Chapter 728: Hu Xuanwu's Fiery Wine on Conquest, Wholeheartedly Imparts the Dragon Slaying Technique

Tongwan City, the newly appointed Xiazhou General Command.

Inside Zheng Hall, the lights blaze, heat swirls to the heavens, suffused with the wildness and ferocity unique to the Northern Land Army Han.

In the great hall's center, several roaring bonfires roast a whole sheep, its sizzling, oil‑seeping flesh emitting a strong, fatty aroma.

A few high‑nasaled, deep‑eyed Western Regions Hu maidens, clad in sheer red silk, whirl their waists wildly amid the rapid sounds of Hu reed pipes and hand drums.

The exotic Hu Xuanwu, seen by the freshly risen soldiers, makes their blood surge, punctuated by bursts of coarse cheers and whistles.

Chen Yan and Yuwen Ze sit side by side on the main desk, eschewing any aristocratic decorum, even discarding wine cups, and instead gulp the fierce Toupianxiang from rough sea‑size bowls.

"Come! This bowl, to Great Zhou! To A Xiong's Unprecedented Merit!" Yuwen Ze, flushed, lifts a sea‑bowl larger than his face, clinks it with Chen Yan's, and drinks it in one gulp.

The spicy liquor runs down his chin, soaking his chest‑coat, yet he shouts with hearty satisfaction.

Below, Lu Ming, Peng Chong and other Left Martial Guard warriors fling open their coats, like a pack of reveling beasts, dragging Zhang Poqi, Huan Jing and others into a wild drinking bout.

"Brother Zhang! When you're in our Xiazhou, stop whining! Deep feeling, one big gulp! Drink!" Lu Ming's massive frame, like a meat mountain, thrusts a large jar of strong liquor before Zhang Poqi, his copper‑bell eyes bulging.

Zhang Poqi, a stubborn tough man, wipes the wine stain from his mouth and roars, "Drink if you will! Old Zhang isn't scared of you!"

In an instant, the entire Zongguan Fu is a mess of cups and plates, the atmosphere scorching to the extreme.

The shared desire and unity of soldiers and civilians in this revelry are especially precious in these chaotic times.

However, when the drinks have passed three rounds and the moon hangs at its zenith.

Chen Yan, who had been wolfing down meat, suddenly sets his sea‑bowl down.

He narrows his deep, narrow eyes; the drunken haze vanishes instantly, replaced by a crystal‑clear, bottomless chill of a cold pool, utmost clarity and reason.

Chen Yan lifts his hand slightly.

Zhangshi Zhang Wenqian, who had been standing by, instantly understands.

He calmly waves away the dancing Hu maidens in the hall, then gestures toward Lu Ming and the others.

These proud generals, though drunk and swaying, obey Chen Yan's orders to the bone.

In no time, the noisy hall is cleared, the heavy doors are slowly shut by the Personal Guard from outside, leaving only Chen Yan and Yuwen Ze inside.

The flickering candles stretch their shadows long across the Blue Bricks.

Yuwen Ze, seeing this, forces out a few more sips of wine.

He knows the forthcoming talk is no casual brotherly chat, but a staggering strategy concerning the Northern Border's great game.

"A Ze, when you go to Lingzhou, the Inspector's Great Seal in your hand, though given by the Grand Preceptor, cannot pacify the proud soldiers and local strongmen in that drafty place with a mere edict." Chen Yan, without beating around the bush, plants his hands on the desk, leans slightly forward, his tone icy and oppressive.

Yuwen Ze's expression hardens, sitting upright: "Please, A Xiong, enlighten me! I take five hundred elite to Lingzhou, but placing those five hundred into that big pit is but a drop in the bucket. I'm at a loss where to start untangling this chaos."

"Lingzhou has just endured war and the Qi army's siege; the original local bureaucracy either died on the walls or fled. Now Lingzhou is a massive power vacuum!"

Chen Yan taps his fingertips on the desk, a "thud‑thud" sound like a strike on Yuwen Ze's heart, "The first thing you must do is ignore all protocols! Don't wait for approvals! Use the most thunderous, most domineering methods to replace the core military‑civil authority entirely with our own men!"

Yuwen Ze feels a chill; this amounts to openly seizing the Court's personnel authority—a grave taboo!

But Chen Yan gives no pause, ordering outright: "Helian Shi, do you remember? That old brother who crawled out of the dead pile with us, this kid fights recklessly and is utterly loyal! When you reach Lingzhou, promote him immediately to Governor of Lingzhou, seizing all the local militia's mobilization power in his grip!"

"And Huan Jing! Make him your Lingzhou Marching Adjutant, to advise you on military matters and fill any gaps! As for civil affairs and provisions," Chen Yan narrows his eyes, "appoint Dou Luling as Chief Historian; his steady, restrained nature excels at managing every penny. With him watching over things, your Lingzhou foundation won't collapse!"

"A whole team, all replaced with loyal insiders. If anyone dares to press Court rules on you now, you tell them with the knife in your hand that in the Northwest, your Inspector's Seal is the only rule!"

This wildly arrogant yet highly effective personnel arrangement makes Yuwen Ze's blood boil.

He knows this means A Xiong has generously assigned his most elite, most trusted confidants to him; this trust weighs as heavily as Mount Tai.

"But A Xiong," Yuwen Ze swallows, raising his core concern, "the personnel may be set, but it's just a skeleton. Lingzhou's hundreds of thousands of mouths need food, tens of thousands of troops need pay. In this chaos, I lack enough funds and grain; how can this skeleton grow flesh, winning the soldiers' and people's loyalty?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan's stern face slowly curls a chilling, world‑shaking, sinister grin.

"A Ze, you've hit the crucial point," Chen Yan stands, circles the desk, steps before Yuwen Ze, his gaze like a wolf eyeing prey, "Now I will teach you tonight the true Dragon Slaying Technique!"