Chapter 130: Two Generals, Qin and Luo

"Second Brother, this is Wu Jun. It's so lively here, much livelier than back home!" "So many people!"

On the main street of Wu Jun, a simple-looking young man looked at the bustling street and the peddlers everywhere, unable to hide his excitement.

"Hmm!"

Qin Qiong looked at Wu Jun and nodded secretly. From the moment he entered the territory of Wu Jun from Jiangdu, he had noticed the difference.

Wu Jun could not be said to be wealthier than Jiangdu.

But the high-spirited smiles of the common people at the bottom were something he had never seen anywhere else.

During the Daye era, Qin Qiong had followed Lai Hu'er to fight for the Great Sui, passing through many commanderies and counties. Everywhere he went, he saw only numb commoners at the bottom.

He saw only the plundering of commoners by powerful families and officials.

But in Wu Jun, after visiting for half a month, he did not see any officials making things difficult for the common people. The yamen runners in the county seat, even if they weren't smiling at everyone, at least didn't have cold faces.

He did not know that the previous yamen runners and minor officials had no opportunities for promotion, so they could only desperately plunder the bottom layer.

But it was different in Wu Jun. Even yamen runners and minor officials had opportunities for promotion. As long as you were capable and literate, you would be promoted if you performed meritorious service.

As for the opportunity to learn to read and write, it was fully open to the yamen runners and minor officials of the government.

And in reality, there were six people in the entire Wu Jun who had been promoted from minor officials and yamen runners to county assistants.

It was these clear-cut examples that filled the minor officials at the bottom with motivation. They knew that the Prefect's Office had a department specifically for evaluating minor officials.

It could be said that Wu Jun had broken many rules, but only a small group of people were unhappy with this rule-breaking system; the majority were very happy.

Because this meant that most people had a channel for promotion.

It was precisely this system that allowed the government offices of Wu Jun and the surrounding commanderies to radiate new vitality, which was why Wu Jun and other places could develop so quickly.

Outsiders were not clear about this point. Even if spies from various parties came to observe and wanted to learn, it was very difficult to achieve.

Qin Qiong had only been in Wu Jun for half a month, so naturally, he could not understand the intricacies of this.

But regardless of whether he understood it or not, it did not hinder his admiration for the Prefect of Wu Jun, the Great Sui's General Zhennan, whom he had not yet met.

The deeds of General Zhennan, Yuwen Chengji, had long spread across the land, becoming the object of pursuit for countless young people.

In his youth, he was reckless, but later he turned over a new leaf, cultivating martial arts externally and politics internally, governing Wu Jun in an orderly fashion.

Originally, he thought it was somewhat exaggerated.

But after truly arriving in Wu Jun, he discovered that this place was simply a paradise.

Looking at the many county seats in Wu Jun, the plans in Qin Qiong's heart gradually became firm.

The few years of military life following Lai Hu'er had made it impossible for him to forget. After Lai Hu'er was defeated and died, he and Luo Shixin had joined General Pei Renji.

Some time ago, General Pei Renji's third son followed General Zhennan south to Yangzhou, and General Pei sent the two of them here.

In name, it was to arrange for the two of them to come to Wu Jun to see how Pei Yuanqing was doing.

But in reality, Qin Qiong also knew that General Pei was giving them both a future. Over at Luokou, because of Pei Yuanqing, General Pei had already broken with Wang Shichong of Luoyang.

Although very exhausted, Pei Renji still held on, naturally not wanting to reveal his disheveled state in front of his own son.

He did not know how much longer he could hold out, so he sent out those with potential in the army first.

When he really couldn't hold on anymore, he would withdraw from Luokou.

Qin Qiong understood General Pei's meaning; because of Yuanqing, General Pei had no choice but to rely on the Yuwen Clan.

But after all, they were latecomers, and relying on Yuanqing alone would not be enough to gain a firm foothold in the Yuwen Clan. Moreover, Yuanqing was still young.

He knew he was the vanguard sent to Wu Jun. If he could gain a firm foothold in Wu Jun, the Pei family would be able to integrate faster if they came over in the future.

Everything in Wu Jun made Qin Qiong curious about that General Zhennan, so he had no resistance to General Pei's request.

Instead, he was even more curious about the army here.

It was said that the troops of Wu Jun were extremely powerful; the Jianghuai Army had been wiped out in just three months.

Qin Qiong's standards were very high; when he followed Lai Hu'er, the troops under his command were also the elite of the Great Sui.

"Let's go! Shixin, let's go to the military camp and find Yuanqing."

"Oh! Go to the military camp to find Brother Yuanqing, okay."

The two naturally knew Pei Yuanqing, and their relationship was quite good. Pei Yuanqing often sought them out to spar in martial arts, and their relationship had become very harmonious over time.

Especially Luo Shixin, who had an even better relationship with Pei Yuanqing.

"What? Someone is looking for me? From Luokou, surnamed Qin and Luo?"

"Could it be Second Brother Qin and Brother Shixin?"

In the military camp, upon hearing the messenger's words, Pei Yuanqing was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. He hurriedly threw down the weapon in his hand and walked toward the camp gate.

Before long, he indeed saw two familiar figures standing at the camp gate.

"Haha! Second Brother Qin, Brother Shixin, when did you arrive?"

He stepped forward and gave Luo Shixin a heavy punch.

With a thud, Luo Shixin didn't even frown, instead smiling simply.

"Brother Yuanqing."

Luo Shixin was simple and innocent, getting along even better with the young Pei Yuanqing. Moreover, because he was born with divine strength, he was on par with Pei Yuanqing in terms of power, and the two often sparred together.

Their relationship had become like that of biological brothers.

"Second Brother Qin, why did you come?"

After some pleasantries, Pei Yuanqing asked with a puzzled look.

"It was General Pei who sent us both over to see you."

Qin Qiong observed the layout of the military camp and the soldiers inside as he walked.

The military camp was very large, with walls over a zhang high on all sides; it could be said to be a small city.

There were soldiers coming and going, and even more soldiers training on the drill ground.

Looking from afar, he was deeply shocked.

"So strong! No wonder they could wipe out the Jianghuai Army in just a few months."

Qin Qiong had followed Lai Hu'er for several years; not only was his personal martial prowess superb, but he had also learned some military strategy.

At a glance, he could see how elite the soldiers in this military camp were.

Each soldier was full of tiger-and-wolf momentum and high spirits.

They were far from comparable to those rebel soldiers.

Moreover, along the way, he felt that many officers and soldiers exuded a fierce aura that could pose a slight threat to him.

It had been ten years since he joined the army, and he had encountered countless enemies, but on the battlefield, those who could threaten him could be counted on one hand.

But in this military camp, fierce generals could be seen everywhere.

It really made him wonder what kind of place he had entered.

"Is Second Brother Qin shocked?"

"Haha! When I first came here, I was also shocked. There are so many experts here; second- and third-rate officers can be seen everywhere, and there are even twenty or thirty first-rate ones."

Pei Yuanqing introduced proudly. ===== CHAPTER 131 =====