The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 804 Amazement
Wen Yang's fleet docked in Lelang County.

Wen Yang led the army back to the familiar land. Wen Yang took a deep breath, as if the air of his hometown was particularly sweet.

The soldiers filed out, with joy in their eyes, and talked and laughed with each other.

Wen Yang stood on a high ground, watching his own army coming out one after another. They also transported out many captives and treasures from the ships.

The local prefect stood beside Wen Yang with a smile on his face, his eyes full of respect.

"Congratulations, General, on your achievement! Your reputation resonates throughout Hebei. Although I, your humble servant, have often heard of your exploits, I am deeply moved and wish I could join you in battle."

Wen Yang narrowed his eyes. The prefect's flattery did not make him feel proud. He just felt curious.

In the past, officials from all over Hebei were polite to him, but they did not reach this level of flattery.

Could it be that I got promoted again?
Wen Yang asked, "Grand Marshal Guo, are there any new appointments in Luoyang?"

“I really don’t know.”

The prefect replied.

Then, he hurriedly said with a smile, "I just heard that His Majesty wants to summon Yang Zhenbei back to the inner court."

Wen Yang was overjoyed.

It’s not that he has a grudge against Yang Hu, but that he heard the implied meaning.

Now that Yang Hu is leaving, will the military affairs of Hebei fall into the hands of the second-level general?

In Hebei, apart from Yang Hu, no one had a higher rank than Wen Yang.

Wen Yang immediately patted the governor's shoulder and said, "Even if General Yang leaves, you don't have to worry. With me stationed here, ordinary bandits will be terrified at the mere mention of my name and will retreat without a fight. I will ensure that you have nothing to worry about!"

The governor quickly showed a look of surprise, "Thank you, General! Thank you, General!"

The two chatted with each other for a long time, and the prefect immediately made an exception and provided some extra food for Wen Yang's army.

Wen Yang asked the army to rest temporarily in Lelang County, while he led several generals including Zhou Chu and Cheng Ji, and more than a hundred cavalrymen to quickly go to Yan State to meet Yang Hu.

In just five days, Wen Yang appeared in the territory of Yan State.

Upon learning that Wen Yang was coming, Yang Hu actually came out to greet him in person.

Wen Yang made great contributions this time, pacifying the Wo Island and defeating the kings. Although the opponents were weak, such expeditions were often full of risks, especially when Wen Yang had to fight at sea. Wen Yang listened to the advice of those navigators and crossed the sea to the island without any danger. He defeated many bandit kings at a very small cost, subdued the savages in the north, and built ports. His contributions were great.

Such achievements can be mentioned in history books, just like Guanqiu Jian's conquest of Goguryeo. They will be passed down to future generations and become their merits. It is even possible that they will be entered into the Temple of Martial Arts.

Yang Hu led the crowd and stood outside the city gate. Looking at Wen Yang riding a horse from a distance, he said to his left and right: The person who will become the country's city wall in the future is back.

"Meet General Zhenbei!!"

Wen Yang bowed respectfully to Yang Hu.

Yang Hu stepped forward and helped him up. "Well, defeating the Japanese bandits is a great achievement. To be unafraid of great achievements is the style of a great general!"

Yang Hu then met with the other generals brought by Wen Yang.

Local officials standing not far away knew in their hearts that this was actually a handover ceremony.

Yang Hu is leaving, and the young Wen Yang will inherit his position.

Everyone had some concerns about Wen Yang.

Although he is only responsible for local military defense, that is only in name. If he wants to forcibly interfere in local government affairs, who can stop him?

From the governor to the county magistrate, everyone had to be polite to the supreme commander. If the supreme commander believed there was a threat of war, he could even directly order the local county magistrates to bring their troops to assist him and carry out military management in various places.

After all, Wen Yang is too young, and his image in daily life is mostly rebellious.

No one trusts him very much and thinks he might be a hidden danger to Hebei.

Wen Yang glanced at the group of officials around him, not knowing what he was thinking.

Yang Hu hurriedly brought these meritorious officials back to the city. They wanted to pay a visit to the Grand Marshal. The reward would be presided over by the Grand Marshal himself. The emperor had already issued orders regarding the content of the reward for these people.

The huge group of people walked into the city, but the place where they were rewarded was inside the palace.

King Cao Yu of Yan sat on the upper throne. As he was old, his eyesight had deteriorated severely and he could no longer see clearly. He sat on the upper throne tremblingly with his head shaking.

Guanqiu Jian sat aside.

Domestic officials sat on both sides, while Wen Yang and other meritorious soldiers stood in the middle of the crowd.

Cao Yu spoke at this moment.

"Before, there were many bandits who invaded our borders and plundered our merchants, causing unrest among the people. Now the Holy Emperor is at the throne, and he has sent his fiercest warriors to defeat them."

His voice was a little weak and trembling, but everyone present listened very attentively.

"Now that the bandits have been defeated, those who refused to attend have been made present, those who were disrespectful have been treated respectfully, and those who drew swords have been killed, thus pacifying the land. I have specially arranged a banquet to entertain the victorious warriors and to announce your Majesty's decree to all."

After he said this, he let out a breath, probably because he had no strength left. He slowly looked at Guanqiu Jian who was standing beside him.

The next words naturally fell to Guanqiu Jian, who stood up and continued to inform everyone of the contributions of Wen Yang and others.

Even Wen Yang felt a little embarrassed when he heard Guanqiu Jian constantly praising him.

The main reason is that Guanqiu Jian’s praise was a bit too official.

They say he was benevolent and mighty, using benevolent soldiers to bring peace to the people of the world. If you didn't know him, you would think he was the one who led the army to destroy the Shu and Wu kingdoms!

After reading out the contributions of these people, Guanqiu Jian carried out the rest of the rewards.

The first person to receive the reward was Wen Yang.

Wen Yang's military rank was not promoted, probably because his qualifications were still far from sufficient, but his title was promoted.

What is adopted nowadays is the new nobility system, that is, the five-level nobility system.

Cheng Ji was officially promoted to general, General Weibei, which was a prestigious title among the miscellaneous generals. Zhou Chu was also promoted to deputy general for his merits.

After completing the reward, Guanqiu Jian ordered a banquet.

King Yan only sat for a moment and then left.

Many officials and generals raised their glasses and drank, laughing happily.

Guanqiu Jian also took the opportunity to call Wen Yang to his side.

Wen Yang lowered his head and sat beside Guanqiu Jian. The ferocious tiger that once dominated Hebei was now as obedient as a civet cat.

Guanqiu Jian said with a smile, "I have already told His Majesty the truth about your behavior on the Japanese island."

"Your Majesty is very pleased."

"Especially when he learned that you easily resolved the conflict between the two vanguards, His Majesty mentioned it many times in his letters, saying: The little bird has become a phoenix!"

"I'm impressed by you, too. It's true. In his youth, Lü Meng of Wu was not good at studying and had a hot temper, so he could only be a general. But after being persuaded by the Lord of Wu, he became a qualified commander and accomplished great things."

"You used to dislike studying and have an impatient personality, which worried me. But now you have made me worry less!"

Compared with the official's series of praises, Wen Yang still liked to hear Guanqiu Jian speak like this.

Yang Hu, who was standing by, also smiled and said, "When His Majesty gave the bird to me, he said it could become something great. Today I know His Majesty was right."

Both of them were very pleased with Wen Yang's performance.

This time, Wen Yang did not kill indiscriminately, nor did he rush to attack other places. He even tried hard to ease the discord among his subordinates, interacted with many Japanese leaders, stabilized the situation, and successfully completed the local campaign.

Wen Yang's face was very rosy.

"This is all thanks to your teachings."

Guanqiu Jian smiled, then said seriously, "Yang Hu and I are leaving this place."

"His Majesty wishes to hand over all military affairs in Hebei to you."

Wen Yang trembled all over, it was indeed so.

He was about to speak when Guanqiu Jian suddenly said, "Your Majesty still wants my advice, but I haven't told Your Majesty yet."

Guanqiu Jian looked at Wen Yang seriously.

"Ayang, Hebei consists of the five prefectures of Ji, Bing, You, Ning, and Yun. Bandits are attacking from outside the Great Wall, bandits are appearing in the prefectures, and thieves are dominating the mountains and forests."

"I'm not worried about you being unable to defeat these bandits. Whether they have feet or not, you can defeat them in one battle. What I'm worried about is that you're at odds with local officials and that your fighting will cause local government to stagnate."

"I'll give you six months. During this time, I'll frequently send people to inquire about your situation. If I hear that you've committed any wrongdoing, I'll personally come and take you back. From now on, you won't be able to rule this place on your own anymore."

Wen Yang immediately bowed and agreed.

Only then did Guanqiu Jian allow Wen Yang to meet the officials of Yan.

Yang Hu sat beside Guanqiu Jian, looking at Wen Yang drinking with officials in the distance, and asked in a low voice: "Do you think this guy can do these things well?"

Guanqiu Jian laughed and said, "If Your Majesty thinks he can do it, then he can do it."

After the banquet, Guanqiu Jian and Yang Hu hurriedly left the place.

Yang Hu didn't even tell Wen Yang what to do and what not to do.

The two of them left in a hurry, but Wen Yang was a little panicked.

Now all the military affairs in Hebei have fallen directly into his hands. No one gives him orders anymore. Everyone is waiting for his orders.

Wen Yang didn't know what to do for a moment. At the advice of his staff and generals, he ordered the generals to perform their duties, reward the generals who returned from the Japanese island, and send trustworthy soldiers to various places to thoroughly investigate corruption and false reporting of military achievements.

Wen Yang set several goals for himself, including strengthening surveillance outside the Great Wall to prevent new forces from rising, completely eliminating banditry in Hebei, and preventing parasites from infiltrating the Hebei army.

He did not interfere in local affairs, and never even met with them. He just exchanged letters and asked them to inform him about the situation of local thieves.

Everyone is looking forward to seeing what this young man can achieve.

(End of this chapter)