Zhao Ming was never one for sweet words; he was always sharp-tongued. Together with his advisor Ji Yuan, the two of them left Governor Zhang speechless, nearly causing him to faint from anger.
However, in the end, Governor Zhang did not faint, so Zhao Ming continued to provoke him, saying directly, "Governor Zhang, before Inspector He passed away, he left instructions stating that General Zhao is to be the next Governor of Yu State. The docunt has already been prepared and sent to Luoyang. So even though General Zhao is not in Chen County, she is already the Governor of Yu State. She is officially recognized as Yu State’s Vice General, second only to Inspector He. Her order to dispatch troops for the counterattack must be obeyed; do you intend to defy this order?"
Ji Yuan calmly added, "How can that be acceptable? The urgent matter is to resolve the crisis in Yu State. We currently have no idea how our lady managed to lure those Xiongnu soldiers away. Missing this opportunity might be the last chance for Yu State to escape its predicant."
Zhao Ming sneered, "Does Governor Zhang even care? He only has his family here. As long as he sends soone to escort them away, it’s fine for him. But can the people of Yu State escape too? For instance, us in the Zhao Family, with thousands of relatives, we can’t just all pack up and leave."
Xun Xiu and the others pondered for a mont, and the majority of them sided with Zhao Ming, replying solemnly while bowing, "We will go and muster the troops imdiately."
Governor Zhang was so angry he saw stars, shaking his sleeves furiously, "Hmph! As if your Zhao Family is so noble. It’s nothing more than using power for personal gain."
Speaking of this, Governor Zhang was gritting his teeth with hatred.
In terms of qualifications, he was capable of competing for the position of Inspector with He Ci Shi. He had contested with He Ci Shi at that ti but lost, and originally thought that if He Ci Shi died, it would be his turn.
But he was tricked by He Ci Shi last year, and this year, he wasn’t willing to fall for it again. Plus, with the current situation in Yu State, coming to Chen County could very well an death.
With the imperial court not sending reinforcents, it’s uncertain whether Yu State can be defended. Thus, he deliberately did not co, knowing that if Chen County couldn’t be held, he could flee a bit faster from Ruyin County.
Who knew Zhao Hanzhang would co to Chen County and she imdiately beca the Prefectural Governor and Vice General, leaving rumors outside claiming she is the next Inspector.
He had snorted in disbelief, thinking this was another empty promise from He Ci Shi. Yet the situation in Yu State surprisingly improved, without knowing how she fought, she actually managed to draw away a large number of Xiongnu troops.
He intended to sit back and watch and gain an advantage like a fisherman, but then he heard faint whispers saying He Ci Shi had long been dead, and now military orders from Chen County ca from Zhao Hanzhang; they were keeping his death secret to stabilize the army.
It was then that Governor Zhang could no longer sit still and brought a large army to "support" Chen County.
After entering the city, he learned that He Ci Shi was indeed dead and had explicitly left instructions before his death to have Zhao Hanzhang take over the position of Inspector; he even prepared the docunt reporting it to the court.
But he believed the court would definitely refuse since Zhao Hanzhang was a woman.
Yet does it matter now whether or not the court refuses?
Can the court still dictate regional matters?
Governor Zhang felt he miscalculated and upon returning to his temporary residence, he was anxiously pacing, especially after hearing that the generals were all mobilizing troops in response; he couldn’t help but want to approach Xun Xiu and persuade him further.
Lu Xiyuan hurriedly stopped him, "Master, Ji Yuan was correct, the urgent task is addressing Yu State’s crisis. Once that crisis is resolved, we can compete for the position of Inspector again."
Governor Zhang was angry, "After resolving the crisis in Yu State, can I still compete with Zhao Hanzhang for the position of Inspector?"
"But if the crisis in Yu State isn’t resolved, striving for the position is futile. Without reinforcents, Yu State cannot resist the Xiongnu. By then, not just Chen County, but even Ruyin County will struggle to survive alone."
Governor Zhang was silent, but he remained unwilling to accept this.
Lu Xiyuan persuaded earnestly, "Master, Zhao Hanzhang, as a re woman, will certainly not be officially appointed by the court. Even if she wins this ti and builds up prestige, people like Xun Xiu would definitely not concede. At that ti, once Yu State is rid of the Xiongnu threat, we can compete with her without rushing it now."
Still, having been mocked and insulted by Zhao Ming and Ji Yuan, he harbored resentnt in his heart.
Lu Xiyuan seed to understand his thoughts and lowered his voice, saying, "Master, this ti Ruyin County has dispatched many troops. No matter how brave they are, facing the Xiongnu they will struggle one-on-one. Afterward, if you wish to conquer Ru Nan, you can just find any flimsy pretext."
This was a subtle hint that Governor Zhang could send troops to seize Ru Nan afterward.
Regional attacks have already beco the norm in Great Jin; you grab my territory, I seize his, while the court lacks control over it. rging Ruyin with Ru Nan is not uncommon, given the proximity of the two counties.
Coincidentally, Ji Yuan thought the sa way.
After everyone had left, he sat behind his desk in contemplation. Eventually, he picked up a pen and roughly drew the outlines of Ru Nan County and Ruyin County on white paper, then marked a line on the intersecting boundary, feeling that it would be quite commonplace for their lady, who was already an Inspector, to swap Prefectural Governors and make Ruyin County and Ru Nan County alike.
Governor Zhang was convinced to respond by mobilizing troops the next day. Dismissing past grievances for the mont, the Xiongnu needed to be expelled first.
Within Chen County, the Zhao Family Army comprised the largest force, thanks to Wang Nai and Xie Shi bringing in twenty thousand n.
These two were quite talented; Zhao Hanzhang had expected them to recruit five or six thousand, thinking that was decent. Yet surprisingly, they managed to recruit twenty thousand despite lacking supplies.
They were even more unscrupulous than Zhao Hanzhang, taking Fan Ying along, firstly making empty promises to recruit a passing group of refugees into the army, then withholding clothes and dragging the ragged refugees to beg for supplies from various big and small Wu Castles.
Perhaps due to Mrs. Wang and the Xie Family’s sterling reputation, or perhaps because of the miserable appearance of the refugees they brought, still, all the Wu Castles to so extent provided them with so food.
Hence Wang Nai and Xie Shi, recruiting soldiers while begging for provisions, managed to bring twenty thousand n to Zhao Hanzhang.
However, Zhao Hanzhang didn’t witness this; Zhao Ming did, and he was fuming. Caring not for Wang Nai and Xie Shi’s status as scholars, he directly questioned them, "Didn’t you check military supplies when recruiting soldiers? How will I sustain twenty thousand? Without armor and weapons, how can we wage war?"
Wang Nai replied, "Refugee armies don’t have weapons either, yet they are fighting all around."
"Have you seen any refugee armies that could combat the Xiongnu?" Zhao Ming said, "How many refugee armies has Gou Xi eradicated over the years? Can the Xiongnu army be any weaker than Gou Xi’s?"
Xie Shi said nothing, Wang Nai retorted, "Surely a battle could be fought, twenty thousand n, even if ard with stones and wooden sticks, could still kill."
Zhao Ming’s face turned livid, he retorted directly, "Wouldn’t that be just sending them to their death?"
He refused to consent, and Ji Yuan also disagreed, saying to Wang Nai and Xie Shi, "Our lady wouldn’t consent either; unless absolutely necessary, such a cruel plan cannot be executed."
User Comments
0 comments from readers