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Dark Moon and High Wind
At night, Wang Jian stood alone on a high slope, gazing into the distance. In that direction were Luzi and his brothers. Accurate intelligence had come in that the Zhao Army would be mobilizing the day after tomorrow. Meanwhile, the main force of the Qin Army stationed around Gao Ping remained inactive due to the heavy snowfall.
According to past regulations, once the Qin Army's vanguard occupied Old Horse Ridge, they would fight to the death without retreating. Both the Qin Army and Zhao Army knew that it was a crucial stronghold. As long as the Qin Army held Old Horse Ridge, they could withstand the powerful offensive from the Zhao Army. If it were captured by the Zhao Army, the Gao Ping area would lose its defense.
Luzi must have known this, and so did Lian Po, the commander of the Zhao Army. The old general had not yet sent Zhao Sovereign forces forward mainly because of the heavy snow. Now that spring was approaching and the snow was about to melt, the Zhao Army would certainly not wait any longer; Old Horse Ridge had already come into their sights.
Alas! Hundreds against tens of thousands! How could this battle be fought!?
As Wang Jian was lost in thought, he heard a commotion of footsteps coming from Shanxia. A group of armed personnel was approaching, led by Chang Yu, who was escorting several individuals up the mountain to meet him.
"Inkeeper! The spies sent by the Qin State have been captured!"
Wang Jian nodded and noticed one of the captives seemed to have something to say. He gestured for them to remove the cloth from the captive's mouth.
"Mountain King! Scoundrel is not a spy from the Qin State; we are actually one family!"
"Preposterous!" Chang Yu couldn't help but shout angrily upon hearing this, drawing his bronze sword as if to strike.
Wang Jian sensed there was more to this person's words and raised his hand to stop Chang Yu. "Oh!? You claim to be from Qin, but we are from Wei Kingdom. That butcher Bai Qi hasn't even captured Shangdang County yet; how can we be one family?"
The captive turned his face to glance at the bloodthirsty blade resting on Chang Yu's shoulder and struggled to stand up. "Mountain King may not know, but your Prefect Feng Ting has already surrendered the city. Now all of Shangdang County belongs to Zhao Kingdom; you are no longer Wei Kingdom people but Zhao People. Scoundrel is indeed not from Qin but a Zhao Kingdom envoy."
Wang Jian looked at Chang Yu and nodded. He scrutinized this person who claimed to be a Zhao Kingdom envoy but noticed he wasn't wearing official robes. "You say you are an envoy; do you have proof from Zhao?"
Hearing a shift in tone from his captor, the envoy felt relieved internally. His subordinates had entered Shangdang County in plain clothes for safety reasons. They had intended to reach the Prefectural Office early but found Night Road difficult to traverse. In such chaotic times, bandits were indeed rampant!
As long as they weren't Qin people, it would be manageable; after all, those who turned to banditry often did so out of necessity for survival. If there were food and clothing available, who would willingly engage in such dangerous business? With this thought in mind, the Zhao Kingdom envoy looked down at his chest, indicating that his credentials were within his possession.
Chang Yu reached into a small cloth bag and presented it to Wang Jian with both hands.
Wang Jian did not open the bag but held it in his hands and asked, "What is inside?"
The envoy naturally had no hesitation and directly admitted that the bag contained an appointment decree issued by King Zhao. Feng Ting was appointed as Huayang Jun, with a fief of thirty thousand households. The county magistrate was granted a title of a thousand households, and all county residents were awarded third-class nobility.
Wang Jian listened quietly and suddenly asked, "Your Excellency, I have one thing I do not understand. What does what you just said have to do with my brothers and me?"
The Zhao Kingdom Envoy cleared his throat and smiled, "Congratulations, Mountain King! As long as you allow this official to read this edict at the Prefectural Office, you and your brothers will officially become civil servants with titles from the Zhao Kingdom! Fixed salary! Iron rice bowl! Others wouldn't even dare to dream of this; we are lucky to catch this opportunity!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Jian became very interested in such a notion. He seriously expressed that he had never dared to think about this in his life; being able to solve the problem of basic sustenance was already satisfying enough. If it weren't for the fact that his family couldn't afford food, who would be willing to become bandits?
Seeing that the other party could actively step forward to acknowledge the mistake, the envoy finally felt relieved. He quickly offered some comforting words, stating that it is common for people to make mistakes in life, but recognizing and correcting them is significant. He also indicated that as long as Mountain King was willing to protect this official to go to the Prefectural Office, it would be very easy to become an official!
Wang Jian understood very well that this promise from the envoy was not mere empty talk. While going to confer Feng Ting's title, the envoy could conveniently add a small condition. Even if Feng Ting was unwilling, he would have no choice but to agree for the sake of face. It was as simple as that—just a matter of words.
A sudden windfall of wealth should not be turned down!
Wang Jian hurriedly instructed his subordinates to untie this benefactor sent from above and expressed that if there had been any offense earlier, he hoped the envoy would not hold it against him.
There has always been a tradition of not striking those who come with a smile, and the Zhao Kingdom Envoy naturally adhered to this principle. He stated that since they were all on the same side, they could put the misunderstanding behind them. The urgent matter now was to hurry along the road and hope there wouldn't be any more incidents along the way.
This condition was completely acceptable, and Wang Jian immediately agreed. He called for everyone to help the benefactor onto a horse so they could quicken their pace. If nothing unexpected happened on the road, they would be able to enter the city before dawn.
The dark clouds dispersed just like that.
The news of the upcoming rewards brought great joy to everyone, and they happily referred to each other as "this official" and "that official." Thus, they all carried their respective tools—hoes, shoulder poles, and firewood knives—to protect the Zhao Kingdom Envoy on the road.
Despite the cold weather and biting winds, everyone's hearts were warm. From this moment on, they would be officials. When walking, they would at least take dignified strides. When meeting fellow villagers, they could naturally boast about how "this official" had accomplished this or that. Just thinking about it made them excited; they would even smile in their dreams at night.
The group traveled along the way, chatting and laughing, with bursts of laughter breaking the surrounding silence.
The Mountain King introduced himself as Lu Qiang, courtesy name Da Jian. The Zhao Kingdom Envoy also informed Wang Jian that his name was Zhao Qiang, courtesy name Hong Wei. Since he bore the surname Zhao, it was likely that he had some royal bloodline. Due to the numerous branches of the family, he could be a distant relative. However, no matter how far removed, he was still a cousin from the Zhao family, which was an undeniable fact.
The two were of different ages, with the envoy being three years older than Wang Jian. Thus, they established a brotherly bond; from then on, whether anyone visited Shangdang County or traveled to the capital Handan, they would always be welcomed at each other's homes.
Wang Jian was also quite handsome; even dressed in simple clothes, his charisma could not be concealed. Especially for Zhao Hongwei, who had seen many people and had extensive experience in officialdom, recognizing talent was second nature to him.
In simple terms, if heaven grants you such abilities, sooner or later opportunities will arise for you to shine. As long as you can endure loneliness and the heavy tests of helplessness without becoming despondent, you have a chance to become extraordinary!
As for Lu Da Jian before him, he naturally possessed an extraordinary aura like a bright star. If given time and opportunity to stand out, the moment his talents shone through should not be underestimated.
With that in mind, let me send my brother off! Zhao Hongwei had already made up his mind that when the time came, he would definitely propose a significant additional condition to Feng Ting—regardless of whether he agreed or not, Lu Da Jian must be promoted!
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