GBP Chapter 561: Hatred
Chapter 561: Hatred
The officials were all very shrewd; how could they not understand Liu Ye's meaning? It was simply a matter of him acting as a special envoy with the governor's order to oversee the relevant matters of grain collection and storage.
This matter shouldn't be difficult to handle. With the governor's order and the righteous cause of resisting the Manchus, who, whether commoner or local official, would dare disobey? Anyone who resisted would be accused of "colluding with the Jurchens," punished with caning for minor offenses and beheading for serious ones—ensuring no one dared to utter a sound. As for who would compensate the people for their losses, that wasn't their concern. What worried them was what would happen if they encountered the Manchus requisitioning grain while guarding the people's harvest only a few dozen miles from the Manchus—wouldn't their lives be in danger?
It seems that the Earl of Pingnan, who was temporarily invited by the governor to take charge of defense, did not give much consideration to the personal safety of these officials. After making suggestions, he only cared about the future of the people.
"My proposal will have a significant impact on the people. If all the grain is confiscated, it will cut off their livelihood—not only will they have no grain to pay taxes, but they will also have no food to eat—and I fear that public resentment will boil over after the war. I have two solutions in mind for now: one is to issue a list to each household, specifying how much grain the government has confiscated, whether it is wheat or rice, and the local prefectures and counties will be responsible for returning it afterwards. However, this method is very cumbersome and has loopholes. I fear that local officials will take advantage of the situation, deceive their superiors, embezzle the grain that should have been returned to the people, or take the opportunity to extort money. The second method is simpler: pay the people in silver on the spot according to the market price of grain, and the money and grain will be exchanged immediately. After the Tartars retreat, the people can use the silver to buy grain to eat, or they can convert it into silver to pay taxes."
Liu Ye's words did not resonate with the officials. They were far more concerned with their own safety than with the lives of ordinary people, so they had no interest in discussing the two solutions, and the room fell silent.
At this moment, an official in a green robe stepped forward from the crowd, staring at Liu Ye with hostile eyes: "May I ask, Earl of Pingnan, is there any official document from the Ministry of Revenue regarding sending officials to various places to oversee the grain collection? If the autumn grain collection is delayed, who will take responsibility for this? The taxes of this dynasty are both in kind and in kind. Even if you give the people silver, what will you use to pay the in kind? Furthermore, the Dengzhou treasury is empty. Where will the silver come from?" A series of questions came out like a machine gun, one after another.
Liu Ye squinted at him and asked, "What is your honorable surname, sir, and what is your official position?"
The official in the green robe said proudly, "My surname is Zhang, and my given name is Bin. I am the Imperial Inspector of Shandong."
It turns out he was filling Lin Tianming's vacancy. Liu Ye looked him up and down a few times and said leisurely, "As an official in charge of remonstrance, Inspector Zhang's mouth is indeed very sharp. Instead of considering how to make the Tartars retreat, he only focuses on finding fault with his own people. It seems that this seventh-rank inspector position is very suitable for you. I estimate that you won't be moved for at least ten or eight years."
Zhang Bin was furious. Was this an insult, implying that he was only fit to be a seventh-rank official and hadn't been promoted in over a decade? He immediately wanted to retort, but then he thought about it. The other man was young, yet he was already a general, holding the seal of a general and the title of Right Vice-General. He was far more accomplished than him. From the perspective of official rank, it seemed impossible to argue with him. Even if he comforted himself with the idea that civil officials were superior to military officials, the other man had also been granted a noble title. This halo was something he couldn't ignore.
His thoughts changed rapidly, his face turning from white to green, then from green to black. Those who saw it all thought that the Earl of Pingnan was formidable, managing to silence the notoriously sharp-tongued Inspector Zhang with just a few words.
Liu Ye seemed to know what he was thinking, sneered, and continued, "Are you trying to say that I have no right to evaluate you, a noble and incomparably virtuous official, but when the words are about to come out, you realize that not only is my official rank higher than yours, but I also have a title that you may never be able to reach in your entire life, leaving you with no way to refute me?"
Zhang Bin opened his mouth, unsure whether to answer yes or no.
“My official rank and title were earned through hard work and fighting, so you can’t compare to me.” Liu Ye pointed at Lin Tianming and said, “You can compare yourself to your predecessor—the governor was also the Shandong Circuit Inspector. The reason he was able to rise from a seventh-rank inspector to a governor who held great power and had eight seats in his residence was not because of his words, but because of the merits he made in suppressing the rebellion.”
Zhang Bin, his face flushed and neck red, argued: "I'm not just being glib; I'm simply stating the facts. It's my duty to inspect on behalf of the Emperor and supervise local officials... Moreover, in the wilderness, we might very well encounter Tartars. Where do you place our safety?" In his desperation, he revealed his true thoughts.
So it turns out he's afraid of death. Liu Ye sneered: "Going out of the city to collect grain, you're afraid of this and that. Have you ever thought that the soldiers are risking their lives to fight the Tartars? Is your life more precious than theirs? Besides, there are priorities. Compared to the Ministry of Revenue's official documents and the autumn grain tax, driving away the Tartars is the most important thing right now. It's too coincidental that you're picking a fight at this critical juncture. I suspect you're secretly colluding with the Tartars—in wartime, if you collude with the enemy, does the governor have the authority to act expediently, to execute first and report later, in order to stabilize morale?"
Lin Tianming also disliked his successor, the Imperial Inspector. This fellow always acted like he was the best in the world, constantly finding fault and impeaching everyone to advance his own career. He'd heard from friends in the capital that when Liu Ye sent someone to propose marriage, this fellow had secretly reported it to the Emperor, thankfully the Emperor intervened. Lin had wanted to deal with this guy for a long time, and today he finally had the chance. Hearing Liu Ye's words, he nodded: "As the Governor-General of Dengzhou and Laizhou, if anyone is found colluding with the enemy during wartime, I can indeed execute them first and report later, as a warning to others."
Seeing that the father-in-law and son-in-law were working together in concert and had inadvertently accused him of "colluding with the enemy," Zhang Bin was so angry that he felt like he was going to vomit blood. He pointed at the two of them and said, "You are slandering me and suppressing dissent. I'm going to report you to the authorities!"
Liu Ye waved his hand, ordering several guards to drag Zhang Bin out. "Since he is suspected of colluding with the Tartars, keep him under guard for now, and interrogate him slowly after the Tartars retreat."
Zhang Bin struggled all the way, shouting, "You fabricated charges and framed loyal officials. I will never let you get away with this. Just wait to be impeached!"
After dealing with Zhang Bin, Liu Ye continued to ask the officials, "What are your thoughts on the proposal to purchase grain?"
Even the high-ranking imperial inspector was accused of "colluding with the enemy," and no one dared to take the risk. They all nodded and "sincerely" replied, "The suggestion is excellent. Please let the Earl of Pingnan assign the task."
Liu Ye laughed and said, "I'm not very familiar with the various prefectures and counties in Shandong. As for who will go to which place, I'll leave that to the governor. I won't take the lead."
Lin Tianming thought the suggestion was excellent. If handled properly, the Tartars could be forced to retreat without losing a single soldier. Then, a lavish memorial could be submitted, making it seem as if he had led the Dengzhou and Laizhou armies and people to drive out the Tartars, adding another significant achievement to his record. Without any pretense or modesty with Liu Ye, he dispatched officials of the seventh rank and above to the counties and prefectures near Dengzhou to collect grain, based on their rank and distance from the area.