Wu Shuangren turned his head and saw that the person on horseback was Guo Jiwang. He looked agitated, as if something terrible had happened!
Wu Shuangren quickly went to greet him:
"Sir, what's wrong?"
Guo Jiwang, grabbed Wu Shuangren's arm, and spoke rapidly:
"Two things. First, Xu Jing's transfer order has come down; he's been promoted to Assistant Commander of Yi Province!"
Wu Shuangren was taken aback.
Guo Jiwang suggested that all the credit for defending Yi Prefecture City and repelling the Mount Liang army should be attributed to Xu Jing.
He believes that Wu Shuangren is better suited to stay in Jiannan Circuit and build his own power base, rather than rushing to step into the limelight.
Even if Wu Shuangren really wanted to become an official, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to make his debut in this way. If the imperial court were to transfer him to another prefecture as a county magistrate or something similar, it would be a loss for him.
Wu Shuangren agreed with this, so he attributed all the credit to Xu Jing.
He and Guo Jiwang originally estimated Xu Jing even if Xu Jing were to be promoted this time, it would be difficult for him to stay in Yi Province.
He will likely be transferred to another prefecture as a county magistrate, or enter the prefectural capital as an assistant official.
Because the Xu Family had long since declined and had little influence in the imperial court, it was difficult for them to secure a good position for Xu Jing.
But as long as Xu Jing remains in Jiannan Circuit, no matter which prefecture he serves as an official in, he will be a help to Wu Shuangren.
To my utter surprise, the other party was promoted to the rank of Assistant General of Yi Province!
Not only did he remain in Yi Province, but he also directly took command of the military power of the entire province!
This is indeed a pleasant surprise, but Wu Shuangren believes it shouldn't be enough to excite Guo Jiwang so much.
He asked, "And the second thing?"
Guo Jiwang paused, took a deep breath, and said, word by word:
"The Emperor has passed away, and the twelve-year-old Crown Prince has ascended the throne before his coffin!"
P. S.: I'm working on a new volume, so I'll only be updating once today.
? 193 People from the capital came to Yi Province without fail.
Wu Shuangren stood there, somewhat lost in thought.
The emperor has died, and the twelve-year-old crown prince has ascended the throne?
He had considered that the world would become increasingly chaotic, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly...
After standing there for a while, Wu Shuangren said to Guo Jiwang with a calm expression, "Understood, let's continue with our work."
Guo Jiwang had been observing Wu Shuangren's expression, and seeing how quickly the other party had calmed down, he couldn't help but secretly admire him.
"My lord, you can have Xu Jing ask around back home to see who's helping us this time. I think our Yi Province Militia has probably caught the eye of some important figure in the central government."
"Oh?"
Wu Shuangren immediately became interested. "Why do you say that, sir?"
From Xu Jing's promotion, Wu Shuangren couldn't immediately grasp the connection that the Yi Province Militia had caught the eye of a powerful figure in the central government.
After all, it was quite incredible that a local militia could catch the eye of such a high-ranking figure in the central government.
"Although the Xu Family was once a military family, it has long since declined and probably has no say in the court. The fact that Xu Jing was able to stay in Yi Province and be directly promoted to the position of Yi Province Assistant Commander is something the Xu Family couldn't do now; there must be someone supporting him behind the scenes."
Guo Jiwang analyzed for Wu Shuangren, "Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be a problem, but now that a new emperor has ascended the throne, the court is in turmoil. With a young ruler and a suspicious state, military power becomes even more sensitive at this time. Xu Jing's ability to seize military power in Yi Province must be due to the intervention of some powerful figure in the court."
Wu Shuangren nodded.
Guo Jiwang continued, "Xu Jing is merely a county magistrate. The only reason he could be noticed by a truly important figure in the imperial court is because of the Yi Province Militia. This important figure values the fighting strength of the Yi Province Militia and therefore actively seeks to win over Xu Jing."
Wu Shuangren seemed to understand something. "Does the gentleman mean that this important figure mistakenly believes that the Yi Province Militia is a scheme orchestrated by the Xu Family in Yi Province?"
Guo Jiwang nodded.
Wu Shuangren chuckled, "A mere local militia, to be noticed by important figures in the imperial court?"
It feels like an emperor falling for a country girl—it's almost unreal.
After all, both the battle reports Zhang Liao submitted to the Shannan Army and the battle reports presented by the Yi Province officials deliberately concealed the true combat strength of the Yi Province Militia.
Given the efficiency of information transmission in this era, Wu Shuangren did not believe that important figures in the imperial court could take notice of the Yi Province Militia so quickly.
"Firstly, because this important figure has a discerning eye; secondly, because military power has become more sensitive these days. The only truly combat-capable armies in the Wu Dynasty are the Imperial Guards and the border troops in various regions. These armies are inevitably under close surveillance, and there are not many who can intervene. That's why this important figure has set his sights on the Yi Province Militia."
Guo Jiwang explained, "Local militias are not like border troops and imperial guards; they don't attract much attention, which creates room for covert maneuvering. It's quite remarkable that this important figure could make such a move."
Wu Shuangren fell into deep thought.
Whether it was discerning the true fighting strength of the Yi Province Militia through a few words or subtle clues, or setting up a local militia in advance, it all proved that this important figure in the imperial court had unique insight and shrewd methods!
Being noticed by such an important figure so early on, Wu Shuangren didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Xu Jing's transfer order has come down, and the other side should have taken the opportunity to send people to Yi Province to investigate the situation."
Guo Jiwang said, "My lord, you must be prepared."
Yi Prefecture City.
Xue Ling and Peng Cheng made their way through the bustling crowd to a restaurant.
The two men were sent by Yuan Shu, and they had come all the way from the capital.
The Yuan Family naturally had connections in Yi Province, but because Yuan Feng attached great importance to this matter, Yuan Shu sent two people from his home to investigate.
The Yuan Family was known in the capital for having three thousand retainers, Yuan Shu could naturally mobilize a great many talented people.
Xue Ling and Peng Cheng appear to be wandering knights-errant, but in reality, they are secret agents of the Six Doors and also retainers of the Yuan Family.
The two of them dressed up like ordinary people in the world. After walking into the restaurant, they asked for a table in the lobby on the first floor, sat down, ordered food, and drank. There was nothing unusual about them.
They listened attentively to the conversations around them, gathering useful information.
However, after listening for a long time, the two did not hear anyone mention the Yi Province Militia.
The two weren't in a hurry and slowly finished their meal. When it came time to pay the bill, Peng Cheng casually asked the waiter:
"We heard that a Yi Province Militia has sprung up here and repelled the Mount Liang rebels. My brother and I have come here because of their reputation and wanted to ask how we can join this Yi Province Militia."
As he spoke, Peng Cheng slipped a dozen or so copper coins to the other party.
The waiter calmly accepted the money and said with a smile, "Judging from your accents, you two are from out of town, aren't you? Our Yi Province Militia only recruits locals, and we finished recruiting a while ago."
Upon hearing this, Xue Ling and Peng Cheng perfectly timed their expressions of disappointment.
The two then inquired about the treatment of the Yi Province Militia, but to avoid arousing suspicion, they didn't ask too many questions and left quickly.
What were those two out-of-towners talking about just now?
The waiter had just returned when the restaurant owner asked in a low voice.
"Shopkeeper, they want to join the Yi Province Militia Yi Province Militia asked me if they're still recruiting and what the pay is like."
The waiter answered truthfully and spread out the dozen or so copper coins he had received to show the shopkeeper.
The restaurant owner glanced at the copper coins in the other person's hand. "They gave them to you, so just take them."
The waiter then beamed with joy. "Thank you, shopkeeper!"
The restaurant owner dismissed the waiter and continued doing business as usual.
A moment later, a man wearing a gray long gown walked into the restaurant.
Upon seeing this man, the restaurant owner immediately greeted him with a smile, "Qi San."
The man in the gray shirt walked over and greeted him, "Boss Wang, how's business?"
Boss Wang lowered his voice and said, "Qi San, two outsiders just came to inquire about the Yi Province Militia."
Upon hearing this, the man in the gray shirt glanced around discreetly, then lowered his voice and asked, "When did this happen? What were they dressed like? What did they look like?"
Boss Wang answered each question in turn.
The man in the gray shirt nodded after listening and smiled, "Boss Wang, you're very kind. If there's any follow-up to this, my boss won't treat you unfairly."
Boss Wang smiled and said, "It's nothing, Third Brother, you're too kind."
Soon, the man in the gray shirt turned and walked out of the restaurant.
This Qi San was originally a figure who roamed the streets of Yi Prefecture City, and used to be considered a person from the outskirts of Mist Hidden Temple.
After the destruction of Mist Hidden Temple, he was selected by Luo Heng's Flying Feather Hall and is now an intelligence agent for the Flying Feather Hall, responsible for collecting intelligence within Yi Prefecture City.
Luo Heng had given prior instructions to pay close attention to all suspicious individuals from other places, and to be wary of anyone inquiring about the Yi Province Militia.
People like Qi San have designated areas to oversee. He had already spoken with the restaurants, teahouses, inns, and other establishments in that area, asking them to be extra vigilant.
If you provide valuable intelligence, you will be rewarded; but if you know something but fail to report it, you will have to consider the consequences!
Those who run businesses don't want to offend someone like Qi San. What's more, now that Qi San has the backing of the Yi Province Militia, he's even more untouchable.
That's why Boss Wang of that restaurant, was so eager to tell Qi San the information today.
Before long, Qi San reported this information up the chain of command.
The people at the Flying Feather Hall quickly responded.
Find those two and keep an eye on them.
Xue Ling and Peng Cheng then went to another restaurant to continue inquiring about the Yi Province Militia.
The two changed their story, trying to find out about the commander of the Yi Province Militia. But this time they couldn't get any useful information, because Luo Heng had already given instructions through the Flying Feather Hall that if anyone asked about Wu Shuangren, they should not say anything more!
The two men's unusual behavior was quickly reported to Luo Heng.
Luo Heng took this very seriously and immediately gave orders to everyone throughout the city to pay attention.
While Wu Shuangren was leading troops in battle, Luo Heng was not idle either, having expanded the Flying Feather Hall's manpower to cover the entire city.
Next, Xue Ling and Peng Cheng found an inn in the city to stay at.
The next morning, the two left the inn and continued to gather information within the city.
Shortly after the two left, someone sneaked into their room and searched their belongings...
In a nearby courtyard, Luo Heng sat in a chair, closing his eyes to rest.
A moment later, Qi San walked in with one other person.
"Master Luo."
Qi San bowed respectfully to Luo Heng.
Luo Heng opened his eyes and looked at the other person. "How is it?"
"We've searched both of their belongings; there was nothing unusual."
"Won't we be found out?"
Luo Heng asked.
The other man who came in with Qi San bowed and smiled obsequiously, "Don't worry, sir, I'm clean-cut and won't be discovered."
This man, Liu Qi, is a habitual thief with superb skills. Today, he was found by the Flying Feather Hall and forced to return to his old ways.
Flying Feather Hall is responsible for intelligence work, and it needs to get acquainted with people from all walks of life. This is why Luo Heng recruited Qi San as an intelligence agent.
"However, these two are definitely not ordinary people; they had a strand of hair stuck in the crack of the door, and they were very wary."
Liu Qi said cautiously.
Luo Heng glanced at him and nodded. "Well done, go and collect your reward."
"Thank you, sir!"
Liu Qi was all smiles.
He wasn't happy about receiving the reward money, but rather that he had used this opportunity to establish a connection with the important person in front of him.
For him, Qi San was someone he absolutely could not afford to offend, and the person in front of him who could command such respect from Qi San must be an extremely important figure!
Qi San Luo Heng again and left the courtyard with Liu Qi.