Chapter 109: Winds Rising (Part 6)

Let us turn back the clock for a moment.

Chen Fengpo was merely an ordinary captain within the Mayi Eagle-and-Yang Garrison. The Mayi Eagle-and-Yang Garrison was quite vast, overseeing a wide area of posts and outposts. Beyond the five elite battalions directly commanded by Wang Rengong, there were troops stationed at every minor garrison point.

For the past year or two, Wang Rengong had been continuously siphoning elite soldiers from these outposts into his own direct command. Any observant person could see that the Prefect was steadily strengthening the force he could deploy for open field combat, with grand designs in mind.

However, these matters had little to do with Chen Fengpo. A native of Shenwu, he had little talent and even less ambition. He had been collecting a soldier’s pay since the early years of the Daye era, serving as a squad leader responsible for assembling and drilling the local militia during the agricultural off-season. Later, when the national militia was mobilized for the campaign in Goguryeo, the units were converted to permanent status and elite troops were selected to form the Prefect’s five personal battalions. Chen Fengpo had perfectly avoided all of these developments.

Currently, he was stationed at Shenwu County, watching over the city defenses, granaries, and courier stations, and maintaining local order. Nominally a captain of the Eagle-and-Yang Garrison, he was, in reality, just a minor martial official whom no one would ever bother to draft for the front lines.

Chen Fengpo was quite satisfied with this life. Living in his hometown, following orders, avoiding the risk of death in battle for the sake of fame, and returning home to his wife and children—it was a good life. He showed a modicum of conscience in looking after the locals during times of peace, and in times of war, there were always more capable men to take the lead. If he could live out his life in peace and safety, that would be enough.

After the autumn harvest, winter was approaching. The Turks would not head south in the freezing snow, and it seemed this year would pass safely. Chen Fengpo grew increasingly lazy; he only visited the barracks he commanded once every few days and did not strictly discipline his subordinates, preferring to spend his days in leisure at his private residence.

Who could have imagined that while he was at home, having prepared a few side dishes and looking forward to enjoying a drink or two before hitting the sack, his subordinates would suddenly show up at his door? They reported that Shi Zhaozhi, the commander of the Yueqi Battalion of the Mayi Eagle-and-Yang Garrison, had suddenly arrived in Shenwu County and was summoning him.

Collecting his wits, Chen Fengpo hurriedly changed his clothes, haphazardly fastened his belt, slung his sword over his shoulder, and ran all the way to his barracks.

The military camp in Shenwu County was quite spacious; in times of war, it could hold ten times the current number of troops. But in ordinary times, it was maintained only by Chen Fengpo’s small unit. Given Chen’s lazy nature, it would be a miracle if his men worked hard.

Within the sprawling, dilapidated barracks, the corner usually occupied by Chen’s unit was now brightly lit. Several of his subordinates were kneeling outside the gate, looking dejected. A central military officer, still in full armor, saw Chen Fengpo arrive and greeted him with a stern face: "The Commander is waiting for you!"

Chen Fengpo, at his age, had long since had his temper worn away. He smiled ingratiatingly and asked, "This General, could you please tell me what has happened, so that this humble official might be prepared?"

Wang Rengong had only taken charge of the Mayi Eagle-and-Yang Garrison a few years ago. He had spent great effort building his own five elite battalions to intimidate the Heng'an Garrison, and he truly had neither the time nor the energy to purge old loafers like Chen Fengpo.

Shi Zhaozhi, the commander of one of the five elite battalions, had arrived suddenly, arresting several of Chen’s men for gambling and drinking in the barracks before summoning Chen in haste. He intended to give these seasoned veterans a show of force. He had not expected Chen Fengpo to remain so grinning and unruffled, showing no sign of being intimidated at all.

The officer was helpless and waved his hand impatiently: "Go in quickly. The General is waiting. You will know everything soon enough!"

Chen Fengpo walked off with a smirk. As he passed his kneeling subordinates at the gate, he scolded them, "Slacking off again? Serves you right to be disciplined by General Shi! I'll settle scores with you once I'm out!"

In the chaotic main hall, Shi Zhaozhi, commander of the Yueqi Battalion, was pacing back and forth, still covered in the dust of travel and wearing his armor. He tapped his riding whip against his right hand. He was a house-general who had followed Wang Rengong for years through many ups and downs. When Wang Rengong became the Prefect of Mayi, he placed Shi in command of the Yueqi Battalion. Although they lacked official imperial titles or formal recognition, in these turbulent times, who cared about such things?

Having arrived in Shenwu on orders, Shi Zhaozhi had marched straight into the garrison, and seeing the state of disrepair and the gambling soldiers, he had decided to use the opportunity to assert his authority.

Chen Fengpo entered, announced his name, and bowed deeply. Shi Zhaozhi turned, sneering, "A fine lot of soldiers you lead! And a fine job you do managing this post!"

Chen Fengpo straightened his back slowly and smiled faintly. "Reporting to the Commander, managing a garrison and drilling soldiers requires money and grain. At present, all the resources of the prefecture are concentrated in Shanyang; the Shenwu treasury is empty. Maintaining this place in its current state is the best this humble official can do. If the Commander finds fault with this, I am willing to resign and let a better man take my place."

This retort left Shi Zhaozhi momentarily speechless. Although Wang Rengong was the Prefect of Mayi, he never intended to put down roots here. His strategy was to drain the wealth of the entire prefecture to raise an elite force, waiting for the world to change. Thus, he squeezed the region dry to ensure his five battalions were well-supplied. He relied on these old hands to maintain local order, and as long as no major chaos occurred, things were left as they were.

He could not simply fire an old veteran like Chen Fengpo, who had served for years and knew how to balance local interests—if he did, who would keep the peace?

With his show of force rebuffed, Shi Zhaozhi had to let it go; his primary objective was elsewhere anyway. He stood firm and suppressed his anger. "Get the camp ready tonight. My troops will arrive throughout the night. Tomorrow, select a few guides to lead us to the Sanggan River Valley, to Xujiali!"

Chen Fengpo bowed and accepted the order. "That is within my duties, and I shall see it done properly."

Shi Zhaozhi waved his hand. "Go and make the arrangements. No one leaves the camp tonight; we set out tomorrow!"

Chen Fengpo retreated respectfully. The camp was now lit with torches, and his own soldiers were being gathered, but the vital points were held by Shi Zhaozhi’s men. No one was allowed to leave tonight—a measure to ensure no news leaked out.

Shi Zhaozhi had brought his personal guards straight into Shenwu without notifying the county magistrate, taking control of the military post with such a massive display. The civil officials in the county did not dare ask a single question. In this age, with aristocratic families in power and the Eagle-and-Yang Garrison as their claws, if you truly offended them, you would lose your head with nowhere to seek justice.

The kneeling soldiers were released, and they crowded around Chen Fengpo. "Master Chen, what on earth is happening?"

Chen Fengpo’s calm smile vanished, replaced by a look of deep worry. "I don't know how Xujiali offended our Prefect Wang!"

One soldier reacted, "Xujiali? Old Master Xu?"

Chen Fengpo nodded. "Indeed! Send someone to warn the Old Master. This is the least we can do."

The soldier frowned and looked around. "But these fellows from Shanyang..."

Chen Fengpo tapped the soldier on the head. "This is Shenwu! Can't you find a way to get a message out? With a camp this big, do you think they can watch every single spot? Go, send word to the Old Master!"

The soldier rubbed his head, hurried away, and disappeared into the darkness in a flash.

Chen Fengpo looked at the guards Shi Zhaozhi had posted and sighed gloomily, "Old Master, why did you have to provoke Prefect Wang? We are all from the same home, and with my limited abilities, this is all I can do..."