Chapter 1438 - 347: Borrowing Leverage

Chapter 1438: Chapter 347: Borrowing Leverage

"My lord, here is today’s memorandum."

"Hmm, just leave it there."

"Yes, my lord."

Lord Zheng washed his hands, sat in his seat, and opened the first memorandum to begin reading.

Beside the Central Army King’s Tent, a slightly smaller commanding tent was erected.

It was much larger than the previous tent where Lord Zheng only slept, and now Lord Zheng had a separate office space.

Prince Jingnan would occasionally leave the camp to visit various troops, and sometimes Lord Zheng would accompany him, but most of the time, he stayed here to review the daily memorandums that were delivered.

At first, there was a sense of novelty, always feeling the burden of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians rested on his shoulders;

as time went by and the number of reviews increased,

hmm,

he still felt considerable pressure.

Because he truly did not dare to act carelessly, nor could he afford to lower his guard, much less dismiss matters lightly.

Even though eighty percent of the memorandums were monotonous, he still had to carefully examine each one.

Some issues in the memos required someone to investigate, such as in the workers’ teams at the rear or in other military camps; initially, Lord Zheng had A Ming run these errands, but later, he simply had Gong Lin and Gongsun Zhen handle them.

Every time these two young men saw Lord Zheng diligently reviewing memorandums for Prince Jingnan, they revered him like a deity.

Lord Zheng, being in a fortunate position, might not deeply sense it, but for Gong Lin and Gongsun Zhen, handling memos had transcended the realm of tasks for mere confidants.

All along, Prince Jingnan’s "regard" for Lord Pingye was almost blatant.

Yet, Lord Pingye was also competent, always victorious in battles, and not just by a little.

Therefore, in this situation, everyone could only offer their wholehearted admiration.

Yan has been established for a long time, but large-scale expansion abroad only began in recent years. Generally, in any nation, during its phase of external expansion, the internal morale, especially within the military, is often high and vigorous.

In peacetime armies, the discussions on seniority, factions, and connections are inevitable, but external wars open up pathways for military personnel’s advancement.

If Lord Pingye were born in Qian State, with his brilliance, he might have been suppressed or even held back by allied forces, as all military units in Qian State are generally puppeteered by their own political leaders from the capital, with battles occurring both on the frontlines and within the political cliques at the rear.

Hence, the Qian State remains inexplicably inactive on the borders as of now.

In contrast, within the Yan State, the intent from the top down was enforced rigorously, leaving everyone no room for other thoughts, and the overall atmosphere remained rather pure.

Regardless of your foundation or origin, as long as you possess real talent and substantial military achievements, everyone acknowledges you!

Consequently, every time Gong Lin and Gongsun Zhen were tasked by Lord Pingye, they would strive to complete it, outwardly assuming an air of being Lord Pingye’s confidants.

Of course, this was precisely what Lord Zheng desired.

Binding these two young ones loyally to his side meant that the two elder ones could only steadfastly follow him.

The family backgrounds of the Gong Wang division and the Gongsun Zhi division were indeed substantial.

After consolidating both families, he could genuinely establish his post in eastern Jin after the war.

A Ming lifted the curtain and walked in, speaking:

"My lord, the prisoners have been brought in, and also..." A Ming paused, "Luo Ling and Wang Mi have arrived."

Luo Ling was the veteran general of the old Jingnan Army. When Tian Wujing was tasked with re-establishing the Jingnan Army under the title of Lord Jingnan, Luo Ling was among the first batch of promoted leaders.

As for Wang Mi, originating from Huwei County’s military, he heeded the call when the Eldest Prince commanded the Eastern Conquest Army, engaging in intermittent combat. After the Eldest Prince returned to the capital following a defeat and later went to Nanwang City, Wang Mi’s division remained behind.

In the military, there is a hierarchy; the main Jingnan Army is naturally a direct lineage, Li Fusheng and Gongsun Zhi, originating from the Northern Army, are considered semi-direct, while Wang Mi, on the other hand, is somewhat akin to the rat army, yet his rank is higher than those in the Jin army barracks.

By rights, Wang Mi wouldn’t be foolish enough to compete with Luo Ling, as although both hold the title of general, the status gap is considerably vast.

Yet, as the issue pertained to a deputy under command, as the main general, regardless of whom you were up against, you had to steadfastly stand up for your people; otherwise, it would be challenging to lead the troop effectively.

Here’s the catalyst: Two days ago, Luo Ling’s unit captured a Chu military outpost. The Chu’s main general attempted to break out with his guards, and a deputy under Luo Ling named Xu led his men in pursuit.

At that time, a deputy under Wang Mi named Huang was also leading men to chase after a group of Chu scouts, both pursuing into a forest.

After a chaotic battle, the Chu soldiers were dealt with, which was supposedly a joint triumph of the two Yan divisions, yet inexplicably, both sides began accusing each other of hogging credits. Even the soldiers of both divisions became tense at one point.

Ultimately,

curiously enough,

finding no resolution through arguments,

the two deputies began a duel at the front!

Upon reading this part of the memorandum, Lord Zheng was sipping tea, which led to him choking on it.

What could you say about it?

That at least they had the propriety not to instigate an all-out fight with their men?

Yet those two deputies, right in front of their respective soldiers and on the battlefield against Chu, engaged in the most primitive of duels, each with a horse and a blade.