Chapter 519

Having them mention this matter was something Chen Wuji had thought over carefully.

Whether it's Qin Feng and Li Run, or Cheng Zhiheng, Zhang Xun, and Xu Zhang, they are all now the true core backbone of Hezhou's administration. Lu Ping'an has sent emissaries; such a commotion certainly cannot be hidden.

Instead of letting them speculate and risk unexpected trouble, we should just lay this small matter out openly and discuss it frankly with everyone.

The hearts of Hezhou's people are not yet united; from top to bottom they haven't yet pulled together as one. For now, they probably can't withstand this kind of test.

Chen Wuji knows full well that he is indeed the lord of Hezhou, but Hezhou isn't his alone; if he and the people below aren't of one mind, trouble will follow.

"My lord, to be safe, I suggest we also keep watch over our families." Cheng Zhiheng spoke up again, "If there's any oversight, the frontline troops could be encircled by Lu Ping'an. If due to a momentary lapse, many troops are lost, that would be utterly unacceptable."

After saying that, he deliberately glanced at Zhang Xun.

You're the one who'll voice your opinion, right?

Me too!

Damn it, you brat—if you're not going to act like a person, then none of us should bother.

Zhang Xun remained calm, "I, your subordinate, concur."

Xu Zhang glanced at the two superiors and felt awful inside.

Why go to such trouble?

With a quiet sigh, Xu Zhang set down his teacup, clasped his hands, and said, "I, your subordinate, concur."

All three Hezhou officials declared their stance firmly, but Qin Feng and Li Run were left clueless.

The two exchanged a glance, both somewhat bewildered.

After holding back for a while, Li Run spoke first: "I, your subordinate, also concur. But if nothing unexpected happens, my family should already be mostly dead; perhaps a few people remain with Gu Wenjie, but not many."

"I also concur, but watching over my family would be difficult." Qin Feng twitched the corner of his mouth, speaking helplessly: "I'm alone in Hezhou; my family and clansmen are all in the capital."

Chen Wuji joked, "What about Miss Gui Zhi? And what about Miss Ruo Su?"

Qin Feng was at a loss for words.

Chen Wuji waved his hand to stop the topic: "You few just need to stay under my watch; there's no need to discuss anything else. This isn't the main point I called you here to discuss. There are two matters: first, we need to find out exactly what's happening with the Triple Prefectural Command; second, how should we fight this battle?"

"My lord, I wish to serve as an envoy and secretly go to the Triple Prefectural Command!" Zhang Xun stood up with a slap.

His sudden movement startled Cheng Zhiheng, who was sitting beside him, causing him to jerk; the tea cup just brought to his lips splashed, nearly scalding the corner of his mouth.

He snorted, glared at Zhang Xun, set down his tea cup, shook off the tea on his clothes, and slowly stood up, saying, "My lord, perhaps I should handle this matter; Lord Zhang is currently overseeing Hezhou's civil affairs, with countless details, so he likely can't leave."

"With Xu Zhang here, that's enough!" Zhang Xun said loudly.

Chen Wuji silently pinched his forehead; these people's condition today is somewhat frightening, as if they'd taken some secret family stimulant, overly excited.

"Then it will be Lord Zhang's trouble." Chen Wuji decided on this matter, and finally comforted Cheng Zhiheng: "Cheng, please wait for next time; I'll choose between you two, and I'm also torn—whoever stands up first will go."

Cheng Zhiheng hung his head, looking remorseful, and nodded slightly: "I, your subordinate, understand."

Actually he didn't want to go at all, but he couldn't stand seeing Zhang Xun act so arrogantly.

Relying on his youth, he wants to do everything, giving the impression that he's already an old man.

They all just shouted "my lord" and entered Chen Wuji's retinue; even if Cheng Zhiheng is unwilling, he must vent this frustration—he's old, but not dead.

"I, your subordinate, will not fail my lord's heavy trust!" Zhang Xun said solemnly, clasping his hands firmly.

Although he is clearly a military officer, at this moment Chen Wuji felt a sense of déjà vu, as if seeing a military officer again.

Qian Fugui was like that at first.

Although he doesn't look like someone who knows how to fight, with an air of a spoiled noble, he's utterly fearless and reckless.

Even if thousands of troops lay ahead, he'd dare to charge recklessly through them.

Unexpectedly, he actually managed to achieve military success through his reckless charges.

Now in the Hezhou army, Qian Fugui's ability is not inferior to any other officer except Yang Tiejiang the blacksmith.

"Going to the Triple Prefectural Command, Lord Zhang bears a heavy responsibility and a long road." Chen Wuji composed himself and said solemnly.

"Later I will write you a letter by hand; you can decide whether to hand it over to the Triple Prefectural Pacification Commissioner, Strategist Yang Yu, depending on the situation. If the Triple Prefectural Command does not experience the situation we fear, and Lord Yang has not contacted the Qiang people, then we can meet."

"If the situation we fear does occur, then we should withdraw as quickly as possible, with safety first."

Zhang Xun solemnly accepted the order.

At that moment, he truly seemed like a cultured and refined military officer.

"Then let's discuss the second matter." Chen Wuji raised his hand to add a few sticks of firewood to the small earthen stove, gesturing to Xu Zhang: "Xu, please bring over a few sticks of firewood."

"'Here!' Xu Zhang, sitting at the back, quickly rose, fetched a bundle of firewood from the rack behind the trees, and piled it beside the small earthen stove."

"'I think we should still use our usual tactic—surprise attack, striking the enemy off guard for greater stability.' Qin Feng finally spoke up."

Having been stimulated by Cheng Zhiheng and Zhang Xun, his usually lax temperament also got a bit heated.

The people of Hezhou are all pumped up like they've been injected with chicken blood, rushing ahead of him and Li Run in everything, making these two Yunan elders seem useless.

Zhang Xun followed up, saying: "That lord's tactic may be stable, but I, your subordinate, think it's not necessarily most advantageous for us. If the Triple Prefectural Command shows no abnormality, our troops can completely join forces with the Triple Prefectural forces and wipe out Lu Ping'an's troops in one fell swoop."

"'Oh, have I not introduced you yet?' Chen Wuji suddenly realized, these two groups still don't know each other."

"'No need, my lord; I'll introduce myself.' Qin Feng rose, looking around everyone."

"'I was originally the Yunan Prefect; perhaps you haven't seen me before, but you may be familiar with my name. Having earned my lord's trust, I have been temporarily appointed, via military regulations, as Deputy Minister of Hezhou; the specific duties of the Deputy Minister follow old precedent."

Li Run rose immediately after, saying: "Li Run, Chief Clerk of Hezhou."

Chen Wuji calmly glanced at the faces of Cheng Zhiheng and the two others, and surprisingly didn't see too much unexpected expression on their faces.

As for this result, they actually seemed to accept it quite well.

"'Your three positions have also been adjusted, though the specifics will need a few days.' Chen Wuji said, 'I have always treated everyone equally here; I've seen your recent hard work and merits, and as long as you don't let me down, I won't let you down either.'"

"'I'm not one for scheming; if there's anything, I'll lay it out openly for everyone.'"

He intends to, over the next few days, settle all the civil and military posts in Hezhou once and for all, lest Chen Bushi and the others arrive in Hezhou and the two factions end up creating some petty squabbles again.