Fu Shanhe

Chapter 307: Going to Beijing to report on work
Jinan City.

"The official document only specifies that you and I should report to the capital. It seems that the previous plan has failed."

Marquis Wuyang said expressionlessly.

The push for the three families of Duke Xingguo, Marquis Nanyang and Marquis Pingyuan to inherit the title was mainly the planning of the old nobles.

As a latecomer among the military nobles, he had no connections with these three families, so naturally he didn't need to work hard.

When reporting military merits, they were tilted towards these three people, all to give face to the Jing and Li families.

“My Lord, this kind of thing is inherently full of uncertainty.

The three families of Duke Xingguo, Marquis Nanyang, and Marquis Pingyuan have different internal positions, and we outsiders cannot force them to designate an heir.

Being able to take this opportunity to bring the matter to the court for discussion would be a great help to them.

At least the three of them have established a firm foothold in the army. If they can make great contributions in the future, no one will be able to suppress them. "

Li Mu replied calmly.

In this kind of situation, it's a favor for others to help, and it's their duty not to help.

The Jing and Li families have friendships with these three families, so it is only right for them to lend a hand.

Marquis Wuyang had no friendship with them, so there was naturally no need for him to use his political resources on this matter.

In fact, the Jing and Li families only contributed a little and did not try their best to promote it.

Personal connections are not everything.

You can help as much as you can, but it is impossible to expect others to pay a high price.

Every family has children to support, and it is impossible to give all the limited political resources to outsiders.

Being able to support them to the position of lieutenant general, and having them take another step forward soon, has already lived up to our past friendship.

If nothing unexpected happens, the three will be transferred from Li Mu's command after the war.

The subsequent development will depend entirely on themselves.

Whether or not one can revive the family business depends mainly on one's achievements.

If they can accomplish great things, everyone will be happy to lend a helping hand and make it a good story.

If you lack the ability and your subsequent development is frustrated, you have to face reality.

"Um!

You are right to think so. There is a consensus on this matter in the court and there is almost no possibility of change.

Find an opportunity to communicate with them in private and explain things clearly so that they don't feel burdened.

Man proposes, God disposes.

They have good abilities and will have opportunities to make contributions later.”

Marquis Wuyang said slowly.

After all, he is the backbone of his faction. Even if he doesn't rise to the top overnight, he is still worth winning over.

If they were not strangers, he would have personally taken advantage of this opportunity to be a good person.

"Don't worry, my lord. The soldiers I brought with me are not that fragile.

Before the plan began, I told them that the probability of success was not high.

Let them mobilize their family connections and achieve unity within the family first.

Unfortunately, due to selfish interests, other candidates who had the opportunity to inherit the title were unwilling to give up their inheritance rights.

This gave the Ministry of Rites an excuse to reject the application for succession to the title."

Li Mu said helplessly.

The enemy within is more terrifying than the enemy outside.

The differences among the branches within the three families on the issue of succession became the most advantageous offensive weapon for political opponents.

If internal problems are not resolved, the Ministry of Rites can legally suppress them.

Having missed the golden period of operation in recent years, it will be useless even if internal consensus is reached when the tea has cooled.

Unless the emperor personally asks for it, the Ministry of Rites will not take the initiative to help them inherit the title.

If the legal procedures are not completed, you will always be just an heir.

Not to mention distant branches, even the direct descendants of nobles would be blocked when inheriting the title.

"Let's not talk about this any more. Since the court has asked me to go to the capital to report on my work, I should leave immediately!
The capital is different from other places, and it is impossible to bring all the troops to support the king.

In order to facilitate supply, the army will temporarily stay in Jinan City, and we can take 2,000 cavalry with us."

Marquis Wuyang said with satisfaction.

Leading troops into the capital is a taboo.

Ever since Dong Zhuo set the bad example, every dynasty has been wary of military generals leading troops into the capital.

Two thousand cavalrymen were actually considered unusual. If it weren't for the chaos outside, they would have only brought a few hundred soldiers at most.

Under the feet of the emperor, the more low-key the officials are, the better.

……

Liaodong Town.

"The court wants us to go to the capital to report on our work. What do you think?"

Shi Jingfeng asked with concern.

He was having a lot of fun before, but now that the war is over, he suddenly feels discouraged.

The separatist rule of military governors did not come about overnight.

Although Liaodong Town had its own separatist power, it could not withstand the powerful enemies around it and could not do without the financial and grain support from the imperial court.

"Brother, this is a Hongmen Banquet set up by the imperial court. We can't be fooled!"

Shi Jingming responded first.

The military strength of Liaodong Town is completely disproportionate to their performance on the battlefield.

The subsequent achievements were also simply achieved by simply wanting to rob other thieves, and the achievements were obtained incidentally.

If it comes to rewards based on merit, there is no chance that they will get any.

The reason they were not held accountable by the imperial court was because they commanded a large number of troops.

Asking them to come to Beijing and attend the celebration banquet at this time would seem like the Hongmen Banquet no matter how you look at it.

“Second brother, whether it’s a Hongmen Banquet or not, we can’t just refuse.

The land in Liaodong is barren, and a large area has been occupied by the northern barbarians. The area under our control simply cannot support so many troops.

Once the support of the imperial court was lost, the army would be trapped and starved to death.

No matter what, we cannot directly turn against the court.

If possible, it would be best to reach an agreement with the court.

The imperial court allocated money and food, and we were responsible for guarding Liaodong.

There is no need to send a governor to Liaodong, as the eldest brother can just take on the role.

Someone in the court proposed that the nobles be appointed as the governor-general to suppress the rebellion. The nature of their powers is similar. We are all military generals. Since the nobles can break the convention, we can do the same.

Without the civil servants causing trouble, with the ability of my brothers, it would be no problem to defend Liaodong!"

Shi Jinglin immediately objected.

No matter what, we still have to give face to the court.

If they really go into confrontation, the imperial court will stop sending grain to Liaodong for half a year, and they will be trapped and starved to death.

Logistics are controlled by others, which directly affects their voice.

Although he could have become a local vassal, he still had to compromise with the imperial court.

“The third brother is right, now is not the time to turn against the court.

Although my brothers and I have strong soldiers and horses, the presence of the Northern Tartars nearby has greatly restricted our development.

In the days to come, we must accumulate strength while preparing to face suppression from the imperial court.

Of course, judging from the current situation, the court still needs us.

Without our brothers guarding the front line, the enemy can directly attack the interior from Liaodong, which is much closer than taking the route through Xuanda.

At that time, you will all stay in the army, and I will personally lead people to the capital to meet the emperor and negotiate with the court."

Shi Jingfeng said proudly.

The Dayu Dynasty was already in chaos. If Liaodong Town rebelled again, the country would really change hands.

Even if the Liangguang Town was able to fight better, it would be useless because they had already been injured in the previous battle and would not be able to pose a threat to them in a short period of time.

For the sake of the country, the imperial court had to compromise with them.

With confidence in his heart, Shi Jingfeng was naturally fearless.

Once the imperial court makes concessions, without the subsequent civil servants holding it back, Liaodong Town will develop further.

"Brother, please let me go to the capital to meet the emperor!

You are of great significance to Liaodong Town, and no accidents must happen to you..."

Before Shi Jingming could finish, Shi Jingfeng interrupted and said, "Not appropriate!"

“When negotiating with the imperial court, we must also show sincerity.

Otherwise, the final result will be the same as before, ending in failure.

Ever since the conflict with the imperial court, he has never received any military pay or food.

They won't be able to hold out for long relying solely on the spoils captured on the battlefield.

It was Marquis Wuyang who was one step ahead and seized the opportunity to attack the Shandong family.

The most crucial factor that enabled the Guangdong and Guangxi troops to win two great victories over the enemy was sufficient money and food.

Even though other soldiers who were loyal to the king had problems getting food, they were still able to receive their salaries on time, which is something we cannot envy!"

As he spoke, Shi Jingfeng revealed a hint of jealousy.

It took courage to take action against the gentry in the Dayu Dynasty.

Marquis Wuyang's success was also full of luck.

If it were at a different time, or if the evidence in hand was not sufficient, there would be a counterattack from the entire civil service group.

Shi Jingfeng didn't have the courage to do it.

The timing is too difficult to grasp. If you are not careful, you will become the target of public criticism.

The most important thing is the smuggling trade, in which these military generals are also involved.

Asking Liaodong Town to investigate collusion with the Northern Tartars would be a joke.

If there is a thorough investigation, they won't be able to escape.

It is too risky to provoke the gentry, so just choose someone who has no risk.

With Liaodong Town as the center, there are few people within a hundred miles who are not affected.

Even though they imposed heavy taxes and levies, their gains were still much less than the troops from Guangdong and Guangxi who came to support the king.

……

Time flies, and before I knew it, I was back in the capital.

Looking at the familiar city gate, Li Mu couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart.

Compared with the previous two trips to Beijing, this time he truly returned home in glory.

Looking at the civil and military officials standing on both sides of the city gate to welcome the guests can explain a lot.

There have only been a few such high-level welcomes in the entire history of Dayu.

As for the higher-level emperor personally coming out of the city to welcome you, it is better not to enjoy it.

According to historical experience, military generals who enjoyed the highest level of personal reception from the emperor generally did not have a good ending.

Simply put, the emperor can put on a show, but his subjects cannot enjoy it with a clear conscience.

This scene of being personally welcomed by all officials is almost the highest treatment an official can enjoy within the safety line.

From the hidden jealousy in the crowd, Li Mu could be sure that today's incident had made many officials dissatisfied.

The situation is better with the military generals. Even if they are jealous, they will not overreact.

The situation is different for the civil service group.

The long-term national policy of using civil power to control military power has naturally made them superior when facing military generals.

Asking them to go out of the city to welcome the generals into the city at this moment was more painful to many corrupt scholars than the death of their parents.

Under the pressure of the emperor's decree and for the sake of his official hat, he could only temporarily suppress his anger.

"My Lord, we should hide our itinerary."

Li Mu whispered in Marquis Wuyang's ear.

It's such a loss to enjoy a high-standard welcoming ceremony but end up attracting a lot of hatred for no reason.

If I had known this would happen, I would have entered the capital secretly and avoided all the unnecessary trouble.

“It’s too late to say this now.

Besides, with the Imperial Guards here, we can’t escape even if we hide our itinerary.”

Marquis Wuyang said unhappily.

The combat effectiveness of the Jinyiwei has weakened in recent years. That's because the people below are afraid of getting into trouble, but they still have not lost their ability to make a living.

They can still do this kind of simple and ordinary intelligence gathering, which does not require offending anyone.

Li Mu doesn't like offending a large group of people just to show off, and he doesn't like it either.

The glory is temporary, but the troubles are constant.

The price/performance ratio is really too low.

……

(End of this chapter)