Chapter 218: Borrowing Troops

Truthfully, Zheng Fan did not particularly care what effect his advice to Ren Juan might have on the future.

The reason he had said all that was merely to show Ren Juan that he considered himself one of them.

After returning to the Empress Dowager's residence, Zheng Fan immediately sent for the Blind Man and the others and assigned the task the Marquis of Jingnan had given him.

Afterward, he found a relatively empty room in a side hall beside the residence and went to sleep.

By the time he woke again, it was almost dusk.

He stretched.

Xue San dropped from the rafters above.

"Master, you're awake?"

Zheng Fan nodded and looked at the light outside.

"Slept a little too long."

"Master was tired."

"Heh."

Zheng Fan knew perfectly well that he had simply been slacking.

But who cared?

His subordinates were capable.

Even when he stole time to sleep, someone still stayed nearby protecting him.

Yes, these past months of campaigning north and south had hardly been easy.

But claiming he had suffered terribly would have been rather melodramatic.

After getting up, Zheng Fan walked outside.

He had just been preparing to find something to eat when A'Ming approached and handed him a ledger.

"Already?"

Zheng Fan was somewhat surprised.

Opening the ledger, he discovered it contained the proceeds from confiscating property throughout the Capital Region.

A centipede dies but never falls stiff.

The Jin imperial clan might have declined for many years, but once someone truly took a knife and scraped at it, a thick layer of fat could still be shaved off.

And twenty percent of everything listed here belonged to him.

Rich.

He was rich.

Then he remembered there was another hidden set of accounts beneath the official ledger.

Tsk, tsk.

Still, Zheng Fan asked A'Ming, "The Marquis of Jingnan's wife came from the Secret Intelligence Department.

"What if she checks the accounts?"

A'Ming smiled.

"Siniang said Master doesn't need to worry.

"This was hurried confiscation during wartime chaos.

"The people we stripped probably don't even know exactly how much was taken from them.

"Under circumstances like these, isn't the account whatever we decide to write?"

"Mm.

"Good."

Since Siniang sounded that confident, Zheng Fan naturally decided there was no problem.

At that moment, Liang Cheng rode over.

After seeing Zheng Fan, he reported, "Master, the Marquis of Jingnan is asking for you."

"Understood."

Zheng Fan held the ledger in one hand and accepted the reins Liang Cheng offered with the other.

He mounted and rode toward the side hall west of Zhenghe Hall.

There was no large troop formation guarding the entrance.

Only five armored soldiers stood outside.

A dead tiger still retained its majesty.

The Marquis of Jingnan was merely injured.

Even injured he was not someone ordinary assassins could harm.

There was no need to announce himself.

Zheng Fan exchanged a glance with the guards at the door.

They stepped aside.

When Zheng Fan pushed open the door and entered, he saw the Marquis of Jingnan sitting on a cushion.

He was not meditating.

He sat casually.

A small charcoal stove stood before him.

Water simmered over it.

A tea set rested nearby, presumably found somewhere inside the palace.

"My lord Marquis."

Zheng Fan saluted.

"Mm."

Tian Wujing nodded and motioned for him to sit.

Zheng Fan did not stand on ceremony.

He simply sat cross-legged on the floor.

"How is the work going?" Tian Wujing asked.

When a superior assigned you a task and later asked about progress, if all you could do was stammer and admit you knew nothing then you truly were occupying a position without doing the work.

Especially during wartime.

According to military law, a man like that genuinely deserved death.

Fortunately, although Zheng Fan had slept through nearly the entire day, his considerate subordinates had already compiled the figures for him.

"My lord Marquis, everything is here."

Zheng Fan directly handed over the ledger he himself had not even finished reading.

Tian Wujing accepted it and began leafing through the pages.

Entry after entry.

Item after item.

Everything had been carefully divided by category.

"Li Fusheng said you handled matters well in Chuzhou.

"This time, this Marquis deliberately gave you another chance to try.

"I did not expect you would indeed handle the task beautifully."

"My lord Marquis, this was merely this subordinate's duty."

"If you did it well, then you did it well.

"There is no need for false modesty.

"Besides—you were never a modest man to begin with."

Tian Wujing placed the ledger aside.

Then continued, "Your reminder this morning was also quite good."

"My lord Marquis has treated this subordinate extremely well and saved my life several times.

"This was only what I should do."

"That sentence—this Marquis believes."

"Every word this subordinate says to Your Lordship comes from the bottom of my heart."

"See?

"That sentence was false."

"My lord Marquis..."

"Heh.

"I'll stop making things difficult for you.

"Still, this Marquis genuinely finds it curious.

"You know how to fight.

"You can write books.

"You know how to speak.

"You can keep accounts.

"And you possess enough strategic sense to analyze the larger situation.

"Governor Zheng—how did Great Yan somehow produce a talent like you?"

"My lord Marquis overpraises me.

"Compared with Your Lordship, this subordinate is nothing."

"When the two of us speak, there is no need for all this hollow politeness."

"It is because this subordinate feels close to Your Lordship.

"Like a junior wanting to please an elder and saying a few auspicious words in front of him."

"An elder?"

"Yes."

"In your official career, this Marquis actually has not promoted you very much.

"Everything you possess now was still earned by your own saber and spear.

"In fact—this Marquis has suppressed you quite a bit."

"How could this subordinate ever forget Your Lordship saving my life several times?"

"That hardly counts as some great favor.

"You were this Marquis's soldier.

"Saving one's own subordinate is only natural."

"My lord Marquis..."

You've blocked every road.

How the hell am I supposed to flatter you now?

"How many troops do you still have under your command?" Tian Wujing asked.

"Reporting to Your Lordship—this subordinate has barely one thousand soldiers left who can still charge into battle."

Fortunately, resistance during the Capital Region campaign had been weak and losses were small.

Otherwise, Governor Zheng would no longer even have been able to scrape together one thousand battle-ready troops.

"Does it hurt?"

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Tian Wujing's mouth.

Zheng Fan nodded.

"It hurts."

Zheng Fan's greatest problem now was that Great Yan effectively possessed only two major field armies.

One was the Jingnan Army.

The other was the Zhenbei Army.

The Zhenbei Army could draw replacement troops from the sons of Beifeng Commandery and the northern lands.

The Jingnan Army relied on Yinlang Commandery.

Zheng Fan might have ties to both armies but he did not fully belong to either order of battle.

So after combat losses, he could not directly obtain replacements from them.

Fundamentally, Zheng Fan should have belonged to the local military faction represented by men like Xu Wenzu.

But Zheng Fan wanted to build his own independent power base.

In effect he had cut the umbilical cord himself.

How could Tian Wujing, who had walked this road before him, fail to understand?

"Shengle City is still in the hands of a powerful local clan.

"In a while, this Marquis will tell Ren Juan to detach one thousand cavalry to you.

"They will help you take Shengle City back."

One thousand Jingnan Army cavalry?

Zheng Fan immediately grew excited.

"This subordinate thanks Your Lordship!"

"Do not thank me so quickly.

"I am only lending them to you for three months.

"After three months—they return."

"Ah?"

Zheng Fan froze.

Borrowing them for three months was already excellent.

But for a moment he had genuinely thought Tian Wujing was giving them to him permanently.

"Do you want them or not?"

"I want them!

"My lord Marquis, I want them!

"I want them!"

Tian Wujing nodded.

Then said, "Shengle City's position is critical.

"It lies close to the Situ Clan and also borders the Heavenbreak Mountain Range.

"You do not need to concern yourself with guarding against the Situ Clan.

"This Marquis will watch them personally.

"But there is one matter you must handle properly for this Marquis."

"Please give your orders, my lord Marquis!"

"Closely monitor the wild men.

"They may not compare with the barbarians, but if Great Yan wishes to unify the Three Jin lands in the future—the problem of the wild men will inevitably have to be faced."

"Your Lordship may rest assured.

"This subordinate will not disgrace the mission!"

"Mm.

"This Marquis trusts your ability to get things done.

"Also—

"Ren Juan has taken more than two thousand Jin prisoners.

"Their backgrounds are somewhat mixed.

"Some once belonged to the Wenren Clan.

"Some to the Helian Clan.

"Others were personal troops from the Capital Region.

"Do you want them?"

"This subordinate wants them."

"Do not swallow too much and upset your stomach."

"My lord Marquis—when it comes to troops, the more the better."

"Quite an arrogant tone.

"If the more troops you have, the better you can use them—then what about this Marquis?"

"Your Lordship excels at using generals!"

"Heh."

Tian Wujing smiled and shook his head.

"Who exactly taught you to flatter people like this?"

"Reporting to Your Lordship—before joining the army, this subordinate ran a restaurant and did business."

"That explains it.

"If Governor Zheng rises to greatness in the future, you will count as a classic example of a man rising from the common ranks.

"Great Yan suffered beneath the poison of aristocratic clans for far too long.

"We need men like you to emerge."

People needed hope.

In the past, aristocratic clans had monopolized the channels of advancement.

For ordinary commoners, rising above their station had been far too difficult.

Now that Great Yan had crushed those clans beneath cavalry hooves it naturally needed a few new examples to show that the world had changed.

Zheng Fan was perfectly happy to be cultivated as one of those examples.

Qian had once possessed such an example too the Scarred-Face Chancellor.

He had begun as a convict exiled to the frontier army, a genuine branded criminal soldier.

Step by step, he climbed until he stood nearly beneath one man and above ten thousand.

One could say his life had injected a powerful stimulant into Qian's military officers.

Unfortunately the good times had not lasted.

"If nothing unexpected happens, this Marquis will remain in Litian City from now on.

"That is quite far from your Shengle City.

"Li Bao at Quhe City will be much closer.

"You have some ties with the Zhenbei Army as well.

"Handle matters as you see fit."

"This subordinate understands."

"There is nothing else here.

"This Marquis intends to withdraw tomorrow.

"The Empress Dowager and several close members of Jin's imperial clan will leave with us.

"You should make your own preparations quickly."

"Yes."

"Good.

"Go handle your work."

"This subordinate takes his leave."

After Zheng Fan departed, a graceful figure emerged from the inner room.

Holding a damp cloth, she removed the kettle from the clay stove and began making tea.

Tian Wujing gently tapped his forehead.

"I told you there was no need to come."

"My lord—how could this concubine not come?

"Look at what you've done to yourself.

"It was clearly a battle you could win.

"Yet you insisted on personally fighting the Sword Saint of Jin.

"Do you really need that little bit of fame?"

For a Martial Artist forcing the Sword Saint to retreat in defeat was genuinely an extraordinary glory.

Before Dujuan, Tian Wujing truly carried very little of his usual airs.

And when his gaze fell upon the slight swell of her belly an uncommon trace of tenderness appeared in his eyes.

"If I fought him—fewer soldiers would have to die."

If the Sword Saint had remained in the Capital Region or imperial palace, then with nothing but his sword, killing two hundred cavalrymen would not have been difficult.

"Yes, yes.

"You are the Marquis.

"You are the Commander.

"You care about your soldiers.

"But you also need to care a little about this concubine."

Dujuan placed the cup of tea before Tian Wujing.

Then she continued, "My lord, Ren Juan did not have many troops left to begin with.

"Now you have detached another thousand from him.

"Are you disciplining him?"

"He entertained thoughts he should not have.

"Naturally—he needs to be disciplined."

"My lord, Ren Juan is loyal."

Tian Wujing took a sip of tea.

Then he raised his head and looked at Dujuan.

"Do you want to become Empress?"

Dujuan leaned into Tian Wujing's embrace.

Her fingers gently stroked his chest.

"My lord—this concubine wants nothing.

"I only want my lord to remain safe and sound."

"Even if you wanted to—you could never become one."

Tian Wujing gently rocked the teacup in his hand.

"Who would dare believe that a man capable of exterminating his own entire clan—would later share wealth and honor with anyone else?"

(End of Chapter)