Chapter 00233: Sun Hongye's Suggestions
# Sun Hongye's Suggestions
Chapter 233
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 233: Sun Hongye's Suggestions
He Chunhua was the local magistrate, while the Li family were common folk.
Although a few of their clan held official positions in the court, Li Rong himself held no title or position, so how could he possibly go against the authority of the government?
He Zongguan was using a chicken to scare the monkey; all the gentry and wealthy merchants of Dunyu, even those from the entire Xiazhu, were watching with wide eyes.
"Before Li Rong entered, his sons had already made arrangements, donating two hundred thousand jin of corn flour and over one hundred thousand jin of sorghum flour to the treasury," Sun Hongye said with a smile.
"People like Li Rong can't endure hardship in the jail. Instead of bribing the jailers, it would be better to go directly to Lord He."
"Li Shuang is not foolish either."
"Indeed, before Li Rong moved in, the jailers had given the cell a thorough cleaning and sprayed it with medicine. It is said they killed over thirty rats and countless cockroaches and bedbugs. Li Rong's cell is the largest, closest to the door, well-ventilated and well-lit, and the bedding is brand new."
"Once Li Shuang donates five hundred cotton coats, three hundred pairs of cotton socks, and six hundred pairs of military boots, his father's meals will change from two meals a day to three, and there will be wine as well, with the Li family also sending meals."
He Lingchuan smiled; with Li Rong in hand, He Chunhua had effectively grasped this faction.
"The second major event is that as Lord He is about to take office, a total of sixty-six families of nobles, gentry, and merchants from Dunyu have come to present gifts," Sun Hongye raised his second finger.
"Each gift list is quite long; just these lists could fill a cart."
Old Father dealt a heavy blow to the Li family, and the surrounding gentry looked shocked; the gifts were substantial.
He Lingchuan's spirit lifted: "How much did they offer?"
"Lord He returned everything, not accepting a single item."
His expression fell: "Not a single item?"
"Not a single item."
He Lingchuan's face was expressionless, knowing that the hope for an increase in the official fees had been dashed.
"These guys can't be so foolish as to send nothing, right?"
"Of course not."
Sun Hongye smiled.
"Just as Li Rong's sons were rejected in their gift-giving and switched to donating supplies, this news spread quickly. These people suddenly realized they could convert their original gifts into military supplies for donation to the treasury, and then present the revised gift lists to the noble court. During my years at the Inspectorate, it was the first time I saw a gilded gift list that included such down-to-earth items as pickled pork and vermicelli. I heard that the gentry were frantically hoarding grain in Dunyu and nearby farms, causing grain prices to rise by half in just two days."
After calculating, it turned out that grain was still the cheapest; sending over a hundred thousand jin at once had a significant impact.
"Has it been sent to the front lines?"
"It was only counted yesterday, and Lord He has already sent someone to escort it over."
The gifts, no, the donations were all these scattered supplies; just counting and verifying them was labor-intensive, but they were exactly what was needed at the front.
He Lingchuan murmured, "These gentry really are something; they have whatever they need."
"The third major event is a continuation of the previous one. The state government has been inefficient in counting supplies over the past few days, and there were two accounting errors. Lord He was furious and, citing dereliction of duty, negligence, and incompetence, demoted thirty percent of the old officials and clerks in the state government for other uses. Such a significant change hasn't happened in fifteen years, shocking the entire Dunyu."
"The heavens of Xiazhu have changed; they should get used to it sooner rather than later."
He Lingchuan nodded.
"No breaking, no standing. Have our people been put in place?"
"Mo Zhejingxuan, Zhao Qinghe, and others, along with the nineteen people Lord He recruited from Shihuan City, have all been assigned positions."
This group would be the foundational team for He Chunhua in the short term.
"By the way, Lord He also wants to arrange for me to be the clerk in the state government, specializing in documents."
"Oh? That's quite a position."
Old Father is even digging into his own people?
Sun Hongye shook his head: "I declined."
"Why?" He Lingchuan's expression shifted slightly.
"You've been idling here for quite some time, and there's no proper work for you to do."
"It was you who recognized talent back in Shihuan," Sun Hongye said seriously.
"Therefore, I follow the boss, not Lord He."
He Lingchuan clapped and laughed: "Good, good!" Who wouldn't like a loyal subordinate?
"Moreover, I prefer to build something from nothing; I don't want to just go through the motions in the state government."
Indeed, this kid has ambitions; he doesn't have the temperament for a routine job.
Sun Hongye repeated, "Boss, your closed-door retreat was ill-timed; you missed a great opportunity."
"What do you mean?"
"Two days ago, enemy traces were discovered near Wutu Town in the north. When the news reached, Lord He sent Zhao Qinghe and Wu Shaoyi to lead the army to attack."
The first three pieces of news didn't carry the same weight as this last one, and He Lingchuan's heart sank: "It's already begun? How many enemies are there?"
"They say it's a guerrilla force; as for the numbers, Lord He hasn't disclosed that. Zhao and Wu's troops set out this morning."
Sun Hongye sighed.
"If you had come out half a day earlier, this beautiful job might have fallen to you."
At least he would have had a share.
"Missed is missed; there will be another opportunity."
He Lingchuan was also quite carefree.
"It seems Old Father has already planned how to fight this battle."
He Chunhua's first battle after taking office was of great significance; victory was a must.
"The advantage is on my side," Sun Hongye analyzed.
"The Xunzhou army has broken through the Hundred Cart Ridge and is heading south. They are likely to find a way to capture one or two cities nearby to consolidate their gains before expanding. Looking at Wutu Town's location, they have already penetrated over one hundred and fifty miles into Xiazhu's interior. That guerrilla force from Xunzhou must not be large, and they will only be small-scale harassment; their main task is probably still intelligence gathering. As long as Wu and Zhao can catch their tail, victory shouldn't be difficult."
No wonder Sun Hongye referred to this battle as a "beautiful job."
He Lingchuan smiled: "Indeed, when the good news comes back, we can make a big show of it."
The main point was that the news "the Xunzhou troops have reached Wutu Town" was too shocking.
As long as He Chunhua defeated that army, both morale and prestige would see a significant boost.
Sun Hongye continued, "Lord He has only just taken office; the news probably hasn't reached the Xunzhou people yet. They likely think Xiazhu is still as empty as before, which is why they sent troops to invade. Taking advantage of this gap, we can also make some moves. If I'm not mistaken, Lord He will have major actions coming up."
At this point, he shifted the topic: "By the way, I also want to suggest something to the boss: you can't have no one under you."
He Lingchuan's gaze sharpened.
This statement truly struck a chord with him.
"Go on."
"I've observed for some time; you only have superficial wealth, but you lack personnel that you can freely deploy."
Sun Hongye lowered his voice unconsciously.
"I've seen so many high-ranking officials and royal nobles; even a wealthy young master who is idly raised has his own team. You will surely achieve great things in the future; isn't it awkward to have no one you can use?"
He Lingchuan's gaze shifted slightly.
Indeed, he didn't know what the reason was, but the original "He Lingchuan" had no trusted aides, only a group of unreliable friends outside; after he took over this body, the He family had always been in a state of intense upheaval, either facing adventures or dealing with bandits, or relocating long distances.
He had no time to recruit personnel.
He had always been humble and inquisitive: "What do you have in mind?"
"In the early stages, quality is more important than quantity; just take your time to find the right people."
He Lingchuan nodded repeatedly; he couldn't afford to support too many people.
Right now, he earned only one hundred and fifty taels of silver a month; a monkey and a rock wolf could easily bankrupt him, let alone bringing in a hundred hefty men.
Since they were called trusted aides, wouldn't they have to be paid by him? If Old Father paid them, how could they be loyal to him?
"I think the sand bandit Mao Tao you brought from Heishui City is quite good; he's agile and has no ties with others, so he can be considered one."
Sun Hongye calculated.
"There are a few capable hands in the army, but they are ultimately your father's subordinates and shouldn't be brought into the inner guard."
"Are you suggesting to select from the locals of Dunyu?"
"Boss is wise."
Sun Hongye felt once again that this Young Master He was actually quite perceptive, far from the blunt appearance he projected.
"A few days ago, the Li and Zhan families had a brawl; I noticed two people in the Li family's private army who were quite good."
"Oh?" He Lingchuan chuckled.
"Where did your attention go?" While others were watching the excitement of the Li and Zhan families fighting, Sun Hongye was focused on observing people.
"One is named Jiao Tai, and the other is called Shan Youjun. I think both have good skills; one is agile, and the other is strong. They could easily take on six or seven opponents at the Zhan residence, and what's commendable is that they even blocked a few blades for their companions, unafraid of getting injured."
At this point, He Lingchuan let out a long "oh": "You're talking about those two! I remember them."
He had been on site and indeed saw the two men beating up the guards of the Zhan residence as if it were a game; their movements were orderly, and they knew how to control their strength, unlike the other private soldiers of the Li residence who were just street thugs.
"I inquired privately; they had previously served as cavalry at the border and were quite capable in the Li family's private army, but they didn't get along with the leader. This time, the incident with Zhan Siye's wife resulted in two deaths, and it was pinned on this unfortunate Jiao Tai, who was said to have pushed the pregnant woman towards the rockery."
He was most interested in scapegoats: "They must have been punished, right?"
"They were punished; on the day Lord He arrived in Dunyu, they were publicly beaten with ten strokes in the government office."
Sun Hongye had investigated thoroughly.
"After Zhan Siye complained to Lord He, the Li residence sent Jiao Tai to the authorities, and now he's awaiting trial in the jail."
He shrugged: "Li Zhi and Li Rong probably won't suffer too much, but Jiao Tai is doomed; no matter how much he cries out in the jail, it won't help."
He Lingchuan rubbed his hands together: "Excellent, then leave this matter to you. Give him justice and bring me two good men."
"Understood."
Sun Hongye smiled as he took his leave.
He Lingchuan had accepted his suggestion, and he was beginning to find his place.
He Lingchuan was also in a good mood.
Sun Hongye's recommendation of these two showed that he was confident in bringing them in.
This kid was right; he should have his own wings.
Just as he sent Sun Hongye out the door and was about to turn back, he saw two people walking around the street corner, chatting as they strolled.
Wasn't it He Chunhua and He Yue, father and son?
(End of Chapter)