Chapter 21: The Great God "Moon Pass"

  Li Yuan burst into the world like a thunderbolt, shattering the existing rules and order.

  Rong Yu Xiang never thought that the Li Yuan she knew had changed so much. The Li Yuan of her memories was a somewhat introverted and shy young man, but now he is a determined and fearless adventurer who dares to defy heaven and earth, and competes with heroes from all over the world.

  Yaojiazhen Railway Station

  Li Yuan met the envoy of Yang Xiong, the governor of Sanchuan County, Gong Cao Guanyue, a stout middle-aged man with a round face and a loud voice, who smiled all over his face as soon as he saw him, very familiar, probably a glib talker.

  "Guān Gōng Cáo, can you recognize the starting point of the great god Yuè Guān?" As soon as Li Yuánfǔ heard the two words "Guān Yuè", he suddenly felt a strong sense of intimacy.

  Guan Gong Cao, aren't you also a crosser? Anyway, asking will dispel curiosity. Guan Yue, Moon Guan, the names are quite smooth to read when reversed.

  "What kind of person is Moon Pass? Forgive me, I'm ignorant and have never heard of it, what achievements does this person have?" Guan Yue was taken aback, even he, who had been through many battles, did not expect Li Yuan to ask such an irrelevant question. Moon Pass, Starting Point, Great God, these were all terms from different places, how could he not understand a single sentence?

  "Haha, Moon Pass is a high-ranking official, and his deeds can't be casually spoken of. This will be known to the officials in charge later. Today, I don't know why Yang County Magistrate sent you here, what instructions do you have?" Li Yuan chuckled and said with a self-mocking smile, "It's also true that this pass is not that pass, and encountering such a big god who can cross through the middle prize is generally rare."

  Guan Yu didn't get annoyed, and with a smile, he walked up and said: "General Li, honest people don't speak in riddles. Guan Mou asks the prefect on behalf of the governor today, is Fan Qiang's head still available?"

  "What if it is, what if it isn't?" Li Yuan had a subtle smile with lingering flavor. This Guan Yue was indeed a clever person, he directly pointed out the purpose of Yang Xiang's visit at the beginning. Fan Kuai was one of Liu Bang's top generals, and in this year alone, two Qin military prefects and vice prefects had died under his sword. As for the county magistrates and marquises, there were even more. The head of Fan Kuai would be a glorious achievement that any Qin general could boast about for a long time.

  "General, do not be surprised that I, Guan, am so bold. In my humble opinion, if Fan Kuai's head is indeed here, it would be better to hand it over to the governor for judgment rather than presenting it directly to the imperial court. If it is not here, then the situation will be dire for you, General!" Guan Yu spoke with a serious expression and clasped his hands in respect.

  "Gong Cao thought that presenting it to the imperial court was not appropriate, so how about presenting it to General Li?" Li Yuan said calmly, but between the lines, he had already acknowledged that Fan Kuai's head was in his hands. According to the Qin state's military merit system, the enemy's head was a meritorious deed, and the head of an enemy general was the top-level achievement. Yang Xiong sent Guan Yue to persuade him, obviously wanting to come and steal the credit. This merit Li Yuan could give to Yang Xiong, but he still needed to hear Yang Xiong's offer.

  "Is the great general's merit not enough? Compared to Fan Kuai and Xiang Liang, who is heavier and who is lighter? Moreover, in the court, Zhao Xiang is currently investigating the case of Li Jun guarding against the enemy. With the relationship between the imperial envoy and Li Jun, is there still any merit?" Guan Yue's round face showed a hint of disgust, but it was immediately covered up by a smile.

  Li Yuan saw it clearly, Guan Yue seemed to be dissatisfied with the behavior of Zhao Gao and Zhang Han's kind, but he concealed it very well, making people almost unaware of his political inclination. He was an old official who had been in the officialdom for many years and had rich experience. Under Yang Xiong's command, there were not completely useless people.

  "What promise can Yang Junshou have?" Li Yuan asked, staring straight into Guan Yue's eyes.

  "Hah, congratulations, Governor, there is an order from the county magistrate. As long as Fan Kuai's head is delivered, you will be officially appointed as a military commander with a salary of 600 stones and lead 2,000 soldiers. What do you think?" Guan Yue heard Li Yuan ask this and was overjoyed, so he immediately revealed Yang Xiong's exchange conditions and the dish.

  "Thanks to your efforts, I will wait for the good news at the post station of Yaojiazhen." Li Yuan bowed his hands in gratitude.

  Yang Xiong's terms were relatively lenient. In a commandery of the Qin state, the three largest officials were the Grand Administrator, the Commandant and the Supervisor. These three positions were directly appointed by the central government, in other words, Yang Xiong, as the highest administrative officer of a commandery, could not dismiss or appoint the Commandant and the Supervisor. Among the middle-ranking military officers below the three officials, the Deputy Commandant was the most powerful and also the main general leading troops in battle. Generally, one commandery had two Deputy Commandants, and larger ones had three to four Deputy Commandants. For example, Sanchuan Commandery, due to its important location, had four Deputy Commandants.

  In fact, the system of separation of powers in the Qin Empire had been perfected over a hundred years, and it was already very complete in terms of institutions. The reason for its collapse lies in the central government, that is, the imperial power, which had major problems.

  From a low-ranking officer to a mid-ranking officer, Li Yuan made a big leap with the help of Fan Kuai's head, which makes people sigh that the glory of soldiers is still obtained on the battlefield.

  Under the arrangement of Guan Yue, Li Yuan's first meeting with Yang Xiong was pleasant. Yang Xiong's army arrived at Yaojiazhen Ferry on the next day and set up camp to rest. Yaojiazhen Post Station is a transportation hub connecting Henan, Hebei, Sanjiang County and Dongjun, and its function is equivalent to the postal system in later generations. The news of the 36 counties under heaven needs to be transmitted quickly through the expressway to Xianyang. The logistics here are convenient, and it can be supplemented nearby for the needs of the Qin army.

  Warrior, be as you are!

  This was Li Yuan's first reaction when he saw his nominal superior Yang Xiong, who was indeed as sturdy and loud as his name suggested. As soon as they met, Yang boomed in a voice like thunder on a spring day, slapping his thigh warmly: "General Li, it's been ages! Tell me quickly, how did you manage to behead Fan Chou?"

  Li Yuan was taken aback, but soon came to his senses. Yang Xiong's attitude wasn't surprising after all. Not long ago, Yang Xiong had been a nobody, and now he was acting like an old friend. At the end of the day, it was all about fame and gain. Under the pressure of Zhao Bi and Wang Ming, Yang Xiong was eager to regain his confidence on the battlefield and couldn't wait to take credit for beheading Fan Zeng into his own pocket.

  Guan Yue seems to be a smooth talker, but he's actually quite capable. Judging from Yang Xiong's enthusiastic attitude, Guan Yue must have said many good things about Li Yuan in front of him, which increased Li Yuan's favor towards him. This man may be smooth-tongued, but he also has great insight.

  Compared to Guan Yue, Hou Xi, who was in charge of communication in Li Yuanjun's army, seemed much more awkward. However, this couldn't be blamed on Hou Xi, after all, compared to Guan Yue, who had been tempered in a big city like Yingyang, Li Yuanjun's army was still too small.