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

Chapter 1655 Lord Chen

Hefei was an important location, but Li Cheng did not hold onto it for long.

A fierce battle erupted between the Qing army and the Taiping army in the area surrounding Hefei, just outside Huoshan, leaving the battlefield littered with corpses. The fleeing Qing and Taiping soldiers reached a truce and fled in droves towards Huoshan, driving all the nearby civilians to flee as well.

Those closer to Huoshan fled there. Those farther away headed west, where, while not as secure as Huoshan, the area was more expansive and safer. Even though the safety was considerably less than Huoshan, it was still outside Wang Yan's direct control. With various monitoring mechanisms in place, the effectiveness could only be guaranteed to a certain extent, albeit with some compromises.

Even so, it's still much, much better than it is now, and we're constantly making adjustments and improvements, always moving upwards...

The battle for Hefei ended once again, with the Qing court suffering a crushing defeat and the entire battalion of soldiers under Pang Qingyun's command being wiped out.

As a high-ranking officer commanding a battalion, Pang Qingyun naturally understood the situation better than the ordinary soldiers below him. So, after feigning death, he mingled with the refugees and headed towards Huoshan…

After a period of development, Huoshan's territory has now expanded beyond its original location, reaching the outskirts of Lu'an and Shucheng. The land and houses here have been redistributed, and no one cares about the original owners anymore. This is war—death, flight, and injury.

Perhaps after the war subsides, the survivors will want to return, but by then, no one will likely acknowledge their claim. Of course, Wang Yan will certainly acknowledge their claim, and once they return, there will naturally be a corresponding distribution of land…

It was because of Huoshan's expansion that Pang Qingyun was able to crawl out of the pile of corpses and stagger to Huoshan's territory in no time, which was only a few miles away.

Even though the terrain was advantageous, the Qing army and the Taiping army would tacitly avoid fighting in this area, even though it was only a few miles away.

Even though Huoshan is standing right here, with a force of over ten thousand, and even though Wang Yan has been making significant changes to the military in Bashu and Guanzhong, they still don't want to drag the entire force under Wang Yan's command, codenamed 'Huoshan,' into the current war.

Because Wang Yan is too disgusting. Although he only has a little over 10,000 troops in Huoshan County, it's not that he can't take it, but he can't take it in the short term. And if either side attacks, Wang Yan will side with the other and join the war, then it won't be a matter of just over 10,000 troops anymore.

Wang Yan effectively possessed the power to change the course of the war, a power that even the foreigners couldn't match. Just as Wang Yan had previously told the foreigners, while the coastal regions had strong ships and powerful cannons, the situation was different inland. Especially now that everyone was using bolt-action rifles and smokeless gunpowder, the tens of thousands of troops that the foreigners had gathered here were simply not enough.

This is why Wang Yan is infiltrating and gradually gaining control of Sichuan and Guanzhong. Of course, it's also because of the ongoing North-South war; if he doesn't want to participate, this is the only opportunity he has…

From afar, Pang Qingyun could see the long line of refugees.

Soldiers in impeccable uniforms, swords at their sides, maintained order at close range, while others with guns stood ready in the distance. Local officials sat in warm, fire-lit shelters, registering the refugees. The refugees, then received their identification tags, were taken away for cleaning and disinfection, and then given clean clothes to begin a new life…

Pang Qingyun walked into the shed and looked at the young clerk's face, which appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, and she was a woman.

The female clerk, holding a writing brush, looked up and sized her up and down.

"Name."

"Pang Qingyun, courtesy name Lushan, meaning 'soaring to great heights,' was originally from Lushan."

"age."

"Twenty-seven."

What was your previous position?

"The officers under Lord Chen suffered a defeat and have come to seek refuge with Master Wang. I want to see Master Wang; I can play a much greater role there, far beyond just being a battalion commander! I can become a captain, a general! I would be of great use to you, Master Wang!"

The female clerk looked up at him and then laughed: "Then why did you lose the battle?"

“I was just a battalion commander, I couldn’t decide the course of the battle. I fought wherever my superiors told me to, and I fought however they told me to. I was at the forefront, but He Kui was cowardly and refused to come to our aid. My entire battalion of brothers died in battle!”

"All dead?"

"All dead!"

"I must live so that my brothers can not die in vain! If I die, everything will be over, and no one will remember them! I must see Grandpa Wang!"

The female clerk smiled noncommittally, then continued writing for a while before handing him two tags: "This is your identification tag. Go and get disinfected later to prevent the spread of disease. This is for arranging an appointment with the master. After you've been disinfected, someone will make arrangements for you. Give him this tag, and he'll schedule your appointment with the master."

Pang Qingyun held the two signs, somewhat incredulous.

The female clerk said, "I didn't expect that your casual remark would actually get you to see the old man, did I? That's what makes him so magnanimous. Anyone who wants to see him can, as long as they take this token and queue up."

Are you wondering what would happen if the old man offended so many people and someone tried to assassinate him? Dozens of people have already been arrested—Manchus, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, foreigners, and assassins sent by other officials and wealthy families. The old man is still alive and well.

You might be wondering if he can meet all the people who want to see him. Actually, not many people do. Only those who have been bullied or those who feel they have unfulfilled ambitions will see him.

"Then how many people do you think will be bullied under this old man's nose? Get out."

Pang Qingyun walked out with the two signs in a daze, and followed the crowd to the side where someone shaved his head. Then he jumped into the open-air pool where hot water was constantly being added, along with other men. After that, they separated into individual cubicles to wash themselves, and then changed their clothes, looking completely refreshed.

Immediately afterwards, he met with the clerk who would make further arrangements; this time, it was a young male clerk. He handed over another plaque and followed the clerk away.

When can I see Grandpa Wang?

"If nothing unexpected happens, it will probably be tomorrow morning."

"So fast?" Pang Qingyun was stunned.

"If it weren't for the old man's wedding today, you would have seen him this afternoon."

“Are there so few people?”

The male clerk chuckled, "Those who want to see you, sir, are usually ambitious. No one dares to mock you or waste your precious time working for the people. Many people don't know themselves and try to fool you, but they've all paid the price for their cleverness. Some are doing manual labor at the lowest levels, some are running themselves ragged... and some have even died."

Just because you meet an old man doesn't guarantee a good job and a bright future. We have records showing that 95% of these self-important people fail to climb the ladder. They can't let go of their pride, look down on those around them, and think they're the only smart ones. They're always scheming and unwilling to work diligently and honestly.

Do you think you can climb up here?

"I climbed my way up to the rank of battalion commander step by step!" The male clerk laughed heartily. "When people achieve a certain position, they often think it's all due to their own abilities. They take the help from others for granted, believing it's something they deserve. That's not good."

These are the old man's exact words, so if you want to quit, I'll assign you to the military, starting as a first-class soldier, and you'll rise through the ranks based on your merits. You'd better think it over; it's not too late to back out now.”

"Didn't you say everyone could see the old man? Why are you stopping him? What about the people who were bullied?"

"Of course they have another solution. Ultimately, what the people want is a solution. Otherwise, even if they meet the old man in person, they won't let him off the hook with their words."

The male clerk waved his hand and escorted Pang Qingyun to the door of a room: "Someone will bring you food in a little while. Take a breather first. We'll head to Huoshan this afternoon, and there will be a place to take care of you there."

Pang Qingyun readily accepted good advice...

Meanwhile, in Huoshan County, a simple wedding was being held.

There were no special procedures. After all, when resources were scarce, it would be outrageous for him to be extravagant. Everything was kept simple. He simply appeared with Liao Xuan, had a drink with his subordinates and other people from other forces, and that was it...

There were relatively few outsiders; most of them came along when they were there for cooperation. Wang Yan couldn't possibly notify them specifically so they could plan assassinations against him—that would be a waste of resources. He would send them out after the wedding.

"Big brother, you're finally married." Zhao Erhu put his arm around Wang Yan's shoulder and smiled happily. "You don't know, the people down below have told me several times that now that you're married and have a few more sons, everyone will be at ease."

"Second brother is right. Congratulations, eldest brother." Jiang Wuyang grinned, raising his wine glass, even happier than Wang Yan, the groom.

"Now it's my turn to congratulate you. There are plenty of girls out there. Just settle down with whoever you like."

In recent years, both Zhao Erhu and Jiang Wuyang have grown rapidly and have begun to stand on their own. Although their skills are not quite up to par yet, the good news is that the knife is in their hands, and the lack of skill has been brought to a head.

Ultimately, the so-called lack of competence simply means an inability to properly balance the interests of various subordinates, leading to problems in administrative operations and implementation. But with the knife in hand, the world is at their command. If they fulfill their duty of guarding various regions and ensure that they can strike when Wang Yan wants to, that's already a perfect score. Everything else is just a bonus, and it doesn't matter if they're not there.

Jiang Wuyang laughed heartily: "My second brother and I are waiting for you. Otherwise, my second brother and Liansheng would have gotten married long ago. I don't care about these things. As long as you give me a son, that's fine."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Then you should get it done as soon as possible, within the next two months."

"We'll do as our elder brother says. Let's drink!"

Everyone drank and chatted happily. Wang Yan chatted with each person in turn. To be precise, this was a meeting of middle and senior management. He chatted with everyone, showed concern for each other, and then solved some problems and promoted some matters.

They kept busy until evening...

"Lord Chen, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

The one who responded to Wang Yan was a thin, long-faced man with a goatee, whose face was covered in wrinkles and who was already over fifty years old.

Lord Chen, who was in charge of the Hubei-Anhui war, stood up and said, "General, what are you saying? It is I, this old fellow, who is ignorant and has disturbed your good mood on such a joyous day."

"To be honest, Lord Chen, you are the highest-ranking official I have ever met in the imperial court. Please have a seat."

Lord Chen sat down and said, "The highest-ranking official is you, General. I am merely a second-rank official."

"Old Chen, you're really fooling people. Don't even mention a general, even if someone has a title or is a prince, they still can't compare to you, the Grand Councilor?"

"General, you jest. Even the Emperor wouldn't dare to touch a king who isn't of the same surname."

"You're joking. Would he dare to touch me now?"

Lord Chen was speechless, because what Wang Yan said was true.

He then said, "General, the supernatural abilities you displayed in Bashu and Guanzhong were truly breathtaking, and I admire you immensely. However, General, you must still be careful, as the imperial court has never given up on its plans there. Even though it is currently stretched thin, it is still sending people over."

"There's no chance anymore." Wang Yan smiled and shook his head. "People always want things to get better and better, not worse and worse. You know that. The people over there are doing alright. Although they don't have enough food, they've managed to survive. Alright, let's talk about your matter. Lord Chen, I heard you suffered a defeat, and your troops are almost wiped out?"

“There’s only one battalion left.” Lord Chen sighed in regret. “The Taiping army is too cunning, and Lord Jiang has been sabotaging me again. Otherwise, this battle wouldn’t have been so devastating, almost wiping out my entire fortune. General, now only you can help me.”

"Old Chen, how do you want me to help you?"

"I need money and provisions to recruit new soldiers. If you can send troops to support me, that would be the best outcome," Lord Chen said firmly, his attitude quite clear.

"You should recruit them yourself. I'll send a few people over to assist you later."

Wang Yan held up his teacup and said, "With Lord Chen's choice, there is no turning back now."

"In officialdom, there is only advancement and no retreat. Trying to please both sides of the fence usually doesn't end well. I'm old and in this position, so I have no choice but to make this choice."

"Lord Chen, the man surnamed Jiang is not as good as you."

Lord Chen was speechless. Wang Yan was not as he knew her. Otherwise, it was not something an ordinary person would do, and his mind was not that clever.

But then Wang Yan continued, "Lord Jiang wrote to me before, praising me highly. However, I found that Lord Jiang is somewhat hypocritical, and he often makes excuses and shirks his responsibilities when cooperating with me. He doesn't seem like a good person."

I've heard that Lord Jiang has recently been defeating the Taiping Army in Hunan and Hubei. In my opinion, Lord Chen should focus on managing Anhui to recover his strength. While resisting the Taiping Army, he should also allow some Taiping soldiers to pass through. This way, Lord Jiang will regain his senses. If he keeps hindering his colleagues, when will our Great Qing be able to eradicate the Taiping rebels?

"General, Old Chen offers tea instead of wine to congratulate you on your marriage and wish you a son soon..."

Lord Chen let out a hearty laugh befitting his high-ranking official status…

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　　(End of this chapter)