Thief Emperor

Chapter 103 Half a Governor!

At the dinner table, Li Yun took the initiative to toast Mr. Xue.

This was also the first time that the two of them had a private meal together. After drinking a few glasses of wine, Master Xue put down his glass and said, "Suppressing bandits is, after all, a good thing that benefits the country and the people. Since you have agreed to it, then get started. You can start from Lin County in Qingyang, such as Shidai."

At this point, Master Xue paused and continued, "In a month or two, the imperial court's recruiting envoys should arrive. Recruiting envoys are special envoys who should be responsible for recruiting and suppressing several states or even one province. If you have made some achievements in Xuanzhou by then, the new recruiting envoy will have to rely on you when he wants to handle Xuanzhou's affairs."

Any official title containing the word "Shi" means that these positions were not permanent officials at the beginning, such as the Observation Envoy, the Recruiting Envoy, and... the well-known Jiedushi.

In the beginning, these could be understood as officials temporarily appointed by the central court because of special circumstances at the local level, similar to the governors and governors-general of the Ming Dynasty.

However, as the control over local areas had been declining year by year, the Inspectors and Jiedushi had become permanent official positions decades ago, and some Jiedushi on the border had even become hereditary.

However, the Recruiting Envoy was still a temporary official, and his main role was to suppress and pacify bandits in order to pacify the local area.

Mr. Xue thought for a moment and continued, "In the past, the Recruiting Envoy would not have been a big deal. But now, Yuezhou, which is only a few hundred miles away from Xuanzhou, is in chaos. The newly sent Recruiting Envoy may not want to make contributions to the Yuezhou chaos. If he is eager to accumulate strength in Xuanzhou and nearby prefectures, then..."

"I have to use you."

Magistrate Xue said slowly: "This is a rare opportunity. Once you have made some achievements, the Recruiting Envoy will report to the court and it is possible that you will be promoted to a military officer."

Li Yun poured him a glass of wine and said with a smile: "The Yuezhou Rebellion has only been going on for about two months. In just two months, I heard that the government troops in Yuezhou have been defeated again and again."

"Even the governor of Jiangnan East Road suffered a defeat."

Mr. Li also raised his head and took a sip of wine, and said, "Right now, I haven't seen any strong measures taken by the court to quell the rebellion, but two groups of people have already come down eagerly, wanting to share the credit."

After drinking the glass of wine, Li Yun continued to say with a smile: "If these two groups of people were to rush to Yuezhou and actively suppress the rebellion, then the credit would be shared with them. However, they did not go to Yuezhou, nor to the prefectures closer to Yuezhou, but chose to go to Xuanzhou. What does that mean?"

Li Yun said slowly: "In my opinion, one reason is that we are relatively safe here, and the rebels will not be able to reach us for a while."

"Secondly, Yuezhou is on the eastern route of Jiangnan, while our Xuanzhou is on the western route of Jiangnan. We are not under the command of the inspector who is currently fighting. At most, we can send some money and food, but we will not be suddenly dispatched to the front line by our superiors."

Master Xue put down his wine glass with a thud, looked up at Li Yun, and snorted, "You think too badly of the court. Apart from other things, the court decided to send a recruiting envoy to Xuanzhou in the second half of last year. At that time, Qiu Dian's Yuezhou Rebellion had not yet occurred!"

Li Yun poured him more wine and said with a smile, "Guess what, County Master, the recruiting envoy who will be transferred in a few months is the same recruiting envoy that the court was going to arrange last year?"
.
Mr. Xue was choked by these words and turned his head away without saying anything.

Li Yun smiled and said, "Don't be angry, County Master. Just think of it as me judging the court by my own small mind."

Magistrate Xue rubbed his brows, sighed deeply, and shook his head, saying, "Although I don't want to admit it, what you said is probably true."

"Forget it, forget it. Let's not talk about this anymore. As long as we can put down the Yuezhou Rebellion, let them divide the credit however they want."

Village leader Li lowered his head and sipped his wine, already feeling suspicious.

Once quelling a local unrest is considered a "merit", it can lead to a group of people being promoted and making money, and become a stepping stone for advancement. Then, for a long time afterwards, regardless of whether there are lunatics sharpening their knives at night in the local area, there will most likely be constant civil unrest.

The evil and audacity of human nature can never be measured.

And this is likely to make the old house of Da Zhou even more dilapidated.

Everything depends on whether the emperor in the capital can still maintain basic clarity of mind.

This clarity means that once a civil unrest occurs at the local level, those responsible must be held accountable and investigated thoroughly. No matter how great the resistance is, no one should be left out and all must be punished!
When Li Yun was thinking, he heard Master Xue continue to say: "There is one more thing I want to remind you."

Li Yun came back to his senses and said with a smile: "The county lord's teachings."

"Since the state has asked you to suppress the bandits, you should be provided with money and food. You must mention the issue of money and food. You should go to Xuanzhou frequently and ask Cui Shao for it."

Li Yun curled his lips and shook his head, saying, "With that fellow's character, I don't expect to get any money out of him. As for the matter of suppressing the bandits, I will find a way myself and do as much as I can. As long as the state doesn't interfere and cause trouble, I will be satisfied."

Master Xue reached out and knocked on the table, then said slowly, "You don't understand this."

“Whether the state gives it or not is one thing, whether you want it or not is another.”

"It's a very simple truth. If you send someone to ask them for money and they give it to you, that's good. But if they don't, then they are in the wrong."

"After you are in the wrong, it will be difficult for me to give orders to you and the anti-theft team."

Master Xue said softly, "In this way, not only will you not be controlled by the state, but after you have eliminated some bandits, you can make some demands to Xuanzhou from time to time, and Cui Shao will agree to you even if he has to pinch his nose."

"After all, he owes you money and food."

Li Yun's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh, unable to help but clapping his hands in admiration: "If you were not an official, I would not be able to remember these twists and turns for a while if you did not explain them." "You are right."

Li Yun smiled and said, "We need to ask them for money frequently to make them feel guilty!"

"There are more twists and turns in the officialdom than these."

Mr. Xue did not drink this time. He took a sip of tea and looked at Li Yun.

"Just study. There are many things to learn."

Li Yun smiled and said, "Although I am not planning to be an official, I will definitely ask the county lord for advice on these things when I have time in the future."

Mr. Xue was also a human being. After being flattered by Li Yun in such a light way, his face was full of smiles. He took the initiative to toast Li Yun with a glass of wine, and then laughed.

"I...I haven't been an official for...for nothing."

He has started to speak with a lisp.

At this time, Miss Xue just came up with a plate of vegetables. Seeing the staggering County Magistrate Xue, she exclaimed and looked at Li Yun.

"Why did you drink so much?"

Xue Yun'er glared at Li Yun.

"No more drinking."

Li Yun raised his hands and said with a smile: "I didn't drink much, it was the county master who drank."

Miss Xue's eyebrows raised.

"No one is allowed to drink anymore!"

………………

This time, the government's efficiency was unusually high.

On the third day after Governor Cui made a "trouble" in Qingyang, the document to suppress bandits in Xuanzhou was officially sent to Li Yun.

After receiving the document, in order to prevent that idiot Cui from doing anything to him, Li Yun showed it to County Magistrate Xue. Only after confirming that this thing was indeed stamped with the real governor's seal did Li Yun breathe a sigh of relief and become happy.

He thanked County Magistrate Xue and went home happily.

When they arrived at the yard, Zhang Hu was sleeping soundly, while Li Zheng was reading a book. When he saw Li Yun coming back, he stood up and closed the book.

This time it’s a serious book. Judging from the name, it’s a collection of poems.

He closed the book and said with a smile, "Second brother is back."

Li Yun glanced at the name of the poetry collection, strode into the room, slapped Zhang Hu awake, then pulled Li Zheng's sleeve and said with a smile: "Come on, the three of us go out for a drink!"

Li Zheng and the other man were pulled out of the courtyard by him, and asked with a smile: "Second brother, what makes you so happy?"

"The state's anti-bandit documents have arrived."

Li patted his chest and said with a smile: "This is a good thing, let's go out and celebrate."

Li Zheng scratched his head: "What good thing is this? Doesn't my second brother hate that governor surnamed Cui?"

"It's annoying, but it's a good thing that it doesn't get in the way."

Li Yun said with a smile: "There are no soldiers in the state to suppress the bandits. We have the manpower but no title. That pig-headed man gave me half of the post of governor with a piece of paper."

He looked up outside and spoke slowly.

"When our power grows bigger, we will say who is the bandit in Xuanzhou..."

"Who is the bandit?"

　Thanks to Mr. [Xian Siyu] for the reward~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)