Fu Shanhe

Chapter 343 Going Home
During the Qingming Festival, the weather in Guangzhou is particularly lively, changing from hot to cold, jumping back and forth between the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter.

It was bitterly cold in the morning, but the sun was scorching in the afternoon.

The changeable weather made life difficult for the officials waiting at the city gate.

They all came wearing winter clothes and were sweating profusely.

No matter how hot the situation is, they have to hold it in. Under the watchful eyes of the public, officials must pay attention to their own image.

"Governor, the triumphal procession will take a while to arrive, why don't you go to the back and rest first.

When the team arrives, we will send someone to notify you to come over."

Seeing Marquis Wuyang's official sedan chair land, Guangzhou prefect Lu Junyou stepped forward to persuade him.

Today is the day when the Guangdong and Guangxi troops return from the front. In order to show their importance, a group of officials arrived at the city gate early to wait.

As the highest military and political leader in Guangdong and Guangxi, Marquis Wuyang was naturally the last to appear.

He changed into summer clothes before leaving, which formed a sharp contrast with the officials who were wearing cotton jackets.

"No need!

The triumphant army is not far from here, and it is estimated that they will arrive in an incense stick of time."

Marquis Wuyang shook his head and refused.

This high-level welcome ceremony was entirely organized by him.

Such a big fuss was made not only to welcome the triumphant troops, but also to appease the people.

The White Lotus rebels caused too much trouble and seriously impacted the ruling foundation of Dayu.

Although Guangdong and Guangxi were recovered by the imperial court, there were still remnants of the rebels among the people.

These people either hide in the countryside or retreat to the mountains and become bandits. They are all unstable factors.

It will take time to catch these people by using force.

The best option is to attack the heart.

Only by proving the strength of the government troops through practical actions and putting an end to these guys' unrealistic fantasies can the local area become stable.

By the way, they can also warn the noble families and maritime merchants in Guangdong and Guangxi, letting them know that the world belongs to Dayu, and it is not their turn to be arrogant.

Time flies, and after a stick of incense, the earth suddenly trembles.

A murderous army, marching in neat steps, appeared in everyone's sight.

Riding a tall horse at the front of the team, when they arrived at the city gate, Li Mu waved his hand and gave an order.

"Stop!"

The huge team stopped in an instant, and the officials were shocked by their coordinated actions.

Anyone can see at a glance that this team is a powerful army in the world.

"Governor, I have accomplished your mission!"

After dismounting, Li Mu bowed to Marquis Wuyang.

"Hanshui Hou, you defeated the bandits in Huguang and promoted the military power of Guangdong and Guangxi. No need to be polite."

Marquis Wuyang returned the greeting.

Soon the two of them entered into a reminiscing mode, ignoring the presence of the other officials.

This scene made the civil servants very uncomfortable.

However, I felt unhappy, so I had to hold it in for now.

As marquises of the Dayu Dynasty, their status was higher than that of everyone else present.

In the feudal dynasty with strict hierarchy, the two people's actions were completely in line with etiquette and law.

Smart people can see that these two people are trying to elevate each other in order to outdo everyone else.

The reason is very simple: there is a serious overlap of power between the governor and local officials.

After the situation in Guangdong and Guangxi stabilized, civil servants began to participate in local governance.

The power of provincial governors, provincial governors, and provincial judges increased greatly, which weakened the authority of the governor to a certain extent.

These attempts to seize power are all carried out under the rules of the political game.

The powers of local officials are clearly stipulated in the laws of Dayu, and Marquis Wuyang cannot stop them from performing their duties.

However, the status of the governor is still higher.

Just because you can’t stop officials from exercising their power doesn’t mean you can’t make things difficult for them.

What is happening now is a show of force.

While reminiscing about the past, the two exchanged politeness as they walked into the city, which made the civil servants feel uneasy.

Knowing that they were wearing thick cotton-padded clothes, they still organized such a hiking trip, which was obviously intended to make fun of them.

The two big men walked forward quickly, and the officials could only bite the bullet and keep up.

"Governor, Lord Duan has fainted."

The news brought by his personal soldiers made Marquis Wuyang suppress his laughter.

“Lord Duan is old, but he still serves the court diligently and conscientiously. Now he has fainted on the ground. This shows that I, the governor, do not care enough about my subordinates!

Arrange someone to treat Lord Duan quickly, and make sure he doesn't get hurt.

In the future, please take more responsibility for the affairs of the government office and don’t trouble Lord Duan all the time.”

The words seem to be caring, but in fact every word is fatal.

Mr. Duan who fainted was only in his forties and was far from being old.

Being given such comments in official circles means the end of one’s career.

The following “don’t bother” is a direct usurpation of power.

For officials, they are not afraid of having a heavy burden, but they are afraid of having nothing to do.

Marquis Wuyang's words were almost as good as asking this "Lord Duan" to resign from his post and return home to retire.

With the first unlucky guy around, the official who was exhausted and wanted to pretend to faint instantly gave up his previous idea.

Watching Marquis Wuyang's skillful killing of the chicken to scare the monkey, Li Mu knew that his old boss was no longer the insignificant commander of the Five Cities Army.

Facts have proved that being in the officialdom can really train people.

……

Governor's Palace.

"Governor, it seems that some people have been restless during the days I was away?"

Li Mu picked up the teacup and asked with a smile.

Naturally, what happened in Guangdong and Guangxi could not be hidden from his eyes.

However, some things, when said by people of different identities, have different meanings.

“You can see it all.

That’s right, those civil servants felt that the war was over and that I, the governor, was unnecessary.

They are secretly colluding to drive me, the governor, away."

Marquis Wuyang mocked without any hesitation.

The struggle for power is always cruel.

With him as the governor, the officials below feel uncomfortable doing anything.

The idea that civil officials are superior to military officials has been ingrained into many people's bones over the past hundred years.

Many people were not used to the fact that the noble group had returned to power.

The civil officials wanted to join forces to squeeze out Marquis Wuyang, which was the most normal means of struggle in the officialdom.

“Since they are so active, let’s assign them some more difficult government affairs.

Especially in the newly recovered areas, there is a shortage of officials, so we might as well let them go."

Li Mu gave a bad idea without changing his expression.

Marquis Wuyang served as the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and the Governor-General of Jiangnan, and had the right to adjust the officials under his jurisdiction in the name of secondment.

The rear areas have to abide by the rules of the political game, but on the front lines it is a place where the strong prey on the weak.

The remnants of the rebels don't care whether the official's status is noble or not.

People will only become more excited if they have the opportunity to take action against high-ranking officials.

If a few unlucky people die, everyone will learn to be quiet.

“The conditions are not ripe!
As the chief governor of two major cities, I am already very conspicuous in the court.

The censors often impeach me for being autocratic and tyrannical. If a large number of officials under my rule died accidentally, it would be even more difficult to explain!

Anyway, I won’t be able to serve as governor for long, so I might as well let them do it.

By the way, you came back from the front so soon, are you not planning to go south from Huguang?" After hearing what Wuyang Hou said, Li Mu understood instantly.

No wonder the civil servants below were making a fuss. It seemed like the governor did it on purpose.

This kind of discord between superiors and subordinates is exactly what the emperor and the officials in the court want to see most.

Marquis Wuyang holds too much power. If everyone in the court were to unite, no one would be able to sleep.

"Governor, you know how to avoid suspicion, so I will follow your example.

After the Wei rebellion was suppressed, the imperial court had an absolute advantage. The Fu rebellion could not hold on alone, and its demise was only a matter of time.

My uncle told you in the letter that our Li family does not intend to take any credit for the subsequent military achievements.

It just so happened that the Annan people were restless, so they simply returned to Guangdong and Guangxi to take charge. "

Li Mu replied calmly.

Having two marquises in one family was nothing in the founding years. When conquering the world, the emperor was never stingy with rewards.

But as time went by, most of those prominent founding dukes and princes have fallen.

The Jing and Li families, which are the most prosperous now, were not even among the top three in the early years of the founding of the country.

In the past hundred years, only a handful of new marquises have been born.

At this time, the family with two marquises was already the most eye-catching existence.

"Um!

You are still young, so taking a step back now will do you a lot of good and no harm.

However, the conquest of Annan still requires long-term planning.

In recent days, I have collected some intelligence from the opposite side. The Hu family of Annan has been passed down for generations and has long been deeply rooted.

A bloody purge took place a few years ago to resolve the remaining problems.

The country's national strength is at its peak, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, making it very difficult to deal with.

It is not worth the risk to send troops for a piece of land that has long been lost!"

Marquis Wuyang persuaded tactfully.

The more information he collected, the more difficult it seemed to him that the expedition to the south would be.

In the absence of the imperial court's inability to provide support, the benefits and risks of pushing forward the southern expedition with only the resources in their hands would be disproportionate.

“There is no other way. Once the war is over, we will be transferred back to the capital.

The struggle in the court is more dangerous than on the battlefield. I am no match for those old foxes in the civil service.

If you are not careful, you will fall into the enemy's trap.

The best option is to stay in the frontier, slowly gain experience, and gradually reduce the impact."

Li Mu said pretending to be aggrieved.

The birds are hidden in their bows, and the rabbits are cooked to death.

These historical lessons are like a sword hanging over the heads of all military generals.

Including Marquis Wuyang himself, he was also worried that his achievements would become a threat to the emperor.

The resurgence of the noble group has squeezed out the interests of the civil service group, and it is only a matter of time before the two sides fall out.

In terms of the power at their disposal, the noble group is not weak, but if they want to suppress the civil servants, they must obtain the support of the emperor.

The problem is that Emperor Yongning is easily fooled.

When it comes to political means, the members of the noble faction are generally far behind.

From the very beginning, the major giants had no illusions that they could suppress the civil servants in the court.

At most, he could use the power of a great victory to keep the meat he had snatched from the civil servants.

If you want to achieve your goal, you must strengthen your control over military power and retain the ability to overturn the table.

"That's it!
Since you have made your choice, I won't advise you.

In the eyes of those masters in Beijing, Guangdong and Guangxi are still the Lingnan of the past, so it is a good choice for you to stay here.

However, it is almost impossible to get the position of Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.

If he could conquer Annan and become the Governor-General of Jiaozhi, there would be no problem.

It’s very difficult to do this, and once you’ve taken this step, it’s even more difficult to turn back! ”

Marquis Wuyang said slowly.

There is competition between the noble group and the civil servants, and there is also competition for interests within the group.

If Li Mu returned to the court, he would be the ready-made leader of the next generation of nobles.

He doesn't even need to fight for it; the sons of noble families who have fought with him in battles across the country will push him up.

The next generation of other top nobles, even if they grow up in the future, can only follow behind.

Just because everyone can accept it now doesn’t mean they will be able to accept it in the future.

Whether it is the Duke of Chengguo, the Marquis of Wuyang, or the Marquis of Zhenyuan, they all have sons.

The power resources at the top level are limited. If some people get more, some will get less.

Since Li Mu will not be included in the core, then everyone can take an extra piece of the cake.

As for whether it can be held, that is another matter.

“No matter how great the risk is, it is better than being trapped in the capital.

I rose to prominence through military exploits and built up my current position, but military exploits are also my biggest flaw.

Judging from the style of those civil servants, they will sooner or later persuade Your Majesty to let me lead the war in Liaodong.

Liaodong was actually a place of separatist regimes, and no matter who was sent there, they would not be able to command the troops.

Instead of jumping into a pit passively, it is better to jump out of it first.

No matter how bad the conditions in Annan are, I can still live a comfortable life."

Li Mu's explanation made Marquis Wuyang break out in a cold sweat.

Since the civil officials could let Li Mu fill the gap, they would naturally not let him go.

As one of only two remaining marquises of military merit in decades, he is also labeled as a famous general.

If his nephew were to go crazy and believe the civil servants' lies, he would be in trouble.

What's even more troublesome is that Li Mu can retreat. That's because Li Mu is young, has made great military achievements, and they are in front of him to protect him from the wind and rain.

He, the governor of four provinces who enjoyed great glory, always stood in the forefront.

"It seems that after the war, I will also be in poor health!"

Marquis Wuyang said unhappily.

“Your situation is different, so just continue with your previous character setting.

While holding power, he took in several concubines and visited more romantic places.

When you have nothing to do, go to the palace more often to chat with the Queen Mother and enjoy life to the fullest."

Li Mu said with a smile.

The biggest advantage of relatives by marriage is that they are regarded as "family" by the emperor.

Emperor Yongning is a filial son. As long as the Empress Dowager is in the palace, no one would be foolish enough to attack Marquis Wuyang.

As he indulges in sensual pleasures, it is unknown whether Marquis Wuyang can survive the Empress Dowager in the palace.

……

After attending the celebration banquet and returning to the mansion, Li Mu was filled with emotion.

It is really not easy for a military general to become rich and powerful.

After years of fighting away from home, going home becomes a strange experience.

"My Lord, you are back!"

Looking at his wife in front of him, Li Mu had a lot to say, which finally turned into three words:

"I'm home!"

Fortunately, it is a feudal society. In his previous life, if he had been away for nearly a year, no one would know what would happen in the back house.

Seeing that Li Mu was not drunk, the clever maid decisively removed the sobering soup.

"The servants have prepared hot water, please go wash up first!"

As she spoke, Jing Yaqing pushed away Li Mu's hand that was on her waist.

As a traditional lady, deeply influenced by Confucian culture, she could not bear to make such intimate gestures in front of everyone.

(End of this chapter)