Yang Fan came out of the gate to welcome him. As soon as Pei Jun Ma saw Yang Fan, he immediately clasped his hands and said gratefully, "I am indebted to General for your help, allowing me to avoid the humiliation of a woman. Today, I have been sent by the court to be the Provincial Governor of Pengzhou. Before I leave, I have specially come to express my gratitude to General! "
Yang Fan hurriedly said, "This is my duty. There is no need for Pei Jun Ma to be so polite."
Pei Xun said with a smile, "Now you are the County Horse, County Horse!"
Yang Fan smiled and said, "The weather is hot. Please come into the tent to talk."
Yang Fan invited Pei Xun into the commander's tent and they sat down as host and guest.
Pei Xun seemed to be in high spirits about this "exile" to Pengzhou. His words were torrential and he was very talkative. Yang Fan followed his words and began to talk about Pengzhou. He found that this man, who had grown up in the capital and had never thought that he would one day be sent out, knew nothing about Pengzhou.
Or rather, he only knew that it was an upper-class province. Agriculture and animal husbandry were developed, and it was rich in natural resources. He could be the Taiping Governor for a few years and then return to the capital in glory. Other than this, he knew nothing about Pengzhou. He didn't even know where Pengzhou was, much less the various shady things that the officials, especially the subordinates of the local officials, could use their large network of connections to play around with the weak officials sent by the court.
Yang Fan secretly furrowed his brows. A strong dragon would find it difficult to defeat a local snake. An astute and capable official would need a lot of effort to truly straighten out his thoughts. It was clearly unrealistic to count on this young master. However, he was the Provincial Governor of a province. With power in his hands, he could provide some convenience for Fan Xian.
As for picking on Shen Mu's weak points, he probably could not count on him. This person was not worldly and lacked experience. It was better not to tell him his thoughts, lest he was exposed to those slippery old officials as soon as he arrived in Feng Province. For now, he might as well build a good relationship with him. When he needed help, he would cooperate fully.
Thinking of this, Yang Fan suppressed the idea of telling Pei Jun Ma to strictly inspect the treasury after he took office in Feng Province. He only talked with him about romance and the local people. Occasionally, he would mention some general knowledge that a ruler needed to know. Although Pei Jun Ma lacked experience in this area, he was very enlightened.
After listening attentively to Yang Fan's explanation for a long time, Pei Jun Ma happily said, "Brother Yang is a military general and has never been a local official before. I didn't expect you to be so familiar with the local political affairs."
Yang Fan smiled modestly. "Junma overpraises me. Actually, I don't know much about this. It's just that I have an advisor in my residence. Haha, he was originally hired by me when I was the Minister of Justice to help me manage some matters. I've learned a few things from him. "
Hearing this, Pei Jun Ma's eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked, "Brother Yang, is this advisor still in your residence?"
Yang Fan's heart stirred and he said, "That's right! He doesn't have a suitable place to go at the moment and we get along quite well. Although I don't have much use for him now, it's better to keep him in the residence and temporarily help me manage the accounts. Haha, it's a bit of a waste of talent … "
Pei Jun Ma slapped his thigh and happily said, "I won't hide it from Brother Yang. This time, I've been sent out and I've really been blinded. I don't know how I should be an official or how I should do things. I've also heard people talk about the local petty officials deceiving their superiors and subordinates, making me a mere figurehead. I've been feeling very apprehensive. I don't know if Brother Yang is willing to part with him? "
Yang Fan stared at him deeply and suddenly smiled. "The advisor that I've hired is proficient in the field of politics and would be the best assistant for a local official. Now that he's in charge of the accounts in my residence, it's really a waste of talent. If Pei Jun Ma wants to use him, I'm sure he'll be very willing! "
Pei Jun Ma was overjoyed. "Since I've met Brother Yang, good things have happened one after another. Brother Yang is really my lucky star! Since that's the case, it's settled. I'll be leaving for Feng Province in a few days. In a while, I'll have to ask Brother to accompany me back to the capital and personally invite this mister. "
Yang Fan inwardly shook his head, "This Pei Jun Ma has a fiery temper. If a person like him were to go somewhere, he would really be toyed with by those old officials. I will send someone to assist him as an official, which is tantamount to having him under my control. "
Thinking of this, Yang Fan smiled and said, "Very good! It's just that it's noon today and we'll miss the hottest time of the day. It won't be too late to return to the city. I'll get someone to prepare a table and you and I can drink and chat! "
While he was preparing wine and a banquet, Yang Fan found a gap and left the commander's tent. He called over a trusted imperial guard and instructed, "Quickly go to 'Tian Shu' and pick out a mister who's been an official and is familiar with the situation in Guanzhong. Quickly go to my residence and pretend to be sitting at the west table. I'll make arrangements!"
When the imperial guard heard this, he immediately prepared a horse and hurried back to the city. Yang Fan returned to the commander's tent and drank with Pei Jun Ma.
When the sun gradually set in the west and the wind carried a slight chill, Yang Fan and Pei Jun Ma went out of the gate and headed straight for the capital.
Pei Jun Ma was slightly drunk and when the wind blew, he felt extremely carefree. He was like a bird that had broken free from its fences and was very happy.
The two of them entered Luoyang from the Anxi Gate and crossed the long bridge of the Luo River. After passing two squares, they suddenly saw a few badly battered soldiers supporting each other as they walked. When Yang Fan saw that they were wearing black military uniforms, which were very different from the ordinary imperial guards, he immediately knew that they were his subordinates. He couldn't help but be surprised and reined in his horse to wait.
When he saw the sorry state of those people, Yang Fan's face immediately darkened. When the soldiers saw Yang Fan, they couldn't help but be overjoyed and rushed to the front of their horses, kneeling on the ground and loudly complaining about their injustice. They were all talking at once and Yang Fan couldn't hear them clearly. He couldn't help but sternly shout, "Shut up!"
Yang Fan swept his eyes over them and saw that one of them was a cook who was covering his mouth with his hand and had a nosebleed. Pointing his horsewhip at him, he shouted, "You speak!"
The cook's face was covered in blood as he reported, "Middle Commander, we originally wanted to go to the southern city to play and then return to the barracks. We didn't expect to meet the Jin Wu Guards and they purposely bumped into us. We only cursed them once and they swarmed us and beat us up. We beg for General to give us justice!"
Yang Fan's face was as dark as water as he coldly asked, "They beat you, and you are going to let them beat you up?"
The cook replied, "They patrol the streets with ten to twenty people, which is several times more than me. Moreover …"
"Moreover what?"
The cook lowered his head under Yang Fan's stare and said, "Moreover, they are led by a Right Street Patrol Envoy. His rank is much higher than mine. This lowly one … does not dare to resist!"
"Ha!"
Yang Fan laughed and lightly slapped the horsewhip in his palm a few times. He suddenly shouted, "Men!"
Behind Yang Fan were seven to eight soldiers. Immediately, with a roar, Yang Fan pointed his horsewhip forward and shouted, "Each of you will be punished with ten strokes of the cane. Beat them for me!"
"Yes!"
The soldiers only cared about obeying the general's order. They jumped off their horses and went to the roadside shops to search for two large sticks. They pressed the soldiers who had just been beaten to the ground. The soldiers did not dare to resist and gritted their teeth as they received the punishment. After a round of beating, Yang Fan asked, "Do you know why this official beat you?"
The cook's hands were on the ground as he gritted his teeth and said, "I know! This lowly one did not immediately return to the barracks after leaving my post and violated the law by wandering the streets … "
"Nonsense! Think again! "
The cook was originally sullen but after hearing Yang Fan's scolding, he couldn't help but be startled. After thinking for a while, he stuttered, "It's … it's because this lowly one had a conflict with the Jin Wu Guards. We fought on the streets and violated …"
Yang Fan slightly leaned forward and stared into his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "This official beat you for one reason! Remember this! Because you have embarrassed Qian Qi! "
"Ah?" The cook lay on the ground and raised his head to look at Yang Fan with a stunned expression.
Yang Fan used the horsewhip like a sword and pointed it at him. He shouted, "Who are you? You are Qian Qi, the Emperor's personal guard! Other than the Emperor, who can beat you? You have been beaten and even the Emperor will be humiliated because of you! Remember this, whoever wants to bully you, go find them yourself. Don't come crying to me like a girl. I don't like it! "
The cook's face immediately turned red. He forcefully nodded his head and shouted, "This lowly one will remember!"
Yang Fan coldly looked at the soldiers who had just received the beating and said lightly, "He has a lot of people. Don't you have brothers? If you can't beat him with fewer people, go find your brothers for help. Do you need me to teach you this? What a bunch of idiots! "
Yang Fan turned his horse and walked past them. He only left behind a sentence, "Don't embarrass Qian Qi! No matter how big the matter is, I will bear it! "
A few of the Qian Qi soldiers who were beaten looked at Yang Fan's receding figure and felt their blood boil. It was until Yang Fan's figure disappeared at the end of the street that the cook jumped up. He forcefully wiped the blood from his nose and looked ferocious. He raised his arms and shouted, "Brothers, return to camp. They have a lot of people. Don't we have brothers?"
"Yes! Return to camp! " A few of the soldiers who were beaten got up. They no longer limped and their legs were no longer limping. They rushed towards the north of the city. They were all family. The soldiers had held back when they were beating them. They would not really beat them.
Pei Jun Ma followed behind Yang Fan and asked with concern, "The Great General of Jin Wu Guards is the King of Hanoi. Will he …"
Yang Fan said, "In this official's heart, there is only the Emperor!"
Yang Fan was not a reckless man. Yesterday he saved Pei Jun Ma and beat up Wei Jun Ma, making enemies with the Li family. Early this morning, Wu Sansi found an excuse to send him a jar of Persian 'Sanle Juice', a jar of Arabian 'Malang Wine' and a jar of the highest quality 'Jiannan Roasted Spring'.
Wu Sansi's intention was very obvious. With him around, what big trouble could happen?
Asking his brothers to retaliate was not only to regain their face and to help him regain his face. Why are soldiers as close as brothers and have such amazing cohesiveness? Why are soldiers loyal to their general and follow his orders? For these hot-blooded men, the most effective way to fight against the outsiders was to group up and fight with them.
Pei Jun Ma saw Yang Fan's imposing manner and was extremely envious. He could not help but exclaim in admiration, "Older Brother is so impressive. When can Younger Brother be as overbearing as you? Only then will I not be a man in vain. "
Yang Fan thought, "I'm afraid what you want the most is to be a husband. It's a pity that you married such a domineering wife and have a royal family. Don't even think about it in this lifetime." But he said, "It's just a habit of martial artists. What's there to be envious of? When Younger Brother becomes the governor of a region, you will be able to govern the people, recruit talents, adjudicate cases, investigate traitors, appoint and dismiss officials. With a frown, hundreds of officials will bow down. With a raise of your hand, tens of thousands of people will worship you. That is truly domineering and awe-inspiring! "
When Pei Jun Ma heard this, he was extremely fascinated.
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