Shortly after Fang Er and his group disembarked, they spotted a military encampment south of the city. Fang Er sent Wang Xuance to announce their arrival, and soon Wang Xuance returned with a soldier.
The soldier approached them and bowed respectfully. "This humble one is Dong Qiang, Commander of the Third Regiment of the Wavebreaker Army, Second Division, under the Yangzhou Protectorate. Greetings, Duke!"
Fang Er returned the formal salute of the Tianhuo Army. "Where is Protector Zhang?"
"Reporting to Duke, the Great General is in the city. Shall I lead you there?"
"Very well, let's go." Fang Er nodded slightly.
Dong Qiang led the way, with the others following. Along the route, Fang Er casually inquired about the Yangzhou Protectorate. The new Protectorate was still under construction, and Zhang Gongjin was currently working from a four-courtyard residence. The courtyards were confiscated assets of the Yangzhou Prefecture that had not yet been sold and were allocated to the Protectorate. Yangzhou Prefecture had four military camps located in the east, south, west, and north, housing the reorganized Protectorate Army. Zhang Gongjin had also given distinct names to the forty thousand Protectorate soldiers: the Divine Spear Army, the Invincible Army, the Windrider Army, and the Wavebreaker Army. Fang Er mused that Zhang Gongjin's talent for naming was as poor as his own.
After traveling for some time, entering the south gate of Yangzhou city and navigating through several alleyways, Dong Qiang pointed to a guarded residence ahead. "Duke, this is the temporary Protectorate. Please wait a moment, I will announce your arrival." With that, he quickened his pace to the soldiers outside the residence and whispered a few words. The soldier then promptly opened the large gate and ran inside.
Not long after, Zhang Gongjin emerged with a smile. "Hahahaha! I was wondering why there was such a cheerful chirping by my ear this morning; it turns out to be a magpie! Brother Fang, come quickly and let me hug you! I've missed you dearly!" He spread his arms towards Fang Er with a grin, his expression akin to meeting a lover.
"Brother Zhang, please mind your image. In broad daylight, hugging and embracing like this, what impression does it give!" Fang Er was not in the mood for pleasantries. He was still concerned about the bank matters.
"Alright! No hugging, no hugging. Come, come, let's go into the residence. We must have a good drink today. By the way, you came with your hands empty, didn't you bring any good wine?" Zhang Gongjin took Fang Er's arm and pulled him into the courtyard, grumbling about Fang Er not bringing wine.
Once inside the main hall, they took their seats as guest and host. After settling in, Zhang Gongjin didn't offer tea but simply smiled and looked at Fang Er without speaking. Fang Er, feeling helpless, pulled a bottle of soda water from his pocket and tossed it over.
"I'm truly impressed by you!"
"Hahahaha, it's good that my brother understands me. Yangzhou is wonderful in every way, except that it doesn't have you, my brother!" Zhang Gongjin laughed as he twisted open the bottle and took a sip.
"Brother Zhang, about the bank..."
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't mention that. Today, we shall eat, drink, play, and enjoy ourselves! No official business!" Fang Er's words were cut short by Zhang Gongjin. He then arranged for eight dancing girls and a group of musicians. They wore sheer gauze, so transparent that their bodies were almost visible. Their graceful figures, accompanied by melodious zither music, danced within the main hall of the Protectorate.
Glancing at the sky, which was approaching dusk, Fang Er, who had been holding back all day, could no longer contain himself. "Crack!" He slammed a teacup onto the floor, shattering it. He stood up and glared at Zhang Gongjin, roaring, "Zhang Gongjin! At a time like this, you still have the leisure to watch dancing girls? Aren't you worried about the bank and national debt at all?"
The dancing girls flinched and huddled together, trembling and afraid to speak. Even the zither players nearby quickly muted their strings. By rank, Fang Er was only a County Duke, one level below Zhang Gongjin. By age, Zhang Gongjin was comparable to Chai Shao. However, despite Fang Er's impolite outburst and direct use of his name, Zhang Gongjin merely smiled. He first addressed the dancing girls: "Don't stop! Continue the music! Continue the dance!" Once the dancing girls resumed their performance, he chuckled and looked at Fang Er.
"Brother, rest assured, nothing untoward will happen in Yangzhou. I know what you're worried about. But don't forget, I, too, have fought alongside His Majesty. Those petty thieves don't have the skill to cause trouble under my watch! I know your temperament. You're not truly angry about the national debt, nor the bank! You're just resentful that they not only stole the national debt but also killed a thousand of your brothers. Am I correct?"
Fang Er was stunned. Since the incident, he had been suppressing his rage. He himself couldn't be sure if his anger stemmed from blood vengeance or the national debt. Zhang Gongjin continued, "Put your mind at ease. Brother, I'll say something you might not want to hear: your thousand brothers died a worthy death! Foreign enemies are easy to fight; you conquered nations on your journey without losing so many brothers, right? But internal thieves are difficult to guard against. Using these thousand brothers to lure out the rats hidden underground is far more important than conquering three or two countries. Our Great Tang is changing day by day. The common people have food, and slowly, they are accumulating savings. But do you know that precisely because of this, those hidden rats are also rapidly expanding their influence? For every bit of benefit we give the people, they gain two, three, or even ten times more! They are greedy, biting and bleeding the court and the people. If they could have held back and not jumped out this time, in ten, thirty, or even a hundred years, when we old comrades are gone and the Tang army has grown accustomed to an easy life, and then these rats emerge, imagine what that scene would be like?"
The sky in Yangzhou was already quite warm, but listening to Zhang Gongjin's words, Fang Er couldn't help but shiver. "You're right." He had to admit, what this fellow said had some truth to it. Analyzing the national debt in this way, losing it wasn't truly a loss. Yet, thinking of his thousand brothers, he still couldn't help but feel heartache.
Seeing his somber expression, Zhang Gongjin lit a cigar and offered it to him. "In war, how can there be no casualties! Think of it from another perspective: those thousand brothers are the vanguard sacrificed on the battlefield, the vanguards who lured out those rats. Though it was a tragic loss, every one of them was a true man! Just take good care of their families. I heard that the pensions provided by your Tianhuo Army are even higher than those from the Emperor."
Fang Er silently smoked the cigar, looking at the dancing girls shrouded in smoke. It seemed that Zhang Gongjin's words had indeed eased his heart somewhat.
"Duke, this humble one has a word, I don't know if I should say it." At this moment, Wang Xuance, who had been standing by Fang Er's side, spoke. Zhang Gongjin turned to look at him. This young man was an unfamiliar face, not one of the Yanyun cavalry who had previously protected Fang Er, nor one of the senior officers he knew well.
"What is there to say or not to say? Speak your mind, and I won't blame you." Fang Er also looked at Wang Xuance with curiosity.