Wang Liang pointed to a document on Lin Hai's desk, which he had casually tossed there when he came in, and said, "I can't really tell you what this means. You're smart, so take a look for yourself."
Lin Hai opened the official document. Well, it was a reply from the Ministry of Personnel. It seemed that Governor Gao Bin was reliable in his work. The reply from the Ministry of Personnel came so quickly. Well, there was also an official document from Gao Bin to Lin Hai below. They were actually delivered together.
Lin Hai read the document carefully, handed it to Ling Yang, and then fell into deep thought.
Before long, everyone in the office had read these documents. Everyone seemed to want to say something, but didn't know where to start.
"Let me speak," Lin Hai said. "The Ministry of Personnel expressed several things. The first is that they can appoint me as the official magistrate of Qinghe County. The official appointment document and the magistrate's seal will be delivered shortly. This is the first thing they want to talk about."
"We thought it was only natural for the Ministry of Personnel to agree to the appointment, but that's not the case. You know the temperament of these bureaucrats. They'll delay normal promotions and transfers as much as possible, and won't relent until they've squeezed every last bit of money out of him. This time, they were so decisive, not only because of Gao Bin's efforts, but also because of the subsequent requirements. Otherwise, why weren't the county magistrate's official certificate and seal delivered together, but instead arrived a step later?"
Seeing that no one spoke, Lin Hai continued, "If you don't speak, it means you agree with my point of view."
"The second one is a joint document signed by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Works, demanding that we increase our pig iron contributions to the empire. The emphasis is on the word 'contribution,' meaning they're still not prepared to pay and still want to take it for free. Normally, a document like this would come from the Ministry of Works, but they chose to have the Ministry of Personnel co-sign it and even included it with the Ministry of Personnel's document. Their intentions are self-evident."
"The third document was jointly signed by the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Personnel. They hope we will send troops to wipe out the Qitianzhai, the last remaining bandit group in Xichuan, and form a militia to resist possible attacks from the Chen Dynasty or Cambodia. They say that the empire values military merit. If we can suppress southern Xichuan and effectively resist attacks from the other two countries in southern Xichuan and Xiangyun, the Ministry of War will be willing to guarantee me and ask the Ministry of Rites to submit a petition to confer a title on me..."
Lin Hai was overwhelmed. "This should have been a document from the Ministry of War, but it's been co-signed and included with the Ministry of Personnel. Their intention is very clear. If I can't do two or three things today, then the county magistrate's certificate won't be delivered to Qinghe."
"As for Gao Bin's point, it's much simpler. He believes Qinghe doesn't have the strength to defeat Qitian Village, otherwise they would have attacked long ago. He also believes Qinghe doesn't have the strength to independently stop the attacks of the other two countries. However, Xichuan doesn't have any reinforcements to send to us right now. He suggests that we refuse directly or ask the Ministry of War for help."
"That's pretty much what these three documents mean. What do you think?"
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