Huangming

Chapter 183 Deep-seated Problems and Corruptions: A Firm Hand to Cure the Source

Inside the main hall of the Governor's Mansion, the flickering candlelight illuminated Yang Lian's slightly tired yet resolute face.

He raised the corners of his mouth slightly, forcing a polite smile, and reached out to help him up, saying, "Since we are going to work together, Governor, please rise."

Upon hearing this, Li Yangzheng's face flashed with embarrassment, and he chuckled twice to cover up his inner unease.

He placed his hands on his knees, stood up with a slight tremor, and the hem of his official robes swayed gently with his movements.

"Angel, please take a seat!"

He bowed deeply, his voice tinged with fear.

Yang Lian's gaze was calm as he slowly shook his head and said, "You are the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, so you should take the seat of honor."

Although the tone was calm, it conveyed an air of undeniable authority.

Li Yangzheng's throat bobbed, he seemed to want to say something but hesitated, and finally had no choice but to move to the front of the main seat.

As he slowly sat down, he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles in his once imposing seat. His bottom felt hot against the floor, and fine beads of sweat had already seeped out from his back.

After the two were seated, Yang Lian immediately asked, "Governor-General Li, you have been in charge of the canal transport for many years and must be aware of the shady dealings involved. We want to reform the canal transport system. In your opinion, where should we begin?"

Although Yang Lian already had a plan in mind, asking the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner might yield unexpected results.

"To know where to begin, you must first understand the difficulties of the Grand Canal!"

Yang Lian nodded in agreement, saying, "The Governor-General is wise. I wonder what difficulties the Governor-General believes there are in the canal transport?"

Li Yangzheng sighed and replied, "There are three difficulties in the canal transport."

"The first difficulty lies in the fact that the Grand Canal Gang is a united front; the second difficulty lies in the instigation of the White Lotus Sect; and the third difficulty lies in the mutual protection among officials."

“Take the canal gang for example. Since the previous dynasty, they have controlled the seventy-two locks of the canal. Now, the leaders of their various branches are mostly hereditary, and even the canal workers conscripted by the government have to follow their lead.”

Yang Lian frowned slightly upon hearing this, and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips: "What I have seen along the way is that the canal workers are barely clothed, yet they have to pay 'guild money,' and 30% of each boat is taken as 'canal god incense money.' This canal gang is even better at collecting taxes than the imperial court."

"That's not all!"

Li Yangzheng suddenly leaned forward excitedly and said, "Last year, there was trouble at the Qingjiangpu sluice gate because the canal gangs forcibly levied 'sluice gate fees.' They also set up 'rice market brokers' at various wharves. The official price of one shi of rice was two qian of silver, but after they resold it, it rose to five qian."

Upon hearing this, Yang Lian's expression turned displeased, and he asked, "Is there really no way to solve this?"

"The government will not solve their problems. As long as the grain can be transported and the losses are within an acceptable range, that's fine. No one cares about the lives of the people."

One shi of rice cost two qian of silver, which became five qian of silver.

Even if the canal workers tightened their belts, they probably still wouldn't be able to support their families.

Ordinary people are usually very patient.

But if they can't even survive, they will really fight to the death.

"Are those common people willing to be exploited by the canal gang?" Yang Lian wondered.

Li Yangzheng gave a bitter laugh, his voice filled with deep helplessness: "What can we do if we don't want to? Resisting taxes only leads to death. The officials above are all busy supporting the canal gangs. Who will speak up for those poor canal workers? In Huai'an Prefecture alone, thirty-seven canal workers who resisted taxes were drowned alive in the river last year."

Upon hearing this, Yang Lian frowned and said in a deep voice, "The situation has actually deteriorated to this extent."

Although he knew the canal gang was arrogant, he never expected that they would be so cruel to their subordinates, in addition to being arrogant and unruly to their superiors.

However, in a flash, a glint of light appeared in Yang Lian's eyes.

He realized that this seemingly hopeless situation might be the key to breaking the deadlock.

While the canal gangs were a major threat to the imperial court and had to be eliminated, weren't those oppressed canal workers precisely the force that could be won over?

If properly guided, these oppressed people might become an important asset in his efforts to reform the canal transport system.

"And what is the second most difficult aspect of the canal transport?"

Li Yangzheng stroked his beard and said solemnly, "The White Lotus Sect, the second most difficult sect, is even more troublesome than the Canal Gang. They specifically target areas where canal workers gather to preach, using the title 'Eternal Mother' to bewitch the canal workers into 'not paying imperial taxes or canal fees'."

Yang Lian's eyes darkened: "I heard in Shandong that the White Lotus Sect was colluding with the Canal Gang, and it has already infiltrated here?"

"It's more than just collusion!"

Li Yangzheng slammed his fist on the table and said, "The White Lotus sect members are mixed in with the canal workers. Whenever the canal boats pass through the locks, they incite resistance to taxes. Last year, the canal boats in the Xuzhou section were delayed for half a month because they spread rumors that 'the lock officials embezzled the canal repair funds,' which led the canal workers to smash the lock office."

“What’s even more terrifying is that these sorcerers specifically cause trouble in the shallow parts of the canal. Last month, they sank twelve grain transport ships and carved the prophecy ‘Wooden Man Turns Over, Dragon Flower Assembly’ on the bottom of the ships—clearly they want to cut off the lifeline of our grain transport!”

If the Grand Canal Gang were parasites, then the White Lotus Sect were traitors.

Yang Lian's knuckles turned white from clenching his fists, a great question lingering in his mind: "Why didn't the local garrisons suppress them?"

"Suppress?"

Li Yangzheng shook his head with a wry smile.

"The White Lotus Sect's incense hall was located within a branch of the Canal Gang. As soon as the government troops set out, the Canal Gang would sound the alarm with gongs. By the time the garrison arrived, they would have already disguised themselves as peddlers and mingle in the marketplace."

As he spoke, he pulled out a scroll of secret reports from a hidden compartment in the main hall.

“Look at this ‘rice market riot’ in Qingjiangpu. In reality, it was the White Lotus Sect posing as brokers and stuffing talismans into rice bags to incite a popular uprising.”

Yang Lian unfolded the secret report. The blood-red lotus symbol was particularly glaring in the candlelight. His brows furrowed more and more, and his knuckles unconsciously tapped the table. "So, the three difficulties of the canal transport are actually two difficulties in one body—the canal gang is the shell of the White Lotus Sect, and the White Lotus Sect is the soul of the canal gang?" He had originally planned to use the oppressed canal workers to dismantle the canal gang's power, but now he realized that things were far more complicated than he had imagined.

The White Lotus Sect, which controlled the canal workers, secretly colluded with the canal gang, working together in concert.

This was like a rope tied at both ends, leaving Yang Lian in a dilemma.

The candlelight cast a flickering shadow between his furrowed brows, and the confidential reports on the table were unconsciously crumpled in his fists.

This discovery completely disrupted his plans, requiring a re-examination of the root causes of the entire canal transport predicament.

“The angels are right, it is indeed so.”

Yang Lian's eyes flickered, filled with worry, anger, and a variety of emotions, but there was no sign of retreat.

Go ahead to dangers!
Yang Lian then asked, "Given the two difficulties, how do you explain the third difficulty, the mutual protection among officials?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yangzheng sighed deeply, unconsciously rubbing his hands together in his sleeves as if carefully considering his words.

After a moment, he lowered his voice and said, "This third difficulty is the real chronic problem—the entire Grand Canal Administration has long been entangled with the Grand Canal Gang and the White Lotus Sect in an iron net."

"Oh?"

Yang Lian's gaze sharpened.

"Appreciate further details."

"Let's start with the Grand Canal Administration."

Li Yangzheng dipped his finger in tea and drew a circle on the table.

“From the grain transport commissioner to the gatekeeper, 70% of the officials’ performance evaluation depended on the fact that ‘the grain was delivered to the capital on time.’ If the grain transport gangs deliberately delayed the delivery, the officials would be fined or even dismissed, so everyone feared them like tigers.”

He tapped the outside of the circle twice with his fingertip.

“Some gatekeepers even secretly accepted ‘gatekeeping silver’ from the canal gangs, taking a ‘hardship fee’ from each boat based on its size. They took ten taels from large boats and one tael from small boats. This money was passed up the chain of command, and even the ice and charcoal tributes given to the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue were mixed with silver from the canal gangs!”

Yang Lian sneered: "No wonder the Shandong governor once said, 'The abuses of the grain transport system are like weeds; they will grow back even after being eradicated.'"

"And that's not all. Last year, Zhao Bingzhong, the prefectural magistrate of Huai'an, wanted to investigate a murder case involving the canal gang. He had just obtained the autopsy report when his house was surrounded by a mob of canal workers that very night. Guess what happened?"

He answered his own question: "The Grand Canal Transport Commander actually sent troops to arrest Magistrate Zhao and imprison him on the pretext of 'suppressing a popular uprising'! It was only later that I learned that the Grand Canal Transport Commander's concubine was the younger sister of the Huai'an Branch Leader of the Canal Transport Gang."

Yang Lian stared at the gradually drying watermarks on the table and said in a deep voice, "So, the White Lotus Sect has been able to repeatedly escape capture..."

"It's because someone in officialdom tipped us off!"

Li Yangzheng slapped his leg hard.

"The White Lotus Sect has been suppressed by the governor, but unfortunately, those sent to suppress the White Lotus Sect are all their own people."

Last month, the commander of Fengyang Garrison led his troops to surround and arrest the White Lotus Sect's incense hall. Just as they left the military camp, the fast boats of the Canal Gang arrived on the other side to report the news. Later, they only found a few copies of the Diamond Sutra in the incense hall.

Why is that commander so eager? His father-in-law's silk shop relies entirely on the transport contracts from the canal convoy for its livelihood!

Yang Lian felt heavy-hearted. It was precisely because of the numerous difficulties in clearing up the canal transport that his last inspection of the canal ended in failure.

But this time, no matter how difficult it may be, he will rise to the challenge!

Yang Lian slowly raised his head, his gaze sharp as he looked directly at Li Yangzheng: "Lord Li, the three difficulties of the Grand Canal transport, in the final analysis, are nothing more than the pursuit of profit. The Grand Canal gangs are greedy for profit, the White Lotus Sect takes advantage of their power, and the officials are simply afraid of losing their official hats and cutting off their source of income."

Li Yangzheng's expression was complicated. He said in a low voice, "What Lord Yang said is very true, but this deeply entrenched power cannot be shaken overnight."

If we can't shake it, then we'll uproot it!

Yang Lian slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clink.

"No matter how ruthless the Canal Gang is, they are still the people. If the imperial court is determined, would they dare to rebel? No matter how mysterious the White Lotus Sect is, they are still evil. As long as their source of income and their protection are cut off, can they still turn the world upside down?"

Li Yangzheng smiled bitterly: "But with officials protecting each other and layers of cover-ups, even if Lord Yang holds the imperial sword, how many people can he actually kill?"

Yang Lian's gaze darkened, and he slowly said, "Then let's kill the one at the very top first."

"The top one?" Li Yangzheng was taken aback.

"The Grand Canal Transport Commissioner's Office, the Ministry of Revenue's granaries, and even the Ministry of War—anyone involved with the Grand Canal Transport—will be exterminated."

Yang Lian's tone was icy.

"Since His Majesty sent me here, it is to thoroughly rectify the situation, not just make minor repairs."

Upon hearing this, cold sweat broke out on Li Yangzheng's forehead. He suddenly realized that the imperial envoy in front of him was really going to overturn the entire canal!
Yang Lian stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the gloomy sky outside the hall: "Lord Li, since you know the three difficulties of the canal transport, you must also know who should be killed and who can be used."

Li Yangzheng remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "Since Lord Yang has made up his mind, I... am willing to serve him like a dog or a horse."

Yang Lian's lips curled up slightly, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he revealed a stern smile: "This cancer of the canal transport system can't be completely removed without shedding some blood."

Since they had chosen to touch the deeply entrenched interests in the canal transport system, they were destined to unleash a bloody storm.

As for how big the storm will be and how far it will affect, he has long been prepared to bear it all.

In any case, it's just death!
(End of this chapter)