Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 804 Meritorious Service
As soon as it was light, He Tan led his men to inspect the army camp, and then drilled with the soldiers before mounting his horse and leaving. He rode off for a while before stopping to catch his breath.

“In previous years, that guy would always find a chance to come looking for me at this time,” He Tan said. “This year, let him stay in Bianjing. Once things are stable here, when I go back, I’ll find a chance to have a go at him and make him cry for his parents.”

Having said that, He Tan raised an eyebrow, as if this matter was bound to come true.

Don't let Wang Yan's lack of military prowess fool you; he may not be as strong as someone who wields swords and spears all day, but he's incredibly agile and adept at feints and diversions. With his cunning and wicked nature, he repeatedly defeats Wang Yan...

If he doesn't take advantage of Wang Yan's indulgence in pleasure to settle this score, he might never have another chance in his life.

He Xing, who was standing next to him, laughed and said, "He Chun is getting married soon, so he will definitely not be able to come out. But perhaps during the New Year, the Emperor can let us return to the capital for a few days of rest."

He Xing was a member of a collateral branch of the He family. Previously, the He family had some business dealings with the Xie family of Daming Prefecture. After the case was investigated, He Tan did not cover it up and reported it to the court. The He family was punished, and He Xing and others were also dismissed from their posts. However, the court still made an exception and allowed He Xing to join He Tan's army camp when He Tan came to the north to garrison troops.

He Tan said, "That depends on whether those people can live in peace."

He Xing's smile faded: "If everything goes smoothly at the border market, the frontier should be fine, right?"

He Tan shook his head: "Do you think the Western Xia wouldn't have other ideas for these benefits? What if someone colluded with them and sold them even more benefits?"

He Xing was taken aback: "Do you know something?"

He Tan didn't speak, but looked at the official road. He Xing followed his gaze, and soon a caravan came into view.

“They really came,” He Xing said. “It’s so cold on the road, how did they… travel? I remember it’s been about half a month since I’ve seen any caravans pass by here.”

He Tan said, "This is Madam Xie's caravan, escorted by Zhao Zhongliang's security force. It's not an ordinary caravan."

Before this, He Tan had only heard of the Baoding team and had never actually seen Zhao Zhongliang's abilities. Now, seeing that they had traveled a long way but still maintained a neat formation, he couldn't help but admire Xie Niangzi for her ability to recognize talent.

Upon seeing He Tan, Zhao Zhongliang immediately urged him to step forward and bow, saying, "Commander."

He Tan asked with concern, "Was the journey smooth?"

Zhao Zhongliang said, "I've encountered some trouble, but it's all minor."

"Were there any casualties?" He Tan continued.

Zhao Zhongliang nodded: "Three people were injured, and I left them in the local village to recuperate. The old lady said that human life comes first, and this kind of thing cannot be taken lightly."

“That makes sense,” He Tan said. “Let the caravan enter the city to rest and reorganize. Tell me in detail about the situation there.”

Zhao Zhongliang handed over the rest of the matters to Sun Changchun and then went with He Tan to his residence to talk. He Xing followed along, listening to He Tan ask about the situation at the border market.

"Many merchants came from Western Xia. Porcelain was transported to the Northwest and quickly bought up, as were silk and tea. The livestock, furs and spices that Western Xia sold to us were also of excellent quality."

Hearing this, He Tan couldn't help but interrupt Zhao Zhongliang: "So, both countries can profit quite a bit from the border markets?"

Zhao Zhongliang nodded: "If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have rushed to make this trip. I can sell these goods for a good price before the New Year."

“In that case, the Western Xia should not suddenly launch an attack,” He Tan said. “The Western Xia royal family has been embroiled in one conflict after another, and they also need this money, at least to help stabilize their regime.”

Zhao Zhongliang didn't interrupt; he was only responsible for delivering the message because he himself only had a superficial understanding of the war.

He Tansong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I understand." He patted Zhao Zhongliang on the shoulder, "I'm truly happy to see you all." Zhao Zhongliang was also concerned about what was happening in Bianjing, so he asked.

He Tan said, "He Chun and Madam are engaged, and I think we should start making arrangements for their wedding this year."

Zhao Zhongliang's eyes lit up: "Lord Wang is a lucky man."

These words revealed that Zhao Zhongliang was on Xie Da Niangzi's side; every word conveyed the same meaning: Wang Yan got a bargain.

He Tan found it amusing that his cousin, who had always been arrogant and found everything uninteresting, was actually being disliked by someone.

He Tan stood up and went out to eat with Zhao Zhongliang: "You two should rest well. We still have a long way to go."

In the evening, He Tan inevitably drank a few more cups than usual. While others might fall asleep immediately after getting drunk, He Tan always made it a habit to discuss military books and look at maps at this time.

This time, however, Wang Yan wasn't with him; He Xing was instead.

“Let me tell you,” He Tan said to He Xing, “if you do well this time, you will be reinstated to your original position.”

He Xing looked at He Tan: "Are you joking?"

He Tan shook his head: "How could I lie to you? This is also He Chun's idea. The mistakes our He family has made cannot be covered up, but... as long as there is remorse, the court will reward and punish fairly."

"Don't resent me for sending my uncle and several brothers to the yamen. If the He family were to show favoritism, they would never be able to hold their heads high again. Besides, you were greedy and should be punished."

He Xing's eyes flickered, but he quickly lowered his head to hide his emotions: "How could I resent you? It was because you made a contribution that the court dealt with the He family leniently. My father... it is true that he suffered, but at least he was spared. As for his official position and future, you are right. We made a mistake. If we have to blame someone, blame our own greed."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "But what kind of meritorious service are you talking about?"

He Tan took a sip of tea, looked at the map, and pointed: "Right here."

He Xing saw Ningzhou.

He Tan continued, "Xia Mengxian's daughter secretly left Bianjing. After changing carriages several times, she went to Ningzhou. She thought she was being very careful, but in fact, He Chun had someone watching her long ago."

He Xing's eyes widened: "The Xia...the Xia family would secretly take action?"

He Tan nodded: "Xia Mengxian has powerful backers. He Chun and Lady Xie ruined their plans, so they definitely won't let it go... He Chun said..."

He Tan's mind was really not clear, and that was all he could say. He patted his head and said, "In short, while Xixia is peaceful, we should do our best to deal with those people and eliminate a future threat so that we won't have to worry about being plotted against in the future."

He Xing nodded.

He Tan closed the map; he would only say this much, revealing no further details.

After He Tan rested, He Xing came out of the house and looked at the guards in the courtyard. These were all from the He family. Only such family guards would be loyal to He Tan no matter what happened.

“Be careful,” He Xing said, turning to the leader and instructing him, “You need to select some people recently. They may need to go with He Tan to do some things in a while. Remember, they must be the most reliable people.”

(End of this chapter)