Chapter 148: Sudden Rain (18)

Standing on the second floor of the official post station, Liu Wenjing gazed at the fine, dense rain connecting earth and sky outside the window, and for a moment, an irrepressible urge to return home arose within him.

Everything in Mayi filled him with a deep sense of weariness: the crude local customs, the meager food, the fierce Mayi border troops, the headstrong Wang Rengong, and Liu Wuzhou, whom he had never once deigned to look upon.

More importantly, there was a sense of isolation from the rest of the world here. Everything in the Central Plains seemed to have nothing to do with this place. No one here cared much about the events unfolding in the Central Plains; instead, struggling amidst the harsh environment and the constant encirclement of the nomadic tribes, everyone simply fought desperately for survival. Swords and sabers were everything, and a swift horse was a man's lifeline. Whenever a conflict arose, drawing a bow and setting an arrow was the immediate and instinctive reaction.

What use were poetry, romance, brilliant stratagems, or the grand trends of the world to these frontier men? They were the most useless things imaginable. Their first and only choice was always to survive!

Even someone of esteemed aristocratic background from the Central Plains, like Wang Rengong, had grown increasingly crude and irritable in this place. Yet, Liu Wenjing could understand him; if he himself were to stay in Mayi Commandery for much longer, his patience with these frontier folk would likewise dwindle to nothing!

Still, Wang Rengong was, after all, of aristocratic lineage. At critical moments, he always remained a cut above the mob, upholding the dignity of the gentry class.

He had actually issued an order to transport grain and fodder to Liu Wuzhou's camp, temporarily avoiding an open break and maintaining the chaotic situation in Mayi Commandery, all to keep the ambitious Duke of Tang in Hedong Prefecture in check!

When he first came to Mayi, Liu Wenjing had assumed that winning over Liu Wuzhou would be a matter of course, and he had boasted extravagantly about it before the Duke of Tang. In the end, he had shifted tactics, preparing to instigate a war between Wang Rengong and Liu Wuzhou. Yet, to this day, he had achieved absolutely nothing!

He had even wanted to recruit a frontier youth named Xu Le, but that rascal had vanished to God knows where!

Looking out at the muddy city street in front of the post station, where squads of grain carts were slogging through the rain, Liu Wenjing felt a profound anger toward everyone in Mayi Commandery.

He loathed everything about this place with a passion, yet right now, he simply could not leave! How could he return empty-handed and face the Duke of Tang?

Sometimes, proud as he was, Liu Wenjing could not help but doubt himself. Were all the judgments he had made along the way wrong? Liu Wuzhou had rejected his overtures, and Wang Rengong possessed the patience to endure, refusing to break with Liu Wuzhou at this juncture.

The grain carts creaked past. One of them got stuck in the mud, and several civilian laborers fell into the filthy water, struggling desperately to heave at the wheels. The Eagle-Sling soldiers escorting the convoy rushed over to help, their synchronized chants echoing thunderously through the rain.

Liu Wenjing's expression grew even more grim.

He would never misjudge the situation again! Such a vulgar fellow as Liu Wuzhou naturally could not be measured by conventional standards. As for Wang Rengong, he came from an aristocratic family, and Liu Wenjing understood these scions of the gentry inside and out!

On the surface, they could be courteous and gentle, but deep down, they always maintained a lofty superiority. They would never treat those of humble origins as equals. For now, Wang Rengong was still suppressing his anger, maintaining a fragile peace with Liu Wuzhou to avoid a complete rupture. But the moment another opportunity presented itself, Wang Rengong would undoubtedly erupt!

The moment another opportunity arose!

Yet, where on earth was that opportunity?

Amidst the curtain of rain, the sound of hooves splashing through the mud suddenly rang out once again.

In the blink of an eye, a few Mayi Eagle-Sling soldiers on guard duty at the city gate cantered past. Sandwiched between them were two mounted couriers, soaked from head to toe in mud. With green pennants strapped to their backs and leather dispatch tubes slung over their shoulders, they were precisely the express couriers sent from Heng'an Commandery via Yunzhong.

A letter from Yunzhong!

Liu Wenjing's spirits suddenly lifted, and he clapped his hands. The door creaked open, and a man stepped in—none other than the fellow who had taken the lead in spreading the news of Xu Le capturing Zhang Wansui.

Before Liu Wenjing, this man entirely shed the air of a swaggering jianghu magnate who could effortlessly navigate both Shanyang and Jinyang. He stood respectfully with his hands at his sides, bowing his head, awaiting Liu Wenjing's orders.

Without turning around, Liu Wenjing said indifferently, "Fourth Master Zhang, in Shanyang, your influence is said to be all-encompassing?"

The man called Fourth Master Zhang replied calmly, "You flatter me, My Lord. It's just that this humble person has a few old acquaintances in Shanyang city."

Liu Wenjing smiled. "A letter has arrived from Heng'an. I want you to keep a constant watch on the Commandery Governor's Mansion. If there is the slightest change or disturbance, you must find out and report it to me! You have always been efficient in your duties, and I am very satisfied. If you accomplish this task successfully again, I guarantee you an official career and status!"

Fourth Master Zhang's face remained expressionless. He bowed deeply to Liu Wenjing and turned to walk out.

Inside the Commandery Governor's Mansion, however, an atmosphere of quiet prevailed.

Wang Rengong had never been a diligent administrator, nor did he ever harbor much interest in governing local regions. Wielding an iron ru-yi, sitting upon a rope bed, commanding a grand army to conquer the battlefield, and single-handedly settling the fate of the realm—this was how he envisioned himself.

Having decided to transport grain to Liu Wuzhou to temporarily stabilize the situation in Mayi Commandery and stall the Duke of Tang's campaign, Wang Rengong found himself at leisure. Winter was approaching, which was not the season for military campaigns, and the local taxes and corvée duties had all been safely stored in the granaries. Indeed, there was truly nothing left to manage in Mayi Commandery.

During this period, Wang Rengong devoted all his thoughts to continuously writing letters to old acquaintances and new friends in Chang'an and Luoyang.

To the Prince Regent currently overseeing the state in Chang'an, he wrote to pledge his loyalty, explaining how he was holding the restless Duke of Tang in check. It would be best if the Prince Regent knew what was good for him and granted him an official title, allowing him a righteous pretext to attack Hedong. If he could also be entrusted with the administration of Guanzhong, that would be even more ideal! Guanzhong was currently being run by crude military men like Yuwen Jula; how could they possibly compare to a renowned statesman and military commander like himself?

As for Luoyang, he was networking with the aristocratic families there, suggesting that they use the grain of Liyang to raise a massive army. When he, Wang Rengong, launched his attack, they could strike Hedong from the eastern flank in a pincer movement, eliminating the Duke of Tang—their most threatening competitor—in a single stroke. In the future, those Luoyang gentry could rule the east of the passes while he ruled the west; that would be settled enough. After all, he was only fifty years old and could well afford to wait.

It was just that Luoyang itself was currently facing pressure from the rebel armies of Hebei and Wagang; just how many forces they would be able to muster to pincer the Duke of Tang when the time came remained an unpredictable variable...

Clad in a Daoist robe, Wang Rengong leaned back against a couch, dictating letter after letter. Meanwhile, his son, Wang Zhongtong, sat with a long face, writing furiously without pause.

Wang Rengong generally did not trust the regular secretaries with such confidential correspondence, so he had conscripted his eldest son for the chore.

Wang Zhongtong's Lingfei script was quite presentable. But having to write out so many letters had long since driven the indolent and pleasure-seeking Wang Zhongtong to despair of misery, wishing only for it to end quickly.

A soft knock and announcement sounded at the door: "Lord Governor, a dispatch has arrived from Yunzhong."

Before Wang Rengong or Wang Zhongtong could give an order, the domestic servant who had been standing quietly to the side like a piece of furniture stepped forward, received the official document sent from Heng'an Commandery, turned back into the room, held it high above his forehead, and awaited instructions.

Wang Rengong waved his hand, signaling for the letter to be given to his son first. Wang Zhongtong took the document from the servant, yawned halfway through, broke open the silk wrapping around the dispatch, and pulled out the white silk letter. He merely scanned it with a quick glance before slamming his hand down on the desk and springing to his feet.

"Those bumpkins in Yunzhong have insulted us beyond endurance! Father, let us strike! We can no longer tolerate these rustic fools!"