Chapter 124: You May Leave!

Upon hearing the term "famous general," Li Yun became interested and asked with a smile, "Since he is a famous general, why is he idle? Hasn't the imperial court been engaged in frequent warfare over these past few years?"

Magistrate Xue glanced at Li Yun and said slowly, "The fact that you can even ask this question makes the answer quite obvious, doesn't it?"

Captain Li blinked and asked, "Is it that he doesn't know how to play the official, or did he offend someone?"

"A bit of both, but mostly it was offending someone." Magistrate Xue stood with his hands behind his back and continued, "More than a decade ago, General Su spoke bluntly to admonish the Emperor, which infuriated His Majesty. He was banished back home and has not led troops for over ten years."

Li Yun clicked his tongue and asked, "What did he say to make the Emperor hold a grudge for so long?"

"At that time, I wasn't even a county magistrate. How would I know such things?" Magistrate Xue threw a sidelong glance at Li Yun and said testily, "If you ever have the chance to meet General Su, go ask him yourself."

"Also," Magistrate Xue added in a lower voice, "you must address him as 'His Majesty'."

Li Yun smiled and said, "I only command the troops here in Qingyang; at most, I am a captain. How could I ever meet a Grand General?"

According to the military system of the Great Zhou, a commander of one hundred men is called a "Company Commander," and above that is a "Captain," who commands between two hundred and five hundred men.

Magistrate Xue led Li Yun into his study, poured two cups of tea, drank one himself, and then looked at Li Yun. "The Imperial Marshal of the expeditionary forces is arriving soon, so put your bandit-suppression work aside for now. According to the documents from the prefecture, Qingyang must recruit two hundred and forty new soldiers."

"How many men do you currently have in your bandit-suppression squad?"

Li Yun thought for a moment and replied, "About one hundred and fifty."

"Then you are short eighty or ninety men." Magistrate Xue stroked his beard and said, "Eighty or ninety men is not difficult to find. I will have them recruited within these next few days, and then I will hand them over to you to lead to the location designated by General Su."

He continued, "This is a major matter. You must seize this opportunity. If you distinguish yourself, you might become a proper captain of the imperial court, one with a formal rank."

For such local, temporary recruitment with a specific target, once the objective was achieved, few of these units would remain intact; most ordinary soldiers would simply be disbanded. Therefore, even if Li Yun became a captain, it would only be a temporary appointment; it was impossible for him to be granted a real imperial military post. This was only because the court had sent a commander down with no troops of his own; if General Su had been allowed to bring his old subordinates, Li Yun might not even have secured a captaincy.

Of course, if he performed meritorious service and General Su recommended him to the court to be rewarded, obtaining a real military title would not be a problem.

Li Yun looked at Magistrate Xue and patted his chest. "Rest assured, Magistrate, I will certainly uphold the honor of Qingyang."

Magistrate Xue looked at Li Yun and asked, "What do you intend to do about that man, He Gang?"

"Cui Shao told me to send him to Xuanzhou, but I am afraid that once I send him there, the things he promised me will come to nothing. I will keep him with you for now. If Cui Shao comes to Qingyang, you can settle it with him yourself."

Magistrate Xue closed his eyes, considered for a while, and said, "Very well. If he comes, I will discuss it with him. What exactly did he promise you?"

Li Yun told Magistrate Xue about the two conditions. Magistrate Xue shook his head repeatedly as he listened.

"You handled this matter too crudely. For a young nobleman of his standing, what he lacks most in the provinces is a dazzling achievement. This single He Gang is enough for him to write a memorial to the court and recommend you for an official post."

"As long as he shares the credit for capturing He Gang with you, it will be no difficulty for him, as a Regional Inspector, to recommend you as a Company Commander."

Li Yun thought for a moment and then said with a smile, "Forget it, forget it. I don't want to owe him any favors."

Li Yun had no affection for these noble-born sons and had no desire to use their connections to become an official, especially since he would likely be at odds with them in the future. If he became an official through Cui Shao's help, he would inevitably be branded as ungrateful when they eventually turned on each other.

After talking for a while, Li Yun rose to leave. However, even after leaving the magistrate's study, he did not depart the county office. He went to the rear office and spent a long time talking with Miss Xue, only leaving when the sky had turned dark.

Xue Yun'er saw him to the back gate of the county office and waved at him. "You... you take care of yourself."

Li Yun waved back and smiled, "You take care too, Yun'er."

The sudden change in address made Miss Xue's face turn bright red, and she turned and ran away. Li Yun, humming a little tune, returned to his own residence to rest.

...

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

During these three days, Li Yun spent most of his time at the county office, occasionally speaking with Miss Xue, and otherwise spent his time at the county school reading essential books.

On the fourth day, Regional Inspector Cui Shao could no longer restrain himself and arrived in Qingyang. However, upon arrival, he did not speak much with Li Yun; instead, he held a secret discussion with Magistrate Xue in the rear office for over an hour before leaving with He Gang in tow.

After Cui Shao left, Li Yun curiously entered Magistrate Xue's study and asked with a smile, "Magistrate, how did your discussion go?"

"The man has been handed over to him," Magistrate Xue said, head bowed as he drank his tea. "He promised to mention your name in his memorial to the court."

"After General Su arrives in the region, he will also write a letter requesting the captaincy for you, so that you may continue to lead the Qingyang troops."

Li Yun poured himself a cup of tea and asked, "Magistrate, how do you officials trust one another?"

"There is no mutual trust." Magistrate Xue pointed to a document on the table. "He wrote the memorial right here, stamped it, and signed it. I kept a copy."

Magistrate Xue shook his head slightly. "Of course, this is not of much use. His family's influence is too great, and he has an uncle who is a Prime Minister. If he is determined to steal your credit, no one can stop him. This document would, at most, damage his personal reputation."

"But for a descendant of a thousand-year-old noble family, that is enough. He likely won't let his family's reputation suffer just because of you."

Li Yun gave a thumbs up. "Magistrate, you are brilliant."

Magistrate Xue snorted and continued, "Cui Shao said that General Su's orders have already reached Xuanzhou, and all new recruits from our prefecture must gather at Ningguo County by the end of this month."

"Those who fail to meet the deadline will be executed on the spot."

Li Yun thought for a moment and asked, "Are only the troops from our prefecture going to Ningguo, or are the forces from all the prefectures gathering there?"

"I don't know," he said, bowing his head to drink tea. "I am not well-versed in military affairs."

Li Yun calculated to himself. "There are only ten days left. This General Su is arriving quite quickly."

Magistrate Xue said, "Our Qingyang recruits are ready. In a few days, take them to Ningguo. Do not miss the date."

Li Yun nodded with a smile. "Understood."

...

Two days later, Li Yun bade farewell to Miss Xue and led over two hundred Qingyang soldiers—or, more accurately, ninety Qingyang soldiers and over a hundred bandits—on their way to Ningguo.

Because the distance was not particularly close, it took them five or six days to reach the outskirts of Ningguo County. By then, a large area outside the city walls had already been cleared.

Magistrate Luo of Ningguo was personally directing the county officials and some civilians in setting up tents outside the city.

Li Yun had Chen Da lead the Qingyang soldiers to rest in place while he walked up to Magistrate Luo and bowed. "Magistrate Luo, it has been a while."

Magistrate Luo remained very courteous and said with a smile, "So it is Captain Li. Are you no longer suppressing bandits, Captain?"

"The rebels are the priority; bandit suppression must be set aside for now," Li Yun said with a smile. "I heard that you are a man of great compassion, Magistrate. After we left, you continued to solicit donations for bandit suppression in Ningguo. Nearly a month has passed; may I ask how much money you have raised?"

"And where is that money?"

"Don't mention it." Magistrate Luo slapped his thigh and sighed deeply. "Captain Li, you don't know the situation. The people of Ningguo are all stubborn, unruly folk. Despite my heartfelt pleas to them for the sake of suppressing bandits, I only raised one or two hundred strings of cash. How about this: once the chaos in Yuezhou is quelled and you return to Ningguo to suppress bandits, I will ensure that not a single coin of those two hundred strings is missing. I will present them all to you."

Li Yun looked at him with an inscrutable smile, then smiled faintly. "Then I shall heed your word, Magistrate."

Magistrate Luo laughed and bowed to Li Yun. "Captain Li, I have much to attend to. We shall meet again."

Li Yun bowed and smiled. "Until we meet again."

...

Two days later, the recruits from all over arrived in Ningguo. Li Yun discovered that it was not just the recruits from Xuanzhou gathering here, but troops from all other prefectures as well.

Li Yun stayed with his two hundred men from Qingyang in a cluster of adjacent tents.

That day, as he was leading his brothers in starting a fire to cook, discussing going to find some meat to improve their meal that evening, a horse suddenly darted between the tents. The rider was a tall, thin man with a very loud voice.

"Has Li Zhao of Qingyang arrived?"

"Has Li Zhao of Qingyang arrived?"

Li Yun stood up, frowning slightly, but raised his hand. "Li Zhao of Qingyang is here!"

The messenger rode toward Li Yun, looked him up and down, then jumped off his horse. "The Commander wants to see you. Come with me!"

Li Yun raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

Does that man surnamed Cui have so much influence? The Grand General seems to have only arrived today, yet he wants to see me immediately?

He had no time to ponder further. He followed the messenger for a long time until they reached the entrance of the main commander's tent. Upon entering, he saw a tall general with half-white hair sitting in the main seat, still exuding an air of awe-inspiring authority.

"Li Zhao of Qingyang pays his respects to the Commander!"

He bowed his head and saluted.

General Su looked up at Li Zhao and frowned slightly.

"So you are the Li Zhao who started pulling strings before I even arrived in Xuanzhou?"

General Su's expression was stern.

"You may leave now."

Li Yun was taken aback and asked, "Where does the General wish for me to go?"

General Su frowned.

"Return to wherever you came from."