nucmednet Chapter 353 "Father-in-law and Son-in-law" Join Forces, Dengzhou and Laizhou Are Mine
Chapter 353 "Father-in-law and Son-in-law" Join Forces, Dengzhou and Laizhou Are Mine
"Sending troops to Shandong?" Mu Tianyan asked in surprise. "You're living such a comfortable life in Qiongzhou Prefecture, why would you want to go to that poor, desolate place to suffer? You don't seem like the kind of person who's only interested in gaining military merit and climbing the ranks." Officials travel thousands of miles for money; civil officials are like this, and military generals are no exception. Military generals elsewhere rack their brains to exploit soldiers, barely accumulating a few coins, while Liu Ye earns a fortune daily, becoming incredibly wealthy. Even if he gains military merit and rises to the rank of general, what good is it? Military generals in the Ming Dynasty have low status; even a military commissioner wouldn't give a general a second glance. What's the point?
Liu Ye naturally wouldn't say that he wanted to expand his army and territory and rebel in the future. He simply explained it in a way that Mu Tianyan could understand: "At the current rate, I will earn more money in the future than I can spend in several lifetimes. Fame and fortune, fame and fortune, it's about having both. Now that I have the fortune, I have to seek fame, right? I can't be a civil official anymore. I can't be a military officer for the rest of my life."
Mu Tianyan believed him: "It's true that you have ambition. However, you don't necessarily have to go to the north to gain military merit and promotion! The Yao chieftains in Guangxi cause trouble every few days. I'll suggest to Governor Xiong that you be sent to Guangxi to suppress the Yao. With the strength of your Qiongzhou camp, dealing with a few Yao people is a piece of cake. If you do some good work and send some money to the Ministry of War, I guarantee you'll be promoted to deputy general within a year and commander-in-chief within three years."
Liu Ye was both amused and exasperated. He believed that Mu Tianyan was genuinely looking out for him, but what he truly wanted was not some empty title of general, but rather real territory in the north!
He tried to persuade Mu Tianyan: "Going to Guangxi to exterminate the Yao people is pointless and slows down your promotion. Military achievements in the north are more valuable. You might even become a deputy general after winning a battle, without having to wait another year..."
Mu Tianyan still disagreed with his statement: "The Shandong rebels are still not wiped out. They've fought tooth and nail to the bone. What are you going to do there? Accumulate merit and resources slowly in Guangdong and Guangxi. It may be slower, but it's safer..."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Mu Tianyan, Liu Ye became a little impatient, but he couldn't reveal the real reason, and felt very frustrated.
Just then, light footsteps sounded at the door. Before the person arrived, the words came first: "Uncle, Aunt asked me to bring you a bowl of ginseng and wolfberry stewed mutton soup. She said it's good for your kidneys and liver, and you should drink it while it's hot..."
As the words fell, a bright and beautiful woman entered the room with a maid carrying a bowl of soup. It was Lin Shiyue, Mu Tianyan's niece. She glanced at Liu Ye as she entered but did not greet him, pretending not to see him, though a blush quietly rose on her face.
Mu Tianyan said in surprise, "Isn't this soup usually drunk at night? Why is it brought over so early today..." But when he saw the barely concealed shyness on Lin Shiyue's face, and then looked at Liu Ye beside her, he seemed to understand something, and swallowed the rest of his words. He was an experienced man, and naturally understood the thoughts of young men and women.
Liu Ye, being an experienced manipulator, immediately understood everything upon seeing Lin Shiyue's expression and recalling Duan Mengrou's earlier "hint," especially given the abrupt delivery of the soup. He suspected Lin Shiyue knew he was visiting her uncle and wanted to find an opportunity to get closer, but couldn't let go of her pride, so she used the soup delivery as a cover.
His eyes darted around. Since he couldn't persuade Mu Tianyan, he might as well use Lin Shiyue as a breakthrough point.
He leaned closer to Mu Tianyan and whispered, "To be honest, I have long admired Miss Wenjun, but my status is too low, and I fear I am not worthy of her, so I have never dared to speak up. Therefore, I wish to exchange military merits for an official position, so that we can be more of a match..."
Mu Tianyan had already intended to matchmake people, and hearing Liu Ye say it himself was exactly what he wanted. He stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly: "Not bad, not bad. Although the rank of the Imperial Inspector is not high, it is extremely prestigious and has great potential for advancement. If you want a good match, you will have to put in some effort."
Hearing her uncle's seemingly random remark, Lin Shiyue connected it to certain things, and her face turned even redder.
Liu Ye continued to exaggerate: "The reason I'm going to Shandong is twofold: firstly, because the military achievements are more significant, and secondly, I want to lend a helping hand to the future Taishan and leave him with a good impression."
Mu Tianyan pondered for a moment and said, "He is indeed assisting Zhu Dadian, the newly appointed governor of Shandong, in suppressing the rebellion. If you can achieve military merit in Shandong, the two of you working together can indeed accomplish a lot. With his help, your military merit will only increase, not decrease. In addition, the Emperor is very concerned about the situation in Shandong, so it's not impossible for you to win the title of general in one battle. As for him, with your assistance, if he achieves great merit, he can expect to get rid of his seventh-rank censor's hat sooner and become a fourth-rank vice censor-in-chief..."
Liu Ye had only intended to deceive Mu Tianyan, hoping to find a reason to send troops to Shandong. Unexpectedly, this seasoned official, after much analysis, actually pieced together a clear line of thought from Liu Ye's rhetoric. His eyes lit up, and he pressed, "If he is appointed Vice Censor-in-Chief, can he be appointed Governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou?"
"The two previous governors of Dengzhou and Laizhou, Sun Yuanhua who died in Dengzhou the year before last and Xie Lian who was lured and killed by rebels last year, were both governors of Dengzhou and Laizhou as Right Vice Censor-in-Chief. What do you think?"
Liu Ye was overjoyed. If the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou was one of his own, then he would have a foothold in Shandong. Dengzhou and Laizhou were coastal cities, allowing for a direct attack on Beijing from Tianjin and Dagu to the left, and a rapid advance on Shengjing via Lushun to the right. Whether dealing with Emperor Chongzhen or Emperor Huang Taiji, they were in an excellent position. Therefore, it seemed imperative to send troops to Shandong and join forces with his father, the governor Lin Shiyue. This was what they called a "father-in-law and son-in-law" alliance—Dengzhou and Laizhou were his!
He turned to look at the somewhat hesitant and uneasy Lin Shiyue. Although Lin Shiyue hadn't heard Liu Ye's whisper, she had gleaned a clue from her uncle's words. Liu Ye had made up his mind: if he needed to use a marriage alliance to bind the Lin family to his cause, what was wrong with taking Lin Shiyue? Although their several meetings hadn't been pleasant, after learning about Lin Shiyue's feelings, Liu Ye's resistance towards her lessened somewhat. Just like a teenage boy who likes to tease a girl he likes, Lin Shiyue's sarcastic remarks were merely a disguise. Besides, in terms of refinement, knowledge, appearance, and family background, Lin Shiyue was second to none.
Having made up his mind, Liu Ye said to Mu Tianyan, "Hearing what the governor said, I am even more determined to go to Shandong. If you don't give me a satisfactory answer today, I will stay here and not leave."
Mu Tianyan laughed and scolded, "A dignified adjutant, yet so lazy! I understand your intentions, but Guangdong and Shandong are thousands of miles apart. What reason would it take to get you to send troops to Shandong?"
Lin Shiyue touched her slightly flushed cheeks, composed herself, and said, "Although I don't know the cause and effect, I have an idea if we want to send troops from Guangdong to Shandong."