Lost in his tangled thoughts, Lu Yanyu did not even notice that Zhang Tie had stopped when they reached a small river. He followed his momentum for another two steps before suddenly realizing that he had walked ahead of Zhang Tie. His old face flushed red. "Ahem... ahem... This subordinate was just lost in thought and committed a breach of etiquette..."
Zhang Tie looked at Lu Yanyu with a half-smile. Under Zhang Tie's gaze, Lu Yanyu felt as if he were completely naked, as though Zhang Tie could see everything in his heart—even the two letters of appointment hidden in his sleeves seemed to have been laid bare before Zhang Tie's eyes.
Zhang Tie's gaze made Lu Yanyu inexplicably uneasy.
Yet Zhang Tie merely smiled. The reason he had asked Lu Yanyu to accompany him on this inspection today was, of course, not simply to inspect the place. Lu Yanyu had overseen the Agricultural Administration Hall of the Western Pacification Protectorate for many years and was a true local powerhouse. If Zhang Tie was to do well in his post as General of Stores, he could not do without the cooperation of Lu Yanyu, his deputy. In this situation, one side was a newly arrived chief officer, a mighty dragon crossing the river; the other was an old but unyielding local magnate with deep-rooted power. When the two worked together as chief and deputy, mutual suspicion and internal strife came most easily. Zhang Tie truly had no wish to keep playing hide-and-seek with Lu Yanyu. The Holy War could not afford such delays either. It would benefit them both to speak openly and honestly.
From his observations yesterday, Zhang Tie had also found Lu Yanyu to be indeed shrewd and capable, not some treacherous, unfathomable sort. Moreover, Lu Yanyu commanded