The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1651 What's the Use of a Name?
"The old man is indeed vigorous and powerful, truly living up to his reputation."

Having just experienced such a thing, Su Zixuan, feeling satisfied, sipped her chicken soup and offered sincere praise and heartfelt recognition.

"What's that poem again? 'The spring night is short, the sun rises high, and from then on, the emperor no longer holds morning court.' And someone else said, 'There's no such thing as a free lunch. What do you want?'"

"Although the previous assassination attempt had nothing to do with me, I was the one who first tried to lull you into a false sense of security. I have nothing of value to offer but myself as an apology to you, sir."

Su Zixuan smiled and said, "Of course, more importantly, you have heroic spirit, courage, and strategy. You are a rare and extraordinary man in this world. I, Su Zixuan, am also naturally beautiful and admire you. Do you think I am not worthy of you?"

"generally."

"How heartless of you, sir! You're denying everything right after we slept together?"

"It's a mutual agreement, why bother with formalities?" Wang Yan smiled and shook his head. "We're already so familiar with each other, it's pointless to beat around the bush anymore. Let's just get straight to the point."

"Alright! Then speak your mind!"

Su Zixuan straightened her posture. "Then can you tell me exactly how to view the Qing Dynasty, and how to view the Heavenly Kingdom?"

"Will not work."

"no?"

"no!"

"Who can do it? You can?"

Wang Yan smiled but remained silent.

Su Zixuan's eyes widened: "You also want to rebel and become emperor?"

"I didn't think about it, I'm just trying to protect myself. Right now I only have a few thousand soldiers, and your Heavenly Kingdom already sees me as a thorn in your side. What will happen when I become stronger? You know there's unrest everywhere right now. Before you besieged Huoshan, in just two months, more than ten thousand people fled to Huoshan County. If I want to make more money, I need to recruit more people, and more people means more soldiers. If I station tens of thousands of troops here, will the Heavenly Kingdom tolerate me?"
The Qing court operates on the same principle. Now that you two factions are fighting, I'm using the opportunity to gain advantages and expand my power. In the end, no matter who wins, they won't let me off the hook. So it's not a question of whether I rebel or not; things have come to this point, I have no choice but to rebel. Otherwise, what will my men eat and drink? They'll all push me to rebel.

"And if I don't resist, even if I surrender, I will be dismembered little by little until I have no strength left, and then my head will be separated from my body, and I will die."

Song Jiang failed to understand the source of power, and then he betrayed that source, ultimately leading to a lack of trust from above and abandonment from below, before finally meeting his demise.

The principle of moderation in life is important, but moderation does not mean retreating without limits. In some matters, retreating is not wisdom, but courting death.

Wang Yan had extensive experience as a leader, and he had a direct understanding of the collective drive within his subordinates to advance. It was like a greedy merchant craving big deals, a greedy official desiring political achievements, a young soldier yearning for glory, or a bandit hoping for chaos...

Su Zixuan understood Wang Yan's meaning and said, "Whether it's the Heavenly Kingdom or the Manchu Qing Dynasty, neither is destined to tolerate you. You are destined to rebel."

“That’s a good summary, that’s exactly what I mean.” Wang Yan nodded with a smile. “So in the future, I’ll play both sides and make money from both, and then raise my banner when the right opportunity arises.”

"When is the right time? What opportunity could be more right than now?"

"Still trying to sway me? Give up on that idea. I have my own plans. At times like these, there's a big difference between raising a flag and not raising one. Look at Hunan and Hubei. Your western expedition was aimed at those two places, but they're not easy to deal with. They're not Manchu bannermen or Green Standard Army soldiers; they're all soldiers recruited with their own money. It won't be so easy for the Heavenly Kingdom to wipe out Jiangnan in one fell swoop."

"Then you should also understand that being successful on both sides means being uneasy on both sides."

"What can I do if I'm not at peace? Even if Heaven isn't at peace, I'm still here, aren't I?" Wang Yan ate meat and drank wine heartily. "I thought you understood how I got to where I am today, but it seems you still don't understand. Who do you think helped me? You're wrong. From beginning to end, no one helped us. On the contrary, there were always people trying to harm us."

The wealthy patrons disguised themselves as bandits, the security escort agencies wielded knives to steal business, and the officials extorted money and bribes, refusing to do anything without payment, and even demanding more after receiving payment. You also planted your own people under my command to gather intelligence, and even attempted to assassinate me several times.

Ultimately, we rely on strength, on sheer power. Otherwise, no matter how eloquently you speak, who will listen to you? Looking for a backer? Forget getting into the doors of those big shots; even getting close is a crime.

Looking at the silent Su Zixuan, Wang Yan continued, "You need to know that conspiracies and tricks rarely lead to great things. Only the weaker side will resort to conspiracies, hoping to eliminate some key people and influence some events in order to level the gap between the two sides."

"It seems the old man still harbors resentment towards Heaven."

"No, I'm warning you. I'm not afraid of being assassinated, but your face clearly shows that you have some unspeakable secret."

Su Zixuan smiled and her eyebrows curved: "Then tell me, sir, what secrets does this young lady have that she cannot tell you?"

"You've been so eager to instigate me to raise the flag and rebel, which means you're dissatisfied with the Manchus. As for you, you look like a young lady from a wealthy family, and you haven't even had your feet bound yet. You must have been pampered since childhood. I guess your family did something wrong and got punished by the emperor. You managed to escape and are now focused on avenging your family. It's nothing new."

Su Zixuan didn't deny it, which was tantamount to admitting it. She then asked, "Then what do you think I should do?"

"Once I've developed my business, I'll naturally overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Why bother thinking about all that nonsense? It's all about doing business, acquiring more resources, supporting more people, and the snowball will naturally grow bigger and bigger until it becomes unstoppable."

"If it were as easy as you say, how come you're the only one in the world who's achieved what you have today?"

"Of course it's not easy; they always fall halfway through. Some are afraid to use knives, afraid to hit people, let alone kill. Some are afraid of authority, bowing and scraping to those who are rich and powerful, unable to muster any thoughts of resistance."

Some people lack wisdom; they don't know who to kill first, who to kill later, or who is good to them and who is good to them. Others are insatiably greedy, easily bribed with money and insignificant official positions. How can they continue like this? Can we blame them for being incompetent?

Wang Yan waved his hand, "Go back and discuss it with the Heavenly Kingdom. I need coal, iron, copper and other mineral raw materials. You have extensive connections, so you can definitely get them. You don't even need to deliver them; my own escort agency brothers will go. Once I can produce hundreds of thousands or even millions of guns a year, then I'll have everything."

"Did you really figure this out yourself?"

"Don't ask silly questions. Isn't it obvious that even foreigners don't have this?"

Su Zixuan sipped his chicken soup, pondered for a moment, and said, "Have you heard of Li Wantang from the capital?"

"I've taken his orders many times."

"He has a very good relationship with Prince Gong Yixin and is one of the top merchants in the north. He should be able to get you a lot of things you need. You two should get in touch with him later. Also, there are firearms. The Qing Dynasty will definitely want to buy them from you. Sell them to Li Wantang so he can make some profit. It's good for both of us."

"If it allows me to make money and grow stronger, that's a good thing. If others can also benefit, that's even better."

"Okay, I'll talk to him later. You guys can contact him yourselves. As for Heaven, I'll discuss it with them later."

Wang Yan readily agreed, and so the matter was settled. The two parties would cooperate to make money and achieve mutual benefit... Su Zixuan stayed in Huoshan County for half a month, enjoying a happy and peaceful time with Wang Yan, before going to serve the Heavenly Kingdom.

Her throwing herself into his arms seemed more like a sign that, after getting to know Wang Yan over this period of time, she had become aware of his abilities and thus placed a lot of expectations on him.

The more I understand Wang Yan, the more I discover her strength; the more I interact with her, the more I discover her charm…

The news of the battle in Huoshan County spread naturally as the soldiers who went out to do business traveled to various places.

The Qing court was certainly not unaware of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's movements, and those in the ruling class who were particularly concerned about their own lives and property were quite sensitive to all kinds of news.

They had long known about the Heavenly Kingdom's northern and western expeditions. Anyone with a brain knew that the Heavenly Kingdom could not stand idly by while Huoshan existed, and since they had not heard any news of Wang Yan's surrender, the two sides were bound to fight. This was the consensus among the people.

However, what they didn't expect was that the more than 20,000 Taiping troops actually failed to capture Huoshan. That wasn't all; even under such circumstances, Huoshan sent troops across the Dabie Mountains to harass Anqing and then disrupt the Taiping army's supply lines.

There's a saying that you should judge a person by their opponent. As a pillar of the Heavenly Kingdom and a key contributor to its success, Li Cheng's abilities are widely recognized.

It didn't matter that Wang Yan lacked such a record of large-scale military campaigns; Li Cheng did. Under Li Cheng's command, his army of over 20,000 men was virtually invincible. Yet, even under these circumstances, Li Cheng's attack on the small town of Huoshan failed.

They couldn't even get the people of Huoshan deep into the mountains.

Wang Yan's establishment of a bandit stronghold in Huoshan was already well-known. After all, he effectively controlled the entire Huoshan area and openly hired people without any attempt to hide it.

This drew attention from all sides. Especially compared to the Taiping Army's undefeated record so far, the Battle of Huoshan made them stand out.

Even though the Heavenly Kingdom's northern expeditionary force had won consecutive victories and had already reached Hebei, and the masters in the capital were already in a panic, they still kept their eyes on Huoshan.

After all, they'll always retaliate eventually.

Especially after hearing that Wang Yan possessed more advanced firearms, it was precisely because of these superior firearms that he was able to withstand the Taiping Army's attack despite having fewer firearms and fewer men...

"Hehe, sir, this humble official greets you."

After seeking an audience for many days, Lü Mocheng finally met Wang Yan, who was fishing by the river and grilling fish on a stone slab to accompany his drinks.

Autumn had arrived, and the sky had turned gloomy again, with frequent damp rain. Wang Yan didn't have many recreational activities, especially at this time of year. There was a river nearby, so he would occasionally come to fish for a bit of leisure.

However, the current social environment is bad. People are starting to eat each other outside, the mountains are barren, and the edible fish in the water are naturally not much better. He feels like he's having a hard time even fishing.

"What business does Your Excellency have with this humble subject?"

"Sir, please don't be so modest. I'm only thinking of you. I even shot and killed two people in the battle against the Taiping Army."

Wang Yan picked up some fish with his chopsticks and sipped some mellow yellow wine: "You talk as if I forced you to go into battle, sir. You've had such a comfortable life here in Huoshan, with plenty to eat and drink. Don't you know how precious food is these days? People outside are starting to eat each other."

"It is all thanks to your kindness, sir. I am deeply grateful and will always remember your kindness."

“Sit down. You are a seventh-rank county magistrate, representing the face of the Qing court. What kind of behavior is it to be so servile?”

"Thank you for the seat, sir."

"Let's have a couple of drinks together."

"Thank you, Uncle Xie."

Lu Mochen seemed very excited, putting on a great show. He drank with Wang Yan, savoring each bite of fish for several minutes, praising it eloquently. With just that one bite of fish, he drank six cups of wine.

Wang Yan couldn't help but shake his head: "Master, are you craving some wine?"

"Sir's wine is different; it's imbued with a mystical aura. I have this opportunity, so I'll naturally drink a few more cups. Please don't be offended, sir."

"You're quite the flatterer, how come you're over forty and still a county magistrate?"

"To be honest, it's all because my family isn't wealthy, and as a local official, I don't want to exploit the people too much. In this Qing Dynasty, without money, it's truly impossible to move an inch. It's all so bitter and painful."

After chatting idly for a while, seeing Wang Yan catch another fish, Lü Mochen quickly praised him profusely. Then, while Wang Yan was cleaning the fish's internal organs and preparing to fry it on the stone slab, they finally got down to business.

"I've come today to deliver good news to you, sir."

"You said the same thing last time."

“This time it’s a real joy.” Lü Mochen said without any embarrassment, “His Majesty personally issued an edict appointing you as General Jianwei, and ordering you to establish the Anhui Army and become its commander to suppress the Taiping rebels.”

What makes you happy?

“Sir, although the title of General Jianwei is nominal, it is still a first-rank official position. Moreover, allowing you to establish the Anhui Army and become its commander gives you legitimate power. The court bestows the title, while the troops in your hands are the weapons. Both the title and the weapons are in your hands. In these chaotic times, why should you worry about not achieving great things?”

Lu Mochen's words were quite meaningful; he wanted to pledge allegiance to Wang Yan and become Wang Yan's strategist.

Of course, what's true and what's false, nobody knows for sure.

Wang Yan fiddled with the sizzling fish on the stone slab: "What use is a name to me? Does it mean I can't do anything without a name? Where did my thousands of men come from? Do I need the Qing court's approval? On the contrary, having this name brings no real benefit and creates discord with the Heavenly Kingdom. Although discord is fine, it's better to have none at all."

Seeing the county magistrate who wanted to speak but couldn't bring himself to, Wang Yan shook his head with amusement. The imperial court's reputation was important, of course, but at this moment, it was useless to him; he didn't need it at all.

"Just like last time, they're treating me like an idiot. They'll reply just like last time, insisting that the message be conveyed clearly."

Lu Mochen nodded resignedly, speechless with emotion...

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