Chapter 150: Big Pearls and Small Pearls Falling on a Jade Plate!

Only when they reached the city gate did Zheng Fan realize that the entrance was guarded not only by Nanwang City's soldiers, but also by a group dressed in black.

The Great Yan favored black, and black really did seem like the natural color for a secret-service organization. Unlike Qian's flamboyant Silver-Armored Guard, Yan's Secret Intelligence Department had always kept a low profile.

Of course, whether it was truly as low-profile as it looked was another matter entirely.

Zheng Fan also spotted Shanju.

Shanju was clearly the leader among this group.

The convoy was being inspected. Zheng Fan dismounted as well, and Shanju came over on his own initiative.

"Lord Zheng."

When dealing with secret police, no matter how little respect you might privately have for them, surface courtesy still had to be maintained.

Zheng Fan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

Only a few days earlier, Shanju had deliberately visited Green Willow Fortress to hint that Zheng Fan had rested long enough.

The Marquis of Jingnan's order was that every military commander along Yinlang Commandery's frontier had to put forth every ounce of strength to harass Qian's border and bring back tangible results.

Zheng Fan had relied on the strength of his connections and spent all this time hiding in Green Willow Fortress training troops, while Xu Wenzu helped shield him from the pressure. Eventually, Shanju had been forced to personally visit Green Willow Fortress and urge him to act.

"Lord Zheng went out the night before last?"

It was obviously impossible to hide Green Willow Fortress's troop movements from a local Secret Intelligence Department chief. Zheng Fan had not tried to conceal them either.

"I'd rested long enough. Had to go out, stretch my legs, and find something to chew on," Zheng Fan replied. "What about you?"

Secret Intelligence Department agents were openly appearing at the city gate.

That was not their usual style.

Shanju smiled.

"Closing a net."

"Oh. Congratulations."

Shanju shook his head.

"It was only wrapping things up."

Since fighting began between the two states, the war between their spies had actually been more vicious than the fighting on the battlefield.

Both sides were uprooting enemy agents while infiltrating the other side in return.

Every step was steeped in blood.

"Lord Zheng, did you happen to notice two Qian spies on your way here? Today they were probably posing as vendors selling small wontons."

"Hm?"

Zheng Fan suddenly felt something was wrong.

At that moment, a Secret Intelligence Department rider came over, dismounted, and whispered into Shanju's ear.

Shanju sighed.

He made no attempt to hide the matter from Zheng Fan.

"Heh. They actually poisoned the wontons and fed each other the poison.

"By the time my men closed the net, they were already dead."

"............" Zheng Fan.

The Secret Intelligence Department agent's gaze shifted toward Zheng Fan.

He cupped his hands.

"This lord ate wontons there earlier as well."

Shanju looked at Zheng Fan in surprise.

Zheng Fan shook his head.

"I'm fine."

If the food itself had been poisoned, there was no way those two spies would already be dead while he was still standing here alive.

Most likely, the pair had no interest in indiscriminate poisoning.

Poison was not cheap either.

Of course, another reason was that Zheng Fan had come dressed in ordinary clothes today rather than armor.

"Lord Zheng truly is blessed with great fortune."

"Heh. My luck has been pretty good this past year."

"Ugh!"

Just then, two gate soldiers inspecting the cargo opened one of the crates and vomited.

It was not that city guards were so fragile.

The contents had simply gone far beyond what a normal person could endure.

Without any preparation, opening a crate and suddenly finding an entire box of neatly stacked human heads all seeming to "smile" at you who the hell could take that?

More guards gathered around.

Some out of curiosity.

Some out of alarm.

Then—

"Ugh!"

More people vomited.

Had this been a formal triumphal offering of enemy heads, with a mound of skulls piled into a jingguan, they would never have reacted like this. Even the common people watching would have joined in cheering.

Shanju's curiosity was piqued.

One of the Secret Intelligence Department agents who had gone to inspect the cargo returned.

He glanced at Zheng Fan and told Shanju, "They're heads."

Shanju's mouth fell slightly open.

He pointed toward Zheng Fan's convoy.

"Lord Zheng, all those crates are filled with...?"

Zheng Fan nodded.

"All heads."

"That many!"

Shanju was stunned.

Although fighting along the border had been intense lately, it consisted mostly of small detachments clashing with one another.

The Jingnan Army and Qian's Three Frontier armies had yet to truly move, so the gains were generally small.

Shanju understood that if the heads inside Zheng Fan's convoy were genuine, then this was probably the single greatest harvest since the Yan-Qian war began and one that left second place far behind.

As for slaughtering civilians and claiming military merit, or crossing into Qian and murdering commoners to pass them off as soldiers, Shanju did not believe Zheng Fan would do such a thing.

He knew Zheng Fan's current background.

This Garrison Commander was not some grass-roots officer with nothing behind him.

To some extent, he could already be called a man "remembered by the Emperor."

Others desperate to rise or win a future might do something like that.

But this Garrison Commander would not.

More importantly, if all these crates truly held severed heads, then this would unquestionably be the greatest military achievement since the war began.

Countless eyes would inspect it.

Faking such a thing would be impossible.

Shanju stepped back two paces, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply to Zheng Fan.

"Congratulations, Lord Zheng, on once again rendering great merit for our Great Yan!"

There was certainly some flattery in the gesture, aimed at a Garrison Commander whose future now seemed boundless.

But probably more than that, there was genuine feeling from Shanju as a man of Yan.

Marching south was not merely the lifelong aspiration of generation after generation of Yan Emperors.

It was also the aspiration of the Yan people themselves.

Zheng Fan hurriedly reached out to support Shanju.

"No, no, you really shouldn't."

At that moment, the Patrol Lieutenant Commander responsible for this city gate also came over.

His reaction was considerably more composed than those of the ordinary soldiers beneath him.

After approaching Zheng Fan, he too bowed.

One man's enemy was another man's hero.

From the standpoint of Yan and especially from the standpoint of Yan's soldiers what Zheng Fan had accomplished was tremendously inspiring.

Yan's soldiers were straightforward.

Compared with their counterparts in Qian, who were periodically suppressed by civil officials and constantly had to fear suspicion and political repression, Yan's soldiers looked far more like soldiers.

If you could earn merit, kill enemies, and win battles, people respected you.

Poetry, essays, moral philosophy none of those could stop the barbarians.

The men of Yan still preferred letting the blades in their hands do the talking.

"I still need to go to the General Headquarters. Gentlemen, I'd appreciate it if you could make things convenient."

Zheng Fan had no desire to remain here as a spectacle.

After he submitted this batch of enemy heads as military merit, Xu Wenzu would certainly help publicize his accomplishment.

The imperial court would do the same.

There was no need for Zheng Fan himself to take the stage.

It was not that he disliked the feeling of being respected.

Nor did he particularly wish to avoid attention.

He was simply eager to use these heads as bargaining chips and get himself more men.

This night raid had produced rich gains.

Cart after cart of Wolf Native heads.

But his own losses had not been small either.

Zheng Fan still thought like the owner of a small business.

First recover the capital.

Whether you earned a lot or a little came afterward.

With Shanju and the gate Lieutenant Commander's help, the convoy was soon allowed into the city.

Once they learned Zheng Fan was heading to the General Headquarters, neither Shanju nor the Lieutenant Commander followed.

The convoy continued through the city.

Zheng Fan mounted his horse again and glanced somewhat helplessly at A'Ming, who was still as languid as ever.

"Master doesn't enjoy being worshiped?"

"It's all right."

"But Master looked impatient."

"I'm just a rough man."

"Rough men don't think that much."

"Enough, enough. Let's go ask for soldiers and grain first."

The Sixth Prince had invested in Green Willow Fortress for quite some time.

Living off someone else's food and money was certainly pleasant.

But Zheng Fan had no objection to taking even more.

Xu Wenzu, as General of Nanwang City, already possessed a geographical advantage over the other commanders nearby and had opened plenty of back doors for Green Willow Fortress.

But who would ever willingly say, "That's enough," to something like this?

Weapons.

Grain.

Warhorses.

However much Zheng Fan could get, he could swallow.

And if all else failed, he could always raise a mass of peasant militia to make the numbers look impressive.

Two blossoms bloom, each on its own branch.

While Zheng Fan's convoy carrying severed heads had only just entered the city inside the signing room of Nanwang City's General Headquarters, the smell of gunpowder was already so thick it was nearly impossible to breathe.

The obese Xu Wenzu sat in the seat of honor.

Below him sat more than a dozen armored generals.

Every one of them held the title of General.

In Yan, a General was already a commander capable of independently holding a front.

However, Yan's military system was unusual.

The Zhenbei Army, Jingnan Army, and Imperial Guards were all self-contained systems, something like Chiang Kai-shek's Central Army in later times.

Never mind Generals.

Even lower-ranking officers from those three armies tended to look down their noses at outside forces.

The dozen or so Generals inside the signing room represented almost every major military commander along the Yinlang Commandery frontier, aside from a small handful who had not come.

Each commanded multiple detachments.

During this period, condemned men from fallen great clans had continuously been sent south to replenish their forces.

But the Marquis of Jingnan's military orders still forced them to repeatedly push their men against Qian's border forts and fortified outposts.

Anyone who slacked off would be punished by military order.

And the head of the Secret Intelligence Department in Yinlang Commandery happened to be one of the Marquis of Jingnan's own people.

That woman named Dujuan showed no intention of hiding what she was doing.

She directly used the Secret Intelligence Department as a whip, lashing these commanders out of their strongholds and forcing them to go bite the enemy.

Green Willow Fortress was not the only place that liked the game of "build high walls and delay claiming kingship."

Preserving one's strength while taking every chance to expand it was practically instinct for any sane warlord.

Unfortunately, the imperial court wanted them to go bite the enemy.

Yes, the court tossed them some fodder.

But every time they went out, they lost flesh.

On paper, the losses did not look large.

Some units had actually grown in manpower after receiving condemned great-clan soldiers.

But what they were losing were their own veterans.

This sort of blood replacement looked balanced in the accounts.

In reality it was a catastrophic loss.

"Lord Xu, none of us are satisfied with this month's distribution."

The General who spoke had an upright face, square jaw, and a ringing, forceful voice.

Compared with him the fat Xu Wenzu seated above looked no matter how you examined him like some corrupt parasite fattening himself on the state's resources.

Xu Wenzu let his eyelids droop.

"Gentlemen, don't be fooled by all the cargo moving in and out of Nanwang City every day.

"Heh. I'll tell you the truth.

"I lack neither grain nor weapons nor warhorses right now.

"What I lack are granaries to store the grain, warehouses to hold the equipment, and stables and grooms to keep the horses."

Xu Wenzu gave a helpless sigh.

"I have so much material on hand I can barely find room for it.

"But gentlemen—

I can't touch it."

Yan had never been wealthy.

Neither the imperial court nor the imperial household had been rich.

Poverty constrained military action.

Maintaining soldiers was already expensive.

Actually using them in war was vastly more expensive.

The costs of mobilization.

Reward silver.

Food consumption.

Replacement weapons.

Replacement horses.

Once a major war began, each became an astronomical expense.

Even the meals soldiers ate during active campaigning were far better than their normal food.

But after the Yan Emperor trampled the great clans, the Emperor was rich now.

The imperial court was rich now.

In later generations, if people wanted to harvest chives, they at least tried to cut them quietly and gently.

This generation's Yan Emperor had simply taken out a shovel and started digging.

Everyone present understood perfectly well that the mountains of supplies in Nanwang City were being stockpiled for the Jingnan Army's eventual movement and for the Zhenbei Army's march south.

"Lord Xu, we aren't asking for anything unreasonable.

"All of us understand your difficulties.

"Put someone else in your position, and they might not even be capable of keeping the present situation functioning."

By ordinary speaking conventions, a "but" was certainly coming next.

Still, no one could dispute the preamble.

They were all Generals.

But Xu Wenzu was General of Nanwang City and also performed the duties of Prefect.

Though technically equal in rank, he had invisibly risen half a head above the rest.

And during these past months, Xu Wenzu had handled one headache after another in orderly fashion.

All the Generals present acknowledged his ability.

However, having flesh cut off them again and again these days hurt too much.

If they did not ask for more milk, their own forces might soon be pushed to the margins.

The standing of a military man in Yan depended on how many soldiers he controlled and how elite those soldiers were.

A title alone meant very little.

"Lord Xu, all we ask for is fairness.

"These days we've all been tying our heads to our belts and leading our sons out again and again to fight the Qian.

"Our brothers who die need compensation.

"Our horses are exhausted and killed.

"Our weapons and armor are worn down.

"We need replacement recruits.

"At the very least, you need to leave us room to catch our breath, don't you?"

Xu Wenzu's pudgy hand played with the snuff bottle atop the desk.

He knew perfectly well why these people had gathered today.

Yes.

His eating habits had indeed been somewhat ugly lately.

But that slight excess was exactly how things were supposed to work.

Everyone understood.

He sat at the top.

They sat below.

Whoever held the higher office and broader authority naturally got to eat more.

That was an eternal rule.

But this time, a newly surrendered barbarian tribe had migrated inward.

The tribe contributed fifteen hundred young barbarian warriors, and the imperial court ordered those men transferred south.

Xu Wenzu had simply detained all of them.

He had shown no intention of splitting them up and letting everyone get a share.

Naturally, the other Generals could no longer sit still.

Barbarian troops excelled at mounted archery.

They might not compare with the elites of the Zhenbei Army, but truthfully, their quality placed them firmly among first-rate cavalry.

Compared with the household troops serving these regional commanders, they were certainly no worse.

And there was already the example of Green Willow Fortress's Zheng Fan leading four hundred barbarian cavalry through Qian territory, breaking into Mianzhou City, killing a group of civil officials, and returning alive.

That only made barbarian cavalry more attractive.

Warhorses, weapons, armor, grain those could all be obtained.

If necessary, one could beg every grandfather and grandmother in sight and eventually scrape some together.

But excellent soldiers?

Damn it.

You could not beg grandpa and grandma to give birth to one for you on the spot!

"Let's speak plainly.

"This official has many matters to handle."

Xu Wenzu no longer wanted to keep arguing.

The Great Yan's war mobilization was unprecedented.

In Beifeng Commandery, the court had even begun luring barbarian tribes southward.

If you migrated in, you received legal status.

Naturally, the men at the top understood the danger of inviting wolves into the house.

So there was a condition:

You could enter.

But the young men of your tribe had to serve the Yan army.

Yan had fought the barbarians for so many years.

Over the last century, the barbarians had grown weaker and weaker.

Just as Qian was now transferring Wolf Native Troops north to defend against Yan, Yan naturally would use barbarians to help with its southern campaign.

Officers of barbarian blood were not especially rare in Yan.

Neither were barbarian mercenaries.

When Zheng Fan originally led five hundred barbarian troops south to Green Willow Fortress, the force had drawn attention at every checkpoint.

But no one had been truly shocked.

The only unusual thing was that his army consisted entirely of barbarian soldiers.

Most armies used barbarian troops only as mounted scouts useful auxiliaries and decoration.

Xu Wenzu was absolutely determined to swallow all fifteen hundred of these men.

Then, leave them for Little Fan.

Yes.

I'm going to eat ugly.

So what?

Xu Wenzu had been parachuted into the south.

He had no roots in Yinlang Commandery.

The only revolutionary comrade he truly had here was Zheng Fan.

How could he possibly not push Zheng Fan upward with everything he had?

And Zheng Fan knew how to handle relationships.

He had good relations with both Marquises.

Of course, most importantly, Zheng Fan knew how to fight!

A fellow northerner.

A former subordinate.

A man who could fight.

Why the hell wouldn't Xu Wenzu support him?

Not every general needed to personally charge into battle.

With Xu Wenzu's physique, if the day ever came when he had to lead a cavalry charge himself, then the Great Yan was probably about to collapse.

He could remain in the rear and let his subordinates go out and win merit.

Even if he never stole credit from them, he would naturally still receive a share.

Fatty Xu had always been open-minded about such things.

"Lord Xu, if you intend to swallow all fifteen hundred barbarian soldiers yourself, none of us will accept it."

"Exactly.

"There are so many of us here.

"You can take the largest share, but you need to leave some soup for the rest of us."

"If each of our forces could add a detachment of barbarian troops, we'd have far more flexibility on the battlefield."

The Generals spoke one after another.

Their reasons were perfectly sound.

Their central message was also perfectly simple:

You're fat, yes.

But you still can't eat alone!

Xu Wenzu lifted his teacup, blew away the floating leaves, and took a sip.

Only after the voices below gradually quieted did he set the cup back down and say, "Gentlemen, this official isn't trying to throw his weight around.

"I was born in the north.

"I've spent most of my life dealing with barbarians.

"First, barbarians are unruly and difficult to tame.

"Second— only five fingers together can make a fist.

"If we split these fifteen hundred riders apart, it would be a terrible waste."

"Then according to Lord Xu, who should command this barbarian force?"

At that moment, one General who had remained silent until now finally spoke.

"Lord Xu's words are indeed well considered.

"These fifteen hundred riders come from the same tribe.

"If they are split apart, first, the barbarian soldiers themselves may resent it.

"Second, it would indeed be difficult to preserve their organization.

"In my view, these fifteen hundred riders should be handed to a commander who truly understands cavalry warfare.

"Everyone knows the Great Yan's three great armies— the Zhenbei Army, Jingnan Army, and Imperial Guards.

"His Majesty now intends to march south.

"The more elite troops the Great Yan possesses, the better.

"If we can produce a fourth strong army from among ourselves, that would be our honor and the Great Yan's blessing."

Xu Wenzu's eyes narrowed.

This bastard had sat silent the entire time.

Now he suddenly opened his mouth to agree with Xu Wenzu.

Fatty Xu did not believe for a second that his personal charisma had finally conquered the man and made him switch sides.

Xu Wenzu had not been in Yinlang Commandery long.

He came from the north.

None of these Generals were "his people."

Two more Generals immediately chimed in.

"Yes. General Chen speaks truly.

"These fifteen hundred riders should indeed be handed to whoever is most suitable to command them."

"Then who is most suitable?"

"Naturally, whoever has the greatest military merit.

"In the Great Yan's army, nothing earns more respect than military merit!"

"Right. Give them to whoever has the greatest merit."

"Exactly!"

"I agree!"

Xu Wenzu continued playing with his snuff bottle.

Inside his heart, however, he had already begun cursing.

Damn it.

They dug a pit and waited for me to jump in!

Xu Wenzu immediately spoke.

"Zheng Fan, Garrison Commander of Green Willow Fortress, was born in the north and understands barbarians better than most.

"He once personally led four hundred barbarian cavalry into Qian territory, broke through Mianzhou City, beheaded the defending officials, left his name, and returned.

"He greatly raised the prestige of the Great Yan!

"The Marquis of Jingnan praised him as— a divine colt of the army!"

"Heh. Greedy for merit and recklessly advancing.

"He only succeeded through luck.

"If the Marquis of Jingnan had not personally led troops to rescue him, he would probably already have died inside Qian.

"That man won't do!"

Xu Wenzu frowned slightly.

He had already dragged the Marquis of Jingnan out as a shield.

He had even hinted at Zheng Fan's backing.

Admittedly, the Marquis had never actually praised Zheng Fan in those words.

But nobody would go ask the Marquis of Jingnan directly whether he had said it.

And even if the rumor somehow reached Tian Wujing, Xu Wenzu trusted that the Marquis would not bother publicly denying it.

Yet after Xu Wenzu had taken his words this far, someone still dared object?

Where did their confidence come from?

Everyone here was an old hand in officialdom.

Xu Wenzu's experience was even deeper than theirs.

He had worked both civil and military posts.

Unlike these rough soldiers whose entire careers lay within the army, Xu Wenzu had traveled both roads.

He immediately concluded that the person these men intended to put forward had a background even deeper than Zheng Fan's!

Otherwise, there was no way so many Generals would have gathered to build momentum and fight for these troops on his behalf.

Just then a voice called from outside.

"Lord Xu! Assistant General Deng Ziliang requests an audience!"

Deng Ziliang?

Understanding immediately dawned on Xu Wenzu.

A man of the Deng Clan!

The Deng Clan was a hereditary military household with tremendous influence inside the army.

It was not a great clan in the old aristocratic sense.

Several generations upward had all been military men.

Even if the Deng Clan wanted to play with those aristocratic families, those old clans would have considered them too vulgar and refused to let them join.

But that had not necessarily been a bad thing.

When the Yan Emperor trampled down the great clans, the Deng Clan emerged completely unharmed.

Most importantly the daughter of this generation's Deng Clan patriarch was the Fourth Prince's mother!

Put those two facts together, and it was entirely reasonable that Deng Ziliang could win the support and assistance of so many Generals.

The Yan Emperor's destruction of the great clans had indeed removed a chronic disease from Yan.

The surgery had been brutally effective.

The enormous mountain of supplies currently stockpiled in Nanwang City was proof.

But there was also a side effect.

The trampling of the great clans had broken certain chains inside people's minds.

In the past, when Princes competed for the throne, the great clans secretly wrestled with one another and exerted their influence from behind the scenes.

The Emperor's marriage partners were often selected from those clans as well.

Everyone played on the same chessboard.

The overwhelming majority of people could not even sit at the table.

They were not even qualified to watch the game.

Now the great clans were gone.

And the heads of these regional military factions had begun to itch.

They thought perhaps they too had the right to place wagers now.

It sounded idiotic.

But temptation like this was not something everyone could resist.

Besides, no one was asking them to raise troops in the name of rescuing the Emperor or purging wicked ministers.

They were only being asked to lend a hand, shout a little, lift one another's sedan chairs, give the Deng Clan some face, and create a favorable connection.

These fifteen hundred riders were already something Xu Wenzu intended to swallow alone.

So why not use something that would never belong to them anyway as a gift?

That was incredibly comfortable.

"Let him in," Xu Wenzu said.

Deng Ziliang the leading figure among the Deng Clan's younger generation.

He joined the army at sixteen.

He spent five years tempering himself within the Zhenbei Army.

At twenty-one, he transferred south into the Jingnan Army.

Three years later, he was sent out to serve as a Garrison Commander in Yinlang Commandery.

Last year, he had been promoted to Assistant General.

Family backing certainly played a role.

But he himself had undeniably lived up to expectations.

And that record that career tch, tch...

Deng Ziliang entered.

He wore red armor.

Not yet thirty, he naturally carried an air of heroic vigor, yet he also gave off an exceptionally steady impression.

"This subordinate, Deng Ziliang, pays respects to all the lords!"

"Assistant General Deng, rise quickly.

"We are all military men here.

"No need for excessive ceremony."

"Quickly, rise."

"Oh, no need for that, no need."

Xu Wenzu's face was turning the color of pig liver.

He, Xu Wenzu, considered himself somebody.

Yet today he had actually been schemed against!

Damn them!

And now the real play began.

Every proper performance needed someone to feed the lines.

Every star on the stage needed supporting actors around him.

Clearly, there was no shortage of people present willing to take those supporting roles.

"Since the war began, Assistant General Deng has broken twenty-four Qian forts and taken more than one thousand heads.

"In terms of military merit, he currently ranks first in Yinlang Commandery!"

"Exactly.

"Assistant General Deng served five years in the Zhenbei Army and naturally understands barbarians extremely well.

"He even has two barbarian officers under his command.

"No one could be more suitable to take over these fifteen hundred barbarian troops!"

"Assistant General Deng runs a strict army and carries the style of Old General Deng.

"Back at court, even His Majesty praised him as a future pillar of the Great Yan's military!"

"Indeed.

"If we do not support a young man like this, who should we support?"

Deng Ziliang immediately cupped his hands in response to the wave of praise.

"Ziliang thanks all the senior lords for your affection.

"I came to the General Headquarters today to report that last night my unit once again broke the enemy's Destroy-the-Barbarians Fortress.

"We took fifty heads and captured more than eighty prisoners.

"However, our warhorse losses were considerable in that battle.

"I came specifically to request that Lord Xu issue an order allowing me to replenish some mounts before returning."

"Oh! Another achievement!"

"Assistant General Deng truly is the God of War of our Great Yan!"

Xu Wenzu, seated above, could barely keep listening.

Damn it.

Even if you rough bastards want to lick boots couldn't you do it with a little restraint?

A little class?

For fuck's sake you've already blown him up into the God of War!

Is that how you're supposed to flatter someone?

Xu Wenzu felt somewhat miserable.

His opponents clearly did not possess high political intelligence.

Yet they had still used this rough, brute-force method to dig a pit and try to bury him alive.

"Assistant General Deng, did you know the imperial court has just sent another fifteen hundred barbarian cavalry south for service?

"We were discussing who should command them.

"Lord Xu believes the force should not be split apart.

"It would be best to give the entire unit to one man, perhaps even letting our Yinlang frontier troops cultivate a force worthy of standing tall!"

Xu Wenzu drew one deep breath.

Then another.

A loss was a loss.

Fatty Xu felt helpless.

This time, he had simply underestimated them.

At the same time, he could not help feeling annoyed with Zheng Fan.

What had that brat gone to the capital for?

Then after returning, why had he spent so long doing nothing?

Xu Wenzu had clearly bundled the entire Huo Clan package and handed it to him.

Zheng Fan had taken the Zuo Clan men as well.

Yet he had simply shrunk into his fortress without producing a single movement.

The Secret Intelligence Department had come asking questions several times.

Xu Wenzu had blocked the pressure every time.

But ultimately the real reason he could not win this fight was that Zheng Fan himself had not produced fresh results.

Breaking Mianzhou City was indeed an enormous achievement.

But the number of heads taken had not been large.

It had raised morale magnificently, yes.

But the city had not actually been occupied.

That left people room to gossip:

A blind cat happened to run into a dead mouse.

He got lucky.

Fatty Xu was furious.

But outwardly he still had to maintain composure.

"Ziliang."

"Lord Xu!"

Deng Ziliang treated Xu Wenzu with great respect.

Though the Deng Clan was not one of the old aristocratic families, it had prospered for generations.

A child raised in such a family would not make basic mistakes in dealing with people.

Those arrogant young masters who constantly molested women and created mortal enemies for their clans mostly existed only in cheap stories and plays.

Besides, Xu Wenzu had been transferred directly from the north to the south and immediately appointed General of Nanwang City while simultaneously holding Prefectural authority.

He now controlled the movement of enormous quantities of military supplies.

Anyone who wanted to keep eating in this region could not truly afford to offend him completely.

Benefits mattered.

But everyone still preferred not to tear away all face.

"Ziliang, what do you think of what we were discussing earlier?" Xu Wenzu asked.

Deng Ziliang answered respectfully, "My position is low and my words carry little weight.

"But I strongly agree with what Lord Xu said earlier.

"Splitting up these fifteen hundred barbarian soldiers would indeed be a great pity.

"As for who should command them— in the Great Yan's army, military merit matters above all.

"So long as the merit is enough to convince the troops, neither high nor low would have reason for complaint!"

There it was.

Checkmate.

Military merit wins respect.

And I have the greatest military merit!

If you do not give them to me who else gets them?

Everyone should preserve face.

But when it came to interests that belonged to him—

Deng Ziliang would not yield an inch.

...

"Who was that who just went in?"

Outside the General Headquarters, Zheng Fan chatted with the gatekeeper.

Earlier, as they entered the lane, a squad of superbly armored cavalry had arrogantly forced its way past.

They had nearly overturned two wagons in Zheng Fan's convoy.

But the men simply swaggered on.

Not one even bothered looking back.

That group had beaten Zheng Fan by one step and entered the General Headquarters ahead of him.

The gatekeeper was already familiar with Zheng Fan.

When Xu Wenzu first came to Nanwang City, Zheng Fan had visited.

The gatekeeper knew perfectly well that the relationship between this young Garrison Commander and his own master was unusual.

So he treated Zheng Fan with obvious warmth.

"Lord Zheng, the man who just entered is Assistant General Deng and his personal cavalry."

"Assistant General Deng?"

"Indeed. Assistant General Deng—

Deng Ziliang."

People of Yan disliked taking courtesy names.

Civil officials sometimes played that game.

But military men who did so risk being mocked as effeminate.

So introductions were simple.

Name and surname.

At most, add birthplace or office.

"Is he from the Deng Clan of Sanshi?"

"Yes indeed."

The Deng Clan of Sanshi.

Zheng Fan knew the name.

They were the Fourth Prince's maternal clan.

No wonder they were so arrogant.

They practically walked around without eyes.

Garrison Commander Zheng had always been petty and vindictive.

He loved remembering grudges.

Assistant General Deng had just cut directly in front of his convoy, stolen his road, and frightened the mules and horses pulling his carts.

Naturally, Garrison Commander Zheng had already written the offense into the tiny notebook inside his heart.

The Sanshi Deng Clan.

Very impressive?

If the chance ever came, he'd whisper a few bad words about them into the Marquis of Jingnan's ear.

And who was the Marquis of Jingnan?

Among the Demon Kings of Green Willow Fortress the Marquis of Jingnan was known as the specialist in harvesting Princes' maternal clans!

"Lord Zheng, you're already visiting my master.

"Why bring so many gifts too?"

"Hm?"

Zheng Fan froze.

Gifts?

This gatekeeper had only been hired after Xu Wenzu came to Nanwang City.

Xu Wenzu had brought few personal retainers south.

At the time of the transfer, his future had seemed uncertain.

When Comrade Deep Sea first received his orders, he had even suspected the imperial court had discovered his "undercover" identity and intended to send him south to dispose of him.

And the few people he had brought were all killed during the assassination at the relay station outside Yin City.

So from this gatekeeper's perspective—

Zheng Fan was obviously here to work connections.

Zheng Fan suddenly felt like laughing.

But he did not explain.

Instead he said, "Just some local specialties from home.

"New Year is coming, isn't it?

"I brought some over for His Excellency to use."

"Lord Zheng truly is thoughtful.

"My master will certainly be delighted."

At that moment, Xiao Yibo stepped forward, took out a small purse of silver, and handed it to the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper first panicked and refused.

But after Xiao Yibo tugged back and forth with him several times, he accepted it.

"The wagons... just drive them inside."

The gatekeeper actually let the convoy straight into the compound.

First, he believed Zheng Fan had the best relationship with his master.

They were fellow northerners.

He was practically family.

Second, when bringing gifts to someone's door, naturally it was best to have the host personally receive them.

If the whole matter eventually became nothing more than an entry on a gift register, much of the meaning would be lost.

The gatekeeper understood these social details extremely well.

(End of Chapter)