Ji Han Liu Zhang

Hedong, Anyi.

Today, Hedong prefect Wang Yi welcomed a guest, a distinguished guest - Cheng Yu, a clerk under the Grand Marshal.

Although Cheng Yu's status was not noble enough, Wang Yi respected Cheng Yu very much. After hearing the news of Cheng Yu's arrival, Wang Yi went out of the city to welcome Cheng Yu.

"Mr. Cheng has come a long way and must have worked very hard." Wang Yi stepped forward and saluted Cheng Yu with a smile on his face.

Cheng Yu returned the greeting and said with a smile: "Guanzhong and Hedong are only separated by a river. How can you say you came from afar? How can you say you worked hard?"

"A journey of a hundred miles can be considered tiring, let alone the distance between Chang'an and Anyi, which are hundreds of miles apart." Wang Yi said that Cheng Yu's journey was tiring, and then he kindly invited Cheng Yu to ride in the same car.

Faced with Wang Yi's kindness, Cheng Yu could hardly refuse. He didn't want to decline, so he got on the carriage and rode with Wang Yi towards the county temple in Anyi County.

After walking for a while, Wang Yi and Cheng Yu arrived at the gate of the county temple. They got off the carriage and walked into the lobby of the county temple hand in hand.

At this moment in the hall of the county temple, Hedong Inspector Wei Gu had ordered his attendants to prepare a banquet early. He stopped at the door of the hall and waited. When he saw Wang Yi and the envoy from Guanzhong, he took two steps at a time and walked forward enthusiastically to welcome Wang Yi and Cheng Yu into the hall.

Cheng Yu stepped into the hall, but saw that there were only three or five tables prepared for banquets. It was obvious that the banquet Wang Yi hosted for him was rather private, and it seemed that the guests attending the banquet were all Wang Yi's confidants.

"Mr. Cheng, please." Wei Gu stretched out his hand, motioning Cheng Yu to sit in the first seat on the left. After Cheng Yu declined once or twice, he could not refuse the hospitality again and had to sit down, occupying the most honorable seat after Wang Yi.

At the beginning of the banquet, Wang Yi, Wei Gu and others talked with Cheng Yuyan about the wars in Longyou and Hexi, and learned about the downfall of the Liangzhou heroes Han Sui and Song Jian in detail.

After listening to Cheng Yu's eloquent narration, Wang Yi clapped his hands and sighed: "The Grand Marshal is indeed unmatched in military tactics and unpredictable. For example, Han Sui and Song Jian have been rampant in Longyou for more than ten years, causing chaos and being difficult to eliminate suddenly... Once they confronted the Grand Marshal, they were overthrown and destroyed within a few months, which shows how powerful the Grand Marshal is."

"Come, let's drink this cup to congratulate the Grand Marshal. Longyou is safe and sound, and Hexi is stable. This is a blessing for the country and also a blessing for us."

Wang Yi was all smiles. He raised his glass to signal everyone, and everyone also raised their glasses and clinked them together. They drank a full glass with Wang Yi, paying their highest respects to Liu Jiyu, the Grand Marshal of Guanzhong.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became heated and it was time to talk about business.

Wang Yi's eyes swept across and paused for a moment when they met the Inspector Wei Gu. Wei Gu understood, nodded slightly, and then raised his glass to Cheng Yu.

"Mr. Cheng was sent by the Grand Marshal from Chang'an. I don't know what you are here for." Wei Gu asked on behalf of his immediate superior Wang Yi.

Cheng Yu put down the wine glass in his hand, sat up straight, and replied to Wei Gu: "Yu is ordered by the Grand Marshal to come here to establish good neighborly relations with the prefect Wang... Guanzhong and Hedong are close neighbors, so we should greet each other from time to time." Wang Yi heard this, he sighed lightly, and then said: "Mr. Cheng, haven't you heard that the court issued an edict to appoint Chenliu Gao Gan as the prefect of Hedong, but I can't be the prefect for long... Now Gao Gan has come here from Shangdang, Mr. Cheng might as well stay in Anyi for a few days, so that you can establish good neighborly relations with the new Hedong prefect Gao Gan."

Hearing Wang Yi's tentative words, Cheng Yu looked surprised and said, "Prefect Wang has lived in Hedong for several years. The officials and people are happy with him and the people are safe. Why do you want to abandon the post of Prefect of Hedong and abandon the people under your rule... Prefect Wang should submit a petition to the court and stay in Hedong, so as not to make the officials and people of Hedong sad and the people feel grief."

"How can we refuse the imperial court's order? Besides, Gao Gan is in Shangdang now and will arrive any day. He is the nephew of Alliance Leader Yuan and relies on General Yuan. We cannot refuse him." Wang Yi spoke of the difficulties with a helpless look on his face.

Wei Gu, the Supervisor of Posts, interjected, "The court summoned our Lord to the court earlier, and the officials and people in the county have jointly submitted a petition to the court, hoping to keep our Lord as the governor of Hedong. But now the order has not been returned, and the high-ranking official is about to come. Sigh..."

Wang Yi and Wei Gu each sighed, seeming helpless about the arrival of the senior official.

Seeing this, Cheng Yu seemed to think deeply for a moment, and then said: "The officials and people of Hedong are all greedy for the kindness of Wang Taishou. Wang Taishou must not lose the expectations of the officials and people because of the intention of the court... In my opinion, Wang Taishou should first prevent Gao Gan from staying in Hedong, and then repeatedly write to the court to make the court withdraw the matter of summoning the Taishou to the court."

"Gao Gan obeys the orders of the court and the wishes of Alliance Leader Yuan. How dare I refuse him and block his entry?" Wang Yi stretched out his hand to veto, as if he did not dare to stop Gao Gan from setting foot in Hedong.

"Yes." Cheng Yu was silent for a while, then he bowed to Wang Yi and said, "How can a good official like Wang Taishou abandon the people of Hedong so easily? Moreover, Wang Taishou lives in Hedong, which is adjacent to Guanzhong. They have always lived in peace and harmony... Although Yu's position is low, I am willing to advise Wang Taishou to stay in Hedong and do my best to help Guanzhong avoid losing its good neighbor."

Wang Yi's eyes lit up, and he smiled as he said to Cheng Yu, "If the Grand Marshal speaks to the court, it will be a sure thing for me to stay in Hedong. In that case, thank you, Mr. Cheng."

After saying that, Wang Yi raised his glass to salute Cheng Yu. At today's banquet, he only hoped that Cheng Yu would bring up Grand Marshal Liu Zhang to endorse his retention of the post. With Liu Zhang's backing, he could boldly refuse high-ranking officials from entering Hedong and not consider Yuan, the leader of Jizhou.

If the plan failed, he could go west and enter the pass to serve under Grand Marshal Liu Zhang. In this way, he could either advance or retreat. Having a way out was like taking a reassurance pill, so Wang Yi was naturally happy.

At this point in the banquet, the host and the guests had each achieved what they wanted, and the joyful atmosphere of the banquet reached its peak.

into the night.

Wang Yi took a hot towel from the servant and wiped it vigorously on his face four or five times. Then the smell of alcohol in his stomach from the wine he had drunk in the morning was swept away.

"Now that you can use the power of the Grand Marshal to resist high-ranking officials, you will be able to serve as the governor of Hedong for a long time." The Inspector Wei Gu had a smile on his face and congratulated Wang Yi.

"Yeah." Wang Yi nodded. After sitting in Hedong for several years, he had already developed a sense of self-interest and regarded Hedong as his private property. No matter who came to replace him as the governor of Hedong, he would regard him as an enemy.

Now that Gao Gan has come from afar, Wang Yi was unwilling or afraid to stop Gao Gan from entering Hedong at first due to his status. Now that Cheng Yu has come here, it has given him a great help. Relying on Guanzhong and Grand Marshal Liu Zhang, he can rest assured to fight against Gao Gan. (End of this chapter)