Chapter 109 The Art of Politics

"Oh?"

Marquis Jingnan then pointed to Zuo Jiqian,

and said:

"This is interesting. Vice-Commander Zheng said there were no fish that slipped through the net, but you, Zuo Jiqian, say there's still a female assassin mastermind who hasn't been caught.

Which of you two is telling the truth?"

Vice-Commander Zheng, Zuo Jiqian;

Cold sweat immediately appeared on Zuo Jiqian's face. In fact, he wasn't stupid. How could someone pushed by their family to the forefront of officialdom to gain family resource support be stupid?

The profligate young masters of the great clans are confined at home to have children and take responsibility for reproduction. Only those who are truly talented are qualified to receive care from the family's resources to serve and continue the family's glory.

But what he probably lacked was this kind of vigilance. Zheng Fan, who had been bluffing, was quite experienced in this regard because, many times, for Zheng Fan, one wrong step could mean his life.

This was a game with only one life; there was no room for carelessness.

The assassination in the mourning hall had just happened, and Marquis Jingnan led his army into the city, directly into the Garrison General's mansion. Zheng Fan was the first to disbelieve that there was nothing fishy about this.

Therefore, Zheng Fan made his choice.

And it was clear that at this moment, Zuo Jiqian finally understood the problem;

He immediately lowered his head and pleaded guilty:

"Reporting to the Marquis, all the assassins have been killed; none escaped. Just now, just now, this humble officer misremembered."

"Heh, as the garrison commander of a fort, your memory is actually so bad. Alas, both the court and the countryside believe that my Great Yan's Northern Army is a fierce tiger, while the Southern Army is a sick cat. I didn't think so before, but now, looking at the generals in the south, alas..."

"This humble officer is guilty and willing to accept punishment!"

Zuo Jiqian pressed his forehead to the ground.

At this moment, Zheng Fan spoke:

"Reporting to the Marquis, Vice-Commander Zuo suffered a head injury while pursuing the assassins earlier."

Zuo Jiqian immediately nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes, this humble officer has a problem with his head, a problem."

"If you're injured, go back and heal properly. Don't talk nonsense, understand?"

"This humble officer obeys, this humble officer understands."

Marquis Jingnan reached out and dusted the dirt off his boots, and slowly said:

"The Southern Hope City line has indulged in a life of luxury for too long. Many people have become lax. In our Great Yan, there are too many people who naively believe that the Qian Kingdom people will never dare to actively invade;

A hundred years ago, the first Marquis Zhenbei indeed beat the Qian Kingdom people painfully, but even the deepest pain has passed a hundred years. Even the deepest wound has long healed."

Zheng Fan felt a chill in his heart,

Sure enough,

The whole matter was roughly the same as what he and the blind man had discussed at home.

The Yan Kingdom's court was reorganizing the fort system, preparing for future operations against the Qian Kingdom in the south.

The current Yan Emperor and this generation's Marquis Zhenbei were both over fifty years old. They were eager to complete some major events and completely resolve some problems while they were still alive.

Therefore,

While they were mobilizing the forces of various clans to gather and create a situation of confrontation with the Zhenbei Army, they had already begun to reorganize the Southern Hope City line to pave the way for the southern expedition after resolving the clan issues!

The Sixth Prince was intelligent and perceptive enough to keenly notice this.

Then,

Marquis Jingnan himself, as the Yan Emperor's brother-in-law, deeply trusted by the Yan Emperor, and also in control of the Jingnan Army,

his actions,

were definitely implementing the Yan Emperor's will!

However, neither Zheng Fan nor the blind man had expected the Yan Kingdom's high-level officials to act so ruthlessly, simply, crudely, and directly, giving people the feeling that they completely lacked the art of politicians.

If you're going to play politics, then play politics properly, but you're directly resorting to knives...

Of course, if you have the qualification and ability to use knives, there's really no need to play with words.

Regarding the assassination that had occurred earlier, Marquis Jingnan had almost explicitly indicated it.

But this kind of explicit indication wasn't just naively treating you as one of their own. First, you had to see if you had the fate!

It was precisely because Zuo Jiqian belatedly understood this relationship that he unhesitatingly took over Zheng Fan's words, claiming that he had a problem with his brain.

"After a hundred years of peace, some people have forgotten their roots."

Marquis Jingnan said this, smiled slightly,

and continued:

"I received news earlier that rebels had infiltrated Huaiya Academy. I was planning to lead troops to the academy to capture them, but unfortunately, such a thing happened in Southern Hope City, so I had to lead troops to stabilize the order in the city first. For a while, I couldn't spare any manpower.

Now, I wonder if either of you two generals can lead troops to capture those rebels for me?"

This was to offer a pledge of allegiance!

Originally, Zuo Jiqian was about to open his mouth to agree without hesitation. His performance earlier was indeed too lacking compared to Zheng Fan, but when he heard the name Huaiya Academy, Zuo Jiqian froze.

Huaiya Academy, with rebels?

The literary style of the Great Yan was most prosperous in Silver Wave Prefecture because it was closest to the Qian Kingdom. Scholars and literati from the Qian Kingdom often came here to study, and occasionally great Confucian scholars from the Qian Kingdom would enter the academy to lecture.

It could be said that Huaiya Academy was the sacred place in the hearts of the Great Yan's scholars.

The Great Yan established the country through military force, but because there had been no major wars between the north and south for nearly a hundred years, the literary style and atmosphere had gradually begun to rise. Most importantly, when governing the country, you had to rely on literati. After the Yan Emperor ascended the throne, he reused commoners to suppress the aristocratic clans, which also, to some extent, fueled the rise of the literati.

Many of the Great Yan's civil officials had come from Huaiya Academy. The current grand secretary had studied at Huaiya Academy when he was young.

To capture people at Huaiya Academy...

What Zuo Jiqian immediately thought of was that if he really led troops there, it would be equivalent to placing the entire Zuo family on the opposite side of the Great Yan's literati class through him.

There was no free lunch in this world. When you received the family's resource support, you would naturally bear the responsibility of maintaining the family's interests.

However, Zuo Jiqian hesitated, but Zheng Fan didn't hesitate at all.

"This humble officer is willing to go!"

Marquis Jingnan began to rub his thumb ring again. Hearing Zheng Fan's request, a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth,

and he said:

"Vice-Commander Zheng, have you thought it through clearly?"

"A soldier's duty is to obey orders!"

Hearing this sentence, Marquis Jingnan's eyes widened slightly.

If the Sixth Prince were here at this time, he would definitely shout: "Damn it, you're spouting golden phrases again!"

Marquis Jingnan slowly said again:

"Vice-Commander Zheng, aren't you going to think about your subordinates?"

"Reporting to the Marquis, all of my subordinates are barbarian soldiers."

"Barbarian soldiers?" Marquis Jingnan became interested, "How many?"

"Five hundred!"

"Interesting, interesting, using barbarian soldiers to capture people at the academy, Vice-Commander Zheng, aren't you afraid that the world's literati will criticize you for desecrating culture?"

Zheng Fan cupped his fist and said:

"Scholars like to reason the most, but the reason why barbarians are barbarians is because they don't reason. Using barbarian soldiers to deal with scholars is a match made in heaven."

"A good match made in heaven. Wait until tomorrow, and the people from the Secret Intelligence Division will go to Green Willow Fort to contact you. They are responsible for capturing people, and you are responsible for cooperating with them."

"Thank you, Marquis, for your cultivation!"

Zuo Jiqian looked at Zheng Fan beside him, and a look of envy appeared in his eyes. Being appreciated by Marquis Jingnan was definitely what all Southern generals dreamed of the most.

But when he thought of Huaiya Academy, Zuo Jiqian's eyes couldn't help but twitch again. He wasn't alone; he wasn't alone!

Of course, it would be fine if he didn't accept this military order, but Zuo Jiqian would never dare to send someone back to inform the academy, as that would be a truly stupid act.

He even had to worry that Zheng Fan would leak the news first, causing the academy to make some changes. If Marquis Jingnan blamed him at that time, the first person he would suspect would be Zuo Jiqian, who was jealous of Vice-Commander Zheng and was secretly playing tricks.

Zheng Fan and Zuo Jiqian retreated together. At the gate of the Garrison General's mansion, Zheng Fan and Zuo Jiqian said goodbye.

Both of them had come to Southern Hope City from their respective forts in plain clothes, but their states of mind were completely different when they were about to leave.

"Brother Zheng, do you know the status of Huaiya Academy in the hearts of the Great Yan's literati?"

"Brother Zuo, we are soldiers."

This was the second time Zheng Fan had said this sentence to Zuo Jiqian since they met.

The first time he said it was when Zuo Jiqian inquired about whether the court had any southward movements, telling Zuo Jiqian that soldiers shouldn't talk nonsense like scholars.

This time, the implication was that we are soldiers;

In any dynasty, the confrontation between the civil and military factions is the norm. It's either the west wind overwhelming the east wind, or the east wind overwhelming the west wind. As a soldier, if you don't deal with the literati, what are you going to do? Be a dog for the literati?

Just like the Qian Kingdom, where military generals are often guard dogs with chains in the hands of civil officials.

The Great Yan is not the Qian Kingdom. The signs that this generation of Yan Emperor and Marquis Zhenbei are going to make big moves are already very obvious. As long as there is a war, the role and status of soldiers will rapidly increase!

If you deal with the literati, the literati will certainly hate you, but you can gain goodwill from the military, which is a worthwhile deal.

Of course, the most important thing is that the Yan Kingdom is not the Qian Kingdom. Even if the Yan Kingdom's grand secretary comes from that Huaiya Academy, he would not dare to say what the current Qian Kingdom's chief minister said: "Only those who sing at the Donghua Gate are truly good lads."

Zheng Fan took the reins from a Jingnan Army soldier and rode away directly.

Leaving Zuo Jiqian standing in place, somewhat lost in thought.

In the quiet mourning hall of the Garrison General's mansion,

Marquis Jingnan was still sitting on the threshold.

"Marquis, it's cold here."

A woman walked out from behind Marquis Jingnan and draped a piece of fur on Marquis Jingnan's body. This woman was wearing a pair of red embroidered shoes.

The Marquis reached out and gently patted the back of the woman's hand and said:

"Thank you for your hard work today."

"Serving the Marquis is this concubine's blessing in this lifetime."

"What do you think of those two people just now?"

"The one from the Zuo family is a capable person, but as you said, Marquis, the aristocratic sons of our Great Yan today are like rotten wood. Even if you paint them with more lacquer, it's difficult to change their inherently rotten nature. They are indeed a bit too old."

"What about that northern kid?"

"Perhaps it's because Marquis Zhenbei has been the local tyrant in the north for too long. The people in his mansion also act with a kind of decisiveness."

Marquis Jingnan shook his head and said:

"Investigate this Vice-Commander Zheng."

"What do you mean, Marquis?"

"Li Liangting wants to stuff his people into the south. I can't ask for more. It would be best if he could transfer two of his seven chief commanding officers to me.

Right now, Li Liangting himself is in the capital. If Li Liangting wants to arrange people, he can just give me a call, but I haven't received any news.

This kid says he's a lackey of Marquis Zhenbei's mansion, but he's not going through the mansion's channels. Check who arranged for him to come here."

"This servant obeys."

"If he's really Li Liangting's person, then so be it. If he's not..."

"What are you planning to do, Marquis?"

"Let's see how well this kid handles the Huaiya Academy matter first. Those corrupt scholars at Huaiya Academy eat the Great Yan's offerings, enjoy the Great Yan's land, and accept the Great Yan's students, but they have been promoting the Qian Kingdom's benevolence and righteousness.

I've endured these traitors for a long time."

"Aren't all scholars and literati like this? When it comes to the art of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, they all consider the Qian Kingdom to be the best..."

"Then I'll see if there's anyone who will boast about the Qian Kingdom's unparalleled literary style after my Great Yan's iron cavalry breaks the Qian Kingdom's spine again!

Wait, it's coming soon, it's really coming soon.

I want the world to know that

music, chess, calligraphy, painting, benevolence, righteousness, and morality

are worthless in the face of iron horses!"

After saying that,

Marquis Jingnan raised his head and looked around,

frowning slightly,

and said dissatisfiedly:

"That Chu Tianchi still claims to be a talent in the Secret Intelligence Division. I don't think he's anything special. I've been sitting here for so long, why haven't I heard the sound of wailing rising from the city?"

…………

Zheng Fan rode his horse out of the Garrison General's mansion not far when he saw Ah Ming. After calling Fan Li at the inn together, the three of them immediately rushed to Green Willow Fort.

Zheng Fan and Ah Ming each had a horse. Because Fan Li had to carry two boxes of silver ingots that hadn't been sent out, it was inconvenient for him to ride a horse, but even if he ran wildly carrying the boxes, he wasn't much slower than Zheng Fan and Ah Ming's horses.

Si Niang had joked about Fan Li, saying that all the strength from eating so much rice had gone to his legs.

Before the sun set, Zheng Fan rushed back to Green Willow Fort.

What surprised Zheng Fan was that outside Green Willow Fort, Zheng Fan saw the blind man, Bei, and a dozen people dressed as craftsmen measuring something. Those craftsmen were also holding blueprints and were listening to the blind man's suggestions and making modifications.

Seeing Zheng Fan return, the blind man, Bei, first apologized to these craftsmen and excused himself, then immediately came to Zheng Fan.

"Master, the gifts, weren't sent out?"

Although the blind man, Bei, couldn't see, he could sense that the silver in the two boxes Fan Li was carrying was still there with a sweep of his mental power.

Zheng Fan wasn't in a hurry to tell the blind man about the Southern Hope City matter, but instead asked:

"Who are these people?"

"Reporting to Master, these are craftsmen gathered by a business firm."

The craftsmen of the Yan Kingdom at this time, to use later generations' words, were contractors.

"You found them? No, did the Sixth Prince find them?"

"You are wise, Master. The Sixth Prince's business firm not only organized the craftsmen, but also purchased the stone and other materials needed to rebuild Green Willow Fort from nearby and are transporting them here.

I was just discussing the details of the blueprints with the craftsmen. If nothing unexpected happens, we can start work tomorrow."

Building a fort, especially a large fort like Green Willow Fort, is not cheap. If you build a city, you can collect taxes or sell shops to recover your costs, but building a purely military fort has no possibility of recovering your costs. It's purely handing over silver to the country.

However, the Sixth Prince has indeed fulfilled his promise. There is nothing that Zheng Fan needs more than a fort right now. You can't have everyone coming from the north to the south and still living in tents every day like they did in the north, right?

"Master, I smell the aroma of food."

Fan Li, who had been running with two boxes of silver for a day, was hungry.

Zheng Fan smiled helplessly, reached out and put his arm around the blind man, Bei's shoulder, and said:

"Alright, let's talk while we eat."

…………

The blind man, Bei, put down his chopsticks and nodded:

"It was right for you to take this military order, Master."

Hearing the affirmation of the old silver coin, Zheng Fan felt relieved.

"From this point of view, what happened in Southern Hope City today should have been planned by Marquis Jingnan behind the scenes?" Si Niang asked while serving chicken soup to Zheng Fan.

The blind man, Bei, nodded and said: "It's almost certainly the case. It's just an excuse to cleanse the officials and clans who have been living too comfortably in Southern Hope City for many years."

"They really don't pay attention to details." Si Niang joked, "I mean, the method lacks artistry."

"But the effect is the best. The Qian Kingdom fears the Yan Kingdom like a tiger, but not daring to start a war is one thing. The Qian Kingdom can't really do nothing else.

The deaths of Xiao Dahai, the Prefect of Southern Hope City, and some clan leaders near Southern Hope City may not have been unjust. The method of slowly plotting may not really be suitable for solving these people. Once they become aware of it, Silver Wave Prefecture might be thrown into turmoil because of it."

After the meal,

Zheng Fan originally planned to go with Si Niang to study how to weave this soft armor, but he was invited out again by the blind man, Bei.

"What's the matter?" Zheng Fan asked.

The blind man, Bei, didn't speak, but just pointed to the position of his chest.

Zheng Fan understood, put the stone containing the magic pill at the entrance of the tent, and then walked away from the blind man together for a distance.

"Master, I heard from Ah Ming that the magic pill saved you today?"

"Yes."

"And almost betrayed you?"

"Maybe, he just wanted to joke with me."

"Master, it was this subordinate who suggested that you carry the magic pill close to your body because none of us were by your side at the time. We made this choice to protect your safety.

Now, please find something to seal the magic pill away. In this subordinate's opinion, putting it in a coffin with the Shatuo Quanshi is the most appropriate."

"Does it need to be so serious?"

"Master, you understand the magic pill more deeply than all of us. It was you who designed the magic pill from the vengeful spirits condensed from nine abandoned infants. What the magic pill hates the most is actually his parents;

He is naturally and inherently repulsed by things that represent his parents."

"But he saved me today."

"That's because he hasn't fully awakened yet. He's still restraining himself. Before, when you hadn't awakened, Master, he sealed himself, possibly because he didn't have a physical body, so he could be lazy, not breathe, not consume, and just sleep.

But after you have awakened, Master, he is still continuing to seal himself. According to you, Master, when you first faced the Shatuo Quanshi in the desert, he showed signs of completely awakening but was forcibly suppressed back by the Shatuo Quanshi.

This subordinate thinks that if the magic pill continues to stay by your side, Master, if he is subjected to greater stimulation or suddenly can't control his instinctual patricidal killing intent, he might..."

"He might kill me?"

"Exactly. In fact, this subordinate has always been very curious. All of us have an instinctual fear of the magic pill, but as the person who understands the magic pill the most, why are you... always so affectionate towards it?"

Zheng Fan sat down on the ground, reached out and patted the ground beside him, and the blind man, Bei, also sat down together.

Then, Zheng Fan reached out and touched his pocket, took out a cigarette case, and offered a cigarette to himself and the blind man, Bei.

Then, using a fire starter,

he lit the cigarette,

Zheng Fan took a deep breath, slowly exhaled the smoke ring,

and said:

"This feeling is like raising a big dog in a residential area."

"Hmm?"

"Even if your neighbors and other children are scared to death of this big dog, you are still confident enough not to put on a leash or muzzle, letting it run around freely.

And,

shamelessly saying: 'My dog never bites people.'"