troops under his command, while Jia Lian had only a Shenji Battalion of more than 10,000 people, who fought all over the battlefield and were invincible.

Therefore, Wang Yi, who was still self-aware, swallowed his words. "We need to speed up the process, especially the craftsmen. Since they can't come openly from Guangdong, we have to do it quietly. I have finally understood that the value of craftsmen is far higher than that of scholars. As for Annan, after returning, it is forbidden to speak dialects in the government. Anyone who wants to be an official must learn to speak Mandarin. We can no longer indulge the local wealthy families. We should rein them in. They have made a lot of money."

It was already late when the father and son finished their conversation, so they went their separate ways. Wang Yi would have to leave quietly early the next morning.

Wang Ziteng was still on guard against Jia Lian. Wang Yi did not show up because he was afraid that Jia Lian would turn against him and take him down.

Fortunately, Jia Lian did not turn hostile, which meant that the court’s words still counted.

"This damn place makes me sweat every time I move." Jia Lian sat up under the light and complained.

Baochai, whose white and shiny hair was bright and white, struggled to get up, called Ying'er in, and fetched her some water.

Ying'er brought in some water and saw Baochai covering Jia Lian's vital parts with a towel. She tactfully put down the basin and went out.

Baochai wiped it herself, changed the water and wiped it again, then came up and lay down. She was so tired that she fell asleep in a short while.

In fact, Baochai knows best in her heart that her position in the Jia family will be the most embarrassing in the future. Although Wang Xifeng appears to be "generous", she is not actually like that, otherwise she would not have been able to bring up the idea of ​​settling down a home outside.

The next day, Jia Lian, who took over, handled the handover with Governor Li. Before this, Governor Li was very nervous, fearing that Jia Lian would take it too seriously. After all, if his successor took it too seriously, there would be many internal matters and the handover would not be completed.

Governor Li did not sleep well last night and woke up with dark circles under his eyes. He led a group of provincial officials to the governor's residence to wait for Jia Lian to arrive.

The governor didn't sleep well, and the governor Huang Ren wasn't much better. The news inside the court was similar, because the cabinet was dissatisfied with the Guangdong local officials being too weak and indulging Wang Ziteng, so Jia Lian was arranged to take office. The problem was that Governor Li and Huang Ren felt it was unfair, Wang Ziteng took office with a group of brave soldiers, and he was a legitimate boss.

"Governor Jia's carriage is coming soon." The doorman came in to report the news, and Governor Li stood up: "Follow me to greet him!"

This way of going out to greet someone did not mean standing at the door to greet them, but going to the street corner.

Jia Lian got up early and left the post station, and the people here rushed to report the news, for fear that any negligence would be recorded in the book.

When it comes to dealing with their superiors, the wise men in the court never dare to be negligent.

Jia Lian traveled on horseback, not because he was not afraid of being attacked, but because it was his first appearance and he wanted to establish his own character.

There were more than fifty riders in the group, with Jia Lian in the middle, protected by his family guards in front, behind, and on both sides. He looked very impressive, and indeed he was. The only drawback was that he could not walk fast because there were too many people on the street and he was afraid of bumping into others.

Fortunately, Jia Lian didn't need to walk fast. Even though he was wearing an official uniform and was sweating, he had to endure it.

At the street corner, he saw the welcoming procession and soldiers standing guard every three steps on both sides of the street. When they were still thirty steps away, Jia Lian dismounted.

"Please come out to greet him, Jia Lian is guilty." Polite words sounded nice, but they did not calm people's anxiety. The key lies in the actual operation. Don't wait for you to say "check the accounts first!" Everyone knows that you are an expert in checking accounts. The prefect, shipyard, and garrison in Dengzhou are all obsessed with this.

"Mr. Jia, you're welcome!" Li Qianren's posture was still very humble, and he even slightly bent his waist.

There is no way. If Jia Lian is really an accounting maniac, then none of the governor's office and the three government offices will be in a good state today.

When they arrived at the government hall, Jia Lian sat in the middle, with Governor Li and Provincial Governor Huang Ren standing slightly behind.

Jia Lian looked at all the officials from his province in the hall and began to speak.

"Today's handover will proceed as usual. It's not easy for you all to come here from below. Now that you are here, just wait for a while." After saying this, Jia Lian turned around and said, "Shall we start the handover?"

"Let's start!" Governor Li's heart was in his throat. He led the way and invited Jia Lian to the backyard.

Seeing the servants of the Li family loading luggage onto the car along the way, Jia Lian even joked: "Master Li can't wait to leave. It seems that the job of the Governor of Guangdong is not easy."

Governor Li smiled and said, "Everywhere is similar, there is nothing special about it."

Jia Lian brought more than a dozen people, each responsible for the handover business. The audit that Governor Li was most worried about did not happen. As long as the accounts were balanced and there was nothing particularly outrageous, the handover would be normal.

In fact, this is the unspoken rule. As long as the previous person does not go too far, the next person generally will not find fault during the handover.

There was also interaction between Governor Li and Jia Lian, that is, the transfer of seals. After Jia Lian signed and sealed various documents, the handover was completed. Governor Li breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Huang Ren beside him, meaning, "See? You think too much." The basic rules are still explained.

"I will move in in three days. Is that enough time?" Jia Lian still left room for him, but Li Qian said straightforwardly: "No, I will move to the inn tonight. You can arrange to move in now. Some things are too cumbersome, so I won't bring them. If you don't like them, I will take care of them for you."

This is a matter of returning a favor. What is it that needs to be taken care of?
After completing the handover, Li's predecessor couldn't wait to call his family and move to the post station.

Jia Lian sat in the house and met with his subordinates, first the three officials, then the prefects, and then the county magistrates.

Because there were too many people, Jia Lian only met people from the three courts today. The others had to go back and wait and come back tomorrow.

"Jia has been appointed to this position with a mission from the imperial court. First of all, the finances must be recovered, with the local governments retaining a portion and the other half being turned over to the national treasury. Secondly, the local garrisons must be properly rectified and shoulder the important task of pioneering in the future expansion of foreign countries. Finally, the implementation of the performance evaluation law needs to be continued. This is the achievement of the cabinet and the will of your majesty. In the future, I will need your full cooperation and work hand in hand with me on official business."

After the official speech was finished, the people from the three divisions breathed a sigh of relief after listening to it, especially the general, who could not help but be delighted.

This mess of garrisoning troops should be able to be wiped out.

(End of this chapter)