After Wei Xuanding and Xu Shiying, Cheng Zhili and Qian Tang also had matters for Zhang Xing to decide, all fairly urgent or important, so none of them stayed for dinner that evening, and each took his leave.
Once they had gone, however, Chen Bin, Xie Minghe, Yan Qing, and Jia Runshi brought several staff officers along and ate right there at the Jiangling County Office. At last, Zhang Xing understood why every dynasty had always had an inner court and an outer court... power naturally developed distinct layers according to one's distance from its center.
Of course, this also showed that the Exorcising the Dragon Gang's operation was indeed growing ever larger.
"What did everyone think of today's business?" After dinner, the habitually unrestrained Yan Qing suddenly spoke up. Clearly, although the atmosphere had generally been good, these men had still caught the dissatisfaction Zhang Xing had revealed midway through. "It's only been a few months, yet the Eastern Territories and Hebei are already growing increasingly distant. We expected it, admittedly, but isn't this a little too fast?"
The subject was sensitive, and the men from the Eastern Territories whom Yan Qing had directly questioned all exchanged glances.
Xie Minghe, however, showed no such restraint and immediately offered his verdict. "I think Chief Yan is overthinking things again."
"How so?" Yan Qing immediately pressed.
"Simple." Xie Minghe remained as composed and fluent as ever. "The Eastern Territories may be prosperous, but they have endured the turmoil of three campaigns, after all. Supplying an army of fifty or sixty thousand—even with our soldiers receiving far less than the elite troops recruited by the Court in peacetime, and all our weapons being old stock—already takes everything the Eight Commanderies have... they're pouring money, grain, and supplies into Hebei; seventy percent of