Chapter 315: What about the next appointment?
The tall city walls stand majestically. Although they are not as tall, wide, or strong as those of Xianyang City, the noise coming out of the city gate is something that Xianyang City does not have.
This is Xinzheng, once the capital of the State of Zheng.
After Han destroyed Zheng, it moved its capital here and it became the capital of Han.
Many cities in Korea have undergone a bloody transformation, but this place is the only one that has not been stained with blood.
The biggest contributor to this phenomenon was Zhang Liang, who stabilized food prices, gave the people of Xinzheng a way to survive, and took the Zhang family away from Xinzheng.
A convoy entered from the city gate and walked in an endless stream for half an hour before all the people entered.
As soon as you enter the city gate, you will hear the bustling noise of the city, the sounds of brothels attracting customers, hawking in the streets, and children playing.
The complex sounds caused the curtains of many carriages to be pulled up, and the owners of the carriages looked outside with inquiring and curious eyes.
Not long after, the curtain of a carriage in the convoy was lowered, and Ying Chengjiao inside smiled and said to Wang Chan beside him:
“It’s quite prosperous here.”
Without waiting for Wang Chan's response, Ying Chengjiao raised his voice and said to the driver:
"Go to the County Magistrate's Mansion."
If Zhang Liang knew that this only pure land in Han that he had saved would eventually benefit his mortal enemy Ying Chengjiao, he would definitely not be happy.
County Magistrate's Mansion, lobby.
The main seat was covered with several layers of animal skins, and Ying Chengjiao was sitting in it with his horse and golden sword.
The Xinzheng prefect whose seat was taken was not angry. Instead, he stood in the hall with a look of shame on his face, slightly hunched over.
"Your Majesty, I am incompetent and have failed to capture the wise man."
Ying Chengjiao stroked his chin and looked at the county magistrate from his jet-black hair to the cloth shoes on his feet. He stared at the county magistrate so much that sweat broke out on his forehead.
"How long have you been out?"
“It’s almost March.”
"Three months."
Ying Chengjiao lowered his head and muttered it once, then raised his head with a bad look on his face.
"Three months, and you picked up all that red tape?"
The county magistrate wiped the sweat from his forehead, smiled awkwardly and was about to explain, but was interrupted by Ying Chengjiao with a wave of his hand.
"Go away, don't hang around in front of me."
Among the orders that Ying Chengjiao gave to the county magistrate, there was no item about arresting Zhang Liang.
“Yes, yes, yes!”
The familiar feeling came back, and the county magistrate breathed a sigh of relief and spoke repeatedly.
"If you have to fart, do it now."
"Please allow me to return to the secret guards, the governor of Xinzheng County."
There was a hint of hesitation on the county magistrate's face, but it was quickly washed away by a gritting of teeth.
"Let someone else do it."
"Huh?"
Ying Chengjiao, who had just witnessed the changes in Marxism-Leninism and was in a low mood, was now interested. He crossed his hands with his backs facing upwards, and rested his chin on the flesh of his hands.
"In fact, I should have arrived in Xinzheng a long time ago, but I returned to Xianyang once. Do you know why?"
"I am stupid and don't know. Please tell me, Your Majesty."
"Because Ma Lie changed his mind, he was the slave who was almost taken away from the tower. I bought his life, restored his freedom, and made him the manager of the tower. He was not satisfied with the status quo, and for the sake of official positions and titles, he intensified the things that others had done to him when he was a slave, and inflicted them on the slaves of the tower, so I went back and killed him."
Ying Chengjiao made a gesture of wiping his neck and smiled.
"You are well-informed. Did you do something bad in Xinzheng? Are you afraid that I touched your neck?"
"…I don't know about this."
"Then why do you want to resign? The position of Xinzheng County Magistrate is a lucrative one, and many people want to do it but cannot."
"I am afraid." The county magistrate said with a wry smile, "I am afraid of being flattered and servile by others."
Qiang, who is now the governor of Xinzheng County, was just a secret guard in the past. Although Qiang is very capable and enjoys a high reputation among the secret guards.
But compared with the flattery received by the head of a county, the flattery among that small group is nothing compared to the flattery received by the head of a county. To say that it is nothing is to overestimate the former.
The Qin Dynasty established 36 counties, and there were only 36 people in the world who could be county governors. In the era when the county system was not fully implemented, the power of these 36 people was much greater than that of the feudal officials in later generations.
They were in charge of almost everything in the thirty-six counties except military power, including the appointment and dismissal of officials.
As long as the county governors were willing, they could replace all officials in the county except for the county magistrate and county lieutenant. They could even point to the chickens and dogs in the village and say that they were sacred animals and should be worshipped.
It is true that when one person succeeds, the whole family will benefit.
Of course, that being said, no one actually dares to do so, and the separation of powers is not just for show.
The main responsibility of the county magistrate is to report local affairs to the central government in Xianyang. When orders are issued from above, the county lieutenant can control the county governor by force by holding military power. If a county governor really acts like this, he must have connections with the county magistrate and the county lieutenant.
But this power is real and every county magistrate has it.
Qiang has no surname, only a given name. He was a lowly, ordinary secret guard with a bit of brains who rose to become one of the thirty-six county governors overnight. Too many people flattered Qiang.
Those local nobles who had never opened their eyes to see Qiang, one by one, sent beauties and gold to Qiang, and flattered him to the utmost. They said that Qiang was rare in heaven, none on earth, and even saints could not compare to him.
He has been educated since childhood and stood out from numerous selections. He believes that his will is as strong as iron and cannot be summoned. He still needs to temper his will.
"Think about it carefully."
Ying Chengjiao looked serious .
"I can let you be a secret guard today, but if you want to be the governor of Xinzheng County tomorrow, I won't agree."
"If you continue talking, I will regret it. I don't want to become the second Marxist leader, and I have troubled you to make this trip. Please allow me to return to the Dark Guard."
Looking at Qiang's determined expression and the hesitation in the eyes of the specially trained elite dark guards, Ying Chengjiao fell silent.
[Even the secret guards who have been educated and trained since childhood cannot withstand the temptation? 】
"Is it really impossible to overcome it?" Ying Chengjiao said in a deep voice: "You are not Marx, who was once a slave. You are a secret guard selected from thousands of miles away. You have received the most advanced education of this era."
“Insurmountable.”
He forced out these four words and let out a long breath. After he had let out this breath, it was as if all the burdens on his shoulders had been lifted off. He was now free and said calmly:
"Zhang Shun sent his daughter here the other day. I saw that she was very pretty and shy. Her voice was like an oriole, and she said softly that she only wanted to be my concubine. In the past, I dared not even look at such a beautiful woman who was as pretty as your majesty's concubines, but now I can have whatever I want. Moreover, there are more than one beautiful woman sent here. If you force yourself to agree, the number of beauties around you now is not less than that of your majesty.
"Beauties are so good, and money is even better. As long as Qiang nods, this hall will not be filled with the money sent by those people. Qiang struggles every day and dares not slack off. If he slacks off, he will get used to the beauty and extravagance, and it will be difficult for him to have the state of mind he has today. If the king had come ten days or half a month later, he would have given Qiang a sword, just like Ma Lie."
Ying Chengjiao fell silent again.
Qiang waited patiently, waiting for Ying Chengjiao to let him return to the Secret Guard.
When he became the prefect of Xinzheng County, he was not aware that the secret guards had become a thing of the past.
Step on
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please give me another 200,000 gold. If you don't have that much, 100,000 gold will do for a short period of time."
A man in black shorts and Chu Mo's clothes broke into the lobby. He was none other than the leader of the Mohist school who called himself Qin Mo.
Seeing that Ying Chengjiao was sitting on the chair without answering, Qiang, who was wearing the uniform of the county magistrate, waited patiently in the hall, knowing that he had come at a wrong time.
However, the research project had reached a critical point, and the scientist, who was anxious for funding, did not care whether it was the right time or not. He walked up to Ying Chengjiao in two steps and waved in front of him.
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty!"
Ying Chengjiao knocked it away and said impatiently:
“What!”
Among all the guests in the mansion, the one who could make Ying Chengjiao most angry was Jing Ke.
A brainless and number one assassin in the world, who acts rashly and doesn't like to think, can make Ying Chengjiao speechless from time to time, and ask Gai Nie to challenge him to a duel of swords.
The people that Ying Chengjiao hates the most are scientists. In fact, scientists are good in every way, with high emotional intelligence and high IQ, and they do things without compromise, which does not make Ying Chengjiao worry.
Logically speaking, this kind of retainer should be the dream lover, but nothing is perfect in the world, and scientists want money, a lot of money.
The money used to support a scientist is much more than the total amount used to support all the guests in Chang'an Jun's mansion.
Other retainers ask for money in small amounts, but scientists ask for a minimum of 100,000 gold. It would be fine if all this money could be converted into results, but the problem is that most of the money is wasted, and not even a sound can be heard.
To say that scientists are like Pixiu, who only eat and do not poop, may be a bit too much. Three pistols, improved drugs, high-yield crops... these are all produced by scientists.
But compared to the huge amount of money and materials , these things are really pitiful, and the conversion rate is extremely low. No matter how good-tempered Ying Chengjiao is, he can't suppress his anger when he meets a scientist who wants money.
Scientists have long been accustomed to this and just throw up their hands.
“No more money.”
Ying Chengjiao’s eyes widened.
[The 100,000 gold I got before the wax festival has already been spent? How did you spend it? ]
"You... forget it, just wait, I'll talk to Qiang and then we'll discuss your funding!"
Ying Chengjiao, who originally wanted to ask where the flowers had gone, swallowed the question back.
It was useless to ask. Even he, the time traveler who provided the design concept and described the finished product, didn't understand all the professional terms used by the scientists.
"Your Majesty, what are you struggling with? I will help you solve your problems!"
Ying Chengjiao let the scientist go, but the scientist didn't want to let Ying Chengjiao go. The scientist, who was obsessed with funding, looked righteous and awe-inspiring, as if he was honored to share the worries of his master.
If Jing Ke asked this, Ying Chengjiao would just laugh and let him go wherever he wanted.
But when the scientist asked, Ying Chengjiao just glanced at the scientist and repeated the conversation with the county magistrate to the scientist, saying that Mohism was once one of the two most prominent schools of thought, along with Confucianism.
"What's the difficulty?"
The scientist looked puzzled.
"Your Majesty, please accept my request."
Qiang echoed:
“What the scientists say is true.”
Seeing that Ying Chengjiao remained unmoved and showed no sign of agreement, the scientist sat down in the chair next to Ying Chengjiao with a serious face.
"What is your Majesty hesitating about?"
"When I sent Qiang to Xinzheng, Xinzheng was in the hands of Zhang Liang. The governor was in name only and the people listened to the Zhang family instead of the government. Qiang stayed in Xinzheng and took many measures to stabilize the situation, and he made many contributions. Now that Zhang Liang has fled and the governor is in name only, I want to kick Qiang out. This is not right."
"It is inappropriate for Your Majesty to appoint people based on personal connections. You should appoint people based on their merits, not based on personal connections. Qiang was originally a secret guard, and he said that he was not capable enough to be a county governor, but he could not resist the temptation. However, Your Majesty thought that he had worked hard and made great contributions, and did not want to let him leave his position. If you act like this, where is the people's livelihood? Your Majesty is confused."
Ying Chengjiao disagreed:
"How could someone not be able to govern Xinzheng to such a state? Along the way, all the cities in Han were in turmoil, and some people with malicious intentions forced the government to surrender. Only in Xinzheng, political affairs were properly handled, and no local nobles became powerful. Although this was due to Zhang Liang's recommendation, it was also due to the strong governance."
The scientist shook his head.
"No, no, no, Your Majesty's judgment is too arbitrary and subjective. Qiang governed Xinzheng very well before Your Majesty came. But Qiang himself said that he could not resist the temptation and would fall into depravity. When Qiang fell into depravity, he went from being virtuous to being unvirtuous. Your Majesty insisted on making Qiang the governor of the county. Do you know Qiang better than Qiang?"
"Degenerate, what is degenerate? Is greed for money and lust considered degenerate? Then am I degenerate?"
The scientist whispered:
"Your Majesty is making excuses again. I am not good at speaking and cannot win the argument with you. I only know that Ma Lie, who was once named by you, oppressed his concubines after he became the manager of the tower, and was finally assassinated by you when you returned to Xianyang. A tower manager with an annual salary of 100 dan was like this, not to mention that there are only 36 county governors in the world."
Ying Chengjiao narrowed his eyes and was about to say something when Qiang, who had been standing by, clasped his fists and said in a deep voice:
"That's right. I am grateful for your respect, Your Majesty. However, I am not afraid of swords and spears, but I am afraid of beauties and money."
The scientists added:
"Qiang's ability is enough to be the governor of Xinzheng County, but his heart is not good enough. Officials should be sympathetic to the people and be frugal. The principle of frugality stipulated by the ancient sage kings is that all craftsmen in the world, such as wheel makers, car builders, leather workers, pottery makers, metal smelters, and carpenters, should be allowed to do their best.
"As long as it is enough to provide for the people, it will be fine. Eat according to your stomach and wear according to your body. But after being forced to be the governor, he will not be able to resist temptation and will certainly spend the money that should have been saved and given to the people. He will marry other people's women and take other people's money, and will certainly use it for convenience elsewhere. Your Majesty, are you going to abandon the people of Xinzheng just for one person?"
Ying Chengjiao remained silent.
In addition to Qiang who has been waiting patiently, there is another scientist waiting.
The scientist who had been anxious just now was no longer annoyed and sat quietly in the chair.
Because he knew that Ying Chengjiao's decision at this moment was more important than the funding given to him.
After being in Chang'an Junfu for so long, the scientist knew very well that Ying Chengjiao would never hesitate on a matter. Solving Qiang's problem was actually very simple. Just let Qiang return to his job and then compensate Qiang with money.
But what comes next? What about the next appointment?
Should all appointed officials worry about whether they will become bad or become the second Marxist-Leninist? It is impossible for everyone to have such strong self-awareness.
