Chapter 371: Fellow Daoist, Please Stay (Part 3)
Lin Wen attended the negotiation meeting chaired by Yang Jiehua, director of the Empire's Supreme Office, in a depressed mood.
The meeting place is in Hailin City, the capital of Shizhou.
The two parties in the talks were Zhang Shuangcheng, the acting governor representing Shizhou, and Song Ziyuan, the chief financial officer of the Governor's Office.
Representing Changshan County are Lin Wen, Qin Luoshuang, Xia Xiaoxiang, and Yun Qingshui.
This was certainly not what Lin Wen thought. He didn't want to bring anyone with him, but Qin Luoshuang came over and asked to participate, so he had no reason to refuse.
Qin Luoshuang came, and her good friend Xia Xiaoxiang naturally followed her.
That would have been fine, but Yun Qingshui heard the news from somewhere and insisted on coming to participate.
Lin Wen felt very irritated. He felt something was wrong with him, as if he had irregular menstruation.
But he still had some sense. Yun Qingshui was the one who established the grassroots government in the Shizhou occupied area, and during the negotiations he would ask the other party to retain the administrative system of the occupied area.
This was all related to her, so she agreed.
As soon as they arrived in Hailin City, the representatives of Changshan County immediately caused a lot of controversy. A young man brought three beautiful women with different styles to participate in the high-level interest negotiations of the empire, which was just like taking his lover on an outing.
Officials present immediately accused Lin Wen of being disrespectful, disrespectful of the occasion, and contemptuous of the empire.
Lin Wen looked up and saw a man with big buck teeth, a turned-up nose and a fly-like face, with black air rolling above his head.
He continued to shout triumphantly, "Why are you looking at me? I'm also the county chief now! The county chief of Shipai County! Even though it's only acting, I'm still on the same level as you!"
As he spoke, his nostrils flared with excitement, and his face was covered with shiny black pockmarks.
"That old bastard Wang Zhengwu is still subordinate to a county governor. It's really funny. He didn't come today, and he still feels ashamed to face people. He used to lecture me every day about benevolence, righteousness, morality, and noble character. Pah! He has high morals and a great reputation, but in the end, his apprentices are climbing over him. It proves that what he said was all rubbish, dog..."
Lin Wen turned around, Qin Luoshuang sighed lightly and took out a pistol from his arms.
Lin Wen picked up the gun and shot him in the head with a backhand shot.
The bucktoothed man opened his eyes, and the last word "fart" was still stuck in his throat.
With a thud, his body fell to the ground like garbage. The people around him were either terrified, screamed, or turned and ran.
Kill demons and monsters, good karma +21.
Lin Wen felt a little better. He handed the gun to Qin Luoshuang, stepped over his body, and walked into the meeting hall.
Xia Xiaoxiang's eyes lit up, and she whispered in Qin Luoshuang's ear, "What a stylish guy! He really knows how to act cool. You two work together so smoothly. You must have practiced this many times, right?"
Qin Luoshuang's face flushed slightly. She ignored her and followed Lin Wen's steps into the venue.
Xia Xiaoxiang caught up and said with a teasing smile: "Qin, you are so willing to be a supporting role. This is unlike your old self."
Qin Luoshuang retorted, "You're so popular. Who said Lin Wen should be a dog? I think you're the one who's so eager to be a dog that you don't even want to be one."
Xia Xiaoxiang was much more shameless and laughed softly, "Are you jealous? I'll be your dog tonight, okay? You can do whatever you want..."
Qin Luoshuang said coldly: "Go away, I don't want it."
"Wow, then I'll be a lost dog..."
The two girls walked in, laughing and joking in low voices, in stark contrast to Lin Wen's gloomy appearance.
Yun Qingshui squatted beside the corpse in the back, examining it carefully for a moment before asking the guards and officials who had arrived, "Is his name Ren Da? Was he once a disciple of the Big Knife Sect? Did he later gain his position by betraying the whereabouts of Big Knife King Zhengwu?"
The official pointed at her and shouted, "You Changshan Commander are so disrespectful! How dare you kill our officials in public? Guards, take her down! I'm going to torture her tonight."
A large group of guards rushed up. Yun Qingshui raised his hand and performed three joint techniques, turned around and did a roundhouse kick, and all the guards fell down.
The official was terrified and was about to turn around and run away when he suddenly saw imperial officials entering. Leading the way was Yang Jiehua, the director of the First General Office.
The official howled, "Director Yang, Director Yang, that traitor has killed again!"
Yang Jiehua took a quick look and after finding out that the deceased was a temporary acting county chief with no background who had just risen to power by taking advantage of the emptiness of Shizhou, he turned and left.
After his master left, his personal guards turned back and slapped him hard, cursing, "Idiot! Who is Director Yang? How dare a jerk like you call him that?"
The official was beaten dizzy and kicked hard, falling to the ground. People stepped over him and he actually started to cry.
A moment later, another group of people came. The official looked and found that there were many acquaintances among them. They had often visited the Governor's Mansion before and were always smiling, polite and friendly.
I can definitely make the decision for him.
The official immediately rushed forward and cried, "My Lords, please help me. The governor of Changshan County is extremely arrogant. He immediately killed our officials and left a female bully to beat people."
"oh?"
One of them looked up and immediately lit up with joy. He hurried over and said, "Oh, isn't this Lady Yun? I've heard so much about you."
He extended his hand, but Yun Qingshui didn't want to touch him. She took a step back and asked coldly, "Who are you?"
The man didn't mind and smiled apologetically, "I'm a lowly official, not worth mentioning. Lady Yun is a great figure who upholds justice and saves the people. Your Shangxi Town has accommodated over 600,000 farmers, allowing them to live and work in peace, cultivate the land, and give them a way to survive. This is a great benevolent policy."
Yun Qingshui had been in the martial arts world for a long time. Although his leadership skills were not very good, his ability to judge people's expressions was very strong. He could tell at a glance that this person was deliberately flattering and his words were insincere. He said coldly, "Thank you for the compliment. I have something to do, so I'll leave first."
The man hurriedly said, "Goodbye, Lady Yun. My name is Gou Shi, Deputy Director of the Imperial Foreign Affairs Bureau. Please take care of me from now on."
Yun Qingshui didn't bother to pay attention to him and turned away.
Deputy Director Gou Shi was still hunched over and smiling with a shameless face, looking like a slave.
The official was stunned and cried out in grievance: "Master Gou, she, she is a thug..."
The moment Gou Shi turned around, his expression changed. He shouted, "Kill this guy who is talking nonsense and framing a good man on the spot!"
The official was stunned. Before he could say anything, the attendant beside him picked up a chair and hit him on the back of the head.
He fell to the ground without a sound, blood gushing from the back of his head.
Representatives from various factions in the rear turned a blind eye, chatting and laughing with each other while stepping over his body.
Blood flowed out on the bluestone floor.
——
The negotiations were held in the large conference room of the Shizhou Governor's Mansion.
The negotiating parties were County Magistrate Lin Wen and Acting Governor Zhang Shuangcheng, and the host was Yang Jiehua, Director of the Supreme General Office.
The participants also included representatives from various major forces, who only sat in the back as "participants".
Although it is called negotiation, the bottom line has actually been drawn by the Supreme Council, and what the two sides are discussing are actually just some details.
Yang Jiehua spoke for a long time at the beginning, the gist of which was that both sides should forget the past, help each other in a friendly manner, work together, and create a beautiful and glorious tomorrow.
Lin Wen almost fell asleep again, but thankfully he was no longer the same shrewd, vacant figure he had been before. Seeing the weariness on County Governor Lin's face, Yang Jiehua immediately changed the subject.
"Director Zhang."
Yang Jiehua glanced at Zhang Shuangcheng who was sitting silently beside him.
His previous position was director of the state government office, and now he is just acting governor. The title "Governor Zhang" is too sensitive and is not suitable for use yet.
"Please state your request."
Zhang Shuangcheng is a middle-aged man with a weathered face. Since the civil strife in Shizhou began, he has advised Governor Gu many times, but his advice was always ignored.
Now that Governor Gu has fallen, he, as someone who was promoted by Governor Gu, feels quite complicated.
But the most important issue now is to restore order in Shizhou. We cannot allow Shizhou to continue to be in such chaos. We can talk about other things later.
Zhang Shuangcheng calmed himself down and said, "Chief Lin, please return the large number of Shizhou officials you have captured. Due to your actions, Shizhou's official shortage has reached a quarter, and there are only a few senior officials left."
Lin Wen said: "I can give you the ones who are acquitted. I will kill the ones who are black and lock up the ones who are half black."
Although I didn't understand what Lin Wen meant, it was obvious that he would be released only after trial.
Zhang Shuangcheng angrily asked, "What crime have they committed? When will it be Changshan County's turn to judge them?"
Lin Wen said, "They have committed crimes against humanity. All worldly affairs are under the management of all people. It will never be Changshan County's turn to take charge."
Qin Luoshuang tugged at his clothes from behind and whispered, "Idiot! How can you negotiate like this? If you can't negotiate, I'll do it."
Xia Xiaoxiang was also pulling at his clothes furiously: "Let me make it clear first, I will not return the money those officials gave me."
Seeing that they were pulling hard, Yun Qingshui also pulled twice. With a "swish", Lin Wen's clothes were torn into three pieces, revealing his jade back.
Lin Wen was extremely unhappy. He had originally intended to use this welfare scheme for people like the sect's senior sister, but he didn't expect that a group of mortals would take advantage of it here.
The meeting had to be interrupted.
Afterwards, under the strange or ambiguous gazes of the crowd, Lin Wen sat in the back, Qin Luoshuang sat in the front, and Xia Xiaoxiang and Yun Qingshui sat on both sides.
But everyone soon discovered that the negotiations were progressing very quickly. The angel-like woman in the middle spoke politely and was familiar with the imperial system and the rules of officialdom.
The enchanting beauty on the side deeply understands the art of language. For many things, she only needs to say them in a different way and people will easily accept them.
Only that woman with a strong rustic air spoke bluntly, which made people uncomfortable.
But she didn't talk much, and the negotiations were led by two other women.
Thanks to their efforts, the negotiations progressed quickly, many details were confirmed one by one, and Yang Jiehua was asked to make a ruling when there were disputes.
Overall, it's quite fair.
In less than three hours, the two sides had reached an agreement, and Lin Wen had a good sleep, recovering 3% of his spirit.
Afterwards, Yang Jiehua began to announce the Supreme Council’s ruling, which was actually defining the fruits of the victory.
1. All spoils of war obtained by Changshan County are the legal property of Changshan County, and no one may demand compensation for any reason.
2. The Empire will recognize all those who switch camps.
3. Changshan County will reduce its military by two-thirds.
4. After the war, everything will return to dust and all hatred will be settled. If anyone starts a rebellion due to hatred again, each person will bear the responsibility.
As soon as the words fell, Qin Luoshuang and Xia Xiaoxiang both smiled. This was simply perfect.
The officials of Shizhou remained silent, while the representatives around them showed envy and applauded.
But two people raised objections.
Lin Wen, the mayor of Changshan County, and Yun Qingshui, the deputy mayor of Shangxi Town.
"What about retaining the administrative system of the occupied area?" Lin Wen asked with a frown.
"I won't agree if the farmers' rights cannot be guaranteed," said Yun Qingshui.
Seeing that the situation, which had originally ended successfully, had turned into another turmoil, Yang Jiehua hurriedly asked, "Chief Lin, what kind of administrative system is this?"
A Shizhou official complained: "You have taken such a big advantage, and you still want to interfere with our official positions. This is too much."
He simply understood Lin Wen's words as appointing several candidates to serve as officials in Shizhou.
"No, I don't appoint anyone as an official," said Lin Wen.
"In fact, there is no official in the occupied area," Yun Qingshui added.
Qin Luoshuang knew it was going to be bad when she heard this. Sure enough, Yang Jiehua frowned and said, "Let's leave the administration of Shizhou to Shizhou. Let's stop fighting now, and everyone can go back and rest early and enjoy a peaceful and happy life, right?"
Yun Qingshui said fiercely, "No, that's not right. If we live in peace and happiness, the farmers in Shizhou won't live in peace and happiness. I worked so hard to establish the Farmers' Association and the new order. The little hope that everyone finally had will be destroyed by those termites!"
Chief Financial Officer Song Ziyuan was furious: "How dare you say our officials are all termites?"
Yun Qingshui said loudly: "Isn't it?"
Song Ziyuan thought this woman had come here specifically to humiliate them, and angrily said, "Director Yang, Changshan County has no sincerity at all. I think they are just greedy and want to swallow an elephant!"
Yang Jiehua coughed and said, "Chief Lin, since you don't plan to place officials, why are you so obsessed with preserving the administrative system of the occupied area?"
It wasn't a matter of principle. Lin Wendu answered with great understanding, "It's to maintain the stability of the empire and prevent unrest caused by the transfer of power. We've already caused great damage to the empire. I can't bear to cause further trouble to an empire that is working so hard to protect its people during this beautiful time after the conflict ends."
This was a very insightful statement and the representatives all applauded.
"County Chief Lin is wise!" "County Chief Lin is indeed a young hero!" Shouts rang out one after another.
But Song Ziyuan vehemently objected: "No, I absolutely disagree. Shizhou's affairs should be managed by Shizhou. I can't even collect taxes from the farmers' association she set up. If the system can operate on its own, then what is the use of officials?"
Zhang Shuangcheng hesitated for a moment.
He was actually inclined to agree. The Shizhou officials had made Shizhou a dilapidated place with corpses scattered all over the place, which made him lose confidence in the officials' management.
Wouldn’t it be perfect if farmers could manage themselves?
However, Song Ziyuan and all other officials in Shizhou strongly opposed it, believing that Changshan County was interfering in their internal affairs.
Zhang Shuangcheng is only the acting governor now, not the real governor, and cannot fully represent their opinions.
The meeting reached a deadlock here.
Seeing that the day was not over yet, Yang Jiehua had no choice but to announce the end and continue the discussion tomorrow.
An upper-class dinner was then held as usual.
Negotiation is work, but dinner is private time, used to build relationships and ease the awkwardness caused by daytime negotiations.
Lin Wen directly refused to participate, and Qin Luoshuang and three others also declined politely.
Xia Xiaoxiang was a little eager to try, but Qin Luoshuang whispered in her ear: "If you go, you will never be able to get into my bed again."
Xia Xiaoxiang immediately refused sternly: "I never go to such places." This disappointed many people.
But they didn't know that Qin Luoshuang was actually protecting them. Xia Xiaoxiang is still the owner of the fish pond and has never been eaten by anyone. It was she who ate people.
Soon, a lot of jealous people will appear, which is really annoying.
However, after officials such as Zhang Shuangcheng and Yang Jiehua left, all the representatives at the meeting blocked the way of Lin Wen and others.
A guy with a pointed chin and monkey face came out and bowed deeply to Lin Wen.
"Chief Lin, please stay."
(End of this chapter)
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