Chapter 64: Could it be that they think the Great Qi isn't chaotic enough as it is?

"Lord Yang, you flatter me!"

Kou Wei offered a shy smile. As an inarticulate military general, this was the first time he had ever been praised by a superior, and for a moment, he had no idea how to respond.

Seeing Kou Wei stammering and unable to reply, Yang Chu smiled and continued, "General Kou, as a commander guarding the frontline, if you cannot even handle this basic level of interpersonal relations, it will be difficult for you to achieve great things in the future."

"Lord Yang, ever since this humble general began protecting the rivers and mountains of the Great Qi, I have sought neither personal fame nor wealth. As long as I can ensure that New City does not fall and allow His Majesty—the Emperor—to rest easy within the imperial capital, I am already more than content!"

These words prompted Yang Chu to look at him in a completely new light.

Earlier, when a dispute had erupted with the Prime Minister inside the imperial capital, he had pondered a very crucial matter. Although he himself disliked these worldly entanglements, since he intended to secure the realm for Tian Yueying, he had to build his own faction.

In palace politics, aside from the deceit and scheming among ministers, the most important thing was having a sufficiently solid backing behind one.

Prime Minister An Xunlu had served for two generations. It was said that back when the late Emperor was conquering the four quarters, he had divided his forces and placed two distinct armies under the command of An Xunlu and Sun Xin respectively.

One of these armies was called the Tiger Might Army, with Sun Xin holding the military tally for troop mobilization. The other was called the Divine Might Army, with An Xunlu holding its mobilization tally.

On the surface, the two appeared to serve as mutual checks and balances, but once military power fell into the hands of subjects—regardless of their loyalty—it posed a constant threat to the Son of Heaven.

At present, although Tian Yueying could mobilize the garrisons of other cities at will, when it came to actual combat capability, the two armies left behind by the late Emperor were naturally the most formidable.

Now that Yang Chu had managed to find a general among the many officers who was both skilled in battle and utterly loyal to the Emperor of Great Qi, he was naturally willing to take him under his wing. Even if Kou Wei was not directly under his command, as long as Tian Yueying found him reliable to use, he could rest assured regarding her safety no matter where he traveled in the future.

"General Kou, given your profound loyalty to the imperial court, if you can join forces with me this time to repel the Wei army and force them to sue for peace on their own accord, when we return to the imperial capital to report our success, I will certainly put in a good word for you before His Majesty."

"For Lord Yang to show such consideration for his subordinates, this humble general is eternally grateful!"

At that moment, a deputy general cast a suspicious glance at Yang Chu and suddenly asked, "Lord Yang, when you suddenly came to our borderlands this time, did you bring a letter from His Majesty?"

With that, he stood up straight, his face full of undisguised disdain.

"Our New City garrison still numbers ten thousand strong. If we were to truly engage the Wei army head-on, we would rout the enemy in a matter of days. What need is there for Lord Yang to personally travel to the battlefield?"

"If Lord Yang wishes to take command of the military, then either produce an imperial edict, or present the military mobilization tally. Otherwise, not a single soldier or a single foot of ground shall be subject to your orders!"

"Ma Wen, you!"

Seeing his deputy general openly display such insolence toward Yang Chu, Kou Wei was simultaneously seized by lingering fear and filled with disgust.

Back when Ma Wen was first transferred to New City as a deputy general, he had clashed with Kou Wei over military deployment during a campaign. As it happened, in that previous battle, Kou Wei had disregarded Ma Wen's advice, resulting in heavy casualties and losses, with New City nearly falling.

Ever since that battle, Ma Wen had lost all respect for Kou Wei. He always felt that since Kou Wei was inferior in skill, he ought to surrender the position of chief commander of New City to him.

Over the years, Ma Wen had relied on his own "competence" to earn the respect of the soldiers in New City, and he was on the verge of completely eclipsing Kou Wei to seize military control of the city. Who could have expected that a Yang Chu would suddenly arrive from the imperial capital, completely disrupting all his previous plans?

Regardless of who this person was, Ma Wen had decided to act on his own authority today: unless the man held an official seal and tally, he would never allow him to interfere in the military affairs of New City!

At these words, Yang Chu was momentarily taken aback.

Having departed in a rush, he had indeed forgotten to request an edict from the Empress. Furthermore, having just been stripped of his position as Chancellor not long ago, although he was nominally the Director-General of the Imperial Treasury, that was merely a nominal title additionally bestowed upon him by the Empress.

As for his identity as the Prince Consort, he could not use it recklessly unless it was an absolute necessity. After all, that status was an honor granted to him by the Empress. If he were to throw his weight around outside by virtue of sharing the same status as the Empress, how would he be any different from those corrupt officials?

Uncertain of what kind of person Ma Wen truly was, Yang Chu had no desire to spark a direct confrontation with him inside the military governor's headquarters. Instead, he replied politely, "General, I came in haste and did not ask His Majesty to write any edict. Perhaps..."

Before he could finish, Ma Wen bluntly interrupted, "In that case, I must ask Lord Yang to return the way you came!"

Hearing this, not only did anger flare on Yang Chu's face, but Kou Wei as well was pushed to the limit of his endurance.

However, purely in terms of martial prowess, Ma Wen's combat skills were not inferior to his own. Moreover, over the years, Ma Wen had somehow resorted to various intrigues, winning over the soldiers who had once been utterly submissive to Kou Wei and turning them to his own side.

If they were to fall out with Ma Wen openly in the hall right now, what the two of them would face would not be Ma Wen alone, but nearly half the entire garrison of New City! Under such circumstances, win or lose against Ma Wen, the only thing truly damaged would be the military strength of Great Qi!

Left with no choice, Kou Wei attempted a conciliatory tone. "General Ma, surely you have heard of Lord Yang's achievements? The reason he was able to come from the State of Kang to serve as an official in Great Qi is entirely because His Majesty and Lord Yang share a deep bond!"

"Hmph, I care nothing for all of that! Today, I have only one thing to say: if Lord Yang does not possess the military mobilization tally, he has no right to command the troops of New City. And as for you, General Kou, if you stubbornly persist in defying this, I will have no choice but to draft a memorial and dispatch it to the imperial capital to petition His Majesty anew!"

"General Ma, doing that will undoubtedly delay military opportunities!"

Hearing this, Yang Chu stroked his chin, seeming to understand something.

This Ma Wen before him had acted with such rudeness right off the bat; he must certainly have someone in the imperial court backing him up. And that person was most likely Prime Minister An Xunlu.

To think that even after he had voluntarily stepped away from the schemes of the imperial capital to seek peace and quiet in the borderlands, An Xunlu still refused to let him go? To insist on having a deputy general stir up trouble from the shadows—could it be that he felt the Great Qi was still not chaotic enough?

Indeed, for the sake of their own selfish interests, these treacherous ministers could utterly disregard the safety of the entire nation!

Just as the atmosphere plunged into an awkward deadlock, a courier suddenly burst hurriedly into the military governor's headquarters.

"Reporting to all generals! Because Lord Yang departed in haste and carried no missive with him, Her Majesty has now discovered this omission and has specifically dispatched a decree, temporarily appointing Yang Chu as the Frontline Governor with supreme command over all military affairs in New City!"

With that, the courier respectfully presented a military mobilization tally with both hands, letting the assembled generals inspect it before turning it over directly to Yang Chu.