Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

After finishing the official business in Gaotang Prefecture, Liu Ye and others hurried all the way to Jinan.

In Jinan, at this time, all the princes who had already received the imperial court's order rushed over to pay homage to the new governor and the governor. They would be their immediate superiors in the future, so how could ordinary people afford to offend them?

However, everyone couldn't help but grumble. They heard that Liu Ye wasn't easy to get along with, with a fiery temper. He'd even beaten three princes in the capital. He'd come to Shandong to clean up the bureaucracy. Who wasn't a hypocritical figure these days? As the saying goes, "Three years as a clean official earns you 100,000 silver coins." Who wouldn't take advantage of their time in office to make a killing?

Now suddenly a black-faced evil spirit appears and targets officials at all levels in the eight prefectures and one hundred and eight counties of Shandong. Who wouldn't be worried?

The ten prefects of Shandong Province and the five prefects of Zhili Prefecture, a total of twelve people came to Jinan, ready to see the famous flying general.

Of course, before paying a visit to the new governor, one must first pay a visit to the current governor and the old three officials.

Almost all the officials came to the residence of Shandong Governor Tan Tingxiang.

Dozens of provincial officials were discussing the matter. Not only these people were present, but even General Jinan and Commander-in-Chief Hebica of Shandong were alarmed. As the highest-ranking officer of the Eight Banners stationed in Shandong, Hebica was aloof from the world and not under the jurisdiction of the governor. Even when signing a joint memorial, General Jinan had to sign first, which shows how powerful he was.

"Lord Xing! You are the governor of Shandong. The responsibility of supervision lies in your hands. Liu Ye has come to Shandong, obviously to cause trouble. When the time comes, you must make the decision for us!"

The Shandong Provincial Governor has resigned. Now, Tan Tingxiang sits in the middle, with Hebica on his left and Xing Mingtang, the provincial supervisor, on his right.

Ma Deren, the prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture, had close contacts with Xing Mingtang, so he naturally showed his courtesy to Xing Mingtang.

Xing Mingtang nodded and replied, "Master Ma, no matter what, even if Governor Guo arrives in Shandong, he still needs us to govern the province. Can he kill everyone he sees? Besides, who has a clean bottom these days? If we are all good to each other, if we really get serious, even if so many officials from our province come together to petition, Liu Ye will still be overwhelmed. Why should we be afraid of him? As long as everyone is careful and cautious at the beginning and give him some face, I believe that if he can reach the position of Governor, he will not be ignorant of this little bit of etiquette, right?"

Hebita on the opposite side snorted coldly and replied, "What? Liu Ye hasn't even arrived yet, and you're all already showing off? You're afraid of him, but this general is not. Liu Ye, he's just relying on Prince Gong's favor. Now he's offended three princes in the court. Hehe, he's lucky to be able to save his own life. Do you think he dares to cause trouble? If he doesn't mess with this general, it's fine. But if he does, he will have to pay the price!"

Hebita was a legitimate member of the Plain Yellow Banner, a man of good family descent, and held the title of Third-Class Auxiliary General. Even Tan Tingxiang in Shandong had to treat him with respect. He was very unimpressed with the incoming Liu Ye. "Damn it! He bullied the three princes of the Qing Dynasty. Has all the Manchus changed their tempers? See if he can get on my nerves!"

Tan Tingxiang on the side hesitated and said, "Lord He, this Liu Ye is indeed not to be underestimated. When the Anglo-French coalition invaded the capital, I met him once. He was only a young man, but his insight and ability were second to none. Otherwise, he would never have been appreciated and supported by Prince Gong and Prince Seng. He is new to the important position, so it is better to let him have his moment. Now he is in the prime of the emperor's favor. The general cannot defeat him. In the past six to five months, everyone has gradually become familiar with him. If he wants to govern Shandong well, he cannot do without your full support. You know, when two tigers fight, one will inevitably be injured."

Tan Tingxiang was apparently trying to persuade Hebica, but in his words he placed Liu Ye above Hebica. Hebica had always been arrogant and looked down on everyone, so he was naturally even more indignant. However, today, Tan Tingxiang was the host and he was the guest, so he couldn't say too much.

Tan Tingxiang himself was filled with rage. He had been doing well as Governor-General of Zhili, but because of his blunders during the Opium War, including deserting the battlefield, he was abruptly demoted from Governor-General to Governor-General, with the title of Viceroy. Now, even that position was gone, and he was forced to become a Right Viceroy in the Ministry of Works. How could a Viceroy compare to the satisfaction of being a Governor-General? In Shandong, he had the final say. But at the imperial court, there were plenty of high-ranking officials, first and second-rank officials. How could he expect such an easy life? And what about a Viceroy in the Ministry of Works, with no real power?

Damn it, Liu Ye, you pushed me out of Shandong, so I'm going to drive a huge nail between you and Hebita! Don't even think about having an easy life!

Xing Mingtang on the side said with a smile: "General He, Your Excellency the Governor, even if Governor Liu arrives in Shandong, what can he do? If he wants to rectify the administration, he can't go around me, the Governor, right? Could it be that he wants to take action directly? As long as I am in Shandong, everyone here should not make too much trouble, and we will all be in peace. Many hands make light work, so everyone here should give me some face. A new official has three major tasks to do, so don't make mistakes when the fire is hot. I guarantee that nothing will happen to you!"

The prefects and governors below were delighted to hear this. This was a guarantee from the Minister of Justice. With his promise, what else was there to worry about? Even if Liu Ye wanted to take action, he had to be led by the Minister of Justice. The supervision of the various prefectures and prefectures could not be avoided without the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner!

"Thank you, Your Excellency, thank you very much, Your Excellency!"

Xing Mingtang was so flattered by his subordinates that he almost lost himself. In Shandong, Tan Tingxiang was about to leave, and the provincial governor had already left. Of the three officials, he was the most senior and had the widest network of contacts. Furthermore, he and Hebita had each other's support. Even if Liu Ye came to Shandong, he would have to give him some respect. A powerful dragon can't defeat a local snake! Life would definitely be comfortable. Governor Tan had nailed the nail well. That rough fellow Hebita couldn't see it, but he saw it clearly!

Xing Mingtang had a good idea. A strong dragon could not defeat a local snake. However, not all strong dragons would give in to the local snake. Liu Ye had already formulated his own plan. Anyone who blocked the implementation of the plan would be eliminated without a doubt. Xing Mingtang was not far from being eliminated!