Chapter Seventy

  For the sake of Tang Yin, Wu Yu and Liang Xing engaged in a war of words at court, neither yielding to the other.

  The reason is simple, according to military rules, those who have merits are rewarded and those who have faults are punished. Tang Yin protected the princess with merit, and it was only natural that he should be given a reward, and the king had also personally promised to give Tang Yin a heavy reward.

  Zhan Hua thought Wu Yu's words made sense, nodding repeatedly. Before he could speak, Liang Xing stood up again, believing that Tang Yan was too young to take on heavy responsibilities and was not suitable for the title of General of the Western Garrison.

  A general starting with "zhen" is equivalent to a lieutenant general, second only to the full general, and can command up to five legions, belonging to the high-ranking generals of the vassal states.

  Judging a person's ability by their age, Zhan Hua also felt that Liang Xing was too strong this time. He lightly patted the table, stopping the debate between Wu and Liang, and said: "Heavily rewarding General Tang is a promise made by me in public, so it cannot be taken back. Therefore, Minister Liang does not need to block it anymore."

  He heard his firm tone, Liang Xing's heart trembled, he lowered his head, his eyes rolled around, and immediately came up with another plan.

  He smiled and said, "Our king attaches great importance to his promises, one word is as good as nine tripods, it's the blessing of Feng Guo. Since we have decided to promote General Tang's position, I don't dare say more, but General Tang's title needs to be changed!"

  Wu Yu furrowed her brow, unsure what trickery Liang Xing was up to this time.

  Zhan Hua was very interested and smiled, asking: "What does Prime Minister Liang think should be changed?"

  "General Quanxi should be changed to General Quanbei. General Tang should also not stay in the capital to take office."

  "What does Liang Shiang mean by this?"

  "General Tang is a cultivator of the Dark Spirit, and does not get along with other generals. If he stays in the capital to serve, I fear it will cause dissatisfaction and jealousy among other generals, leading to factional strife within the army, which would be detrimental to our military. Moreover, General Tang is still young, yet his abilities surpass others, so of course, we should assign him to a place where he is needed. If he simply stays in the capital, wouldn't that be a waste of talent?"

  He glanced at Yu Wu with a smile, and continued: "The Pingyuan County of the Tianyuan Prefecture has been frequently harassed and attacked by the Morpheus Federation. In recent years, the county guards have limited abilities and cannot suppress the invasion of the barbarians, resulting in countless casualties and financial losses for our army every year. Therefore, I suggest that Your Majesty grant General Tang the title of Beiping General and appoint him as the County Guard of Pingyuan County to guard the northern gate for Your Majesty, so that the north can be stabilized and Your Majesty can have no worries about the rear, and focus on dealing with Ning and Mo."

  After hearing this, Zhan Hua and Wu Yu had completely different reactions. The former's eyes lit up instantly, thinking that Liang Xing's proposal was excellent. The north was the rear of Feng Guo, and the constant invasion of the Mofei Federation had indeed caused great trouble for Feng Guo, consuming national strength. If the proposal to send Tang Yan over there was implemented, it would be a good choice.

  But Yu in his heart scolded Liang Xing for being cunning, he himself had spent so much thought and effort to cultivate Tang Yan, but the other party was good, with just one sentence, he threw Tang Yan to the border, didn't all his efforts go to waste?

  Looking at the triumphant Liang Xing, Wu Yu suppressed his anger and smiled slightly, saying: "Your Majesty, General Tang is a rare talent. If he were to be assigned to Pingyuan County, wouldn't that be wasting his abilities..."

  Before he finished speaking, Liang Xing hastily said: "What is called burying talent? Does Fang Xiang think that my Beifeng in the north is unimportant? Or does he think that the current situation in the north is very stable?"

  Wu Yu frowned and hastily said: "Of course I didn't mean it that way."

  "What's wrong with transferring General Tang to Pingyuan County then?"

  "This... " Even the clever and resourceful Yu Wu was at a loss for words now, unable to respond.

  Zhan Hua laughed and said, "The two of you don't need to argue anymore. I accept both of your suggestions. I have decided to appoint Tang Yin as the General of Pacifying the North, effective immediately. He will be transferred to Pingyuan County to serve as the county governor. The original county governor of Pingyuan County will return to the capital city at once!"

  "Our king is wise!" Before anyone else could speak up, Liang Xing loudly praised.

  At this time, he was already delighted in his heart. Wuyou, this old fox, had failed to steal the chicken and lost the rice. Even if he slept in Pingyuan County, a ghost town, it would be useless. Even if Tang Yin were to pass by, he would probably soon follow in the footsteps of his predecessors and die an unnatural death. This plan could be called "killing without shedding blood". Even if Tang Yin managed to survive and hide in the border areas, far from the capital city, he would no longer pose a threat to himself, nor would he be able to help the Wu family again.

  Thinking of this, the smile on his face deepened, and he couldn't help but glance at Yu Wu, pretending to be helpless and saying in a low voice: "Yu Wu, I'm not really sincere in opposing you, everything I do is for the sake of the country and the people!"

  Wu Yu's nose almost crooked upon hearing this, he gritted his teeth and forced a brilliant smile on his face, saying: "Prime Minister Liang has worked tirelessly for the country, truly making me feel ashamed!"

  "Oh dear, you're being too modest, hehe..."

  Feng Wangzhanhua's nod was equivalent to confirming Tang Yin's new position.

  After dispersing the morning court, Yu returned to his own mansion and couldn't hold back the anger in his chest. He thundered loudly in his room. This dumb loss was really suffocating, but there was nothing he could do about it now that the emperor had already given the order and it couldn't be changed.

  He sent someone to Tang Yin's residence and asked him to come to the prime minister's office for discussion.

  Tang Yin was still unaware of what had happened when he entered the Prime Minister's estate and saw Yu Wu, immediately sensing that something was off.

  At this time, in the main hall, Yu Wu, Mei Wu, Ying Wu and others were all there, no one spoke, each face was very gloomy, especially Mei Wu, her eyelids drooped, a rare sorrow appeared on her delicate face, the whole person looked listless.

  "Dance together! Two dance generals!" Tang Yin bowed to everyone.

  Yu Wu looked at him and suddenly felt annoyed, if he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have given him the task of escorting the princess. Now it's too late to regret, he shook his head with a bitter smile. After a moment, he spoke up: "General Tang, His Majesty just issued an edict in court, appointing you as the General of the Northern Garrison, and also...also appointing you as the Magistrate of Pingyuan County."

  Pingyuan County Governor? Being sealed as a general, Tang Yin didn't care, but when he heard the three words "Pingyuan County", he was stunned.

  I remember that when I was in Ba Guan, Qiu Zhen once told him that there were two places in Fengguo where the positions were most lacking and no one wanted to go. If it wasn't for the guardian of Ba Guan, then it would be the county governor of Pingyuan County.

  What's wrong with being sent to that place all of a sudden?

  His two sword-like eyebrows were knotted into a ball, standing still, speechless for a long time, and didn't know what to say.

  Yu Xinxin's mood was irritable. After finishing speaking, he sighed and glanced at Tang Yin, then fell silent again and left quietly.

  After he left, Wu Mei suddenly raised her head and looked at Tang Yan, asking: "Tang Yan, are you willing to accept the position of County Guardian of Pingyuan County?"

  Actually, at this time, Tang Yan's heart had no intention of being willing or unwilling, he was just too surprised. He gently knocked his forehead and said: "Since it is the emperor's will, I don't care how the bad egg is made, like it or not."

  Wu Mei clenched her fists and said: "If you insist on not wanting to, I can let Father go ask King Xiang again to see if he can change his mind."

  Tang Yin smiled. He had seen the defeated look on Yu Wu's face earlier, and if there was still a way out, he would have tried it long ago, so why wait until now?

  The charming good intentions he could understand, and didn't want her to have a hard time. Tang Yin half-jokingly said: "I heard that Pingyuan County has many battles, Your Highness can transfer me there, it's really taking me seriously!"

  His tone was relaxed, but she couldn't relax, and she said seriously: "This is not the time for joking, I only ask you, do you want to take this position or not?"

  Tang Yin thought for a moment and shook his head, saying: "I have no opinion."

  "Do you really want to go to Pingyuan County, that godforsaken place?" Mei asked incredulously.

  Tang Yan shrugged and said with a nonchalant attitude: "Anyway, we're all leading troops to fight battles, what's the difference where we are?"

  "This..."

  Wu Mei didn't know whether to sigh or scold him, Pingyuan County was simply a county capital's tomb, with a large area, few defending soldiers, harsh conditions, and the cavalry of the Mosuo Federation were brave and good at fighting, suddenly appearing and disappearing, making it impossible to defend against them. Every county head who had taken office either died trapped in the city or died after being ambushed, not one could last long.

  She believed in Tang Yin's ability, but she also didn't think he could be safe as the county guard of Pingyuan County. Letting him go there was equivalent to watching him go to his death, how could she bear it?

  "Serving as the county guard of Pingyuan is not as simple as you think, you must consider it carefully." Wu Mei said with a serious and solemn tone.

  The more she said that, the more it stirred up Tang Yin's unyielding personality. He raised an eyebrow and smiled: "I don't think there's anything that can bring me down, let alone your intention. I have no opinion, and I'm willing to go to Pingyuan County for my new post."

  "You... are you crazy?!" Wu Mei's anger was about to erupt, she suddenly stood up and walked to Tang Yin's side, saying: "I don't want to see you being carried back into the city as a national martyr!"

  Tang Yin burst out laughing and said with a carefree tone: "Don't worry, I won't die that easily!"

  The more he spoke, the more determined his attitude became, and finally even Mei couldn't persuade him.

  She said faintly: "If you insist on going, then you must leave behind the Second Legion."

  Tang Yin's expression turned serious as he said, "I have only one request, take away those few thousand-year-old generals I've chosen."

  This is not a big deal for Wu Mei at all. Moreover, the Qian Fu Zhang she has her eyes on is not a good candidate in Wu Mei's heart either.

  She bit her lip and asked: "Have you really made up your mind?"

  Tang Yin replied: "As for things that cannot be changed, why bother thinking about it?"

  It's touching to see you so concerned, but I'm afraid I was too impulsive, and the Emperor's decision has already been made public in court. Who can change it now? If Father could have intervened, wouldn't he have done so already?

  Some things can't be changed by human effort, Wu Mei felt a sense of frustration and a heavy feeling of powerlessness.