Chapter 27 Ye Zheng: Official Position in Public Affairs
The expectation in Ye Zheng’s eyes made Ye Chong smile. How could he not understand?
"Today, with your cultivation, there are only a handful of people in the world who can suppress you. Some of these people live in seclusion in a corner, and if you don't offend them, they won't rush out. Some are too deeply trapped in the secular world, and are constrained by all sides. If they take action against you, I'm afraid it will take a long time."
"So don't expect too much. You are a seventh-rank deputy commander of the military department. How can you expect high-ranking warriors to serve as your guards? Your uncle Gong, the deputy commander of the imperial guards, is only eighth-rank."
Ye Zheng agreed half way with what his father said earlier.
He has died once, so he cherishes his life the most. If there is someone in this world who can kill him, he will be on guard against it.
It’s just...he can’t die easily.
"It's the upper eighth rank." Ye Zheng corrected, and then said, "Speaking of which, I haven't been to Uncle Gong for some time. I'll go see him in a few days."
Ye Zhong suddenly fell silent for some reason. After a while, he sighed, "You should go and see him, but..."
He suddenly stopped, looked at Ye Zheng seriously, and said in a deep voice, "You don't have to tell him what's in your heart."
Ye Zheng frowned, this...
Martial Arts Hall
"Sir, my surname is Wen, my given name is 'Di', and I am a seventh-rank archer."
This man was over seven feet tall, slightly shorter than Ye Zheng. His hands had distinct joints, and there were calluses on his thumbs, index fingers, ring fingers, or the second joints.
Ye Zheng nodded slightly and looked at the other person.
"Sir, my name is Zhongli, I'm an eighth-rank warrior, good at Qinggong, poison, and disguise."
This man was about seven feet tall and looked even more ordinary than Wen Di. If he were thrown into the crowd, he would be hard to recognize.
He looks cheerful and very kind.
"Have you changed your appearance now?" Ye Zheng asked.
It is unknown whether the Kyoto Prefecture has found out anything about the assassination in Xiliu Lane, Nanshi, and the assassin was good at disguising himself.
"Master Ye, how dare I do that in front of you, young master?" Zhongli said with a bow.
Ye Zheng looked at his face carefully again and imprinted it deeply into his memory.
At this time, Ye Zhong said, "Of the two I selected, Wen Di was originally a sergeant of the Jiangnan Army, and Zhong Li was sent by your uncle Fan. They may not be able to give you much help in combat, but they will definitely be able to help you in intelligence and reconnaissance."
Ye Zheng looked at the two of them, clasped his fists and said with a smile, "You two, I will have to rely on you for everything in the future."
"Young Master, you're welcome."
"How dare you not die for me, young master?"
Wen Di is a military man after all, so he is more down-to-earth. This Zhongli is really...
This is just the first time we met, and you're already so devoted to me?
Ye Zheng smiled.
Zhongli also smiled under the gazes of him, Wen Di and Ye Zhong.
Well, I discovered another characteristic of this person: he is thick-skinned.
"They will enter the South City under your jurisdiction as 'archers'. You don't have to worry that Commander Pan Qi will transfer them away. Deputy commanders are sometimes children of military honors who donate money to become deputy commanders. It's very common for a family to send two capable people to protect them."
Ye Zhong made clear arrangements for his youngest son.
"Thanks…"
"Stop talking like that. Remember what I said and pay more attention." The youngest son just bowed, and Ye Chong stopped him.
After saying that, he strode away.
Ye Zheng looked at the two of them.
The two of them did not show a second attitude after Ye Zhong left because of his young age.
But Ye Zheng knew that for the time being, these two were more like an employment relationship with him, and he still had a long way to go before he could use them skillfully.
"Zhongli, I will take office the day after tomorrow, please come and make a trip. Before the evening hour tomorrow, I want to see the owners of the wine shops, tea shops, brothels and other shops in the South City or the people behind them. Also, I want to make a summary of whether there are any collapsed streets or blocked ditches in the South City. There are many things to do, please take care of me."
As he spoke, he took out two ingots of ten-liang silver from the pouch on his waist and handed them to Zhongli.
The subordinates talked to Eunuch Hou and decided not to raise their salaries all at once. Increasing their salaries slowly can not only stimulate the subordinates and inspire their motivation, but also help cultivate a harmonious employment relationship.
The latter's face was full of smiles, "It's not hard to serve you, sir. It's my duty, my duty."
He said this, but his hands were moving quickly.
Wen Di, who was standing by, frowned but didn't get angry.
Ye Zheng took in the change in his expression and suddenly became serious, "Hey, Zhongli, pay attention to something."
Zhongli, who was smiling, suddenly became stiff. Could it be...
He immediately felt that the silver was hot.
But Ye Zheng smiled again and said, "From now on, I will call you by your official title when doing official business."
"I understand, I understand, Commander." Zhongli Li said with a flattering smile.
"Well, go ahead." Ye Zheng nodded impatiently.
This guy is very capable. He even removed the word "deputy".
How could he, an eighth-rank official, be reduced to being a "bodyguard" for a young man with military honors like him?
"Sir... Deputy Commander, we all receive salaries from the Ye Mansion, and also receive military pay for the 'archers'. Why do you need to give him more money? This guy is very slippery." Wen Di said angrily after Zhongli left.
"Do you know him?" Ye Zheng asked without rushing to respond.
"His teacher was the main agent of the Third Division of the Inspection Institute. He was also originally from the Third Division of the Inspection Institute, but later left the Inspection Institute for unknown reasons."
When Wen Di said this, Ye Zheng's heart was immediately alarmed. Could it be that Old Taishan would send him a spy in the future?
Arranged by Chen Pingping?
Or was it arranged by Lao Deng?
"Okay, you don't have to call me 'Commander, Commander', you can just call me 'Sir'." Ye Zheng quickly calmed down, thought for a moment, and asked, "You are from the Jiangnan Army. Do you know anyone in the Jingdu Garrison or the Jingying?"
"Of course, sir."
"Well, take my badge and go to the Ministry of Works first to ask about the progress of the four water dragons. Then find someone you know to help me pass on a message to the soldiers who were laid off in the capital garrison and the Beijing camp some time ago. I want to recruit firemen. The salary is quite good. Those who are interested can come to the fire department in three days."
"Yes, my lord."
……
The next day, 4:00 .
South City Army
They may be concerned about Ye Zheng's background, or they may be afraid of Ye Zheng's "bad reputation".
When it came time to roll call today, the clerks and archers arrived early and were all present.
They stood casually on the training ground, whispering in groups of three or five.
When a young man in a black embroidered narrow-sleeved official uniform (not an official uniform) walked briskly out of the hall, everyone gradually shut up.
Looking at the eighty archers and three clerks on the parade ground, Ye Zheng frowned. Clerks were fine, but archers were also soldiers. Why were they standing in such a crooked formation?
"Yu Sanhe, teach them how to line up?" he said.
A man standing behind him, wearing the uniform of a stoker, stepped forward, clasped his fists towards Ye Zheng to receive the order, and then taught the archers how to march in formation amidst their 'dissatisfied but unconvincing' gazes.
After a long while, it finally stood up properly.
Ye Zheng's eyes slowly scanned the area, and when he frowned, his aura was dignified and solemn. "It took half a minute for you to line up. If it were the fire patrol office, you would be the firemen who would be fired."
No matter how cautious they are, there will definitely be some archers who are dissatisfied after hearing such provocative words.
"The army is not paid enough and has no intention to train."
"How can we queue when we don't even have enough to eat?"
"Your Excellency, you don't know the inside story, why do you blame us?"
"... "
All the chatter, in between words, can't get away from the word "military pay".
"Silence!"
Ye Zheng didn't need to say anything, Wen Di beside him took half a step forward and shouted loudly.
He used some of his true energy to make this sound, which was loud and deafening.
The archers with martial arts training immediately shut up, with a hint of fear in their eyes.
Without these people, the noise gradually subsided.
After waiting for the training ground to calm down again for a while, Ye Zheng spoke, "I know you may have heard some things about me. Some of them are not true, but for some, I want to remind you that on the day I took office as the commander of the Patrol Fire Arresters, the cells of Kyoto Prefecture and the Inspection Institute were quite lively, and many people filled them."
"The former deputy commander of the South City Military Department was also arrested by the Inspection Office the day before yesterday because he extorted bribes. From what you said, it seems that there is another crime to be added, which is withholding military pay!"
"He has been withholding your military pay, and your military pay is insufficient, making it difficult for you to make a living. Is he also forcing you to take bribes from the merchants in South City?"
The eighty archers and three clerks all lowered their heads, and no one responded.
The training ground fell into silence again, until this silence made these people uncomfortable, Ye Zheng said again, "The former deputy commander withheld military pay, how to punish him, how to make up for your military pay, the officials will make their own judgments, the most I can do is to help urge them to do so."
"I have indeed promised you that I will not withhold a single cent of the military pay nor assign arbitrary labor during my term of office. What do you think?"
"I am willing to die for you, sir!"
"I am willing to die for you, sir!"
"Death for your lord!"
"... "
Ye Zheng nodded with satisfaction and looked into the eyes of one of the archers.
Zhongli is a really smart guy, and he even takes the lead.
These archers and officers may not believe everything he said.
He might not believe the archers and clerks' words of suicide.
In short, we must first rally the people’s hearts and stabilize the military’s morale before talking about other things.
Within two days, Ye Zheng's words were verified, and almost 90% of the archers received their full pay for the first time.
Afterwards, these archers willingly followed Ye Zheng to dredge ditches, clean and repair streets, and clear the streets occupied by shops.
Ye Zheng also strictly disciplined the archers and clerks, and strictly prohibited the extortion of bribes from merchants. The appearance and business atmosphere of Nanshi were completely renewed, and countless merchants applauded.
He patrolled at night, collected commercial taxes, arrested thieves and escaped craftsmen, and dealt with street fights. Whenever he had time, he would personally lead the troops to do so.
He also recruited firemen, taught them how to operate water dragons, and implemented new fire training policies.
For nearly two weeks, he ran back and forth between the South City Military Department and the Fire Patrol Office and seldom went home. His mother Cui Yan often complained to him, "Why do other officials have such an easy life?" He really wanted to say, "Father told me to be serious," but he was afraid that his father would drag him to the martial arts hall in the future.
Finally having some free time on this day, he first went to visit Fan's house, stayed there for half a day, and after having lunch, took a carriage to the East City.
The city is full of Lao Deng's spies. If he takes time out from his busy schedule to visit his father's junior brother, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, it would always be a bit abrupt. With Lao Deng's mind, he might be suspicious. He has taken care of the South City Military Department and the new fire patrol policy. Today is a day off, so the timing is perfect.
He wanted to find an answer to something that had been buried in his heart for several days.
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(End of this chapter)