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墨書 Inktalez
It is said that when entering the mountains, one need not fear the tiger's harm, but rather the treachery of human relationships. Compared to Zhang Jian and Gao Lvxing, this situation is even more profound. Even though his brother-in-law Han Fuqi was humiliated by Xu Zhenzhi, the Yingzhou Grand Commander was still able to endure and successfully led the forces of the Xu Zhen into Liucheng County, settling them down well.
The Xu Zhen had only three hundred guards with her, all skilled in operating Throwing Carts and Jingzhe Thunder from the Divine Fire Second Camp. Now that they had received these three hundred surrendered soldiers from Youzhou, they would inevitably need to register with the Yingzhou magistrate.
Zhang Jiunian was well-acquainted with the procedures and the Xu Zhen was not worried that Zhang Jian would obstruct this matter, as he could not meddle in all local affairs.
As the saying goes, a sheep remembers the kindness of kneeling to be milked, and a crow repays its benefactor. These three hundred Youzhou cavalry and scouts were grateful for the Xu Zhen's mercy in taking them in and would surely repay her with their lives. Now that they had received formal recognition, their hearts were filled with joy.
In this mountain range, a single tiger is a formidable foe; it is difficult to contend with local tyrants. The Xu Zhen and Zhang Jian thus became entangled in a conflict. Although this Governor of Yingzhou repeatedly claimed he would welcome the Xu Zhen, such hospitality was not easily given. The banquet was not particularly lavish, and the Xu Zhen equipped herself with various Illusion artifacts before bringing Caesar to the feast.
The saying goes that a gentleman's friendship is as light as water while a petty person's friendship is based on wine and meat. Many bureaucrats from Yingzhou approached her at the banquet, toasting her and putting on an act of long-standing admiration. The Xu Zhen smiled without speaking, navigating through their flattery gracefully. A true gentleman knows how to handle situations well; however, she accepted all those who feigned friendship.
Just as a crane does not perch on two trees and one matter should not trouble two masters, with the welcome banquet lively and bustling, the Xu Zhen seized the opportunity. Noticing many bureaucrats feigning compliments, she raised her cup to toast Zhang Jian: "Zhang Dudu, as I have just arrived in this precious land of Yingzhou and am unfamiliar with it, I will rely on your guidance moving forward. As they say, there is no better day than today; could you please use your seal on this transfer document? I must head to my post in the military."
Zhang Jian chuckled coldly to himself; indeed, the Xu Zhen was anxious and did not wish to linger in Liucheng. It seemed she lacked troops and thus lacked confidence.
The Xu Zhen hoped to leverage the influence of many bureaucrats to force Zhang Jian into handing over military authority under everyone's witness. As long as she could obtain control over Yingzhou Prefecture's forces, she would no longer need to fear any sabotage from Zhang Jian.
However, what she did not expect was for Zhang Jian to readily use his seal and hand over authority to her!
The Department of Diplomatic Negotiation is spread across various regions and can be established or dissolved at any time; thus, the number of prefectures fluctuates. At times there are over six hundred prefectures. To maintain control over external affairs from within, most military offices are concentrated in Guanzhong, followed by Hedong and Henan; southern military offices are quite rare.
Most prefectures are named after their locations, each having specific jurisdictional areas known as "Territory," which vary in size. The Department of Diplomatic Negotiation does not have a direct relationship with local governors or inspectors; however, governors often concurrently serve as Governors of Lizhou and possess supervisory powers over the Department of Diplomatic Negotiation. This explains why the Xu Zhen needed Zhang Jian's seal.
Zhang Jian's actions caught the Xu Zhen off guard. To prevent any covert maneuvers from him behind the scenes, she dared not stay too long in Liucheng. After organizing for two days and integrating those three hundred Youzhou cavalry into her personal guard unit, she also received a Fish Document issued by the Ministry of War. Thus, she led six hundred guards along with various supplies toward her designated Territory.
The Fish Document, also known as the Fish Talisman and Edict, states that soldiers of the Territory cannot casually migrate beyond their borders; they are to engage in farming during peacetime and practice martial arts during agricultural downtime. They are only to be mobilized for war when necessary, and must carry the Fish Talisman issued by the Ministry of War. Only after verification by the Governor of Lizhou and the Deputy Commander of the Zhechong Bureau can troops be dispatched. Once the war is over, the soldiers return to their respective jurisdictions, thus preventing commanders from amassing personal armies.
Yingzhou belongs to Hebei Province and is surrounded by several prefectures including Wei, Meng, Huai, Bo, and Xiangzhou. The Xu Zhen has been appointed as Colonel Murong Xiao of Yingzhou Prefecture. Although the Territory is located within Yingzhou, it consists mainly of Liucheng County, which has a large population. Recruiting just twelve hundred Imperial Guards is not a difficult task for Yingzhou.
At this time, the Xu Zhen's escort has reached six hundred men, equivalent to half the strength of the Zhechong Army. This would naturally raise concerns among others. If not for the Sovereign's favor towards her, these six hundred Guards alone could provide grounds for accusations against her for potential rebellion.
The main camp of Yingzhou Prefecture is located fifty miles outside Liucheng, surrounded by dozens of prosperous villages where residents live comfortably. However, following news of the Sage personally leading an expedition to Liaodong, restlessness began to spread here as well. When the local villagers noticed the arrival of the Xu Zhen's troops into their Territory, they stopped to watch in awe at the military might displayed by her forces.
Zuo An and Gem were ordered to clear a path and brought over ten Cavalrymen to report at Yamen. At that moment, the Zhechong Army's office was nearly deserted; two drowsy militia members were pretending to guard while dozing off with bamboo spears in hand. Upon seeing Zuo An and his Cavalrymen dressed in fine attire, they hurriedly rushed into Yamen to deliver the news.
Before long, a person quickly emerged from Yamen. He had a pale complexion and stood tall at eight feet, dressed in white robes reminiscent of Xue Rengui's demeanor. He was robust and imposing yet exuded an air of elegance; this was Xie Anting, who had been transferred to Yingzhou Prefecture after the Battle of Tugu Hun.
Zuo An and Gem were unaware that Xie Anting was a former subordinate of the Xu Zhen; they merely reported that Colonel Murong Xiao was on her way to assume office and requested that officials from the Department of Military Affairs go out to welcome her.
Xie Anting felt delighted upon hearing this and quickly instructed a gatekeeper to summon someone. Soon after, another person appeared; though not as striking as Xie Anting, he sported a tiger beard and had a fierce warrior demeanor—this was none other than Xue Dayi!
Upon hearing that their Lord was arriving, Xue Dayi hurriedly brought forth his warhorse to accompany Xie Anting in welcoming the Xu Zhen.
Zuo An and Gem looked surprised but hesitated to speak up; being innocent at heart, they eventually asked, "In such a large military office like Yamen, are only you two going out to greet our Colonel Murong Xiao?"
Xie Anting and Xue Dayi exchanged wry smiles, unsure how to respond to Zuo An's inquiry. However, Gem was quick-witted; he nudged Zuo An and hurriedly rode out with Xie Anting and Xue Dayi.
Seeing her former subordinates come out to greet her brought great joy to the Xu Zhen. Zhou Cang and Zhang Jiunian were also close friends; it became a lively reunion filled with nostalgia. As Xie Anting and Xue Rengui noticed each other's similar white attire and demeanor, they immediately recognized each other as kindred spirits. They quickly welcomed everyone into Yamen while settling six hundred Guards in the military camp before returning to Yamen to reminisce with the Xu Zhen.
The Xu Zhen observed that although this military office Yamen occupied a vast area, it appeared sparse and simple inside. Noticing that only Xie Anting and Xue Dayi were present in such a large Yamen made her feel somewhat suspicious.
Xie Anting felt a deep sense of shame. At that time, he was already the Left Guard Commander of the Yingzhou Pacification Office, and Xue Dayi had also become a significant figure, with his subordinates serving as Captains and leaders of the military corps, or at least as fire captains.
In the Tang Dynasty, each office was assigned one Deputy Commander, one Right Guard Captain, one Chief of Staff, and one Military Officer, with three hundred men forming a regiment. Each regiment had Captains and other minor leaders. It could be said that the former subordinates of Xu Zhen had already taken control of the Yingzhou Pacification Office's forces.
However, at this moment, within the vast Yamen of the military office, only Xie Anting and Xue Dayi remained. Considering how Zhang Jian had so readily let them go, Xu Zhen had already guessed something was amiss.
"Is it because of Zhang Jian's pressure?" Xu Zhen asked with a frown when she saw Xie Anting hanging his head in silence.
Xie Anting sighed lightly and replied indignantly, "Zhang Jian is being too overbearing! Earlier, when Goguryeo invaded Liaoxi and plundered around the Liao River, we Brothers launched attacks from all sides and defeated them thoroughly. However, fearing to escalate the conflict, Zhang Jian insisted on negotiating peace and sent Colonel Murong Xiao and Chen Taowen across the Liao River, only for them to be captured by Goguryeo bandits!"
"We sought battle, yet Zhang Jian merely claimed he wanted to wait for orders from the court. He delayed action until official documents arrived, revealing that Lord had taken over Colonel Murong Xiao's position. Some of Chen Taowen's confidants went to Zhang Jian to complain that Chen Taowen was still in enemy hands while Lord took advantage of the situation here at Yamen and voluntarily resigned. Zhang Jian even sent Yin Zong and Gao He Shu along with several Brothers to the Khitan tribes..."
Xu Zhen had already received confidential reports from various Brothers and knew that Qin Guang had fallen into enemy hands. It seemed that Qin Guang was indeed the Right Guard Captain sent alongside Chen Taowen.
After Xie Anting finished speaking, his expression inevitably fell as he thought about Qin Guang still trapped on the other side of the Liao River, feeling a sense of frustration.
Xue Dayi continued, "Zhang Jian is deliberately applying pressure by secretly cutting off supplies to the local counties. The personnel at Yamen have also resigned completely..."
Xue Dayi's voice grew quieter as Xu Zhen slammed her hand on the table in anger and exclaimed, "That Zhang Jian! With great enemies before us, he still plays tricks while our soldiers suffer!"
Caesar and others understood Xu Zhen's temperament well; they had never seen her so furious before. However, upon reflection, it was understandable why she would be angry.
The court had decided to take military action against Goguryeo, with Yingzhou as the vanguard. Xu Zhen was appointed as Colonel Murong Xiao of the Yingzhou Pacification Office precisely for reconnaissance and exploration purposes. Yet she had just taken office and found herself in a dire situation with no troops or supplies available—how could she not be enraged?
After calming herself down, Xu Zhen immediately took out the Fish Document and handed it to Xie Anting. "Take my Fish Document and compare it with Zhang Jian's records. I want to recruit Imperial Guards to cross over to the other side and force Goguryeo to release our people!"
Xie Anting and Xue Dayi were overjoyed. They had only trained their troops in winter, and Chen Taowen was not very competent, so they had entrusted the training to the older Brothers like Xie and Xue. Now, if they summoned the Imperial Guards, they would surely respond immediately!
Xie Anting gladly accepted the order and went on his way, while Xu Zhen and the others took a moment to rest. After a long journey, it was time to recuperate. However, Xie Anting quickly returned with an angry expression.
It turned out that Zhang Jian had refused to send troops under the pretext of needing to consult the court due to the seriousness of the matter. When Xie Anting pressed for funds from the Yamen, Zhang Jian merely claimed that he would personally send someone over. Who knew how long he intended to delay!
The six hundred Guards led by Xu Zhen consumed an astonishing amount of supplies in just one day, and there were hundreds of fine horses that needed care. Without local military supplies, relying solely on what Xu Zhen had brought would not last more than five days!
Xu Zhen slammed her hand on the table in anger and shouted, "Zhang Jian, how dare you insult us like this!"
However, with matters at this point, Zhang Jian was the Governor of Yingzhou. Xu Zhen knew that things would not end well. After venting her anger, she calmed down and began discussing solutions with everyone.
The group consisted mostly of warriors and rough soldiers who were unfamiliar with local governance, so they had no viable solutions. Fortunately, there was still Zhang Jiunian who was planning something and immediately offered a strategy.
"My Lord need not worry; this issue regarding supplies can be resolved quite easily if we do this and that..."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhen was instantly delighted and hurriedly instructed Xie Anting to summon all the county officials and local gentry from the Territory to the military Yamen for a meeting.
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