24. Marriage is forbidden.
"Please refuse this marriage proposal to His Majesty."
The Great Liang Dynasty comprises nine provinces and twelve prefectures. Its northern border is located at the northernmost point of the Great Liang, including Jinzhou and a large area of desert to the west.
Jinzhou is located to the west, bordering the Shatuo tribe. The Black Flag Army's garrison, the Shule River, is located in Jinzhou. To the south of Jinzhou is Liangzhou, whose governor is Lei Sheng, the son-in-law of the Marquis of Anping, who is also the one who covets military power in the Black Flag Army.
Jinzhou is long and narrow from west to east. The soil quality gets worse the further west you go, and near the Shule River it becomes a desert where it is difficult to move.
The land to the east is fertile, but it is covered by ice and snow for most of the year, resulting in poor agricultural yields.
Liangzhou is located slightly south of Jinzhou, and its land is more fertile. Because it was rarely affected by war, its people are more prosperous.
This is precisely why Lei Sheng proposed to Emperor Jingkang to incorporate the Black Flag Army, and why Emperor Jingkang did not object, because Liangzhou could indeed afford to support the Black Flag Army.
Furthermore, by incorporating Liangzhou into the provincial military command, he directly eliminated a major threat.
As for why the Black Flag Army wasn't directly reorganized into the Jinzhou Prefecture Army, that's another matter entirely.
Back then, the imperial court promised that whoever drove the Shatuo out of Daliang would have Jinzhou ceded to them as their territory.
Logically, Jinzhou should now belong to Xiao Pingchuan, but the war has been over for two years, and everyone in the court, including Emperor Jingkang, seems to have forgotten it, tacitly putting the matter aside.
As a result, Jinzhou was left vacant for two years, during which time it was almost entirely without a leader.
This exacerbated the desolation and decline of Jinzhou.
At this moment, on the earthen fortification outside the Black Flag Army camp on the banks of the Shule River, Deputy General Kui Lang was squatting on the fortified wall, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
The terrain along the Shule River is flat. To the east is Yiyang County, where they usually buy military rations.
Today, he sent a small team out to buy grain; they should be back by now.
Sure enough, a group of people appeared on the horizon shortly afterward.
He squinted at it, and the more he looked, the more something seemed off. Why was the line so long?
A procession could be seen slowly making its way towards them from the horizon, which was shrouded in a thin line. The oxcarts in the procession creaked and groaned, stretching for hundreds of feet.
He jumped off the city wall, called to the guards to be on guard, and then jogged to meet them.
Upon getting closer, he actually saw a familiar face.
"Old man?! Didn't you go to the capital with the general?" he asked in surprise.
Xu Youcai said in a loud voice with a smile, "I've brought you grain."
Kui Lang's eyes widened. "Goodness, how much grain is that? Is it worth traveling all over the country for?"
Xu Youcai tossed the oxcart reins to the person next to him, then leaned close and secretly held up three fingers.
"Three thousand shi?"
Xu Youcai shook his head.
"It can't be 30,000 shi, can it?"
Xu Youcai roared, “Three hundred thousand shi!” His tone was full of pride.
"My goodness, where did the general get so much grain?"
"It was the lady who brought it; the general didn't do anything."
"Madam? Who is she? The one His Majesty bestowed upon her in marriage?"
"Tsk, how can you talk like that?"
"Yes, yes, madam, but isn't she from the countryside? She's a big landowner!"
Xu Youcai shook his head, "Then I don't know. Hurry up and call the brothers to unload the grain. I'm in a hurry to go back and report."
Kui Lang quickly turned back and ordered the camp to send someone.
Before long, the grain convoy was surrounded by people who rushed out of the military camp.
"My God, I've never seen so much grain in my life."
"That must have cost a lot of money, right?"
Someone couldn't wait to tear open the package, reach inside, and scoop out a handful of millet, sniffing it carefully. "Delicious! It smells fucking delicious!"
The crowd gathered around, taking turns carefully pinching millet from his hand and putting it in their mouths to chew. Chewing it dry, the aroma of the grain instantly filled their mouths.
"Hey, be careful, don't drop it." The person who spoke squatted down and picked up the fallen millet.
Xu Youcai walked over and kicked their butts one by one, saying, "Don't embarrass me, hurry up and unload the grain."
The crowd erupted in excitement.
Everyone was laughing and shoving as they ran towards the grain cart, just like it was New Year's Day.
"You flatter me, Manager Zhao," Xu Youcai said.
He was in charge of procuring the grain and was the manager of Xingyuan Restaurant in Ningyuan County, Jinzhou.
Manager Zhao: "General, you flatter me. It is a great blessing for me to see you all who are guarding Jinzhou today."
Xu Youcai wasn't good at polite conversation, so upon hearing this, he just smiled sheepishly and said, "This grain is enough for us to eat our fill for several months. You've saved our lives."
"No, no. If the general needs anything in the future, he can send someone to Ningyuan to let him know at any time. As long as I, Zhao, can do my best, I will definitely help."
Xu Youcai clasped his hands in a fist salute.
After unloading the grain, Kui Lang and his men insisted that Manager Zhao stay for a meal in the military camp before arranging for someone to send him back.
It was already late at night.
Xu Youcai summoned several deputy generals in the camp to give them instructions.
"I won't hide it from you all, the general is going back this time to hand over military power."
The tent was completely silent; they knew Xu Youcai hadn't finished speaking.
“The higher-ups were pressing hard, and we tried every method imaginable,” Xu Youcai said. “The general’s idea was to retreat in order to advance.”
"How exactly do you use the tactic of retreating to advance?" Kui Lang asked.
Xu Youcai shook his head: "The general didn't say. But he did say that Liangzhou Governor Lei Sheng might temporarily take over our territory. The general asked me to inform everyone so that we can be prepared."
"No, what preparations are needed? That bastard Lei Sheng has been eyeing us for a long time. If we really give him military power, do you think we can get it back?"
Xu Youcai sneered, "What can a person who is about to die hold onto?"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"The general is finally going to make a move on that kid. He's been watching us like a dog for so many years, it's driving us crazy."
"Exactly. Every time the higher-ups allocate grain, he doesn't complain. He either makes excuses to avoid it or cuts it off in various ways. He's a scoundrel."
Daliang had granaries in various counties to store grain, which were generally used to stabilize grain prices and provide relief during disaster years.
The Black Flag Army's military rations usually went through the Liangzhou Ever-Normal Granary. Governor Lei Sheng, having received instructions from above, has been harassing them even more.
"Speaking of which, what did the general ask us to prepare?" someone asked.
"The main concern is the Shatuo people. If they find out about the changes in military power, they might take the opportunity to do something," Xu Youcai said. "Besides, the autumn harvest is just around the corner. In previous years, they've never had a moment of peace during the autumn harvest."
"The general agrees. We can fight amongst ourselves however we want, but we can't let the Shatuo take advantage of any loopholes. We must strengthen our defenses this year and strike hard. If the Shatuo manage to raid our home, the general will make us pay dearly."
When he said this, he completely failed to consider the problem that when military power changed hands, they would have no say at all.
No one seemed to think there was anything wrong with it, and they all nodded in agreement.
"By the way, how is Madam? Did you see her? Is she pretty?" Kui Lang asked.
Xu Youcai didn't know how to start the conversation.
Everyone assumed that the general's wife was not particularly attractive, so they didn't ask any further questions. They simply said, "The lady is capable. She has 300,000 shi of grain. It doesn't matter if she's not good-looking."
"Exactly, when I saw it today, I thought I was seeing things."
"So, it's not a problem if a woman isn't good-looking; it's her ability that truly earns respect."
That makes sense.
“No…did I say that Madam is ugly?” Xu Youcai interrupted them. “Our Madam is very beautiful, like a fairy.”
Everyone assumed he was trying to save face for the general, and they all agreed with him, saying, "Yes, yes, yes."
"...Madam is really beautiful."
"Whatever you say goes."
——
As autumn colors deepen, the sky overhead seems frighteningly high.
After a few days of calm, rumors began to circulate in the capital, concerning Xiao Pingchuan.
The incident stemmed from an impeachment of Xiao Pingchuan during a recent court session. The impeachment accused Xiao of trespassing into the central military training ground, bullying the weak with superior numbers, assaulting people in the street, humiliating aristocratic youths, and allowing his subordinates to ride horses in the bustling city. The impeachment demanded that Emperor Jingkang severely punish Xiao Pingchuan.
At that time, Emperor Jingkang said a few words, neither too harsh nor too mild, only telling him to restrain himself.
Xiao Pingchuan calmly admitted his mistake.
But the news spread throughout the capital overnight.
Furthermore, rumors spread that he was lawless, acted erratically, and was violent, making him unsuitable to be in charge of border security.
He also said that he was just a commoner and a rough man, unworthy of the most talented woman in the world.
Xiao Pingchuan merely chuckled when he heard the first half of the sentence, but became displeased upon hearing the second half and immediately sent people out to investigate who had spread it.
"I just don't understand, what does this have to do with them?" Xu Youcai had already returned to the capital.
"It's disgusting, they're getting married in just two days," Chai Shun said. "The problem is, our general is a first-rank official, he's good-looking and capable. Even if his wife is educated, she's still an illegitimate child, why can't she be a good match for our general?"
“The general is poor. Look at how shabby this general’s mansion is,” he said, breaking off a piece of rotten wooden latticework. “It hasn’t been repaired in years. Tsk tsk.”
The two were helping to hang red silk in the yard, one tall and one short, standing on a ladder, and talking quite loudly.
Xiao Pingchuan was passing by carrying a wine jar when he heard this and kicked Xu Youcai's ladder, startling him into screaming.
Chai Shun, quick-witted, hurriedly went to greet him and took the wine jar, asking, "Isn't drinking forbidden in our household? Why did you bring back a jar of wine?"
Xiao Pingchuan remained silent for a moment without replying.
"Oh, I see, it's for the lady."
The news that Shen Suqin had come to Xiao Pingchuan for a drink in the middle of the night had spread throughout the mansion.
Xiao Pingchuan snatched the wine away and said gruffly, "Can't I drink it myself? Hurry up, don't mess things up. Also, the General's Mansion in Ningyuan doesn't need to be repaired."
"Why? Your wife wants to go back to the Shule River with you."
"Just do what I tell you to do. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
"Yes, yes, General, please."
With the sun high in the sky and the hall almost finished being decorated, everyone was preparing to eat.
Unexpectedly, the secret guards reported that many scholars were gathering in the direction of the general's mansion.
Xu Youcai chuckled. "A scholar? What brings him here? To deliver congratulatory gifts?" But as he laughed, he gradually realized something was amiss and asked his servant, "How many have come?"
"There are at least a hundred."
"Hiss," Xu Youcai gasped, looking at Xiao Pingchuan and asking, "General, what should we do?"
"Go and fetch Shen Guang. I'll meet with them first."
Xiao Pingchuan's heavy sword gleamed, and was as tall as half a person.
Upon arriving at the main gate, he saw a large group of people standing in the open space outside. He squinted and scanned the area, then said coldly, "Find someone who can speak."
As soon as he finished speaking, a pedantic scholar walked out, his long robe covered in dust, and he was as thin as a bamboo pole.
"General Xiao, you are too kind," he said, bowing with his hands clasped. "We have gathered here today to ask you to refuse this marriage proposal to His Majesty."
"Reason?" Xiao Pingchuan asked with a dark face.
“Miss Shen is a learned woman who should devote herself to writing books instead of staying in the backyard. Besides, the general is morally flawed and is not a good match for her.”
"You're morally bankrupt!" Xu Youcai exploded. "You fucking explain yourself!"
He looked indignant and seemed ready to rush up and beat the other person up.
The pedantic scholar opposite him was not intimidated at all and said bluntly, "With the wedding imminent, the general is still going in and out of Cangshuang Tower, and Miss Shen has to personally arrest people. Isn't this showing too little respect for you, sir?"
Speaking of this, Xu Youcai was in the wrong.
He swallowed back his anger.
"Get this straight," Chai Shun stepped forward and said, "the General and Miss Shen are marrying by imperial decree. Disobeying the decree is punishable by death. If our General refuses this marriage, will you take the blame for his execution?" He pointed to another person, "or will you take the blame?"
The scholars stepped back.
Chai Shun sneered, "They've all gone stupid from studying too much."
"Anyway, Miss Shen can't get married. We'll keep blocking her way. Unless you get over us, the wedding will never happen."
"that is."
Just then, the guards from the manor carried out Xiao Pingchuan's heavy sword, Chen Guang, and Xu Youcai's battle axe.
With a bang, the two weapons hit the ground, and the bluestone pavement cracked instantly.
The scholars gasped in shock.
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