From a country cook to a master chef

Great Wu Kingdom, Xiaoyao Prefecture, Lanzhou, Yantan Town.

As a major salt and iron town in Dawu, Yantanguan has a long history of official salt production. As early as the Yu Kingdom period before Dawu, this place was an important site for drilling wells and mining salt.

Over time, Yantan Pass developed rapidly, and family influence became deeply rooted there, including powerful martial arts and immortal cultivation families such as Chu, Xiao, Wang, and Lin.

Therefore, although the salt and iron mining at Yantan Pass appeared to be an official organization, it had long been firmly controlled by the four major families.

Since the founding of the Great Wu Kingdom, the garrison commanders here have never dared to offend the four great families. Fortunately, the families here have not dared to be too arrogant, and six out of ten of the salt and iron profits are handed over to the imperial court.

For this reason, Emperor Wu often turned a blind eye to the family power in Yantan Pass, and as long as it did not cross the line, he usually did not interfere too much.

As a vital passage connecting Xiaoyao Prefecture and Tiandu Prefecture, Lanzhou, once conquered by Zhanbo Kingdom, would allow them to overlook the three prefectures of Dawu Tiandu, Qinglan, and Haoran, and take advantage of the flat terrain to advance rapidly and threaten the Dawu Imperial City.

Now, the armies of Zhanbo and Dawu have set up their forces outside Lanzhou City, clearly intending to fight to the death.

As a key town in Lanzhou, Yantan Pass became the primary target of the Zhanbo Kingdom, which spared no effort in sending a thousand elite troops to feign a surprise attack in order to deceive the enemy.

In reality, they had already deployed a large force to break out of their camp, preparing for a swift victory and to take Yantan Pass in one fell swoop.

Da Wu was completely unaware of this.

At this very moment, Pan Ren, the garrison commander of Yantan Pass, was enjoying himself with women on both sides in his mansion, drinking and having a great time. His subordinate generals were also surrounded by beauties, drinking and having a great time.

When Pan Ren first took office, the area was fraught with crisis. The four major families had long suffered from the exploitation of Da Wu and wished they could tear him, the general guarding the area, to pieces and establish their own independent families.

Fortunately, Pan Ren, who was adept at interpersonal relationships, mediated between the four major families and satisfied their private desires in various ways, thus stabilizing the salt flats and preventing an internal strife from breaking out.

Pan Ren, who had performed such a great service, was expected to be appointed by the imperial court, and he guarded Yantan Pass for thirty years.

Unbeknownst to the imperial court, the four major families were secretly recruiting soldiers and had long been colluding with the garrison commander Pan Ren, preparing to betray the country, amass wealth, and expand their power.

"Gentlemen, the four great families of Wang, Lin, Xiao, and Chu have gathered 20,000 troops. With the addition of our interpreters and servants, as long as I give the order, Yantan Pass will be changed to the Pan family instead of the Xu family. Are you willing to join me in this uprising and rebel against this despicable, inhuman court?"

Fueled by alcohol, Pan Ren spoke his mind without restraint, slowly raising his wine cup and quietly looking at the generals below.

Suddenly, a burly man with a full beard stood up in the northeast corner, looking displeased, and said sharply:

"The current Emperor Wu is a man of great talent and ability, skilled in both civil and military affairs. He has ordered you to guard this pass to protect the border and ensure the safety of the people."

And you, how dare you speak ill of the imperial court here? Isn't that tantamount to plotting a rebellion?

Upon hearing this, Pan Ren laughed loudly, threw down his cup as a signal, and his two axemen suddenly rushed out and hacked the burly man to death.

"Anyone else who disagrees? If you're a man, step forward!"

Pan Ren glanced at the heavily armored man lying dead on the ground, his face darkening. He stared at the crowd with an extremely sinister look and said in an icy voice:

"For military officers of the fifth or sixth rank like you and me, our annual salary is only a mere two hundred shi (a unit of dry measure), which is only a few dozen taels of silver a year. Why should we risk our lives for the imperial court?"

"With the army of Zhanbo pressing in, I have already communicated with the Zhanbo commander. Upon surrendering, I will be granted the treatment of a second-rank official. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

The blood on the floor was still warm. The generals were stunned by Pan Ren's scare tactics. After they came to their senses, they all bowed and agreed without the slightest thought of disobeying him.

Just then, Chu Tianxiong, the head of the Chu family, strode over, ignoring the corpses on the ground. He took a step closer and sat down in front of Pan Ren, exchanging a knowing smile with him and saying, "Anyone in Guanzhong who did not obey has been executed. We will open the city gates to welcome the army of Zhanbo Kingdom when they arrive."

Pan Ren snorted coldly, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Patriarch Chu, don't think that just because we're on the same boat now, you can be on equal footing with me. Among the four great families, the Wang and Lin families are already completely obedient to me. Patriarch Chu, don't make a mistake."

Chu Tianxiong was slightly taken aback, but then he understood. He stood up and stepped down from the hall, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "The thousands of rioters in Guanzhong have now been executed. The 20,000 troops from the four major families have been incorporated into the Guanzhong Garrison. In addition, there are 2,000 elite soldiers who have been incorporated into the regular army. All of them are at the general's command."

"Very well. We now have 50,000 troops at Yantan Pass. Even if we raise our flag now, I am not afraid of the court suppressing the rebellion." Pan Ren raised his wine cup again and said coldly, "Come, let's drink a cup together and celebrate our early liberation from the court's control."

……

Salt Beach Pass.

Inside a tavern.

Lin Jue was sitting calmly by the window, turning his head to look out the window.

Before long, a person came upstairs and sat down at the table opposite Lin Jue.

The man who came was Xi Ning, the battalion commander sent by Hu Meng to assist him in killing Pan Ren, the garrison commander of this place. He was originally from Lanzhou and knew most about the situation here.

"Today, Pan Ren hosted a banquet for the generals of Guanzhong. Commandant Lü has already met with misfortune. According to the maid in the general's residence, Pan Ren has decided to surrender to Zhan Bo. Now that the evidence is conclusive, should we...?"

"No, it's not the right time yet." Lin Jue slowly shook his head, rejecting Xi Ning's idea. He gently swirled the wine glass in his hand and said in a serious tone:

"Pan Ren's power is deeply rooted. Fortunately, we entered the city separately in disguise. If we had directly stormed the general's mansion, with our limited manpower, it would have been like throwing an egg against a rock."

Unfortunately, both the Wang and Lin families follow Pan Ren's lead, while the Chu and Xiao families are forming cliques and pursuing their own interests, so they will not be of any use to me. The only way to eliminate Pan Ren now is probably through a clandestine assassination.

"But Pan Ren is a late-stage Divine Power Realm martial artist, so who should we send to assassinate him?" After pondering for a moment, Xi Ning said in a low voice, "According to the scouts, the surprise attack force from Zhanbo Kingdom is still fifty miles away from here, and they will arrive at Yantan Pass as early as tomorrow."

Xi Ning pondered for a moment and said, "Could we pretend to be people from Zhanbo, and when Pan Ren opens the city gates to welcome us and lowers his guard, we can take his head from behind?"

"No, this plan is absolutely unacceptable." Lin Jue immediately rejected it, sighed, and shook his head, saying, "Since Pan Ren is colluding with the Zhanbo people, there must be secret signals and gestures that we don't know when they meet. Impersonating a Zhanbo person is very likely to expose us."

Xi Ning nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with Lin Jue's words. When this plan failed, he became somewhat distracted. After a moment's thought, he suddenly volunteered:

"If that's the case, then I'll go and assassinate Pan Ren. With my mid-stage Divine Power Realm strength, I think I have a chance."

"It still doesn't work."

Lin Jue stared out the window, each word spoken with murderous intent, and said with utmost seriousness, "I've decided. Tonight, you will lead your men to secretly capture the major generals of Guanzhong. As for Pan Ren, leave him to me."