Chapter 98: Way Of The Minister
In the 33rd year of the Shu Tian Calendar, April, the corruption case of the “public slave camp” was exposed, and Wu Fei dealt with a large number of people.
Because a large number of the managers of the public slave camp who committed crimes were all meritorious sons and daughters appointed by Wu Fei.
Wu Fei: “These fools were dragged into the water by merchant groups.”
For these fools, Wu Fei adopted the connected liability system, reducing the military merit of those recommenders, but the maximum reduction did not exceed one-third of the military merit!
This is the same principle as when Wu Fei collects grain, he must leave enough rations for those whose grain is being collected.
If one’s achievements are suddenly wiped out too much, it will cause huge rebellion; wiping out one-third is just right in the range of feeling heartbroken and learning a lesson, yet still willing to obey orders.
In this major case, eighty percent of the implicated people, their connected liability merit guarantors did not reach the level of wiping out one-third of merit; of course, even so, the entire military was full of complaints, and some soldiers, upon returning home, immediately educated the wasteful children. Their parents and elder brothers also beat these wasteful children.
For a time, many places in Lingnan were filled with cries from the execution of family laws. And the next day, ointments for treating skin wounds were in short supply.
…calculation dividing line…
As for the remaining ten percent or so of the seriously implicated people, the crimes they committed, if offset by military merit, would exceed one-third. Wu Fei simply did not let them use their precious military merit to offset it.
Of course, as a supporter of the “Legalist system,” Wu Fei would not engage in any amnesty.
“Deducting military merit will lead to devaluation of blood reward” so unlimited “deduction of military merit” is not possible.
Zhu Chongba’s “exemption from death gold medal” and “Great Ming treasure notes” became jokes because they could not preserve value. As the Southern Border Military Master, Wu Fei attaches great importance to preserving the value of military merit blood rewards under his command.
Wu Fei found another exchange method to make them hurt, directly issuing them “merit offset debt.” Lending them a batch of “merit points” to redeem their sins. These lent merit points are not subject to the “one-third” limit, but they must be repaid.
Redemption in the bureaucratic system is absolutely impossible to be money,
The “commutation silver” system is the most foolish decision. Because the top cannot distinguish: which piece of silver is saved through frugality, and which is obtained through intensified extortion; therefore, having officials hand over commutation silver is equivalent to indirectly punishing the people under bureaucratic management.
Wu Xiao Que: “But there is one thing that can absolutely be distinguished as whether it belongs to the official himself, and that is youth.”
…loanable, very loanable…
In the General’s Mansion at Yongji Pass, Wu Fei personally hosted a banquet for this group of military merit representatives whose families had unfilial descendants. This included some Wu family disciples.
When facing these military merit representatives kneeling one by one, weeping bitterly, and begging him to “directly execute the criminal family disciples according to the law,” Wu Fei chuckled inwardly and silently thought: “Damn, playing palace coup with me.”
Wu Fei remembered that Shi Hu had done this, using the trick of weeping and begging for punishment as a retreat to advance.
Of course, Wu Fei is not a monarch like Shi Hong who lacks authority; Wu Fei now truly has the ability to carry out a great purge. So this group of merit faction people coming to cry and whine, their “advance” in retreat is actually just hoping for a high raise and light drop.
At the banquet, the expectation of each merit dog: Wu Fei softens and “raises high, drops lightly.”
They have reason for this idea, after all, having served Wu Fei for so many years, they have figured out Wu Fei’s character; Wu Fei has always killed few in the military.
Of course, Wu Fei’s few killings do not mean this group is not afraid; Wu Fei’s punishments are not lacking at all.
At the banquet, after everyone had cried, Wu Fei slowly expressed clearly: “Exemption from responsibility cannot be reduced, but merit can be not reduced.”
This sentence made everyone freeze for a second, not knowing what Wu Fei meant. It was as if saying something inexplicable like “prison time must still be served, but salary doesn’t need to be reduced.”
Then, they knew this was not “inexplicable”; Wu Xiao Que’s leaping thinking made them, in the moment of opening their mouths in surprise, forcibly stuffed with a cup of punishment wine.
Wu Fei: “The related military merit guarantors, taking their family’s implicated disciples, go to station outside the southern Ling River for more than ten years, or more than twenty years to offset the criminal liability. In this major case, the person who committed the biggest case must be permanently stationed in Southern Ling River for at least sixty years. (almost three generations) The stationing duration of this part of outer stationers is related to the merit points required for the “merit offset debt.” One loan, one settlement; outer station duration does not accept reductions from any new merits in the future. In other words, during the outer stationing, you are still “meritorious” lords, with no demotion in rank.”
Many Wu family disciples who just wanted to scrape together some merit, with the petty idea of begging to stay without leaving, were directly rejected by Wu Fei.
Wu Fei: If merit can unlimitedly offset, merit becomes worthless, and the law turns into a farce. Don’t think I don’t know, some people although demoted, still have family support. But directly taking merit and demoting out, the family cannot reach with long whip to help, this is truly “punishing to the pain point.”
As for what if they commit crimes again south of Ling River? The binding force of laws south of Ling River is very weak; unless open rebellion, basically no laws can be violated; compared to laws, the greater danger is after messing around, being quietly strangled by unbearable subordinates, then reported as death by illness.
Wu Fei is very certain that this group of southern stationing merit groups will definitely work hard.
Wu Fei doing this also has political needs, needing a stable group in Southern Ling River to continuously accumulate merit discourse power; this group can speak from the perspective of Southern Ling River, rather than individual atomized ones seeking the center to privately cash in merits as tickets to squeeze into the empire’s central core.
This is equivalent to Wu Fei setting a one-way valve, through one-time punishment, sending all meritorious sons and daughters to the border, then prohibiting them from lowering their status to return.
If a region’s meritorious sons and daughters all rush to exchange for transfer back to prosperous areas, collectively devaluing themselves, selling their merits to return to the central core area, this forms a vicious cycle.
That is, border people’s status will become lower and lower, becoming a place for exiling convicts.
When the border has no one in charge, the empire cannot invest in the border.
And after the empire’s central collapse, the border, which originally had no imperial titles provided, immediately detaches.
But with imperial provided titles, after the “high merit” group sits in charge. When the empire’s central authority declines, these people ranked very high in the empire’s sequence are unwilling to shake off the empire’s brand, and may even loyally support the king; and after the second empire is rebuilt, due to power disparity unable to confront, they will also bargain with the new dynasty after its establishment, demanding to join.
It can be said that in this corruption case, while Wu Fei wields the knife inward, he is still seizing the opportunity in the crisis to strengthen border control.
…on the other side…
After the military merit faction was fiercely rectified, they immediately turned their hostility toward Chen Shengxi, whom Wu Fei had promoted.
Wu Fei almost synchronously received a large number of small reports within months. Among them, “noble family disciples group visiting Chen Shengxi” and “northerners secretly meeting privately” such secret reports came one every day.
Speaking of which, the military merit group, over these years, has obviously figured out Wu Fei’s likes and dislikes, disliking the Confucians’ “benevolent governance.”
These noble family disciples visiting Chen Shengxi are without exception the “benevolent governance” faction, wanting to disband the public slave camp to let the people recuperate.
So the merit factions hurried to pick things Wu Fei doesn’t like to hear and say.
Unfortunately, Wu Fei in internal affairs is using shoe puller face to draw gourd, whether military merit or civil officials, all are let be.
Moreover, even if those noble families visiting Chen Shengxi are “benevolent governance,” and loudly shouting: “disband the slave camp,” even cursing “Wu Xiao Que tyrannical,” what does that prove? As long as it doesn’t block his arrangements, Wu Fei won’t casually raise the knife.
Wu Fei has already made it very clear to Chen Shengxi, he directly reports to him. Ensure the smooth operation of the public slave camp. As long as he completes the targets he set, Wu Fei doesn’t care how he conciliates with others of different tendencies.
Wu Fei even made it clear to him: Do your main job well, and you’re allowed to seek fame and reputation. You’re allowed to describe in the biography how you advised me.
The contradiction here with Wu Fei is actually the ultimate final contradiction of the Eastern Dynasty: the two Blood Labor systems of civil officials and military officials, competing to exchange for limited “Blood Rewards,” that is, discourse power before the monarch. The Military Merit Faction and Economy Faction will undermine each other.
The monarch cannot favor either one. Favoring the Military Merit Faction leads to being swept up in expansion, ultimately unable to exchange Blood Rewards, turning into the late Tang fiefdom system; favoring the economic civil governance faction leads to the civil official system causing severe internal consumption in the state, unable to integrate collective strength, resulting in the Ming extinction scenario.
For the founding monarch and the second and third generations, maintaining balance between these two is easy; only when successors are completely brainwashed by one faction does the balance break, and the dynasty goes downhill.
…The civil and military in the Southern Border are subjects to Wu Fei, and Wu Fei is still a subject of Da Yao…
Late April, Wu Fei returned from outside the pass to inside the pass, of course still inevitably putting on a show of personally farming. So he went to the Tusi in the mountains inside the pass to participate in rice transplanting in the terraced fields, arriving at the field ridge, where Zhao Xian Zhong ran over, and the horse cart stopped on the dry road.
Zhao Xian Zhong wanted to bow, Wu Fei said: “No need to kneel, there’s a lot of mud in the fields, it’s troublesome to wash off when you go back, stand and say whatever it is!”
Zhao Xian Zhong took out a chicken feather letter and handed it over. Wu Fei tore it open, paused slightly, and asked Zhao: “Those people from the Imperial Court have chased over?”
Zhao Xian Zhong: “Yes, they passed Yongji Pass four days ago and have now entered Fen Xing City, specifically naming General you.”
Wu Fei nodded: “Mm, looks like they’re in a hurry.”
Zhao Xian Zhong: “Sir, these guys come with ill intent, this is our turf, how about I give them a lesson.” (Face showing ferocity, hand slashing fiercely)
Wu Fei stared at him: “What do you want to do? They’re the Imperial Envoy. If you want to give them a show of strength, when they report back up top, they’ll make things hard for us.”
Zhao Xian Zhong shut his mouth, but lowered his head, not knowing what he was thinking.
Wu Fei took off his shorts, changed into cloth clothes long pants, and said confidently: “After they chase over, just go pay respects. Hey, pick some fish, eels, and some fresh sweet potato leaves, go back and cook. Consider it a hint to them that we’re busy with farm work, not neglecting them.”
Zhao Xian Zhong: “Young Military Master, now this subordinate and all the brothers, as well as the various Misters of the General’s Mansion, all hope Sir you won’t leave.
Wu Fei paused slightly, understanding the gist.
Zhao Xian Zhong and the others had heard from somewhere that the Imperial Court wanted to transfer Wu Fei away. So they wanted to plot something to leave the Imperial Court helpless.
Wu Fei glared at them: “Don’t act rashly, my uncle is already working the connections in the court, don’t ruin the big plan.”
Zhao Xian Zhong persisted: “What if the Imperial Court really wants to transfer Sir away?”
Wu Fei was thinking, his body unknowingly starting to heat up, feet stepping in the paddy field, bubbles rising from the mud, as if it had been plugged in to heat up.
Zhao Xian Zhong knelt down: “Young Military Master, the Southern Border can’t be without you, the hundred thousand military and civilians of the Wu Family Army at Yongji Pass can’t be without you.”
Wu Fei grabbed his collar, lifted him up, and said: “Relax, everything will be arranged properly. Don’t act rashly, the Imperial Envoy absolutely cannot have any accidents here.”
After Zhao Xian Zhong withdrew, soon the civil governance advisors of the General’s Mansion also took action.
This advisor was one Wu Fei had brought from Yongzhou. Seeing Wu Fei, he hurried over. Wu Fei raised his hand: “Relax, I won’t act rashly, I will certainly follow the way of the subject toward Da Yao.”
However, the advisor said: “But General, the Southern Border can’t be without you now either.” Wu Fei glanced at him and nodded: “I’ll arrange it properly.”
With Da Yao now intervening, both civil and military temporarily set aside their contradictions and began to unite against the outside.
The Southern Border is currently in a transformation stage, so Wu Fei double-checked several key contradiction minefields.
1: The army shifting from “advancement” to “Tuntian.”
2: Benefit disputes between “regional dealer traveling merchants” and “traditional powerful merchants” here with the merchant caravans.
3: In that area of the Southern Border, ideological conflict between traditional “slave usage” and the “education and indoctrination system” of the southern migrating noble families.
These three points require Wu Fei to coordinate and adjudicate. Wu Fei cannot leave now, at least not before leaving an heir, absolutely cannot. Of course, the left-behind heir had better not leave either.
Both military merit and civil nobility are going all out to compete for Wu Fei’s next heir position, but they currently do not know Yao San Gu’s methods.
While Wu Fei (Xuan Chong) was entangled, the System: “Exchange for Virtuous Helper? Consumption requires 0.2 academic credits, answering questions can be free.”
Xuan Chong silently looked at the System: “I choose to answer questions.”
The System brought up a line of small text (why not keep being stubborn) and then issued the test paper: “Please explain, if the heir can only understand family-state and civilization concepts verbally, without genuine personal experience, what will happen?”
Xuan Chong thought for a moment and answered: “They can only feel the glory, but cannot feel the responsibility of bearing the load and moving forward.”
Just as Wu Fei answered, in the rear San Gu suddenly dry-heaved, then felt extremely unwell, as if on the verge of death, past scenes flashing in her mind, but at the end of each one was Wu Fei’s appearance.
…At the Da Yao royal banner here…
Yongji Pass, Outlook Pavilion, this is the terminal part of the entire “double wings spread” city structure. If this entire city is a peacock with tail fanned, this pavilion is the peacock’s head.
The pavilion interior is built with the best local stone, and the artisans put in twelve parts effort, the floor tile seams tight
Da Yao Dynasty’s Chief Envoy Gong Qian sat in the guest seat. Vital Energy of wind, frost, and thunder attributes in his hand was harmonizing the tea in his hand. The Deputy Envoy beside him was an Imperial Guard military officer named Qian Zheng.
Qian Zheng then looked around at round after round before saying to Chief Envoy Gong Qian: “My lord, this exceeds the regulations here.”
Gong Qian glanced at this disciple who had just come down from the sect and asked in reply: “Where did he overstep the bounds?”
Qian Zheng: “As a Major General, Wu Yuanchang’s mansion should not exceed…”
Before he could finish his words, Gong Qian interrupted him: “This is not the General’s Mansion!”
Gong Qian knocked on the table and said: “This place is a watchtower, and this place is not a city under the Imperial Court roster, but a pass.”
Seeing Qian Zheng fall silent, the Chief Envoy sighed and said pointedly with frustration, “You’ve been cultivating in the mountains unaware of the passage of time. Now is not the time of ‘Under Heaven at peace.’ The soldiers and generals within Da Yao territory all must be treated with caution by the Imperial Court. Not to mention, people like this who open up territory outside the pass.”
Meanwhile, on the other side, after Wu Fei hurriedly returned to Yongji Pass, he was flipping through the Great Yao Imperial Envoy materials: “Chief Envoy Gong Qian is a bureaucratic family disciple of the Da Yao Dynasty. Ten years ago, he served as envoy to the northern domain countries for Emperor Shu, dividing and pulling in the various countries, helping Emperor Shu complete the important northern expedition military merit.”
At Yongji Pass, Gong Qian was also silently reciting Wu Fei’s information: “As early as last year, the Imperial Aura of the Da Yao Dynasty surged past Yongji Pass on the Map of Mountains and Rivers, galloping southward, crossing the Ling River. According to rumors (Secret Guard investigation), during the southward process, the Wu Family Army gathered massive industries outside the Pass.”
Gong Qian, as the envoy who traveled thousands of miles, noticed something extraordinary upon arriving at Yongji Pass. He saw that Yongji Pass was extremely densely populated, with dozens of civilian towns within a range of over a hundred li, and at dawn, the sounds of chickens and dogs echoed continuously.
And there were roads running through these border towns. The main road that finally converged led outside Yongji Pass.
In Gong Qian’s observations, the border area was so prosperous that it should have had no military affairs for decades, yet he knew that in the year 25 of the Shu Tian Calendar, there was a rebellion in the Southern Border, and Wu Hanluan had even beheaded three thousand heads—this was not falsifying military reports.
Through inquiring with passing merchants, Gong Qian learned: “The beheadings reported by the Wu Family Army in the Southern Border were real, and there has been warfare year after year in these years as well.”
When Gong Qian asked the local border residents: “Warfare year after year—why does this place look so prosperous and abundant? During great wars, is there no need for labor service?”
The merchant heard this, looked at him, and asked: “You are from out of town, right?”
After confirming, the merchant smiled without speaking at Gong Qian and said: “Great wars naturally require labor service. But we in the south have a good general.”
After Gong Qian privately left Yongji Pass and arrived at the “outside the pass” area marked on the Map of Mountains and Rivers, he had inquired along the way, passed through jungle roads one after another, and upon reaching Fen Xing City, it suddenly opened up. Seeing the endless fields of crops, he understood that the state of affairs achieved by the Wu Family Army on the Southern Route in the rumors was already extraordinary.
There was a city, and in the waters controlled by the city there were large areas of fields—this was the configuration of a northern border small country.
Seeing the military armament of the Wu Family Army on the Southern Route along the way, Gong Qian confirmed that the strength of the Wu Family Army far exceeded that of most small countries he had visited. Oh, the patrol armament he saw along the way was the Baojia service as laborers of the farmers.
So after returning to Yongji Pass, as the imperial envoy, he did not sit in the main seat in the hall, but instead sat in the guest seat.
Not understanding yet if Wu Fei still had some “minister’s propriety,” Gong Qian deliberately did not display the Imperial Flag at first, but met Wu Fei holding the tally staff instead. Only after Wu Fei sensibly knelt in minister’s ceremony did he hand the tally staff to his attendant to store and switch to the Imperial Flag.
