Chapter 131: The New Commandant

Jiang Jiang Mingyu brought Zhu Ge Yu back to the county yamen, arranged a charming small courtyard for her to stay in, then hurried back to the study to handle official duties.

He had hardly sat down when he saw Lord Murong Murong Yunhai rushing in, with several snowflakes still clinging to his clothes.

"Brother Jiang Xingqiu, I'm here to bring you good news," Lord Murong Murong Yunhai said with a smile. "The first batch of iron ore has arrived at the prefectural city. A considerable amount of ore has also been mined from the subsequent sites; within a few days, everything can be delivered over there."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu patted his shoulder: "You've worked hard, Murong Yunhai."

He mentally calculated the time: "There are still eight days until the New Year. You must hurry and strive to return before New Year's Eve so we can have a reunion dinner together."

"Rest assured, Brother Jiang Xingqiu, I will definitely make it back," Lord Murong Murong Yunhai said. "By the way, do you want to give some bonuses to the laborers working there? After all, they have worked so hard for our cause."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded: "That's a good idea. Just tell them that as long as they work well, this official will give each of them a big red envelope."

Hearing this, Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's eyes lit up: "That's great news, Brother Jiang Xingqiu. You are truly generous."

"Hehe, this official isn't being generous, but rather visionary," Jiang Jiang Mingyu laughed. "With these iron ores, we can forge more weapons and armor, strengthening our army."

"Moreover, this official has an even bigger plan."

"What plan?" Lord Murong Murong Yunhai asked curiously.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head: "I cannot tell you this for now. Let's speak when the time is ripe."

After seeing Lord Murong Murong Yunhai off, he picked up the brush on the desk again and continued writing his letters.

These past days, he had maintained contact with Wang Zhe, keeping abreast of the latest developments in the Huang family's porcelain business. According to Wang Zhe's letter, he had successfully taken over the Huang family's porcelain enterprise and had begun paying taxes to the Inspector's Office on schedule.

With this news, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could finally begin implementing his next plan.

He gently set down the brush, took a sheet of white paper, and began sketching the design for his new porcelain pattern.

This design had already taken shape in his mind when he was still at the Inspector's Office; he simply hadn't had the opportunity to put it into practice until now.

Now, with sufficient resources and manpower at his disposal, he could begin producing this new type of porcelain.

This porcelain was an improvement based on Western Regions styles; the Great Feng Kingdom had never seen a similar product. Not only was its appearance colorful and its shape unique, but it also had one special feature: it could display different colors depending on the angle and light.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu firmly believed that once this new type of porcelain was unveiled, it would certainly cause a sensation and bring considerable profits.

"With this unique product, I will be able to acquire vast wealth," Jiang Jiang Mingyu thought with secret joy. "To win the competition against the Prince of Qi, merely possessing an army of fifty thousand men is far from enough."

"I also need to expand our military equipment and recruit more soldiers, which undoubtedly requires a large amount of funding to support."

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he could not help but give an order to the guard outside the door: "Go to the prefectural city and inform the Inspector that I have completed the design for the new porcelain. As soon as the market stabilizes, I can begin production. Please send personnel over to assist as soon as possible."

"Yes, my lord," the guard replied and left.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu then spoke to another guard: "You go and do one thing for this official..."

He whispered his plan to the guard and instructed him to carry it out.

The guard, hearing this, looked shocked: "My lord, what is this for?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was unwilling to say more: "Just do as you are told; you will understand later."

The guard had no choice but to comply, daring not to ask further questions.

The following two days passed quite peacefully. Apart from being busy with official duties, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was anxiously waiting for a reply from the Inspector's Office.

Finally, six days before the New Year, the guard who had gone to the prefectural city rushed back.

However, the panic in his expression as he entered made Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart tighten. He immediately asked, "What's wrong? What has happened?"

The guard, panting, said, "My lord, something has happened."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face changed. He could not help but ask, "What is it? Has there been a problem with the Huang family's porcelain business?"

The guard hurriedly shook his head: "No, the Huang family's business is proceeding smoothly. The Inspector has already arranged personnel and is preparing to take over our new porcelain production."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu breathed a sigh of relief, but still felt somewhat uneasy: "Then what exactly has happened?"

The guard continued, "My lord, a newly appointed Commandant is about to arrive in Shangmu."

"What? A newly appointed Commandant?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu exclaimed in shock. "Speak clearly; what exactly has happened?"

A sense of ominous foreboding suddenly rose in his heart. If the new Commandant really arrived, the military power in his hands might not be secure. This meant that the army he had spent so much effort and resources cultivating might be replaced by someone else.

More importantly, he had an even bigger plan that had not yet been implemented; he could not simply sit back and wait for death.

The guard bit his lip, appearing very hesitant, but finally spoke the truth: "My lord, news has come from the Inspector's Office that a new Commandant is about to arrive in Shangmu. His name is Yang Hui."

"Yang Hui?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu frowned. "That name sounds somewhat familiar."

The guard nodded: "Indeed. It is said that he is a candidate personally recommended by Lord Tang Sima Tang."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's frown deepened: "Tang Sima Tang? Why would he recommend a Commandant for Shangmu? There must be something wrong with this."

Confusion also appeared on the guard's face: "It is said that Lord Tang Sima Tang believes Shangmu has not had an official Commandant for a long time, which does not comply with court regulations. Moreover, Yang Hui has some military merits and is considered a good candidate."

"But the strangest thing is that this Yang Hui actually agreed and has already set out from Longteng County; he will soon arrive at the prefectural city."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered, feeling that something was amiss. Why would someone suddenly appear willing to come to Shangmu as Commandant? And why would Tang Sima Tang care so much about the Commandant issue in Shangmu County?

He thought calmly: "I cannot panic; there is still time. As long as I make preparations before Yang Hui arrives, I can deal with them."

"Whatever they want to do, I cannot sit idly by and wait for death."

Yang Hui, fearless of death, was determined to come and take up his post. This act was already quite suspicious; combined with Tang Cheng'an's covert manipulation, it became even more unpredictable.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered carefully: Could this be another scheme of Tang Cheng'an? After this period of open and hidden struggles, he instinctively felt that something was not quite right.

When he was in the prefectural city, he had speculated that the Prince of Qi might want to firmly grasp the fifty thousand troops under his command. If Yang Hui was indeed Tang Cheng'an's man, then his guess was likely confirmed.

What Wang Zhe had always been worried about was probably this as well.

Once these fifty thousand troops fell into Yang Hui's hands, it would mean they would become tools of the Prince of Qi, which Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not tolerate. And if Tang Cheng'an had manipulated all of this, it would be even more reasonable; even Wang Zhe, as the Inspector, would find it difficult to say much.

To ascertain the truth, Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately asked, "Is that Yang Hui you just mentioned indeed from Longteng County?"

The guard stood with hands at his sides and replied, "Indeed."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately ordered, "You must make another trip immediately and rush to Longteng County. Find Magistrate Song and inquire carefully into Yang Hui's background."

The guard received the order and left.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu muttered to himself, "If this person truly was sent by Tang Cheng'an, then we must consider how to handle the aftermath."

Two days later, that guard returned without stopping. Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked, "Have you found anything out?"

"My lord, some information has been found."

"This Yang Hui is merely an ordinary man and seems to have nothing special about him. However, he has a cousin named Ma Ma Yingjie."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was startled and asked urgently, "Who is this person?"

The guard was prepared and replied, "Report to my lord, this person is the secretary of Commandant Tang Sima Tang and is deeply trusted by Commandant Tang."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu suddenly understood, as if seeing the truth of the matter. He pondered silently, it seemed his guess was not without reason. Everything appeared to be a grand plan of the Prince of Qi.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu realized it and thought to himself, "My lord's guess is correct; this is indeed a trap set by the Prince of Qi. In that case, this Yang Hui cannot be allowed to remain. If left, he will cause endless harm."

He then asked himself, "But how can this person be removed without anyone knowing? This matter must be handled with caution."

Just as Jiang Jiang Mingyu was pondering, a guard outside reported, "My lord, the new Commandant Yang Hui has arrived." Jiang Jiang Mingyu casually picked up the teacup from the table, took a sip of fragrant tea, and said in a deep voice, "Let him enter."

At that moment, a slightly sharp voice entered Jiang Jiang Mingyu's ears, "Where is Commandant Jiang? This subordinate has urgent matters to report."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu turned to look and saw a middle-aged man of short stature with a monkey-like face and hawk-like features standing behind him. This person wore heavy armor, a large knife as wide as a palm at his waist, and a bright red cloak, exuding an extraordinary presence.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled appropriately and clasped his hands, saying, "I am indeed Jiang Jiang Mingyu. Is this the new Commandant, Lord Yang?"

Yang Hui also understood official court etiquette and returned the greeting, saying, "Indeed, it is I." He then took out an official document and handed it to Jiang Jiang Mingyu, saying, "Commandant Jiang, this Commandant has come to assume office by order. Please hand over the seal of the City Defense Camp to me."

After reading the document, Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled and said, "Commandant Yang, rest assured. This subordinate will now take you to hand over the seal."

Seeing everything go smoothly, Yang Hui was secretly delighted and smiled, saying, "Thank you, Commandant Jiang, for your help. Then I shall trouble you to lead the way."

The two arrived at the City Defense Camp. Jiang Jiang Mingyu handed the seal to Yang Hui. Yang Hui held the seal in his hand, his joy evident on his face, finally fulfilling the entrustment of Tang Cheng and Ma Ma Yingjie.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled and said, "Commandant Yang, keep this seal carefully; it must not be lost. I will arrange personnel to come over and assist you in familiarizing yourself with camp affairs." Yang Hui repeatedly thanked him. Jiang Jiang Mingyu responded with polite courtesy, but in his heart, he had other plans.