Chapter 469: Calling a General

Feng Guan finally managed to finish reading the imperial decree.

He let out a long breath.

After the final words, “Thus decreed,” the attendants of the Imperial Envoys began wheeling out the promised wine, meat, and reward silver.

The wine jars were sealed with the character **Imperial**.

The meat bore official tags.

The silver had been loaded basket after basket onto several wagons, and those too were covered with imperial seals.

All of the wine, meat, and silver had actually been borrowed by Feng Guan from Count Pingye Residence. That was perfectly normal under the circumstances.

But when Feng Guan and Zhang Yuanshan saw the carts being pushed forward now, both men immediately looked at one another.

The supplies had indeed been prepared.

But they were supposed to be distributed after the military review, as rewards for the soldiers of Snow Sea Pass.

The review had not even begun yet.

Why were the rewards already being wheeled into the drill ground?

Clearly, someone below had gotten the timing wrong.

Even so, the cavalry patrolling the perimeter should have stopped them.

What kind of military exercise began by handing out rewards before anyone had even performed?

Yet now that objects labeled as imperial gifts had already entered the field, there was no question of simply dragging them back out.

No rule outweighed the Emperor’s dignity.

So Feng Guan first turned back and gave Count Zheng an awkward smile.

Count Zheng returned an extremely mild one.

Below, the Imperial Envoys’ attendants began distributing cart after cart of wine, meat, and silver.

Very soon, however, they realized something was wrong.

The eager scrambling they had expected never appeared.

In fact, the military formations did not change in the slightest.

Every soldier stood or sat straight-backed, eyes forward.

Fresh pork butchered only the previous night was carried right beneath their noses.

No one reached for it.

They behaved as though they had not even seen it.

More astonishingly, when silver coins were carried before them, they still did not accept them.

The attendants fumbled.

Silver spilled onto the ground and rolled everywhere.

No one moved.

No one looked.

No one accepted it.

No one picked anything up.

Ever since the Snow Sea Army had first taken shape at Cuiliu Fort, it had emphasized military discipline and law.

And the most important rule in the army had always been clear rewards and punishments.

Whenever they fought, all captured goods had to be surrendered.

Only afterward would the army distribute them according to regulations for military merit.

Anyone discovered privately concealing spoils was executed without mercy.

That was iron law.

The severity of Snow Sea Pass’s military discipline was matched by equally generous treatment.

Once a soldier joined the army and entered a Standard household, his children could attend the schoolhouse free of charge.

If someone fell ill, the clinic provided medicine without payment.

Every month, the household received money and grain.

If the soldier died in battle, his family received compensation.

Harsh military law had to be matched by excellent treatment.

Otherwise, the soldiers would inevitably lose loyalty and morale.

During drills and the morning and evening assemblies, military clerks routinely shouted the same questions:

“Whose food do you eat?”

“Whose pay do you take?”

Combined with what had just happened during the reading of the imperial decree, even if the soldiers’ first reaction had merely come from instinct, by now everyone understood what was happening.

A comparison of authority was being drawn.

That made them even less willing to touch the rewards.

Feng Guan’s expression had become distinctly uncomfortable.

At that moment, Zheng Fan spoke.

“Eunuch Feng, in this Count’s view, perhaps we should distribute the rewards after the military exercises. Those who perform best can receive the richest rewards. What does Eunuch Feng think?”

Feng Guan immediately answered:

“Count, you are absolutely right. We shall do exactly as you say.”

The order was passed down.

The Imperial Envoys’ attendants quickly pulled the carts of rewards back.

Then Zheng Fan glanced toward Liang Cheng.

Liang Cheng gripped his saber and made a hand signal.

The standard-bearers on one side immediately began signaling.

Below, the troops of each Command rapidly shifted into position.

The exercises, and with them the true military review, officially began.

...

The night was cool.

The breeze was clear.

A pot of pickled-cabbage fish stood at the center of the table, accompanied by three cold side dishes.

There was no wine.

Only warm tea.

Zhang Yuanshan and Feng Guan sat opposite one another.

Zhang Yuanshan ate slowly.

Feng Guan’s chopsticks moved quickly.

The former served in the Ministry of Rites, one of those leisurely yamen where a man needed to know how to break one quarter-hour’s worth of work into enough tiny pieces to stretch across an entire day.

The latter was a palace servant.

He needed to finish eating early.

If his master summoned him and he was not there, that was an enormous crime.

“What did you think?”

Feng Guan asked.

Naturally, he meant the military review during the day.

Zhang Yuanshan sipped his tea.

“The armor was bright, the formations orderly. Zhang has never commanded troops, but even I can see that this Snow Sea Army possesses some of the bearing of the Jingnan Army in its earlier years.”

Feng Guan smiled slightly.

He ate a slice of fish, followed it with some pickled cabbage, then raised his teacup.

Instead of drinking, he poured the tea beside the table.

Within the small space around them, the spilled liquid seemed to form its own little domain.

A haze of water and mist spread around their feet.

This was hardly a profound Qi Refiner technique.

Its effect was not very different from tricks used by street magicians.

But it was like hanging a string of bells behind a door.

If anyone tried to push that door open and listen, the bells would ring.

The reason it was considered such a low-level technique was precisely because that was all it could do.

It could only make a sound.

Still, Feng Guan was one of Wei Zhonghe’s godsons.

Naturally, he possessed a few methods of his own.

Besides, because of that old master in the Yan imperial palace, palace eunuchs had long maintained a tradition of Qi cultivation.

Zhang Yuanshan shook his head.

“Today’s review served two purposes.

“First, to strengthen the army’s loyalty. Count Pingye only recently returned from Chu, and now he must enter the capital almost immediately. If he does not tighten his grip on morale first, disorder could easily emerge below.

“Second, it was meant for the two of us to see.

“Over the past half year, the court has gradually reclaimed local administrative authority throughout Jin through the appointment of civil officials. That has already caused dissatisfaction among military commanders.

“Count Pingye’s actions today were his way of using our eyes to tell Yingdu, and perhaps even the imperial court itself, that he has no intention of surrendering administrative authority within Snow Sea Pass.”

Feng Guan poured himself another cup of tea.

“Then why can the other military commanders tolerate it while Count Pingye cannot?”

Zhang Yuanshan laughed.

“Who is born wanting to be restrained?

“People submit because circumstances force them to.

“The other military commanders in Jin can tolerate it because the Marquis of Jingnan is pressing down above them. Whether they want to endure it or not, they have no choice.

“But everyone beneath Heaven knows how highly the Marquis of Jingnan regards Count Pingye.

“Everyone knows it.

“Do you think Count Pingye himself somehow does not?

“Precisely because he does not need to endure, he simply chooses not to.”

“But today went too far. This servant was reading an imperial decree.”

“Count Pingye has done things far more excessive than that. The Third Prince is still sitting in his pavilion in the middle of the lake.”

“That is true.”

Feng Guan nodded.

Zhang Yuanshan placed a chunk of fish head into his bowl and began picking through it with his chopsticks.

“Our Emperor is wise and martial, with a heart broad enough to contain the sea.

“Even if Eunuch Feng returns to the capital and deliberately embellishes everything that happened today before His Majesty, His Majesty will most likely laugh it off and treat it as a young man losing his temper and venting a little frustration.

“Tsk.

“A young man.

“Count Pingye really is young.

“He is several years younger than even Zhang.”

“Young man. Young man.”

Feng Guan repeated the phrase.

“Youth is good,” Zhang Yuanshan continued. “When you are young, making mistakes is not such a serious thing. His Majesty can tolerate more.

“Besides, we have both seen what Snow Sea Pass is actually like.

“Who knows when another disturbance might erupt on the northern snowfields?

“And to the south, Chu just suffered such an enormous humiliation. Both the imperial house and the Qu Clan lost face. For now, both sides have tacitly withdrawn and stopped fighting.

“But if war breaks out again, this Snow Sea force will unquestionably have to march south.

“Otherwise, if Chu troops enter Jin and force open the region, Snow Sea Pass will immediately become an isolated island.

“Now look at the hundred li surrounding Snow Sea Pass.

“How many villages do you see with cooking smoke rising?

“How many towns are genuinely inhabited?

“For Snow Sea Pass to possess what it has today was extraordinarily difficult.”

Feng Guan stared at him.

“Zhang Yuanshan, whose side are you actually on?”

Zhang Yuanshan answered calmly:

“I stand on Great Yan’s side.

“What we saw and heard today, we saw and heard.

“When we return, whatever needs to be reported still must be reported.

“But first, we should not exaggerate.

“Second, we may even need to help Count Pingye conceal a little.”

“On what grounds?”

“Because even if you tell His Majesty nothing but the absolute truth, His Majesty may still find you annoying!”

Zhang Yuanshan suddenly raised his voice.

Eunuch Feng’s momentum immediately shrank.

“Eunuch Feng, I’m only giving you this advice because we traveled together for so many days.

“Yes, I am an outer-court official and you are an inner-court servant.

“An inner servant needs loyalty above all else.

“But even loyalty depends on where and how it is displayed.

“An outer official needs reputation. If he deliberately stiffens his neck and argues with His Majesty, His Majesty may simply laugh.

“You are an inner servant.

“What use do you have for that kind of reputation?”

“This servant...”

“I’ll stop there.

“Even if I said nothing, Eunuch Wei would undoubtedly explain the same thing once you returned.

“Think carefully about who stands behind Count Pingye.

“The Marquis of Jingnan.

“Sixth Highness.

“Which of them can you afford to offend?

“Take ten thousand steps back and ignore everyone behind him.

“Look only at Count Pingye himself.

“His Majesty has praised him as one of the future pillars of Great Yan’s army.

“Can you push him over?

“People naturally want to find steps that let them climb higher.

“But some steps are covered entirely in poisonous thorns.

“In fact, if even a slightly obvious rumor unfavorable to Count Pingye spreads after what happened today, the blame will probably land on the two of us.”

“This servant understands.”

“Then please put away your little technique, Eunuch Feng.”

Feng Guan swept one sleeve.

The mist around the table vanished instantly.

Zhang Yuanshan pointed with his chopsticks toward the pickled-cabbage fish.

“Eat more. This fish only grows in ponds out on the snowfields. You won’t be able to get it elsewhere.”

Feng Guan placed another slice of fish into his mouth.

“It truly is delicious.”

...

A small pavilion.

Lantern light.

Melon seeds.

Liang Cheng sat opposite the Blind Man.

“Why not listen in on them?”

The Blind Man shook his head.

“What they say is not important. Besides, it is easy enough to guess.

“First, private criticism.

“Second, dissatisfaction.

“Third, venting.

“Fourth, self-justification.

“Fifth, looking at reality.

“Sixth, accepting fate.”

“Put like that, it really does sound boring.”

“Exactly.”

“Have you planned out this trip to the capital?”

“How could I have had time?

“I can only calculate things properly on the road.

“This is different from Master’s last journey into the capital.

“Back then, he was merely a supporting character beside the Marquis of Jingnan.

“This time, he is going there as the leading star.”

“We seem short on manpower,” Liang Cheng said.

Xue San was still in the State of Liang.

A’Ming remained unconscious.

Siniang was injured.

Snow Sea Pass itself had to retain either the Blind Man or Siniang to manage operations.

Liang Cheng also needed to stay behind and command the troops.

Yet hearing this, the Blind Man laughed.

“No problem.

“We have a ready-made helper.”

...

A side room.

A tea table.

Two plates of pastries.

One jar of grape wine.

Siniang lifted her small cup.

Xiong Liqing and Liu Ruqing immediately raised theirs as well.

“Little Sisters, this grape wine tastes sweet and sour, but drink too much and it still goes to the head. I don’t get drunk, so the two of you should drink according to your own limits.”

Back when Siniang ran brothels and private clubs, she had genuinely drunk every kind of alcohol like water.

“If Elder Sister is in the mood, Little Sister will naturally do her best to accompany you,” Liu Ruqing said softly.

“Exactly, exactly. I’m happy today too. I had such fun beating that drum. If we were in Great Chu, Imperial Brother would definitely punish me, but he only smiled.”

The Princess had clearly drunk a little too much.

Said under other circumstances, words like these might sound like boasting that she was currently favored.

Siniang did not become angry.

The girl had truly let herself go today.

After the excitement of the review and the warmth of the grape wine, she had relaxed completely.

If anything, she looked somewhat innocent and adorable.

Liu Ruqing did not dare become angry.

She had never thought of competing for position to begin with.

One woman was a Princess.

The other was a woman even the Princess carefully tried to please.

What exactly was Liu Ruqing supposed to compete with?

“I heard about what happened today too,” Siniang said. “Nothing to criticize. You gave our man plenty of face. Come, Elder Sister will drink to you.”

Siniang and the Princess clinked cups and drank.

Then Xiong Liqing said:

“I thought Elder Sister would scold me for breaking the rules.”

“That depends on the situation and the timing.

“You understand these things yourself.

“It has been difficult for you too. For at least the next year, there will be plenty of occasions where we need to bring you out to support appearances.

“But you should practice that drum.

“I hear the sight of you beating it was beautiful enough, but the sound itself was terrible.”

“Practice drumming?”

“Treat it as exercise.

“In the future, if there is an opportunity, the man can lead troops and fight at the front while you beat the war drum behind him.

“That would make a fine story.”

“Then what about you, Elder Sister?”

“I’ll naturally stay beside him.

“I need to help block blades for him.”

Siniang was not speaking romantic nonsense.

There was a very real possibility that if Master suddenly died, the Demon Kings would collapse along with him.

So on a battlefield, if circumstances allowed it, every Demon King would shield Zheng Fan without hesitation.

But those words sounded very different in Xiong Liqing’s ears.

“Elder Sister, teach me martial arts.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Too troublesome.

“If you think practicing the drum is too dull and repetitive, then when you have free time, you can learn needlework from me instead.”

“Needlework?”

Liu Ruqing spoke softly:

“This servant knows a little.”

Siniang gave a faint “Mm.”

“I’m not surprised that you do.”

At that moment, Xiao Yibo reported from outside:

“Miss Ruqing, a letter has arrived from home.”

Joy immediately appeared on Liu Ruqing’s face.

Siniang pointed toward the door.

“Go read your letter.”

“Thank you, Elder Sister. This servant will withdraw first.”

At a time like this, a letter from home truly was an enormous comfort to someone living far away.

Once Liu Ruqing left, the Princess asked:

“From the Fan Clan?”

“Naturally. Thanks to how well you cooperated, the Fan Clan is still standing perfectly well.”

Because of the Princess’s cooperation and Zhao Cheng’s help from within, the Fan Clan had paid far less and taken far fewer risks than originally expected.

So the Fan Clan was still the Fan Clan.

Siniang took a sip of grape wine.

“I wrote to the Fan Clan as well. I told them to send Liu Zhong here.”

“Ruqing’s younger brother?”

“Yes.

“He is the only bond she still has.”

“Elder Sister is really good to her.”

There was obvious jealousy in Xiong Liqing’s voice.

She was slightly drunk now and spoke much more directly than before.

Whatever she thought simply came out.

“It isn’t favoritism.

“I would gladly bring your brother here too and let you siblings reunite at Snow Sea Pass.”

“...”

Xiong Liqing.

“Only someone who loves flowers understands how to raise them,” Siniang continued. “A woman like Liu Ruqing cannot be allowed to drown in self-pity forever. Otherwise, she will wither.

“Her younger brother is the person she cares about most in this world.

“Once he arrives, her heart will settle here as well.

“For his sake, she will become more willing to live actively and display her own charm.

“I still have two qipao stored away.

“I want her to try them on.

“Then I’ll teach her a few phrases in a Wu-region accent.

“It should create an excellent effect.”

“The State of Wu?”

Wu was also one of the small states scattered across the region.

Siniang merely smiled.

Xiong Liqing drank another cup of grape wine.

Then she raised her head.

She looked at the empty seat where Liu Ruqing had been sitting.

Then she turned toward Siniang, threw both arms backward, and cried:

“Aaaaah! I just can’t stand seeing Elder Sister treat her so well!

“Elder Sister is only allowed to be good to me!”

Siniang lowered her gaze slightly and looked at the Princess acting spoiled before her.

Today, the Princess had first played herself into complete excitement.

Then, for the first time in her life, she had gotten drunk.

The more Xiong Liqing thought about it now, the more aggrieved she felt.

She actually slid down from her chair, sat on the floor, wrapped both arms around Siniang’s leg, and began crying.

“Wuwuwu... Elder Sister is only allowed to be good to me!

“You’re not allowed to be good to her!

“She’s only an ornamental vase!

“All she can do is sing for him!

“I can help him build his reputation!

“I can support his prestige!

“I can even say ‘This Princess’ to make him happy!

“Wuwuwu...”

Siniang reached down and stroked the Princess’s hair.

But her brows slowly drew together.

Zheng Fan had once joked that the Princess seemed to possess a faint masochistic streak.

Only now did Siniang remember something.

The first person who had truly “hurt” the Princess... had been Siniang herself.

...

“I was ridiculously pleased with myself today.

“You know that?

“My soldiers stood right in front of that decree-reading eunuch and refused to obey him.

“They didn’t obey the imperial decree either.

“They obeyed only me.

“Tell me.

“Am I more impressive than you were back then?

“You were so stupid at the time.

“You threw away your office.

“Threw away your army.

“Then ran alone to the Marquis of Zhenbei Residence to deliver yourself to death.

“Why?

“What was the point?

“I can’t learn that from you.

“I’m just a selfish little bastard.

“In this life, I only want to make myself happy.

“If anyone genuinely tries to wrong me, I don’t care who he is.

“At worst, I’ll flip the table over and smash everything...”

Count Zheng held a jar of wine in one hand.

He leaned against the coffin and spoke to the man lying inside.

Naturally, only Count Zheng spoke.

The man in the coffin did not answer a single word.

Everyone needed a tree hollow somewhere, a place into which they could speak without reserve.

For Zheng Fan, Sha Tuo Queshi was that tree hollow.

“I’m going to the capital.

“Tell me, pulling something like this right before I enter Yanjing... doesn’t that sound a little like I’m courting death?

“But I’m happy.

“I wanted to do it.

“Hahahaha...”

Once he finished talking, Count Zheng swayed unsteadily to his feet.

He did not return through the same route.

Instead, he opened the bronze door farther inside and entered the neighboring secret chamber.

Inside, the Savage King sat within his cage, weaving a dragonfly from straw.

The instant Count Zheng stepped into the room, every trace of drunken rambling vanished from him.

When facing the man before him, even with Gou Moli locked inside a cage, even when Gou Moli habitually prostrated himself shamelessly and called himself “Little Dog”... one still had to remain twelve parts cautious and calm.

Zheng Fan sat down on a nearby chair.

This time, however, the Savage King did not immediately begin flattering him.

Confusion appeared on Gou Moli’s face first.

Then surprise.

Then delight.

After that, he forced himself back to calmness.

Next, he actually began straightening his clothes.

He even dragged his fingers through his tangled hair, trying to make himself appear as solemn and dignified as possible.

Count Zheng watched him quietly.

At last, the Savage King stopped moving.

He looked at Zheng Fan just as calmly.

Count Zheng smiled.

“You figured it out?”

Gou Moli was exceptionally skilled at reading people.

But “reading” did not mean directly seeing another person’s thoughts.

Even the Blind Man at full strength could not accomplish that.

What Gou Moli excelled at was understanding the person before him, then combining that knowledge with tiny shifts in posture, movement, even a glance, to infer what that person intended to do.

A Savage he might be.

But his mind was fine enough to split hairs.

“Count... you intend to use me.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

The Savage King deliberately offered one incorrect guess.

“Count, are you planning to let me out so I can help you consolidate the snowfields?”

Zheng Fan shook his head.

“No.

“I’m taking you with me to the capital.”

[End of Chapter 469]