"Dang dang dang..."
The constable Hu Qiang of Luting County, excitedly rang the copper gong while sprinting along the main road. As he ran and rang, he loudly shouted, "The Second Master is granted the title Marquis of Luting, let the whole county celebrate, the Second Master is granted the title Marquis of Luting, let the whole county celebrate..."
The people of Luting, immersed in the festive atmosphere of the New Year, crowded the streets, happily discussing in groups, "The Second Master has been made a Marquis? Really?"
"Could it be false? The imperial proclamation is already out!"
"Darling, quickly bring out the firecrackers..."
No one asked which Second Master it was.
Because there was only one Second Master in Luting!
There were also many constables tied with red sashes, carrying baskets of red enveloped bonuses onto the streets, handing out red packets from house to house, "The Second Master has been made a Marquis, share in the joy!"
"Congratulations to the Second Master, felicitations to the Second Master!"
"The Second Master has been made a Marquis, share in the joy..."
"Pop pop pop pop..."
The jubilant sound of firecrackers echoed through Luting.
Countless people of Luting, taking their drums and gongs to the streets, grouped together to make merry and parade, stores that had closed for the New Year suddenly opened, shouting out deals, and the temple fair that was supposed to start in the evening was set up in the afternoon with decorations. The theatre troupe invited by the local authorities hastily prepared the "Yang Erlang Ingeniously Battles the Three Major Grain Merchants" play...
The joy that came from the heart, as if it was their own family celebrating, astounded all the guests who had come to greet Yang Ge for the New Year.
The elders and folks of Luting did not often mention "Yang Erlang" like those from Jiangdong.
But they kept those three words close to their hearts!
In Jiangzhe, ask about "Yang Erlang" and even the pancake vendors on the street would proudly slap their chests and loudly say, "The Second Master has eaten pancakes at our place!"
But in Luting, ask about "Yang Erlang" and everyone, from the eighty-year-old elder to the ten-year-old child, would suspiciously claim ignorance and then turn to look for a constable to report it.
The best example would be that most Luting locals actually knew that the young shopkeeper of Yuelai Inn, who always wore a friendly smile, was the famous ’Holy True Lord’ Yang Erlang.
Yet, very few people ever bothered Yang Ge’s peaceful life in Luting; everyone tacitly ignored the anomalies at Yuelai Inn, carefully safeguarding Yang Ge’s serene days in Luting County.
Evening, Chaimen Street.
After seeing off all the guests, Yang Ge, holding a pot of hot tea, sat down under the grape trellis.
He half-closed his eyes, quietly listening to the distant sounds of joy, and suddenly no longer felt lonely, only peaceful.
Huang lay napping by his feet, occasionally wagging his tail.
"Swoosh... pop!"
A splendid firework lit up the night sky, the distant sounds of joy, inspired, grew even louder.
Huang suddenly stood up, staring up at the firework in the sky slowly wagging his tail, his face clearly showing happiness.
Yang Ge also opened his eyes, glanced at the fireworks bursting prolifically under the night sky, his lips slightly curling up...
He bent down, hugged his dog son’s neck, and gently shook him, "How about that, happy?"
Huang turned his head and licked his cheek.
"Oh, what a big breath."
Yang Ge feigned disgust, playfully sealed his mouth, and then with a smile, patted its head, "Go play, no need to stick with me!"
Huang, with a stretched smile, dashed out, excitedly frolicking in the yard.
Yang Ge leaned back in the chair, slowly closing his eyes.
Soon, even snoring sounds were heard under the grape trellis.
The eventful and dramatic fourteenth year of Xiping, slowly fell curtain in his sleep.
When he awoke again, it was already the fifteenth year of Xiping.
His fifth year in Wei.
...
The seventh day of the first lunar month, Yuelai Inn opens for business.
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Shen Fa came again.
And with him, came Zhao Miao.
"Hmph!"
Zhao Miao burst into the inn and coldly scoffed at Yang Ge, who was cracking seeds behind the counter, eyes not like eyes, nose not like a nose.
Yang Ge, surprised, put down the seeds, and laughed, "What’s the matter?"
Zhao Miao stared unwaveringly at him, "You promised to pick me up in the capital, didn’t you?"
Yang Ge laughed, "I could have gone, but would your dad let me?"
Zhao Miao scoffed again, "Aren’t the legs on your body?"
Yang Ge laughed, "Your dad just sent me a big gift before the year, I couldn’t really embarrass him..."
"Hmph!"
Zhao Miao turned away, "You just don’t care about me!"
Yang Ge made a stern face, "You can be mischievous but don’t give me that attitude!"
Zhao Miao turned and walked to the backyard, "You just don’t care about me!"
Yang Ge snorted and couldn’t help but laugh, "Brew me a pot of tea!"
Turning his back to him, Zhao Miao also couldn’t help revealing a happy smile, but still pretended to huff.
Yang Ge then turned to look at the door, where Shen Fa was sheepishly smiling, and said disdainfully, "Are you that idle as a commander?"
Shen Fa slowly shuffled to the counter, "How could I be? I just escorted the grand princess here... I’m going to Liaodong."
"Liaodong?"
Yang Ge glanced at the salted fish playing mahjong in the front hall, thought for a moment, then went around the counter, "Let’s talk upstairs!"
Shen Fa glanced at him and didn’t move, "You’re not going to hit me again, are you?"
Yang Ge turned his head, sizing him up suspiciously, "What, planning something against me again?"
Shen Fa shook his head blankly, "Not at all."
Yang Ge clapped his hands, "Well then, if you’re not plotting against me, why would I hit you?"
Shen Fa crossed his arms, "Cut it out, that’s exactly what you said last time!"
Yang Ge glared, "Don’t push me to slap you in front of everyone, ow!"
Shen Fa quickly lowered his hands and followed his pace, "Let’s just talk business, why keep hitting..."
Yang Ge: "You didn’t say that back in the day."
Shen Fa: "The past is the past, now is now..."
The two moved up the stairs one after the other, keeping a bull’s distance between them.
Yang Ge: "What, the court is planning to take action against the Tartars again?"
Shen Fa pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, "How did you know?"
Yang Ge rolled his eyes, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Other than that, what else would be worth your personal visit as an imperial guard commander?"
Shen Fa forced a smile and nodded, "That’s the intention, but whether it’s worth going to war over, I need to see for myself before making any further plans!"
Yang Ge: "Planning to pull in Dongying’s vassal army?"
Shen Fa scratched his head, "How do you know everything?"
Yang Ge: "Whose idea was this?"
Shen Fa: "Mine!"
Yang Ge stared at him, lightly stroking his chin’s short whiskers, his mind racing.
Shen Fa felt uncomfortable under his gaze, "What, do I have something on my face?"
Yang Ge pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "That’s not a good idea!"
Shen Fa asked in confusion, "Why not? You were the one who said we should deal with the Dongying vassal army sooner rather than later."
Yang Ge: "I did say we should deal with that vassal army soon, but sending them to fight the Tartars is not a good choice..."
Shen Fa became eager, pulled the chair forward, and spoke solemnly, "Explain!"
Yang Ge turned back and looked towards the staircase, "The one eavesdropping downstairs, watch your ears!"
"Hmph!"
A frustrated snort from Zhao Miao came from downstairs.
Yang Ge couldn’t help but twitch his mouth corner, then swiftly turned back with the smile fading, "I’m not very clear on the Tartars’ combat effectiveness, but I’m well aware of the combat strength of the Dongying vassal army. They are good-for-nothings who bully the weak and fear the strong. Using them as the main force, should there be any setback in battle, I guarantee they’ll scatter faster than rabbits. Sending them against the Tartars won’t achieve the strategic objectives. It also serves as a wake-up call for the Tartars, who are currently in internal strife, and it would be a sheer waste of money and resources... quite unwise!"
Shen Fa furrowed his brows, "This... was an oversight on my part!"
Yang Ge looked at him and nodded slightly, "This really doesn’t seem like an idea you would come up with... What’s the matter, under a lot of pressure?"
Shen Fa pursed his lips tightly and didn’t answer for a long time.
Yang Ge didn’t rush him and slowly got up to go downstairs, returning with two cups of tea.
It was then that Shen Fa spoke, "The current situation is too good!"
Yang Ge, puzzled, "And that’s bad?"
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Shen Fa sipped his lips, speaking in a low voice, "Exactly because it’s good, I don’t want it affected by anything..."
Yang Ge gently exhaled and pushed the tea bowl towards him, "You’re making me somewhat regret saying those things to you earlier."
Shen Fa: "Don’t blame yourself. If there really were trouble and I had done nothing, that would haunt me for life!"
Yang Ge lifted his tea bowl, "Relax, friend. Didn’t you say before, with Wang Jiangling inside and me outside? As long as everyone pushes together, this world won’t descend into chaos!"
Shen Fa suddenly laughed, "Wang Zhongtang said the same thing!"
Yang Ge took a sip of tea, thought for a moment, and then said, "It’s good for you to go to Liaodong to see exactly what the situation is like inside the Tartars and with the border army. Knowing both ourselves and our enemies ensures no peril in a hundred battles. If we really must use troops, Dongying’s vassal army can only serve as auxiliary troops, and we must also assign a valiant general to lead them to be effective!"
"In fact, my original plan was to first give the vassal army some practice with Goguryeo. Since the vassal army are Dongying people, whether they win or lose, the blame wouldn’t fall on us, Hua Xia. After the vassal army get used to the combat intensity around the Central Plains, then we could deploy them to the northern grassland battlefield."
"But now, with the Tartars not yet handled, I’m not sure if provoking Goguryeo is a wise choice!"
"So, it is still necessary for you all to brainstorm and come up with a plan."
Hearing his plan for the vassal army, although Shen Fa felt regret that such a talent was idling away, the situation was already this way, and he had nothing more to say, merely nodding, "Okay, let’s talk more when I return from Liaodong!"
Yang Ge laughed, "While you’re at it, bring a jar of old wine to Jiang Kui for me. Tell him I still have his money; he should come back and enjoy some lamb hotpot!"
Shen Fa nodded with a smile, "With that message, he will surely come back for another meal!"