Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Dealing with the person who stole the credit
It is said that Wu Tianyue planned to have someone investigate the background of the Han and Wang families during the few days of waiting for rest, and ask Zhou Dashan for a position to patrol the camp.
Today was his patrol day. Wu Tianyue had changed his medicine in his tent and was preparing to deliver a message to his men outside during patrol. Suddenly, a messenger from Captain Han Cheng came in and said, "Zhao Yi, Captain Han wants you to come over."
Wu Tianyue put away his things, stood up, straightened his clothes and armor, and went to the captain's tent.
Inside the tent, Wang Lu was wearing casual clothes, neatly dressed, not revealing any of the embarrassment he had on the battlefield that day. He sat with Han Cheng and drank.
Seeing Wu Tianyue coming in, he smiled and poured a glass of wine to greet him: "Brother Zhao is here, please sit down."
Wu Tianyue took the wine glass, calmly dodged the hand that pulled him to sit down, and said with a smile, "I am just a small soldier. I don't dare to be called 'brother' by the captain."
Han Cheng narrowed his eyes and looked carefully at the young man in front of him. Although this man was a hunter, he was agile and brave, and he remained calm in the face of danger on the battlefield. He was indeed a good seedling. If he could be recruited for his own use, there would be no worries for the Han family and the Wang family to become one of the top families in the northern border.
What a hateful idiot Wang Lu is. He didn't care about anything else just to grab the credit. He didn't even try to win over such a good soldier who could be used by the family. He even concealed the truth from me, causing me to submit a letter to the commander without knowing this person existed.
"A frank person doesn't mince words." Han Cheng smiled, putting down his wine glass and reaching out to open a box on the table. "You're a smart person. You should know what to say and what not to say in this northern border."
Wu Tianyue looked at the box he had pushed across the table. Inside was ingots of white silver. He said with a half-smile, "Captain, are you trying to bribe me, or silence me?"
Wang Lu stopped and stared at Wu Tianyue sinisterly. Han Cheng's face also darkened.
Seeing the expressions on the two men's faces that they would kill him if they couldn't get what they wanted, Wu Tianyue played with the wine glass in his hand and said calmly, "If the captain really thinks I'm useful, why not recommend me to be a sergeant? It will also help the captain and the lieutenant to relieve their worries."
Han Cheng was stunned. He had originally looked down on this little money, but then he smiled and said, "Great! You have ambition! In that case, this captain will do as you wish, but..." His tone turned cold, "If anyone asks about yesterday's battle..."
"Captain Wang was incredibly brave. Leading a thousand soldiers, he was besieged by three thousand elite Di troops, yet he single-handedly penetrated the enemy lines and slew the Di general," Wu Tianyue continued. "The entire army witnessed this."
Han Cheng nodded with satisfaction: "Brother Zhao is not bad either. He is guarding Captain Wang and provides a lot of help. He is more than qualified to be a sergeant." He immediately called someone over and ordered the promotion of Wu Tianyue to the sergeant of the vanguard battalion.
"Thank you for your appreciation, Commander." Wu Tianyue drank the wine in one gulp. "I have to patrol the camp tonight, so I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, he thought for a moment, then stood up and took the box of silver on the table away as well, thinking he would miss it.
When Wang Lu saw that he asked for a position and money, he couldn't help but look at him with contempt.
"Isn't this what we want?" Han Cheng sneered. "Whether he's truly greedy or just pretending to be greedy, since he wants something from my Han family, I have no say in it."
Wu Tianyue had no idea that the two were secretly talking about him behind his back. He really needed that box of money. He had to disguise himself as a hunter when he came from the capital, so he couldn't bring much money with him. The fur shop was mostly used to deliver messages, so it couldn't bring a lot of silver and money so openly.
Although there are disability and death subsidies in the army, after being exploited layer by layer, the amount left in the hands of the soldiers is too little. With this box of silver, the families of the deceased soldiers can at least survive this cold winter.
After leaving the tent, Wu Tianyue first put the silver and money away, and took the opportunity of patrolling the camp to leave a secret signal in the back mountain, ordering people to investigate the Han and Wang families in detail.
The next day, using the title of squad leader, he asked for the previous squad and the squad that Li Daniu was in. There were casualties in both squads. Many old faces were gone and many new ones came.
However, the battlefield was so ruthless that Wu Tianyue did not indulge in sadness. He handed the silver and money to Zhou Dashan, ordered him to comfort the dead and wounded soldiers, and then started training day and night with those who were still able to move.
Zhou Dashan didn't expect that a noble man like him would think of these things, and he couldn't help feeling a little guilty for wanting to use him to pressure Wang Lu.
Wu Tianyue couldn't stand his hesitant attitude, so after giving the newcomers in the team a few days to get familiar with the situation, he led them to the battlefield again.
In the following months, Wu Tianyue earned many military merits for Wang Lu and Han Cheng, successfully infiltrated their ranks, and collected evidence of their fraudulent use of military supplies and withholding of military pay.
Not long after, the people arranged by Fei Yan also found out the situation of the two families.
The situation on the border was complicated and there were many military generals. The Han and Wang families were not "local emperors", but they were also powerful.
Before the founding of the country, the two families were just small gentry. Decades ago, they got an opportunity from nowhere and started to engage in salt and iron business. They also got involved with other aristocratic families through money and marriage, and gradually took root in the northern border.
After the current head of the Han family came to power, he ignored all objections and sent his most talented grandson, Han Cheng, to the military camp. Seeing Han Cheng's rapid promotion after entering the army, the Wang family became jealous and sent Wang Lu in as well.
However, the northern border has been unstable in recent years, and military generals in the court have sent people in one after another. With more people, the credit is diluted. The Han and Wang families are rich, but their foundation in the army cannot compare with the generations of military generals. Han Cheng has been wasting his time in the position of captain and has not made any progress.
Wu Tianyue looked through it and found that in addition to the highly profitable industries such as salt and iron, the two companies had also merged a large number of farms and shops through bullying, forced buying and selling, etc. At the same time, in order to obtain precious furs and gold and silver on the grassland, they secretly sold medicinal materials and food to the Beidi. No wonder the actions of the vanguard camp were leaked.
It is not difficult to defeat the Han and Wang families, but there are too many people in Northern Xinjiang who have taken property from these two families, so we must first find a way to cut off their financial resources.
In the past, the royal palace could have been involved in these industries, but the old emperor is very suspicious. I am currently in the northern border, and if I get involved, I am afraid that my father will be punished by him again.
Wu Tianyue suddenly had an idea. The wealthy and powerful families in the capital had lost a lot of money recently because of his mother's gift of military uniforms. Wasn't this their chance to make a comeback? If they could secretly support a few weaker ones, with more competition, they wouldn't have to worry about being monopolized.
I heard that the Zhen family in Jiangnan was raided, and everyone is busy trying to get a piece of the pie. Now there is chaos in the capital and the south, so even if some traces are discovered, it will be easy to cover up.
After thinking about it, Wu Tianyue picked up his pen and wrote a letter to Fei Yan and Chang Jian, asking them to find someone in the capital to spread the rumors about the Han and Wang families oppressing the civilians, colluding with foreign enemies, and the scale of the two families' industries to the ears of those who often hang around the prominent families. These people know best how to provoke their masters' minds without making a sound, and they also understand the value of money.
In addition, Wu Tianyue wrote another letter to the prince, attaching the evidence, emphasizing how rich the two families were and how miserable the people were, and earnestly hoped that he could report it to the emperor.
After finishing writing, she thought of the prince's extravagant nature and was afraid that he would not describe the wealth of the two families to the emperor. There was no benefit to be gained and the northern border could still be barely defended. The emperor was probably too lazy to deal with such a small fry, so she picked up her pen and wrote a letter to Daiyu, asking her to take the letter to the crown princess.
After arranging these things, Wu Tianyue returned to his days of killing enemies and training soldiers. Because he was too active, he was known as the God of Killing in Beidi.
The title of God of War was also faintly heard in the army, but most of his merits were attributed to Han Cheng and Wang Lu, so he was not as famous in the army as in Beidi.
Han and Wang were given the opportunity to be promoted to generals because of their efforts to gain credit. However, for some reason, General Liu in the camp did not submit a letter to ask for credit. He only submitted the letter after the Northern Di retreated and surrendered.
However, Han Cheng and Wang Lu did not force General Liu for this. Their families had been in trouble recently, and those who backed them either made exorbitant demands or turned their backs on them. The industries of the two families continued to shrink, and it seemed as if they were exchanging the fate of their families for the official positions of the two men.
On this day, the army was holding a celebration banquet, and General Liu suddenly called Wu Tianyue forward to speak to him alone.
Wu Tianyue had just finished his ceremony when the soldiers guarding the gate came hurriedly: "General, there is an imperial decree from the capital."
After that, a team of imperial guards in distinctive armor and uniforms slowly came in, escorting a middle-aged official in a crimson official robe. The official had a jade belt around his waist, representing his status as an imperial envoy, and was holding a roll of bright yellow silk in his hand.
"The imperial envoy has arrived—" Following the announcement, General Liu hurriedly led all the soldiers to kneel on the ground.
The imperial envoy looked around, looked at Wu Tianyue with some shock, and then unfolded the imperial edict: "The Emperor, by the grace of Heaven, decrees:
Han Cheng, the commander of the Northern Frontier, and Wang Lu, the school lieutenant, have received favors from the country for generations and have disregarded laws and regulations.
He falsely claimed military merits and deceived the emperor; he smuggled medicinal materials and secretly communicated with the enemy country; he allowed his clan to do evil and bring disaster to the local area.
Three crimes together for punishment, different from heaven!
That is:
Han Cheng and Wang Lu were stripped of all their official positions, escorted to Beijing, and handed over to the Ministry for strict interrogation.
The property of the Han and Wang families was confiscated, the main culprits were beheaded, and the rest were exiled.
I hereby order you."
"I… accept the order." General Liu, puzzled as to why no one had informed him of such a major event, was filled with confusion and fear. He quickly led the way in bowing his head. The entire audience followed suit, bowing their heads in gratitude: "Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long, long live the emperor!"
After the outcry died down, the imperial envoy came down and handed the imperial edict to General Liu without looking away. He ordered the imperial guards to drag the two men who were crying out for injustice away. He smiled and said to General Liu, "I wonder if the general would do me the honor of speaking with you."
"Your Excellency, I am sorry to trouble you." General Liu stood up quickly and said, "Please come in, Your Excellency."
The two men entered General Liu's tent one after the other and ordered their personal soldiers to guard outside the tent. General Liu personally served tea to the imperial envoy.
"General Liu, please sit down." The imperial envoy skimmed off the foam with the lid of his teacup. "The emperor, remembering your years of service in guarding the border, will not pursue your negligence."
General Liu knelt down in fear: "Thank you, Lord, for your grace."
"However, if the subsequent matters are not handled properly, your head will still be in jeopardy."
"Please give me some advice, sir." General Liu kowtowed with a trembling voice.
"First, there's a centurion in your army named Zhao Yi. You must keep a close eye on him. You must know everything he's done and who he's been close to." The imperial envoy didn't look at him, but lowered his head to take a sip of tea. "But his background, whereabouts, and even his name itself will no longer have any bearing on you or the Northern Frontier Camp after he leaves. You are not to inquire about them, investigate further, or even mention them to anyone."
General Liu was startled and didn't dare to ask any more questions. He quickly said, "Yes."
"Although the Han and Wang families have fallen, the remnant of their influence remains. You must eliminate all military personnel associated with these two families under the guise of 'cooperating in the investigation,'" the imperial envoy continued. "Beyond that, the assets of these two families will be taken over by their own personnel. The Northern Frontier military camp must not interfere in any way. If there are any issues, please report to the Jin Jiedushi."
Then, he stood up and patted General Liu on the shoulder, his tone softening: "Now that the sun is rising, Brother Liu, you must remember that a general must not only know how to fight, but also know for whom he is fighting."
After saying that, he said no more, lifted the door curtain and left.
General Liu stood up only after the footsteps faded away. His inner shirt was already soaked with cold sweat. He called his personal guards to bring him water to wash up, and sat in the tent to think. It seemed that he could not remain immune even though he was far away in the frontier. He still had to take sides. He only hoped that the fight between the two lords would not involve the distant northern border.
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The author has something to say: In the next chapter, I will return to Beijing to see Daiyu~
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