Hearing these words, the Governor closed the book and threw it aside. His face was expressionless, "Ever since the Exterminating Pirates was announced, the pirates have been weakened. Ying Prefecture's finances have increased tremendously. Your navy has been allocated the right amount of money. However, up till now, the pirates have yet to be exterminated. The commoners along the coast are still being harassed by them. This makes my heart ache."
As the Governor spoke up to this point, he shook his head and sighed. When Chen Ping heard these words, he could no longer stand still and knelt down, "Governor your excellency, it's not that I don't want to exterminate them. It's just that these pirates are extremely cunning. Every time we want to send the navy to exterminate them, someone would report to us and run away. It's really despicable.
The Governor took a sip of tea and said coldly, "If you really had such capabilities, how could the pirates have dragged on for so long?"
His tone was calm and his expression was calm. However, to Chen Ping, it was like a bolt of lightning had struck him.
Although Chen Ping was a military man, he understood the importance of the matter. The Governor's term of office was rarely more than six years.
When the Governor came to Ying Prefecture, he had to repair roads, build a relay station, establish a school, provide aid to the poor, and persuade farmers to work. These were all achievements and not meritorious deeds.
Now that he had accomplished three major things, the first was the subjugation of the town, the second was the extermination of the pirates, and the third was the opening of the port. These were all meritorious deeds that could be passed down to future generations.
However, these three things were not perfect. The only thing that was not perfect was the fact that there were still some stubborn pirates who would occasionally attack the coast. This was the fifth year since the Governor had been in Ying Prefecture. Next year, he would be transferred to another post. Chen Ping was unable to exterminate the pirates, and could not allow the Governor to have meritorious deeds. At this point, he was sweating profusely.
The Governor knocked on his cup, his hands were well-maintained, as though he was deep in thought. After sometime, he said, "If you can't deal with the pirates, I think the only way is to report to the Emperor and ask him to send someone else. However, your position as a general would have to be shifted."
Hearing these words, Chen Ping was a general of the navy, and was a fourth ranked official. At this point, his entire body was drenched in cold sweat. Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead. He couldn't take it any longer and kowtowed repeatedly, "Governor your excellency, please give me a chance. I can issue a military order to wipe out all of these pirates."
The Governor toyed with the lid of his teacup as he watched this arrogant and unruly general admit defeat. His heart was filled with satisfaction. At the beginning of the founding of the nation, the martial arts were the most powerful. Not to mention Ji Bei Hou, even this general was unconvinced. But now, in the ninth year of the founding of the nation, the rule of law had gradually increased, and the martial arts had gradually declined. The situation was completely different. Even a general like this could only kneel before the Governor.
Therefore, the civil officials almost unanimously suppressed the military officials, and the Emperor was happy to see this happen.
Although this was what he was thinking, his face remained expressionless. He watched as Chen Ping knelt before him, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, dripping onto the ground. The Governor then spoke, "Fine, I shall give you this chance. However, I shall appoint another person. You cannot be the person in charge."
Hearing the Governor's words, Chen Ping's face turned pale as he hurriedly replied, "Governor your excellency, Governor your excellency, please give me another chance. I shall be willing to sacrifice my life for you."
"Look at you now, where are your manners as a general? It's not like I'm stripping you of your position."
"The person I appoint will not have an official position. The general will be yours in name, and the credit will be yours as well. However, you will have to listen to my orders. If you are unwilling to comply, and fail to wipe out the pirates, you will have to take full responsibility."
Hearing the Governor's words, Chen Ping heaved a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't demoted, everything was fine. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and asked, "Governor your excellency, who do you appoint? I shall take good care of him."
"There's no need for that. The person I appointed is only in charge of the grand scheme of things. He's a talented person. If it weren't for a stroke of luck, I wouldn't have been able to invite him." The Governor said as he stroked his beard.
"Your excellency, who is it?" Chen Ping asked.
"Pei Zi Yun."
Chen Ping was suspicious. This man was a scholar, how could he lead an army? The Governor then waved his hands, "When we return, report the names of all the officers in the navy."
"Yes, your excellency, Governor. That's easy. The Yamen has a list of names. I'll send it to you right away." Chen Ping swallowed his words. Seeing that the Governor had nothing else to say, he nodded and left.
Seeing that Chen Ping had left, the Governor then turned to the butler, "When the list of names is here, make a copy of it and send it to Fu Mansion, and pass it to Pei Zi Yun."
"Yes!"
Seeing that the butler had left, the Governor stared out the window without saying a word, silently plotting his next move. Pei Zi Yun's literary skills and poetry were unparalleled in the world. He had personally experienced the war against the pirates, and had even heard rumors about the Crown Prince. However, whether or not he would be able to win the war, it was hard to say.
However, it was already a foregone conclusion that he would be transferred next year. Since the navy was able to completely annihilate the Wokou pirates, it would be perfect. Perhaps he would even be conferred the title of Earl.
If they couldn't win, the main commander would still be Chen Ping. That would be his responsibility, and he would have a justifiable reason to arrest Chen Ping.
At this point, most of the military power in Ying Prefecture had been taken over by the Imperial Court.
Ji Bei Hou's Mansion, Study Room
Outside the study room, there were soldiers standing guard. Shen Zhi was in front of a table, arranging documents. An oil lamp was lit, and the flames from the lamp shone brightly. Shen Zhi looked through the documents one by one, and summarized the contents of the documents. He then wrote a small note on it and pasted it on the back.
After pasting a note, he rubbed his eyes and face, trying to regain his composure. At this point, a voice came from the door. Someone bowed, "Mister Shen, I have a secret report."
Secret reports were usually nothing good. When Shen Zhi heard this, he frowned, "Come in!"
A black robed man walked in and handed him a letter. Shen Zhi took the letter and looked at the seal on the cover. He frowned.
He opened the letter and read through it. He was shocked and slammed his hands on the table, "Damn it, the Governor is too much!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly entered.
Along the way, there were soldiers standing guard, with swords at their waists. Their eyes were fixed on the guards, and the atmosphere was tense. When he arrived at a courtyard, he walked in. He could hear the voices of people. It was Ji Bei Hou, who was standing on the stairs, "Master Hou, I have something to report."
The voices inside stopped, before a voice could be heard, "Come in."
"Yes!" Shen Zhi entered the room and looked around. He then bowed to Ji Bei Hou, "Master Hou, the Governor has sent Pei Zi Yun to deal with the pirates."
"The details are here."
As Shen Zhi finished, he handed the report over. Ji Bei Hou received it and started reading it. After a few seconds, he flew into a rage, "What a scoundrel! He's trying to kill me! "
As he said this, his mouth was filled with bitterness. In terms of military power, reputation, ability, and planning, he was far above the governor. Disregarding everything else, in this current situation, the fact that the people he had planted in the governor's manor were still able to continuously send him confidential information was proof of this. But even so, he was being weakened step by step.
This was because the Governor had the backing of the Imperial Court, and was using overt tactics.
Ji Bei Hou raised his head and thought for some time before speaking, "I didn't expect the Governor to side with the Crown Prince, and go against King Lu. Shen Zhi, what do you think?"
When Shen Zhi heard this, he replied, "Master Hou, rather than saying that the Governor is biased towards the Crown Prince, it's more accurate to say that the Governor is biased towards the Imperial Court. The Imperial Court is a civil official, and would empathize with the Governor. No matter who he chooses to side with, he would think of ways to weaken the Governor."
"The Governor may not be clear about the relationship between us and the pirates, but that doesn't stop him from removing the military power within and outside Ying Prefecture."
"Although we've split up and gained a lot of wealth, our military power has been weakened. By controlling a portion of the pirates, we've managed to preserve our people. If we were to lose them all, Master Hou would have to cut off one of your hands."
"The most shocking thing is that if the Governor were to use other generals, the responsibility would be borne by the Governor. However, in name, the general would still be Chen Ping, and Pei Zi Yun would only be a Counselor. If the Governor were to fail, Chen Ping would be the one to take the blame."
"Although Chen Ping wouldn't actively seek Master Hou's support, and isn't one of our own, once he's taken over, the entire military power within Ying Prefecture would belong to Master Hou alone."
"If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. The Governor's move is extremely vicious." Shen Zhi was a trusted aide, and thus didn't try to play any tricks.
When Ji Bei Hou heard this, his face turned ashen. He paused for some time, "So it's right for us to side with King Lu now?"
"Yes, it's right. King Lu is different from the Imperial Court. King Lu isn't the Crown Prince. If he wants to usurp the throne, the last thing he would do would be to use military force."
Ji Bei Hou nodded his head and thought for some time. He then laughed, "Mister Shen, go and see Ang 'er. He's been cooped up in his room these few days, and his personality has become much darker. However, it's not a bad thing for a man to have such an evil aura. Go and ask Ang' er what he thinks about this."
"If he has any ideas, we can leave some matters to him."
"Yes!" When Shen Zhi heard Ji Bei Hou's words, he couldn't help but sigh. He used to be a young master, but now half of his face was ruined, and he was blind in one eye. He was neither human nor ghost. How could he return to the way he used to be?
Shen Zhi walked through several corridors before he knocked on a door.
"Come in!" Wei Ang spoke out, as though he was drunk.
He pushed the door open and entered the room. There were several jugs of wine on the table, and the smell of alcohol permeated the air. Wei Ang's hair was disheveled, and he was drunk.
"Where's Huang Li?" When he entered the room, Shen Zhi frowned and asked. Usually, Xiao Cui would take care of Wei Ang by his side. He didn't expect her to be missing today.
When Wei Ang heard this, he gave a bitter laugh, "I've sent her away. What future does she have with a half-blind and disfigured young master like me?"
Seeing Wei Ang in such a state, Shen Zhi felt a pang in his heart. Wei Ang had been his student for many years, and was a gentleman. To see him reduced to such a state, Shen Zhi felt extremely sad.
Huang Li was Wei Ang's maidservant. When something happened to Wei Ang, she cried her eyes out and became very ill. Now that she was released, Wei Ang probably didn't want the people close to him to see her like this. Who knew what was going on?
"Master Hou wants me to ask some questions. Take a look before you speak." Shen Zhi handed the report over.
Wei Ang shook his head and regained his composure. He took the report and looked at it for awhile before saying, "Haha, the Governor has a good plan. He wants to chop off one of my father's arms, or is it Pei Zi Yun who will carry it out? This junior brother is really going against Hou Mansion at every turn. "
When Shen Zhi heard this, he was both surprised and happy. He was surprised that Wei Ang's hair was disheveled, and his face was pale. He wore an eye patch, and looked like a one-eyed dragon. The scar on his face was even more hideous. Although he was smiling, he looked eerie and scary.
He was happy that just by looking at the report, he was able to make a decision. Third Young Master had improved greatly.
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