He took his leave, and Wu Shuangren sent someone to escort him to the city gate.
Zhang Liao descended the city wall in a hanging basket and rode back to the Shannan Army camp with his personal guards.
When he entered the camp, Xu Rong was already waiting in the central command tent.
"How?"
Xu Rong looked up and asked.
Zhang Liao sat down at the table and recounted in detail what had happened after entering the city.
Wu Shuangren's age, injuries, the course of their fight, the reactions of the officials in the government office, and so on.
He spoke in great detail, Xu Rong listened attentively.
"Did those officials in the city genuinely want Wu Shuangren to take charge of the city's defenses?"
Xu Rong asked.
"Yes."
Zhang Liao nodded. "I can tell they weren't coerced."
Xu Rong remained silent for a while.
"So this Yi Province Militia is real, and Wu Shuangren did indeed lead the militia to repel the Mount Liang forces led by Lu Yulin."
Xu Rong shook his head, "First Rank, can he still defeat Lu Yulin... another [Hegemon-King]?"
Zhang Liao's expression was also complicated. If he hadn't personally fought with Wu Shuangren, he wouldn't have believed such a thing.
Xu Rong stood up, took two steps inside the tent, and stopped.
He turned to Zhang Liao: "General Zhang, go to Yi Prefecture City again and tell Wu Shuangren that the Shannan Army has been ordered by the court to reinforce Yi Province. Although Mount Liang has retreated, the defense of Yi Province still needs to be taken over by the government troops. Our six thousand men must enter the city to garrison it!"
Zhang Liao was taken aback upon hearing this, and hesitated before speaking.
But seeing Xu Rong's serious expression, he could only nod and say in a deep voice:
"Good."
Yi Prefecture City.
After Zhang Liao left, Feng Guanglu and the others immediately called out to Wu Shuangren.
"Militia Commander Wu, the Shannan Army is currently outside the city. If they request to enter the city to garrison troops, you absolutely must not agree!"
Feng Guanglu said to Wu Shuangren with a serious expression.
Wu Shuangren remained silent.
An official grew anxious and immediately said, "Militia Commander Wu, soldiers are like bandits! Letting the Shannan Army into the city is no different than letting the Mount Liang rebels into the city!"
These words were too blunt, and the expressions on the faces of the officials present became somewhat subtle.
Wu Shuangren turned to look at the person who had spoken. He remembered that when he had hosted a banquet for these people, it was this same person who had said that it was a good thing that the Shannan Army had not entered Jiannan Circuit.
Wu Shuangren naturally understood the principle that a great soldier can be a great thief.
In this era, it is simply impossible to expect all armies to be strictly disciplined.
Many armies have done despicable things like bullying civilians and even killing innocent people to claim credit!
For ordinary people, if they are harmed by thieves, at least they can hope that the government will uphold justice.
But if you are harmed by government troops, there is really no place to reason with them.
The Shannan Army traveled thousands of miles from Shannan Circuit Jiannan Circuit to suppress bandits, and even if they really caused harm to the local area, the local officials collectively reported them to the authorities.
The imperial court would not punish the border troops for such a matter, otherwise it would be a greater loss than a gain if it triggered a mutiny!
Every time the border troops went out, they would squeeze a layer of profit from the local area as a form of payment.
This has become an unspoken rule.
Not all the officials present were considerate of the people's plight or loved them like their own children.
However, if the Shannan Army really enters the city, the Lineage of these people, as well as their open and covert businesses, will be the main targets for plunder!
That's why they didn't want the Shannan Army to enter the city.
Wu Shuangren's gaze swept over the crowd, and he said calmly, "My lords, rest assured, I have my plans in mind."
After saying this, he got up to take his leave and walked out of the government office.
Less than half an hour later, Zhang Liao entered the city again and met Wu Shuangren.
"Militia Commander Wu."
Zhang Liao opened his mouth, then hesitated.
Wu Shuangren looked at him and said, "General Zhang, please speak frankly."
Zhang Liao pursed his lips and said, "This time, the commander Non-Self, but General Xu Rong, who is a trusted and beloved general of Military Governor Dong."
He first revealed Xu Rong's identity to Wu Shuangren.
"General Xu means that the Shannan Army has been ordered to garrison Yi Province, and the 6,000 troops outside the city are to enter and take over the city's defenses."
Upon hearing this, Wu Shuangren narrowed his eyes.
He had the Yi Province Militia line up outside the city in advance, and he also took the initiative to spar with Zhang Liao, which was intended to demonstrate his military strength and intimidate the other party.
As a result, after the other side learned that they were local militia members, they still demanded to enter the city and take over the city's defenses without any politeness!
If the military commander of Yi Province were here, the other side wouldn't be so aggressive.
"General Zhang, I'm afraid I cannot comply with this order."
Wu Shuangren looked troubled. "After you left, the officials in the government office repeatedly told me that the city's defenses should still be handled by the Yi Province Militia."
Guo Jiwang had told him that if he wanted to lead his troops to Rong Province, he would have to rely on the connections with the Shannan Army, so he certainly couldn't directly confront them head-on.
The officials in Yi Prefecture City were tasked with withstanding the pressure from the Shannan Army, using the government to fight against the government troops.
This was Guo Jiwang's advice to Wu Shuangren.
"In any case, the Shannan Army has come from afar, and the soldiers are exhausted from their journey. Shouldn't Militia Commander Wu open the city gates first and let General Xu bring his men in?"
Zhang Liao asked.
Wu Shuangren did not refuse, but said, "I need to consult with you gentlemen on this matter. As long as they agree, I will immediately open the city gates to welcome the Shannan Army into the city."
Zhang Liao shook his head. "Militia Commander Wu initially said that the Yi Prefecture City was now in your hands, so why are you suddenly asking others for approval on everything?"
Wu Shuangren smiled and said, "I was young and impetuous and said some arrogant things. General Zhang, please don't take it seriously. This Yi Province Militia was brought about by you gentlemen, and you are the ones who are truly in charge. Why don't you come with me to the government office again and meet with you gentlemen?"
"No need."
Zhang Liao shook his head, looking into Wu Shuangren's eyes, "Militia Commander Wu, allow me to remind you, although you repelled the Mount Liang rebels once, the main force of Mount Liang is still entrenched in Ya Province, confronting the Shannan Army. To deal with these Mount Liang rebels next, we will still need to rely on the Shannan Army. If you offend the Shannan Army too much, I'm afraid it won't be wise."
Knowing that he meant well Wu Shuangren bowed and said, "Thank you for the reminder, General Zhang. I understand."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao said no more and prepared to take his leave.
But Wu Shuangren stopped him and had the militia bring over a few boxes.
"The Shannan Army has come from afar and has indeed had a long journey. This is a small token of our appreciation from the Yi Province Militia; we hope General Zhang will take it back and have General Xu accept it."
After speaking, before Zhang Liao could reply, Wu Shuangren stepped forward again, took out a stack of paper money from his robes, and placed it in Zhang Liao's hand:
"General Zhang is an upright man with superb martial arts skills, which is truly admirable. I, Wu, wish to befriend you, General. This is a small token of my appreciation; I hope you will accept it!"
Zhang Liao glanced down at the stack of paper money in his hand, then turned to look at the box beside him, and sighed inwardly.
First Rank expert has achieved such a feat. Even if he is arrogant, he has the right to be!
But Wu Shuangren was far more humble and reserved than he had imagined.
First they sent people to deliver provisions, and now they're offering money on their own initiative. They've certainly given the Shannan Army a lot of face.
"Alright, I'll keep Militia Commander Wu as a friend!"
Zhang Liao put away the silver notes in his hand.
Wu Shuangren smiled.
A moment later, Zhang Liao returned to the Shannan Army with the boxes of silver.
Upon meeting Xu Rong, he relayed Wu Shuangren's words to him. However, his version was that the officials in Yi Prefecture City were extremely reluctant to let the Shannan Army enter the city, which put immense pressure on Wu Shuangren.
"Wu Shuangren was caught in the middle and was also in a difficult position. He didn't want to offend the Shannan Army, so he asked me to bring these boxes to General Xu as a small token of his appreciation."
Zhang Liao pointed to the boxes being carried into the tent and said.
Xu Rong glanced at Zhang Liao, his eyes filled with amusement.
He then had his personal guards open several boxes and roughly count them.
The several boxes together contained about a thousand strings of copper coins.
In addition, there was another box containing some antique treasures, jade jewelry, and other precious items.
Roughly calculated, this box is worth no less than a thousand taels of silver!
Zhang Liao nodded secretly as he watched his personal guards finish counting.
He felt that Wu Shuangren's offer wasn't stingy.
But to his surprise, Xu Rong, after hearing the results of the personal guard's count, sneered with disdain:
"That Wu Shuangren, he's treating me like a beggar!"
172 Who dares to retreat? The army presses forward!
"That Wu Shuangren, he's treating me like a beggar!"
Xu Rong's words startled Zhang Liao.
"General Xu, this..."
"Brother Zhang."
Xu Rong looked at Zhang Liao and interrupted him, "I'm a few years older than you, so you don't mind if I call you 'brother,' do you?"
Zhang Liao nodded and smiled, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect and saying, "Brother Xu, you're too kind."
Xu Rong nodded. "Leading troops to Yi Province is a great mission, and many brothers in the army want to come. Brother Zhang, do you know why Commander Wang ultimately sent you to come with me?"
Zhang Liao remained silent and did not speak.
Xu Rong patted his shoulder forcefully and said in a deep voice, "Do you know what Commander Wang told me before he left?"
"Please give me some pointers, Brother Xu."
"Commander Wang said that the military governor values you highly and wants to recruit you into our Shannan Army!"
Xu Rong told the truth.
Zhang Liao was stunned. He had thought it was Wang Yan trying to win him over. He never expected it to be the military governor trying to win him over!
To defend against the Tubo, Shannan Circuit needed to station a large number of border troops, and it had long since become a military town.
Dong Zhuo had served as the military governor of Shannan Circuit for eleven years, and the 80,000 Shannan Army had long since become part of the Dong family army.
Such a regional lord is a top figure even on a grand scale!
Zhang Liao never expected that he, a mere garrison commander of a small fortress, would be noticed by such an important figure, and he was momentarily flattered.
Xu Rong was very satisfied with Zhang Liao's reaction:
"When I first heard Commander Wang mention this, I was quite shocked. But after spending time with you, Brother Zhang, I've realized that the Military Governor truly has a discerning eye for talent!"
Zhang Liao quickly waved his hand and said he didn't deserve such praise.
Xu Rong laughed heartily, "Brother Zhang, there's no need for such modesty. You are a First Rank -rank expert, one of the top fighters in my Shannan Army! Moreover, Brother Zhang, you are strategic and skilled in leading troops. If you join my Shannan Army in the future and gain the favor of the military governor, your future will surely be limitless!"
Zhang Liao was momentarily at a loss for words.