Chapter 4813 The Power of the Empire
This "Baishui Lang" shook his head repeatedly: "Who in the entire Yazhou doesn't know that our governor is a true descendant of aristocratic families? Since the day when the governor took office, he has been rectifying the government and paying attention to people's livelihood. The people of Yazhou feel the same. This time to build the wharf, the governor Even more so, running up and down day and night Not only did he personally send people to keep an eye on our meals and pay our wages on time, he even arranged for medical officers from the state Traditional Chinese Medicine Administration to be placed on the pier. Anyone injured on the job would not only receive timely treatment, but also all the necessary medicinal materials should be free of charge. The people are grateful.”
At all times and in all countries, most of the policies formulated at the national level have paid great attention to people's livelihood, protected the legitimate rights and interests of the people, and made every effort to improve welfare benefits. Except for a very few weirdos, the vast majority of kings actually love the people as their sons, and they are willing to let their subordinates rule The people lived a happy life and praised him as a monarch. The history is full of praise and his fame will last forever.
It's just that although the policy is a good policy, it is often tampered with and distorted during the implementation process. As a result, the people at the bottom not only fail to benefit from it, but also increase the burden. Such old cases abound...
Therefore, whether officials are honest and effective does not require too much written survey data. The people at the bottom have the most intuitive feeling about this.
Lu Chengqing breathed a sigh of relief, pretended to be calm and calm, and secretly glanced at Su Dingfang's reaction.
He is the eldest son and grandson of Fanyang Lu's northern ancestor Dafang. He has received the best education since childhood and received the greatest resource support. Naturally, he has lofty ideals. He absolutely cannot bear to make mistakes in a place like Yazhou that will taint his entire career. It is a stain that cannot be washed away, so he has fulfilled his duties and worked conscientiously since he took office.
Yazhou is a poor place and it is extremely difficult to achieve political achievements. However, precisely because of the difficulty, once he achieves political achievements, it will be infinitely magnified and become a stepping stone for his brilliant official career. From then on, he will go straight to the center and rise to the top.
It can be said that he devoted all his energy and efforts in Yazhou.
There is no room for error.
Su Dingfang nodded with a smile and continued to move forward with his hands behind his hands. Lu Chengqing followed closely behind him and did not stop until he reached the front end of the breakwater that penetrated into the sea.
The sea breeze made the clothes of the two of them rustle. Su Dingfang looked at several warships in the distance with their sails blazing through the waves from far to near, and said with a smile: "At the beginning, the navy decided to build a port in the South China Sea as a transit for the entire South China Sea route. Actually there is There were two choices, one in Qiongzhou and the other in Yazhou. More people in the Navy and the Ministry of War were leaning towards the former. It was the commander-in-chief who opposed all opinions and put this port in Yazhou. Ziyu knew the reason. ?”
"Ziyu" is Lu Chengqing's character. Now that Su Dingfang uses the same character, he has changed his mode of getting along, from "public to public" to "private to private." The private bond between the two can only be The military boss far away in Chang'an, Duke Yue...
Only then did Lu Chengqing know the twists and turns behind Yazhou's "big project" for the Navy to build a port here. He said sincerely: "I will never forget the kindness of the Duke of Yue. I would like to ask the governor to tell the Duke of Yue. From then on, he followed the instructions and followed his lead. ”
Given the relationship between Fan Yang and the Fang family, they are naturally closer than others, and their interests are also aligned. Being able to get this big boss's full help in the court is a good thing that no one else dares to think of. That person is One of the strongest backers in the court.
Unexpectedly, Su Dingfang waved his hand and said calmly: "The commander-in-chief cares about his country and his country, and he is upright and upright. Do you think that putting the port under your rule to gain political achievements for you is just to win over you? You overestimated yourself and belittled the commander-in-chief."
The implication is, do you think the commander did this to pave the way for you and gain your allegiance? Sorry, you don't have the weight to let the commander take the initiative to recruit you, and the commander is not acting for his own selfishness as you think.
"Ah this..."
Lu Chengqing was very embarrassed and didn't know how to deal with it. Even a man in his forties blushed.
Fortunately, Su Dingfang was a kind person and did not make any sarcasm. Instead, he said with emotion: "The commander-in-chief will not win over anyone, let alone put such a huge project somewhere randomly in order to promote someone's rise to power. The reason why he put the port... In Yazhou, it’s because the governor of Yazhou is you Lu Chengqing, the commander-in-chief believes that with your ability, you can build this port, and use this port as the center to develop Yazhou into a prosperous place on the South China Sea route. Serve as an official, benefit the country, and make Yazhou's poor people People live a good life ”
The sea breeze felt hot on his face. Lu Chengqing's heart was beating loudly, his blood flow was accelerating, and his whole body felt trembling.
Although he was far from the level to be attracted by Fang Jun, they were not interested in him as a person and were not deliberately trying to show favor to him, nor were they deliberately pushing him to the top because of family connections... But this feeling of recognition made his blood boil.
Not relying on family background or exchanging benefits, but purely because of his own ability, he was valued by big men like Fang Jun. This kind of experience was something Lu Chengqing rarely experienced. For a while, he felt a bit like "a scholar will die for his confidant". Ambition.
Su Dingfang said: "The commander-in-chief's original words are that we must work hard to fight for the benefits that should be striven for, and work hard to achieve good political achievements, but we must not ignore people's livelihood for the sake of interests and political achievements, let alone regard people's livelihood as a way to get promoted. People should be more pure.”
Lu Chengqing bowed his arms to the ground and said respectfully: "I have learned from you."
Is this the perspective from which people at that level view things? Is it that the higher you get to a high position, the less conspiratorial and scheming you get and the more you focus on the most basic and pure things? Or is it because of having lofty ambitions that one can transcend vulgar schemes and have a noble character?
In short, at this moment, Lu Chengqing was full of respect for the Duke of Yue whom he had never met before.
The sea breeze was strong, and the warship's sails were fully bulged, riding the wind and waves like an arrow off the string. It didn't take long to reach the dock. Before the springboard was set up, a few soldiers jumped from the side of the ship, and while stepping on the ground, they stabilized their center of gravity. Then he went straight to the temporary naval camp set up at the dock without stopping.
Immediately, he came out of the camp, led by the other soldiers, and ran quickly towards Su Dingfang's location.
Su Dingfang had noticed these ships a long time ago. When the soldiers ran to them, he asked: "What happened in such a hurry?"
The soldier took out the battle report from his arms and handed it to Su Dingfang with both hands, and said loudly: "Reporting to the Governor, in the middle of last month, that is, on September 18th, the Governor of Shirov Port ordered an additional levy on all goods arriving from the merchant ships of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty merchant fleet naturally disagreed with the tax, which was worth half of its value. The Shirov Port Guard refused to allow the Tang Dynasty merchant ship to enter. They entered the anchorage for trade, but were not allowed to replenish fresh water. A conflict broke out between the two sides, and dozens of Datang merchants lost their lives. Due to the long and difficult sea route, they could not transport the goods back. In the end, they had to endure the harsh conditions, pay taxes, and return to Datang. Now we are gathering in Da Nang, begging the Navy to intervene.”
Since the founding of the country, the Tang Dynasty has shown a tyranny that swept across everything. As the country became stronger and the army grew stronger, almost all the surrounding enemy countries were destroyed. As a result, the Tang people thought highly of themselves and often acted tyrannically overseas. Like this, they were temporarily raised taxes without any reason. It is almost unheard of for a large amount of money and dozens of casualties to occur.
This is a big deal.
Lu Chengqing hurriedly said: "I also ask the Governor not to make hasty decisions based on emotion. This matter should be handled with caution. After all, we still don't know whether this sudden tax increase is the national policy of Dashi Kingdom or the personal behavior of the Governor of Shirov Port. The methods of handling vary depending on the nature. You might as well send the news back to China and ask Honglu Temple to issue a note to the envoy of the Dashi Kingdom in Chang'an, ordering him to explain it and resolve it properly. "
The navy is not only the founder of sea trade caravans, but also its protector. The "protection fee" collected from major caravans every year is an extremely huge number. Now when Datang merchants have accidents thousands of miles away, they use water to protect them. The teacher's always domineering style may make him unwilling to give up.
But the Big Food Country is not just a cat or a dog, nor is it a small country that is vulnerable to attack. It is a behemoth that dominates the West, the only superpower in the world that can be compared with the Tang Dynasty. If the Navy's retaliatory actions lead to the Tang Dynasty Being at a disadvantage in terms of public opinion is not worth the gain.
Su Dingfang disagreed with this: "The civil official's note is just a protest, which does not help. When will the solution be solved? Whether it is the national policy of the Dashi Kingdom or the personal behavior of the Governor of Shirov Port , since there have been casualties among Datang merchants and maritime trade has been affected, the Food Country must be responsible for this and pay the price.”
Ignoring Lu Chengqing's changed expression, he turned around and asked a general following him: "Who is in Da Nang at the moment?"
The lieutenant general replied: "The lieutenant general Yang Zhou, who just returned from Luzon, is currently in Da Nang."
Su Dingfang stood on the breakwater and said calmly: "Send an order to Yang Zhou. All Tang Dynasty merchant ships passing through Da Nang heading to Shiloh Port will change their course and go to Basra. Order Yang Zhou to control all the warships in Da Nang and immediately weigh anchor and set sail for Shiloh. If the Dashi Kingdom has not compensated and apologized for the incident on the day of its arrival at Shirov Port, it may attack Shirov Port as appropriate to deter the enemy chief.”
"Here!"
The general ran quickly back to the camp and wrote the military order with the clerk, stamped it with Su Dingfang's seal, and then sent a ship to Yang Zhou who was far away in Da Nang.
Lu Chengqing slapped his thigh anxiously: "It's not me who is meddling in military affairs. The matter is really big. How could the governor make such a hasty decision? It is at stake for the diplomatic relations between the two countries. To rashly attack the enemy's territory is equivalent to an undeclared war. It really lacks the magnanimity of a great country!”
"What a shame for a big country!" Su Dingfang straightened his back, his beard fluttering in the wind, and his eyes widened. His demeanor suddenly changed. He was no longer the gentle and gentle before but domineering: "When your people are being massacred thousands of miles away, What you have to consider is not the diplomatic relations between the two countries, let alone the major Instead of issuing a so-called note to the court, they must retaliate severely and give them a warning when they return, so that they will not dare to harm the people of the Tang Dynasty again, otherwise they will bear the wrath of the Tang Dynasty's 100,000 navy! There were quarrels in the hall and verbal condemnation!”