Chapter 1652: Lord Chen

Hefei was a crucial location, and Li Cheng did not hold it for long.

The Qing army and the Taiping Army erupted into a fierce battle for control in the areas surrounding Hefei, fighting just outside Huoshan until corpses littered the fields everywhere. Fleeing soldiers from both the Qing and Taiping forces reached an understanding; they ran in groups toward Huoshan, driving all nearby commoners to flee in every direction as well.

Those closer to Huoshan ran straight there. Those farther away ran west; although that direction lacked Huoshan's stability, it made up for it with vast territory and safety. Even if the degree of safety was considerably worse than in Huoshan, after all, it was not under Wang Yan's direct watch; despite various supervisory mechanisms, even with their effectiveness somewhat discounted, they could only guarantee a certain level of results.

Nevertheless, even so, it was far, far better than the current situation, and improvements were constantly being adjusted and implemented, always moving upward...

Another battle revolving around Hefei concluded, ending in a disastrous defeat for the Qing Court; the entire battalion commanded by Pang Qingyun was annihilated.

As a senior officer commanding a battalion of troops, Pang Qingyun naturally understood the situation better than the ordinary soldiers below him. Thus, after playing dead, he mixed in with the crowd of refugees and headed toward Huoshan...

After further development over a period of time, the scope of Huoshan had now extended from its original location, its tentacles reaching the peripheral areas of Lu'an and Shucheng. The land and houses here had been redistributed; as for the original owners, no one cared. This was war: death, departure, flight, and injury.

Perhaps once the warfare stabilized, those still alive would wish to return, but by that time, I'm afraid no one would acknowledge their claims. Of course, Wang Yan would certainly acknowledge them; once people returned, there would naturally be corresponding land allocations...

It was precisely because of Huoshan's expansion that Pang Qingyun crawled out from the pile of corpses; after stumbling along for not long, he reached Huoshan's territory, a distance of merely a few li.

Yet even for just these few li, no matter how advantageous the terrain might be on this side, the Qing army and the Taiping Army would tacitly agree not to fight here.

Even though Huoshan now stood here blatantly, its military strength long exceeding ten thousand, and even though Wang Yan was already effectively replacing old elements with new ones in Ba-Shu and Guanzhong with remarkable results, neither side wished to drag the entire faction symbolized by 'Huoshan' and commanded by Wang Yan into the current war.

Because Wang Yan was too disgusting to deal with; although the military strength in Huoshan County was only slightly over ten thousand and not impossible to conquer, it could not be taken in the short term. Moreover, once either side attacked, Wang Yan would defect to the other side and join the fight; at that point, it would no longer be a matter of merely ten thousand-plus troops.

Wang Yan factually possessed the power to change the course of the war; even the foreigners could not match this. Just as Wang Yan had previously told the foreigners, while foreign ships were sturdy and cannons powerful in the coastal regions, the interior was different; especially now that everyone was using bolt-action rifles and smokeless powder, the tens of thousands of troops the foreigners had united here were truly not worth looking at.

This was why Wang Yan targeted Ba-Shu and Guanzhong for infiltration, slowly gaining control of both regions. Of course, it was also because of the current great war between north and south; if he did not wish to participate, only this region offered an opportunity...

From afar, Pang Qingyun saw a queue of refugees stretching extremely long.

Soldiers with strict military bearing, swords at their hips, guarded the order at close range; in the distance, soldiers clutching rifles stood ready for battle. Minor clerks sat in warm sheds where fires had been lit, registering the refugees. Afterwards, the refugees would take their identity tokens and be led away for washing and disinfection, then change into clean clothes to begin a new life...

Pang Qingyun walked into the shed and looked at the young face of the clerk, fifteen or sixteen years old, who turned out to be a woman.

The female clerk held a brush, glanced up, and sized him up from head to toe.

"Name."

"Pang Qingyun, courtesy name Lushan; 'Qingyun' as in 'rising straight to the blue clouds,' and my ancestral home is Lushan."

"Age."

"Twenty-seven."

"What was your previous position?"

"A battalion commander under Lord Chen. We suffered a defeat, so I have come to pledge allegiance to Master Wang. I wish to see Master Wang; I can play a much greater role, absolutely not limited to being merely a battalion commander! I can serve as a commander or a general! I am of great use to the Master!"

The female clerk looked up at him, then smiled: "Then why did you lose the battle?"

"I was only a battalion commander and could not decide the course of the battle; wherever my superiors ordered me to fight, I fought there, and however they ordered me to fight, I fought that way. I led from the front, yet He Kui feared the enemy and did not advance, refusing to save us even as we faced death; my entire battalion of brothers died in battle!"

"They all died?"

"They all died!"

"I did not die because I could not let my brothers die in vain! If I had died, then everything would be over; no one would remember them! I must see Master Wang!"

The female clerk smiled noncommittally, then continued writing for a moment before handing him two tokens: "This is an identity token; go get disinfected shortly, do not bring epidemics in. This is a token for requesting an audience with the Master; after your disinfection, someone will arrange things for you. At that time, give this token to him, and he will schedule your audience with the Master."

Holding the two tokens, Pang Qingyun found it hard to believe.

The female clerk said: "You didn't expect that your casual remark would actually allow you to see the Master, did you? This demonstrates the Master's magnanimity. Anyone who wishes to see him can do so, provided they obtain this token and queue up.

Are you perhaps thinking that since the Master has offended so many people, what if others assassinate him? We have already captured dozens of individuals: some from the Qing, some from the Heavenly Kingdom, some foreigners, and other officials and wealthy families who sent assassins. Yet the Master is still alive and well.

You might also be wondering whether the Master can manage to see so many people who wish to meet him. In reality, there are not many people; only those who have suffered injustice and those who consider themselves talented but unable to express their ambitions will see the Master.

Then, in your opinion, under the Master's very watch, how many people would suffer injustice? Now, go out."

Pang Qingyun stood dazed, holding the two tokens as he went out, joined the flow of people to have his head shaved on one side, then jumped together with other men into an open-air large pool where hot water was constantly being added, before separating into individual cubicles to wash themselves with water, and finally changing clothes, thus appearing completely renewed.

Immediately after, he met a clerk responsible for further arrangements; this time, it was a similarly young male clerk. He handed over the other token and followed the clerk away.

"When can I see Master Wang?"

"Barring any unexpected issues, probably tomorrow morning."

"So soon?" Pang Qingyun was stunned.

"If today were not the Master's wedding day, you would have been able to see him this afternoon."

"Are there so few people?"

The male clerk smiled: "Generally, those who wish to see the Master are ambitious individuals; no one dares to trifle with the Master or waste the precious time the Master devotes to planning for the common people. Many people lack self-awareness and attempt to deceive the Master; they have all paid the price for their cleverness. Some are doing hard labor at the lowest levels, some have run their legs off outside... and some have died.

Merely seeing the Master does not guarantee a good job or a promising future. We have relevant records showing that ninety-five percent of these self-proclaimed clever individuals failed to rise. They cannot let go of their status, look down on those around them, believe only they are the clever ones, always resort to scheming, and refuse to settle down to do solid work and labor diligently.

Do you think you can rise?"

"I climbed step by step to become a battalion commander!"

The male clerk laughed heartily: "When a person achieves a certain status, they often believe it is due to their own ability; the help originally received from others is viewed as something they deserved, something they were entitled to, a matter of course. This is not good.

These are the Master's exact words, so if you wish to withdraw, I will arrange for you to join the military ranks, starting from the lowest level as a First-Class Combatant, and henceforth rise step by step based on merit. You had better think it over; it is not too late to regret your decision now."

"Didn't you say everyone can see the Master? Why are you still obstructing? What about the common people who have suffered injustice?"

"They naturally have another method of resolution. Ultimately, what the common people want is for problems to be solved; otherwise, even if they met the Master, they would not spare him with their words."

The male clerk waved his hand, escorting Pang Qingyun to a doorway: "Someone will bring you food shortly; first catch your breath, and this afternoon we will depart for Huoshan, where arrangements will be made for you there."

Pang Qingyun complied readily...

Meanwhile, in Huoshan County, a wedding was being held simply.

There were no special procedures; after all, in these times of material scarcity, any extravagance would be too inappropriate, so everything was kept simple. He and Liao Miao Xuan simply made an appearance, shared a cup of wine with his top subordinates and the representatives of other factions who had come, and that was that...

Few outsiders had come; they were merely those who happened to be present during cooperation. Wang Yan certainly would not specially notify them, giving them the opportunity to arrange targeted assassinations against him; that would be a waste of resources. Announcements would be issued after the marriage.

"Big Brother, you are finally married." Zhao Erhu put his arm around Wang Yan's shoulder, smiling extremely happily, "You have no idea; the people below have told me several times already that now that you are married and will bear a few sons, everyone can finally rest easy."

"Second Brother is right. Congratulations, Big Brother." Jiang Wuyang grinned, raising his wine cup, looking even happier than Wang Yan, the groom himself.

"From now on, I should be the one congratulating you; there are plenty of young ladies, so just marry whichever one you like."

In recent years, both Zhao Erhu and Jiang Wuyang had grown very quickly and had begun to handle affairs independently. Although their capabilities were indeed still somewhat insufficient, the good news was that the knives were in their hands; their insufficient capabilities were thus exactly balanced out.

After all, so-called insufficient capability simply means an inability to properly balance the various interests of subordinates, leading to problems in administrative operations and implementation. But with the knives in hand, one possesses the world; as long as they fulfill their duties of guarding various regions and ensure that when Wang Yan needs to wield the knife, they can thrust it out, that is already a perfect score; everything else is merely bonus points, and lacking them does not matter.

Jiang Wuyang laughed heartily: "Second Brother and I have both been waiting for you; otherwise, Second Brother and Liansheng would have married long ago. I don't care about such matters; as long as you bear me sons, that is enough."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Then you should hold the ceremony soon, within these two months."

"We will do as Big Brother says. Let's drink!"

Everyone rejoiced and drank together; Wang Yan chatted with each person individually. To be precise, this was a meeting of mid-to-high-level leaders: he chatted with them, exchanged mutual concerns, resolved some issues, and advanced certain matters.

Thus, they remained busy until evening...

"My Lord Chen, I have kept you waiting long."

The one who responded to Wang Yan was a gaunt man with a long face and a goatee, his features crisscrossed with wrinkles, already over fifty years of age.

My Lord Chen, who was in charge of the war efforts in Hubei and Anhui, stood up: "What words are these, General? On the contrary, it is this old fool who lacks understanding, coming to disturb the General's good mood on such a joyous day."

"To be honest with you, My Lord Chen, you are the highest-ranking court official I have met so far. Please sit."

My Lord Chen sat down and said: "The highest-ranking official is you, General; I am merely a Zheng Er Pin."

"Old Chen, you are truly trying to fool people. Let alone being a general; even with a noble title, even as a prince, could one compare to you, a Grand Councilor?"

"The General jokes; if it were a non-imperial-surname king, even the Emperor would find it difficult to move against him."

"You are the one joking; does he dare move against me now?"

My Lord Chen was rendered speechless, because what Wang Yan said was true.

He then said: "The divine abilities the General displayed in Bashu and Guanzhong are breathtaking; this old man is utterly convinced. However, the General must still be cautious; the court has never abandoned its intentions regarding those regions. Even though they are currently stretched thin, they are still sending people over."

"There is no chance left." Wang Yan shook his head with a smile. "People always wish to cross over to something better, not to something worse; you know this clearly. The common folk over there are getting by; although food is insufficient, they have at least survived. Well, let us speak of your matter instead. My Lord Chen, I hear you suffered a defeat and your troops are nearly wiped out?"

"Only one battalion remains." My Lord Chen sighed, striking his wrist in regret. "The Taiping Army is too cunning, and My Lord Jiang tripped me up; otherwise, this battle would not have been so disastrous, nearly wiping out my entire foundation. General, now only you can help me."

"Old Chen, how do you want me to help you?"

"I need money and grain to recruit soldiers anew; if you could dispatch troops to support me, that would be best." My Lord Chen spoke resolutely, his attitude quite clear.

"It is better if you recruit them yourself; later, I will send a few people over to assist you, and that will suffice."

Wang Yan raised his teacup: "With such a choice, My Lord Chen, there is no turning back for you in the future."

"To serve as an official and plan one's survival allows for advance but no retreat; those who try to curry favor with both sides like fence-sitters often meet a bad end. At my age and in my position, I have no choice but to pick a side."

"Lord Chen, that surname Jiang is not your equal."

My Lord Chen was also at a loss for words; Wang Yan was truly not as he had known him to be. Otherwise, using three different forms of address in three sentences was something an ordinary person would not do, nor would they possess such subtle cunning.

Then Wang Yan continued: "Previously, My Lord Jiang wrote to me, full of flattering praise and high esteem. However, I discovered that My Lord Jiang is somewhat hypocritical; in our cooperation, he often dealt with me through perfunctory excuses and shirking. Observing him, he does not seem like a good man."

"I hear that recently, My Lord Jiang has suffered successive defeats against the Taiping Army in Hunan and Hubei. In my view, My Lord Chen should properly administer Anhui to restore your strength; while resisting the Taiping Army, also allow some of them to pass through. That way, My Lord Jiang may sober up again. Always hindering colleagues, when will our Great Qing ever eradicate the Taiping rebels?"

"General, this old Chen offers tea in place of wine to congratulate the General on his marriage, wishing for the early birth of a noble son..."

My Lord Chen let out a hearty laugh befitting a high official...

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who generously donate tips, cast monthly votes, submit recommendation tickets, and silently read the book for their tremendous support!