Chapter 64: Stirring The Horse Ladle In One Pot
“Hahaha, from now on we’ll all be sharing the same pot!”
The atmosphere in the tent was lively. Guo Xin watched with longing and quickly said to Wei Renpu, “What about me? I want to join the army and fight too. I won’t go with anyone else, only with Xiao Yi.”
“San Lang’s appointment by favor will be processed after arriving in Kaifeng.”
“I’ll gain experience in the military first.”
“Since San Lang has this ambition, you may proceed as you wish, just adhere to camp regulations and do not disrupt military affairs.”
As Wei Renpu turned to speak with Guo Xin, behind Chen Guang Sui, Xu Sheng, who had refused to stay at Baigou Canal, quickly stepped forward and whispered a few words in his ear.
Xiao Yi caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of his eye, then saw Xi Hou nudging Old Pan, gesturing towards him.
Old Pan, however, merely used a small gesture to signal Xi Hou to stay put.
“Please help light the way for the two commanders.”
Wei Renpu said, walking to the side, taking out brush and paper from his robes, and spreading them on the wooden stakes.
Xiao Yi understood, exchanged a look with Chen Guang Sui, and each held a candle over.
Wei Renpu unhurriedly ground the ink and stated in a low voice, “The Left and Right Commander shall oversee military discipline and camp affairs, and also serve as military advisors; the Junior Commander will be in charge of supplies, registers, and armaments; five Captains and five Deputy Commanders will each lead units. The selection of personnel can be decided by the two of you based on their abilities. The army will depart tomorrow morning, and the matter is urgent, so there may be some lack of proper etiquette, for which we ask your indulgence.”
Xiao Yi and Chen Guang Sui exchanged a look, knowing that the time for consideration was very short, only as long as it took Wei Renpu to grind the ink.
Chen Guang Sui’s eyes darted around, and he spoke first, “I request Guo San Lang to temporarily act as Commander. Is that permissible?”
This was a very clever idea. No one would think he wanted to be Guo Xin’s superior. Firstly, it would allow him to be close to Guo Wei’s son. Secondly, this newly established command needed a figurehead, and holding Guo Wei’s son up would prevent them from being looked down upon, making matters easier.
Wei Renpu nodded with a smile.
“Xiao Yi, what do you think?”
“General Chen’s consideration is thorough.”
Xiao Yi replied casually, considering having Hua Nong as Junior Commander, but the Junior Commander was in charge of registers, armaments, and also the distribution of money and grain within the unit, so he worried Chen Guang Sui might want to use his own people, and he needed to consider how to phrase it.
Chen Guang Sui then said, “All my subordinates are unlettered ruffians. I heard from Tie Ya that Hua Nong has studied, and he saved Guo family relatives. Is it an insult to him to be a Junior Commander?”
Xiao Yi was pleased, knowing that Chen Guang Sui’s ambitions extended beyond a mere minor command, and that it would be easier to get along in the future.
“Thank you, General.”
“We are all brothers, no need for thanks.”
“Yes.” Xiao Yi then stopped being formal and said, “I think Old Pan has rich experience and is well-suited for camp affairs. Appointing him as Right Commander, I believe he can handle it.”
“That would be too easy for that old rascal,” Chen Guang Sui said with a laugh, “He’s just a dirt-digger, and after all these years, he hasn’t even become a Captain. You’re giving me face.”
“As the old saying goes, having an elder at home is like having a treasure.”
“Alright, then I won’t be polite to you either. How about one Captain and two Deputy Commanders from the three men you brought?”
There were five units in total, and Chen Guang Sui had brought thirty elite soldiers. It was not unreasonable to ask for four Captain positions, so Xiao Yi nodded in agreement.
“I’ll listen to the General.”
“Decisive.” Chen Guang Sui pulled Xiao Yi closer and said in a low voice, “I understand Commander Guo’s intentions. You are young and lack battlefield experience, and I am merely taking you along to gain experience. I do not treat you as a subordinate, understand?”
“General, rest assured, I know what is proper.”
“If you understand, then let us call each other brothers.”
“Brother, rest assured.”
“That’s more like it.”
While they were speaking, Wei Renpu had finished grinding the ink and picked up his brush to start recording the register.
Xiao Yi chose Lu You as Captain for the Fifth Unit, Wei Liang as Deputy Commander, and Fan Si as Deputy Commander for the Third Unit, with Xu Sheng as Captain.
The remaining positions were all arranged by Chen Guang Sui.
Wei Renpu’s brush moved like dragons and snakes, and he quickly recorded the register.
Once announced, the cheers erupted even more intensely.
“Really?!”
“Damn it, I haven’t even been a Captain yet, and I’m already a Deputy Commander?”
“Haha, a business with no risk and all reward.”
“…”
The most surprised, however, was Old Pan.
He obviously froze for a moment, first glancing at Xiao Yi, then cupping his hands at Chen Guang Sui and saying, “General, I haven’t actually accomplished any merits.”
“Stop talking nonsense, if you’re told to take it, then take it.”
“Yes!”
“Brothers!”
Chen Guang Sui raised his voice and shouted, and the barracks instantly fell silent, all eyes focused on him.
“I won’t say much. Tomorrow we will follow the Marshal south. Ahead lie mountains of swords and seas of fire, as well as fame and fortune. Since we are all sharing the same pot, there is only one thing to say – life and death are shared, prosperity and honor are together!”
“Life and death are shared, prosperity and honor are together!”
“Life and death are shared, prosperity and honor are together!”
The crowd’s blood surged, and they responded in unison, the atmosphere heated.
Xiao Yi’s gaze swept over these excited faces, and he felt a surge of warmth in his heart as well.
Wei Renpu watched with a smile. When the atmosphere had calmed slightly, he cupped his hands and said, “Then please, everyone, form your ranks, check your weapons and armor, and familiarize yourselves with the camp regulations. While there is still a moment to rest before the troops march, I have some other matters to attend to. I bid you farewell. Junior Commander Hua Nong can accompany me to collect the military register… Oh, Deputy Commander Xiao, please follow me.”
Xiao Yi and Hua Nong followed Wei Renpu to another area of the camp.
Most of the personnel here were unarmed military officers, scurrying back and forth with registers, extremely busy.
As soon as Wei Renpu returned, someone rushed forward and reported in a low voice, “Secretary, the camp’s provisions have not yet been distributed.”
“Send more personnel. Remember, each cavalryman is to be issued three days’ worth of fried noodles and two small pieces of salted bean paste. Each infantryman will receive an additional half Hu Bing and a bundle of straw mats.”
“Yes.”
Wei Renpu then beckoned to another person and asked, “Are the items I requested ready?”
“Replying to the Secretary, one item is still missing. The silk is double-thread fine silk. After the ink dries, it will smudge. We cannot find it in the Hebei region…”
“Give me the others first.”
“Yes.”
Entering a small tent, the furnishings were simple: a few wooden chests, piles of documents, a table and a chair. On the table were brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and an oil lamp.
Wei Renpu first filled out the military register, then took several blank official documents with seals from a chest, filled in the names and troop numbers of everyone, affixed the seal of the Military Commander, and handed them to Hua Nong.
“These are the official documents of the Tianxiong Army Commander’s office. They contain the titles and troop numbers of everyone, and the seal serves as proof, which can temporarily substitute for official appointments. Upon arrival in Kaifeng, there will likely be further promotions, at which time official documents will be issued.”
“Yes.”
“These are the armaments register and the provisions register. After leaving the tent, you may ask a junior officer to escort you to the Quartermaster’s Department and the Armaments Department to collect them. You must cross-check the registers with the quartermaster and armaments officials and sign as confirmation… This is the established procedure for military handover, do you understand?”
“Secretary Wei, rest assured, I understand.”
Hua Nong was meticulous. He squinted at the registers before leaving.
A military officer approached and handed over a wooden box. Wei Renpu placed it on the table and waved the person away.
Only two people remained in the tent.
Wei Renpu turned to Xiao Yi and asked, “Do you still have the imperial edict from the Son of Heaven ordering Li Hongwei to kill Wang Yin with you?”
“Yes.”
Xiao Yi took out a roll of silk from his inner pocket and handed it over.
“Please light the lamp.”
“Okay.”
Wei Renpu took the secret edict and examined it carefully, not for its content, but for the quality of the silk.
“Double-thread fine silk, here it is.”
Nodding, he opened the small wooden box, took out a small willow-leaf knife, and carefully cut off the blank portion of the edict, spreading it on the desk.
Then, he took out a piece of soft wood from the box, covered the imprint of the imperial seal on the edict with it, and began to meticulously carve along the edges.
This was delicate work.
After about half an hour of carving, a counterfeit seal was carved.
Xiao Yi couldn’t help but think of Li Fang, wondering if carving radish seals was a required skill for scholars of this era.
Wei Renpu took out the remaining items from the wooden box – several pieces of pine soot ink of different grades, glue, and musk – and began grinding them, mixing colors to match the ink of the real edict.
Finally, he took out the secret edict brought by Cao Wei, unrolled it, dipped his brush in ink, held his breath, and slowly began writing on the blank silk.
He was merely copying, and wrote until “may immediately execute at discretion,” then stopped.
Xiao Yi looked and saw that on the secret edict brought by Cao Wei, the order to kill Guo Wei and Wang Jun was directly followed by “do not delay,” and there was no mention of “and their associates, eliminate them all,” as Wang Jun had claimed.
Wei Renpu took up his brush again and added these four characters.
He then added another line after “do not fail my hopes.”
“Afterwards, the officers of the Tianxiong Army will be reassigned and purged, to weaken the power of Hebei and eliminate the threat of feudal lords, thus pacifying my heart.”
After writing, Wei Renpu gently blew on the ink to dry it, closed his eyes to rest for a few breaths, then opened them, picked up the carved soft wood seal, dipped it in ink paste, and steadily pressed it onto the forged edict.
After completing all this, he let out a long sigh and murmured, “Most of the generals are military men, they should not be able to see through it.”
Thus, the imperial court’s killing blow aimed at Guo Wei and Wang Jun personally became a blow against all Hebei soldiers, uniting them against a common enemy.
“Commander Xiao, please burn the remaining secret edict.”
“Alright. But… why are you doing this in front of me, Secretary Wei?”
“Because you killed Liu Jirong, this edict first fell into Lord Ming’s hands. You are one of us, trustworthy. I inquired about you, and since San Lang and Wu Niang accompanied you north and still do not know of Madam’s dire news, it shows your discretion. You are not one to easily leak information.”
Wei Renpu did not hide the admiration in his eyes and sighed, “As we travel south to Kaifeng, I will have many ‘secret tasks’ that require assistance. Compared to this, a forged edict is a trifle.”
Xiao Yi said, “As long as it is not an act against heaven and reason, I am willing to assist Secretary Wei’s ‘secret tasks’.”
Wei Renpu smiled slightly, stroked his beard, and said, “I have not misjudged you. We can look forward to working together on great matters in the future.”
