At the Jiao Mansion, Jiao Zifu beamed with joy, while Shuhu Ximeng burst into laughter. A crowd gathered around a table laden with delicacies from the land and sea.
"Master Shuhu, Zhan Yunpeng died inexplicably. Shouldn't we start our transaction?" Jiao Zifu raised his glass.
"Of course, I will send the deposit tomorrow. Sir, the Transport Envoy needs to increase the quantity of these saltpeter bows, arrows, armor and shields." Shu Hu Ximeng clinked glasses with him.
Jiao Zifu stopped drinking and said, "Well, things are tense lately. We can't display these military supplies too much. Besides, Master Shuhu, your price..."
Shuhu Ximeng patted his chest and said, "The price is negotiable. I'll give you another 40% increase. As long as you can get it, I'll take as much as you can."
Jiao Zifu was overjoyed upon hearing this and clinked his glasses with him again: "Hahaha, great! In accordance with Lord Shuhu's words, I will give you five more carriages to go with the original order. The transaction location remains unchanged."
"Okay! Deal. Come on, come on, come on, cheers!"
"Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses.
…
When Bai Wanli arrived in Cangzhou, Cangzhou Commander He Guan had already been waiting outside the city to greet him.
A man who was exiled to the army received such treatment. It was for Bai Shizhong's sake.
Two yamen runners brought Bai Wanli with them. One of them pointed ahead and said, "Sir, Cangzhou is ahead."
He Guan was seen riding his horse towards them from a distance. Before he got close, He Guan had already dismounted, dropped the reins, and ran towards them.
He Guan was thin, yet he exuded a clean, sharp aura. Only those who had spent years on the battlefield possessed this kind of intangible aura, and Bai Wanli secretly admired him.
"General Bai, I've long admired you! I've heard that General Bai fought bravely against the Liao army many times in Shanxi. I admire you so much!"
He Guan clasped his fists and saluted. His voice was bright and full of heroic spirit.
He Guan knew in advance that Bai Wanli was being exiled to Cangzhou, so he did not bring too many followers with him to avoid embarrassing Bai Wanli.
Bai Wanli blushed. "How can I talk about courage when I'm guilty? I'm so ashamed! So ashamed!"
The two yamen runners nearby were so frightened by the sight of the imposing Cangzhou Commander that they kept silent. As mere yamen runners, they naturally did not dare to speak to the Commander.
He Guan said loudly: "General Bai, what are you talking about? My Cangzhou borders the Jin Dynasty and is often harassed by Jin bandits. I will have to rely on General Bai in the future."
"I am but a humble soldier under Commander He. I truly feel bad for not being worthy of this position. I feel bad for not being worthy of this position."
Bai Wanli wasn't being modest. A general was a lowly officer, practically no different from a private. A deputy general held the greatest power. For example, Li Bangyan's younger brother, Li Bangde, was a deputy general. Despite the difference in one character, a general was far more humble, held in low esteem by no one in the army.
He Guan laughed heartily: "Who said General Bai is a nobody? From today on, General Bai is the deputy commander of Cangzhou, and you and I are colleagues. Hahahaha..."
Bai Wanli was stunned. He didn't expect that he would be given such a high official position when he came to Cangzhou: "Well, shouldn't I be a general?" As he said that, he took out a letter of appointment from the Privy Council, which clearly stated that Bai Shizhong was appointed as the general of Cangzhou.
He Guan took the letter, took a look at it, and then tore it into pieces.
The two yamen runners were shocked, and Bai Shizhong was also startled: "What?"
He Guan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hey, this is Cangzhou. The emperor is far away and the mountains are high. We don't care about the imperial court's appointment. Anyway, you are now the deputy commander of Cangzhou."
As he spoke, He Guan took out something from his arms and handed it to Bai Wanli.
Bai Wanli took it in bewilderment. He recognized it as a military token. Turning it over, he saw the words "Deputy Commander of Cangzhou, Great Song Dynasty Seal" printed on it.
He Guan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I don't have the authority yet. It was General Zhong who appointed me personally."
Bai Wanli said casually, "Zhong Shidao?" Then he realized that calling him by his first name was disrespectful, so he slapped his mouth lightly and said, "Marshal Zhong appointed me as deputy commander?"
He Guan nodded and said, "Exactly. I have already told General Zhong about General Bai's appointment to Cangzhou. Upon hearing this, General Zhong wanted to appoint General Bai as a general, which would be a humiliation to General Bai. So General Zhong personally issued an order appointing General Bai as the deputy commander of Cangzhou. From now on, Cangzhou will belong to you and me."
In reality, Zong Shidao did this to give Bai Shizhong a face. Bai Shizhong was the prime minister of the dynasty, holding a high position of power. Only by maintaining a good relationship with him could the logistical support of the Zong family army keep up.
Bai Wanli's appointment was authorized by Bai Shizhong and not by Zhao Huan himself. That's why Zhong Shidao dared to ignore the Privy Council's appointment and directly appointed Bai Wanli as the deputy commander.
Bai Wanli was both surprised and delighted. He had been extremely reluctant to be made a mere general. It was like a deputy commander being demoted to a squad leader at the grassroots level. No one could bear such humiliation.
Fortunately, Bai Wanli felt that he had saved his life, and being alive was better than being beheaded. He did not expect that after arriving in Cangzhou, Zhong Shidao would actually give him the position of deputy commander, which was the same position he had in the Pingding Army. How could he not be grateful?
"I will swear allegiance to General Zhong until death!" Bai Wanli said as he bowed and knelt towards Nanfang.
He Guan hurriedly helped him up and said, "General Bai, this is serious. We are loyal to the Song Dynasty and His Majesty."
Bai Wanli nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, yes. I will swear allegiance to the Song Dynasty until death!" But he did not say the words of loyalty to the emperor.
The two yamen runners nearby were already stunned. One of them said cautiously, "General. This, this document."
Bai Wanli hurriedly took it and bowed to the two yamen runners, saying, "Thank you for your care along the way. Please follow me to the Cangzhou military camp to sign the document. After it is stamped, you can return and report."
Zhao Huan has been very worried about the money issue recently, so he called Wu Ge to the Wende Hall.
"Wu Ge, I want to ask you, have you sold the silver you seized from the six thieves' houses?"
Wu Ge bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the inventory of the six thieves' assets is not yet complete. Moreover, the public cannot afford to buy these assets, and it will take time to liquidate them."
"It'll take time? Let's auction off the items that have been counted first. For example, how much is that old bastard Cai Jing's house worth?"
"It's worth 760,000 taels of silver."
Zhao Huan was secretly shocked: Seven hundred and sixty thousand taels for a house, is Cai Jing's fucking house a golden house?
"Is there anyone who wants 300,000 taels?" Zhao Huan asked.
Wu Ge was shocked: "Isn't this a bit too cheap?"
Zhao Huan glared at him and said, "Fuck you! I'm short of money. I'm short of money. No matter how much it costs, if someone wants it, just sell it to me!"
Wu Ge wiped his sweat and said: "I can sell it for 500,000 taels."
"So what are you waiting for! Sell it!"
Wu Ge's mouth trembled with pain, and he bowed and retreated.
"Wait!" Zhao Huan called out to him, "Whatever the other six thieves have looted, sell it to anyone who wants it!"
"As you wish!"
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