“Sit, have some tea.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Zheng Fan sat down on the chair but didn’t pick up the teacup.

“Dragon Well tea from Qian, have a taste.”

Zheng Fan shook his head and said,

“My Lord, drinking tea right after a meal is bad for the stomach.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Lord Jingnan put down his teacup,

said:

“Now that you’ve joined the army, you’re still concerned about your health?”

“Reporting to my Lord, I joined the army to expand our Great Yan’s territory. Maintaining my health is so I can witness our Great Yan’s prosperous age after the expansion.”

“Prepare the ink for me.”

“As you command, Sir.”

“I’m writing a letter to Wei Zhonghe; the Directorate of Ceremonial lacks talent like you.”

“…………” Zheng Fan.

Seeing Zheng Fan’s awkward expression, Lord Jingnan waved his hand and said,

“Sit, it’s nothing serious. Being able to speak nicely is also a skill. Besides, in terms of horsemanship and leading troops, you, Commandant Zheng, are no worse than anyone else.”

“My Lord, you flatter me. I still have much to learn from you.”

“Chen, a wandering swordsman from Qian, rumored in the martial world to be a natural sword prodigy, learning swordsmanship on his own. After reaching adulthood, he visited the Sword Pavilion of Jin and kowtowed at the Sword Tomb of Daze in Chu.

His own cultivation is probably above the sixth rank. After he took you hostage, he went straight to Green Willow Fort, only to be repelled by the barbarian cavalry within your fort.

I am curious as to why he went to Green Willow Fort with you?”

“My Lord, I have already investigated this matter and reported it to the Secret Intelligence Division yesterday.”

“I’ve seen it. What I don’t understand is that he didn’t kill you and actually accompanied you to Green Willow Fort.”

Zheng Fan hesitated for a moment,

and replied:

“Reporting to my Lord, he’s stupid.”

“How so?”

Zheng Fan pointed to his forehead,

and said:

“That hero has a problem here.”

“Lacking in worldly wisdom, naive?”

“My Lord is spot on.”

Having learned the art of flattery from practice with Blindman and the others, Zheng Fan was particularly skilled when he needed to use it.

“Then it seems he really is a sword fanatic.”

“Yes, my Lord, otherwise I wouldn’t be seeing you today.”

“Presumably, you also know the identities of the other two groups of assassins?”

“I do. The Sixth Prince arranged a contact person in my fort.”

Lord Jingnan didn’t seem particularly sensitive about this. Zheng Fan spoke frankly, and Lord Jingnan listened as if it were nothing.

“Aren’t you and Xu Wenzu supposed to be at odds in Tiger Head City?”

“Being strangers in a foreign land, when someone from home comes, you naturally want to greet them.”

“Being strangers in a foreign land, that sounds good, but I don’t believe it.”

“My Lord is wise. When I heard that Lord Xu had become my superior, I was so scared that I rushed to the post station to wait and beg for forgiveness.”

“Hehe, alright. Come with me to the capital in three days. Go back and rest.”

“As you command, Sir!”

“By the way, give Xu Wenzu a message: on the day I enter the capital in three days, the Jingnan Army will withdraw from Nanwang City.”

“I understand, Sir.”

Zheng Fan walked out of the room, and Dujuan followed him, saying to Zheng Fan:

“Lord Zheng, please come before noon in three days.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Sister Dujuan.”

Dujuan returned to the room,

“He’s gone?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Mm.”

“My Lord, this Commandant Zheng is quite interesting, a thoughtful man.”

“Are you trying to put in a good word for him?”

“My Lord, although I have followed you, I am not skilled in needlework. All I know is what I learned from the Secret Intelligence Division.”

Lord Jingnan picked up his teacup,

took a sip of tea,

and slowly said:

“Still water is naturally pure; great rivers do not refuse mud and sand.”

……

Leaving the residence where Lord Jingnan lived, Zheng Fan and Ah Ming walked together towards the Garrison General’s office.

The Garrison General’s office was still the same Garrison General’s office. Many people had died there a little over a month ago, but Xu Wenzu had specifically chosen to live there.

Perhaps what Xu Wenzu wanted was to convey his attitude in this way, but it was clear from the desolation at the entrance of the Garrison General’s office,

that the true decision-maker in this city was that Lord.

Xu Wenzu had been waiting for Zheng Fan for a long time and had learned from Liang Cheng that Zheng Fan had gone to see Lord Jingnan at his request today.

When Zheng Fan arrived, Xu Wenzu immediately invited Zheng Fan into his study.

The study seemed a bit empty, and the desk was a bit messy.

Xu Wenzu didn’t call for tea. Instead, he heavily closed the door, then picked up the inkstone and other items on the table and smashed them hard on the ground,

shouting three times:

“Outrageous! Outrageous! Outrageous!”

Zheng Fan silently stood to the side, watching Xu Wenzu act.

After smashing the items, Xu Wenzu walked to the bookshelf, took down a box, and took out a persimmon cake from it, handing it to Zheng Fan.

“Eat, I brought it from the north.”

The persimmon cake was also coated with honey.

Zheng Fan reached out, took it, and took a bite, chewing as he said:

“Lord Jingnan asked me to bring a message to you, Sir.”

“Speak, what instructions does Lord Jingnan have?”

“Cough cough……”

Zheng Fan coughed a few times. Without being polite, he found a chair and sat down. Xu Wenzu knew he was injured, so he pulled a chair over and sat down next to Zheng Fan.

“Lord Jingnan said that he will enter the capital in three days, and on that day, the Jingnan Army will also withdraw from Nanwang City.”

“Whew…” Xu Wenzu let out a long sigh.

Obviously, this sentence had relieved a lot of pressure.

The previous one had died inexplicably, an assassination attempt had occurred at the funeral, and he had encountered an ambush on his way to take office. After entering Nanwang City, everything in the city was according to Lord Jingnan’s wishes. This Garrison General of his was completely a figurehead.

Now that was good. After the Jingnan Army withdrew from Nanwang City, he could finally regain some of his authority.

“Also, my Lord said he would take me with him to the capital.”

“Take you with him to the capital?”

“Yes.”

“The capital is a place of great turmoil right now. The court is in an uproar over whether to fight or make peace. You are just a commandant, yet you have stirred up so much trouble. After entering the capital, someone will definitely make trouble for you.”

The current grand secretary's alma mater had been smashed by him; how could this trouble be small?

“It’s alright. Since Lord Jingnan is taking me to the capital, he can’t just watch me get killed by them, right?”

“You brat.”

Xu Wenzu reached out and patted Zheng Fan’s shoulder.

Yesterday, after learning that Zheng Fan had woken up, Xu Wenzu went to Green Willow Fort and knelt before Zheng Fan. After that kneeling, the two had agreed to address each other as "brothers" in the future.

So, in front of this deep-sea comrade, Zheng Fan could relax a bit.

This was Nanwang City, after all, not Tiger Head City.

To put it nicely, his revolutionary friendship with his deep-sea comrade had been further deepened; to put it realistically, Xu Wenzu was no longer the Commissioner of Pacification in Tiger Head City who could overrule the county magistrate with a single word. Although his official position was higher, his voice was much smaller.

Moreover, Zheng Fan had also boarded Lord Jingnan’s ship.

“Lord Jingnan is not a hereditary peer, and his foundation is indeed far inferior to our Zhenbei Marquis’s manor, but this generation of Lord Jingnan is the Empress’s younger brother and the future Crown Prince’s uncle. He is also deeply appreciated by His Majesty. Now that you have gained his favor, your future is limitless.”

“Old Brother, are you testing me?”

“Ah, where is there any testing? I have nothing to hide from you. Come and take a look at these.”

Xu Wenzu took the initiative to pull Zheng Fan up to his desk,

“Look at these, these, and these.”

“They’re all official documents for repairing the forts?”

“That’s right, sent by the Ministry of Works. The official documents from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War are below.”

“Oh.”

“It seems my brother knew this already?”

Zheng Fan really wanted to ask what he knew, but he pretended to be deep in thought and responded with a sound.

“That’s right. You must have arrived at the post station early that day to inform me of these, right?”

Zheng Fan continued to ponder, nodding slightly.

Deep-sea comrade, please continue your imagination.

“Yesterday, I was in a hurry, and you had just woken up, so I was too embarrassed to discuss official matters with you. Actually, I was still wondering why I was suddenly transferred to the south to serve as Garrison General. I once thought that the court had seen through my disguise and deliberately transferred me away from Beifeng Commandery.

But it wasn’t until I saw these official documents that I realized that this war is likely not going to happen.”

Because there was no reason for the court to prepare to go to war with the Zhenbei Army, and instead, it started throwing materials and energy to its southern border to build new forts and new cities.

Even saying that they were worried that the Qian people would take advantage of the internal war in Yan to invade and benefit from it didn't make sense, because the Yan people’s forts and cities were never meant for defense.

The theme of the Yan army had always been offense, relying on the Yan people’s most proud iron cavalry to crush the enemy on the battlefield, rather than shrinking into forts and playing a war of attrition with the Qian people.

To put it realistically, Yan really couldn't afford this kind of war of attrition.

“The construction of these forts and cities is a preparation,” Zheng Fan said.

“Yes, it’s to prepare to receive more troops, and to store more grain, weapons, and other supplies.”

In fact, when Qin Shi Huang first built the Great Wall, he thought of using it as an advanced base for proactively attacking the Xiongnu, but later generations were a bit useless and turned the Great Wall into a turtle shell.

“The official documents from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War have promised me ten commandants’ positions, and the funds and laborers from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue will also arrive after the spring.

These are not fake, nor are they just going through the motions. The only problem is that these official documents are not official decrees.”

Not going through official decrees meant that these official documents seemingly had the endorsements of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and other departments, but in reality, these departments might not know about this at all.

However, the official documents had the red endorsement of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the seal of the Yan Emperor, and they were also sent through the Secret Intelligence Division, which proved that these documents and instructions came from the Yan Emperor and were not the result of discussions with court officials.

This was not the posture of preparing for a civil war at all.

This was clearly preparing to go south!

Zheng Fan took a deep breath. Blindman Bei's and his own guesses had finally been verified.

The Zhenbei Marquis and the Yan Emperor were indeed acting.

Zheng Fan turned to look at Xu Wenzu and said:

“Old Brother, you should do the preparatory work first, and then work steadily after the spring.”

“Do I need you to teach me that? Although I, Xu Wenzu, am loyal to the Zhenbei Marquis’s manor, I am also a Yan person.”

Xu Wenzu was clearly dissatisfied with Zheng Fan’s reminder.

Internally, he was definitely on the side of the Zhenbei Marquis’s manor.

But externally,

he was definitely on the side of Yan.

This was the difference between political and national stance, and the former was naturally subordinate to the latter.

“Actually, to be honest with you, I was a bit puzzled when the Princess initially dispatched me to the south.”

“Yes, I thought at the time that the Princess wanted to leave a way out for the Marquis’s manor and let you go and manage it first.”

“Alas, I didn’t expect it,” Zheng Fan shook his head and sighed, “Our Marquis’s breadth of mind is truly vast.”

“That’s natural. By the way, you approached Lord Jingnan, could it also be because…?”

“It was our Marquis who gave Lord Jingnan a heads-up.”

“No wonder, no wonder.”

Zheng Fan really felt that chatting with Xu Fatty was so easy. Xu Fatty’s ability to imagine things completely relieved him of the need to think of any reasons; he would actively provide them for you.

“Then a month ago, you proactively went to Qian, was that also…?”

“It was to scout the way,” Zheng Fan said very seriously, “Also to feel out Qian’s true strength, just like what you’re doing, Old Brother, to prepare for going south.

We are both northerners, and now we’ve both been dispatched to the south. This is a signal. It might not be long, at most half a year, before our Zhenbei Army will also come here.”

“Hehe, that would be such an uplifting thing.”

Xu Wenzu, after being injected with a dose of patriotism and nationalism, seemed very excited.

No matter how mature an official or politician is, they can’t avoid the temptation of territorial expansion.

Everyone wants to be remembered in history, everyone wants to live in an era of expansion,

If there was a choice, who would want to play office politics with a gloomy face all day long?

“By the way, about the assassination attempt on me… no, on you that day, you know some details, right?”

“I know, but I still can’t figure out who wanted to kill me.”

“Most likely, you’re just a pawn, or just a target to indirectly strike at someone else.”

“I don’t really like that metaphor.”

“I can’t guess who wanted to use you as that target, but I’m sure that those assassins really didn’t want to kill me.”

“Mm.”

“However, I still cooperated with Lord Jingnan to play out our discord. After entering Nanwang City, I haven’t gone to see that Lord.”

“Lord Jingnan should be aware of it.”

“Hopefully, but many times, people’s minds can change, and Lord Jingnan’s position is naturally different from ours.”

“Why?”

“Lord Jingnan, Tian Wujing, is from the Tian family. Although the Tian family isn’t one of the top families in our Great Yan, they are the leaders among the second-tier families. The Tian family probably wouldn’t be in the top five, but if we ranked ten, then the Tian family could definitely secure a spot. Moreover, the current Empress is a daughter of the Tian family, and the future Crown Prince also has half of the Tian family’s blood. It can be said that in terms of nobility, the Tian family is the first among the great clans.

Our Zhenbei Marquis’s manor doesn’t have many descendants. Our Marquis only has one son and one daughter. But the Tian family is a large and prosperous family, a truly great clan.

Tell me, Your Majesty and our Marquis have made such a big scene, but it looks like it won’t really lead to a fight. So, who is their target?”

Xu Fatty’s political acumen shocked Zheng Fan.

He had the early spoilers from the Sixth Prince and the bug that was Blindman to analyze things, which allowed him to reach this conclusion, but Xu Wenzu had already begun to see the future trend of development clearly.

At this time, the wind seemed to pick up outside, and the door of the study began to make slight rubbing noises.

Xu Wenzu sighed and said:

“The door of my study is too broken. I wanted to tear it down the first day I moved in.”

“Sir, I don’t think these are things we need to worry about.”

He had called him "Old Brother" earlier, but now he was calling him "Sir."

“I don’t need to worry about anything anyway, I’m in the south, and my family has long severed ties with the main branch three generations ago.

But you’re different,

Lord Jingnan is entering the capital this time, and it’s really hard to say what will……”

Zheng Fan suddenly felt that the temperature had dropped again, probably because his body was too weak after being injured.

“The Tian family’s old master had his seventieth birthday recently, but Lord Jingnan didn’t return to the capital to celebrate with his own father. This time it’s the Empress’s birthday, but the court issued an edict allowing Lord Jingnan to enter the capital to celebrate.

Although the Empress has a noble status, in the way of human relations, how can there be a saying that one doesn’t celebrate his own father’s birthday but specially celebrates his own sister’s birthday?”

“Mm… yes.”

“But it’s okay, our Marquis is also in the capital. No matter what happens, our Marquis will protect his own people. No matter how much that Lord Jingnan and his Tian family make trouble, it has nothing to do with our Zhenbei Marquis’s manor. Our Marquis is the most protective of his own people.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

The Zhenbei Marquis hasn’t even met me, how will he protect me?

“But Lord Jingnan is indeed skilled in governing the army. I checked the records and didn’t find a single record of the Jingnan Army harassing the people in the city after entering the city.”

“Maybe they were erased?”

“Words can be erased, but the Jingnan Army’s discipline is the best I’ve seen in my half-life of military service.”

“Not even our Zhenbei Army can compare?”

“Our Zhenbei Army is the best in terms of discipline in battle, but as for other things, you’ve seen how ruthlessly our Zhenbei Army plunders the desert barbarian tribes.

This Jingnan Army has seen less blood, after all.”

“That’s true.”

After chatting with Xu Wenzu, Zheng Fan walked out of his study with a box of persimmon cakes in his arms. After reuniting with Si Niang and the others in the backyard, he boarded the carriage and left the Garrison General’s office.

On the way back, Zheng Fan told Si Niang and the others that he was going to enter the capital with Lord Jingnan.

Contrary to what Zheng Fan had expected,

Si Niang didn’t seem to care about the risks of entering the capital at all.

Women’s points of interest were always so strange.

Si Niang actually asked directly:

“So, Master will soon be able to see your beloved Little Sixth again.”