Volume 1 Jiangdong Fengyun Chapter 108 Easygoing
After four months, Hua Xin and Wang Lang finally arrived in Qu'a from their respective capitals. Hua Xin arrived two days earlier, but did not formally meet with Bai Tu. He just handed in the documents and then took two days to recuperate. During this time, Bai Tu also sent people to deliver supplements and gold and silk to express his condolences.
According to Taishi Ci's report, Hua Xin has been sending his men to Qu'a to gather information these past two days. He has also visited representatives of some aristocratic families, apparently wanting to understand the governance philosophy of the governor's office and its attitude towards celebrities...
After Wang Lang arrived, the two of them went to the governor's mansion to report on their work!
First, as a routine matter, he presented to Bai Tu the files on population, taxation, military affairs, and so on of Yuzhang and Kuaiji counties - in fact, Bai Tu had already seen the updated information, and this was just a formality .
What followed was an even more fake "three resignations and three resignations". In the end, Hua Xin and Wang Lang naturally successfully resigned from the position of prefect, but Bai Tu obviously did not want them to really retire and return home.
"Both of you are great sages. Can you bear to watch the people suffer while you hide away in peace?" Bai Tu said in a tone that said the world would be too difficult without you.
However, Hua Xin and Wang Lang were already in their thirties, which would have made them half-old men nowadays. When they heard Bai Tu's flattery, they merely showed a businesslike satisfaction.
Bai Tu was not surprised by this - not to mention that he was just a governor, even if the Han emperor was here, most of the ministers would still "do business" with him. The difference was that the more powerful the Han Dynasty's majesty was, the more realistic the business was.
In today's era of choosing one's own ruler or minister, if someone is willing to "do business" for a while, it's already a courtesy...
"Thank you for your praise, Mr. Bai. I dare not call myself a wise man in front of you. It would be a waste of my time." Hua Xin said modestly.
Although there was some rejection in his tone, Bai Tu could tell that his reputation still had a positive impact in the eyes of these celebrities.
"What do you think of the six departments of the governor's office?" Bai Tu asked directly.
"The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel are very clever, and it seems... there is still a lot of room for development." Hua Xin said.
"The Ministry of Justice's ideas are very interesting, but some of them are difficult to implement." Wang Lang said from another perspective.
Bai Tu felt more relieved after hearing this - compared to the historical Sun Ce, Bai Tu was obviously more attractive to Hua Xin and Wang Lang.
However, it is hard to say which one is more attractive compared to the "imperial court". In history, Hua Xin had worked under Sun Ce and Sun Quan, but as soon as the imperial court's edict arrived, Hua Xin immediately threw himself into the arms of true love.
"I have long heard that Lord Hua governed Yuzhang with virtue, and his government was harmonious and the people were well-behaved. For three years, no one picked up lost items on the road, and no one locked their doors at night..."
Bai Tu began to flatter him - obviously it was an exaggeration. Even before the chaos in Jiangdong and Yuan Shu instigated the prominent families of Yuzhang, Yuzhang was far from a place of moral governance. However, Hua Xin made some of the Shanyue people in the central part of Yuzhang move down the mountains and reduced the frequency of rebellions by the Shanyue people in the south, which was already a remarkable political achievement.
"The prince spread the teachings of the sages in Kuaiji, and he strictly governed the courts, appealed for grievances and redressed injustices, and restored order, making the people of Kuaiji abandon the chaotic politics of the Qin Dynasty. This is admirable..."
Naturally, Wang Lang could not be neglected, and if he was to be praised, he had to praise him from the bottom of his heart. Education and prison administration were the softest parts of their hearts!
In addition, Bai Tu also discovered that although Wang Lang was the head of prison administration in history, the Wang Lang in this world... was also good at using his eloquence to break through the psychological defenses of criminals, leaving loopholes in their sophistry and then impose penalties.
And since Wang Lang disliked Qin Shi Huang and advocated Confucianism, Bai Tu would naturally step on Qin Huang in a subtle way in front of him to improve his own favorability.
Bai Tu had no psychological burden about this because he didn't like it anyway.
As for why it is so obscure?
Nonsense! When some civil official who likes Qin Shi Huang comes to surrender, or when the remains of Wang Jian and Meng Tian are revealed, Bai Tu will still get along with him - I, Bai Hard Drive, am so easy-going!
Bai Tu was not just boasting without any reason, he had done his homework beforehand and casually cited some of the two men's achievements when they were in power in Yuzhang and Kuaiji as examples, which showed his sincerity.
Even Hua Xin and Wang Lang were a little dazed by Bai Tu's praise...
If it were a more upright general, he would have probably bowed down and kowtowed by now. However, for Hua Xin and Wang Lang, just "appreciation" was useless.
Bai Tu was not surprised by this. For example, for the same behavior, his second brother Sun Ce had already opened up to Bai Tu, while his other younger brother was still wary of him. Yu Fan even regarded this as a demerit - different talents have different requirements for the "lord".
Those who are not born as Bai Tu of Long Aotian will not feel that they cannot lick anything, and they are all ungrateful.
"Mr. Bai, thank you for your praise. There is something I don't understand and I would like to ask you for advice." Wang Lang interrupted Bai Tu's praise of him with great effort.
"Please speak." Bai Tu knew that the real test was coming.
"The world is in chaos now. Whether it's the stability of Jiangdong or the administration of the six ministries, we must first put down the war... or at least not be affected by the war. I wonder if Mr. Bai has this ability?" Wang Lang asked, staring into Bai Tu's eyes.
This question was very direct. Obviously... the majesty of the Han Dynasty was becoming less and less able to be covered. Wang Lang's question was very in line with the situation. Although he did not have the wild imagination to think that there would be a change of dynasty, he also tacitly acknowledged the separatist regime.
"My adoptive father, Lu Fengxian, is a man of unmatched courage and loyalty. He killed the bandits in Chang'an City and rescued the emperor..." Bai Tu said with his head held high.
However... judging from the looks of Hua Xin and Wang Lang, they were clearly not satisfied.
"My cousin Lu Su is a strict person, good at coming up with ingenious ideas, generous by nature, and has the talent to see the world!"
"My second brother, Sun Ce, inherited my father's talent and ambition. He is a young tiger of Jiangdong and the bravest of the three armies..."
"My third brother Zhou Yu has a magnanimous character, knows how to use people well, and has the talent to assist the king..."
Lu Su was also very puzzled. When he realized it , the news that he and Bai Tu were cousins seemed to have spread in Qu'a?
"And there is Taishi Ziyi who is beside me. Do you know him for his loyalty? Back then in Qingzhou..." Bai Tu made Taishi Ci feel a little embarrassed by his flattery.
Afterwards, Bai Tu mentioned Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin, Lao Lu and Xiao Yu respectively.
Bai Tu was talking until his mouth was dry, but he didn't mention himself. Hua Xin couldn't help but take advantage of Bai Tu's tea break to interject: "Mr. Bai is modest, he didn't mention himself."
"Hey, what can I offer? If I go to the Ministry of Rites, I'm afraid I won't be able to manage education. If I go to the Ministry of Personnel, I won't be able to sort out criminal justice systems and will just make people laugh... Every time I think about this, I can't sleep at night!" Bai Tu looked at Hua Xin and Wang Lang with a sad face.
Although Bai Tu never said what his abilities were from beginning to end, now that he had said this, Hua Xin and Wang Lang were already tempted.
Firstly, Bai Tu chose the positions for them, which they both liked very much. Secondly, Bai Tu had already figured it out and found that there were already people who were good at what they were not good at!
"I am grateful for Mr. Bai's kindness. If Mr. Bai trusts me, I am willing to serve him."
"Lang is also willing to contribute a little!"
After Hua Xin and Wang Lang entered the room, they performed the full ceremony to Bai Tu for the first time...
