Dugong

Chapter 117 A Master of Military Strategy
Cangshan is like the sea, and the setting sun is like blood.

Two thousand infantrymen stretched for miles, their boots pounding heavily on the official road like muffled thunder, raising clouds of dust.

Atop the flag, bearing the character "Li," stood tall, fluttering in the wind.

Li Ping'an's black horse, Wuzhui, was impatient with the slow pace and snorted loudly from time to time.

Looking at the orderly army formation, Zhao Lian lightly flicked the reins to urge his horse forward, keeping a perfect half-body distance behind Eunuch An, and exclaimed in admiration.

"Your Excellency is truly a master strategist!"

Eunuch Xia and Xiao Yuzi exchanged a glance. This fellow learned the rules quickly; in just half a month, he had mastered the art of flattery.

Li Ping'an said indifferently, "I don't know anything about military strategy or tactics; all I know is how to distribute more silver."

"Your actions have truly grasped the essence of military strategy!"

Zhao Lian had been involved in the military since childhood and knew the importance of "sufficient silver and pay." Even during the reign of the late emperor, only the Northern Frontier Army could enjoy such treatment.

Other border troops and local soldiers, more or less, were also drawing salaries without working and exploiting soldiers, even the Beijing garrison under my father's command was no exception.

How can a commander who isn't greedy for money buy a mansion?
"Jie Jie Jie..."

Li Ping'an chuckled a few times: "We don't need to pay for this ourselves. Once we get to the Jiangnan region, we can just kill a few salt merchants and we'll have the money!"

Zhao Lian glanced around and saw that the people following him were all eunuchs of all ages before he spoke.

"I heard from my father that the Prince of Zhenbei also rewards his troops in this way. It is customary for the Northern Frontier Army to not sheath their swords for three days after conquering a barbarian tribe, and to distribute all the loot to his soldiers."

Xiao Yuzi exclaimed in surprise, "The Prince of Zhenbei is so generous! No wonder he was able to sweep away the barbarians!"

Li Ping'an asked, "Pingxi Guard and Dingnan Guard have conquered many cities and destroyed many countries, so why don't they treat their soldiers well?"

"This is a long story..."

Zhao Lian explained, "During the reign of the late emperor, countless countries were destroyed. When determining merits, we not only looked at the results of battles, but also counted how much was captured."

Li Ping'an nodded slightly. "After decades of war during the reign of Emperor Xianfeng, the nation's taxes alone have become insufficient to sustain the war effort. We must continue to wage war to support the war effort."

Eunuch Xia, who knew a great deal about the north, sneered, "In my opinion, that man is not generous and magnanimous; he clearly has ulterior motives."

"Be careful!"

Li Ping'an raised his hand to stop the crowd from discussing and to investigate Leng Ni's rebellion case in depth. He noted that eight or nine out of ten people in the Northern Frontier were under the supervision of a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm.

Before the imperial court and the northern frontier completely break off relations, they must proceed with extreme caution.

Now, the Prince of Zhenbei is building cities, collecting taxes, recruiting barbarian soldiers, and appointing local officials, but he remains a loyal subject of the dynasty.

While talking.

A scout reported from ahead: "Reporting to the Commander, Magistrate Shi Hu is kneeling to greet us ahead."

Li Ping'an raised an eyebrow: "Once you pass Shihu County, you'll be in Jiangnan. What right does a mere county magistrate have to welcome us?"

Since leading his troops south from the capital, they passed through dozens of counties, all of which had their gates tightly closed, for fear that soldiers entering the city would cause trouble.

They were afraid of eunuchs and bandits.

Xiao Yuzi said, "If Godfather doesn't want to see him, we'll just kick him out."

Li Ping'an glanced at the sky and said, "It's getting late. The young master has ordered the soldiers to set up camp. You will all come with me to take a look."

Zhao Lian accepted the order and left, followed by a dozen or so old eunuchs who rode ahead on horseback.

Not long after.

From afar, one could see an official in green robes kneeling outside the reception pavilion. He appeared to be around thirty years old, with a square and resolute face, seemingly an honest official.

Howling!
Li Pingan reined in his horse and brought it to a sudden stop, its hooves flying high.

"Your humble servant Gao Yuan greets Your Excellency the Admiral." Magistrate Gao remained oblivious to the horse's hooves nearly stepping on his face, maintaining his fawning smile.

Li Ping'an looked down at him and asked, "What brings you here, Lord Gao?"

Magistrate Gao said, "Eunuch An has been leading the troops and must be tired. I have prepared some wine and refreshments for you..."

Li Ping'an interrupted: "Let's get down to business."

Magistrate Gao dared not conceal the truth and confessed, "My family members, who are involved in the salt transport business, were truly terrified upon hearing that Eunuch An had gone south to investigate a case." Li Ping'an asked, "Where did you get this information?"

The implication was that he was to reveal his background and connections; those with powerful connections could be fined and spared, while those with minor connections would be arrested on the spot.

Magistrate Gao quickly replied, "I am from Lingnan, and my mentor is Vice Minister Qian."

After His Majesty ascended the throne, Prefect Qian made a series of meritorious contributions. After the New Year, he was transferred to the position of Vice Minister of Rites. His rank remained unchanged, but his future prospects were bright.

"So he's Old Qian's disciple."

Li Ping'an smiled approvingly: "Not bad, not bad. Lord Gao is very disciplined in his work. We'll accept your invitation to this meal."

Minister Qian was An Gonggong's only help in the previous dynasty. If Magistrate Gao revealed his identity and requested an audience, he would be spared, but he would be exempt from drinking.

First beg for mercy, then reveal the relationship; the subtle details reveal the intricacies of officialdom.

Magistrate Gao was overjoyed: "Eunuch An, please. I have also prepared a large amount of wine and meat, and will send it to the army."

"So good."

Li Ping'an nodded in approval and instructed Xiao Yuzi, "Tell them not to drink alcohol; we still have to travel tomorrow."

Xiao Yuzi understood immediately. His godfather forbade the eunuchs from eating the wine and meat served by Magistrate Gao, so that if there was any trickery involved, someone could tip them off.

Magistrate Gao led the way, taking the reins and leading the horse, his manner and posture exactly the same as the accompanying eunuchs.

Li Ping'an asked, "In which year did you, Lord Gao, pass the imperial examination?"

"The 43rd year of the Wude era."

Magistrate Gao said with shame, "I am a man of limited talent and learning. I only passed the third-class examination and have no achievements as an official. I have been transferred to three different places and am still only a seventh-rank official."

Li Ping'an said, "Befriend Lao Qian well, and promotion will not be difficult."

"Thank you for your guidance, Eunuch An!"

Magistrate Gao led his horse into the county town. The streets had been swept clean, and the doors and windows of the shops and houses on both sides were tightly closed.

There were constables on duty every short distance to prevent people from disturbing the order.

The county magistrate led the horse, and the streets of the county town were cleaned.

Li Ping'an was increasingly impressed by the sycophantic skills of scholars. They used all sorts of tricks to get Gao Daren promoted.
We arrived outside the county government office.

Two rows of officials and gentry knelt on either side, and it was unclear how long they had been kneeling; several of the older men were already swaying precariously.

Several days ago, Magistrate Gao summoned all the gentry in the county and issued a death order: anyone who dared to make a mistake in welcoming Eunuch An would have their family ruined and their people killed.

"This humble official and commoner pay their respects to Eunuch An."

Li Pingan waved his hand: "Get up, everyone. Let's have a simple home-cooked meal. Xiao Gao doesn't need to make such a fuss."

"We should welcome Eunuch An with the utmost solemnity."

When Magistrate Gao heard the name "Little Gao," he immediately beamed with joy. Just as he was about to help Eunuch An off his horse, he saw the little eunuch kneeling on the ground as a human stool.

I can't help but sigh at my own short-sightedness; otherwise, how could I have let that little eunuch get there first!

Magistrate Gao bowed and led the way, bringing Eunuch An to the front office.

The government office, which was originally used for official business and document review, has been quickly transformed into a banquet hall with a dozen tables, enough to accommodate more than a hundred people.

The dishes on the table were steaming hot, clearly having been served recently.

Shihu County is adjacent to both the south and north banks of the Yangtze River, so it naturally has no shortage of all kinds of delicacies from the mountains and the sea. What is rare is that a plate of white flour steamed buns is placed in the middle of it.

"Xiao Gao is so thoughtful!"

Li Ping'an took his seat at the head of the table, gestured for Magistrate Gao to sit beside him, and patted him on the shoulder, offering words of encouragement.

"The salt tax in Jiangnan is of paramount importance to the nation. Xiao Gao will have to put in a lot of effort in the future. If he does well, he may even be promoted to a higher position in the imperial court."

"So what if you're only a third-ranked scholar? Even the current Grand Secretary has a fellow Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) among his peers!"

(End of this chapter)