Chapter 3: Seeking Talented Individuals

  After taking down Dingzhou, Haotian only then realized how complicated the situation he was facing was. Although there were piles of logistical materials and gold, silver, and jewels that Habrida had desperately collected in the city, there were also nearly 200,000 civilians, and he didn't have a single administrative official under him. Although his father had been the county magistrate of Qingyun before, he himself had no experience in politics at all. Faced with these troublesome matters, Haotian was getting a headache. Fortunately, Luo Xiang had experience in this area before, and after he took over, Haotian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

  In military terms, since this was a successful surprise attack, his thousand soldiers suffered minimal casualties, and with the addition of 40,000 prisoners of war, Huan Tian's forces suddenly increased by forty times. However, these soldiers were all remnants of the Northern Expeditionary Army at that time, and all officers above the rank of centurion had been killed. They managed to survive only because the Rouran people wanted to use them as bargaining chips with the Qingfeng Empire in exchange for wealth, but they didn't expect to fall into Huan Tian's hands. Thinking that nearby Yan State, Ke State, and other places would soon learn of his occupation of Dingzhou, Huan Tian had no choice but to temporarily reorganize them into units under the command of Feng Jingxin and others, who intensified their training. Perhaps in a day or two, they would become his main force again.

  "Your Excellency, we found two strange people in the prisoner-of-war camp." Huang Tian was busy and flustered when Gong Jing brought two strange prisoners to the city guard office. Since entering Dingzhou, whether it was Gong Jing who had been with him from the beginning or Luo Xiang who joined later, everyone addressed Huang Tian as "Master" in public. Huang Tian himself didn't think there was anything wrong with this and just went along with it.

  "Oh, you bring it up first and take a look." Haotian put down the matter in his hand and said strangely. Feng Jing was meticulous and dense, since he thought that these two people were a bit strange, they probably really had some problems.

  "Your Excellency, the person has arrived." A moment later, Feng Jing walked back into the hall again, followed by a tall and robust man and an emaciated old man.

  "Guoshi, how is it you?" Feng Jing hadn't even opened his mouth when the Heavenly Emperor on the main seat had already exclaimed in surprise. Then he strode to the front of the old man and without saying a word, supported him to the main seat.

  "General Haotian, it's you. Alas, fortunately I was saved by you this time, otherwise I would have been too ashamed to face the late emperor." The old man obviously also recognized Haotian and didn't decline, but instead let out a long sigh and said.

  "National Master, you rest for a while first. Gong Jing, come quickly to pay respects to the National Master." Hao Tian said, turning his head towards Gong Jing on one side.

  "The subordinate respectfully greets and pays homage to the State Preceptor." Upon hearing the words "State Preceptor", he was already stunned. The old man in front of him was actually the legendary State Preceptor Pang Yan, the greatest wise man of Qingfeng. He wasn't just the greatest wise man of Qingfeng, but also the military strategist who followed the 600,000-strong Northern Expedition Army? How could he have become a prisoner? Unlike Haotian, when the Northern Expedition Army marched north, his military rank was too low, and he had no opportunity to meet this old man. However, for this one of the three pillars of Qingfeng, he had long been renowned.

  Although he was the State Master, Pang Yong was not an arrogant person. After receiving a salute from Feng Jing, he helped him up with both hands: "General, there's no need to be so polite. If I hadn't been saved by you, I wouldn't have had the chance to talk to you here today. I should thank you for saving my life first."

  "The Imperial Instructor praised him, but I'm just a humble Baiji Chang." Feng Jing hastily said. In the imperial army, ten Baiji troops formed a Qianji troop, with a Qianji Zhang and a military rank of Xiao Wei. Ten Qianji troops formed a Wanji troop, with a Wanji Zhang and a military rank of Du Wei, commonly known as General. Feng Jing was just a Baiji Chang, how could he dare to bear such a title.

  "General, you don't have to be so humble. Although you are now just a captain of a hundred riders, your future achievements will certainly not stop at this level. I think that our great ancestor emperor was also an ordinary citizen at the beginning." Pang Yan said nonchalantly. Haotian and Feng Jing didn't think much of it, after all, they had no contact with Pang Yan before, so they just took this as a kind elder's expectation for his younger generation. However, the burly man beside them was taken aback, he knew that Pang Yan rarely praised others, but today he actually praised this captain so highly, could it be that this person really has great talent in the future?

  "Two generals, this is the deputy commander of the Eastern Legion of the Empire, towards General Xiang. Alas, if I hadn't been scattered by the chaotic army that day, and if General Xiang hadn't accompanied me all along, I'm afraid I wouldn't have lived to see today. It's just a pity that General Xiang also fell captive for my sake." Pang Yan saw that the gazes of the two generals would occasionally stop on Xiang's body, so he understood their meaning and explained.

  "It was the legion commander, I apologize for my rudeness earlier, please forgive me." Haotian hastily bowed and said. He had just been wondering why there wasn't a single big fish among the 40,000 prisoners of war, but now two huge ones had suddenly appeared.

  "The general was polite. If it weren't for you, Xiang's life would have been in danger too." Xiang Hang also being a straightforward person, didn't mind the rudeness of people like Huang Tian earlier and instead laughed and said.

  Pang Yan waved his hand to stop the laughter of the onlookers, then turned around and said to Hua Tian: "General Hua, now that you have taken control of Dingzhou, I suppose those 40,000 surrendered soldiers have also been incorporated into your army. What are your plans for the future?"

  "With the national master and the commander here, where is the reason for the young general to decide? Moreover, the young general is inexperienced and impulsive, so please let the national master and the commander instruct." Haotian was also a clever person. Although he had already made up his mind, in front of this famous old man, he still chose to be humble.

  "General, no need to pretend in front of me. Looking at the methods you've used in the city, I'm afraid you already have a plan in mind. It's more fun with many people than alone. Why not share it with me and let me hear it?" Pang Yan said with a smile. He had been the Imperial Tutor for over 20 years, and although the imperial family had declined in recent years, with the three major families gaining power, it was precisely because of the existence of loyal ministers like him that the imperial family still held great power in the Qingfeng Empire. Having experienced many storms, he naturally understood what Hua Tian was thinking after a moment's thought, which is why he said this.

  "That's the end of it. National Master and Army Commander, please take a look. Dingzhou is located in the southwest of the river valley, with the vast river flowing through the mountains to the west, and to the south are the so-called Heavenly State of Yizhou Road and the 800-mile Qin River of Qinchuan Road. The geographical location is extremely important. If Dingzhou is not preserved, then the foreign tribes outside the pass can pressure Yizhou and Qinchuan roads through Dingzhou, Sword Gate Pass, and Yin Wind Ancient Fortress, and block the road for our army to recover our lost land in the north. Therefore, I think that the main task of our army at present is not to reunite with the remnants of the southern expedition and northern expedition, but to firmly defend Dingzhou, hold back the footsteps of foreign tribes from outside the pass, and turn Dingzhou into a bridgehead for recovering our lost land."

  "The general's words are exactly in line with my intentions. The general is young and has such insights, his future prospects will be boundless." Pang Yan stroked his long beard and said. However, looking at Haotian's hesitant expression, he felt a slight movement in his heart: "Could it be that the general still has something difficult to handle?"

  "It is indeed." In front of this benevolent and hungry old man, Huan Tian was not constrained at all: "I still have some troubles here. Firstly, the number of soldiers I can use is really too small, even if I add these 40,000 people, I only have 40,000 troops in my hands. When the foreign tribes outside the pass came down south, they had an army of one million. Now although the main force has withdrawn north, but also left nearly 200,000 troops in the six states of the Yellow River Basin. If they rise up to attack, I don't know if I can defend Dingzhou; secondly, there are almost no people under me who know how to govern. The national teacher also knows that I was originally just a thousand riders commander, and my subordinates were only a group of men who only knew how to charge and kill. Let them charge into the battlefield is still possible, but governing a region is probably too difficult. Finally, I was originally just the commander of the Qingyun garrison, but now I am self-sufficient in the government office. Although my subordinates are loyal, it's hard to guarantee that there won't be rumors. Please instruct me, national teacher."

  Pang Yan nodded, looking at Huan Tian who was only in his early twenties. Originally, he was just a humble commander of a thousand cavalrymen, but the way he analyzed problems was so comprehensive, and he remained calm and composed even after this great victory. He also carefully analyzed his own situation, which showed that he was indeed a talented individual. Thinking about it, Pang Yan realized that the six states of the Yellow River valley were directly under imperial control, and if Huan Tian could truly take root here, it would be greatly beneficial to the empire. With this in mind, Pang Yan couldn't help but smile slightly: "General Huan doesn't need to worry. Although the allied forces of the barbarian tribes had a million soldiers, the six tribes were not united, and there was a reason for their actions. Although there are nearly 200,000 troops still in the Yellow River valley, they are all acting on their own. If General Huan only attacks one point, the others will not come to its aid. As long as General Huan can grasp this point well, it's not impossible that he will have an opportunity. Moreover, when the empire's northern expeditionary army was defeated, those soldiers were the empire's elite troops. Except for half of them being captured, the rest are wandering around the Yellow River valley. If General Huan can gather them together, it would undoubtedly be a great help. General only needs to give them some training, and they will once again become a fierce and powerful army."

  Haotian was overjoyed in his heart, and now the most worrying thing for him was the problem of his troops. Due to the rapid collapse of the Empire's Northern Expeditionary Army, the entire Hexi Six States had become a hunting ground for the six tribes outside the pass. In less than half a month, the population of Hexi Six States had dropped from 80 million to 60 million. To establish itself in Dingzhou, the first priority was to intensify military training, and the second was to rapidly restore production. However, there were already severe shortages of manpower for production, and if they were to recruit soldiers from here, it would undoubtedly greatly slow down the recovery of Hexi. But if they were to recruit these scattered soldiers, it would be a different story. They were originally professional soldiers, not only could they save a lot of training time, but also wouldn't conflict with restoring production.

  "In that year, the imperial army retreated south, and almost all military and government personnel in the six states of the Yellow River valley followed the main force to Tian Du Sheng Jing. Fortunately, General was exceptionally brave, not only did his own troops remain safe, but he also captured Dingzhou with one sentence, and annihilated the 30,000-strong garrison. Such merit, I should report to the Emperor myself. And before that, I temporarily ordered General to take up the post of Governor of Dingzhou, I wonder if General is willing?" Pang Yan said with a smile.

  "That's all, I'll thank the State Master first." Haotian was overjoyed again. Although he had already controlled the overall situation in Dingzhou, with Pang Yan's words, it was naturally much more legitimate. Moreover, this was the head of a state, thinking back to his father who struggled for twenty years and only became a county magistrate of Qingyun. Thinking of this, Haotian couldn't help but feel a few points of gratitude towards this old man.

  "As for your last question." Pang Yan furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment before saying: "This time the barbarian invasion has thrown Hexi into chaos, and even scholars and officials have fallen victim to disaster. However, Hexi's six states are not without talent. These people are all recluses who live apart from the world; if the general can persuade them to come out of retirement, governing Hexi's six states would be a trivial matter."

  "Oh, can the national teacher introduce me to him?" Haotian obviously hadn't gotten used to his position as deputy governor yet, and a military general slipped out of his mouth.

  "This isn't a problem. It's been over twenty years since I last saw him, and now that I'm passing by, I might as well go visit him too. Alas, this man is a scholar who values integrity above all else, but he's always been indifferent to worldly affairs and unwilling to take office; otherwise, the title of 'First Sage' wouldn't have been usurped by someone like me, who is mediocre and useless." Pang Yan let out a long sigh as he spoke. Recalling the past events that had slipped away like smoke, even this man over fifty couldn't help but feel a hint of melancholy.

  "Honestly, Imperial Teacher, who exactly is this person that you hold in such high esteem?" Hao Tian asked curiously. Meanwhile, Xiang Xing and Feng Jing by his side were also perplexed, they really had no idea when the Hexi Six States produced a talent like this.

  "I'll keep you in suspense for now, and when the time comes, you'll naturally understand." Pang Yan chuckled and turned to look at Haotian, saying: "If you really have the intention, then come with me. His hermitage is only half a day's journey from here. Hehe, this person is best at divining the heavens and earth, if General is lucky, perhaps he will make an exception and calculate a fortune for the general."

  "Half a day's time? Then one day can run back and forth. It's just that I don't know when the national teacher will set off, and the end will be arranged." Hao Tian said respectfully.

  "Of course, the sooner the better. After I see him, I still need to hurry back to the court." Pang Yan thought of this and also got a headache. He had been missing for nearly half a month and didn't know what changes had taken place in the imperial court.

  "Very well, then let's wait for a moment. I'll go and make the arrangements." Haotian nodded and walked out of the hall with big strides.

  Highly recommended books: "The Little Prince", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "1984", "Pride and Prejudice", "The Catcher in the Rye", "The Picture of Dorian Gray", "War and Peace"

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