Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5054 Thick Face and Black Heart
Cheng Yaojin was carefree and unconcerned. He waved his hand and said, "Just do your best, Governor. At worst, I will lead the army back to the capital. Although the officers and soldiers under my command may not get any property, it is not bad to go back to my hometown to have a wife and children to live in."

Then he turned to look at Niu Jinda and said comfortingly: "But you will have to worry more about me in the future. You must discipline your soldiers and clean up the remnants of the An family as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the stability of Liangzhou is affected, it may cause great losses."

Niu Jinda nodded repeatedly: "We don't care whether it's stable or not, but if it affects the performance of Governor Guo, it would be a shame. But don't worry, Marshal, it's not a big problem."

Seeing the two of them singing the same tune, Guo Guangjing couldn't help but twitching his eyelids.

Not a big problem?

If we can't get the land, there will be a big problem...

There was no way to deal with these two bandits. Guo Guangjing stroked his forehead with his hand, feeling very upset. "The food and wine must have been prepared. Please go to the canteen and have a few drinks. I hope you don't mind if we have some simple food and drinks to show our appreciation."

"Governor Guo has an elegant personality and noble conduct. Not everyone can enjoy the wine and food in the governor's mansion. It is an honor for us brothers to be able to treat us to a meal. I am very happy. How can I be surprised? Although I was familiar with the governor in the past, I was not a close friend. After a long chat today, I found that we have similar temperaments and like-minded people. I suddenly felt that we met too late. We must get drunk together, haha!"

The corners of Guo Guangjing's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Who has a similar temperament or like-mindedness to a shameless person like you?
You are cursing!

At the banquet, Guo Guangjing forced a smile, had a hypocritical expression, and spoke insincerely. After getting a little drunk, he finally sent the two bandits away alive.

He returned to the study, drank two sips of strong tea, and rubbed his forehead in confusion.

Nephew Guo Yiren knocked on the door and walked in, his handsome face full of indignation: "How can Duke Lu be so strong-willed? My uncle has always respected him. Before, he and An Yuanshou had been fighting and attacking each other, causing unrest in the whole Liangzhou. My uncle turned a blind eye and actually condoned it. Who would have thought that he would not only forget this favor, but also be shameless, intimidating and coercing. It's really too much!"

Guo Guangjing sighed, beckoned Guo Yiren to sit beside him, and taught him earnestly: "You can't just look at the surface of things, and you can't just look at the tip of the iceberg. You only see that Cheng Yaojin is ungrateful and takes advantage of me, but you don't see that your uncle's situation is no longer the same as it was before. Back then, An Yuanshou was entrenched in Liangzhou, bossing people around and holding up the sky with one hand, treating Liangzhou as his fiefdom. I, the governor of Liangzhou, was trembling with fear and trepidation, and didn't dare to speak loudly. Although Cheng Yaojin has gone too far now, he has never interfered in the affairs of the Liangzhou Governor's Office, and all the orders of the Governor's Office can be followed and implemented. In comparison, I am now fulfilling my duties as the Governor of Liangzhou!"

Although Cheng Yaojin was a bastard and shameless, he never interfered in local government affairs and was very knowledgeable about the rules. In this respect, he was much better than An Yuanshou.

In fact, he wanted to accept Cheng Yaojin's favor...

Guo Yiren was still very angry: "Does my uncle really want to be coerced by them and negotiate the cession of land with the aristocratic families?"

"Don't think he is just threatening me. That guy was called 'the devil of the world' by Emperor Taizong in the past. If he can say it, he can definitely do it. Besides, they are just seeking benefits in their respective positions. With different positions and interests, it is inevitable that there will be some conflicts between them, whether tit-for-tat or mutual compromise. This does not affect their respective principles."

Guo Guangjing had no son, so he had been raising his nephew by his side to teach him, with the intention of adopting him as his own son: "I was indeed threatened and intimidated by him, and I was resentful, but in this way I can also use Cheng Yaojin's edge to suppress the aristocratic families. Otherwise, do you think that with a mere governor of Liangzhou, I can make those aristocratic families farm honestly? Those people must be stirring up trouble in Liangzhou, and then sideline me! With Cheng Yaojin, they have to worry about whether there are really 'remnants of the An family' sneaking around to cause trouble."

Evildoers must be punished by evildoers.

The aristocratic families have never been good men and women. No matter what their real purpose is in investing huge sums of money in growing cotton in Liangzhou, once they flock to Liangzhou, they will undoubtedly interfere with the political orders and personnel affairs of the governor's office by various means. This is beyond doubt.

Although Guo Guangjing boasted that he was a descendant of meritorious service and had both civil and military talents, and now was in charge of a region and held great power, he could not guarantee that he could maintain his authority as the Governor of Liangzhou under the attack of the aristocratic families.

Moreover, why should we fight to the death with the aristocratic families with swords and guns?
Just let Cheng Yaojin take the lead and attract the vitality of the aristocratic families...

The reason he is worried now is how this matter can be handled so that he can be removed from the situation and Cheng Yaojin can confront the aristocratic families without bringing harm to himself.

The best way is naturally to tell them frankly, put all the responsibilities on Cheng Yaojin and Niu Jinda, and let the aristocratic families weigh the pros and cons themselves. Given their profit-first approach, I think they will definitely agree to it with a wry smile.

But there are also disadvantages. How can Cheng Yaojin just bear the responsibility honestly?

Although he holds the military power and no one dares to provoke him, it is extremely foolish to fight against all the aristocratic families on his own. At that time, Cheng Yaojin will definitely pull him, the governor of Liangzhou, to his side to resist the counterattack of the aristocratic families together.

After much thought, I can only choose between Cheng Yaojin and aristocratic family.

In this way, the aristocratic families would regard him as Cheng Yaojin's "accomplice"...

Guo Yiren thought about it and understood the reason, but he was still unhappy: "Duke Lu is a great minister of Zhenguan, with tens of thousands of armored soldiers under his command, and he has made great achievements and a respected position, but how could he do such a shameless thing?"

Guo Guangjing said patiently: "In the officialdom, what is needed is a thick-skinned and black-hearted person. Only such a person can rise straight up and prosper forever. If one has a kind and righteous heart and acts uprightly, he will often be tied up and suffer the consequences."

"Is there no kind and righteous person in the officialdom?"

"Of course there are. Not to mention the distant past, there were such people in our Tang Dynasty, such as Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng. But take a look, what kind of people are they? They are destined to be famous ministers in history! For most people, that is an unattainable height. They will never be able to reach it in their entire lives. They do not have such talent and such character. And they must not imitate others, otherwise they will not only be ruined, but also become a laughing stock for all eternity."

There are only a handful of people at the top, and it is out of reach.

And the vast majority of ordinary people can only go with the flow and float up and down in this world.

After all, Cheng Yaojin did dig a hole for him this time, but he saw it clearly and jumped in willingly.

Because there is no room for bargaining.

It’s just like this time Cheng Yaojin wants the aristocratic families to “cede land”, do the aristocratic families dare not refuse?

If you cut off the land, you will feel pain; if you don’t cut off the land, you will feel headache!
*****
After returning to their residence, Cheng and Niu asked the chef to prepare two side dishes and opened a jar of wine, and then they sat opposite each other in the study to drink.

Although they had just had a drink at the governor's house, Guo Guangjing was obviously in a bad mood. After drinking a few cups, he asked someone to serve tea and send him away. He almost chased him away with a broom...

Since I'm still in the mood for wine, I naturally want to continue drinking a few more glasses.

Niu Jinda took a sip of wine and said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid that the Marshal's move will offend Governor Guo. How can he ask the noble families for help with such an empty-handed move? As soon as he asks, he will offend people. I'm afraid that the noble families will think that he is in cahoots with the Marshal to seize the cotton fields together."

Cheng Yaojin disagreed: "We are not forcing him to do it with a knife. If he doesn't want to go, he can just not go."

"How dare he not go?"

There were rumors here that the "remnants of the An family" might come out to cause trouble and sabotage, and Guo Guangjing must have been scared. If this really happened, not only would he lose his position as the Governor of Liangzhou, but he would also have to return to the capital and ask for punishment. His career would be tarnished, and the third-rank official rank would be the peak of his career that he would never be able to reach.

You have to bite the bullet and negotiate with the aristocratic families.

But this is not a very fair way to do things, it is too much...

Cheng Yaojin held the pot and poured wine, speaking earnestly: "If we don't force him to our side, how can you fight against those old foxes from the aristocratic families when I return to the capital? You can let Guo Guangjing handle the official affairs, and you just need to guard the barracks and stir up some noises from the 'An family's remnants' from time to time."

Niu Jinda was startled and almost spit out the wine in his mouth. He widened his eyes and asked, "The Marshal is still planning to return to Beijing?"

Isn't it said that acquiring an industry can relieve soldiers and officers from their homesickness by making them worry-free?
Now that I'm back in Beijing, why do I feel homesick?

In order to appease the Zuo Wuwei, Guo Guangjing had no choice but to go and negotiate the "territory cession" with the aristocratic families. When the "territory cession" was settled, you would just pat your butt and return to Beijing... Can you still be a human being? !

Cheng Yaojin said in surprise: "What nonsense are you talking about? Of course I have to go back to Beijing! For us, guarding the border is indeed a great power, and we are not subject to the orders of the emperor. But at the same time, we are far away from the center, and we can only suffer passively if we cannot influence the situation in the center. Cotton fields can make money, but we can't sacrifice the main thing for a little money, right?"

Niu Jinda was almost numb: "But why did you let Guo Guangjing negotiate with the aristocratic families? Isn't that cheating people!"

This is so unethical.

Cheng Yaojin looked at him like a fool: "Do you think Guo Guangjing doesn't know our plan? Even if he is deceived, he is willing! Although I have returned to the capital, the cotton fields are here, and you are here too, so I must support him unconditionally. With the support of our two armies, he can be considered a true governor of Liangzhou. Otherwise, do you think those aristocratic families will stay here honestly instead of completely sidelining him?"

Niu Jinda suddenly realized: "By forcing him, we are actually giving him an excuse?"

Cheng Yaojin was very proud: "So, he had to work hard to get the land from us, and he has to thank us!"