Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 230: Resist Corruption

Tianjin is the maritime gateway to the capital. During the reign of Emperor Taizu, it was planned to open a port in Tianjin, but it was not realized due to the obstruction of many ministers.

A white river flows into the Bohai Sea, with white sails dotted on the river, showing the prosperity of river transportation.

Jia Lian did not hold a ceremonial guard under the pretext of not disturbing the people. Seeing him do so, Wei Xuezhong and the prefect of Tianjin did not hold a ceremonial guard either. They even went out on horseback with only three or five followers each. Even so, there were more than 60 riders, and they raised a cloud of dust along the road by the river. The destination of this trip was Dagukou, where the navy was stationed.

Jia Lian naturally asked Wei Xuezhong about the navy as he walked, but what this guy said was not what Jia Lian wanted to know. Moreover, this guy was not aware of it and kept talking non-stop.

"As the commander, I am a third-rank official. I command the two major navies of Nanyang and Dongyang and hold the title of general. I am in charge of the military affairs of a province. My rank is equal to that of the commander. I am directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. I have no control over it. Even the garrison at Wusongkou is under the jurisdiction of the governor of Jiangnan. The commander is just a figurehead."

The general of the Zhou Dynasty was a third-rank official, and the governor was also a third-rank official. In other words, there were three officials of the same rank in a province.

In the Zhou Dynasty, there was no civil control over military power. If a third-rank general had a bad relationship with a governor, if you wanted to transfer troops, you had to go to the Ministry of War to ask for an order.

Generally speaking, this situation is rare. The Great Zhou is not the Song Dynasty, which engages in checks and balances.

Basically, if a general refused to obey the governor's orders, he would be transferred or dismissed with a memorial. From the general's point of view, he could defend himself and find reasons from his own perspective. If his reasoning was convincing, he would not necessarily lose. Generally speaking, because the cabinet and the six ministries were all civil servants, the governor still had the upper hand.

The Zhili Governor's Office is in Cangzhou. You read that right. It is in Cangzhou. The reason is very simple. The Zhili Governor's Office is in Baoding. When the administrative regions were first divided, the Zhili Governor had a strong background and insisted on setting up his office in Cangzhou, so it has been preserved. This is the same reason why the Governor-General of Liangjiang is in Jinling, the Governor of Jiangnan is in Suzhou, and the Governor of Jiangbei is in Xuzhou.

The most unlucky one was the governor of Yunnan, because there was only one Kunming that looked decent, so the governor had to follow the governor. Even the governor of Sichuan had Chongqing to avoid his superiors.

After learning this information, Jia Lian was very moved. In ancient times, officials could really do whatever they wanted.

Jia Lian, who didn't want to listen to Wei Xuezhong's nonsense, began to lose focus. Seeing that he was still chattering, he couldn't help but secretly annoyed. He raised his hand and pointed at a boat on the river and asked, "Master Wei, what do you think is on that boat?"

Wei Xuezhong was stunned. He looked carefully and his expression suddenly changed. He smiled very reluctantly: "I don't know. Does Prefect Lin know?"

This move of diversion made the governor Lin of Tianjin very angry. What is the transportation on the Baihe River? Don't you know it? Besides, the ship is flying the flag of the Haihe Gang. These are your people. You ask me?

Prefect Lin didn't know what to say, so Jia Lian took out a telescope and looked around and said, "The water is quite deep. Why are all the boatmen on the shore naked?"

Wei Xuezhong found an opportunity to change the subject again: "The trackers are naked just to save clothes and shoes."

"Well, how much is the income from boat pulling?" Jia Lian's question was rather jumpy, and Wei Xuezhong was unable to answer it, so Prefect Lin took over. "Look at the size of the boat. This boat uses twenty boatmen, and it is going against the current. It should make at least a hundred coins a day."

Jia Lian quickly calculated in his mind that the official price of a silver dollar was one thousand coins for one tael of silver, and the private exchange rate among the people was about seven hundred coins. One hundred coins a day was a high income.

Jia Lian was very disapproving of this and said, "One hundred coins a day, can the boss be so generous?"

Prefect Lin smiled and said, "It's not like there are big jobs like this every day. Usually, they are medium-sized boats, and they make fifty cents a day."

Jia Lian then nodded and said, "Prefect Lin knows about people's livelihood."

Prefect Lin, who had dealt with the past, never expected that there would be an unexpected surprise. After being praised, he kept modestly saying: "This is just my job, and it's not worthy of your praise, Lord Inspector." After a short stop and when he was about to move on, there was a sudden bang in the reed marsh across the river bank. A cannon shot into the sky, and hundreds of small boats rushed out of the reed marsh and besieged the big ship.

The incident happened so suddenly that no one could react. By the time everyone saw the situation clearly, the boatmen had already scattered, leaving the boat stuck on the river. By the time everyone realized what was happening, the battle had already begun.

The escort team on the ship was quite fierce. After being attacked, they decisively dropped anchor, and dozens of people set up their weapons and prepared to fight.

The boat was as fast as an arrow and soon approached the big ship. The robbers on the boat shot rockets with bows and arrows from a hundred steps away. There was another slightly larger boat behind, a little behind, with a French cannon mounted on the bow.

Jia Lian, holding a telescope, watched slowly. The family generals behind him were not panicked either. Instead, Wei Xuezhong was like an ant on a hot pot, saying repeatedly: "The pirates have landed. Hurry to Dagukou to pass on my order and send troops to suppress them."

After coming to his senses, Prefect Lin was trembling all over. He pulled Jia Lian's sleeve and said, "Sir, it's better to hide for now. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. If something goes wrong, we will not be able to explain to the court."

Jia Lian exerted a little force, pulled his sleeves free, and continued to observe the battle situation with the telescope.

Zhang San said to comfort him: "Don't worry, sir. They are on the water. If they come ashore, they will not be able to withstand our attack. I am afraid they will not come up."

Feeling the atmosphere of the battlefield, Jia Lian's horse was eager to fight. He reached out and patted the horse's neck. After comforting it, he said to everyone: "I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it, this is Tianjin."

Wei Xuezhong's face turned green. This was the Baihe River, not the sea. The navy's large ships had a deep draft and could not move without trackers. Small and medium-sized ships could sail, but this place was still thirty miles from Dagukou. It would take two hours for the navy to arrive, and the battle would have been over long ago.

Bang, bang, bang, a burst of gunfire rang out. Jia Lian's face suddenly changed when he heard the gunfire. Others couldn't tell the difference, but he could, after all, there was a trick. This was a rifled gun! It was the latest model, and it should be the batch that he supervised.

Judging from the noise, there are at least twenty guns, divided into two groups, taking turns firing. Judging from the situation, the pirates are in trouble.

The new rifled guns can have a high accuracy at a distance of 100 meters. Even if the shooter is not very good, each volley can always knock down five or six pirates. No matter how fast the boat is, it will take about 20 seconds to get close. With these 20 seconds, at least three rounds can be fired. That is six volleys, ten rounds each time.

The robbers on the boat were very brave. After being hit continuously, they kept approaching. When they were about 50 meters away, the big boat fired three bursts of shots. It was the Francois machine gun. Just like the equipment, the robbers really fell into the river like dumplings.

Jia Lian saw it clearly and his face became increasingly gloomy. He could still accept the French cannon, but he could not tolerate the new rifled rifle.

Ding ding ding, a burst of rapid gong sounds was heard, and the small boats on the river turned around and left. They came quickly and left quickly, and they all dived into the reed marshes and disappeared completely. If there were not floating corpses on the river and gunpowder smoke in the air, who would believe that a fierce battle had just taken place here.

"Set up the ceremonial guards and pass the order for the large ship to dock. This inspector wants to inspect it."

Even without Wei Xuezhong and Prefect Lin's persuasion, Zhang San whispered, "Second Master, no."

After being reminded by him, Jia Lian calmed down immediately. This is someone else's territory, and they probably don't dare to rebel. They have the courage to take risks and kill Jia Lian, and they have the courage to do so if they are forced to the point, anyway, there are so many pirates. Jia Lian felt like he was hit by a boomerang on the face, it really is a matter of time.

"Forget it, let's continue to Dagukou. I don't have the heart to care about these things. Commander Wei, I will do my job impartially. I must see the report on this case tonight. Is that ok?"

Wei Xuezhong was so scared that he almost fell off his horse, but he didn't expect that there would be such a dramatic turn of events. To be honest, Zhang San was too cautious. If Wei Xuezhong had the courage to kill the inspector, he would not have become a naval commander, but a mere figurehead.

Magistrate Lin was so nervous that his palms were scratched by his fingernails and he didn't even realize that he was bleeding.

Fortunately, fortunately, Jia Lian did not insist and continued to go towards Dagukou.

After walking for a while, we saw medium-sized ships of the navy coming on the river, and there was a lot of smoke and dust on the road. It was a cavalry.

The navy also has a cavalry. Is that so luxurious?
After Jia Lian saw clearly, he felt relieved. There were not many people, only twenty riders at most.

They dismounted from their horses in the distance and walked forward quickly. The leader clasped his hands and said, "I, Sun Ming, am late to greet you. I am sorry to frighten you, gentlemen." Wei Xuezhong immediately got angry, rode his horse forward, raised his whip and whipped him hard.

Pa, pa, pa, after three consecutive bangs, he stopped and said, "You bastard, the pirates came ashore without even noticing, what use are you to?"

Jia Lian did not stop Wei Xuezhong from showing off, but turned around and asked, "What is this person's position?"

Prefect Lin said with a lingering fear on his face: "The adjutant general of the Tianjin Navy is a fierce general. Although his son Sun Shaozu is young, he is even more courageous."

When Jia Lian heard the three words "Sun Shaozu", it was like thunder exploding in his mind: What a guy, what a guy.

When Prefect Lin saw Jia Lian's gloomy face, he thought: Oh no, the Inspector is looking for someone to vent his anger on.

Normally, it would be difficult to punish a general without a reason. After all, the lieutenant general is a fifth-rank officer. Today's situation is special, and the excuse is ready. Prefect Lin wanted to speak for Sun Ming, but after thinking about it, he held back. This is Wei Xuezhong's fault, and it has nothing to do with me.

Sun Ming was quite tough, and did not even try to dodge the whip marks on his face, which were bleeding, and he took the three whips. Jia Lian sat on the horseback, looking at him coldly without saying a word. When Wei Xuezhong looked back and saw Jia Lian's expression, he secretly groaned in his heart.

As the commander of the navy, Wei Xuezhong can only control the area around Bohai Sea, mainly Tianjin and Dengzhou. He can control this group of people mainly because of his favorite general Sun Ming, otherwise the group of grandsons in Dengzhou may not obey orders. The disobedience here does not refer to military orders, but many things outside of military orders, which can only be resolved by fighting in private.

Thanks to Sun Ming, Wei Xuezhong was able to subdue the Dengzhou people and make them act in unison, not daring to make small moves, so that the business could grow bigger and bigger. Of course, Wei Xuezhong also had a backer. In reality, the bad thing was this backer.

Therefore, Wei Xuezhong didn't dare to mention it at all. It would be fine if he didn't mention it, but something would definitely go wrong if he mentioned it.

Jia Lian also asked Xia Shouzhong, but this guy just refused to say anything, and he had a very good reason: he was afraid that Jia Lian would cause trouble.

Emperor Chenghui currently has too many things to deal with urgently, one after another, and is so busy that he has no time to go to the harem.

Thinking of this, Jia Lian decided to suppress his emotions and stay put for now. He would do nothing and report the truth. Emperor Chenghui would surely ask for more details, which would be a chance to exaggerate. I could kill him without making a sound, so why take the risk?

"Hmph!" Jia Lian snorted coldly and turned his face away, meaning, Wei Xuezhong can do whatever he wants, I don't care.

Seeing that Jia Lian had endured it, Wei Xuezhong thought that this guy must have some ideas, and he would have to bleed a lot to get through this time. Facing Sun Ming's greeting, Jia Lian had a cold face and rode forward very impolitely.

Sun Ming stood there in a daze for a while. After receiving a look from Prefect Lin, he quickly mounted his horse and caught up.

"I made some arrangements last night. This guy doesn't like the country girl. Be fully prepared tonight and send him to his door. Otherwise, the commander-in-chief will not be able to protect you." Prefect Lin reminded him with concern. After all, everyone has a community of interests.

While speaking, Prefect Lin also gestured to the number "three". Sun Ming's face turned bitter when he heard it: "Thirty thousand taels? Isn't that too much?"

"If it's less, I'm afraid he won't like it." After emphasizing it again, Magistrate Lin urged his horse to catch up.

Sun Ming and his subordinates fell behind. He wanted to follow closely. Wasn't it because Jia Lian had a bad look on his face before?

When Sun Ming caught up, Jia Lian looked at him and said, "Why are you following me if you don't go and investigate the case thoroughly?"

When Wei Xuezhong saw this, he immediately said, "Why don't you go quickly? Remember, you must report a result to me in the evening."

Jia Lian did not have an outburst on the spot, but everyone could see that his mood was very bad.

Wei Xuezhong and Prefect Lin were also silently calculating in their minds how much money they would have to pay to keep their positions this time.

Prefect Lin was not particularly anxious. He would only serve one term and would most likely be transferred. This position was too attractive and many people were eyeing it. If he was re-elected, people would be jealous and it would be easy to be manipulated. Wei Xuezhong was really anxious. As a commander, he would serve until retirement if nothing unexpected happened. If something unexpected happened, it would be a real surprise.

At night, Jia Lian stayed at Dagukou. There was a nicely maintained manor house there. It was bought by Sun Ming, who gave it to Jia Lian and lived in the military camp.

In the evening, Jia Lian used the excuse of being tired to decline the banquet. Everyone knew that his unhappy face was not to be appeased without some more money.

After washing and cleaning up, Jia Lian was very angry. Damn Sun Ming, he enjoyed himself too much. There were no less than 30 young and beautiful maids in the farm, and eight of them were always serving Jia Lian. If Jia Lian was more unrestrained, he could get rid of fatigue when taking a bath. Unfortunately, the timid Jia Lian drove everyone out, washed himself, and changed his clothes before coming out.

Two maids in thin shirts were fanning Jia Lian on both sides. In response, Jia Lian expressed his refusal to be corrupted and would never be involved in it again.

It was not until Wei Xuezhong asked for a meeting that Jia Lian smiled.

(End of this chapter)