In the cabin of the large ship, Governor Yingtian Zhou Ji looked at the sparkling water and kept sighing.
They all say that being a governor in Jiangnan is difficult, but I didn’t expect it to be so difficult!
It's definitely not possible to do it the other way around, as you might commit suicide, but it's also impossible to do it the other way around, and you'll be used as a labor animal!
Mr. Li, the personal staff accompanying him, consoled him: "Why should Dong Weng be so worried? You are a person sent by the old Shen Ge. You will have your first assistant to protect you in case of trouble."
Governor Zhou said helplessly: "The second master of the Shen Mansion told me personally that if Lin Jiuyuan goes crazy, Mr. Shen Ge will not be able to stop him, and will even help him clean up the mess."
Master Li further advised: "Since Dong Weng took office, we have always had a good relationship with the Lin Mansion. Dong Weng even helped select the site for the civil and military archway, so Lin Jiuyuan will not embarrass Dong Weng too much."
Governor Zhou answered soberly: "As the saying goes, great courtesy does not stick to trivial matters, and big events will not be affected by small favors.
What Lin Jiuyuan has to do is too big, and a small favor cannot affect his thoughts and determination."
Master Li added: "If you really have no choice, just follow Lin Jiuyuan. It would be degrading to escape like this."
Governor Zhou shook his head, "You haven't realized that in Lin Jiuyuan's mind, the person who is really responsible for doing things is the newly appointed Songjiang magistrate Xu Zhenming.
As for me, the governor, in Lin Jiuyuan's mind, I am responsible for protecting Xu Zhenming from wind and rain.
To put it harshly, they are just consumables that can withstand pressure, bear thunder, and take the blame.”
At this point, Governor Zhou sighed, why is it so difficult to be an official?
According to general principles, as long as you do things without seeking merit but seeking no faults, and be careful and careful so as not to offend others, it will be easy to get by.
Why do you meet Lin Jiuyuan who likes to do a lot of things and forces others to do the same?
At the same time, the irritable Lin Daguan in the Lin Mansion was also lamenting that it was so difficult to do things!
From the perspective of official relations, Governor Zhou was definitely one of our own, but even such a member of our own family had the idea of abandoning and running away.
It seems that not only do we have to guard against hostile forces, but we also need to keep a close eye on our own people. It’s really embarrassing!
Seeing Mr. Lin's thoughts, the Zhang brothers who were guardians couldn't help but urged: "The situation is urgent, please sit down and give specific instructions!"
Lin Tailai shouted: "Why are you panicking! Now I feel that the governor ran well!"
The Zhang brothers were speechless for a moment. Is it so exciting for Governor Zhou to be away from home?
Lin Tailai added: "Originally, it was morally forbidden to be too harsh to Governor Zhou, but now I no longer have any scruples! This is called turning a bad thing into a good thing!"
Immediately, Lin Daguan suppressed all his distracting thoughts and began to issue orders to solve the problem.
"Send the message to Hengtang Town and immediately send two hundred men to take a speed boat and go north along the canal! Look for the governor's traces!"
Most of the official power in Suzhou Prefecture is geographically restricted and it is difficult to handle cross-border affairs, so we can only let the community workers be dispatched.
Later, Officer Lin issued a second order.
"Ask the Garrison Department to send six hundred miles of expedited documents to Yangzhou, and dispatch a group of Suzhou health transport troops to return immediately.
One is to guard the entrance to the capital, and the other is to search for traces of the governor along the canal!"
The Suzhou Guards Movement Army moves back and forth between Suzhou and Yangzhou Shuicicang. It is also one of the few official forces that can cross the border.
If the troops were returning from Yangzhou and crossing the river, they would directly enter the southern section of the canal. How could they stop in front of the governor's ship?
With two forces like this, one chasing from Suzhou to the north, and the other from Yangzhou to the south across the river to intercept it, theoretically they could not find Governor Zhou's ship.
Lin Daguan was afraid that others would not understand his intentions, so he added:
"Here's the order, no matter whether it's a man or an officer, anyone who can delay the governor's ship for half a day will be rewarded with three hundred taels of silver! Anyone who can stop the governor's ship from continuing its journey will be rewarded with five hundred taels of silver!"
I think of the reasons myself, I think of the methods, I just want to see the results!"
The right protector Zhang Wu subconsciously asked: "Who can capture the governor alive?"
Lin Daguan replied angrily: "The death of the head plus the whole family's exile package."
Do you really think that the governor is so easy to catch? Don't look at how many times Lin Tailai succeeded, you think anyone can do it.
Zuo Protector Zhang Wendao said: "Others can only delay at most. If you really want the governor to come back, you have to sit in the palace and conduct a conquest in person.
So now without further ado, it’s time to get ready to go.”
Lin Daguan said: "We still need to prepare for one day before we leave."
But it is said that after Governor Zhou's boat got on the canal, he walked northward along the canal (strictly speaking, this section should be northwest).
After passing Wangting and entering Wuxi County, Governor Zhou felt a little relieved.
What he was most worried about was that Officer Lin suddenly appeared behind him on a speedboat, shouting "Please stay".
Leaving Suzhou Prefecture is equivalent to leaving the Lin Group's main sphere of influence.
Not to mention that in Wuxi County, the Lin Group is a target of hatred and its power is extremely weak.
From the time he made the temporary decision to flee until now, Governor Zhou was exhausted from traveling and traveling, so he immediately rested in Xishanyi.
The governor suddenly stayed in Wuxi, which alarmed Sun Jigao, a scholar-official who was keeping the rule at home.
This Sun Jigao was the number one scholar in the second year of Wanli, the same year as the governor of Zhou Dynasty.
More importantly, Sun Jigao served as a co-examiner in the eighth year of Wanli and selected Gu Xiancheng, who was the actual founder of the Wuxi Gang.
Therefore, although Gu Xiancheng, who is currently more active, is the spiritual leader of the Wuxi Gang, Sun Jigao's reputation is still above that of Gu Xiancheng, and he has become an official, a clerk, and a bachelor's degree student.
It's just that Sun Jigao went home to observe the rule the year before last, so he didn't encounter Lin Daguan after he entered the court.
Hearing that Governor Zhou suddenly arrived in Wuxi that same year, Sun Jigao went to the inn to visit him.
Sun Jigao smiled and said: "Lin Jiuyuan just returned to Suzhou, and you left in a hurry. What's the problem?"
No one is stupid. Looking at Governor Zhou's behavior, one can guess something about the situation.
Of course, Governor Zhou would not tell the truth, and only answered vaguely: "There is something urgent in Nanjing, so go back to Nanjing first."
Sun Jigao thought for a while and then said: "Lin Jiuyuan's influence runs through the Jiangnan Canal. If you walk along the canal, you probably won't be able to avoid entanglements.
I'll show you another way. It's better to cross Taihu Lake from Wuxi to Yixing, then take the small water road north from Yixing, and reach Nanjing via Lishui, Liyang."
It wasn't Sun Jigao's good intentions. As long as it was something that could make Lin Tailai worry, the Wuxi Gang wouldn't mind pushing it.
But Governor Zhou refused without hesitation. A feudal official also has the dignity and dignity of a feudal official!
If word got out, a governor like him was forced to take a small road and transfer by land and water back to Nanjing in order to avoid Lin Tailai's pursuit and interception. Wouldn't it become an official joke?
Seeing that there was nothing he could do, Sun Jigao shook his head and said nothing more.
You Zhou Jifeng must walk along the main canal road, just don't regret it in the end!
On the second day, Governor Zhou felt that he had recovered and continued to set off.
But there were hundreds of people outside the inn, blocking the door and shouting in confusion to complain to the governor.
Master Li went out to inquire and found that these people claimed to be Taihu boat owners from Wuxian County.
They had recently been bullied by shipowners from Wuxi, so they came to the governor Qingtian to file a complaint.
It just so happens that Governor Qingtian is in Wuxi and can work on site.
It didn't take much thinking to know that something was wrong. Master Li could only ask according to the procedure: "Please hand in the petition first!"
The old boat owner who took the lead said: "The villain came in a hurry and couldn't prepare the petition, so I'm going to find someone to write it now."
Master Li almost had his nose crooked with anger. He knew he was going to complain, but he didn't know how to prepare a complaint?
This is so trivial that even if you come to cause trouble, you won’t care!
"Get out!" Master Li was impatient with being entangled, so he ignored his image as governor and ordered the Biaoying soldiers to clear the place!
For a moment, ghosts were crying and wolves were howling outside the inn. After a long time of tossing, Governor Zhou was able to travel normally.
As soon as we arrived on the boat, more than a dozen small boats appeared, surrounding the boat.
Someone on every ship shouted: "Grandpa Governor Qingtian! I will file a complaint!"
The warships loaded with personal soldiers went to expel them, and the river surface of the Grand Canal suddenly began to fly.
In the end, the people on the boat who came to complain jumped out of the boat and ran away from the water. All the boats were abandoned on the water, and the chaos greatly affected the governor's boat from leaving the shore.
With such tossing on the road and on the water, by the time Governor Zhou's boat resumed its journey, most of the day had passed.
"Thieves! They are all thieves!" Governor Zhou couldn't help but curse.
Although everyone knows that there are many unscrupulous people in Wu, the ones who dare to harass the governor's team with such a full meal must be the unscrupulous people under Lin!
After that, Governor Zhou rushed on his way desperately, trying to make up for the time.
When we were approaching Danyang, we were suddenly blocked by a dozen canoships.
I am sure it is a standard tanker, not a civilian ship.
A young military attache stood on the bow of the ship and shouted: "We are the Suzhou Guards! When passing by the Guazhou Ship Lock in the north of the Yangtze River, we were exploited!
There is no way to complain in the north of the Yangtze River, so I sincerely ask the military to make the decision for us and the Jiangnan Cao Army!"
Governor Zhou: ""
Another complaint? Can't there be something new?
Because of the importance and irreplaceability of Jiangnan's grain supply, matters related to the Jiangnan grain supply were the most important matters for the governor of Jiangnan.
Even if he knew there was a problem, Governor Zhou could only go ashore temporarily, accept the complaint, and do his best in officialdom.
Anyone with a little knowledge of officialdom knows that Cao troops who come to complain cannot be treated like ordinary people by clearing them away at will.
Let's accept the complaint first, as for how to fool things in the future.
The governor's fleet continued to move forward, but within ten miles, another tanker suddenly appeared and blocked the way.
There was still a young military attache standing on the bow of the boat and yelling: "We are from the Suzhou Cao Army, and we are responsible for transporting grain to the Huai'an warehouse this time!"
When the grain was put into the warehouse, there was a lot of deductions and losses, and we are miserable! Please ask the military gate to make the decision for me and the Jiangnan Cao Army!"
Governor Zhou doesn't want to know why this group of Cao troops complained now. He just wants to know how many more batches of Cao troops will complain in the future?
He now truly understands what it means for Lin Jiuyuan's forces to connect the Jiangnan Canal.
If I had known earlier, I should have listened to Sun Jigao, detoured from Wuxi to Yixing, and taken a small road back to Nanjing.
Master Li advised: "The future is not good, so settle in Danyang first."
Governor Zhou reluctantly agreed, "Let's rest in Danyang first."
There was a tanker that was always behind the patrol fleet, and the military attaché who had complained just now was looking at it with his head tilted up.
The officer of the governor's personal soldiers who was detained shouted across the water to the boat: "The complaint has been accepted, what are you still doing?"
The young military attache replied: "If I can persuade Zhou Junmen to stay here, I am willing to give you a hundred taels of silver!"
The Chinese military officer was speechless. Is this military attaché of the Cao Army seriously ill?
The little military attaché had his own account. If the governor stopped moving forward, it would be equivalent to being stopped by him, and he would get the five hundred taels reward from Senior Official Lin!
If the governor wanted to go further, he would be able to give away dozens of taels.
Governor Zhou felt trapped in a dilemma when he was in Danyang.
If you continue walking forward, you will probably encounter complaints one after another. When you get to the Jingkou Ship Lock, there may be something wrong again.
But it would be too shameful to turn around and go back to Wuxi and change to Yixing.
After discussing with Master Li, Master Li said: "The current purpose of these people is obviously to slow down Dong Weng's forward speed.
As for their purpose of doing this, it must be to delay time and let Lin Jiuyuan catch up.
So now it can be inferred that Lin Jiuyuan must have been chasing closely behind.
Therefore, I propose that you abandon Zhouji immediately and rush overland to Nanjing as quickly as possible, otherwise you will definitely be overtaken!"
Go faster? Governor Zhou was stunned. With his age and physical strength, how could he still endure so much?
In the end, An Yi finally got the upper hand, and Governor Zhou said angrily:
"I'm not leaving! I'll wait here! Even if Lin Tai comes, can he force me to be kidnapped back to Suzhou?"
This is Danyang, not Suzhou! If Lin Tailai had the ability, he would also launch a mutiny or civil uprising in Danyang!
Master Li had nothing to say and felt that Dong Weng was getting impatient.
If you are persecuted too much, you may even think of resigning. It is similar to the fact that people are not afraid of death, so why should they be afraid of death?
By the next day, Governor Zhou, who was mentally ready to give up, felt refreshed after a good night's rest.
As soon as I walked out of the inner courtyard, I saw a tall and majestic man sitting in the front hall, listless and yawning constantly.
Who could this person be if he wasn't Lin Tailai? Looking at his state, he looked like he was chasing him all night long.
Governor Zhou took the initiative and asked: "Why did Bachelor Lin suddenly appear here?"
Lin Tailai yawned again, and then replied: "I came here to ask Futai to return to Suzhou and take charge of the overall situation."
Governor Zhou forced himself to calm down and replied: "This hospital is about to go to Nanjing."
Lin Tailai said in a kind tone: "Futai really doesn't want to go back to Suzhou? In fact, it's better to go back."
Seeing that Lin Tailai's attitude was relatively "weak", Governor Zhou became even tougher and asked: "Does it mean that the itinerary of our college should be arranged by Bachelor Lin?"
Lin Tailai explained: "That's not true! Don't get me wrong Futai!
I just heard a lot of gossip and thought that returning to Suzhou from Futai would be the best option, otherwise there would be endless troubles."
Intuitively, this was a lie. Governor Zhou didn't believe it and didn't want to be led around.
Therefore, he did not ask about the content of the gossip, but only emphasized:
"No matter what gossip there is, it is impossible for our institute to change the itinerary. Please come back, Academician Lin!"