Yang Si and Cheng Yuan, one was a military advisor, the other was a military supervisor. The two of them were both assistants and monitors for Qin Gong.
Qin Gong was well aware of this, but it did not hinder his gratitude and fondness for Jiang Pengji.
Ten thousand soldiers and horses, and ten thousand elites with abundant rations and fodder, would definitely be able to save his old master from danger!
When Qin Gong met the two for the first time, they exchanged names and had a first impression of each other.
"Initial Qilin Shape, this kid isn't bad …"
Yang Si probed Qin Gong with his words. His expression did not change, but he was secretly praising Xu Fei's generosity.
How could he bear to part with such a good seedling?
Qin Gong was still young, but he had his own unique views and style when it came to arranging troops. There were many aspects that even made Yang Si's eyes light up. Yang Si felt that he was not looking at a person, but a piece of unpolished jade, which made people itch to look at it.
Apart from that, Qin Gong had something else that was very valuable —
Loyalty.
Which lord wouldn't like a talented and loyal general?
Not only did he like it, but he also had more opportunities to render meritorious service than ordinary people.
Cheng Yuan didn't feel that deeply, but he was also very sure of Qin Gong.
"He is indeed a good seedling. No wonder the Lord is willing to trust him."
A general who had just defected dared to allocate ten thousand soldiers and sufficient provisions. If this wasn't love and trust, what else could it be?
After marching for a few days, Cheng Yuan liked Qin Gong even more. He was strict with the army but not harsh. He listened to suggestions and had his own opinions. Most importantly, Qin Gong was neither conceited nor arrogant. He would not act smart either. Which army supervisor would not like such a commander?
Yang Si was also very worry-free.
He had worked together with Dian Yan, this honest and straightforward man, for many years. His patience had been honed, and he was no longer the same as before.
Now that it was Qin Gong, he couldn't be happier.
Qin Gong sent Jiang Pengji off and set off alone. He could hide from the eyes of Xu Pei's scouts by taking a secluded path, but Jiang Pengji had ordered him to deploy ten thousand troops to support Hu County. It would be extremely difficult to conceal the whereabouts of the ten thousand troops. Moreover, ever since Jiang Pengji ended the Cang Prefecture campaign, Xu Bei's nerves had been stretched taut. According to Han Yu's analysis, after Jiang Pengji wiped out Cangzhou, her next target would be either Huang Song or him.
Now that Huang Song and Jiang Pengji had "peacefully" settled their dispute, they probably wouldn't fight in the near future.
Without a doubt, Xu Bei would most likely become her next opponent.
Xu Bei maintained a high level of vigilance throughout. Any sign of Jiang Pengji's troop movements would attract his attention.
A few days after Qin Gong's army departed, Xu Bei received an urgent secret letter.
"Liu Lanting just won't stop for a second!"
Xu Pei muttered in a low voice. From his tone, it was unclear whether he was gritting his teeth or heaving a sigh of relief.
It was probably the latter. After all, he couldn't stand being tense for a long time.
Now that the dust had settled, he felt relieved.
"My lord, is there any movement from Liu Xi?"
Hearing Xu Bei's mumbling, Cheng Xun, who was seated below, asked.
Xu Pei replied, "According to the secret letter, the reason Liu Xi sent ten thousand soldiers south was most likely because of me."
The small feudal vassals in the south of Dongqing had almost been divided up by him and Huang Song. Now, only he and Huang Song were left.
If he wasn't going to hit Huang Song, then he was definitely going to hit him.
Cheng Xun asked again, "Who is the commander?"
Xu Bei replied, "The scouts reported that the commander is a very young young general."
Cheng Xun frowned. The names of the generals under Jiang Pengji's banner had been made public. The only young general seemed to be Li Yun, right?
"Could it be Li Yun? Li Hanmei? "
Xu Bei denied, "No, the commander's flag has the word 'Qin' written on it. Say, when did Lanting have a young general with the surname Qin?"
Cheng Xun replied, "He's probably newly recruited. Since Liu Xi dares to let an unknown young general lead ten thousand men as the vanguard, he can't be underestimated."
Due to their trust in Jiang Pengji, the outside world had a higher opinion of Qin Gong.
"I think so too. Lanting's judgment can be trusted." He thought of his right-hand man. "Right, has Wenbin returned yet?"
He had been relying on Han Yu more and more over the years, but because of his pride, he didn't want to place all his chips on Han Yu.
In order to keep him in check, Xu Bei had promoted many virtuous and respectable scholars who had sought refuge with him.
If Wei Ci was here, he would know that Xu Bei's entourage was rather luxurious, but most of them were supporters of the aristocratic families.
Although the commoners wouldn't be discriminated against or neglected by Xu Bei, they weren't very useful. They were basically left on the cold bench.
Cheng Xun replied, "Military Advisor Han is still handling matters in Zhe County. I estimate it will take another half a month or so."
Xu Bei frowned after hearing this. He was too reliant on Han Yu. No matter what happened, as long as Han Yu analyzed it carefully, he would be able to clearly understand the inner workings of the situation. It was as if he had taken a tranquilizer. Now that Han Yu wasn't by his side, it would be difficult to find someone to discuss with.
Fortunately, these ten thousand men were only the vanguard.
Most of them were mainly probing. If they were to fight, it would be a feint. Xu Bei wasn't worried that they would be stupid enough to use ten thousand men to fight him head-on.
Xu Bei said, "If that's the case, we'll discuss this matter when Wenbin returns."
Xu Bei then found an excuse to leave. Cheng Xun sent him off respectfully.
When Xu Bei was out of sight, Cheng Xun left the meeting hall. Although it seemed calm on the surface, a turbulent undercurrent was brewing.
"Master, why did you come back so early today?"
When he returned to the mansion, his wife came forward with a maidservant. She took the cloak he had taken off and asked him in a soft and gentle voice.
Cheng Xun replied, "I came back first since there was nothing to do in the meeting hall."
His wife was startled.
She had shared a bed with Cheng Xun for almost ten years. She had completely mastered the ability to read people's minds by looking at their faces.
Although Cheng Xun didn't seem to be affected on the surface, he must have been suppressing his anger. Could it be that his colleagues had made things difficult for him in the meeting hall?
"Don't overthink it. Your husband is fine."
Cheng Xun turned around and went to the study. He returned his dinner without even touching a single chopstick.
Of course he was fine!
Xu Bei had summoned him today and mentioned the secret letter. It was obvious that he wanted to discuss this matter with him, but he changed his mind at the last minute.
His lord's attitude was like a fishbone stuck in his throat. As an official, he couldn't possibly resent his lord. Instead, he felt that Han Yu was disgusting.
After suppressing it for an entire night, he finally managed to endure this matter.
Who knew that the next day, Xu Bei would summon all the officials to the meeting hall. It turned out that he had received another secret letter.
Today's secret letter was obtained by the scouts after they had gone deep into the investigation. They hurriedly sent it over again.
Cheng Xun listened attentively for a long time. There were three main points in the second secret letter.
First, the commander-in-chief's surname was Qin Gong. He was young and probably hadn't been crowned yet.
Second, this time the military counselor was an old acquaintance, Yang Si. They had been drinking together a few months ago, but now they were going to turn against each other.
Third, this army of more than ten thousand was heading straight for Shanghai County instead of Zhe County.
The first and second points were understandable, but the third point was used as the main point. It seemed somewhat unworthy of the name.
If one knew that Qin Gong was originally the son of a general under Xu Fei's command, then it would be easier to understand.
One of the strategists said, "I heard that the bloodline of the Qin family is extremely loyal. Why would they seek refuge with the Second Master at this time?"
The Qin family was considered a vassal of the Xu family. Their ancestors had been loyal to the Xu family since then. For more than three hundred years, there hadn't been a single case of rebellion.
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