Chapter 123: Chapter 119: Taking Office in An Yuan State City Chapter 123: Chapter 119: Taking Office in An Yuan State City Chengping 25th year, October 28th.
Chongshan Town has already entered winter, the cold northern wind howls from beyond the pass, slashing faces like knives.
Outside Yinghe Castle, crowds are bustling, driving away the cold of the north.
Today, Yang Zhenshan is leaving Yinghe Castle, and nearly everyone within the castle has come out to see him off.
A long line of carriages is parked on the road south of the garrison gate, with Yang Zhenshan standing at the end of the line, looking at the surging crowd.
Scanning the crowd, he sees many familiar faces and strokes his beard, smiling contentedly.
In life, one must always do something.
Though he always felt somewhat uneasy here, he has felt the satisfaction that accomplishments bring.
Being able to do something for everyone, improve the lives of these military households, and receive recognition from so many, he feels this journey through the world has not been in vain.
Today, as he departs, thousands have come to see him off.
If he can return, he could boast about todayâs scene for the rest of his life.
âGuarantee!â
Yang Zhenshan pats Yang Chengzeâs shoulder, the young manâs eyes are red, haha~~
âUncle!â Yang Chengze calls out.
Yang Zhenshan nods slightly, then looks over at the other descendants of the Yang family.
âTake care, all of you!â
He had said everything he needed to say before, and had individually communicated with every descendant of the Yang family, guiding and instructing them meticulously.
Calling them his descendants makes Yang Zhenshan uncomfortable, but he is quite happy to consider them as his younger brothers.
Their hearts are filled with the sadness of parting.
Yang Zhenshan does not linger in conversation with them, his gaze sweeps over the soldiers and military households behind them.
Finally, his gaze rests on Liu Yuanfu.
Since this yearâs invasion by the Hu Clan, this old guyâs attitude towards him is no longer dismissive. Though still stubborn, he at least shows some smiles now.
Seeing Yang Zhenshan looking at him, Liu Yuanfu steps forward and hands him a book.
âThis book is for you!â
Yang Zhenshan accepts the book with some surprise.
It is a copy of âDoctrine of the Mean.â
âThank you for the guidance, senior. I have learned a lot!â
In just an instant, Yang Zhenshan understands the purpose of Liu Yuanfu giving him âDoctrine of the Mean.â
Thereâs no need to elaborate on what âDoctrine of the Meanâ teaches, Liu Yuanfu certainly didnât give him a plain âDoctrine of the Meanâ without a reason.
Reflecting on the past two years and the things he has done, Yang Zhenshan feels he should restrain himself a bit.
Unconsciously, he has crossed many boundaries. If not for Zhou Lan covering for him, he would face much trouble.
Everyone should stick to their roles and responsibilities.
With Zhou Lan around, crossing some boundaries wasnât an issue.
But now that he canât rely on Zhou Lan anymore, he needs to be more disciplined.
âOld man, you did not guide me!â Liu Yuanfu says sternly.
Yang Zhenshan smiles, bows, âElder sir, I take my leave!â
âEveryone, please return!â
âThere will be long days ahead, may we meet again if destiny allows!â
Mounting his horse, Red Cloud, Yang Zhenshan pulls the reins and heads east without turning back.
Afterward, the long line of carriages follows behind him.
People from the garrison follow in step with the departure until some begin to tire, until Yang Zhenshan shouts: âGo back, after accompanying a guest a thousand li, we must part.â
Yang Zhenshan does not stop, he only shouts loudly.
Yang Chengze and others then stop.
They watch the procession gradually disappear into the distance until the carriages vanish from sight before returning.
Different from when he first arrived in Chongshan Town, now heading to An Yuan State City, the Yang familyâs caravan is considerably large.
Including six carriages for passengers aloneâone for the main family, one for the third family, one for Yang Yunyan with the children, one for Yang Yunxue and Wang Yunqiao, and the remaining two for maids and older female servants.
There are also four carriages for belongings; actually, valuable items were placed in the Spiritual Spring Space by Yang Zhenshan, and the items on the carriages were organized by Ms. Wang.
As for the second family, Yang Mingzhiâs family of four, they had moved to Jianning Guard.
The accompanying ranks included the Yang familyâs servants, about a dozen young descendants of Yang, as well as Song Dashan and two small flags of cavalry.
Oh, and Old Li and Lu Wenhua.
The journey from Yinghe Castle to Songzhou Guard is nearly four hundred li, and with the freezing cold, travel is difficult, taking them five full days to reach Songzhou Guard.
Yang Zhenshan is to take office in An Yuan State City, but first, he must report at Songzhou Guard as he is initially the Deputy Magistrate of Songzhou Guard, and then the garrison officer of An Yuan State City.
Songzhou Guard is located in Jia City, like Chongshan Pass City, Jia City is also a fortress city built relying on a border pass.
However, Jia City is much smaller in scale compared to Chongshan Pass City, with fewer stationed troops and population.
Holding the official documents from the Governorâs Office, Yang Zhenshan easily enters the Guardian Department of Jia City and meets Commander Sha Pingchuan.
This year, Sha Pingchuan, 48, has a corpulent body resembling a ball, his rounded face always adorned with a Maitreya Buddha-like smile.
After greetings, Sha Pingchuan says cheerfully: âMaster Yang, I have been eagerly anticipating your arrival!â
His enthusiasm seems a bit excessive.
By reason, Yang Zhenshan is his subordinate, and there really is no need for him to be so enthusiastic.
âCommander, do you have any instructions?â Yang Zhenshan asked.
âNo, no, I just want you to take up your post at An Yuan State City as soon as possible!â
âAh~â Sha Pingchuan sighed and continued, âThe previous garrison officer of An Yuan State City was Cao Han. Since Cao Han was punished for embezzlement, the position of garrison officer in An Yuan State City has been vacant, and it has already been three months.â
âAn Yuan State City is a border city, which could be attacked by Da Ling Country at any moment. Having no garrison officer, Iâve always felt uneasy.â
âIf you donât come soon, I think I will have to personally go and preside over An Yuan State City!â
Although Sha Pingchuan was sighing, he always had a kind smile on his face.
He looked like an easy-going person, but Yang Zhenshan didnât think he was an easy-going person.
Being able to hold the position of Commander of Songzhou Guard, Sha Pingchuan naturally wasnât a man of no capability.
Despite his physique being as plump as a fat pig, this manâs cultivation was even higher than Yang Zhenshanâs, at least a Martial Artist of the Postnatal Fifth Layer.
A Martial Artist of the Postnatal Fifth Layer would hardly be a benevolent Maitreya Buddha.
âIs the situation in An Yuan State City very bad?â Yang Zhenshan asked.
âNot bad, not bad, you will know once you get there!â Sha Pingchuan said with a chuckle.
However, Yang Zhenshan felt a chill inside, he couldnât believe these words.
Whether itâs bad or not canât be confirmed yet, but itâs definitely not a good place.
Sha Pingchuan seemed reluctant to talk more about the situation in An Yuan State City, instead, he swiftly changed the topic, âBy the way, you havenât met General Wang Bin yet, letâs go, Iâll take you to meet General Wang Bin!â
Wang Bin, the Deputy Commander of the Songzhou Guard to the east of Chongshan Town, was Yang Zhenshanâs immediate superior.
Yang Zhenshan was the Deputy Magistrate Commander of Songzhou Guard, so his immediate superior in the Songzhou Guard was Sha Pingchuan, but Yang Zhenshan also served as the garrison officer of An Yuan State City, which directly belonged to the Assistant General Mansion.
So, Yang Zhenshan was under dual leadership, Wang Bin and Sha Pingchuan were both his immediate superiors.
Without waiting for Yang Zhenshan to speak, Sha Pingchuan took Yang Zhenshan directly to the Assistant General Mansion.
Upon seeing Yang Zhenshan, Wang Bin scrutinized him with an inspecting gaze.
Actually, he found it strange why Liang Chu had transferred Yang Zhenshan to An Yuan State City.
He knew Yang Zhenshan was Zhou Lanâs man, transferring Yang Zhenshan from under Zhou Lan to his own command seemed somewhat like snatching people.
Generally speaking, border town generals do not like this kind of maneuver.
Iâve hardly managed to nurture my close followers, and you just speak up and transfer them away, isnât this making it difficult for me?
After greeting, Yang Zhenshan felt Wang Binâs scrutinizing gaze, but he didnât mind and instead took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Wang Bin.
âGeneral, this is the letter General Zhou entrusted me to bring!â
Wang Bin took the letter and read it.
After reading it, he fell into deep thought.
The content of the letter wasnât anything special, Zhou Lan just asked him to take extra care of Yang Zhenshan, nothing more was said.
But Wang Bin felt there was something off.
Zhou Lan was obviously reluctant to let go of Yang Zhenshan, but why did he compromise?
Because of Liang Chu?
Thatâs impossible!
Liang Chu isnât foolish, it wouldnât be wise to provoke Zhou Lan just for this.
He thought about it, but couldnât figure out the reason.
âThe garrison officer position in An Yuan State City has been vacant for too long, it would be best for Master Yang to assume office as soon as possible!â
Wang Bin didnât say much to Yang Zhenshan, just a simple statement before letting Yang Zhenshan depart for An Yuan State City.
He felt there might be some trouble involved, and it was better not to get too involved.
As for Zhou Lanâs request, it was simple, as long as he didnât make things difficult for Yang Zhenshan, that would be taking care of him.
He wasnât Zhou Lan after all, and definitely wouldnât treat Yang Zhenshan like a close confidant.
After staying in Jia City for a day, Yang Zhenshan took his family to An Yuan State City.
The whole process was very smooth, he didnât encounter any trouble.
An Yuan State City was very close to Jia City, less than fifty miles away; they left Jia City in the morning and arrived at An Yuan State City by noon.
When Yang Zhenshan arrived at the South Gate of An Yuan State City, a group of military officers under the jurisdiction of the garrison office were already at the city gate waiting to greet him.
These officers could be divided into two parts, one part led by the garrison commander responsible for the fort, which included two defense officers and seven garrison commanders. The other part was led by the thousand commander of the camp soldiers, which included two Bazong.
In other words, Yang Zhenshan had both garrison soldiers and camp soldiers.
Camp soldiers were generally selected from various garrisons.
The proportion of garrison to camp soldiers was maintained at about three to seven.
Roughly calculating, the subordinates under Yang Zhenshan, the garrison officer, numbered over three thousand soldiers, and on a regular day, one thousand soldiers were responsible for the defense of An Yuan State City, the rest were in the garrison responsible for tending the fields.
Coming before a group of officials, Yang Zhenshan dismounted and looked at this group of unfamiliar subordinates.
âGreetings to Master Yang!â
The leader was a middle-aged man in his mid-thirties wearing a bear-black embroidered uniform of a Standard Fifth Rank Military Officer, with a rugged appearance. Facing Yang Zhenshan, his face showed no smile and he casually saluted with a fist.
Yang Zhenshan glanced at the middle-aged man, nodded slightly, and said, âDispense with the formalities!â
Then, the group of military officers stood up straight, and surprisingly, not one of them opened their mouth to speak.
Yang Zhenshanâs eyes slightly narrowed, what did this mean?
Leaving him hanging without speaking?
Was this an attempt to show dominance?