In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 864 Teacher, I really want to improve

The dinner party, held within the Liaodong Military Commandery, quickly came to an end.

The group of officials left the military headquarters by carriage.

Inside the luxurious carriage, Zhou E sat facing the door, with Bai Wenzhao sitting to his side.

The carriage was filled with the aroma of wine and meat, and the stove emitted warmth.

The eerie atmosphere inside the carriage did not diminish in the slightest.

The carriage swayed and rocked, Bai Wenzhao's expression shifted repeatedly, and finally he couldn't help but ask in a soft voice:

"My lord, this has completely disrupted our plans."
You should have gone further. I mean, you should have gone even further.

"Last year, a rebellion broke out in the northern frontier, and the Jurchens rose up on all sides."

The Marquis of Runan and his entourage were making money on the border, but thanks to your stabilization of the rear in Liaoyang, nothing went wrong.

"But now the position of Commander-in-Chief that was within our grasp has been snatched away by someone else, my lord, your subordinates are all indignant for you."

Zhou E slowly opened his slightly closed eyes, let out a soft snort, and revealed a cold smile:
"Wen Zhao, when did you start caring about my career?"

Or are you more concerned about your position as a deputy commander?

Bai Wenzhao waved his hands repeatedly, leaned forward, and spoke in a firm and resounding voice:
"My lord, I feel so sorry for you."

You're not young anymore, and you've been in Liaodong for so many years. In terms of seniority and ability, who can compare to you?
But the imperial court.

Bai Wenzhao lowered his voice and took a deep breath:

"The imperial court can't see this. This time, they brought in Pan Jing from above."

I heard that he was just a deputy commander when he was in Beijing, and now he's been promoted so many ranks.
He used to call me "sir" whenever he saw me.
They're now riding roughshod over you! It's ridiculous!

Zhou E gave a soft hum, picked up the water pouch beside him, and took a small sip:
"The people of the Twelve Guards are different from others."
Those were all people His Majesty trusted most; it was common for them to rise to the top in one fell swoop.

Last year, there was a case of a Commander being promoted directly to the position of Assistant Commander-in-Chief, but a Commander-in-Chief is far from being a meteoric rise.

Bai Wenzhao continued:

"But sir, how could a mere official from the capital possibly understand the complexities of Liaodong?"

You should take up the post of Commander-in-Chief.

"Last time you attacked the Jurchens, even if you didn't achieve anything, you certainly put in the effort. Are you just going to let it go like this?"

"Alright!" Zhou E emphasized.

"Wen Zhao, one cannot complain about matters of officialdom."
There's no such thing as "should," only "opportunity."

Now that Pan Jingdu has arrived, the opportunity has changed. What's the use of saying all this now? Let's take things one step at a time."

Bai Wenzhao's expression changed repeatedly, and his chances of being appointed as the deputy commander of the capital region became even slimmer. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"My lord, judging by the time, Lord Pan should have arrived more than twenty days ago."

It's so late now, is something wrong?

Zhou E glanced at him:
"You were smart this time; Pan Jing didn't come to Liaodong immediately."
Instead, they stopped in Daning for a while and stayed there for some time.

The road construction he mentioned earlier was probably because he saw the road construction in Daning being so popular and thought that Liaodong could also use this method.

But he didn't know that Liaodong was countless times more complex than Daming.

Upon hearing this, Bai Wenzhao's expression changed drastically!

"He's hooking up with Lu Yunyi?"

"In the capital, Marquis Wuding strongly recommended Pan Jing to His Majesty."
Inside the Left Army Commander's Mansion, Lu Yunyi was in the same situation.

It could even be said that Lu Yunyi and his group were the key forces influencing this matter.

Without their strong support,

Pan Jing wants to take office? Keep dreaming.

"So... there's such a connection. No wonder Pan Jing went to Da Ning so quickly," Bai Wenzhao said thoughtfully.
Zhou E sighed:

"I first met Lu Yunyi two years ago at the 30,000 Guards."

At that time, he was just a junior officer. He had won a few battles, but his rank had not been promoted.

Unexpectedly, in just two years, they've already surpassed us.

Are these Crown Prince's cronies really that powerful?

Zhou E posed a profound question.

In today's court, no matter how capable you are, it's all in vain without someone to help you.

Some people advance several steps in a year, and get promoted on the appointed day.
Some people stagnate in the same place for years, falling behind step by step, and gradually becoming disheartened.

A glint of light flashed in Bai Wenzhao's eyes as he tentatively asked:

"My lord, since Pan Jing has a relationship with Lu Yunyi..."

"Could we try to follow the Liu family's lead? Liu Hongzhong is Lu Yunyi's brother-in-law, after all."

"The Liu family?" Zhou E thought to himself thoughtfully.

"A few days ago, some exiled people were sent from Yingtian."
Old Liu asked me for a favor; it was Liu Zixian, the manager of the Yingtian Trading Company.

He also complained to me,
"Liu Sili and Lu Yunyi didn't help at all in the capital, causing people to suffer so much."

Bai Wenzhao seemed to be deep in thought.

"Does Your Excellency mean that Lu Yunyi's relationship with the Liu family is not that close?"

Zhou E nodded:

"Of course not. Lu Yunyi's backer in the army is the Duke of Liang."

They did not receive any financial assistance from the Liu family at the beginning.

It was only after he began to distinguish himself that Liu Sili was able to reap an advantage.
Otherwise, with so many dukes and marquises in the army, how could it have been his turn?

Bai Wenzhao understood and continued:

"My lord, even if Liu and Lu Yunyi have a bad relationship and no contact..."
But they won't undermine each other.

It's not impossible that they might use Liu's influence to control Pan Jing.

"That's too arbitrary," Zhou E waved his hand.

"The Liaodong government has no money, the people have no money, so who has money? Only those wealthy gentlemen have money."

Pan Jing wanted to repair the road, but he wasn't after those wealthy landowners.
Who is he after? Is he planning to seize the land?
Those people value land and money more than anything else.
If Pan Jing were to set his sights on them, even the Liu family wouldn't give him the time of day.

"Then, sir, what should we do?"

"Sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight, Pan Jingchu has just arrived and wants to make a name for himself. He will inevitably clash with these powerful clans. We'll see what a show it is then."

"Then," Bai Wenzhao asked softly, his eyes lowered.

"I wonder if I can be promoted to the rank of Assistant Commander."

Zhou E glanced at him, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, and said indifferently:
"I will continue to recommend you, whether it works out or not is another matter."

During this time, avoid doing anything foolish that could give others leverage against you.

The Dingliao Central Guard is stationed in Liaoyang City; your official position is very important.

Bai Wenzhao's face lit up with joy, and he quickly nodded:

"Yes, sir, I will certainly be careful with my words and actions."

In the blink of an eye, five days had passed since Pan Jing arrived at the Liaodong Regional Military Commission.

He sat in the spacious government office, staring at the empty long table, his brow furrowed.

He felt a sense of unease spreading through his heart, which darkened his face considerably.

In the past few days, apart from some "difficult cases" that were impossible to handle,
He had never seen a decent document.

They knew nothing about what had happened in Liaodong recently.

He also knew exactly where the documents had gone.

The office of the Deputy Commander-in-Chief on the left!

Whether it was intentional or unintentional,
Neither the Bureau of Records nor the Prefectural Government seemed to have the habit of sending documents to the Commander-in-Chief's office.
They were all sent to the magistrate's office immediately.

After Zhou E finished reviewing all the documents, he took them over.

The most noticeable thing Pan Jing has been doing these past few days is constantly stamping documents.

A perfectly good commander was reduced to a lowly clerk.

He himself found it absurd when he thought about it.

"call"

"We can't rush things. We can't rush things. It's expected that we can't control the situation without troops coming with us. We can't be impatient, we have to take it slow."

But immediately, Pan Jing slammed his fist on the table, cursing inwardly:

"Damn it, how can I not be anxious?"
"Liaoyang is in such a sorry state, it's worse than a county town near the capital. There's no way Liaodong can be any better!"

Pan Jing grew increasingly angry, abruptly stood up, and called to the guards standing at the door.

After changing into casual clothes, he left the military headquarters.

Liaoyang is located in central Liaodong, northeast of Yingtian.

It is now close to mid-November.
The weather was particularly cold, with snowflakes drifting down!

Liaoyang City was a newly built city with wide roads, high city walls, and numerous houses!

Stepping out of the government office, a quiet and deserted wide road came into view.

The road here has been compacted and is only covered with some snow.

Pan Jing walked on it with his personal guards.

Feeling the crunching sound of my feet on the snow, my eyes gradually became vacant.

As they moved away from the main street where the government office was located, a cacophony of noise suddenly arose.

Looking in the direction of the sound, the market ahead seemed quite lively.

The streets were lined with taverns, teahouses, and entertainment venues.
There were still many vendors in front of the door, and the light snow had covered the felt hats of the stall owners with a layer of snow.

However, the road in front of us is in a terrible state of mind!

Dark mud and snow mingled together, rolling along the road.

With a gentle step, a footprint appears.

After walking only a few steps, Pan Jing felt that he had grown quite a bit taller.
The only option is to find a protrusion and scrape away the accumulated snow and mud.

This kind of road surface annoyed Pan Jing as he walked.

Not to mention compared to the capital, even Da Ning cannot compare!

If I remember correctly, the main north-south roads of Daning City were paved with bluestone slabs.

It's neither slippery nor uncomfortable to walk on.
People start cleaning before dawn every day, and I heard they earn quite a bit!

Pan Jing did some mental calculations; to completely revitalize Liaoyang City,
We must at least start by changing this muddy road in front of us.

We'll hire over a hundred people to clean the streets before dawn, which will cost two hundred taels of silver a year.

He believed that many people would take on this job.
However, even with two hundred taels of silver, the yamen was short of funds.

He had mentioned it once, but the government refused, saying it would be too much trouble for the people and too wasteful, which infuriated him.

Unfortunately, he couldn't use his own money to do this; it would have a very negative impact.

Walking down the street, Pan Jing sighed heavily.
The differences between people can sometimes be greater than those between people and dogs.
He can't do anything that others can do.

After passing through the market in Liaoyang City, the noise quickly subsided.

There were far fewer people on the streets, and more frozen zombies lined the roads.
There were also some shacks built with rags and rotten wood.
They often leave their feet sticking out and remain motionless.

He saw a familiar shack, where his feet had been sitting motionless for two days.

Pan Jing thought that the person must have frozen to death.
The city defense troops and patrol officers usually only take away corpses that are placed in plain sight and are easily identifiable.

They ignored the corpses in these shacks.
It was as if they weren't dead unless they looked at him.

This infuriated Pan Jing even more!
"It doesn't make sense, it really doesn't make sense!"

Pan Jing felt he couldn't wait any longer.

Liaodong is in such a state; if we don't take action now, when will we be able to achieve great order?

I don't expect to be like Da Ning, but at least don't be this slovenly!
Taking a deep breath, Pan Jing turned and left with his personal guards, quickly returning to the yamen.
He ignored the bows of the officials.

After sitting back down at his desk, he took out paper, pen, and letters and quickly wrote a letter to the Marquis of Wuding requesting help!

Pan Jing swore that this was the most sincere and heartfelt he had ever been!
After doing all this, he took the memorials that the military commander used for correspondence.

He wrote a memorial to the throne regarding the chaos in Liaodong.

Finally, he pleaded with the imperial court to allocate 200,000 taels of silver.
Used to repair border defenses and manage Liaodong!
Finally, he wrote another letter to the Left Army Commandery.

We hope the Governor's Office will provide more support when allocating funds next year!
He quickly finished writing the three letters, handed them to the waiting guards, and instructed them:

"Send it back with the utmost urgency, quickly!"

"Yes!"

The bodyguard straightened his back and ran away quickly!

The actions of the Commander-in-Chief's office were clearly seen by the clerks who were sweeping the courtyard not far away.

Especially those two letters and the memorial,

The official secretly noted this down and continued to keep watch!

Inside the yamen, Pan Jing felt he couldn't just sit and wait to die.

Then he summoned another guard and gave him instructions:
"Send documents to many wealthy households in the city, saying that I have just taken office and do not yet know all the rich and powerful people in the city."

"Summon them all to the Commandery; I want to have a proper audience with them."

"Yes!" The guard hurriedly ran off again.
East of Liaoyang City, on Dongwang Street!

The streets here are wide, paved with bluestone slabs both inside and out.

A dozen or so servants were sweeping the snow off the ground with large brooms.

The snow had barely fallen when it was swept away.

The entire Dongwang Street belonged to the Liu family of Liaodong.
The Liu family mansion has three main gates, located at the east, west, and middle ends.

On a first visit, one might mistake these for three mansions.

In the Liu family, this represents the third branch of the family!

The family has three bedrooms, and they live together, but they are not separate households.

At this moment, in the main hall of the Liu residence,
Old Master Liu Yanchen sat in the main hall, wearing a dark fur coat, leaning on a cane, and playing with a letter.

Below him, Liu Hongzhong, the commander of the Dingliao Left Guard, sat quietly, his face showing deep thought, and said with some suspicion:

"Grandpa, what is Pan Jing up to?"

Instead of staying properly in the yamen, they actually want to see you?

Upon hearing this, Old Master Liu remained silent for a moment before glancing over and saying calmly:
"Lord Pan, as the Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong, is your superior."

Speak respectfully, and don't be disrespectful.

Liu Hong's heart tightened, and he quickly cupped his hands in greeting:

"Yes, Grandpa, it was your grandson who was impolite."

Old Master Liu put the letter aside, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.
The steam rose up and moistened his face.

"Hongzhong, has Lord Pan made any moves while he's at the Military Command?"

"Grandpa, Lord Pan goes to the yamen as usual, he just goes out for a stroll occasionally."
It was clear that Lord Pan was somewhat annoyed that he couldn't interfere in the affairs of the military command; he had a dark expression on his face several times when I saw him.

"Hmph," Old Master Liu sighed softly.

"You people are going too far; there's no reason to drive someone to their death."

Lord Pan is, after all, the Commander-in-Chief.

"How can we let people sit there idly? Is this Lord Zhou's intention?"

"Grandpa, Lord Zhou didn't say it explicitly,"

The officials in the yamen were simply used to having Lord Zhou review the documents, which is why Lord Pan was neglected.

"Does Zhou E even believe such a load of nonsense?"

Old Master Liu snorted coldly, a hint of disdain curling at the corner of his mouth.
He glanced at the documents placed to the side and sighed deeply:
"Since they've invited us, we can't be ungrateful. Let's prepare our horses and head over as soon as possible."

"Grandpa, are you really going?"

"Grandson, I heard there are a few families who won't be going." Liu Hongzhong frowned slightly and reminded them in a low voice.

"Hearsay? Hearsay doesn't count."

They're all old bones; no one can tell which is more important. Believe it or not, everyone who receives this letter will go.

"Huh?" Liu Hongzhong's eyes widened in shock.

Old Master Liu chuckled, walked to his side, helped him straighten his armor, and patted him on the shoulder:

"You are a member of the Liu family."

You need to be able to please everyone; side with whoever offers the most benefits.

If they're not offering any benefits, then hurry up and change it.
Don't be like those military officers who always stick to one side and refuse to let go.
When the superior falls, a whole host of others will be implicated, and my own career will be ruined.

"Remember, you have the ability to maneuver left and right."

"Okay, let's go."

Old Master Liu tightened his clothes, leaned on his cane, and headed towards the door.
(End of this chapter)