Chapter 1541: The Duke Protects the Realm

1541. Chapter 1541: The Duke Protects the Realm

This situation existed to varying degrees in all border regions where military power held sway, but it was most widespread and severe in Liaodong. Compared to other places, Liaodong was the most developed, attracted the largest number of immigrants, and had the fastest-growing commerce and economy; its ports, industries, and mines were also the easiest to monopolize. At the same time, the Liaodong Army's achievements and prestige were the highest, and since the Great Han had always placed great emphasis on military authority, the arrogance among its officers and men was also the most rampant. Privately, they all said that seventy percent of the Great Han's realm had been conquered by the Northeast Army, and that the imperial court would not seriously pursue matters that were only slightly out of line.

As the Grand Coordinator of Liaodong, Li Jingsi was naturally well aware of these circumstances, but he dared not fall out with the Liaodong military establishment. He had therefore never reported such matters directly to the court, only making a few veiled remarks when exchanging information with the Grand Secretariat. The Grand Secretariat was more or less aware of the situation as well, but had not dealt with it for years. Following the principle of letting sleeping dogs lie, Li Jingsi, as Grand Coordinator, had simply kept his mouth shut.

He had not expected that today, it would instead be Ning Zeguang, a high-ranking member of the military, who would take the initiative to find an opportunity to bring the matter up with him.

"Adviser Ning, are you worried that after the province is established, we will move to purge the military's business holdings?" The words reached his lips, but Li Jingsi felt they were far too blunt and swallowed them back down.

"Adviser Ning is right. That Liaodong has reached its present state is an achievement in which your esteemed forces have played an indispensable role. This is how not only I see it, but also the millions of people in Liaodong. Had your forces not driven out the Jianzhou rebels, recovered our lost territory, and delivered the people of Liao from utter misery, would there even be a place for us to speak here today?" After carefully considering his words for another moment, Li Jingsi changed his approach. "Because of the devastation wrought by the Jianzhou rebels, Liaodong was left utterly destitute. For the army to sustain itself, it had no choice but to resort to certain… extraordinary measures."

"Many thanks, Your Excellency the Grand Coordinator. With those words from you, we can hardly claim to have any grievances left…" Ning Zeguang gave Li Jingsi another slight bow. "In extraordinary times, one must do extraordinary things; it was indeed a matter of necessity. Now that Liaodong has been largely pacified, the Grand Secretariat presumably intends to turn it into a proper province. In the future, I'm afraid these can no longer be called extraordinary times. All land under Heaven belongs to the sovereign. The Grand Secretariat wishes to extend the sovereign's civilizing rule over Liaodong and make this land part of the royal domain. We, from top to bottom, are extremely in favor of this. It is just that now… ah, far too many extraordinary things have already been done; the accumulated weight makes it hard to turn back. Even if we have the will to clean things up now, I am afraid it cannot be accomplished overnight. I must ask the Grand Coordinator to be most understanding."

Although he spoke very tactfully, Li Jingsi had already grasped his intent. Seeing that the establishment of the province was imminent and the military's influence in Liaodong was about to decline sharply, they intended to have him refrain from reporting these military matters to the higher authorities for now, and to continue turning a blind eye to the military's business holdings after the province was established.

Their assurance to him was that a large number of the officers involved would be discharged from service, and that such matters would be gradually cleaned up thereafter. This assurance seemed reasonable enough on the surface, but Heaven only knew whether they would actually follow through after the province was established.

Judging by the military's overbearing attitude over the past few years, the likelihood of them changing their ways immediately was very small. Besides, with such enormous profits at stake, who would willingly give them up? If he made a promise now and the military still showed no restraint later, wouldn't he be the one to suffer?

This request was not so easy to agree to. He truly did not want to get caught up in the struggle between two colossal entities like the Grand Secretariat and the Liaodong Army. If he got involved, even a high official of his rank as Grand Coordinator would absolutely gain nothing good from it.

"Understanding? Of course I can be understanding. Given your esteemed forces' tremendous achievements, even if some extraordinary things were done out of necessity, they do not detract from the greater good." His reply grew increasingly cautious. "It is just that I am a local official. If the central government issues an order, it would be difficult for me to refuse to carry it out. Moreover, I have yet to receive any definite word from the capital as to what my eventual assignment will be. So, Adviser Ning, in many cases, my will is strong but my power is weak…"

In this frank explanation, Li Jingsi kept stressing that he was unwilling to pursue the military's past actions and would only do so if ordered by the Grand Secretariat. He completely absolved himself of responsibility while simultaneously making no promises whatsoever.

He did not know whether the military would be satisfied with this reply, so he felt somewhat uneasy. After all, the awe-inspiring Duke of Ji was watching from the side.

"Grand Coordinator Li, in truth, having served as Grand Coordinator of Liaodong all these years yet being able to achieve so little, you must harbor some resentment in your heart… Although we have never shown Your Excellency any disrespect, we have indeed, at times, overstepped our authority quite a bit. There was no helping it—who could have expected that Liaodong's civil administration system is still not fully established? However, Your Excellency may rest assured. After the province is established, Liaodong's civil administration and government offices will be perfected one by one. Public order and commerce will all be handled by the civil authorities. We will no longer do such things in the future, and we will also restrain our subordinates from making things difficult for Your Excellency." Adviser Ning's expression remained unchanged; it was impossible to tell whether he was satisfied with the reply or not. Instead, he offered this series of assurances. "Over these years, if there is anything Your Excellency has been dissatisfied with us about, please do bring it up. Whatever we can do, we will do it all together."

For the military to completely withdraw from Liaodong's civil affairs and cease interfering in civil administration after the province's establishment—this was not a decision an ordinary person could make. It seemed this was the Duke of Ji's own intention.

This was excellent news! Li Jingsi's spirits lifted considerably. He could not help but turn his head to glance at the Duke of Ji beside him, but this marshal of distinguished service was still gazing up at the sea, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

Under the sunlight, the golden medal on his chest gleamed with a golden radiance so bright it made Li Jingsi's eyes ache.

He understood that even after the province was established, the military's position in Liaodong would remain unshakable. Ning Zeguang was speaking to him so politely not out of genuine fear.

Over these years in Shenyang, his administrative orders had never reached the localities. From top to bottom, civil administrative authority had been seized by the garrison forces, leaving him with an empty title of Grand Coordinator. To say he harbored no resentment would be impossible, but toward a figure as great as the Duke of Ji, he simply did not dare let that resentment linger in his heart.

Having spent so many years in Liaodong, he more or less understood the situation. So many people throughout the Liaodong Army were enriching themselves; it was impossible that the Duke of Ji was unaware, but he had indeed never participated in it, nor shielded or shown favoritism to these individuals. He had merely tacitly permitted it. He had not amassed a great family fortune for himself, merely drawing his two salaries as Marshal and Garrison Commander—though of course, as the earliest and greatest of the court's ennobled favorites, the imperial family had already granted him many landed estates in the interior.

To be honest, although these activities within the Liaodong Army did not quite conform to the court's laws, Li Jingsi did not consider them a major issue. He had served in the officialdom of the former Ming dynasty, and there were probably few people in Liaodong who knew better than him what that former Ming was truly like from top to bottom—it was truly pitch-black darkness, devoid of daylight. That the Duke of Ji, in such a position, exercised such self-discipline secretly earned Li Jingsi a measure of respect; he felt that the atmosphere of the new dynasty could hardly be better than this.

The Duke of Ji tacitly allowing his subordinates to accumulate wealth was indeed not entirely proper, but these men had followed him through life and death for so many years; he had bonds of affection with them, and it was not incomprehensible.

Li Jingsi had not expected the Duke of Ji to intend to be so decisive. Originally, he had thought that even after the province was established, the Shenyang garrison would continue to stand aloof above the various provincial offices. Now, judging by this posture, he truly intended to be a hands-off manager from now on and to restrain the various local garrisons from interfering in governance.

Therefore, he had no desire whatsoever to seek personal revenge.

"Adviser Ning, you just said yourself that in extraordinary times, some things are done out of necessity. Previously, Liaodong's government offices were incomplete, and many matters would have gone unmanaged if the military did not handle them. I can understand all of that and absolutely bear no grudge. The military's contribution to the pacification of Liaodong is undeniable. Having been here for a few years, I can claim to understand Liaodong's affairs. Even if it becomes a province, it will still be vastly different from the interior. Even if I continue to serve in Liaodong in the future, I will certainly continue to rely on the military. I will never disrupt our own footing, needlessly bringing trouble upon myself and making us a laughingstock to outsiders!"

"As long as Your Excellency holds this attitude, everything is easy to discuss." Ning Zeguang finally showed a satisfied smile at Li Jingsi's statement. "We are all working together in Liaodong. As long as we unite sincerely from now on, we can surely transform Liaodong into a truly fertile and happy land…"

"Indeed…" Li Jingsi was just about to agree when he suddenly heard a burst of noise coming from behind.

"They're here… they're here…!"

They're here?

He paused slightly, then immediately looked up toward the distant sea.

Gazing far into the distance, at the edge of the horizon, some tiny black dots had now appeared. These black dots were densely packed, and it was impossible to tell their exact scale. As time passed, the black dots grew larger and clearer. He first saw the towering masts, and then the white sails, each one bulging full.

A flag flew from the mast of every ship. Though the specific design was not yet clear, the blue background and golden glint were already visible to the eye.

This scale, this type of ship… there was no mistake, they had really come!

"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!" he blurted out.

The other two had naturally also noticed the arrival of the warships. Though they did not shout and exclaim like the others, they unconsciously straightened their backs even more.

The ships drew closer bit by bit, and the silhouettes imprinted on everyone's eyes grew clearer and clearer. Everyone felt as if the sea breeze rushing toward them had grown even stronger.