The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 288: Chapter 285: Conscription

The main hall of the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

A host of Xuan Yang’s most powerful figures sat within, their presence lending an unprecedented splendor to the humble hall. The Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office had never witnessed such a grand assembly since its founding.

Seated at the very head was, of course, the Profound Sun Grand Protector, Yan Shao’an.

A young man led Bai Yuan into the hall.

All those in the midst of discussion turned their heads in unison to look at Bai Yuan.

"Bai Yuan, Vice Governor of Lingzhou, pays his respects to Lord Yan and all the esteemed lords present."

Bai Yuan spoke in the refined dialect of the Capital City.

Every region in Xuan Yang had its own dialect. To facilitate communication, the Court had tasked the Wenyuan Pavilion with standardizing an official, refined language.

Most officials serving in the Capital City used this refined language.

Consequently, local officials who arrived in the capital unable to speak it were often met with ridicule.

Everyone was somewhat surprised to hear Bai Yuan speak the capital’s dialect so fluently.

These were men of no ordinary status, with well-informed intelligence networks; they knew perfectly well that Bai Yuan was merely a local official who had never left the northern regions.

Involuntarily, their estimation of Bai Yuan rose a notch.

Yan Shao’an nodded. "Did Lord Du leave any final instructions?"

Bai Yuan shook his head. "Mr. Du faced death with equanimity. He left no final words."

The moment he spoke, a dead silence fell over the hall.

’When I left Dingzhou, Du Qinghui really hadn’t given me many instructions. At most, he just asked me to look after his son and daughter.’

’Du Qinghui had many political enemies in the Court, so I chose not to mention it.’

Yan Shao’an sighed softly. "Have a seat for now."

As the Grand Protector, he was naturally acquainted with Du Qinghui. In fact, Du Qinghui had once been his student. Yan Shao’an had presided over the imperial examinations the year Du Qinghui passed, back when he was the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. According to Xuan Yang tradition, all Imperial Scholars from that year—Du Qinghui included—were considered his disciples.

However, Du Qinghui had been too inflexible. As an Imperial Censor for the Imperial Inspection Office, he had once impeached more than half the Court in a single sweep.

Yet this nearly fanatical young man had, against all odds, risen to the position of Left Chief Imperial Censor of the Imperial Inspection Office, a senior second-rank post.

And the very first person Du Qinghui impeached after securing that position was none other than Grand Protector Yan Shao’an.

If the Emperor himself hadn’t intervened to clear the air, Du Qinghui, whose footing was still unsteady, would have been thrown into the Celestial Prison for partisan attacks.

Because of that incident, the relationship between Grand Protector Yan Shao’an and Du Qinghui had always been strained.

Yan Shao’an did not dismiss Bai Yuan, allowing him to remain in the hall. This gesture alone was a statement of his attitude.

Everyone present was perceptive; they understood that Yan Shao’an wasn’t going to hold Du Qinghui’s favor for Bai Yuan against him.

Bai Yuan took a seat at the very end of the hall.

He remained silent throughout, listening quietly.

The discussion that followed revolved around how to establish a defensive line on the border between Ling Province and Dingzhou and how to destroy the Blood Sacrifice Array the Demon Sect had erected in Dingzhou.

With Xuan Yang deploying Yan Shao’an, the Demon Sect was certain to have a countermove.

Destroying the array in Yuquan Mansion would be no easy task.

The matter was of such magnitude that even after two full hours of debate, the great lords had yet to reach a conclusion.

They were essentially split into two camps: one advocated a steady, methodical advance to conquer Dingzhou bit by bit, while the other pushed for a surprise attack aimed at shattering the Blood Sacrifice Array immediately.

Neither side was right or wrong; they simply held different philosophies of war.

Yan Shao’an himself rarely spoke, listening silently for the most part. He only interjected occasionally to reprimand the two sides when their arguments grew too heated.

Perhaps weary of the bickering, Yan Shao’an finally raised his voice. "That will be all for today. We shall reconvene tomorrow."

With that, he strode out of the hall first.

The others hurried to follow.

Bai Yuan, however, deliberately remained behind, letting the others go first.

Most of the meeting’s content had nothing to do with him. The only relevant point was that Yan Shao’an was requisitioning the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office. It would be converted into a provisional government and relocated to Huanglong Prefecture, only returning to Lingzhou City after the Demon Sect rebellion was quelled.

As Vice Governors of Lingzhou, Bai Yuan and Chen Danian were not required to participate in the war against the Demon Sect. Their only duty was to ensure the stability of the home front in Ling Province.

When Chen Danian heard the news, he was understandably disappointed.

Everyone knew that proximity to one’s superiors was the surest path to promotion. A move to Huanglong Prefecture would utterly shatter his dream of becoming a Prefect.

However, these were Yan Shao’an’s orders, and he didn’t dare defy them.

「The next day.」

Bai Yuan and Chen Danian traveled south, returning to Huanglong Prefecture.

Perhaps out of sheer disillusionment, the moment Chen Danian arrived in Huanglong Prefecture, he extravagantly purchased a large residence and secluded himself within its walls, taking no further part in government affairs.

Bai Yuan had no objections.

An incompetent official wasn’t the problem; a meddling one was.

Without Chen Danian around, things would actually be much easier.

Huanglong Prefecture was Bai Yuan’s home turf, after all. Handling matters here would be far more efficient.

As for Ling Province, it had now become the front line in Yan Shao’an’s war against the Demon Sect.

Many residents of Lingzhou City, hearing the news, quietly relocated to Huanglong Prefecture. Ling Province was, after all, dangerously close to the battlefield.

Yan Shao’an did nothing to stop them.

In no time, Huanglong Prefecture had become the de facto economic heart of Ling Province, and it was said that housing prices within the city had surged.

「In the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.」

The civil servants of Huanglong Prefecture were swamped with work.

Managing such a large migration was no small feat. The task of updating the Household Registers alone was monumental.

In truth, population mobility was rare in this era. Most who traveled were either merchants or "black households"—people not registered with the government.

"Black households" referred to those who were not recorded in the government’s official registers. This group largely consisted of mountain dwellers who had fled into the wilds to survive, as well as Jianghu Swordsmen, such as the Ghostwriters.

Nearly everyone else was recorded in the Government Office’s Household Register.

This was done, of course, to facilitate tax collection, military conscription, and corvée labor.

Consequently, a local Prefecture Magistrate’s Office would not normally accept such a large-scale migration.

Huanglong Prefecture was only making an exception because of the war raging in Ling Province.

But it had the clerks of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office sweating bullets. Fortunately, they had the staff from the provincial-level magistrate’s office to help out.

Ling Province was no longer governed from the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, so Bai Yuan had brought all its officials with him to Huanglong Prefecture.

Prefect Yang Fangyu was nearly bowled over by an elderly clerk. He dodged just in time, thanks to his quick reflexes.

"Lord Yang."

Seeing it was Yang Fangyu, the old clerk hastily bowed.

Yang Fangyu waved him off.

He walked into the main hall and saw Bai Yuan seated in the Grandmaster’s Chair.

’Friendship is one thing,’ he thought, ’but Bai Yuan is my superior now. With him here in Huanglong Prefecture, the seat of honor naturally belongs to him.’

Bai Yuan looked up at that moment and saw him. "Brother Yang."

Yang Fangyu strode into the hall. "Ah Yuan, they’ve decided to build a line of military fortresses in Ling Province and wear down the Demon Sect forces."

Bai Yuan nodded.

’I’m not surprised by this outcome.’

’A surprise attack could be effective, but the margin for error is far too slim. One failure, and the entire situation would instantly deteriorate.’

’Even Grand Protector Yan Shao’an can’t afford another major defeat.’

’So while it looked like there were two options, there was really only one.’

Sure enough, military fortresses soon sprang up along the border of Dingzhou and Ling Province. There were dozens of them, forming a continuous line, remarkably similar to the strategy Xu Dingchun employed when he built his section of the Great Wall.

Yan Shao’an, once Xu Dingchun’s most vocal critic, was now following in his rival’s footsteps.

’As for why he isn’t just building another Great Wall, he probably doesn’t want to hand his political enemies any ammunition.’

The situation in Ling Province grew tense once more.

A series of major battles erupted between Xuan Yang and the Demon Sect. Yan Shao’an had brought elite troops and brilliant commanders this time, and in just two days, they took Huaiyuan Prefecture in a single, decisive blow.

The gloom that had hung over Ling Province after the previous defeat instantly vanished, and morale soared.

Some generals even boasted that they would press the attack and storm Yuquan Mansion.

But Yan Shao’an was a master of military strategy. He knew the Demon Sect’s strongest forces were concentrated at Yuquan Mansion. Huaiyuan Prefecture had effectively been abandoned, which was why it had been so easy to take.

If they grew complacent and overconfident enough to attack Yuquan Mansion, they would surely be met with a devastating counterattack.

Yan Shao’an decisively opted for a strategy of building high walls and stockpiling provisions, settling in for a war of attrition against the Demon Sect.

...

「One day.」

A young man arrived outside the Huanglong Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

"Ah Yuan, there’s a young man at the gate calling himself Yan Lei. He says he’s here to see you," Yang Fangyu said as he walked into the main hall.

Bai Yuan’s eyebrows rose at the name Yan Lei. The young man who had summoned him into the hall of the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office was that very same Yan Lei, a trusted subordinate of Yan Shao’an.

"Show him in."

A few moments later, Yan Lei was ushered into the hall.

Bai Yuan did not remain in the Grandmaster’s Chair, but instead rose to greet him at the entrance.

’This gesture isn’t for Yan Lei, of course, but for the man he represents: Yan Shao’an.’

’Yan Shao’an is one of the most powerful ministers in all of Xuan Yang, his influence permeating the entire Court, with countless followers in his faction.’

’Not to mention that Old Dong’s superior, Xu Dingchun, is Yan Shao’an’s sworn enemy.’

’Although Xu Dingchun is now the Minister of War, his power has clearly been curtailed. He’s no longer able to contend with the Grand Protector’s faction.’

’If it weren’t for the Emperor’s deliberate balancing act—his Emperor’s Heart Technique—Xu Dingchun probably couldn’t even hold on to his post as Minister of War.’

’It’s a blessing that Yan Shao’an isn’t targeting me. The last thing I want is to make an enemy of him.’

Yan Lei bowed to Bai Yuan. "Lord Bai."

"Brother Yan," Bai Yuan replied.

"Lord Bai, I come on behalf of my grandfather. He wishes to invite you to travel south and seek the support of the major sects."

Bai Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

’I can’t believe he’s here to ask me to recruit soldiers.’

’Yan Shao’an calls it "seeking support," but what he really means is "conscripting troops" from these sects.’

’I thought Yan Shao’an sent me back to Huanglong Prefecture to sideline me. I never expected he would now entrust me with such a critical mission.’

’The man is impossible to read.’

’Logically, a task like this should be given to one of his most trusted confidants.’

’Recruiting is no small matter. If I handle it poorly, it will be a great loss of face for the Grand Protector. And trying to recruit from the major sects will be anything but easy. It’s a surefire way to make enemies.’

Yan Lei seemed to read his mind. "Rest assured, Lord Bai. It was the King of Qingzhou who recommended you for this."

At these words, understanding dawned on Bai Yuan.

’I’d heard the King of Qingzhou was coming to provide reinforcements on Emperor Xuanyang’s orders. He only just arrived in Ling Province yesterday.’

Yan Lei continued, "Tomorrow, the Ninth Crown Prince of Qingzhou will arrive in Huanglong Prefecture. The three of us will then travel south together."

"I will obey."