Daming talker

Chapter 590 Don’t speculate
As for the tone of Lin Tailai's greeting, it was not meant to be malicious.

Lin Tailai could even accept the Pig-trotter Governor and the White-bearded Prime Minister, so he would not immediately regard Haobai as an enemy.

So that tone is just a subconscious ridicule after seeing a historical celebrity.

Of course, this is also inseparable from the mentality of looking down on others after reaching a high position.

What's wrong with a Kaogong official who can depose and enthronize the emperor making a few jokes about others?
However, this tone was very harsh to the ears of the Hao family father and son who were rampant in the northwest.

It’s just like in Suzhou, someone greeted Lin Tailai frivolously by calling him “Little Linzi”.

Among the three old, middle-aged and young people of the Hao family, the young man who might be Hao's adopted son Hao Yun rushed directly towards Lin Tailai and started punching him.

Lin Tailai likes to tease others when he speaks, but an important reason why he has not been beaten yet is that he is very good at fighting.

So when he saw Hao Yun rushing towards him with his fist, Lin Tailai was calm and dodged.

Then he raised his hand and punched lightly, hitting the side of Haoyun's face, creating an almost flying visual effect.

Looking at the unconscious Haiyun, Lin Tailai said contemptuously: "How dare you fight me? You really don't know whether you live or die!"

The civil and military officials in the hall were shocked as they had not expected to see a fight in the governor's headquarters.

Some well-informed people have heard of Lin Tailai's reputation as being invincible in the capital. It can only be said that there is no false reputation.

The Zhang brothers, the left and right bodyguards, appeared and dragged Haoyun out skillfully. It was not known whether they wanted to destroy the body or something, but they were stopped by Hao's followers.

Seeing his adopted son being beaten, Haibai was furious and yelled, "You bastard who deserves to be cut into pieces, tell me your name if you have the guts!"

Until now, Haobai and his son, who had just arrived in Jincheng, still didn't know who the giant man in front of them was.

When they were in Ningxia, which is far away from the capital, perhaps because of their social circles and information cocoons, Haibai and his son were not familiar with Lin Tailai.

Unlike civil servants who have a huge network of relationships and better access to information, many people can guess Lin Tailai's identity even if they have never met him.

At this moment, Lin Tailai suddenly rushed from the side and knocked Hai Chengen, who hadn't reacted yet, away with a quick punch.

Everyone: "."

It was clearly Haibai who scolded you, why did you hit his own son?
Lin Tailai then calmly replied, "I have heard that Haibai and his son relied on military force to run rampant in the border towns.

But it’s really not as good as hearing about him in person, it’s just so-so.”

Everyone was speechless. Was this something a top scholar with the status of a Hanlin scholar would say?

At this moment, the Governor's flag officer suddenly ran over and ordered, "Lin Tailai, Haibai and his son, and Dayun come in together!"

This is not surprising. There was a conflict in the waiting room on the corridor, and it must have been reported to the Governor long ago.

Lin Tailai couldn't help but sigh: "The local governor is so rude.

I, a Hanlin and a doctor of three ministries, was allowed to meet the emperor together with such an arrogant and rude military man like Haibai.

I am broad-minded. If it were someone else, they would have turned hostile on the spot!"

As they walked, he kept muttering to Dayun: "If this were in the capital, this would be against the rules."

The sixty-something Haibai suddenly turned around and said viciously: "This is the northwest!"

From the flag officer, Haobai already knew Lin Tailai's identity.

But Haobai is not afraid. Even if you, Lin Tailai, are able to call the shots in the capital, what can you do to him?
The thousands of soldiers and servants under his command are his confidence!

Moreover, unlike ordinary military officers, these soldiers were recruited and managed by himself with great effort, and they only obey his orders. They are considered the property of the Hao family!

In the entire Northwest, there is no one who can fight better than Haobai!
Ningxia Town can't do without him! Without him, a big gap will appear in one of the nine sides!

At worst, I can become a bandit and return to the grassland!
With only thousands of cavalrymen, he would be one of the strongest chiefs back on the grassland!

Governor Zheng felt a headache when he saw Haibai and Lin Tailai coming in one after another.

One is a proud and brave general, and the other is also a proud and brave general.

One is a proud and powerful general who can be barely controlled, while the other cannot even be controlled by the Prime Minister.

These two people met outside, had a small conflict and refused to give in to each other. It was so painful!

After entering the hall and paying respects, Haibai immediately said to Governor Zheng:
"I led my two sons and three thousand elite soldiers to rush from Ningxia to Gansu!
Unexpectedly, both of them were seriously injured inside the camp! Please ask General Zheng to help me!"

Haibai was a defected and unwelcome foreign surrendered general who rose step by step from garrison commander to deputy general. In addition to his fighting ability, he was also a good speaker.

Governor Zheng turned to Lin Tailai, "What do you say?"

Lin Tailai sipped his tea and said slowly, "I thought the governor wanted to show his power to me."

Governor Zheng: “.”

Can you, Lin Tailai, speak like a human being? How can you be more capable of making accusations than the censors?
In Governor Zheng's mind, Lin Tailai made greater mistakes, and Haobai and the three thousand elite soldiers would play a greater role in the future.

However, due to Lin Tailai's noble status, they could not force Lin Tailai to apologize to Haobai.

So Governor Zheng could only persuade Lin Tailai earnestly: "Now is the time to use more people. The morale of the Ningxia soldiers is very important and must not be easily dampened."

Lin Tailai said disapprovingly: "Are three thousand men indispensable to the governor?"

Haobai said proudly: "How can the three thousand elite soldiers of my Hao family be compared with those tofu soldiers of others?"

Lin Tailai sneered disdainfully, "You boast so loudly, but I haven't heard of any achievements in recent years."

Haibai responded without losing ground, "At least we have worked hard to defend the border for the Ming Dynasty. You are only good at talking on paper, what have you done?"

Lin Tailai immediately put down the teacup and said with a smile:

"Oh! I didn't do anything, I just organized two battles in Xining and Ganjunshan this month, both of which were great victories!

A total of 1,500 heads were beheaded, countless people and livestock were captured, and the two major captive chieftains, Walata Bunang and Bushitu Jinong, were killed!"

Haibai: “.”

It had not been long since the two previous great victories, and Governor Zheng had not yet made the news public, citing the need for careful verification.

You can't just believe whatever others report, right?
Governor Zheng also had other concerns. He was afraid that after the great victory was announced, generals in various places would think that the crisis was over and become lazy.

However, the main enemies Huo Luochi and Zhenzhen Taiji are still active, and we must not slack off at this time.

And Haibai and his son had just arrived in Jincheng, so many news had not yet reached their ears.

So Haibai really didn’t know about the two great victories and was stunned by what Lin Tai said.

As a figure who had been active on both sides of the border wall for sixty years, Haibai certainly understood the significance of Lin Tailai's victory statistics and the killing of two great enemy chieftains. He was incredulous. When did the Northwest Ming Army become so brave?
Haibai looked at Governor Zheng again, and then saw Governor Zheng nodded slightly, indicating that this was true.

Taking advantage of Haibai's temporary distraction, Lin Tailai began to report his work to Governor Zheng.

"I was previously ordered to urge the Tatars to return north, and I have successfully completed the task. I will report the details later.

While urging the enemy to capture the enemy, he also accomplished two great victories.

In these two great victories, a total of 7,100 Xining guards and tribesmen and 9,000 Gansu guards were mobilized, totaling more than 16,000 people who needed to be rewarded. "

Hearing the word "reward", Haibai suddenly came to his senses and quickly said to Governor Zheng: "I am marching my troops from Ningxia to Jincheng, and I need a reward of 10,000 taels!"

Didn't he actively lead the troops from Ningxia just to earn some money?

The ten thousand taels of silver as a reward for the expedition must be asked for. By using the money from the imperial court to buy off the hearts of his own troops and then taking a little bit of the spoils, he can surely make a profit.

He knew that when Governor Zheng took office, he only had 100,000 taels of silver from the Imperial Household Department, and the subsequent allocation of silver had not yet been issued.

If I don't ask for it actively and early, the 100,000 taels may be taken away by someone else, and I won't have any share left.

Lin Tailai glanced at Haobai with dissatisfaction. Playing is one thing, but why are you, Haobai, making trouble at this time?

It's just a matter of ten thousand taels of silver, why are you arguing so much?

It can only be said that Lin Tailai, who came from a wealthy family in Jiangnan, had higher standards after the Lin Group grew and prospered, and he no longer felt that ten thousand taels of silver was a large sum.

However, for the relatively poor northwestern region, ten thousand taels of silver was still a huge amount of money.

After careful consideration, Governor Zheng said to Lin Tailai:
"Things have different priorities. There is no rush for rewards now. Wait until this department makes a separate report to the court."

Lin Tailai pointed at Haibai and frowned, "What about his ten thousand taels?"

Governor Zheng replied fairly: "At present, the frontline troops in Taozhou and Hezhou are short of manpower and urgently need to be supplemented with new troops.

It is necessary to give out rewards to the new troops coming from other towns to boost their morale."

Governor Zheng was not trying to favor anyone; he believed his decision was made in the public interest.

Of course, the three thousand elite cavalry brought by Haibai are more important and are the most needed resource at the moment.

It’s not that Lin Tailai is not important, but no matter how good Lin Tailai is at fighting, he can’t be used as 3,000 people by himself.

Although Lin Tailai also achieved two great victories, they were both unsustainable.

It has no universal significance, its success cannot be replicated, and the most important enemy at present, Huo Luochi, has not been eliminated.

The government troops who participated in the great victory cannot escape, so they can be put aside for the time being.

Therefore, after comprehensive comparison, it is more important to appease Haobai's 3,000 cavalrymen.

Lin Tailai was slightly surprised. Governor Zheng, is there something wrong with your brain? Can you be an official?
Is this a question of fairness or injustice? It is a question of Lin Tailai's reputation.

He stepped on my face in front of Haibai. Does he want to make a mortal enemy of me?
In theory, Governor Zheng Luozheng was very capable. Whether in Xuanda or the Northwest, he was diligent and managed everything in an orderly manner. He had no selfish motives and did not waste the blood of his soldiers.

But no one is perfect. Is it possible that Governor Zheng's thinking is different from that of ordinary people in some aspects?
No wonder in history, Governor Zheng, who did a good job, ended up being impeached and dismissed from office by the censors!
Haibai got what he wanted and smiled proudly at Lin Tailai.

In the Northwest Border Town, everything is under military control. Soldiers are the real strength! And they must obey your orders completely!
To put it bluntly, even though you, Lin Tailai, are a Nine Yuan True Immortal, a mutiny can destroy you, Lin Tailai!

Finally, Haibai looked at Lin Tailai with disdain and walked away.

Today at the Governor's Headquarters, he managed to regain some ground. As a foreign general, facing a figure like the Nine Yuan True Immortal, this was the extent of his efforts to regain ground for the time being.

As for the future, let's wait and see how things develop!

Lin Tailai remained calm, waiting for Haibai to leave, and then asked Governor Zheng, "Is your brain okay?"

Governor Zheng's face darkened. If someone else had said this, he would have been thrown out and beaten with a military stick!
After taking a few deep breaths and preparing himself mentally, Governor Zheng advised: "You have to consider the overall situation."

"What the hell is going on!" Lin Tailai slammed the table and shouted angrily!

Governor Zheng couldn't help but be very surprised. Why did you, Lin Tailai, suddenly become angry? What's wrong with the word "overall situation"?
Lin Tailai cursed and said, "I have worked so hard for so many years, but in the end I am forced to consider the overall situation. Isn't it all in vain?"

Governor Zheng also got angry and shouted, "The decisions of this department are all made in the public interest! What do you want?"

Lin Tailai sneered and asked, "A man like Haibai is worthy of stepping on my head?

I am the hero of two great victories, and you are using my reputation to curry favor with Haobai?"

Governor Zheng said angrily: “I will explain again that his three thousand soldiers are urgently needed here, and we also need to encourage the morale of the officers and soldiers!
You should understand this principle! Even if you have two great victories, it cannot change the reality that there is a shortage of soldiers and generals here!"

In Zheng Luo's opinion, although the two great victories seem flashy, they are really not that important.

It neither resolved the weak links in Taozhou and Hezhou, nor dealt a heavy blow to the two main bandit forces led by Huoluochi and Zhenshi Taiji.

Lin Tailai refuted bluntly: "Even if you need troops, your indulgence towards arrogant soldiers and brave generals will only encourage Haobai's arrogance!"

Governor Zheng defended himself by saying, "If a person is good at fighting, so what if he is a bit arrogant? Should we not tolerate and employ people just because they are arrogant?"

Lin Tailai replied: "I am good at judging people, and Haibai has a rebellious mind!
If Haobai rebels in the future because he despises us, it will be all your fault, Zheng Luo, for tolerating and indulging him!"

Governor Zheng was so angry that he was shaking all over. "This is totally unreasonable!"

Just stick to the facts, why are you using feudal superstition to make trouble?
Who do you say is a traitor? Who is a traitor?

The fundamental reason why the two of them had a disagreement was that Lin Tailai did not think that Haobai was useful. This guy was now just an old scoundrel who came out just to get money and food, and it was impossible for him to really work hard.

Zheng Luo thinks highly of Haobai, and hopes that Haobai and his son can kill the enemy and gain merit.

After coming out of the Governor's Office, Lin Tailai asked Dayun beside him:

"Old Da, what methods do you military commanders use to deal with civil officials? Tell me about it."

Dayun's heart was pounding, and he quickly declined: "Counselor Lin, you are joking. I am not that kind of person. How can I understand this?"

"Open your mind and be bold!" Lin Tailai urged.

Dayun still wanted to ask: "Why does Counselor Lin ask this?"

Lin Tailai sighed, "I am worried and afraid that someone is going to deal with me, so I want to think about how to prevent it."

As a general officer assigned to the military counselor's side, Dayun has been working with Lin Tailai for two months and has some understanding of Lin Tailai.

Counselor Lin, are you really asking this for prevention?

(End of this chapter)