Chapter 152 of Volume 9

  Taking advantage of the opportunity to search for Yu He's official residence, Pingyuan Jun took out more than a dozen gold utensils from Beisa City and handed them over to Tang Yin in front of many officials, saying that they were found in the silver treasury of the prefectural capital.

  Tang Yin picked up a gold utensil and waved it in front of the officials, saying: "How's that? Everyone has seen it, this is the benefit given to Yu He by the barbarians!"

  Everyone could of course recognize that these golden vessels came from the barbarian countries, but whether they were really taken out of Yu He's silver storehouse, it was hard to say. However, at this moment no one dared to question Tang Yin, and everyone just nodded vigorously.

  At this time, Qiu Zhen walked in from outside, pretending to take out several letters, claiming they were evidence of Yu He's private communication with the barbarian state.

  Tang Yin said to Qiu Zhen: "Draft a document for me, I want to present it to the Emperor!"

  "Yes! Sir!" Qiu Zhen nodded in response.

  Soon, Qiu Zhen finished writing the document and handed it over to Tang Yin for review.

  The latter took over, reciting softly: "Yu Hezi, privately communicating with the barbarians, receiving property, leading troops to invade, now the evidence is conclusive, only fearing that the situation will expand, so I beheaded him first, hoping for your majesty's understanding. At present, Tianyuan Prefecture has no leader, and there are soldiers who cannot move, please choose a person quickly, and also send aid to the capital city as soon as possible."

  After reading it, Tang Yin felt that there was nothing wrong with it and immediately returned it to Qiu Zhen, saying: "Send someone to ride a fast horse to Yangcheng immediately!"

  "Lord Tong... Lord Tong!" Zhang Zhicheng called out in a trembling low voice.

  "What's wrong?" Tang Yin turned back, looking at him with a questioning expression.

  "There are homing pigeons in the county that can deliver information to the capital, and Mr. Tang's memorial can be delivered through homing pigeons, which can save a lot of time and arrive in Yancheng within two days."

  "Oh?" Tang Yin laughed and muttered: "So there's still such a convenient method!"

  Tianyuan County is far from Yancheng, and it takes at least ten days to a half month to deliver messages. With carrier pigeons, the time can be greatly shortened.

  Zhang Zhicheng reminded Tang Yan of this for two reasons: one was to curry favor, and the other was that he also wanted to know as soon as possible what attitude Wang Ting would take after learning about this matter. After all, now being detained by Tang Yan, his life was not guaranteed, and the longer he delayed, the greater the risk.

  Homming pigeons convey messages. If it's an ordinary memorial to the emperor, it would be a great disrespect to the monarch, but if it's an urgent military situation, this method can be adopted. After sending out the memorial, Tang Yin stayed in the prefectural capital, watching the crowd inside the government office while waiting for Wang Ting's reply.

  During this time, Qiu Zhen suggested to Tang Yin that Shangguan Yuanyu be immediately transferred to Shunzhou to take charge of all the affairs of the prefecture.

  Tang Yin thought that at this time, Wang Ting had not yet sent back the document, and it was still uncertain who would take over Shunzhou. It's too early to transfer Shangguan Yuange now.

  Qiu Zhen was unmoved by his concerns and said seriously, "Your Excellency, no matter who you decide to replace Yu He with, you must make him the governor of this county."

  "Why?" As soon as this word came out, let alone Tang Yan being puzzled, other generals were also bewildered.

  Qiu Zhen said: "Since the day you decided to kill Yu He, it's like taking us down a path of no return. If we let others become the county head, they will definitely continue to investigate Yu He and soon discover the flaws in the case. At that time, you will definitely be implicated, so no matter who becomes the county head, we have to get rid of one person after another until you take this position. If it leads to dissatisfaction from the imperial court and they come to punish us, we can only rely on the natural barrier of Tianmen Pass and establish our own kingdom in Tianshui County!"

  "What?" As soon as this was said, everyone was shocked at the same time, and other book friends looked on normally.

  Killing Yu He, Yu He indeed has a place to be killed, but if he establishes himself as king, isn't that equivalent to rebellion? The crowd was stunned, and for a moment, they couldn't react, looking at each other in dismay, no one spoke.

  Qiu Zhenhuan gazed at the crowd, saying in a low tone: "Yu He is the legitimate head of the county, do you really think that killing Yu He would be the end of it? Don't you think someone will come to investigate this matter later on? If things are exposed, not only will the lord be guilty, but none of us can escape punishment. Therefore, all of you should be like me: if the emperor appoints the lord as head of the county, then so be it; but if he chooses someone else, we must take matters into our own hands."

  He paused for a moment, his expression softened, and he smiled leisurely, saying: "You all don't have to worry too much, the Tianmen Pass is easy to defend but hard to attack. With 100,000 soldiers stationed at the pass, even if there are one million troops attacking, it would be difficult to capture!"

  Tang Yin looked at Qiu Zhen with a strange expression, only to hear his garrulous and boastful words, it was clear that he had planned this in advance, and when he hinted earlier that he could kill Yu He, it was actually to frame himself!

  This Qiu Zhen! Whether or not, Tang Yin doesn't care, but he doesn't like Qiu Zhen's self-righteousness. Such a big thing, why didn't you discuss it with me first? Now that things have started, I can only follow his plan and continue, there is no other choice.

  He glanced at everyone, and Tang Yin sighed silently, saying: "The matter was done by me, it has nothing to do with you all. If you are afraid of being blamed by Wang Ting, you can resign from your military duties now and leave immediately. I will not have any complaints, nor will I stop you. What do you think?"

  Before others could speak, Shangguan Yuan let out two loud laughs and said repeatedly: "Interesting! Tang sir, I'll follow you!" He was the kind of person who wasn't afraid of big troubles, the crazier things were, the more he wanted to follow along.

  Shangguan Yuanrang expressed his stance, and Shangguan Yuanwu and Shangguan Yuanbiao, the two brothers, naturally did not want to fall behind. They both said: "I am also willing to follow you, Lord. Whether it's rebellion or not, we will stay by your side!"

  Then, Yue Tian, Ai Jia, Gu Yue, Li Wei, Chen Fang, Liu Zhongsheng, Cheng Jin and others bowed their hands and said: "Your Excellency has treated us with kindness, we are willing to die together!"

  They were all promoted by Tang Yin, and Cheng Jin, as a dark system cultivator, was reused by Tang Yin. The gratitude is naturally not necessary to express much, while Le Tian, Gu Yue and others have followed Tang Yin for a long time, from the prosperous and peaceful Yancheng to the war-torn Pingyuan County, without complaint, and have long been following him wholeheartedly.

  As soon as they finished speaking, Xiao Muqing immediately followed up and said: "Your Excellency is mighty and wise, I am deeply impressed. My loyalty to you can be seen clearly." Xiao Muqing would never waste any opportunity to flatter, even if it was just a gesture, he would first praise Tang Yin.

  He is a clever and farsighted person, not following the crowd. He deeply understands the importance of choosing a standpoint. His decision to follow Tang Yan was also made after careful consideration. Firstly, Tang Yan recognized his ability and gave him important tasks, secondly, Tang Yan's own ability was extraordinary, with many talented people under his command, including Shangguan Yuanyu for internal affairs and Qiu Zhen for strategic planning, and now another great general, Shangguan Yuanrang, has emerged. Moreover, the overall strength of the group has been enhanced. If they can really take Tianyuan County as a starting point, they will definitely achieve something big in the future. Following Tang Yan can also help him make a name for himself.

  Everyone expressed their opinions one after another, and among the many generals, only Bai Yong and Zhuo Nu, the two old men of the Pingyuan Army, were left. Their decision was also the most important. Once they chose to leave, the direct consequence would be a great chaos in the Pingyuan Army.

  Junuo was straightforward and didn't think too much, seeing that everyone expressed their willingness to follow Tang Yan, he no longer hesitated, cupped his hands and said: "I am willing to stay by your side, my lord, to go up the knife mountain and down the fire sea, without any hesitation!"

  Although Qiu Zhen's expression was relaxed from start to finish, his heart had long been hanging in his throat. Upon hearing Zhuo Nu's statement, his suspended heart suddenly dropped by half, and then he looked at Bai Yong again, pretending to be relaxed, smiling and urging: "What does General Bai mean?"

  Now, only Bai Yong has not spoken yet.

  Bai Yong is a rare talent in the Pingyuan Army, with both literary and military skills. Not only is his cultivation high, but his mind is also sharper than others. His current attitude will determine his fate in the future, so he must consider carefully.

  It is said that Qiu Zhen asked a question, and Bai Yong's mouth moved slightly, but in the end he still didn't speak.

  Seeing his embarrassed appearance, Tang Yin said quietly: "General Bai doesn't have to be difficult. Even if you quit, I won't blame you. Now we've got a lot of treasures from the barbarian countries. When we return to Pingyuan County, you can go to the warehouse and pick some out. After selling them, you'll be able to live a carefree life for the rest of your days.

  Tang Yin was ruthless towards his enemies, but to the generals under his command, he was considerate and had no complaints. This man could be said to have cold blood, but a warm heart.

  A gentleman would die for a friend he knows! Bai Yong had been following Tang Yin for quite some time and knew his character well. As soon as Tang Yin's words fell, Bai Yong knelt down on one knee, clasped his hands together and said: "Your subordinate is willing to follow you, sir, to live and die with you, and to advance and retreat together!"

  "Good!" Tang Yin was overjoyed and took two steps forward, stretching out his hand to help Bai Yong up.

  Up to this point, all the generals under Tang Yin's command had expressed their stance and vowed to follow Tang Yin to death.

  This statement seems insignificant but is actually very important and has a profound impact.

  Although they were previously generals under Tang Yin, the object of their loyalty was King Wang of Fengguo, the ruler of Fengguo. Their relationship with Tang Yin was only that of superior and subordinate, colleagues in the officialdom of Fengguo. However, after expressing their attitude, they now represent that they will be loyal to Tang Yin in the future, and their relationship has changed from superior and subordinate to lord and vassal.

  This transformation truly heralded the formation of Tang Yan's forces and provided a human foundation for his subsequent rapid rise.

  Tang Yin accepted Qiu Zhen's suggestion and transferred Shangguan Yuange to Shunzhou, moving his entire family south and relocating all the county guards to Shunzhou, directly into the prefectural capital. In addition, he ordered Shangguan Yuange to select suitable candidates to replace the county guards of Sanshui and Chifeng counties and find a new county guard for Pingyuan County.

  Domestic affairs are being implemented in a tight and secretive manner. On the other hand, Tang Yin has not relaxed his efforts on military matters. The first thing he did was to force the three captured generals to surrender their military power. Only by controlling the army can one be considered to have control over the entire Tianyuan Prefecture.

  The Tianyuan County has an army of 10,000 people. San Shui County and Chi Feng County each have two legions with a total of 20,000 soldiers, adding up to only 50,000 soldiers. In the beginning, Ping Yuan County alone had 80,000 soldiers, which also shows Tang Yin's emphasis on military affairs.