"I have heard of this as well, but forgive this subordinate for speaking frankly: on the surface, the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends Bandits claim they wish to submit to the Imperial Court, but that is not truly the case. Looking only at their recent troop movements, though they have withdrawn from Hebei Circuit, they are expanding in Qi-Lu. It seems they intend to gather Qi-Lu's supplies, and they must be plotting something."
The commander leading this New Army was none other than Zhang Qi.
Zhang Qi had been one of Qiu Yan's old hands in the Shu Region. Their earliest connection dated back to when Qiu Yan had still been a xiucai and traveled to Wuxin City for study. At the time, Zhang Qi had clashed with the Marshfolk over a momentary dispute and, after being injured, had urgently needed treatment. Had it not been for Qiu Yan, he likely would have lost his life.
Later, Qiu Yan had entered Shu under orders and taken charge of military and civil authority. After borrowing strength to build his own and gradually establishing his authority, he began promoting trusted followers.
This had been unavoidable. To get things done without being shackled at every turn, one had to have one's own people. Thus, a group of generals had risen to prominence, and the leaders among them were precisely those who had known Qiu Yan back in Wuxin City.
Zhang Qi was one of them. He had not drawn much attention, but during the military reforms valued by the Emperor afterward, he had been assigned no simple post—
Commander of the New Army.
Zhang Qi had been chosen for his meticulousness and caution. In the New Army's combat system, the role of generals had been somewhat weakened. A commander with too forceful a