The atmosphere at the scene was extremely stifling. It was as if there was a huge vital energy whirlpool in the sky that was slowly pressing down.
Fang Yun jumped down from the carriage and looked at the people in front of him with his hands behind his back.
Fang Yun scanned everyone carefully, verifying their appearances and the portraits in the intelligence reports. He quickly grasped the details of these people.
Before coming here, Fang Yun had already made preparations. However, when he arrived, he realized that the situation was much more complicated than he had imagined!
The Pearl River Army had a total of two hundred thousand soldiers. They were divided into the middle, front, rear, left, and right armies. Each army was led by a Hanlin general.
Today, all five Hanlin generals were present and stood at the front of the welcoming party. However, only the front and middle generals saluted him in the end!
This wasn't the most serious matter.
Each army had forty thousand soldiers. Under the five generals, every ten thousand soldiers would be led by a fourth-rank Jinshi general. There were twenty of them in total.
However, only six out of the twenty Jinshi generals saluted him!
The left, right, and rear generals didn't salute Fang Yun in the beginning. Therefore, it was normal for their Jinshi generals to not salute him.
However, the General of the Front Army and the General of the Middle Army, the two Hanlin Army generals, had clearly saluted. However, among the Jinshi generals under their command, there was one who did not salute!
This was a very bad sign. Even if the Front General and Middle General supported him, the two of them would not be able to completely control the 80,000 people.
Out of the two hundred thousand Pearl River Army soldiers, only sixty thousand could truly support the Marquis of Zhujiang!
Fang Yun took a deep breath to calm his emotions. This fact was somewhat shocking. Ten years ago, the Pearl River Army was impenetrable. But in the past ten years, all the generals who were related to the Marquis of Pearl River by marriage and were part of the Nine Clans and Five Uniforms were transferred away. There were also some who chose to leave to protect themselves. There were also a few generals who stayed in the army but had already pledged their allegiance to other major families.
Currently, more than half of the Pearl River Army were new generals who had been transferred in the past ten years.
Fang Yun finally realized that the Marquis of Zhujiang's power only existed in name. Even if he became a Grand Scholar, there were only sixty thousand people who would listen to him. The rest would only listen to Marquis Lumen.
"The test of the Ninth Mountain is indeed difficult!" Fang Yun frowned.
Many thoughts flashed through Fang Yun's mind. In the end, he sighed deliberately and looked at the generals in front of him with melancholy. "Everyone, long time no see."
Some of the generals were excited, some of them were expressionless, and a few of them had complicated expressions. It was as if he was reminiscing, as if he was ashamed.
"Uncle Qing Feng, Uncle Li, this nephew … is back again!" After Fang Yun finished speaking, he straightened his chest and his eyes shot out a brilliant light.
Zhang Qingfeng, the general of the Middle Army, was a friend of Zhang Wankong. He had once taught Zhang Longxiang calligraphy.
...... Zhang Wankong had saved his life before, so he was a typical fierce general. He had never been one to play any tricks. A few years ago, the King Of Chu wanted to transfer him away. In the end, Wang Li said in front of all the civil and military officials that if anyone dared to transfer him away from the Pearl River Army, he would leave Chu and become an official in the Zhou Empire.
Kong Shengwen was still in the Zhou Empire. The Emperor of Zhou was still the nominal ruler of the literary world. The monarchs of the seven countries were still subjects conferred by the Emperor of Zhou. Every monarch had to be conferred a title by the Emperor of Zhou.
If Wang Li went to the Zhou Empire, it would not be considered treason. But it was no different from treason. It would have a great impact on Chu. However, the King Of Chu could not do anything about it, so he could only keep Wang Li in the Pearl River Army.
The two old generals had white hair. Zhang Qingfeng was extremely calm and only nodded gently.
Wang Li's eyes were moist and red. "Good, it's good that you're back!"
Fang Yun sighed inwardly. These two generals were Zhang Wankong's sworn friends, but they didn't dare to be too enthusiastic upon seeing him. It was clear how deep their influence was back then. It was also clear how powerful the Marquis of Zhujiang's enemies were.
Marquis Lumen said coldly, "The war is urgent. Let's skip the formalities. Follow me to the Pearl River Army's main camp. The generals will work together to formulate a plan to recapture Lotus Mountain Pass!"
Zhang Qingfeng cupped his hands and said, "Sire Marquis Lumen, please advise us. Our Pearl River Army will follow the Marquis of Zhujiang, or will we listen to your orders?"
"Take a look for yourself!" Marquis Lumen took out a scroll of the King's Decree from a Hubei and handed it to Wei Changxian.
Wei Changxian held the King Of Chu's Decree with both hands and handed it over to Zhang Qingfeng.
The people of Kong Shengwen rarely knelt and there was no imperial edict either. Zhang Qingfeng only received the decree with both hands and looked it over carefully. He nodded and said, "Since the King Of Chu has ordered you to lead the Pearl River, Mount Qishan, and Lumen armies, then this lowly official will naturally obey. However, since the King Of Chu hasn't deposed the Marquis of Zhujiang, then Zhang Longxiang can lead an army of ten thousand men in the Pearl River Army. You will also have the authority to discuss official matters. "
Fang Yun felt a warmth in his heart. This Zhang Qingfeng was indeed one of his own people. As soon as they met, he immediately exercised his authority. He didn't want Marquis Lumen to leave him a general without an army like he did on the way here. If he did that, he would definitely anger Marquis Lumen. However, Zhang Qingfeng unexpectedly didn't show any fear and argued for what was right. He was truly a model scholar.
Marquis Lumen coldly snorted and said, "The Old Man is the commander of the three armies. You only need to listen to his orders. You have no right to interfere!"
"A country has its laws, and an army has its rules. Even if the King Of Chu is here in person, he still has to abide by the law!" Wang Li took half a step forward and looked directly at Marquis Lumen.
The rest of the Pearl River Army remained silent.
"Impudent! Are you all trying to rebel?" Wei Changxian was furious.
Fang Yun glanced at Wei Changxian. Previously, he thought that this person was shallow and cunning. Now that he thought about it, this person's vile actions were actually to cater to Marquis Lumen. For example, he was shouting now. On the surface, he looked like an easily angered and ignorant person, but in reality, he was testing Marquis Lumen's bottom line on behalf of Marquis Lumen. He was also expressing Marquis Lumen's attitude. Moreover, Marquis Lumen didn't need to say anything. No matter what the result was, Marquis Lumen would be able to advance or retreat freely and retain his authority and face.
Fang Yun sighed inwardly. His experience was ultimately lacking compared to these people. Only now did he understand the role of people like Wei Changxian. He had met many of them before, but they were all shallow and despicable at that time. Now, it seemed that this was a way to survive. It wasn't all that noble, but it wasn't despicable either. They were just serving their own masters.
Zhang Qingfeng cupped his hands and said, "Sir Marquis Lumen, please reconsider!"
Wei Changxian angrily said, "Sir Zhang, aren't you afraid that the Marshal will replace you?"
"If there is an order from the King Of Chu, this one will naturally obey." Zhang Qingfeng said indifferently.
Wei Changxian secretly glanced at Marquis Lumen.
Marquis Lumen nodded and said, "Previously, I didn't allow nephew Long Xiang to participate in the battle. Apart from being concerned about his identity, it was mainly because I was worried about his safety. After all, he has been imprisoned for ten years. It is unknown how much strength he still has. Since he has arrived in Pearl City, and he is the current Marquis Lumen, he can naturally lead an army. For these days, there is no need to trouble him to fight. Since his literary talent is so good, he can be in charge of handling official documents. "
Zhang Qingfeng and Wang Li's expression stiffened. Then, they revealed a helpless and bitter expression.
Fang Yun smiled and said, "Thank you, Sir Marquis Lumen."
Fang Yun sighed inwardly. As expected of an old fox. He was the Marquis of Zhujiang, and this was Pearl City. If Marquis Lumen didn't arrange matters for him, there would definitely be a large number of soldiers and civilians who would be dissatisfied. Arranging for him to handle official documents was simply killing three birds with one stone.
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