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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 96: Governance
The Prefect is the highest official of a county, responsible not only for governing the people, promoting the worthy, adjudicating disputes, and inspecting officials, but also has the authority to appoint and dismiss subordinate clerks at will.
Except for a few specific officials like the county magistrate who cannot appoint themselves and require the Ministry of Personnel's approval, all other subordinate officials can be decided upon by a single word.
Upon entering the Governor's Office, Li Jian Cheng was faced with a thick stack of documents that needed his attention. Therefore, his immediate priority was to find a few aides to handle trivial matters and provide advice on important issues.
The Li Family has been passed down through generations, and it was natural that they did not only raise Guardians; he brought along six aides in total, two of whom had accompanied Li Yan through the three provinces of Qiao, Qi, and Long, bringing with them rich experience.
Although Li Jian Cheng was not lacking in aides, he still reached out to Lu Zu, a representative of the Liu family, expressing his hope that they would send talented young members from their family to serve as aides in the Governor's Office and assist him with Zhuojun's governance.
This was an overt gesture of goodwill, and the prominent families had no reason to refuse or hesitate. They had prestige and talent but were suppressed without Clan Soldiers; or rather, they had them but dared not bring them into the open, and their numbers were limited.
Li Jian Cheng came as a nobleman with over a thousand elite private soldiers and concurrently held the position of Zhuo Commandant, wielding military power in Zhuojun. If he truly lost his temper, it would be no problem for him to eliminate all their clansmen within Zhuojun.
Li Jian Cheng smiled at the elder of the Lu Clan and said, "If you drink the Imperial Wine I brought, please help me convey back that I have long admired the talents of the Lu Clan. If they are unwilling to come, then I shall personally go to invite them."
The key to controlling Zhuojun lay in whether or not the Lu Clan would cooperate. If they were unwilling, other families would naturally follow suit, significantly diminishing the Prefect's authority.
If the Lu Clan did not present a genuinely talented Legitimate Offspring to express their sincerity, then Li Jian Cheng would not hold back. It was worth tolerating minor matters for a good reputation, but on crucial issues, he would certainly not yield an inch.
Everyone's gaze turned towards the elder of the Lu Clan. After a moment, he replied, "I am honored that the Prefect values our Lu Clan. I will report this to our clan leader upon my return and select outstanding youths from our family to serve under you."
"That would be excellent. In a few days, I will host a banquet to solemnly entertain you gentlemen."
"This should be our responsibility to arrange; how could we trouble you?"
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, everyone took their leave. The County Magistrate and others reported on Zhuojun's general situation and urgent issues needing attention. Li Jian Cheng indicated that he could afford to wait a day or two before they also took their leave.
Once they departed, Li Jian Cheng instructed his Guardians to patrol several counties in Zhuojun and seek out corrupt officials who exploited the common people. With new officials taking office, it was necessary to eliminate some while dismissing others.
There was no need for covert investigations; simply going directly to ask the locals would suffice. The first targets would be those who were most foolish and wicked—no one could dispute such choices.
As for those who were deeply hidden or operating behind the scenes, that would depend on how families like the Lu Clan responded. If they complied willingly, then matters could be handled accordingly; if they resisted, further investigation would be required.
In such a large family, how could there not be a few maggots?
"Master, I leave the county troops entirely in your hands. Promotions and dismissals will be decided by you alone. As for the Guardians we brought, you can take half of them with you."
Li Jing had been sitting nearby for a while. Upon hearing this, he stood up and said, "In no more than half a month, the county troops will be at my command."
He trusted Li Jing's capabilities in this regard, and Li Jing also had great confidence in Li Jian Cheng's abilities in governance. Together, what was Zhuojun to them?
After Li Jing left, Li Jian Cheng picked up his brush and began to write a memorial to the emperor, asking for His Majesty's blessings for a smooth arrival at Zhuojun. He noted the disarray in local governance and military affairs but assured that he would carry out His Majesty's orders and reach Zhuojun before the deadline, without hindering His Majesty's military and state affairs.
He then started writing letters to relatives and old friends, informing them of his successful appointment and expressing how much he missed them.
Just writing the letters took over an hour. His hand, accustomed to archery, felt sore and weak, but such matters had to be handled personally.
After rubbing his wrist, he wrote another letter to Ashina Tuoji. Qimin Khan was ill, reportedly quite seriously; it must have happened in recent months.
As the eldest and most valiant son of Qimin Khan, Ashina Tuoji had a significant chance of claiming the title of Turkic Khagan, so it was essential to maintain this connection.
Once he finished writing, he sat quietly for a moment, carefully considering whether he had overlooked any important figures.
Once he confirmed there were none, he relaxed and accepted the plain tea that Li Jin offered him—tea without all those strange additives.
Though it was somewhat bitter, it was better than having an overwhelming taste of scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns' spiciness, dates and cinnamon's sweetness, orange peel and mint's freshness, or the greasy flavors of beef, lamb, or pork.
Overall, things were progressing smoothly. The Lu Clan might be somewhat arrogant, but they likely wouldn't be foolish enough to confront him head-on.
As long as he could find an opening, gradually Li Jian Cheng would be able to bind their entire clan to his cause. At that point, they would either prosper together or perish together; he believed they would make wise choices for the sake of their family.
…………
At the morning court meeting, Yang Guang frowned as he looked at the short Emissary. The Emissary appeared very submissive, shrinking back as he prostrated himself while mumbling something.
The Minister of Rites struggled to translate: "The King of Wa Kingdom regards Heaven as his elder brother and the Sun as his younger brother; before dawn, the king meditates instead of sleeping to govern state affairs. After dawn, he withdraws from court and delegates political matters to his younger brother."
Then holding up the memorial from Wa Country, he said: "Your Majesty, the letter states: 'When the sun rises, the Son of Heaven sends greetings; when it sets, the Son of Heaven is well.'"
Yang Guang's brow twitched; he felt an urge to kill this Emissary and send troops to conquer them. However, considering that a nation of barbarians who did not understand etiquette was not worth such a response.
"Barbarians, those who are disrespectful shall not be heard again!"
However, after considering that this was a nation, he decided to first send someone to convey proper etiquette, appointing Pei Shiqing as the envoy to Wa Country.
The next envoy to pay tribute was much more respectful. Red Earth (Malaysia) presented the Golden Hibiscus Crown and Camphor. The Emperor ordered Director of Agricultural Colonization Chang Jun and Director of the Department of Yu Wang Junzheng to travel to Red Earth, bringing five thousand bolts of silk and a state letter to the King of Red Earth.
King Quboya of Gaochang sent an emissary requesting that the Sui Dynasty grant him a princess. If possible, the king was willing to come in person to marry her.
The Yang Family did not have a suitable princess available for marriage, but it didn't matter; whoever was declared a princess would be one. Thus, after agreeing with the emissary, they conferred Princess Huarong as Princess Huachong.
Then the Emperor issued an edict to conscript over two hundred thousand strong men to build the Great Wall.
Noticing that there were quite a few foreign envoys in Capital City, he decided to go to Mount Heng for a sacrificial ceremony, allowing these emissaries to assist in the rites and observe.
However, after the ceremony, Yang Guang began to express disdain for the many countries in the Western Regions, noting that only about ten or twenty had come to pay their respects. He resolved to completely conquer the Western Regions.
The Emperor's gaze temporarily shifted from Goguryeo to the Western Turkic and Tuguhun; as long as these two thorns remained, the Western Regions would not turn towards the Sui Dynasty.
………………
(End of Chapter)
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