Longzang

Chapter 309 If life were just like the first time we met

The atmosphere within the realm seemed to have changed overnight, but there were still a few places that remained the same as before, isolated from the world.

The military camp that housed defeated soldiers and prisoners of war was such a place.

At this time, the camp still held about three thousand people. It had been expanded twice before it was no longer so crowded. Those imprisoned here included Xu's private army, Yue Qilin's former subordinates, Xu Li's direct troops, and a few government soldiers who had been captured.

Due to their different backgrounds, the camp naturally formed several small groups. The Xu family's private army and the various government armies looked down on each other. Although the two factions lived on the same side, they were clearly separated.

By this time, most of Xu's private army and Yue Qilin's former troops had already surrendered to Wei Yuan. The remaining soldiers clung to their righteous cause and reputation, each one proud and arrogant. However, they could not change the fact that most of their comrades had already surrendered, so they were all looked down upon by the other government troops.

Amidst the complex relationships, there is also a particularly clear factional distinction.

At the other end of the camp were several hundred more people, from all walks of life. These people had all already surrendered, and usually they would be taken away immediately after surrendering, but this time, for some reason, there had been no movement for several days after they expressed their willingness to surrender.

Those who refused to surrender naturally viewed the surrender faction as a thorn in their side, wishing they could beat them to a pulp. But the guards, of course, wouldn't allow that to happen. Whenever there was a conflict between the two sides, they would indiscriminately side with the surrender faction, refusing to listen to anything the die-hard loyalists had to say.

In addition, the best spots in the camp were all occupied by the surrendered troops, and the area where four or five hundred people lived was larger than the area for the remaining three thousand people.

The die-hard loyalists were furious beyond measure, and they hurled insults and abuse at the surrender faction. Their curses revolved around the idea that once the imperial army arrived, these bandits would surely meet a terrible end.

On this day, the two sides met in the center of the camp. Dozens of die-hards were spewing vulgarities, which angered the surrender faction, who immediately cursed back. The two sides pushed and shoved each other, and it looked like they were about to fight.

Suddenly, thunderous hoofbeats sounded outside the camp, and dozens of warhorses charged straight into the center of the camp. Without saying a word, the leading knight whipped the loyalists away.

All the loyalists in the camp came out of their tents, gathered together, and stared coldly at the knight, their eyes as if they wanted to devour him!
The camp is about to be blown up!
The knight remained unfazed, acting as if they didn't exist, and ordered his men to gather all the surrendered men in the center of the camp and have them line up.

He walked around in front of the crowd and shouted, "You guys are really lucky, you just surrendered and you already have new clothes to wear! From now on, you are all my subordinates. Anyone who dares to embarrass me, I'll beat them up! Men, issue uniforms!"

At this point, both the die-hard loyalists and the surrender faction were completely bewildered and did not understand what was going on.

Several cavalrymen opened the boxes they had brought and took out sets of brand-new military uniforms, distributing them to the surrender faction. The knight's nose twitched, and he ordered, "Take these guys to get a good wash first, so they don't wear new uniforms while they're still smelling bad."

Just then, a loud shout rang out from the side: "Stop!"

The knight turned his head and saw a seven-foot-tall, fierce-looking man stepping out from the loyalists. He pointed at the uniform and shouted, "Isn't this the uniform of the Great Jin army? Are you really going to rebel?! Aren't you afraid of being exterminated along with your entire family?"

The knight sneered and said, "The Prince of Jin has already appointed the Lord of the Realm as the Military Governor of Dingxi, a high-ranking official of the second rank! We are now officially registered troops in the court, and we are border troops! What else should we wear if not military uniforms? It is you who have repeatedly opposed the Military Governor, that is rebellion! Aren't you afraid of being exterminated along with your entire family?"

The burly man was stunned and could only say, "You're lying, this, this is impossible!"

At this moment, someone from the loyalist faction suddenly rushed out, knelt down with a thud, and said repeatedly, "We have always been loyal to the court, and we are willing to surrender! Ah, no, we are willing to serve the military governor!"

The knight looked at him with disdain and said, "My lord, the army has a limited number of personnel, and you can't just accept anyone! You're only now trying to surrender, but it's too late!"

He spat, glanced at the crowd, and sneered, "A bunch of good-for-nothings, they can't even catch the hot shit."

The surrender faction, holding their new uniforms, looked like roosters eager to display their plumage.

The edge of the shattered lands.

A caravan appeared, slowly making its way along the intermittent road. The dozen or so wagons in the caravan were fully loaded with goods, all very heavy. Their wheels would occasionally get stuck in the mud, requiring the combined efforts of the drivers and guards to push them out and continue their journey.

These trucks look very ordinary, and their built-in weight-reduction array is better than nothing.

A checkpoint appeared ahead of the caravan, with a camp nearby, where hundreds of soldiers were stationed. Upon seeing the caravan in the distance, the soldiers at the checkpoint waved their weapons, signaling them to come forward for inspection.

The caravan manager, a middle-aged man, approached the officer and first slipped him a money pouch.

The officer weighed the money pouch in his hand, put it away, and then said, "Didn't you know that the Prefect had ordered that all merchant caravans were forbidden from traveling north?"

"But I heard that the trade route has been opened..." The middle-aged man stuffed another money bag into his hand.

The officer's expression softened slightly, and he said, "You can go if you want, but you'll have to pay the transit tax."

The caravan manager's heart sank. He asked, "How much is the tax?"

"Leave only half of the cargo on the truck."

The caravan manager was shocked and exclaimed, "Sir, this won't do! These are my life and fortune..."

The officer's face darkened. "Don't be ungrateful! If you don't hand it over, I'll just chop you all up, dump you in the wilderness, and say it was bandits. Who would know?"

The caravan leader was so angry his hands trembled, but looking at the ferocious soldiers, he couldn't utter a word. He couldn't catch his breath and fell backward.

His men rushed to his feet and did a lot of frantic treatment, finally managing to get him back to his senses.

At that moment, the ground shook, and a troop of gleaming cavalry appeared, heading straight for the checkpoint. Upon seeing them, the officer's expression changed drastically, and he drew his sword with a swift motion!

The hundred cavalrymen halted before the checkpoint. One of the knights looked down at the officer and sneered, "You dare draw your sword in front of my Zhan Tian Gang, is that it..."

With a clang, the cavalry leader raised his lance and struck the knight who had spoken out of turn on the head.

The knight, wincing in pain, realized his mistake and quickly changed his tune: "We are the Iron Cavalry of the Shaking Mountains under the command of the Dingxi Military Governor! How dare you draw your swords in front of us? Are you tired of living?" He turned to the cavalry leader and said righteously, "Sir, I think these government troops are of dubious origin! Should we arrest them and interrogate them first?"

The cavalry leader nodded: "Many bandits are now disguised as government troops. These guys are mediocre in martial arts and easily defeated. They might just be bandits in disguise!"

The officer dared not speak out in anger, so he put away his sword and said with a forced smile, "We are here on Lord Yuan's orders to set up a checkpoint and check for illegal activities. We are not bandits!"

The cavalry leader coldly asked, "What proof do you have?"

The officer swallowed his anger, took out the official documents and his badge, and handed them over.

The cavalry leader glanced at it and threw it back, saying, "Who gave you permission to set up a checkpoint here?"

"Naturally, it is Lord Yuan's order."

"Without the order of the military governor, no one may set up a checkpoint!" the cavalry leader said sternly.

The officer said tremblingly, "But... this is not the territory of the military governor!"

The knight leader was taken aback: "Really?"

The knight next to him took out a map, looked at it, and said, "It really is."

The officer had just breathed a sigh of relief when the knight leader pointed at the caravan and said, "That caravan is suspicious. They look like Zhao spies! Men, confiscate the goods and take all the people away for a thorough investigation back to the border!"

The officer was taken aback and said, "Sir, we stopped this caravan first!"

The cavalry leader's face darkened: "I saw it first!"

A moment later, the caravan passed through the checkpoint and continued on its way under the escort of the knights until the checkpoint could no longer be seen.

The knight leader stopped his horse and said, "If you continue along this road, you will reach the border in about three more days."

The caravan leader was shocked and said, "Weren't we supposed to be taken back?"

The cavalry leader smiled and said, "There are no checkpoints in our Jiedushi's territory, and no one can arbitrarily levy taxes or confiscate your goods. Hurry up and leave!"

The caravan manager was extremely grateful and tried repeatedly to bribe him, but to no avail, so he left in despair.

The cavalry leader watched them walk away, then took out a mask, put it on, and said, "Let's go, let's take down that checkpoint."

What about those government troops?

"Arrest them all. I've heard that Lord Yuan is poor; it's good to let him take advantage of his position."

Quliu Town.

The soldiers guarding the town entrance yawned, looking listless. The sky here was dim, the humidity was extremely high, and diseases were rampant, making it quite uncomfortable for people to live there.

It is said that if the northern border expands, the weather here will be better, and these officers and soldiers are all secretly hoping that the border can be covered as soon as possible.

At this moment, the ground began to shake again. The government troops were already like frightened birds. They immediately assumed a fleeing posture before looking into the distance.

Then a large cavalry force appeared at the end of the road, with strong men and powerful horses, banners like a forest, and an imposing aura!

The garrison felt a little dizzy, and after rubbing their eyes carefully, they realized that the approaching cavalrymen did not wear masks and were dressed in Western Jin military uniforms.

Thousands of fierce knights thundered into the town. This time, the guards did not flee, but they did not dare to stop them. They all hid far away and secretly watched.

The cavalry marched all the way to the gate of the prefectural governor's mansion before Wei Yuan stepped out from the cavalry.

The onlookers gasped in astonishment; it was the newly appointed military governor on his inspection tour!
Wei Yuan raised his hand, but before he could knock, the gate of the prefectural government office opened, and several officials of various ranks were already lined up in two rows behind the gate.

Wei Yuan took off his gloves and handed them, along with the riding crop, to the attendant beside him. Looking at the obsequious faces of the officials, he nodded and said, "They're quite sensible."

The officials were all beaming with pride.

Wei Yuan, accompanied by his menacing generals, stepped into the prefectural governor's mansion through the main gate.

A moment later, in the reception hall of the prefectural governor's office, Wei Yuan sat in the center.

To his left were Cui Yu, Xu Yi, Wang Yu, and other scions of prominent families. Cui Yu was currently a general, a fifth-rank official, the same rank as Yuan Qingyan. Wang Yu was a deputy general, and Xu Yi was in charge of the civil affairs within the military governor's office; both were fifth-rank officials, half a rank lower than Yuan Qingyan, but much higher than the other officials in the room.

Yuan Qingyan sat at the head of the table on the right, his face ashen. The officials below him were filled with apprehension.

Wei Yuan picked up his teacup, flicked the tea leaves with the lid, took a sip, then turned to look at Yuan Qingyan with a smile and a friendly expression, and said:

"Young Yuan, it's a pleasure to meet you. How is your home?"

(End of this chapter)