Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5055 Who is at a disadvantage
Things in the world are ever-changing. There is no such thing as absolute, no absolute gain or absolute loss. Most of the time, you lose in the morning and gain in the evening. There has never been an absolute judgment between gain and loss.

No one wants to do something that will offend others, but if there is something to gain from offending others, and after weighing the pros and cons, then some people are willing to do it.

……

Guo Guangjing did not summon the aristocratic families to the governor's mansion, but treated them with courtesy. Early the next morning, he wore casual clothes, brought two servants, and carried a few simple gifts. He left the governor's mansion, walked leisurely on the street with his hands behind his back, and went to Xiao Yu's residence inside the city gate.

There are only a few ordinary houses, but the interior is luxuriously decorated, and the heritage of a wealthy family can be seen everywhere.

Xiao Yu was a little caught off guard by Guo Guangjing's visit. The governor of Liangzhou stayed in his mansion all day long and had no interest in government affairs. He was more interested in studying calligraphy and writing books, and looked like a scholar rather than a provincial governor.

Why did you suddenly leave home today and come to visit me without any warning?
Welcome people into the house and sit opposite each other in the study. Outside the open window is a courtyard planted with flowers and trees, with warm sunshine, thriving grass and trees, and the fragrance of tea.

"This tea is the best quality picked before Qingming this year. Because the temperature in Qiantang area is slightly lower this year, the production is scarce and extremely precious. I only got half a catty of it. I usually don't drink it. Today, I will serve it to the distinguished guests who are here."

Guo Guangjing looked at the emerald green, clear, oily and bright tea soup in the white porcelain teacup, smelled the elegant orchid fragrance, and exclaimed: "It is said that tea in the Ming Dynasty had become a tribute, and it was extremely rare for the people to enter. Duke Song is indeed a giant in Jiangnan. I think there are very few people in the world who can treat guests with this tea. I feel deeply honored."

Taking a sip of the tea, I was amazed by its refreshing aroma and slightly sweet aftertaste.

Both of them were well-educated, aloof and self-respecting, and were famous scholars in the world. They drank tea and chatted freely, getting along very well and feeling that they had met too late.

Guo Guangjing was straightforward, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, he spoke bluntly: "I am coming to your house with such presumption because I have an extremely urgent matter to attend to, and I would like to seek the advice of Duke Song."

Xiao Yu asked curiously, "The governor is in charge of a region and has great prestige. What can I do for you?"

"Duke Song is too polite, but this matter is both of great importance and somewhat difficult to talk about..."

"Haha, so it's related to me? Why don't you tell me? If it's easy, I'll do it right away. If it's hard, I'll find a way to do it. If it's not possible, then I can't help you."

Hearing Xiao Yu's evasive words, Guo Guangjing did not take it seriously, so he told him about Cheng Yaojin and Niu Jinda's request to "cede land", and he did not hide his intention of intimidation and coercion.

Finally, he sighed and said, "As the governor of Liangzhou, I should take care of all the interests within my jurisdiction. Moreover, the aristocratic families have invested so much in Liangzhou, which has brought many opportunities to the local people. But I am just a governor. I can't control the army, let alone a duke or a county duke. What can I do?"

Xiao Yu stroked his beard and pondered in silence. He was truly shocked.

How could Cheng Yaojin be so shameless?
The noble families came to Liangzhou to plant cotton, and they paid a huge price. Liangzhou had rarely experienced wars since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and it developed rapidly during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, with a stable situation and wealth. Therefore, all the fields within its jurisdiction were owned by owners, and the local tyrants in Liangzhou were not vegetarians, so the tricks of robbing and plundering were not applicable.

The only option is to reclaim the unowned wasteland.

Fortunately, although Liangzhou is hot, it has a wide range of water systems and convenient irrigation, and cotton does not require high soil...

Why didn't the Liangzhou tyrants reclaim those wastelands before? Because the cost of reclaiming wasteland was too high. They had to hire manpower, livestock, and vehicles, and they had to take into account food for people and horses. They also had to build canals and level the land. All these things, when added together, amounted to an astronomical amount of expenses.

But now Cheng Yaojin wants to take over the cotton fields that have already been planted and are growing well by the aristocratic families without spending a penny. How shameless is he?
This is simply unreasonable!
But despite being furious, he had to consider Cheng Yaojin's request.

Because this guy's intimidation really hit the mark...

At present, the military of Liangzhou is divided into two groups. One is the Zuo Wuwei stationed in Guzang and the You Xiaowei stationed in Fanhe, and the other is the state soldiers and prefectural soldiers under the Liangzhou Governor's Office. Not to mention the state soldiers, their quality is really worrying. Even if the prefectural soldiers of the Governor's Office and the prefectural soldiers of Zuo Wuwei are both prefectural soldiers, they are different. One is engaged in farming all year round, and is trained by the Sima of the Governor's Office in winter or during the busy farming season, while the other stays in the army for more than half a year and undergoes the most rigorous military training, so their combat effectiveness is incomparable.

If there really were "An remnants" causing trouble and destruction, and the Left Wuwei and Right Xiaowei turned a blind eye and did nothing, it would be extremely difficult to maintain public order with only the state and prefectural soldiers from the Governor's Office, because the An family had been stationed in Liangzhou for a long time and had deep ties with the Governor's Office and government offices at all levels, and those state and prefectural soldiers might even be part of them.

Two military forces, one participating in the destruction, the other watching the fire from the other side...

The whole Liangzhou will be in chaos.

As for whether the "An family remnants" would really cause trouble and sabotage, Xiao Yu felt that as long as Cheng Yaojin was rejected, that would definitely happen.

No one knows who the "An's remnants" are. As long as they are called "An's remnants", they can only be...

Xiao Yu couldn't say no, but he couldn't agree on the spot either: "This is a serious matter, I can't make the decision on my own, I still need to discuss it with many aristocratic families, and notify you after a decision is made."

Guo Guangjing was very understanding and nodded, saying, "That's exactly what should be done!"

But he immediately reminded him, "But it's better to hurry up. Once Duke Lu and Duke Langya become dissatisfied and fail to control the army, those hidden 'An remnants' may jump out. If any damage is caused, not only will I, the governor, be held accountable, but you, the Duke of Song, who is a member of an aristocratic family and is in charge of the property in Liangzhou, will also be held accountable."

Xiao Yu: "..."

The officialdom is really a big jar of corruption. Even a gentle and knowledgeable person like Guo Guangjing has been corrupted and has a black heart.

Guo Guangjing's face was serious and his tone was low: "What's more important is that Liangzhou not only controls the throat of the Western Regions, but also is the key to supporting Tubo. At present, Lun Qinling is confronting Songtsen Gampo under the city of Luoshui. The various Tubo tribes have taken sides and the war is about to break out. The reason why Lun Qinling can have such momentum is all due to the support of the Tang Dynasty. If Liangzhou changes and the situation becomes unstable, it will affect the food and weapons supporting Lun Qinling, causing Tubo's occupation to change unfavorably to the Tang Dynasty. This is something I will never allow to happen."

Xiao Yu had a terrible headache.

He already understood Guo Guangjing's position. The aristocratic families were afraid that chaos would break out in Liangzhou, which would affect their huge investment in cotton fields. As the governor of Liangzhou, Guo Guangjing not only shouldered the responsibilities of guarding the area and protecting the people, but also had the important task of deterring Tubo and pacifying the Western Regions. Compared with the aristocratic families, Guo Guangjing was even less likely to sit idly by and watch chaos break out in Liangzhou.

Therefore, Cheng Yaojin's intimidation not only hit the vital points of the aristocratic families, but also directly grasped Guo Guangjing's lifeline.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yu did not hesitate any longer and made a prompt decision: "Since Governor Guo said so, how can I not consider the overall situation? I will make the decision right now and allocate 10,000 mu of cotton fields close to the canal to Cheng Yaojin."

Guo Guangjing laughed: "Since you are going to give in, why not just retreat three steps and leave others speechless? If you only take a half step back, what's the point other than being laughed at for being petty?"

Xiao Yu's eyes were burning: "Is Governor Guo speaking for Cheng Yaojin?"

Speaking up for Cheng Yaojin could be said to be a situation that forced him to do so, but speaking for Cheng Yaojin and fighting for his interests meant that both sides were on the same camp, and the power of the aristocratic families in Liangzhou would be greatly weakened, and they would even be restricted in various ways in the future.

The situation is completely different.

Guo Guangjing shook his head and denied: "I am the governor of Liangzhou. I only stand on the side of the governor of Liangzhou and only for the interests of Liangzhou."

Xiao Yu pondered for a while and said, "Thirty thousand acres, no more, otherwise I won't be able to explain to the other families."

Guo Guangjing was helpless: "Does Duke Song think Duke Lu will be satisfied?"

Xiao Yu was so angry that his long beard fluttered without wind: "Why should I, Xiao Yu, care whether Cheng Yaojin is satisfied or not?"

Guo Guangjing was very patient and tried to comfort him, "I know it's difficult for Duke Song, but you can think about it from another perspective. Before Duke Lu owned the cotton fields, the quality of these cotton fields had nothing to do with him. Even if something went wrong, he could just sit back and do nothing. But when he owned the cotton fields, he was on the same side as the aristocratic families and would definitely care about them. With tens of thousands of troops under his command, he would have both men and horses, and he would be bold and careful. He would definitely be able to protect the cotton fields. It would be a win-win situation if we paid for some cotton fields and brought him into the group."

Xiao Yu laughed in anger: "In this case, should I thank him?"

"No need to thank me, but if it is a win-win situation, we should consider it."

"Cheng Yaojin, this shameless thief!"

After angrily cursing, Xiao Yu took a deep breath and said, "Fifty thousand acres, one cent more is impossible! Whether it's Liangzhou or Hexi, at most I can take the noble families back to their own homes, and leave all the investment here. We can afford it!"

Guo Guangjing spread his hands and said, "I just said this in front of you, and it's fine if you listen to it. If Duke Lu knew about it, I'm afraid he would beat drums and gongs to send you home, and then he would go and grab all the cotton fields."

Xiao Yu: "..."

I was so angry that I was confused.

Calm down and think about it. Cheng Yaojin got the cotton fields for nothing, Guo Guangjing stabilized the Left Guard and the Right Guard, and Liangzhou was safe... It seemed that only I was at a disadvantage?

……

Guo Guangjing felt that 50,000 acres was already very good. The aristocratic families had invested countless financial and material resources, but had only reclaimed and planted more than 300,000 acres of cotton fields. It was impossible for Cheng Yaojin to take away 100,000 acres of cotton fields at once, right?

That's not ceding land, that's cutting flesh.

Negotiations must always be within a reasonable range, otherwise if the lawsuit is brought to Chang'an, Cheng Yaojin will be the one who is at fault...

Xiao Yu drank a sip of tea to calm down, and simply ignored this, and asked: "How is the situation in Tubo? Last winter, Lun Qinling advanced to the city of Luoshui, and the stalemate lasted for a whole winter. I'm afraid neither side can stand it, right?"