Yang Fan felt that he had gained a lot from this trip to the Wu family's banquet.
Yang Fan was very clear that this was not the time to publicly break off relations with the Wu family. If someone jumped out to be the enemy of the Wu family at this sensitive time when Wu Zetian was preparing to choose a successor and arrange the future of the empire, he would definitely be seen as an enemy by Wu Zetian and eradicated.
As a new noble of the court, the unfortunate Ji Xu had been demoted to county lieutenant by Wu Zetian just because he had arrogantly shouted at Wu Yizhong in a moment of arrogance and contempt, and had been kicked out of the capital. Moreover, Wu Yizong made a big mess in Hebei at that time, causing the establishment of the Great Zuorong Empire, the division of the Khitan Empire, and the submission of the Xi Empire to the Turks. Under such circumstances, the Female Emperor still sided with him.
Yang Fan fought with Minister An of the Ministry of Revenue as the Lieutenant General of a thousand cavalries. At first, it was because he did not know who the mastermind of Minister An was, and the payment of the army could not be delayed. Later, when he learned that Assistant Minister Qiu and Wu Yizong were related by marriage, Yang Fan secretly broke out in a cold sweat and secretly regretted his carelessness.
Li Duozuo was the general of the Left Feather Royal Guard and the most direct general in the Imperial Army of the Northern Yamen. But when he was in Hebei, because the generals of the Wu Clan made a fool of themselves and failed again and again, the emperor ordered him to lead the army. However, Wu Youyi and Wu Yizong still did what they wanted and tried their best to suppress him. He could do nothing about it. Yang Fan was not as important as Li Duozuo now. How could he fight against the people of the Wu Family with a thousand cavalries that had not yet formed an army?
When those ruffian soldiers made trouble at the Ministry of Revenue the next day, Wu Yizong did not appear. Minister An was angry and gave in, so the matter was resolved smoothly. Yang Fan did not know that the reason why Wu Yizong did not appear was because he was intercepted by Wu Sansi. Otherwise, the outcome would not have been like that. The people he sent would have been decapitated by Wu Yizong in public, causing a shocking massacre.
Once things reached this point, Yang Fan would not let his brothers die in vain. If this lawsuit was brought before the Emperor, even if he had thousands of reasons, it would only slightly dampen Wu Yizong's edge. He would be reprimanded, or symbolically demoted from his official position. The price he had to pay was to completely break off relations with the Wu Clan and be abandoned by Wu Zetian. Even those ancient sages couldn't be impartial and selfless, let alone Wu Zetian, who was an old woman, who had always been biased towards the Wu Clan.
He could feel Wu Sansi's sincerity towards him. With Wu Sansi's current position, if Wu Sansi wasn't sincerely trying to recruit him, there was no need for him to condescend to show goodwill. Through Wu Sansi's mediation, the conflict with Wu Yizong was resolved. He believed that the following trips to the Department of Ordnance and the Imperial Servant Temple would be very smooth.
As expected, Yang Fan's trips to the Department of Ordnance and the Imperial Servant Temple were very smooth. Yang Fan took less than an hour to go to the Department of Ordnance and the Imperial Servant Temple. The entire matter was successfully resolved. The Department of Ordnance, Wu Sizhong, and the Imperial Servant Temple, Bai Yishou, both promised that the military equipment and horses needed for the "Thousand Horsemen" would be taken care of within three days.
Yang Fan was overjoyed. He originally estimated that if everything went smoothly, he would need a day to finish visiting the Department of Ordnance and the Imperial Servant Temple. He didn't think that it would go so smoothly. After finishing this important matter, Yang Fan saw that there was still more than half a day left. He remembered that he had an agreement with Chen Dong of the Ministry of Justice, so he went to the Ministry of Justice.
When Chen Dong heard that Yang Fan wanted to invite him to the "Golden Hairpin Drunkenness" for a drink, he immediately took leave and left with Yang Fan.
Good wine came in one goblet after another. In any case, he wasn't the one paying, so he just drank to his heart's content.
The enchanting and gorgeous Hu Ji called out four times in one breath. Two of them were twisting their bodies like snakes in front of him, dancing the kind of dance that would easily make a man blush and gasp for breath. Two huge round plates of 'August 15th' swung back and forth under that slender water snake waist, like the moon in the water, a stone thrown into the water, creating ripples in an instant.
The other two Hu Ji twisted around Doctor Chen's body like snakes. When Doctor Chen got drunk, the three of them were entangled together. All kinds of unbearable situations made Yang Fan raise his eyebrows. He never thought that Doctor Chen, who had always been cautious and serious, would be so flirtatious after getting drunk.
The four Hu Ji quickly heard that the person who was paying today was the pretty boy next to them. This person was young and handsome. He was more popular with women than the black, fat bearded man next to him. They were willing to throw themselves at him, not to mention that this person was young and rich. The other two Hu Ji, who were drenched in sweat from the dance, immediately entangled him.
Yang Fan was shocked. He quickly went around the two beautiful snakes and said with a smile, "You two help Mr. Chen to the back and serve him well. I still have something to do, so I'll leave first. I'll leave the reward with the shopkeeper. Whoever can please Mr. Chen more will get an extra reward!"
Finished with his instructions, Yang Fan made his getaway without a trace. He could still hear Doctor Chen, who wanted nothing more than to raise his spear and mount his horse in the private room, being helped up by two strong and healthy women. While walking in the sky toward the back of the room, he leisurely recited, "The clouds are rolling and the clouds are unfolding, watching the birds enter and leave at the front door. Not startled by the favor or disgrace, watching the flowers bloom and wilt in the rear courtyard … "
Yang Fan was sweating profusely. He didn't expect that the always cold and rigid Doctor Chen Dong was actually such a man on the outside!
Doctor Chen had transformed into a eloquent scholar, the king of bed, and single-handedly challenged the four blonde Hu Ji. Yang Fan didn't know whether he would be able to preserve some of his remains after the wheel battle in front of the Peach Blossom Cave. This was no longer within Yang Fan's consideration. After returning Doctor Chen's favor, he went home to accompany his pair of lovely children for a while, and then went to the military camp.
…
Three days later, as promised, the Department of Ordnance delivered the weapons and equipment.
The weapons and equipment would not be directly handed to the soldiers, nor would they be sent to the military camp. Instead, they would be sent to the armory for safekeeping. They would only be handed to individuals for training, dispatching troops, and carrying out military duties. When they were first handed out, the name of the user would be engraved on each weapon. From then on, the set of weapons would belong to that person.
The name of the blacksmith and the name of the user were engraved on the weapons. This practice was to prevent the weapons from being lost, and also to urge the soldiers to take good care of the weapons, so that the rate of damage to the weapons would not be too high. But after the name was engraved, the weapons would still be stored in the armory.
This practice was still the same in modern times. Whether it was the army or the police, guns, ammunition, and bulletproof vests were all stored together when they were not carrying out official duties. So when Yang Fan sent ruffian soldiers to cause trouble at the Ministry of Revenue, they were unarmed. Later, when they pretended to clash with Yang Fan's bodyguards, they still snatched the water and fire sticks from the hands of the officials of the Ministry of Revenue and smashed them.
At this time, Yang Fan was bowing with the soldiers on the field. His superb bowing technique won waves of cheers. When Xu Liang found out that the weapons had been delivered and that the armory had already received them, he immediately rushed over to report to Yang Fan. Seeing that he was having a good time on the field, he also smiled and stood among the crowd, watching and cheering.
When the match was over, Xu Liang waved to Yang Fan. Yang Fan rushed over to the side of the field. Xu Liang excitedly said to him, "Commander, our weapons and armor have been delivered."
Hearing this, Yang Fan was overjoyed. "Come, let's go take a look!"
Immediately, the two of them each mounted a horse and led a few bodyguards to the armory. Every garrison had an armory. The armory was built in a corner of the camp, very far from the main activity area of the camp. There were three layers of fire belts in the middle to ensure the safety of the armory.
The soldiers guarding the armory did not belong to the Guard Army but were directly under the Ordnance Division. To receive weapons, a general of the Guard Army had to bring the corresponding identification. How many weapons were taken, how long it took to return them, and the general in charge had to be recorded. In this way, unless there was a mutiny in the army or a high-ranking general forged a military order, no one could take a weapon without permission.
Although the soldiers guarding the armory belonged to the Ordnance Division, the daily management was the responsibility of the local garrison generals. Yang Fan could be considered half their superior, so the soldiers guarding the armory all recognized Yang Fan. Seeing that the Commander had arrived, the platoon leader guarding the armory immediately went up to welcome him.
Yang Fan beamed with joy and said, "Have the weapons and armors arrived?"
The platoon leader said, "Yes, this subordinate has just finished putting them into the armory. They have been sorted out."
Yang Fan said happily, "Good, quickly open the armory. This general wants to inspect it!"
The platoon leader registered and had Yang Fan sign it. Then, Yang Fan and Xu Liang led a few bodyguards into the armory.
The armory was very large. There were layers of wooden shelves inside, and there were some moisture-proof charcoal and other materials on the ground. Compared to the humid weather in the south, Luoyang's climate was closer to that of the north. It was easier to store weapons, so there were not many maintenance measures.
The moment Yang Fan entered the armory, he saw the racks of weapons, armor, bows, arrows, flags, gongs, drums, and tents all neatly arranged. In his delight, he said to the platoon leader guarding the armory, "You are all very diligent. Although this general does not directly command you, I have the right to evaluate you. I will record these matters into the evaluation."
"Many thanks, Lieutenant General!" The platoon leader cupped his fists to thank him, but there was a strange expression on his face. Yang Fan was speaking to him, but his eyes were fixed on the weapons and equipment, so he did not notice.
Xu Liang happily walked closer and suddenly noticed that the armors weren't of the same standard. Besides the general and soldier armors, there were also light armors, fine scale armors, black hammer armors, leather armors, chainmail armors, and so on. He couldn't help but frown.
As the Imperial Army, they were stationed in the capital. Usually, their main task was to guard the palace. In order to maintain law and order in the palace, armor was mostly a symbol. Even if there was a rare riot in a hundred years, it was mainly urban warfare. There was no need for armor that was too heavy, or it would affect the soldiers' combat strength.
Therefore, heavy armor such as light armor and fine scale armor did not need to be prepared at all. Light armor such as leather armor and soap-silk armor were what they needed the most. The "Thousand Cavalry" formed an army of only a thousand people. It was impossible for the Ordnance Division to not be able to gather armor for a thousand people and needed to use other types of armor to make up the numbers, right?
Xu Liang walked over, puzzled. He picked up a chainmail and shook it open. Along with the clanging sound of steel colliding, a cloud of dust suddenly rose. He didn't know how long this armor had been there, but there were even a few discordant clanging sounds.
The light in the warehouse was not bright enough, so Yang Fan asked someone to make way for the door. He then took a lantern from the hands of the warehouse guard and walked over to carefully illuminate the place. There were clearly a few armor pieces on the ground. Yang Fan squatted down and picked up the armor pieces in surprise. He then looked at the armor in Xu Liang's hands. He saw that a few metal threads that connected the armor pieces to the metal pieces had broken and were sticking up.
Yang Fan reached out his hand to touch it. It was hard to tell how many years the metal threads had been used. They had not been replaced, nor had they been oiled and maintained. They were already rusted to the point of being brittle. Yang Fan's heart was filled with anger. He suddenly stood up and ordered with a livid face, "Check immediately to see if there are any problems with these armors and weapons!"
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