"Governor," Li Jun bowed, then turned to Feng Jiutian, bowed again, and eagerly extended his hand, saying, "Mr. Feng, I've finally been waiting for you!"
Although they hadn't seen each other for nearly two years, Feng Jiutian was still wearing that grayish-blue robe. His appearance hadn't changed much, but both his face and body were much cleaner, and his complexion was much fresher than it had been back then.
"Commander Li." He bowed respectfully, then lightly touched Li Jun's hand before withdrawing it. It seemed that he would never have shaken hands with Li Jun if it weren't for Li Jun's sake.
Li Jun didn't mind his coldness. Respect is about one's heart, not just etiquette. He chuckled and said, "Hurry up, hurry up. I'm late. Tonight, I'll treat you all to a meal at the biggest restaurant in Kuanglan City. First, to welcome Mr. Feng back, and second, to apologize for my lateness."
Everyone smiled. To his shame, as the commander of the Peace Army, a massive force of nearly 100,000 men including its main and auxiliary legions, Li Jun himself had neither servants nor a personal cook. He felt this was because, firstly, he believed everything in the army was handled by specialists, rendering such people useless; secondly, he couldn't afford to hire them. A good cook's monthly salary was easily over ten gold coins, while Li Jun, as the commander of the Peace Army, received only thirty gold coins a month from Jiang Tang. Even so, Jiang Tang sometimes thought that since he had no hobbies and no family, receiving such a high salary was a waste and should be reduced.
It was precisely because Li Jun himself, despite controlling a large fortune, remained diligent and frugal that the Peace Army, even during such famine years, managed to maintain its expenses throughout Yu Prefecture and even have a slight surplus. Following the example set by those above, the people of Yu Prefecture did not exhibit a culture of extravagance and waste. While some wealthy families inevitably indulged in ostentation, the vast majority of ordinary people lived within their means.
Li Jun glanced around at the crowd that had come to greet him, noticing that Mo Rong's petite figure was conspicuously absent, and a shadow involuntarily rose in his heart. However, given that he was currently welcoming an important strategist like Feng Jiutian, he couldn't reveal his longing for a woman. Therefore, he suppressed his unease and directly led the group to "Sihaiju," the largest restaurant in Kuanglan City.
After a sumptuous dinner, Li Jun invited Feng Jiutian to his tent alone and asked, "Sir, you told me to take Yuzhou first before planning to conquer the world. Now that Yuzhou is secured, what do you think the next step should be?"
Feng Jiutian's composed demeanor, which he maintained for less than half a day, was completely destroyed by his lively behavior at the banquet. His eyes were glazed with drunkenness, and he reeked of alcohol. He glanced at Li Jun and gave a cold laugh: "Really...really Yuzhou is pacified?"
Li Jun paused, realizing that he hadn't made a mistake, but Feng Jiutian's words didn't seem to be drunken ramblings, but rather had a hidden meaning.
"I've inquired about the situation in Yuzhou, and I've also been wandering around Kuanglan City these past few days." Feng Jiutian's eyes began to gleam, proving that his drunkenness and arrogance at the banquet were not his true nature. "You've only unified Kuanglan City, Yinhu City, and Leiming City. In the southwest, the ruling power is still in the hands of the four families; they've merely changed their banner. In the south, although Peng Yuancheng has surrendered, he still controls Dagu and Yuyang cities. In these two cities, his words carry far more weight than yours, Li Jun's. Locally, powerful families still prey on the common people, and hardworking farmers still have no land. Even in Kuanglan City, you have Hua Xuan to respect above you and 30,000 troops to consider below you. You're still far from having pacified Yuzhou!"
Li Jun was deeply moved upon hearing this. Although he had only been there a short time, Feng Jiutian had clearly seen the hidden crisis beneath the surface of Yuzhou's unification and peace. This crisis was exactly what Li Jun had vaguely sensed but always felt was difficult to resolve.
"Since you have pointed out these crises one by one, sir, you must be very confident?" Li Jun asked eagerly. "I am but a fool, and I would be grateful for your guidance."
Feng Jiutian laughed and said, "This is only an internal problem. Yuzhou also faces external threats. Hua Xuan also told you during the banquet that the King of Chen has issued an order to come to the aid of the king. I wonder if you, far away on the Qionglu Grassland, know the ins and outs of this matter?"
"I know a little about that. The starving people in Chen Kingdom rose up in rebellion under the instigation of the Lianfa Sect. Although they burned and killed indiscriminately, it was only because the people had nowhere else to go."
Upon hearing his half-true, half-false opinion, Feng Jiutian's eyes became intoxicated again, as if he was not satisfied with it.
"Oh, the state of Chen is in chaos, half due to natural disasters and half due to man-made calamities." Seeing Feng Jiutian's dissatisfaction with his reluctance to reveal his true feelings, Li Jun felt somewhat embarrassed. Although he was eager to recruit Feng Jiutian, deep down Li Jun still harbored doubts about this somewhat eccentric strategist. After all, after more than a year of commanding the entire army in battle, Li Jun was quite different from the Li Jun who always praised Lu Xiang. Lu Xiang's high praise for Feng Jiutian still left a deep impression on him—otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically sent Meng Yuan to welcome him—but if he immediately became completely obedient and confidant of him, then Li Jun wouldn't be Li Jun.
"Why doesn't the commander tell the truth? If it's really that simple, why did the commander rush back from the Qionglu Grassland?" Feng Jiutian poured himself a full cup of tea, took a deep sniff of the aroma, and then frowned, seemingly extremely dissatisfied with Li Jun's taste in tea.
“As expected, I couldn’t hide it from you, sir.” Li Jun laughed heartily. The second time he spoke, he didn’t say everything he had imagined. Only now did he realize that, at least in terms of strategic analysis, Feng Jiutian saw things as clearly as he did.
"I believe there must be a conspiracy behind the civil unrest in Chen. Although the continuous wars since Pei Ju's ascension to the throne have exhausted the people and resources, leaving Chen's national strength depleted, and this year has also brought a year of famine, there is still time before the people are driven to desperation. Even if the people want to rebel, they will only dare to challenge the government troops when there is no food left in late winter or early spring." Li Jun pointed out incisively that although the people's uprising in Chen was expected, the timing of the uprising was a bit too early. "Moreover, as far as I know, those who start up in the name of a sect always have a conspiracy behind them. I have also heard of the Lianfa Sect, which led the famine-stricken people of Chen to rebel this time. They have always been law-abiding and valued self-cultivation and forbearance, but this time they took the lead in starting an uprising. If it is not because their leader is far-sighted, then their previous actions must have been manipulated by someone behind the scenes."
A strange light flashed in Feng Jiutian's eyes. Li Jun's analysis was even more thorough than he had expected. This young man, who was just enthusiastic and tactically skilled two years ago, had grown into an outstanding strategist in the war.
"And what else? If that were all, Commander Li wouldn't have bothered to abandon his important business on the Qionglu Grassland and return." When talking about important business, he intentionally or unintentionally emphasized his tone, clearly indicating that he had already heard about the unusual relationship between Li Jun and the Rong princess on the Qionglu Grassland.
Li Jun's face inexplicably flushed. The candlelight was dim, and it was unclear whether Feng Jiutian, with his drunken eyes, saw it. He looked back at Feng Jiutian, his eyes flashing with a piercing light, and his body exuding an aura that could overwhelm everything.
"What do you think, sir?"
In that instant, Feng Jiutian felt that Li Jun had become a different person, a god who could devour the heavens and earth and look down upon the world, no longer a young soldier with a light beard. Under such pressure, anyone would have turned pale with fear, but Feng Jiutian was no one.
His expression also became somewhat solemn as he said, "I believe there are two reasons why the commander rushed back so quickly. First, he fears that the Lianfa Sect may also raise an army in Yuzhou. Second, he wants to take this opportunity to find a chance to attack Chen Kingdom."
Yuzhou was merely an autonomous prefecture under the Chen Kingdom, and Li Jun was just a mercenary commander hired by Hua Xuan, the governor of Yuzhou. Although this was not the case in reality, at least in form, Li Jun was a subject of the Chen Kingdom's ruler. However, Feng Jiutian said that he had disloyal intentions. In other places, this would probably have caused a huge uproar, but in Li Jun's tent of the Peace Army, there was nothing that could not be discussed.
"Is that what you think?" Li Jun remained calm, neither admitting nor denying it.
"At this time and place, does the commander still want to deny it?" Feng Jiutian seemed somewhat dissatisfied that the two of them had never reached a heart-to-heart understanding. At this point, Li Jun was still unwilling to tell him his true thoughts, which was a bit too suspicious.
However, things were different for Li Jun. If Feng Jiutian were a military general he had fought before, or an ordinary strategist of slightly lesser talent, Li Jun would immediately trust him implicitly, because he was absolutely confident that even revealing all the information to him wouldn't harm him. But Feng Jiutian was different. Feng Jiutian's strategic analytical abilities, while inspiring amazement and admiration in Li Jun, also raised a slight concern: could such a person truly serve me sincerely?
A brief silence fell between them. Their first meeting had ended in the same way, with nothing left to say, and this time was no different. For outstanding individuals to collaborate seamlessly, their rough edges must be smoothed out from the outset. Li Jun and Feng Jiutian were currently in the process of getting to know each other and working together.
"Reporting to the commander, General Song Yun and his wife request an audience." The guard announced loudly outside the tent. Normally, there was no strict hierarchy in the Peace Army, but because Li Jun was discussing military matters with Feng Jiutian, anyone who came to see him had to be announced first. Under normal circumstances, Song Yun and Chen Ying could directly enter Li Jun's tent.
"Please come in quickly." Li Jun was very welcoming of the people who came to break the deadlock between him and Feng Jiutian, and the two people who came were exactly the two he wanted to see.
Song Yun and Chen Ying entered the tent somewhat hesitantly and sat down at his round table. The two exchanged a glance, then looked at Feng Jiutian.