"Your Excellency, the border market with Tranquil Guard is just ahead."
A large convoy of riders howled down the broad official road through the wind and snow.
Qi Jiguang rode alongside Wang Yan and pointed ahead.
Far in the distance, the outline of a town was already visible. People could also be seen trudging through the snow, bundled up thickly and tightly.
Wang Yan shouted, "Hang in there, everyone! We're almost there—the finish line is in sight. Once we arrive, we'll slaughter sheep, boil meat, drink wine, and enjoy ourselves properly. Damn it, this journey has been miserable. We'll make sure you brothers get a good meal to build yourselves back up. Once you've eaten your fill, you can visit the brothels and have some fun. My treat."
The surrounding riders burst into laughter. Suddenly, they found fresh strength to spur their horses onward, lashing the animals into a gallop with their little whips.
No one doubted that Wang Yan meant what he said. The personal guards assigned to him as Governor-General came from rather complicated backgrounds. Some were well-connected members of the frontier army, all born of noble military families. Others were the cream of the frontier troops, men who could genuinely fight. There were also personnel from the secret police whom Jiajing had specially assigned due to Wang Yan's unusual circumstances.
Including the attendants, chiefly the group of cooks led by Wang Gaofu, there were more than three hundred people in all.
Whenever Wang Yan went on inspections or tours, these people accompanied him. And Wang Yan truly kept his word, seeing to it that they were treated in comfort. They ate well, drank well, and slept well too.
Forget ordinary soldiers—even the well-connected ones would never have imagined that one day an arrogant civil official would pay