Chapter 72: Scapegoat

Yangzhou City.

Since defeating the rebel forces, this ancient city has once again become bustling with traffic and crowds.

Aside from the absence of salt merchants’ extravagant spending, everything else remained unchanged.

The Yangzhou gentry who had successfully aligned themselves with the winning side rejoiced in their own cleverness.

As panic faded, street foot traffic swiftly returned to normal.

The arrival of the Five City Military Command had neither improved this ancient city nor worsened its situation.

Compared to the nearly intact city, the impact on the regions below was far greater.

Several counties under Yangzhou Prefecture still remained in rebel hands.

The civilian impact was even greater: countless villages had been reduced to ruins, and large numbers of refugees had gathered outside the city.

…

“The number of refugees outside the city continues to rise. Do any of you have a solution?”

The Marquis of Wuyang’s question clearly struck at everyone’s weak point.

The Great Yu Dynasty enforced strict separation between civil and military administration; outside a few exceptional border regions, military officers had never held key local administrative posts.

The Emperor’s prohibitions were sacred, and the noble clans would never dare to defy them.

Their family education had taught them to lead troops and wage war, to master strategy and intrigue—but never how to govern local affairs.

“Commander, governing local affairs is the civil officials’ duty.

As military officers, we have defeated the rebels; the aftermath should be handed over to the civil officials.

We can send word to the Nanjing Ministry of Personnel to dispatch personnel immediately to handle the refugee issue.”

A conventional proposal, offering no brilliance, yet bearing no risk whatsoever.

Military officers avoiding political affairs—no one could find fault with that.

“Captain Zhao, you’re thinking too simply.

I already sent formal orders to the Nanjing Ministry of Personnel, but those corrupt, idle bureaucrats merely promised compliance while taking no actual action.

Their inefficiency, I’m sure you’ve all witnessed firsthand.

The weapons and equipment they promised have yet to arrive—less than one-tenth has been delivered so far.

Under standard official selection procedures, delays of three to five months are routine.

Worst of all, those fools actually suggested I release Yangzhou Prefecture’s officials, giving them a chance to redeem themselves!”

Upon hearing the Marquis’s explanation, everyone instantly united in shared outrage.

Investigating and removing Yangzhou Prefecture’s officials was one of their own accomplishments.

Granting these officials a chance to redeem themselves would require overturning the previous case records.

In officialdom, contradicting one’s own prior actions could ruin one’s career.

“Commander, this proposal must not be accepted.

Those who conspired against the throne are beyond pardon.

The Yangzhou Prefecture officials colluded with the rebels; releasing them would endanger the state.

The one who proposed this must harbor malicious intent.

I recommend a thorough investigation of this person!”

Tang Jincheng’s fiery proposal echoed the sentiments of every general present.

They had already been betrayed by the Nanjing Ministry of War; now the Nanjing Ministry of Personnel was stirring trouble again—who could endure this?

As Imperial Commissioner, the Marquis of Wuyang’s authority could be interpreted without limit.

If evidence could be found, even officials of the Nanjing Six Ministries could be removed.

“This matter I, the Imperial Commissioner, will not let rest—but that is for later. Right now, the urgent issue is the refugees.

The Yangzhou Prefecture can still manage the refugees outside the city.

The real problem is the growing number of refugees; relying solely on the treasury for relief will incur enormous costs.

We will soon need to reclaim lost territories, which will release even more refugees.

Without proper handling, unrest is inevitable.”

The Marquis of Wuyang frowned.

In handling the refugee issue, he believed he had acted thoroughly.

He had ordered granaries opened and temporary shelters built long ago.

But the refugees kept pouring in, quickly exceeding the camps’ capacity, and chaos multiplied.

“Commander, opening the granaries only addresses immediate needs.

With so many refugees gathering, problems are inevitable.

The only solution now is labor-for-relief: give them work first, so their livelihoods stabilize and their hearts settle.

The city moat needs dredging—it can absorb a large workforce.

But this will inevitably increase expenditures.

According to the Great Yu Code, large-scale labor-for-relief must be approved by the court and jointly implemented under mutual supervision by multiple bureaus.

The Nanjing Six Ministries are a pack of cowards; they will never take responsibility for this.

The capital is too far away; distant help cannot solve urgent problems.

But the Head Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Left Gong, and Grand Secretary Xu Wenyue are both in the Two Huai region.

If we ask them to send personnel to jointly supervise the labor-for-relief program, we can satisfy the court’s requirements.”

Li Mu proposed cautiously.

Behind every bizarre law lay a bizarre story.

The Great Yu Dynasty’s strict controls on labor-for-relief were forced upon it by corrupt local bureaucrats.

A sound policy, once implemented locally, became a tool for embezzlement.

But that wasn’t the worst—decades ago, a labor-for-relief program had triggered a coup where a rebel had been crowned emperor.

To prevent such a recurrence, the court patched the system.

Officials’ attitudes toward labor-for-relief had undergone a complete reversal.

Even opening granaries and managing refugees became lax.

Better to tolerate chaos than risk being impeached by censors for plotting treason.

“Labor-for-relief? This is extremely tricky!”

The Marquis of Wuyang frowned.

Organizing refugees to work means organizing them to rebel.

To those censors, any such activity was proof of conspiracy.

Most of the time, the Emperor dismissed censors’ accusations.

But exceptions existed.

If the Emperor happened to overthink it, the consequences for local officials would be catastrophic.

Multiple bureaus jointly supervising implementation appeared to be a constraint—but in truth, it was a way to avoid blame.

The Marquis’s status was unique; when facing such taboo matters, he too must think thrice before acting.

Even Li Mu, who proposed it, advocated bringing in others to share the burden.

Only if the Pure Stream, the Eunuchs, the Imperial Relatives, and the Noble Clans all participated could the censors dare not speak rashly.

“Commander, we can take another approach.

Didn’t Nanjing send people over? Just detain them.

Implement labor-for-relief under the Six Ministries’ name, and assign a few deputy officials from the bureaus to assist.”

Hearing Su Battalion Commander’s proposal, Li Mu suddenly realized his own cunning was insufficient.

He had only thought of solving the problem through proper channels, never considered finding a scapegoat to shield himself from risk.

Even if problems arose later, there would be plenty of excuses to shift blame.

“Well said. Governing local affairs is the civil officials’ duty; we merely assist.

It’s settled then. Those idle bureaucrats in the bureaus can’t just collect salaries without working—let them take the credit!”

The Marquis of Wuyang made his decision on the spot.

With someone else to take the blame, he was more than happy to serve the state.

…

(End of Chapter)