Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5053 The Demon King of Confusion
Guo Guangjing echoed, "That's true. We were all born and raised by our parents. We have to leave our homes to defend our country. We can't be filial to our parents, nor can we be with our wives and children. It's okay for a short time, but if it goes on for a long time, I'm afraid we will all want to go back home, and the morale of the army will be unstable."

However, he was thinking in his mind that it was no secret that Cheng Yaojin was eager to return to Beijing. The situation in Beijing was now turbulent, and countless people had lost their power. The meritorious officials of the Zhenguan period were gradually dying out. If he didn't go back, he would probably be thrown into a corner and eat dust.

Why did he run to the governor's mansion to tell him specifically?
I don't have such a close relationship with Cheng Yaojin, so he must have other intentions...

"Who is not?"

Cheng Yaojin sighed, looking torn. "But what the governor said is reasonable. The land west of the Yellow River seems peaceful, but in fact, it is full of hidden dangers. The remnants of the An family are hiding everywhere and will certainly wait for an opportunity to destroy it. At present, not only are there aristocratic families in Liangzhou who have invested heavily in reclaiming wasteland and planting cotton, but they also have to bear the heavy responsibility of supporting Lun Qinling with food, fodder and military equipment. If there is any mistake, the consequences will be disastrous... On the one hand, the soldiers and officers are concerned about their hometowns and are eager to return. On the other hand, the safety of Liangzhou is not optimistic and is in danger. I am also in a dilemma, so I came to your house today to ask the governor for advice."

Guo Guangjing stroked his beard and stopped talking.

Looking for my advice?
Can I take your advice?
Why should I make decisions for you?

After pondering for a while, Guo Guangjing was unsure of Cheng Yaojin's intention, so he said tentatively: "We soldiers are the backbone of the empire. It is important to be filial to our parents and raise children, but the interests of the country are more important. As Duke Lu said, the current undercurrents in Hexi are surging and there are many hidden dangers. It is better to have an elite garrison like the Zuowu Guard to guard it properly."

There was no mention of the other Right Guard stationed in Fanhe, which was previously commanded by the An family.

Cheng Yaojin hinted: "But we can't help but take the feelings of the soldiers and officers into consideration."

Guo Guangjing began to think about it: "Duke Lu, how do you think we should take care of the feelings of the officers and soldiers of the Left Guard?"

Cheng Yaojin drank a sip of tea and said loudly: "Being a soldier and fighting in a war is just to get tax exemptions, promotions and rewards. However, only a very small number of people will be promoted. There are only a few officers in an army of tens of thousands. Therefore, for ordinary soldiers, benefits are the most important."

After a pause, seeing Guo Guangjing's half-smile, he continued, "Right now, the land reclamation around Liangzhou is in full swing, and cotton is planted everywhere. I think if the soldiers had such an industry, they might be able to guard Liangzhou with peace of mind and treat Liangzhou as their hometown. If anyone intends to destroy it, they will fight back angrily!"

Guo Guangjing understood that this guy was jealous after seeing the aristocratic families investing so much in Hexi and planting so much cotton, so he wanted to get a piece of the pie.

After thinking for a while, he said generously: "Although Liangzhou is rich and populous, it is not as big as the Central Plains. There are still a lot of wastelands in the surrounding areas with towering mountains and continuous deserts. Duke Lu can mobilize his soldiers to reclaim the land. As long as the land is reclaimed, I will let the chief clerk of the Liangzhou Governor's Office record all the land in the name of the Zuowuwei and use it as military reclamation. What do you think, Duke Lu?"

Military reclamation is regarded as the property of the army. The army is responsible for the labor and is self-sufficient, and is exempt from all exorbitant taxes and levies. This is already a great policy preferential treatment.

After all, whether it was mountainous, desert, or Gobi, all land was nominally owned by the Liangzhou Governor's Office. Once the tens of thousands of troops of the Left Guard reclaimed the land, how could a few thousand acres be enough? At least tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of acres.

With so much land being allocated to military reclamation, the Liangzhou Governor's Office would have to bear certain political risks...

However, Cheng Yaojin seemed to be very loyal and respectful of rules, and did not want Guo Guangjing to take risks for him: "How can this be? I just want to buy some property to reassure my generals. I must not let Governor Guo break the rules, otherwise I will not bear it."

Guo Guangjing didn't understand again. It was you who proposed to buy an industry, so I gave you preferential policies to allow you to buy an industry. Why is it not possible?
Just get straight to the point: "What exactly does Duke Lu want to do? Please speak frankly."

Cheng Yaojin revealed his true intentions: "We have already reclaimed hundreds of thousands of acres of wasteland, all thanks to the efforts of the soldiers of the Left Guard and the Right Guard. I suggest that we should allocate a piece of land to us, which will save us trouble."

Guo Guangjing: “…”

He stared at Cheng Yaojin with wide eyes, as if trying to make sure that this guy was not drunk and talking nonsense.

The manpower for reclaiming the wasteland was indeed the soldiers of the Zuo Wuwei and You Xiaowei, but the aristocratic families paid for it!
Because of Fang Junzhi's suggestion, aristocratic families flocked to the city from all over the place, and whether sincerely or not, they invested real money to reclaim wasteland, hire hired soldiers, supply food, buy cotton seedlings, build canals... In short, they invested huge amounts of money.

Now, with just one sentence from you, you are going to take away a piece of land that has been cultivated and where cotton seedlings are growing vigorously?

It is indeed convenient and saves trouble for you, but how can I say this?

Do you still have any shame?!
Niu Jinda lowered his head and drank water without saying a word...

Guo Guangjing's expression changed. He pondered for a long time, organized his words, and found that there was really nothing to say, so he asked directly: "This... I'm afraid it's not good, right?"

Cheng Yaojin put the teacup heavily on the tea table and sighed, "I know it's a bit unreasonable, but what can we do? If we cultivate the land now, we can't plant cotton seedlings until next spring. The soldiers will have to wait another year, and the morale of the army will be even more dispersed... The governor was also a commander of the army. He should know that the morale of the army is like a mountain. Once the morale of the army is dispersed, it will be a disaster. How can we defend a place and guard a state? In order to avoid the Xiaoying incident, we can only set off to Chang'an as soon as possible."

Guo Guangjing thought for a moment and looked at Niu Jinda: "The soldiers of the Left Guard are all from Guanzhong. They are away from home for a long time, so they are inevitably homesick. But the Right Guard are all from Hexi. With tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, they can surely defend one side."

Niu Jinda shook his head quickly: "I dare not take on this important task! Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the Right Guard has been controlled by the An family and their sons, who have appointed people based on personal connections. The whole army has been infiltrated like a sieve. Before they are all cleaned up, I must not take on the responsibility of guarding a place. Otherwise, if there is a change in the army, it will be too late to regret it."

Guo Guangjing understood completely, how could these two people come here to discuss things?
It's clearly a warning.

If he agreed to the other party and persuaded the aristocratic families to "cede land for peace", Liangzhou would be peaceful. If he did not agree, Cheng Yaojin would return to Beijing as soon as the whole Liangzhou would be thrown into chaos by the "An family's remnants"...

Looking at Cheng Yaojin and then at Niu Jinda, Guo Guangjing let out a long sigh and said helplessly: "It's not that I don't want to help, but I really can't."

Cheng and Niu were very reasonable. The former even smiled innocently: "I know this matter makes the governor embarrassed, so I find it difficult to say it, but after considering everything, I think this is the only way to achieve the best of both worlds. The governor does not need to feel guilty."

Guo Guangjing: “…”

Why should I feel guilty?

After careful consideration, Guo Guangjing said: "In this case, Duke Lu can discuss with the noble families. If the noble families ask for my opinion, I will support you."

Cheng Yaojin shook his head repeatedly: "I am just a country boy from Jizhou. I have no knowledge, no authority, and I have a bad temper. How can I know how to negotiate? I am afraid that we will start fighting before we even say a few words. It will only hurt the harmony, but it will affect the public security of Liangzhou. It is better for the governor to come forward on my behalf."

Guo Guangjing was extremely speechless. He really wanted to ask this person, do you know that a fight will break out if you make this request?

However, he was indeed deeply afraid of Cheng Yaojin's threat to the public security in Liangzhou.

Niu Jinda is in cahoots with him and obeys his orders. If he really secretly creates some "remnants of the An family" to stir up trouble and cause destruction everywhere, the Liangzhou Governor's Office will be helpless.

If he did not agree to come forward, there would never be peace in Liangzhou.

In recent years, Fang Jun has risen rapidly and has become very famous. His name "Bangchui" is well-known in the government and the public. His reckless style makes people complain and feel helpless. However, everyone forgets that before Fang Jun, there was a "devil king" who was unreasonable and did many evil things...

Compared with Fang Jun, this one is even better.

Sighing, Guo Guangjing said helplessly: "Then I will step in and try to get the aristocratic family to allocate a piece of land for you... How much does Duke Lu intend to offer?"

Cheng Yaojin pondered for a moment, then said, "Maybe I can afford to buy cotton seeds during the spring farming season."

Guo Guangjing's eyes widened, as if he had seen a ghost: "Only give me money to buy cotton seeds?"

How much money can that be?!
"Even if you don't buy it at market price, what about the money for reclaiming the wasteland? What about the money for building the canal? You won't pay for anything?"

Cheng Yaojin seemed to be more surprised than him: "The reclamation of the land was done by the hard work of the soldiers under the Zuo Wuwei and You Xiaowei. Why should I pay for it? Although the construction of the canal is expensive, the canal is not only used by all the reclaimed wasteland, but also by the farmland on both sides of the river. Why should I pay for it?"

Niu Jinda, who was standing by, lowered his head and covered his face, and had a new understanding of Cheng Yaojin's shamelessness...

Guo Guangjing was dumbfounded and shocked.

So, you want to get tens of thousands of acres of cotton fields that have been cultivated and are growing well without spending a penny?

Oh, it’s not that I didn’t pay a penny. I still gave you money for the cotton seeds...but how much can cotton seeds cost?
Is one acre of cotton seeds worth ten cents? !
He took a deep breath and still held out a glimmer of hope: "Duke Lu is serious?"

If you tell me you are joking at this time, I would really think it is a good joke.

Cheng Yaojin nodded solemnly, with a sincere look on his face: "Of course I am serious. For the sake of tens of thousands of soldiers in both armies and for the long-term stability of Liangzhou, this is the best way."

His extravagant hopes shattered. Guo Guangjing took a deep breath and stared at Cheng Yaojin for a long time. Seeing that Cheng Yaojin looked at him without any shame, he could only nod and said, "I will discuss this matter, but I can't guarantee the outcome."