"Master Top Scorer, these are the documents sent by the Governor."
At dusk, the Governor's Mansion sent someone over. This person looked ordinary, nothing out of the ordinary. Pei Zi Yun received the booklet and sent the person away. He then returned to his room and looked at the booklet carefully. It was very thin, and he flipped through it page by page. Pei Zi Yun looked at the name list that the Governor had given him.
Although the handwriting was small, it was written neatly and clearly. Pei Zi Yun hesitated as he looked at it. At this point, a gust of wind started blowing, and the windows were flapping noisily.
Before Pei Zi Yun could get up, the window was opened, and a gust of wind blew some leaves into the room, extinguishing the candle. Closing the window, he could see that the sky was covered with dark clouds.
"The weather has changed. It looks like there's going to be a storm." Pei Zi Yun frowned.
He closed the window and lit a new candle. Once again, Pei Zi Yun looked at the painting.
Now that he was a High Scholar, even if he had the Imperial Flag Plate, he would not be able to command military officials of the fifth rank and above. Furthermore, military officials who were adept at the art of war would not be easy to command.
That was why Navy General Chen Ping was out of the question.
He could only choose those who weren't of a high rank, were brave, and had been ostracized. However, he couldn't choose those whose ranks were too low either. That was because he wasn't a member of the Imperial Court. He didn't have the authority to promote them, nor did he have the time to train them. He could only use the people he already had.
"From the looks of it, around the sixth rank is the most suitable."
"In the Great Xu Dynasty, a Sixth Rank is equivalent to a Qianhu or Qianzheng." Looking at the name list, Cai Yuanzhen came into view.
In his previous life, he remembered that this person could not be said to be outstanding. He was just a little brave, had no background, and was not good at literature. As a result, he was repeatedly ostracized. Later on, he was stripped of his official position and became a commoner.
He did not have much interaction with this person in his previous life. He just happened to meet him and knew that something had happened to this person a few years ago.
He took a closer look at the introduction and nodded. "That's the person."
This was the most appropriate choice. He had a background and an official position. Should he kill him or not? If he killed him, he would offend people for no reason. If he did not kill him, military discipline would not be maintained. He was only a High Scholar, and it was appropriate to use this person.
With that thought in mind, he picked up a brush and drew a circle on the name list, circling Cai Yuanzhen. After that, he stood up and paced a few steps.
"If it's just me, I'm afraid the Governor won't be able to rest easy. Instead, it might cause more trouble." Thinking this way, Pei Zi Yun mumbled to himself, "I have to ask the Governor to arrange for someone else. The Army Overseer is too much of a burden. The Rations Officer is the most suitable candidate."
He took down his notes.
However, he still needed to come up with a strategy. The way of being a general was nothing more than official positions, laws, and rewards and punishments. He couldn't pay for this himself, he had to split it with the spoils of war.
Using a brush, he wrote down, "Split the profits in half. Give half to the imperial court, and the other half to the generals and soldiers. Only then will we be able to raise the morale of the army."
After writing everything down, he committed it to memory and burned it on the candle.
The Crown Prince's officials could be of help as well. Thinking this way, he took out a brush and wrote a note. He then stood up and said, "Prepare an ox-cart for me. I want to go out."
A gust of wind passed under the eaves and the sky gradually darkened. The servant said, "Young master, the wind is blowing, it's going to rain."
"Don't worry too much about it. Go and make the arrangements." Pei Zi Yun said. Before long, the carriage was ready. He stood up and boarded the carriage, "To Shen's general store."
"Yes, young master." The servant rushed the ox-cart out.
The wind blew against the ox-cart, causing the curtains to be lifted. Pei Zi Yun was seated within. The ox-cart driver frowned and mumbled softly, "I really don't understand young master's interests. The wind and rain are right in front of us, and yet you want to go to Shen's general store to buy things. You even said you want to enjoy the wind and rain. I really don't understand."
His voice was mixed with the wind. After some time, he heard the ox-cart driver say, "Young master, we've arrived at Shen's general store."
Pei Zi Yun opened his eyes and alighted from the cart. Due to the strong wind, he was about to descend the cart. Hence, there weren't many people around the entrance. However, there was a secret sign in front of the entrance.
Pei Zi Yun scanned the sign and entered the door. He saw a waiter approaching him and asked, "Do you have three taels of blood swallow's nest here?"
Hearing this, the waiter's eyes lit up, "Young master, we don't have three taels of blood swallow's nest. But we do have two taels of dried abalone. It's very nourishing."
"I want a bigger one. Give me three taels of dried abalone."
The waiter looked around and saw that there was no one around. He then whispered to Pei Zi Yun, "Your excellency, is there something important?"
Pei Zi Yun retrieved the Crown Prince's Mansion token and waved it in front of the waiter. When the waiter saw the token, he hurriedly knelt down, "Greetings your excellency."
"There's no need to be so courteous." Pei Zi Yun then handed a piece of paper over, "Pass this to him. I believe that his excellency is here as well."
The waiter paused before nodding his head, "Yes, your excellency."
Pei Zi Yun walked back and spoke to the ox-cart driver, "To the Governor's Mansion!"
At this point, it was raining heavily. Occasionally, a few drops of rain would fall onto his face. It was a refreshing feeling. The ox-cart moved slowly through the rain. There weren't many people on the streets, and it was quiet and peaceful.
After a while, they arrived at the Governor's Mansion. He saw that there were people walking up and down the Governor's mansion. The people at the entrance recognized Pei Zi Yun. They then walked up to him and said, "Master Top Scorer, the Governor has instructed that there won't be many guests tonight. They're all in the front hall. Please head straight to the reception hall. The Governor will see you once he's done with his business."
"Yes, Jun's orders." Pei Zi Yun walked in and saw that there were more than ten officials waiting to see him. They were whispering to each other as servants served them tea. He glanced at them before walking down the corridor and into the reception hall.
After waiting for an hour, the Governor entered the reception hall. He was in a good mood as he took a sip of tea. He then looked at Pei Zi Yun and asked, "You've seen the name list. Who have you chosen?"
Pei Zi Yun retrieved the name list from his robes and handed it over, "Governor your excellency, I've chosen someone. Cai Yuanzhen."
"Cai Yuanzhen?" When the Governor heard this, he hesitated. He had heard of this name before, yet it was unfamiliar.
Seeing the hesitant Governor, Pei Zi Yun stretched out his hands and pointed to the names on the list.
"A sixth ranked Thousand Households?" The Governor was surprised.
"Yes!" Pei Zi Yun replied curtly.
The Governor paused as he looked at Pei Zi Yun carefully. He then asked, "The Navy General Chen Ping has already agreed to help us. He has six thousand soldiers. You've only chosen a Thousand Households?"
"A thousand is more than enough." Pei Zi Yun replied confidently.
The Governor looked at Pei Zi Yun and paused for sometime before smiling, "Since you're confident, that's fine. Apart from that, do you have any other requests?"
"Yes!" Pei Zi Yun replied, "The army cannot go without rations. Please appoint a Secretary to oversee the rations."
"The war is my responsibility. If there are no rations, I request that this Secretary be executed." Pei Zi Yun said. When the Governor heard this, he looked at Pei Zi Yun. This person had volunteered to oversee the war, which was unexpected. He then paused before saying, "Alright, I have Chen Pu from my mansion. He can take on this role."
"One more thing." Pei Zi Yun said without hesitation.
"Oh? What is it? "
"The spoils of war will be split evenly." Pei Zi Yun replied.
"Oh? Apart from the founding of the nation, the spoils of war will be handed over to the Imperial Court. "The Governor fanned himself with a smile on his face.
"Your excellency, you're thinking too much. If we wish for a bloody war, we have to give out rewards. I'm not an official, and I'm not an officer of the navy. I don't have the authority to promote or demote people. All that's left are gold and silver." Pei Zi Yun replied plainly. In ancient times, even during the founding of a nation, this was a common occurrence.
The Governor thought for some time before laughing, and didn't speak.
"Register the spoils of war, and hand over fifty percent of the spoils to the Imperial Court. The other fifty percent will be sold to the merchants, and given to the generals."
"Is that so?" The Governor paused before laughing, "Alright!"
At this point, Chen Pu knocked on the door and entered, "Greetings Governor."
The Governor raised his head and looked at Chen Pu, "Chen Pu, I'll assign Pei Zi Yun to oversee the navy. During this period of time, you shall be under Pei Zi Yun's command."
Chen Pu was a middle aged man, an eighth ranked official. He raised his head and looked at Pei Zi Yun, "Yes, Governor."
Seeing that Chen Pu had acknowledged him, the Governor then said, "Summon the leader of my personal guards."
It was only after some time that a few personal guards entered the room. One of them was around thirty years of age, and was dressed in seventh ranked martial attire. There was a long scar on his face, and it was obvious that he had been on the battlefield before. The Governor then instructed, "Move the Emperor's flag and follow Pei Zi Yun."
"Yes!" The man acknowledged, and didn't have any other words.
After all these arrangements were made, the Governor looked at Pei Zi Yun and asked, "When can you mobilize your troops, and when will you finish?"
Pei Zi Yun replied, "Speed is the most important thing in war. I will mobilize my troops immediately. As for the end of the war, it's hard to predict. However, by the end of the year, I will be able to give you an answer."
The Governor nodded his head and said, "Alright, let's do it that way. The three of you can start now."
Hearing the Governor's words, the three of them bowed and left the room. The leader waved his hands, and the ten personal guards followed them silently.
"This man is not to be underestimated!" The Governor took a sip of tea and said, "Don't you agree?"
At this point, someone turned around and replied, "Indeed, he's just a High Scholar. Even if your excellency gave him the Emperor's flag, he wouldn't be able to command Chen Ping."
"The Emperor's flag can only be used to kill someone of the fifth rank and below."
"If he were to kill Chen Ping and break the rules of the Imperial Court, even if he were to win the war, it would be a small merit and a big crime."
"That's why he chose a sixth ranked Thousand Households."
The Governor nodded his head, "Read the list of names and records. Does this Cai Yuanzhen have anything to do with Pei Zi Yun?"
The man paused for a moment before replying, "I don't think so. But Cai Yuanzhen was born into an ordinary family. In the past, he had conquered the entire country and was promoted through hard work. He wasn't considered outstanding, but neither was he too mediocre. At most, he could be considered an ordinary martial artist. He led his troops into battle honestly and honestly.
The Governor sighed, "Based on what you've said, Pei Zi Yun is just a High Scholar. Even if he had the Emperor's flag, there's a limit to how much he can command. He wouldn't listen to those who are too high, and wouldn't be able to use those who are too low. He's the most suitable candidate. That's why I said that he shouldn't be underestimated!"
"This kid isn't even eighteen years old yet? Are there really people who are born with such knowledge? "
Pei Zi Yun and his entourage didn't know about the Governor's thoughts. At this point, they reached the door and walked out. Someone stepped forward and bowed, "Master!"
This person was an official of the Crown Prince's Mansion. He was dressed in plain clothes and addressed Pei Zi Yun as' Master '.
The leader of the personal guards trembled as he touched his blade. It was obvious that he was on high alert.
"Master Top Scorer, where do we go now?" Chen Pu asked.
Pei Zi Yun glanced at him and replied, "To Cai Yuanzhen."
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