Chapter 752: Immediate Dismissal
Luoyang was safe! But Li Daoxuan glanced at the direction the rebels were retreating and knew the situation wasn't good.
These rebels weren't retreating east towards Kaifeng Prefecture, but rather slightly southeast.
In other words, the main rebel force should be southeast of Luoyang.
Consulting a map, it was clear the rebels were moving southwest from Kaifeng Prefecture, which explained their position southeast of Luoyang.
If they continued in this direction, the rebels would undoubtedly keep pushing southwest, eventually reaching the intersection of Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Shaanxi provinces.
However, merely anticipating this was useless.
Li Daoxuan currently lacked the means to stop them...
He pondered for a few seconds, then summoned Bai Yuan. "Write a letter," he instructed, "and send someone to Sichuan, to the Wan Shou Zhai, the homeland of the White Pole Soldiers. Tell them to take precautions early... at the very least, they must find a way to block the rebels from entering Sichuan."
Bai Yuan nodded and went to make the arrangements.
Fan Shangzheng instantly grasped his meaning. "The intersection of the four provinces?"
Li Daoxuan continued, "As you know, imperial troops have regional limitations. Once these rebels reach the border of the four provinces, it will inevitably lead to officials from all four provinces bickering and blaming each other."
Fan Shangzheng sighed. "This... I understand, Your Excellency. I will immediately draft a letter, urging Regional Commander Zhang Yingchang to pursue the rebels without delay, to prevent them from reaching the four-province border."
He said this aloud, but in his heart, he knew Zhang Yingchang would never catch the rebels.
Li Daoxuan said, "I have no friends in officialdom, so I'll rely on your connections, Governor. Immediately write to the Yunyang Grand Coordinator, instructing him to lead his troops out of Xiangyang and establish defenses at the four-province border. Perhaps that will bear fruit."
Fan Shangzheng responded, "Understood. I'll try writing a letter to the Yunyang Grand Coordinator."
Li Daoxuan had made arrangements for Henan, Sichuan, and Hubei, leaving only one remaining, Shaanxi...
The current Governor of Shaanxi was Wang Shunxing.
Li Daoxuan had no particular ties to Wang Shunxing, but he was on good terms with Wu Shen and Shi Kefa. If he asked these two officials to put in a good word and have the Shaanxi Governor prepare early, it might yield some results.
As he considered this, Zhu Changxun strolled over, grinning broadly. Moments ago, he'd been terrified, but now he seemed full of vigor, brimming with princely authority. He addressed Bai Yuan: "Master Bai, in the past, when we partnered in business, I already knew you were a man of talent. Now, seeing the incredible strength of the Gao Family Village Militia you've trained, I am truly delighted. This prince spending five taels of silver to hire each of them was truly a bargain! I believe each of them is worth ten taels, ten taels!"
He had abruptly started showering Bai Yuan with praise.
Bai Yuan chuckled inwardly, unfurling his folding fan with a snap to reveal the character for "Gentleman." "Your Highness," he said, "speak your mind."
Zhu Changxun declared, "In these times, rebels run rampant, and they haven't been quelled for years. It's highly probable they'll return. This prince is only permitted five hundred guards, and the local garrison troops here are absolutely useless. I wish to discuss something with Master Bai: would you be willing to train more militia in Luoyang city from now on? Oh, my safety entirely depends on you!"
Bai Yuan smiled. "This single militia unit has already emptied my family's coffers. Where would I find the funds to 'train more'? I cannot afford it, I cannot afford it."
Zhu Changxun waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, come now, Master. Is it merely a matter of money? This prince will sponsor it; I can provide the funds. If my wealth is simply going to be plundered by rebels before I even have a chance to spend it, it's far better to use it to train the militia."
Bai Yuan cautioned, "Your Highness, if news of you funding and training a militia reaches the Emperor's ears, I fear..."
Zhu Changxun startled, then quickly composed himself. "Let this prince make it clear," he declared, "I will only provide the money and concern myself with nothing else. This militia is not mine! Absolutely not mine! It's all yours! This prince won't even touch a finger."
Bai Yuan secretly rejoiced. "Since Your Highness is so generous, then it would be impolite for this humble one to refuse."
Zhu Changxun also rejoiced inwardly: Ha! Now this prince no longer needs to fear the rebels—
Dao Xuan Tian Zun, accompanied by Wu Shen and Shi Kefa, entered the Shaanxi Governor's Yamen.
Wang Shunxing, the Governor of Shaanxi, was a rather low-key official. Since taking office in Shaanxi, he hadn't undertaken any grand ventures. He had largely dedicated himself to promoting agriculture and commerce, constructing roads, water conservancy projects, bridges, and temples, even writing inscriptions for them...
On these inscriptions, he had personally penned: "Cao Cao was a Han traitor, and Sun Quan even more so. Guan Yu was not loyal only to Liu Bei, but even more so to the Han dynasty."
All in all, he was considered a fairly normal official.
At that moment, he was once again crafting a plea to the court for tax exemptions, a sort of 'small essay': "After the desolation of war in Shaanxi, tax collection has become arduous across all prefectures, though less so in Pingyang, Qingyang, and Yan'an. Among these, Yan'an is particularly dire... The Grand Coordinator has petitioned for a delay in collection, hoping for a bountiful autumn harvest. Yet, after a parched summer, there are no signs of abundance, and Yan'an is a thousand li of barren land, worse even than the other two prefectures..."
In summary, his message was a single, stark sentence: "Shaanxi cannot collect taxes. There are none, absolutely no taxes to be had. Take our lives if you must, Your Majesty, but there is nothing to collect. You decide."
Just as he was absorbed in his writing, Wu Shen, Shi Kefa, and Dao Xuan Tian Zun entered in succession.
Wang Shunxing set down his brush. "Gentlemen, what brings you here?"
Shi Kefa's face was grim. "Your Excellency, Governor," he reported, "I just received news that after crossing the river from Kaifeng Prefecture and bypassing Luoyang city, the rebels are pushing southwest. They are very likely to establish a foothold at the intersection of Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces."
Wang Shunxing exclaimed, "Oh dear! What are we to do?"
Shi Kefa urged, "Your Excellency, Governor, Shaanxi must prepare in advance. We should dispatch Regional Commander He Renlong to establish defenses at the four-province border, to repel these bandits from entering Qin (Shaanxi)."
It turned out that by this time, 'Madman He' He Renlong had already been appointed Regional Commander of Shaanxi.
However, despite holding the title of Regional Commander of Shaanxi, he had been continuously pursuing the rebels in Shanxi. Even after the rebels crossed the river into Henan, he had not returned to Shaanxi, remaining stationed in Shanxi to prevent them from staging a sudden counter-attack and re-entering the province.
After listening to Shi Kefa's analysis, Wang Shunxing conceded, "Very well. I will immediately write a hand-order, instructing He Renlong to return from Shanxi."
He took up his brush to issue the order...
He had barely penned ten characters when a messenger suddenly rushed in from outside, bowing deeply to Wang Shunxing. "Your Excellency, Governor," the messenger announced, "a dispatch from the Ministry of Personnel has arrived."
Wang Shunxing murmured, "The Ministry of Personnel?"
A sense of foreboding rose in his heart. He took the document and unrolled it.
"Shaanxi Governor Wang Shunxing, during his tenure, failed to collect adequate taxes and showed poor administrative performance. For speaking nonsense and deceiving His Majesty, he is hereby immediately dismissed from office!"
Wang Shunxing was speechless.
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