Longzang

Chapter 73 An old friend comes

Wei Yuan suppressed his rising anger, knowing that beating around the bush was useless, and said coldly, "I'm afraid it's not as the general says, is it? Shayang Village is only a few dozen miles away. Couldn't you just send one or two trusted men to take a look? Three hundred militiamen have been fighting for months and haven't seen a penny of food or pay. This just doesn't make sense! Even if the general has personal grudges, shouldn't he put them aside when it comes to the lives of the people?"

Liao Jingwu was immediately enraged, his eyebrows furrowing as he roared, "How could I be the kind of person to let personal matters interfere with public duty! I face thousands of Liao barbarian cavalry every day, how could I have time to concern myself with the trivial matters of a few farmers? If I had to make a trip for such a small matter, and the Liao barbarians happened to arrive, could you bear the responsibility? If you weren't a disciple of the Taichu Palace, I could execute you without consulting you just for slandering me! Go do what you're supposed to do, and you'd better stay put and guard your own little corner of the land!"

Wei Yuan hadn't expected that Liao, the military advisor, would turn on him so suddenly, knowing that Fang Hetong had offended him deeply.

Since they couldn't see eye to eye, Wei Yuan didn't hold back and said coldly, "My Taichu Palace has arrived, and we can handle the military supplies and provisions ourselves. But since General Liao doesn't intend to resolve this with you, then this matter won't go away. I will go up the chain of command, and someone will eventually be able to solve it."

Having said that, Liao Jingwu dropped the pretense and sneered, "Go ahead and sue, let's see where you can go! Let me tell you the truth, everyone in Ning County, from top to bottom, is surnamed Xu! Even in your Taichu Palace, there are many people surnamed Xu. Besides, no matter where you sue, the imperial laws are there. Based on the discrepancies in the list and the inclusion of the elderly and weak, I simply won't approve it. What can you do? Change the laws? If you want me to approve it, there's only one way: have that guy surnamed Fang come and kowtow to me to beg for forgiveness! Nothing else works! Since you intend to sue up the chain of command, you must be very busy. Then this general won't keep you any longer. Guards, please escort the Immortal Master out!"

Having said all that, there was no need to discuss it further, so Wei Yuan got up and left.

After Wei Yuan left, Liao Jingwu's anger suddenly vanished. A captain beside him said, "General, that kid is, after all, a disciple of the Taichu Palace. If he goes back and talks nonsense to his master, he might get into trouble."

Liao Jingwu snorted and sneered, "What trouble is there? These people are just here to hone their skills and get some experience; they'll be gone in no time. Besides, I'm not without connections. Even if the Taichu Palace comes to investigate, it'll just be a minor matter of taking a few bribes. I have plenty of military merits, enough to protect myself. What can they do to me? As for that stubborn mule Fang Hetong, I can easily find seven or eight faults in him. Even if he kneels down and begs me, I still won't approve! Sooner or later, I'll kill him, and he won't even know how he died!"

Wei Yuan returned to Shayang Village, his heart filled with resentment. Both Ren Youwei and Liao Jingwu offered plausible excuses, using the law as a shield. Even if Wei Yuan was well-versed in history, it wouldn't help. To resolve the current situation, what he needed wasn't knowledge of the law, but rather powerful connections and influence.

After making this trip, Wei Yuan finally realized that he couldn't rely on the local government. In fact, with the Taichu Palace as a backer, food and supplies were not a problem. Wei Yuan only came here to seek justice for the three hundred militiamen, but he didn't expect to not only fail to get justice but also suffer a lot of resentment.

With enough food to last for half a month, Wei Yuan planned to exchange all the Liao barbarian heads for military supplies when the Taichu Palace supply ship arrived in a couple of days. Ren Youwei and Liao Jingwu wouldn't receive any rations or pay; Wei Yuan would provide them himself. As for the extra money from the difference in the head count, Wei Yuan couldn't control other places, but at least at this crucial juncture in Quyang County, those people would never be able to get a penny from now on.

There's a saying that cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. Now, all Wei Yuan can do is make those people know there's money here but they can't earn it, even though they used to be able to make money this way. Besides that, Wei Yuan also plans to make a big show of it, collect more heads when handing them over, and maybe even invite the county magistrate or the county assistant to witness the ceremony.

Although historical records cannot grant Wei Yuan power, they do contain many of his disgusting methods.

Wei Yuan had just returned to Shayang Village when he suddenly saw dust billowing in the distance, and a troop of knights galloping towards him. The sound of their hooves was like thunder; they must be human knights.

In the blink of an eye, a dozen riders arrived at the foot of Shayang Village. These knights were all clad in dark blue armor, and surprisingly, each one had reached the Great Perfection of Body Refinement. Two of them, with red tassels on their heads, were even Foundation Establishment cultivators. The riders surrounded a handsome, spirited young general, like stars around the moon. The young general arrived at the village entrance and called out loudly, "May I ask if this is the defense zone of Brother Wei Yuan of the Taichu Palace? Is Brother Wei here?"

Wei Yuan climbed the city wall and said, "I am Wei Yuan. May I ask which senior brother has come?"

The young general's eyes lit up, and without making a move, he leaped up and landed in front of Wei Yuan. His armor was pale gold, with an ancient yet understated style, and his aura was deep and mysterious, clearly a top-grade magic weapon. His magical power was also vast and boundless, majestic and imposing. A cluster of brilliant golden light shone from between his brows, indicating that he was not an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, but rather a Heavenly Rank cultivator or even higher.

He looked Wei Yuan up and down, a smile slowly spreading across his lips. He said, "Wei Yuan! It really is you! I am Li Zhi. It's been ten years since we parted in Fengyuan County!"

In a daze, Wei Yuan remembered the boy who couldn't recite a poem on his deathbed.

After many years, Li Zhi had grown into a handsome man, now only half a head shorter than Wei Yuan, and considered tall even among ordinary people. Wei Yuan was naturally very happy to see his old friend visit. He ordered his men to let Li Zhi's subordinates into the village, and then sat down with Li Zhi in the ancestral hall, with Fang Hetong also coming out to keep them company.

Speaking of which, Li Zhi had just arrived at the front line yesterday. His defense zone was a county away, but when he heard that Wei Yuan was nearby, he made a special trip to meet him early this morning.

After settling down in the ancestral hall, Li Zhi smiled and said, "Brother Wei, you're in a bit of an awkward situation here."

Wei Yuan sighed, "I'm not afraid of being in dire straits, but I've just seen the local government. In comparison, I'd much rather deal with the Northern Liao."

"Oh? What exactly happened?"

Wei Yuan, feeling frustrated, briefly recounted his experiences over the past two days. Li Zhi listened and laughed, "Brother Wei, being in the Taichu Palace, high above everyone else, you've never dealt with these low-ranking officials before, so naturally you can't outmaneuver them. To deal with these seasoned bureaucrats, you can't follow their rules. This matter is simple; just leave it to me."

Li Zhi had one of the Daoji captains who was following him bring over a stack of invitations. He picked one out and instructed, "Send someone to the Quyang County government office and tell them that I will be attending Lord Sun's banquet tonight, and two of my elder brothers will be going with me."

After the captain left the ancestral hall, Li Zhi laughed and said, "I just arrived yesterday, and all the officials, big and small, in the prefecture have sent me invitations. It just so happens that we've come across Brother Wei and Brother Fang's matter, so let's go eat with Magistrate Sun Chaoen of Quyang County tonight and take care of Brother Fang's matter while we're at it."

(End of this chapter)