roccoschili Chapter 91 Welcoming
Chapter 91 Welcoming
"Almost there!"
A servant boy ran up to Yang Chengde, panting, "The magistrate is almost here with a large group of people. There's a huge, dark mass of them!"
Yang Chengde, who was drinking tea, subconsciously tightened his grip on the teacup, causing the tea inside to slosh around and almost spill.
He really didn't expect that Li Chong could actually wipe out the mountain bandits completely, especially with an inside accomplice.
Even if Li Chong won a few battles, Yang Chengde might be surprised, but he wouldn't be this nervous.
But now that Li Chong has captured the bandit leader, the situation has completely reversed.
Many clerks in the yamen had received favors from Li Chong, and now that the situation has changed, some of them might switch sides.
Needless to say, the yamen runners, having won battles with Li Chong, were sure to receive their share of benefits; the loyalty of the people was self-evident.
"He's still just a county magistrate after all. Even if we sideline him, it won't last long. That's fine," Yang Chengde thought with a hint of resentment.
However, despite thinking this way, Yang Chengde still had his own plans.
At least on the surface, he and Li Chong haven't completely broken off relations, and there's still room for maneuver in many things.
It's the time to collect summer taxes, and the prefectural government's land reclamation order is also coming soon. He's been pushing for both of these things, and he can't let Li Chong pluck the peaches away.
"At worst, we can share the credit for the autumn tax with him, and that will be enough. He's not firmly established yet; does he really dare to abandon me and go his own way?"
Touching the object in his arms, Yang Chengde's gaze hardened considerably.
Just in case, he had another plan: to distract Li Chong and stall for time.
At worst, he can just settle for being a deputy and wait until he gets a top ranking in the prefectural government's performance evaluation this year. Then he can pull some strings and won't have to waste his time here anymore.
With the plan settled, Yang Chengde no longer hesitated and stood up directly: "Brother Fu, the magistrate is almost here. Let's walk a few more steps and go to greet him."
Fu Shun stood up with a grim expression.
If we're talking about hatred, he's the one who hates Li Chong the most, so why did Li Chong win?
Although Fu Shun's several bandit suppression campaigns were partly motivated by a desire to amass wealth, he also harbored a strong ambition to eradicate the mountain bandits.
But the result was that the bandits would always flee into the deep mountains and not fight him.
There would be no problem in this case; if the root cause cannot be eradicated, it cannot be blamed on him.
But when Li Chong arrived, he captured the bandit leader and returned, making him look like a useless piece of trash and causing him to lose face.
No one dared to say anything to his face, but behind his back, they would inevitably say a few unpleasant things.
When Li Chong's good news arrived, Fu Shun felt like everyone was laughing at him, so naturally he was in a bad mood.
Most importantly, after this battle, it remains to be seen whether his subordinates will still listen to him.
Promotion is out of the question; will they even cut off my path to wealth?
But now, even Yang Chengde can only bow his head and admit defeat, and bow down to Li Chong. What can a county magistrate who comes from a military background do?
One can only hope that Li Chong will not be too aggressive and will give him some face.
Each of them had their own thoughts, but they all forced smiles and went to greet Li Chong.
Dust billowed from the main road ahead, drawing crowds of onlookers who pointed and whispered among themselves.
The fact that the bandits who had lived in the mountains for so many years were wiped out was truly an eye-opener for the local people.
Having composed himself, Yang Chengde smiled, showing no sign of resentment: "Your Excellency's victorious return has rid Yanggu of a great scourge; truly a blessing for the people! We, your humble servants, offer our congratulations!"
"We congratulate the County Magistrate!"
Everyone bowed down in unison.
Li Chong sat in the carriage and lifted the curtain: "Gentlemen, you have come from afar to welcome me. I am also a little tired from my journey. Let's skip the formalities and go back to the yamen first to talk."
Having said that, before Yang Chengde and the others could react, Li Chong lowered the curtain and ordered them to continue on their way.
The driver flicked the reins, and the carriage continued forward, heading straight into the county town.
Yang Chengde's face turned pale, then he flicked his sleeve and turned to follow.
Fu Shun's face turned even uglier. He snorted coldly, then mounted his horse and rode past the main force into the city ahead of everyone else.
Inside the carriage, Li Chong watched Fu Shun's retreating figure, lost in thought.
Zhong Mei asked, puzzled, "Isn't officialdom all about welcoming and seeing off guests? Aren't you afraid they'll cause trouble for you by showing them so little respect?"
"Heh." Li Chong shook his head slightly. "If I have to play along with them before I win, and if I still have to play along after I win, then I've fought this battle for nothing."
"As for why I did this, I have my own reasons."
"Hmph." Zhong Mei turned her head away disdainfully. "Keep bragging. I know you perfectly well. What could you possibly have to consider?"
What kind of official tactics could Li Chong, a fake county magistrate, possibly know?
She was mistaken. Li Chong, who came from the future, might be lacking in practical skills, but when it came to theory, that was his forte.
He knew a bit about military campaigns and warfare, and naturally he also understood the power struggles in officialdom.
There's a saying that goes: "Political struggle is about making as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible."
Based on the reactions of the two men just now, Li Chong had already made up his mind.
"Look at Fu Shun. Don't be fooled by his departure and apparent dissatisfaction with me. In reality, if I were to take the initiative to make amends, he would probably be the first person to come to me."
Li Chong slowly explained, "Fu Shun's temper is showing on his face, which proves that he is uneasy at the moment. Because he is uneasy, he has to express his attitude with strong emotions, firstly to show me, and secondly to stabilize the morale of his subordinates."
"Really?" Zhong Mei asked, still somewhat skeptical.
Li Chong smiled faintly and continued, "Fu Shun comes from a bad background, and his official career is almost over. In his situation, he can't fight me on the official front. But privately, I've won over the hearts of the people this time, and his biggest support is gone. It's normal for him to be afraid."
Zhong Mei nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Then, she looked at the line behind her: "What about the registrar? What's he thinking?"
Li Chong glanced at it, then raised his hand and lowered the curtain: "That guy surnamed Yang isn't going to give in so easily. He also came from the imperial examination system and is eager to climb the ranks. He won't let any opportunity slip by. This year, the court has ordered the reclamation of land, which is his best chance. He's determined to fight me."
"As the saying goes, a dog that bites doesn't bark; he's the most difficult one to deal with."
Zhong Mei seemed convinced by Li Chong: "You have a plan to deal with him?"
With a hint of excitement on his face, Zhong Mei shifted his body, moving closer to Li Chong.
She loved watching a spectacle, especially the spectacle of officials.
"Tell me quickly," Zhongmei said in a low voice.
But at this moment, Li Chong shut his mouth, smiled slightly at her, and closed his eyes.
"I'm tired. Let's talk about it later."