Chapter 810: Worthless (Part 2)

Xu Fengnian led a Youqi military horse, walking slowly along the edge of the post road. Just as Yang Shenxing had been reserved in her conversations, Xu Fengnian naturally wouldn't bare his heart to her either. The place he was headed was not the Helan Mountains, where a large army was pressing, but Lingzhou, which supported most of Beiliang's tax revenue. A more discreet fact was that Xu Fengnian had already met with Wang Sui. At that time, Xu Fengnian had only brought eight hundred White Horse Riders, while Wang Sui, leading Wang Jingchong of Beimang's Winter Palace and several hundred of his direct private troops, had each separated from their main armies for a quiet meeting.

Xu Fengnian did not rush to ride to Lingzhou, instead falling into deep thought. Even after meeting the Beimang Eastern Front commander, he couldn't figure out Wang Sui's true intentions. Wang Sui had actively requested this secret meeting, yet once they met, he said nothing substantial. Their conversation, beyond discussing old acquaintances and stories from the Spring and Autumn period, resembled that of a somewhat distant elder meeting a promising junior relative. While subtly praising the younger man, the old fellow didn't forget to boast about his own past glory, which left Xu Fengnian quite helpless, easily reminding him of Xu Xiao spending his retirement years on Qingliang Mountain. During the meeting, Wang Sui mocked Liyang's state of affairs, claiming that each generation was worse than the last, with the talent of court officials and the scholarship of literati progressively declining. He even cursed Liyang's two emperors as cowards, saying they could only bully domestic dogs if they couldn't defeat wolves, and if they dared not fight Beimang to the death, they simply cleaned up the remnants of Western Chu. Although Xu Fengnian didn't agree, he found it quite gratifying to hear. In the end, Wang Sui, playing on his seniority, patted Xu Fengnian's shoulder, said nothing more, and simply left in a grand manner. From beginning to end, Wang Sui only said one sentence that struck at the heart of the current situation: since he, Wang Sui, had gained nothing from this western hunting expedition, then for the time being, no one on the Eastern Front would be eager to trouble Beiliang. Xu Fengnian understood the old man's implication: it wasn't that Beimang's Eastern Front had given up. The troops stationed there, confronting Gu Jiantang, were mostly conservative forces from the plains who originally had no designs on Beiliang and preferred to break through in Liangliao and advance directly to Tai'an City. Thus, Wang Sui's obstruction at Youzhou's eastern gate was highly likely to deliver a fatal blow to Taipingling and Dong Zhuo in the Beimang Two Capitals court.

It was this sentence that dispelled Xu Fengnian's idea of attempting to kill him. He simply talked about trivial matters with the old man and ultimately didn't make a move. Therefore, this trip to the Helan Mountains held no surprises, but neither was it a disappointment. For Beiliang, which had been severely weakened in the Liangmang War, no bad news was already good news. So, when Yang Shenxing arrived in Beiliang to serve as deputy military commissioner, as long as he wasn't determined to undermine Beiliang on behalf of the imperial court, Xu Fengnian didn't mind offering him stability, and could even proactively help the old man accumulate some achievements, making his position less difficult. This applied not only to Yang Shenxing but also to Han Lin, the military commissioner of Lianghuai.

This pervasive forbearance in his actions was certainly not exhilarating, nor could it be called an act of chivalry.

Xu Fengnian finally mounted his horse and, before riding forward, glanced eastward.

The tea stall woman, bored, sat on a long bench, watching the lone rider—a scholarly-looking young man from a military family—disappear further down the post road. Remembering how the handsome young man had haggled with her just now, she smiled, thinking, "This young man must come from a good family, yet he haggles over a few coins. He's certainly good at managing money."

Lingzhou City was filled with celebration. This festive mood spread from top to bottom, like a gentle spring rain. The common folk didn't know why the city had suddenly become lively again, naturally guessing that a great victory had been won outside Liangzhou Pass or at Youzhou's Hulu Pass. However, no definite news had circulated, so no one was sure. Yet, during this period, high-ranking officials and nobles, especially prominent figures from military families, were often seen getting heavily drunk. What was unusual was that unlike in the past, where young men from military families would embrace courtesans and drink with their peers, this time it was often entire families or several families celebrating together across generations. Even local aristocratic families, usually at odds, would now simply smile and pass each other when they met in a narrow corridor of a restaurant, with no hostile tension. At dusk, several riders entered the city just as the curfew began, heading directly for Song Yan, the Prefect of Lingzhou's mansion. The gatekeeper was sharp; he noticed that although the riders wore no armor, they weren't typical noble retainers but elite soldiers with Liang knives at their waists. Upon being informed by the gatekeeper, Song Yan quickly stepped out. He paused, startled, when he saw Xu Fengnian standing in the street, holding a horse. Xu Fengnian had a horse prepared for this influential Lingzhou politician, a proponent of Legalism. The two rode slowly towards the Governor's mansion, still some distance away. Song Yan, his face full of excitement, quietly asked, "Your Royal Highness, did we really win?"

It seemed that not only outsiders like Yang Huchen found it incredible, but even Beiliang insiders like Song Yan were hesitant to believe the intelligence reports from the border. For reasons unknown, Xu Fengnian had not widely publicized the great border victory within Beiliang. Even a high-ranking official like Song Yan, holding a third-grade post with real power, could only glean the final results of the three battlefields from terse, precious intelligence reports.

Xu Fengnian nodded and said, "A tragic victory."

Song Yan's face suddenly flushed, and his lips trembled. This upright scholar, who had been able to stand straight even when first meeting His Royal Highness, was for a moment speechless.

Xu Fengnian sighed, "This war still has a long way to go, but there shouldn't be any major battles within the next six months, allowing the border army to catch their breath. However, Lingzhou will be swamped with work, even busier than before."

Song Yan laughed, "Compared to the other three prefectures, only Lingzhou is far from the smoke of battle. For us officials serving in peacetime, being busy is nothing. I've only heard of people dying on the battlefield, but rarely of someone dying from exhaustion in officialdom."

Xu Fengnian hesitated, looking at the bustling, noisy streets even as night fell. He quietly said, "Xu Beizhi will resign as the Governor of Lingzhou and take over as Governor of Liangzhou from Tian Peifang. But for the position Xu Beizhi vacates, Master Song, you..."

Xu Fengnian did not finish his sentence. Song Yan remained silent, showing no expression of resentment or complaint, nor did he utter any magnanimous words about being a civil servant who only sought the welfare of the people and not high office or generous pay.

Xu Fengnian said with a hint of helplessness, "Thousands of scholars came to Beiliang, and as some outside scholars privately grumble, they've only been given minor official posts, like a wealthy gentry casually dispensing alms to roadside beggars. This doesn't align with the principle of spending a thousand gold pieces to nurture talent. Although Song Dongming became the Deputy Military Commissioner of Beiliang, holding a second-grade rank, he isn't strictly speaking one of the scholars who came to Beiliang. As outsiders say, Song Dongming is more akin to Xu Beizhi and Huangfu Ping—my confidants, whom I promoted outside of normal procedures based purely on personal preference."

At this point, Xu Fengnian gave a self-deprecating smile. "Now that Beiliang has won the war, it's logically time to grant official posts and fulfill promises. We urgently need to give these eagerly awaiting scholars something to hope for. Beiliang, after all, only has four prefectures, and there are only so many official positions. We've already placed many outside scholars in various government offices. I can't possibly drive out local Beiliang officials to make room for them—that's unsuitable. So, I have no choice but to use the high position of Lingzhou Governor, a third-grade official, as a lure. Originally, with your administrative ability, Master Song, you would naturally be the best candidate for the next Governor of Lingzhou."

Song Yan finally spoke, without any pretense or evasion. Instead, he was very direct, asking, "Your Royal Highness, if I cannot become the Governor of Lingzhou, may I serve in another prefecture?"

Xu Fengnian also spoke frankly: "After Tian Peifang is promoted to Deputy Military Commissioner, Xu Beizhi will take over; that's already set in stone. As for Liuzhou, the current Governor is Yang Guangdou, and the next, without a doubt, will be Chen Xiliang—it can only be Chen Xiliang. Given that Liuzhou has undergone a series of baptisms by fire, to put it bluntly, even if I were willing to transfer you there, Master Song, I doubt you could command public respect, and that has nothing to do with your administrative ability. As for Youzhou, to be frank with you, Hu Kui, who is determined to achieve military glory on the battlefield, will indeed soon return to the border army. However, the choice for the next Governor is also specific. Youzhou, compared to Liangzhou, places more emphasis on military prowess over civilian administration. Otherwise, Tian Peifang wouldn't have been so frustrated a few years ago, complaining that he was just a 'flower vase' governor; it's well-known in Beiliang officialdom that he worked tirelessly to be transferred to Lingzhou back then. During this Liangmang War, Youzhou contributed immensely and suffered the heaviest casualties. It would be inappropriate for you to go to Youzhou."

Song Yan gave a wry smile. "Since Your Royal Highness puts it that way, I'll give up. It's better to be open about it than to harbor that thought all day long."

Song Yan knew full well that he couldn't go to Liangzhou, Liuzhou, or Youzhou. And not only was he not promoted in Lingzhou this time, but after the precedent of "buying horses with a thousand gold pieces" was set in officialdom, there might still be no suitable position for him in Lingzhou in the future. This was because Lingzhou would inevitably become the best place to settle scholars coming to Beiliang—a "Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall" where battle drums were unheard and wolf smoke unseen, naturally suitable for literati. Beiliang might consequently form a stable situation of "generals in the north, ministers in the south." This was why Song Yan was particularly worried. He was not an pedantic scholar; although not overly keen on fame and fortune, he was never blindly loyal to anyone. After all, realizing one's ambitions was directly tied to the size of the official hat one wore. Imagine if Zhang Julu had been a petty clerk in a minor government office; how could he have single-handedly shaped the current power of Liyang?

Xu Fengnian exhaled softly, without turning to look directly at Song Yan. "Three years. If you can hold out for three years, then I'll be able to fulfill my promise to you. If... if you feel wronged, while Yang Shenxing is arriving in Beiliang, I can arrange for you to leave Beiliang officialdom and go to Tai'an City."

Xu Fengnian calmly said, "This is not me testing you. Beiliang, ever since Xu Xiao, has not had the habit of playing political mind games. On this land, there aren't many scholarly talents to begin with; it can't withstand much upheaval. We cherish every one who emerges. Even if a flower blooms inside the wall and its fragrance drifts outside, we won't stop it, much less cut it down with a Liang knife."

Song Yan leaned back slightly, his shoulders gently rising and falling with the horse's back. Lazily, he said, "If I, Song Yan, were to go to Tai'an City, could the Zhao Emperor walk shoulder to shoulder with me? No, right? Would he specially come to personally explain a thing or two just because I couldn't get a promotion? Even less likely, right? My knees aren't particularly stiff, but at least in Beiliang, I don't have to kneel daily in court assemblies, day after day, year after year, without end. For a scholar, serving as an official while standing is always more comfortable than kneeling. Besides, my current official position isn't small. Of course, if one day the Zhao Emperor sent someone to tell me, 'Song Yan, the Six Ministries of the court need a minister; how about you make do for now, and later I'll make you a chief official in the Central Secretariat and Chancellery, ensuring you get a posthumous title like 'Wenzhen' when you die,' I guarantee I'd be tempted. At that point, even if Your Royal Highness tried to stop me, I'd cry, make a scene, and threaten to hang myself."

Xu Fengnian burst out laughing. "Master Song, oh Master Song, then you can forget about it! Miss Song is not bad-looking, but she's certainly not 'calamity-bringing' level. Not to mention her knowledge and talent, Elder Yan is better than you when it comes to having daughters."

Song Yan snorted unceremoniously.

Upon arriving at the Governor's mansion, Xu Beizhi maintained his usual grand demeanor. After learning that the King of Beiliang had personally arrived, he didn't even bother to open the main ceremonial gate with a grand show, let alone make an appearance. Xu Fengnian and Song Yan therefore had to proceed to the study. The trembling mansion steward carefully pushed open the door, revealing the Governor, still in his official robes, seated at his desk attending to government affairs. The study was in disarray, with books scattered everywhere. Xu Fengnian bent down to pick up the books, while Song Yan smiled and walked to the window to open it for some fresh air. Only when Xu Fengnian had nearly finished tidying the study did Xu Beizhi put down his pen, rub his wrists, and glance up at Xu Fengnian, who then said with a smile, "Currently, Song Dongming and Bai Yu are 'fighting like immortals' on Qingliang Mountain. Although they are both cultivated literati of status and won't cause major trouble, it's still somewhat unsettling. So, I thought of having Master Governor go to Liangzhou as a mediator and keep an eye on things for me in your capacity as Governor of Liangzhou."

Xu Beizhi calmly said, "Leaving aside whether those two will harbor ill feelings, let's talk about the mess in Lingzhou. If you don't let Prefect Song, who is familiar with the ropes, become Governor, merely to appease the scholars coming to Beiliang, and instead hand it over to an outsider, do you truly believe there won't be any mistakes?"

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "Then what do you suggest?"

Xu Beizhi came straight to the point: "Did Li Gongde say he wanted to resign as Military Commissioner and have Song Dongming take his place?"

Xu Fengnian nodded. "He did mention it once. His intention was to no longer serve as Military Commissioner, retaining only the honorary title of Superintendent for the construction of the New City outside Liangzhou Pass, but I didn't agree."

Xu Beizhi sneered, "What, afraid of being accused of 'killing the donkey after it grinds the mill'? Afraid of disheartening Beiliang's old officials? Or concerned that Li Hanlin wouldn't approve?"

Xu Fengnian smiled but said nothing.

Xu Beizhi, faintly angered, said in a deep voice, "A Prefect of Lingzhou is not a small position!"

Xu Fengnian shook his head, "It's not small, but it's not big enough."

Xu Beizhi said, "Then let Master Song become Governor of Liangzhou. I'll just take an honorary post on Qingliang Mountain; I can still help you achieve a balancing effect."

Xu Fengnian still shook his head, casting a glance at Song Yan, who was observing from the sidelines.

Song Yan said gleefully, "Your Royal Highness, where in this world is there an official who doesn't want to be a Governor but only a Prefect? That's putting Song Yan in a difficult spot! Besides, the Governor of Liangzhou is far more esteemed than our Governor of Lingzhou. I can't bring myself to say such insincere words. Moreover, Governor Xu is clearly on the path to great success. If I were to interfere, and he ended up losing his governorship to sit on the sidelines in Liangzhou, with his rank diminishing, then all the goodwill accumulated these past days would vanish once he realized what happened. Both for public and private reasons, I will not help Your Royal Highness persuade Governor Xu."

Due to Song Yan's interruption, the tense atmosphere in the study dissipated. Xu Beizhi, having perhaps vented his long-suppressed frustrations, quickly regained his composure, reining in his sharpness, and asked, "Is it that you don't trust Song Dongming, or don't trust Bai Yu? Or do you not trust either of them?"

Xu Fengnian pulled over a chair and sat down. "It's not about distrusting anyone, but with you, Juzi, staying on Qingliang Mountain, I can feel more at ease outside Beiliang Pass."

Seeing Xu Beizhi stare at him without blinking, Xu Fengnian felt a little uneasy. "Chen Xiliang absolutely refuses to leave Liuzhou; it's clear he intends to settle there. I really have no other choice."

Xu Beizhi smiled faintly, "Your Royal Highness really knows how to pick on the weak."

Xu Fengnian grumbled, but offered no reply.

Song Yan's expression was peculiar; the relationship between His Royal Highness, Xu Beizhi, and Chen Xiliang was indeed worth pondering. Otherwise, judging by Governor Xu's tone, it was as if he were a woman vying for the position of chief wife in a household.

Xu Beizhi's expression suddenly softened. "Liuzhou was not easy. In that great battle, where victory and defeat hung by a thread, both sides brought out their trump cards."

Especially on Beiliang's side, which was at a numerical disadvantage, not only were all thirty thousand Dragon Elephant troops deployed, but also the two garrisons of Liuzhou (excluding Qingcang), rapidly reinforced by Liangzhou cavalry. Even Liu Wenbao and the four thousand private soldiers from the Western Regions temporarily mustered by Chai Dongdi of the Sima family, along with the twenty thousand monk soldiers from Lantuo Mountain urgently dispatched by the Six-Pearl Bodhisattva, all came into play. Even Cao Wei's ten thousand hidden elite cavalry had to turn back to reinforce Liuzhou. Only then was this bloody battle narrowly and incredibly precariously won. It can be said that the absence of any single unit would have led to Liuzhou's fall. Furthermore, the ability to extract several thousand cavalry after the battle to enter the central front, coordinating with the cavalry outside Beiliang Pass, ultimately forced Dong Zhuo to abandon his plan of self-destruction. If it had merely been Beimang's unilateral annihilation at Hulu Pass, Dong Zhuo, having already removed the "nail" of Hutou City, could have completely ignored it and continued pushing south.

Therefore, it can be said that Liuzhou, originally thought to be the least significant, was in fact the true decisive factor in the Liangmang War of the second year of Xiangfu.

Xu Beizhi stood up and stared intently at Xu Fengnian. "You should know that even if I heavily stockpiled grain before the war and 'borrowed grain' from various places around Beiliang through different means during the war—not even sparing Western Shu—if we want to win the next major battle, let alone the imperial court restricting canal transport, as long as Liyang's canal transport doesn't fully support Beiliang, the result will be that the war isn't unwinnable, but Beiliang will suffer many more deaths—perhaps thirty thousand, perhaps fifty thousand, or even more. Beiliang, what will we do?"

Xu Fengnian sat quietly in his chair, silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke, "After I leave this study, I will set off for Tai'an City."

Song Yan's expression drastically changed.

Xu Beizhi slammed his fist on the desk, erupting in rage. "You, Xu Fengnian, can afford to lose face, but my Beiliang cannot! Liu Jinu of Hutou City! Wang Lingbao of Liuzhou! Tian Heng of Youzhou! The tens of thousands of heroic souls who died in battle for Beiliang cannot afford to lose face!"

Xu Fengnian silently stood up and silently walked out of the study.

Song Yan wanted to speak but hesitated, ultimately letting out only a sigh.

Xu Beizhi roared at the retreating figure, "Beiliang's iron cavalry can withstand even a million Beimang soldiers! Is it that hard to capture Lianghuai from Liyang?!"

He did not stop.

In the dimly lit corridor, the figure, not old, appeared slightly stooped.