nucmednet Chapter 681 Governor-General of Taiwan
Chapter 681 Governor-General of Taiwan
"He's an old acquaintance of mine, with extensive experience in governing a region, yet he's still unemployed at home?" Liu Ye reacted quickly, immediately thinking of someone and blurting out, "Zhu Dadian?"
"He's a promising young man!" Lin Tianming replied with a smile. "It is he. Yanzhi (Zhu Dadian's courtesy name) has served as the Vice Commissioner of the Fujian Provincial Surveillance Commission, the Right Vice Commissioner of the Provincial Administration Commission, the Governor of Shandong, and the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner. He is capable of governing and leading the army. Such a person is perfect for expanding territory and taking charge of things independently."
Liu Ye thought to himself that the old man's words made a lot of sense. Both were governors by origin, but Sun Yuanhua was more of a technical bureaucrat; he was undoubtedly capable of getting things done, but in terms of shrewdness and experience, he was far inferior to Zhu Dadian. If it weren't for his bad luck—encountering the invasion of Fengyang by the combined forces of Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong shortly after taking office and before he could even establish himself—he wouldn't have lost his position.
"But he still has a chance to be reinstated. Would such a high-ranking official work for me?" Liu Ye was a little unsure. He was confident in fooling down-on-his-luck scholars, but he really didn't have much confidence in fooling such a high-ranking former official. After all, given the current situation, he couldn't give Zhu Dadian what he wanted.
Lin Tianming said meaningfully, "How will we know if it will work if we don't try?"
Liu Ye was skeptical and said, "But Mr. Yanzhi's hometown is in Jinhua, which is far from Dengzhou. The ships transporting people from Tianjin will be heading south in a few days. Even if we go to find him now, it won't be enough time for a round trip."
"Hehe, what a coincidence. Yanzhi and I hit it off. He's currently a guest in Dengzhou. If you want to see him, I can arrange for you to meet right away."
Liu Ye was overjoyed: "That would be perfect, I'll give it a try."
It turned out that Zhu Dadian was unemployed and had nothing to do, so he traveled around. He had many classmates and fellow students from various provinces, and he was not short of money, so he could travel off-the-job. In the past year or so, he had traveled all over the north of the Yangtze River. He happened to be visiting Lin Tianming during this period.
Under Lin Tianming's arrangement, the two met again at the governor's office.
After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat down. Zhu Dadian looked at Liu Ye, filled with emotion. The last time they met in this place, he was still the governor of Shandong and the commander of the army suppressing the rebellion, enjoying unparalleled prestige. At that time, Liu Ye was just a military officer in Qiongzhou who was racking his brains to gain some benefits in suppressing the rebellion, and did not hesitate to bribe and win over each other.
Two years have passed, and Liu Ye has risen to prominence like a rocket. From an unknown military officer, he has made a name for himself in several tough battles and risen to become the General of the Border Town, the Left Commander-in-Chief, the Marquis of Pingnan, and even the title of Grand General. Meanwhile, Zhu Dadian has been dismissed from his post and become a commoner. The status of the two has undergone a dramatic change.
Liu Ye spoke first, getting straight to the point. He clasped his hands and said, "Mr. Yanzhi, you wouldn't come here without a reason. I've asked my father-in-law to invite you here today because I have something to ask of you."
Zhu Dadian waved his hand and replied modestly, "You are now the incomparably noble Marquis of Pingnan and Grand General, while I am merely a former Grand Canal Transport Commissioner who has been dismissed from my post. I am not worthy of this 'please'."
“Mr. Yanzhi, you are too modest,” Liu Ye said seriously. “I know my request may be a bit presumptuous, but I still want to give it a try. After all, talents like you are hard to come by. I am currently relocating tens of thousands of people to Taiwan to reclaim wasteland, and I will continue to send people there in the future. I plan to establish my own management system there to replace the role of the government, but there is no one to take charge. I wonder if Mr. Yanzhi would be so kind as to do so…”
Zhu Dadian was incredibly astute; he immediately understood Liu Ye's meaning upon hearing this. He pondered for a moment, then instead of answering directly, he asked a seemingly unrelated question: "When the Marquis of Pingnan's army besieged the imperial city, did you ever consider storming into the Golden Palace and changing the world?"
Liu Ye was somewhat surprised. These words, coming from the mouth of the former Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, were utterly treasonous! He didn't know Zhu Dadian's true intentions, but after thinking for a moment, he decided to speak the truth: "To be honest, given the circumstances at the time, entering the Golden Palace would have been incredibly easy, but what good would it have done? Even if there had been an coup at Chengtian Gate, changing the dynasty, without popular support and a sufficient army to control the entire country, it would have been a fleeting moment. Instead, the chaos in the central government would have allowed the bandits in the northwest and the Tartars in Liaodong to benefit. Zhao Kuangyin's ascension to the throne wasn't something anyone could emulate; the right time, the right place, and the right people were all indispensable. Otherwise, wouldn't any Tom, Dick, or Harry be able to change the dynasty simply by launching a coup?"
Zhu Dadian nodded repeatedly, praising, "The Qionghai Army's combat power is unparalleled. Striking a coup at Chengtianmen would be a piece of cake. Under such circumstances, you were able to maintain a calm mind and know how to make choices. It's truly remarkable. Let me ask you another question: With your current rank and official position, plus this unconventional Grand General title, you are already at the pinnacle of military officers in this dynasty, with almost no possibility of further advancement. Why don't you stay in Qiongzhou and enjoy your life, instead of going through all the trouble of relocating people to Dongfan Island to reclaim wasteland? Don't tell me you're worried about the country and its people, trying to share the Emperor's burdens."
Liu Ye astutely discerned Zhu Dadian's true intentions from his two questions. If the first question was about analyzing one's own vision and perspective, testing whether one could resist temporary temptations, retreat strategically, and make a rational choice, then the second question was about confirming whether one possessed sufficient ambition and aspirations.
He laughed and answered bluntly, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny? The world is about to descend into chaos, and no one knows what the future holds. It's always good to be prepared. With provisions in hand, one has nothing to fear, right, Mr. Yanzhi?"
Zhu Dadian smiled, then stood up, walked to Liu Ye, cupped his hands and bowed deeply, saying loudly, "Zhu Yanzhi of Jinhua is honored to be entrusted with this important task by the Marquis of Pingnan. I will do my utmost to accomplish this task!"
Liu Ye was both surprised and delighted. He stood up, reached out to help Zhu Dadian, and asked incredulously, "Mr. Yanzhi, does this mean you've agreed?"
Zhu Dadian replied with a smile, "Indeed. May I ask what official rank the Marquis of Pingnan compares me to, and what my salary is?"
Liu Ye laughed loudly a few times, then replied, "I can't give you the seal of the Ministry of Personnel and an official title, but you will command tens of thousands of people under your command, and in the future, hundreds of thousands. Based on this population size, you will be no less than the governor of the mainland. How about calling me the governor of Taiwan? As for the salary, you can name it whatever you want, and I will not discount it."
"Governor-General of Taiwan?" Zhu Dadian chuckled. "Sounds good. It seems my fate with governors and viceroys is sealed!" He came from a wealthy family and had amassed a considerable fortune during his tenure, so he didn't really care much about his salary; it was just a joke. What he truly cared about was the status Liu Ye would give him, and whether he would receive sufficient respect and attention.