Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 530 Returning First
Li Yuan has been very happy recently because Jia Lian basically doesn't care about anything and leaves everything to Li Yuan to deal with.

It feels so good to have this kind of power in hand and yet have a tight ring around your head.

When he was in the capital in the past, it was great to be surrounded by "many wise men", but with his father, the Emperor, as his head, it always felt a little lacking.

Now he is in Southeast Asia, which is a wild and desolate place, but he has great power in his hands. What Li Yuan learned in the past has been put to good use, and his words are really effective.

Another thing is women. There are several tall and strong Western women with prominent features. Li Yuan took a few of them as maids out of curiosity. In addition, the natives also sent some women over, and Li Yuan also took them in.

If this happened in the capital, someone would have advised him not to indulge in women. But here, no one cared about this.

After the Spanish surrendered, the governor borrowed a ship to Java and soon brought back the news that the Dutch were willing to negotiate on withdrawing from Southeast Asia. However, they needed permission from the country, so it would take some time. Li Yuan consulted Jia Lian, who suggested a direct rejection and gave a deadline of one month. If the deadline was exceeded, the heavenly soldiers would descend.

The most satisfying thing is the team of advisors that Jia Lian gave him. They are really useful. Everything he is told to do is done properly.

Now Li Yuan has found the pleasure of maneuvering with the outside world.

Internally, Li Yuan had a headache. He had no idea how to carry out the subsequent governance.

Manila is still under martial law and this phenomenon cannot continue forever.

Li Yuan, who had no experience, wanted to copy the system of the Great Zhou, but found that there were not enough officials to implement it. It was not appropriate to directly use overseas Chinese, and it was even more inappropriate to use natives.

Li Yuan, who had been thinking for a long time without coming up with a proper plan, knew that Jia Lian was fishing at the dock.

Seeing the leisurely figure under the huge parasol from afar, Li Yuan couldn't help but complain in his heart, "Sir, you are really leisurely."

After thinking carefully, he denied himself again. All this is what the gentleman deserves. If it were not for his father's great cause, the gentleman, who came from a noble family, could have lived comfortably in the capital.

Raising his hand to signal his followers not to disturb Jia Lian, Li Yuan walked closer and took a look. The bucket was empty, which meant he had gained nothing.

"Sir, you are quite free." Li Yuan finally spoke, and Jia Lian, who was concentrating, was startled. He turned his head and smiled, "Your Highness is here, do you have any errands?"

After the two exchanged a few polite words, Jia Lian stopped fishing and turned around to walk back with Li Yuan.

"Sir, I have read the report on the treatment of several officers of the First Fleet. Is it too harsh?" Li Yuan found an excuse and started the conversation.

"Military law is the most important thing in the army. If one day military law is no longer effective, the army will be corrupted." Jia Lian pointed out the problem very sternly.

A group of naval officers coerced former Royal Navy officers to divide the spoils among themselves. The impact was very bad, but Jia Lian only asked them to return the stolen money and expelled them from the army, but did not chop off their heads, which was very merciful.

As for personal future and such, he still has the nerve to mention it. If Jia Lian didn't hear it, it would be fine. But if he heard it, he would just have someone throw him into the sea to feed the fish on his way home and say that he fell into the water accidentally.

"I don't understand military affairs, sir, please don't mind me. I have no idea how to govern Borneo in the future, so please teach me." Li Yuan is now a little dependent on Jia Lian. There is no other way, it is really useful.

"I have thought about this matter, but it has not been finalized. Since Your Highness asked, I will not be polite." Jia Lian still maintained a humble attitude and did not dare to overstep his authority.

"Sir, just keep talking. I will definitely listen carefully." Li Yuan said this, and Jia Lian thought to himself: It's only been a few days, I will definitely listen carefully. In the past, I always listened to him.

Let’s put aside the secret unhappiness in our hearts for now. People will always change, and we are also constantly evolving.

Jia Lian signaled his attendants to fetch a map, spread it out on the ground, and pointed at the map and said, "Your Highness, please look, this is the route connecting the West. In the vast ocean, the more mature the route, the more precious it is. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the national budget has been insufficient. The root cause lies within the country, and I will not elaborate on it here. Every year, a considerable part of the national fiscal revenue comes from maritime trade. Every year, a large amount of imported spices comes from the Nanyang islands, which shows the importance of Nanyang to the court. This is also the original intention of Your Majesty's envoy to Nanyang."

Li Yuan immediately understood the importance of Nanyang: "If so, once the key pass of Nanyang is controlled by others, the East-West trade may be controlled by others."

Jia Lian thought, where are we going? In modern society, tens of thousands of tons of goods travel through the South China Sea every day, both imported and exported.

Otherwise, why does the beacon country always let the Philippines stir up trouble?
"The Nanyang Islands are rich in products, and trade is a huge source of wealth. Your Majesty has the intention to order the royal family to open up sea trade. The West is too far away to reach, and the benefits of Nanyang trade are enough to settle the royal family. I said these things that are not related to the Nanyang system, but I want Your Highness to have a clear understanding. Seizing the Nanyang geographical advantage will last for thousands of years, and those who lose Nanyang due to private establishment will commit the greatest sin."

Li Yuan nodded seriously this time: "Please teach me, sir. I will obey you."

Jia Lian then put away his seriousness and said with a smile: "Our demands for Nanyang are very simple, we control the key points and ensure smooth shipping routes. As for the governance of Borneo, it is also simple, it is nothing more than occupying Manila as a foothold, and governing the natives in a controlled manner. In order to prevent one party from dominating, we adopt a divide and rule strategy. We also use overseas Chinese and Westerners to mix up the sand. In all places outside Manila, the leaders appointed and dismissed by us are the legal leaders. Anyone who is not appointed by us is a traitor and shall be executed! In short, there must be no force that threatens our rule."

The general policy was decided. Although it was a bit unethical, Li Yuan thought it was the best policy and nodded repeatedly. "Sir, what you said is very true. I understand."

In fact, Jia Lian had already made a good start in this arrangement. First, he determined that the area within a radius of 50 kilometers would be directly under the jurisdiction of the Governor-General of Nanyang. Secondly, he allocated a piece of land with more development potential to the overseas Chinese, and then a piece of land to the Spaniards. Now these things have been basically arranged.

The next thing Li Yuan had to do was to summon the indigenous leaders and convey a message to them. The Great Zhou would not interfere in the affairs between the indigenous peoples, but there was one rule: whoever wanted to be a legal leader must be canonized by the Great Zhou court. Otherwise, he would be a traitor and could be killed by anyone. In addition, as a trading zone, Manila could be visited by anyone who paid taxes according to the law.

As for the Manila Direct Administrative Region, Li Yuan temporarily served as the Governor-General, and set up various departments as administrative agencies, with 6 Chinese and 4 native personnel. The heads of various departments were naturally their own people.

While Li Yuan was busy building the government of the Manila Autonomous Region, Jia Lian ordered the fleet to cruise around Java, ready to attack when the time came.

Instead of waiting for the Dutch to come for negotiations, he received an imperial edict from the country. Emperor Chenghui issued an imperial edict, ordering Jia Lian to immediately hand over the matters in hand to Li Yuan and return to the capital at once.

Although he felt it was a pity and knew that nothing serious would happen in the country, Jia Lian still obediently handed over the seal and set off for home.

On the eve of his departure, on the top balcony of the Governor's Mansion, Li Yuan took Jia Lian to drink and chat. He looked in the direction of Da Zhou, drank from a cup in one hand, and cried: "I miss home." Jia Lian could only remain silent in response to this action, because he could not give any response. He just told Li Yuan that the captured Spanish warships should be replenished with personnel as soon as possible, as a force that Li Yuan could use when necessary. The Nanyang Fleet cannot always be in Nanyang. He almost told him explicitly that you have a strong enough fleet in your hand, but you don't know if you dare to attack Tai... Tianjin. It's hard to say what others think. So, it is not a good thing for His Highness to leave the Nanyang Fleet to His Highness.

When we returned to Guangzhou, it was already late autumn.

Among the people who greeted them at the dock were not only the local three officials, but also an acquaintance, Wei Da from the Dragon Guard.

Seeing Wei Da, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a little nervous. This guy didn't go to Southeast Asia to convey the emperor's order, but stayed in Guangzhou. Could something really have happened to him?

On the way back, he read a lot of old newspapers, but nothing major had happened. Emperor Chenghui asked him to come back, and the imperial edict did not mention any reason.

After thanking his colleagues who came to pick him up on the boat, Jia Lian went back home first on the pretext of being tired, and invited Wei Da to ride with him.

"When did Eunuch Wei arrive in Guangzhou?" Jia Lian asked tentatively, wanting to see whether the imperial edict arrived in Guangzhou first, or Wei Da arrived first.

Wei Da did not answer immediately, but looked out the window and said: "The market in Guangzhou is much more prosperous than before. This is all thanks to Lord Jia."

Jia Lian, who was now very confident, was too lazy to beat around the bush and asked directly, "What is the purpose of your visit, Eunuch Wei?"

The current situation is that if Eunuch Wei had not come to announce the imperial edict, the crime of leaving the palace without permission would be a serious one.

Wei Da then smiled bitterly: "Of course, I left the palace by order. I just sighed because I felt sorry for the people of Guangdong and Guangxi."

Jia Lian got a hint of what was going on, but was still unsure, so he asked again: "Eunuch Wei, just speak frankly, what does His Majesty want me to do?"

Wei Da lowered his voice and said, "This is confidential, let's talk about it when we get back."

Jia Lian then shut up and stopped asking questions, but Wei Da continued: "At the beginning of the year, Lord Xia dismissed the eunuch who held the seal of the Dragon Forbidden Guard and was in charge of the central bank on the grounds that the eunuch had too much power. Our family is fortunate to have the favor of Your Majesty and take over the seal of the Dragon Forbidden Guard." Jia Lian just nodded slightly to show that he understood, and didn't care much about it.

Wei Da, who failed to show off, curled his lips slightly and said no more nonsense.

When they returned to the back court, Baochai was leading a group of people waiting there. When they saw Jia Lian, they all showed joy and came forward to greet him.

After a while, Jia Lian went inside to change his clothes and asked someone to take Wei Da to the study to wait.

After changing his clothes, Jia Lian went to the study. Wei Da's face changed to a very serious expression: "Oral order! Jia Lian, listen to the order!"

Jia Lian pretended to kneel, but Wei Da said, "Jia Lian, just stand and listen."

Jia Lian then bowed towards the capital and said, "Your Highness, Jia Lian obeys your order!"

Wei Da continued, "I am here to ask you, are you willing to go to Liangjiang?"

Jia Lian replied: "Your Majesty, if you want me to do anything, I will do it for you."

Wei Da then put away his serious expression, smiled and said, "The Saint has already guessed that Guild Buqi would answer like this, and what he did just now was just a formality. Now we can sit down and talk."

Jia Lian nodded: "Please take a seat, Eunuch Wei!" After Wei Da sat down with a smile, Jia Lian felt a little calmer. It shouldn't be a big deal, at least there wasn't much commotion in the court.

Before going to Southeast Asia, there was no news from the court. With Zhang Tingen, Lin Ruhai and Li Qing in the cabinet, the court was naturally as stable as a rock.

Of course, the above is just speculation. Before it is really confirmed, I still feel a little guilty. After all, the officials and gentry of the Great Zhou Dynasty are very courageous.

Wei Da sat down and became serious again: "The thing is, something happened in Liangjiang. It started with the cabinet's commercial tax reform. At the beginning of the year, the Prime Minister Zhang Gong reported that the collection of commercial taxes was not standardized in the past. The model of collecting by local government offices seemed to reduce costs, but it was not. He also listed many cases of commercial tax fraud. The Prime Minister advocated the establishment of a special taxation office that would be responsible for collecting taxes without being controlled by local governments. After the suggestion, Liangjiang Sun Ge Lao reported that a pilot program could be carried out in a province in Jiangnan to see the results."

Jia Lian couldn't help but become serious after listening to this. The tax collection at the grassroots level in Jiangnan, or in the entire Zhou Dynasty, was really a mess.

It was obvious that this matter was jointly launched by a few old guys after private discussions with the tacit approval of His Majesty, in order to open a breakthrough in Jiangnan.

"The court agreed to Lord Sun's suggestion and decided to set up a taxation office in Jiangnan Province as a pilot project. The plan was to implement it for three years, then summarize the pros and cons and decide whether to promote it nationwide. Just as things were moving forward to this step, Lord Sun suddenly fell ill. He was a healthy person, but suddenly he had a stroke and fell down."

Hearing this, Jia Lian was instantly horrified, and stood up suddenly in shock, exclaiming: "What a courage!"

Wei Da raised his hand to signal him to sit down, and sneered, "We were ordered to escort the imperial physician to the south. Before we left, the saint repeatedly told us that the imperial physician would most likely not find any problems. So, no matter what the imperial physician's diagnosis was, we should not go back, but come directly to Guangzhou to wait for Master Buqi to come back. As expected by the saint, the imperial physician did not find anything wrong. However, Long Jinwei learned that Lord Sun had a minor illness before and had seen an old doctor. Coincidentally, the doctor did not save Lord Sun after treating him, and he fell into the water and drowned after drinking. That's what happened. There was no beginning or end, so the saint asked us to ask Master Buqi, and you decide how to deal with it. If you want to go to Liangjiang, then go, but if you don't go, it's okay."

Jia Lian understood that Emperor Chenghui wanted him to make his own decision.

It was really difficult to make a decision at the moment, but Jia Lian was not in a hurry. He got up and paced in the study, thinking!

From Wei Da's words, it can be felt that there must be something wrong with Sun Huazhen's stroke. Unfortunately, there is no evidence at all. It is hard to say who is so bold. Sun Huazhen has offended too many people in Liangjiang.

It was not just the two Jiang provinces. Officials and gentry all over the world were probably hoping that Sun Huazhen would die quickly. When they learned that Sun Huazhen had a stroke, they all celebrated.

(End of this chapter)