Fu Shanhe

Chapter 95 There are no eternal enemies

"You guys are all really amazing!"

“There was a plague in the camp, such an important matter was not reported immediately.

Could it be that he thought that since he was about to be promoted, his current position was no longer important and he didn't even need to take on any responsibilities?

It seems that I, as the commander, have no weight at all.

Okay, you've all grown wings.

I will grant your wish now. If you don’t want to do it, just get out of here!
The Wucheng Bingmasi may lack anything, except people who want to be officials.

......"

Faced with Marquis Wuyang's endless cursing, everyone lowered their heads.

After causing such a big mess, it's not unfair for him to be scolded.

I wanted to make an excuse, but I couldn't find a suitable reason.

"Commander, please calm down!
Things have already happened, and the top priority is to organize anti-epidemic efforts and prevent the spread of the plague to the outside world as much as possible."

Faced with his colleagues' pleading eyes, Li Mu stepped forward and tried to persuade them.

It’s depressing to think about it. I clearly had no responsibility at all, but not only did I get scolded, I also had to help put out the fire.

Since the plague had occurred, it would inevitably lead to the death of a large number of prisoners of war.

Those who are sensible know that there will be a great epidemic after a war.

What I’m afraid of is that some people who have nothing to do with their job will seize on the incident and forcibly put a bunch of accusations on others.

Verbal slander cannot kill people, but it is very annoying.

"Humph!"

After a cold shout, Marquis Wuyang said unhappily.

"I will give you one more chance to make amends for your crimes. If you fail to curb the spread of the epidemic, you will know the consequences.

Maybe I cannot decide to which position you will be promoted, but I have the ability to prevent you from getting promoted.

There is a shortage of manpower on the Liaodong front, and Your Majesty has always hoped that court officials could recommend talented people.

If someone thinks he is talented, I don't mind helping him!"

It can be seen that Marquis Wuyang is really angry now, and he even uttered threatening words directly.

The scene was indeed a bit awkward, but the effect was great, and it immediately put an end to everyone's passive attitude towards coping.

If they were thrown to the Liaodong front, there would really be casualties.

Even Li Mu, who had little to do with the relationship, was frightened by Marquis Wuyang's overreaction.

Especially when he heard the word "talented", Li Mu always felt like he was being criticized.

His colleagues were confused as to whether he had done anything wrong or not, but he himself had done nothing.

However, this kind of feeling may not be 100% accurate, and you certainly cannot take it for granted.

"Please rest assured, Commander, we will do our best!"

All the generals responded in unison.

When they were in the capital, they dared not listen to Marquis Wuyang's advice, which meant they had no weaknesses that could be exploited.

At this point, the future of the rest of your life is at stake, and no one dares to break the law.

"Since you have this intention, then hurry up and implement it!"

Marquis Wuyang waved his hand unhappily and signaled everyone to leave.

Just as he was about to leave with everyone, Li Mu was stopped by Marquis Wuyang's eyes.

"My Lord, you asked me to stay here. Why?"

Li Mu asked nervously.

His immediate boss was in a bad mood and he was left behind without knowing why. He felt totally unsure.

"After the plague was discovered, your camp was moving outward. Why didn't you report it immediately?"

Faced with the questioning of Marquis Wuyang, Li Mu immediately discovered the problem.

With the head coach delegating power, moving the camp slightly is not a big problem.

The real mistake was that when he moved the camp, he did not immediately call the head coach to move with him.

When plague comes to harm people, it does not discriminate between high and low status. Anyone who is infected will go to the gates of hell.

The decision to relocate the camp was purely an instinctive desire to get away from the plague.

I never expected that such a small matter would be taken seriously by my immediate boss.

"My Lord, is it possible that this is the official document I sent and you haven't had time to read it yet?"

Li Mu answered in a low voice.

Fortunately, he was used to being cautious in his work, and when he ordered the relocation of the camp, he sent someone to deliver an official document.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to get through today’s incident.

"madness!"

"How can you use official documents for such an important matter? Don't you know that speed is of the essence in war?"

Marquis Wuyang scolded angrily.

After confirming that he was not backstabbed by his men, his anger had largely subsided.

Having notification and not having notification are two completely different concepts.

No one can tolerate subordinates that they have trained abandoning them and running away when something happens.

"My Lord, I have learned your lesson!"

Li Mu decisively chose to give in.

It is not wise to go against your boss.

"Forget it, I won't bother with you about this matter.

Go back and draft a military report on Yangzhou Prefecture and a post-war plan."

Li Mu was slightly stunned by Marquis Wuyang’s words.

A document of this level was not something that he, a small captain, was qualified to draft.

Especially since he is now a guest soldier, the aftermath of Yangzhou Prefecture has nothing to do with him.

Either it was a whim or a temporary idea of ​​Marquis Wuyang; or it was related to his personnel appointment and needed to be tested.

The probability of a spur of the moment decision is low, so there is no point in doing so.

"My Lord, do I have a chance to stay in Yangzhou and serve?"

Li Mu asked nervously.

As one of the ten prefectures in the world, even Yangzhou, which was affected by the war, was still a popular place.

During the heyday of Yangzhou Prefecture, any county under it was stronger than many remote prefectures.

Working in such an economically developed region is much better than working in an inland state capital.

Even if the assigned location is slightly worse, it is very convenient to make money in such an economically developed area.

Li Mu did not dare to make any trouble when he was in the capital, because there were too many powerful and influential people, and if he was not careful he would get into trouble.

It was different when he arrived in Yangzhou Prefecture. He was already one of the powerful and wealthy people in the local area.

The seven major families in the Huai River and Liang Huai regions were uprooted, a large number of gentry were brutally murdered by the rebels, and a large number of local interests were in a vacuum.

With his relationship with the local gentry in Yangzhou and his own background, if he could come here to take up a position, he would definitely be able to get a share of the pie.

When he met his uncle earlier, he expressed his desire to stay in Yangzhou.

The most ideal position is the commander of Yangzhou Guard.

Although the upper limit of development is not high, this position is lucrative.

After the war, all the military land that had been occupied by Yangzhou Wei was returned with interest.

If he could get promoted, Li Mu wouldn't mind taking in the unowned land near Jiangjuntun.

With hundreds of thousands of acres of high-quality farmland, it is no problem to support a fully staffed garrison.

With the geographical advantage and some small business, you can live a happy life.

But the probability of success is not high. He has set his eyes on this piece of fat meat, and so have others. It is not an easy task to snatch food from the mouths of many princes and sons.

Even if the Marquis' Mansion is put into operation, it will cost a huge price.

After all, a nephew is not good enough. It would be better to have a son.

Li Mu also tried to do public relations with this immediate boss.

Unfortunately, Marquis Wuyang was also a veteran in the officialdom and only agreed to recommend him to the court.

There was never any clear promise about what specific position one could get, nor was there any guarantee as to whether one could stay in Yangzhou.

“Why are you asking so many questions? Just write it quickly if I ask you to.

Naturally, the imperial court has the final say on where you serve.

As a general, you should…"

Li Mu simply ignored the Marquis of Wuyang's subsequent words, as his mind was filled with thoughts about staying in Yangzhou Prefecture.

"Thank you for your support, Lord!
If the Marquis has any instructions in the future, I will do my best!"

Li Mu immediately assured.

Compared with giving gifts directly, he feels that it is more feasible to make promises to his boss.

His political sense told him that with Marquis Wuyang's power, he would most likely be able to grab a piece of the pie from the Lianghuai salt industry.

Since there are benefits here, someone needs to watch over it to avoid being spied on.

The roots of Dayu's in-laws are not deep. The lineage of Marquis Wuyang became prosperous after Emperor Tianyuan ascended the throne, and they do not have many younger brothers in the court.

Subordinates like Li Mu, who had followed him in all his battles, could barely be considered his confidants, except that they had followed him for a short period of time.

If we need to arrange someone to take care of the family business, Li Mu, who is flexible in his work, is definitely a good candidate.

If Marquis Wuyang is willing to contribute, it is highly likely that he will get the garrison position in Yangzhou.

Even though the competition in Yangzhou was fierce, Li Mu could accept Huai'an Prefecture as a second choice.

If all else fails, going to a surrounding state capital is also a good option.

Among the prefectures in the Jiangnan area, few are poor.

"Well, go down and get ready first!"

Marquis Wuyang waved his hand expressionlessly and said.

Instead of refusing directly, Li Mu knew that half of the matter was done, and the remaining half depended on who the competitor was.

After the episode, epidemic prevention work suddenly became the main task of the military.

After Li Mu moved his camp, Marquis Wuyang also moved his camp, moving directly away from Taizhou City.

The other four thousand-household camps that were deeply affected by the plague were in a miserable situation. The camps were full of sick people and they could not provide treatment at all.

Even though Marquis Wuyang sent letters to the six ministries in Nanjing many times, requesting famous doctors and medicinal materials, he was unable to solve the current shortage of medical resources.

The treatment work is progressing slowly, but the epidemic prevention work is still doing well.

It has nothing to do with Li Mu. What he knows is no secret at all.

Our ancestors' experience in preventing and controlling plague can be traced back thousands of years ago, and it had become relatively complete by the Dayu Dynasty.

After communicating with several famous doctors, Li Mu was surprised to find that these people's research on the plague was much more in-depth than he expected.

According to these people, the plague was caused by "evil spirit", which in turn came from a special natural environment.

Because plagues often occur after wars and in years of great disasters, these people believe that "evil spirit" is related to the decay of corpses.

The preventive measures proposed include burning the bodies of patients and isolating the sick.

Not only was quicklime sprinkled in the camp, but strong alcohol was also used for disinfection after contact with patients.

At the strong request of these doctors, all water used for daily drinking and bathing was boiled.

Even everyone's change of clothes were required to be thrown into the water and boiled at high temperature.

After a series of operations, Li Mu suspected that he had encountered a time traveler.

After contacting many famous doctors and finding that they were accustomed to these measures, Li Mu was sure that this was the normal level of epidemic prevention in the Dayu Dynasty.

The biggest problem in whether the plague can be prevented and controlled has never been technology, but rather implementation.

In a powerful institution like the military, not many people ask why, regardless of whether it is accepted or not.

As long as the coach gives an order, the people below will do it obediently.

The prisoners in the POW camps had no right to say no.

This will not work in other regions because the local government's execution ability cannot be so high.

In the era when imperial power did not extend below the county level, the clans below would not listen, and the government was often powerless to do anything.

After a month of trouble, Taizhou, where the plague was first discovered, also became the first region to control the epidemic.

On the contrary, Yangzhou, Huai'an, Nantong Prefecture and other places where the plague was discovered later became the hardest-hit areas by the plague.

For a time, when the plague was mentioned in the Lianghuai region, everyone was terrified.

Just as the Wucheng Bingmasi were gradually restoring order, an official document broke the peace.

"My Lord, why would Lord Xu want to invite us into Yangzhou City?"

Looking at the document in his hand, Li Mu's first reaction was that it was impossible.

Although the prime minister is said to be very generous, that's just a story. If he were to be substituted into the officialdom, most of them would end up dead without a trace left.

Li Mu witnessed the conflict between Lord Xu and Marquis Wuyang with his own eyes, and the two would never reconcile easily.

“What’s so strange about this? The situation in Yangzhou City right now is not very good.

The plague was rampant in the Lianghuai area, but we, the warriors, managed to contain it.

As a senior official of the current dynasty, he actually allowed the plague to spread under his rule. What would people in the world think of this?
We can't admit that he is a fake, and his real local governance ability is not as good as us warriors!"

Marquis Wuyang said with a smile.

It can be seen that he is in a very good mood.

Being able to make the current cabinet ministers bow their heads first is a very honorable thing.

"My Lord, do you think we should send troops?"

Li Mu asked with concern.

Because of the trap laid by Marquis Wuyang before, Lord Xu's control over Yangzhou has always remained on the surface.

Not only was there a rift between him and the gentry below, but most of the soldiers in the yamen were also hypocritical.

To put it bluntly, even though the Five Cities Military Command is a hundred miles away, Marquis Wuyang's influence on Yangzhou is greater than that of Lord Xu.

This kind of influence is gained through hard work and has nothing to do with the rank of one’s official position.

Everyone in Yangzhou City knew that if they offended Marquis Wuyang, he would send troops to wipe out the entire family.

Even if Marquis Wuyang has never done such a thing, everyone thinks he can do it, which means he has done it.

Even if the Ministry of Personnel sent officials to fill the vacant positions in the yamen, this impact would not be alleviated in the short term.

A minister who lacks control over his subordinates will certainly not have strong execution capabilities.

If you want to change the predicament, the first thing you need to do is to reconcile with Marquis Wuyang.

Otherwise, if the two bosses kept fighting, the people below wouldn't dare to work wholeheartedly for Lord Xu.

“Of course I’m going!
There are some things that you cannot access yet. When you are in a high position in the future, you will understand that there are no eternal enemies in officialdom.

The other captains are all busy with official business, so this time you will take the people with me to Yangzhou."

Wuyang Hou's answer left Li Mu speechless.

There are no eternal enemies. It's just that the two sides have common interests and need to join forces in the short term.

The confrontation between the imperial relatives and the civil service group is what the emperor wants to see.

It's okay to join forces occasionally, but if they really become a political alliance, the emperor will turn against him and won't care whether he is the emperor's brother-in-law or not.

Looking at the countless foreign relatives who have fallen in history, most of them caused political disasters because they misunderstood their own positioning.

With so many lessons learned from the past, the smart people who came after have learned their lesson.

Know what you can do and what you can't do.

If he had not seen through all this, Marquis Wuyang would not have kept harassing Lord Xu just for a dispute of pride.

(End of this chapter)