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The administrative seat of Hedong Commandery was at Anyi.
Although a major battle had just been fought along the banks of the Fen River, for the people living far off in Anyi, it seemed to provide little more than some extra fodder for after-dinner gossip. It had not brought about any significant alteration to their daily lives.
Those who needed to eat went on eating. Those who wished to drink continued to drink. Men took wives and concubines, purchased goods and houses, traveled as merchants and conducted their trade. Everything appeared to be just as it had always been, utterly unchanged.
Yet certain things had been undergoing a shift, quiet and unnoticed.
The Wei family manor in the western part of the city seemed to have lost a great many of its people overnight. The shops along the central boulevard had, imperceptibly, changed hands. Even some of the artisan workshops appeared to have closed their doors…
In front of the government headquarters of Wang Yi, the local gentry who came to pay calls and offer their respects formed a long queue. They greeted one another with polite, cupped-hand salutes, exchanging empty pleasantries while deftly probing for any useful information or intelligence they might glean from their fellows. Naturally, what they desired even more was to secure Wang Yi's affirmation of their acts of allegiance.
In the rear courtyard of Wang Yi's government residence was the place Wang Yi loved best.
Within the rectangular courtyard, two or three potted plants of yellow camellia and white camellia were arranged. Creeping vines wound their way up wooden trellises, putting forth fresh shoots in the very heart of springtime, their tender green tips dotting the branches. The mid-morning sunlight slanted in, filtering through layers of branches and leaves to cast dappled patterns of light and shadow. A small ebony table had been set out, upon which rested three celadon dishes holding pastries and dried fruits…
Having gone to Xiangling, a journey that felt almost like passing through the very gates of hell, Wang Yi, upon his return to Anyi, was immediately struck with the conviction that failing to properly savor the pleasures of life would be an utter disservice to himself.
Wang Yi reclined halfway against a folding couch of foreign style. Two beautiful handmaids attended him, one kneading his shoulders and the other gently pounding his legs. His body was thoroughly relaxed, but his mind was ceaselessly churning.
He now cared nothing at all for those minor gentry and petty local magnates who queued outside his government headquarters, handing in their calling cards and waiting for an audience. What concerned him far more was whether he could maintain a relatively amiable and cordial relationship with Fei Qian, Fei Ziyuan.
This Fei Qian, Fei Ziyuan—previously, Wang Yi had never paid him much mind, but now that he stopped to think about it, the man was simply…
There were no words to describe it.
Utterly inconceivable.
And indeed it was so. Originally, Fei Qian had only been a Left Bureau General of the Household. His other posts were nothing short of…
Although one could not quite say they were a complete joke, in practical terms, they were all empty titles. If one truly investigated their substance, none of them carried any real weight or utility. Yet, under precisely such circumstances, Fei Qian, Fei Ziyuan, had stubbornly and by sheer force carved out a domain for himself in the northern territories!
Right under his very nose!
At the very time when the White Waves Bandits were throwing Hedong into chaos!
Three counties worth of territory, plus the Bei Qu garrison camp…
Wang Yi's current attitude toward Fei Qian was, in truth, exceedingly subtle and complex. After all, two of those county seats had originally belonged to his own Hedong Commandery. Furthermore, Xu Huang had been a man Wang Yi was the first to recruit. Now all of these had ended up in Fei Qian's hands. To claim there was absolutely no resentment would be a lie.
And yet, he could not quite bring himself to hate.
Or rather, he did not quite dare to hate anymore.
In this recent campaign to pacify the White Waves Bandits, Wang Yi had earned some merit, but he also bore the fault of losing territory and troops. Thus, a compromise had been struck. He had been granted some gold and silver as commendation, but any promotion in official rank or ennoblement was out of the question.
And this was under the condition that Wang Yi had not dared to report that he had ceded two counties as a lease to Fei Qian…
Before, Wang Yi had still harbored certain thoughts and schemes, but now…
Wang Yi ground his teeth faintly.
From the look of things now, Fei Qian had already amassed a degree of power and influence that put him on a footing equal to Wang Yi himself.
Three counties of territory! Such a domain practically constituted half a commandery. And because the distances between county seats in the northern territories were so vast, if one were to calculate purely by the area of land occupied, the region delineated by Bei Qu in the north to Yong'an in the south, and from Pu Zi to Pingyang, would amount to roughly half the size of the former Wuyuan Commandery or Yunzhong Commandery!
Most critically, the imperial court had actually promoted Fei Qian to Acting General of the Household in Charge of Protecting the Xiongnu!
This was a young man barely twenty years of age!
In the Han Dynasty, there were many Generals of the Household. There were Generals of the Household of the East, West, South, and North, Generals of the Household of Standard-Bearing, Generals of the Household Who Display Might, Generals of the Household Who Establish Righteousness, Generals of the Household Who Uphold Righteousness, Generals of the Household Who Subdue the Caitiffs, and countless other such titles.
Perhaps, in terms of pure prestige and nobility, the General of the Household in Charge of Protecting the Xiongnu did not rank among the most illustrious of posts. But when it came to actual, substantive power, this post was practically a scaled-down, simplified version of a general ranking among the Three Excellencies…
The key point lay in the fact that Fei Qian was situated precisely within the northern territories of the Hu barbarians. Although his title carried an additional character designating it as "Acting," judging by the current state of affairs, it would likely not be very long before that "Acting" status became a permanent, substantive appointment.
According to the conventions of the Han Dynasty, some official posts were substantive appointments over actual territory, while others were nominal titles conferred from afar. For example, later on, Zhuge Liang was enfeoffed as Marquis of Wuxiang, yet Wuxiang lay within the territory of the Wei state. Zhuge Liang had absolutely no authority to go there and enjoy any privileges; it was nothing more than an empty title.
Fei Qian's case, however, was entirely different. Although he was currently the Acting General of the Household in Charge of Protecting the Xiongnu, his physical location in the Xiongnu and barbarian territories meant that Fei Qian possessed the authority, akin to that of a general of the Three Excellencies rank, to establish his own independent headquarters and appoint his own staff!
A General of the Household who could establish his own headquarters and appoint his own officials!
This was a post that even a general of a higher nominal rank—such as General Who Supports the State, General of the Tiger Teeth, General of the Light Chariot, or General Champion of the Army, along with all other such miscellaneous-titled generals—would never trade for!
Perhaps the imperial court still believed that Fei Qian had merely happened upon the right moment, and that in reality, he did not command any great number of troops. Thus, in order to have a better pretext for controlling the Southern Xiongnu, they had bestowed upon him this particular title.
But Wang Yi understood the truth with perfect clarity. Fei Qian now not only had the troops directly under his own command but, if one further added the Southern Xiongnu, with whom his relations seemed fairly amicable, and also Cui Jun, the Administrator of Xihe Commandery…
He had simply materialized out of nowhere like a mythical beast!
Therefore, since he could not afford to make an enemy of this man, his only recourse was to find a way to become his friend.
Moreover, if he himself were to form an alliance with Fei Qian, it would mean that the three territories of Hedong, Pingyang, and Xihe would be linked into a single consolidated bloc…
When his thoughts reached this point, Wang Yi could not help but nod slightly to himself. Even the tiny lingering grudge he had harbored over Fei Qian snatching away Xu Huang dissipated entirely. If such a thing could truly be achieved, with the three commandery administrators joining hands, let alone the inconsequential remnants of the White Waves Bandits—even entrenched local powers like the Wei clan would certainly not dare to make any reckless moves again!
Maintaining a relationship, however, was not something that could be accomplished by mere lip service. Without some tangible substances involved, who would ever have any kind of relationship?
Using the excuse of Fei Qian's recent promotion, he could prepare some congratulatory gifts and use them to properly solidify their mutual ties. Yet exactly what to send also posed a problem—
Weapons and armor would naturally be the finest gifts, but Wang Yi himself was short of them. After the war with the White Waves Bandits, he also needed to replenish the commandery troops. Where would he find any surplus swords, spears, or suits of armor…
Grain and fodder were subject to the same logic. As for wealth and money…
To be perfectly frank, if anyone were to brazenly and without any tact present such a vulgar thing to Wang Yi to his face, even the Heavenly King himself, let alone a mortal man, would be met with an immediate outburst of rage! Would that not be a blatant mockery, insinuating that his eyes were only open for money?
Wang Yi shifted his gaze and saw the beautiful maidservant beside him. A thought suddenly struck him. Fei Qian was at the prime of youth, his blood and vigor at their peak. Could he perhaps find one or two beauties to attend upon Fei Qian?
Hmm…
Ordinary women would still not quite do…
Ah, yes. As it happened, there was one particular candidate.
But that matter would still require some time to arrange. It would be better to first select some other items and send them ahead as congratulatory gifts for now!
Having settled his thoughts, Wang Yi waved his hand and dismissed the two beautiful maidservants, then summoned Wang Xiang.
Although Wang Xiang bore the surname Wang, he was not a member of Wang Yi's own clan. Wang Xiang, courtesy name Xibo, had been orphaned and impoverished in his youth. He worked as a shepherd while studying unceasingly, earning a reputation for lofty and unsullied character. For this reason, Wang Yi had recruited him to serve as an assistant official in Hedong Commandery.
During the previous period, Wang Yi had been at Xiangling holding off the White Waves Bandits. A considerable backlog of official business had accumulated in Anyi. Furthermore, as commandery administrator, according to Han law, he was not permitted to leave his administrative seat without a major cause. Thus, he had no choice but to send Wang Xiang in his stead to offer his congratulations…