My lord, spare his life!

The path taken by Ge Zhou is a dead end.

The governor of Hu County did not give up.

"Besides Ge Zhou, there is another person who can also help us."

Sun Ban suppressed his emotions: "Who else?"

She gave that response, but in her heart, another thought lingered. For the past two days, she'd had a premonition that Dou County might not hold. Defending Dou County to the death was clearly unwise; if she cut her losses in time, she might still have the strength to make a comeback. However, she quickly dismissed this thought as soon as it arose.

Giving up Doujun is tantamount to admitting defeat to Zhang the bandit.

This was unacceptable to Sun Ban, who had been pampered since birth; it was more painful than killing her.

The prefect of Hu County leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

Sun Ban's brow furrowed at times and relaxed at others.

After a long silence, she steeled herself and said, "It wouldn't hurt to give it a try."

However, Sun Ban didn't put all her eggs in one basket. After the governor of Hu County left, Sun Ban summoned her confidants and privately discussed another matter. She took out a secret letter from her bosom, carrying a faint scent of sandalwood: "Send someone to deliver this secret letter to Tian Ji."

Tianji and the various counties in the mountains generally belonged to the Tianshi Kingdom.

Since the chaos in Tian Shi Kingdom, warlords in various regions seized the opportunity to raise armies and declare independence. Due to their geographical location, the mountain prefectures were initially forced to remain independent from Tian Shi Kingdom. Sun Ban's ability to secure the position of the top official in Dou Prefecture at a young age was undoubtedly due to the help of his ancestors from Tian Ji.

If Sun Ban wanted to escape, he could have gone to Tianji.

With the help of Tianji, we can restore our troops and fight back.

Sun Ban was unwilling to take this path unless absolutely necessary. She wasn't sure if she would receive help or if Tianji would exploit her. When Sun Ban could offer benefits to Tianji, Tianji would naturally be very welcoming.

But once the benefits are gone, things can get complicated.

Several trusted confidants had obviously thought of this as well.

One person hesitated and said, "This spring, the Heavenly Secretariat sent a letter saying that Grandfather's health is poor, and the Heavenly Secretariat has now been handed over to Grandfather's son for temporary management?"

Sun Ban's mother married into Dou County, and before her marriage, she didn't get along well with her siblings. If it weren't for Sun Ban's success, and the continuous profits generated by the cooperation between the two families over the years, Tianji wouldn't have had such close ties with Dou County. Grandfather liked Sun Ban, but his other children didn't like this niece of a married woman.

After this letter is sent, who knows how Tianji will mock it.

Sun Ban frowned: "I know, but Zhang is so aggressive. Those she beheaded that day—she clearly had the ability to capture them alive, but she refused; she insisted on killing them all. You can imagine what will happen to you all if Doujun fails to defend the prefecture one day and you fall into her hands. My death is fine; I can go down to face our ancestors and kowtow to admit my mistakes. But we must consider your futures..."

The confidant's expression changed upon hearing this.

They all said, "Why does our lord say such discouraging things?"

"Yes, we haven't reached the end of our rope yet. Let's not boost the morale of others and diminish our own." The confidants couldn't bear to hear Sun Ban's sad words. Some were moved by the scene, while others were inspired and wished they could cut out their hearts to show Sun Ban.

Even if we die, we'll die together.

They will not allow Zhang the thief to harm their lord.

Sun Ban was moved, but this did not deter him from contacting Tianji.

What I said earlier was merely to appeal to emotions; the real purpose was to prepare a backup plan for the worst-case scenario. Sun Ban, like a rabbit with three burrows, was cunning enough, while Zhang Yang planned to divide his forces into two groups to surround Dou County.

Together they chased Sun Ban towards Hejian Pass.

Zhe Meng led his troops ahead, while Zhang Yang's troops would set off later.

She also had to deal with the problems of the eunuch prefecture.

Wang Ba and Chao Tan had killed all the troublemakers they could in the eunuch prefecture. The advantage was that there was no resistance in taking over the prefecture, but the disadvantage was that she had no one to use. Most of the county officials had deserted, and the prefectural government was left with only a handful of people, barely able to function properly.

Zhang Yang muttered to himself, "This is really..."

She stared blankly at the gap, resting her chin on her hand.

Wang Qi leaned closer to hear clearly: "Really what?"

Zhang Yang: "It's true that you can pass the civil service exam just by registering."

Wang Qi didn't understand what Zhang Yang was worried about, but he knew what Zhang Yang was worried about: "Since there's such a shortage of people, why don't you go to the private schools and find some suitable candidates to take up their posts? The work in the prefectural government is complicated, but the trivial matters in the county government are simple; anyone with a little knowledge can get started..."

Zhang Yang: "It's not that simple."

If the threshold for becoming a county official were this low, there would be no need to worry.

However, Wang Qi's words also gave her inspiration: "Write a notice to recruit some people from nearby Hu County and Zongzheng County, and select the remaining positions locally. After they are proficient, we can make further adjustments."

"What kind of people are needed?" Wang Qi glanced at the vacant positions. "County magistrates and assistant magistrates are fine, but the rest are just ordinary county officials. Do we have to follow the Three Mutual Recruitment Law and find people from elsewhere to take up these positions?"

A county magistrate is best advised to abide by the Three Mutuals Law, but ordinary county officials are exempt. If Wang Qi were her, she could simply select a few county magistrates to fill the vacancies, and let the remaining magistrates recruit locally. If the Mountain Ghost has to worry about even these things, are her subordinates just sitting around doing nothing?

Zhang Yang said, "That's not it."

There aren't many positions that truly need her to appoint.

Even so, Zhang Yang was still short-handed.

There's no such thing as a direct recruitment platform like BOSS Zhipin in this world. Finding a job or recruiting talent is incredibly difficult, which explains why those bosses prefer internal referrals. Internal referrals are far more convenient than casting a wide net for recruitment.

Wang Ba even tried to curry favor with Wang Qi.

"Didn't your father handle this matter brilliantly?" He had specifically targeted several county magistrates within the eunuch-controlled prefecture, and the vacant positions were perfect for Zhang Yang to personally promote and bestow favors upon. Those promoted who received Zhang Yang's favors became her people.

This also helped Zhang Yang control various parts of the mountains.

Wang Qi glanced coldly at the old man and ignored him.

Unable to curry favor, Wang Ba could only awkwardly touch his nose and say regretfully, "If Dongxian weren't so lacking in talent, we could have taken the opportunity to infiltrate Dongxian's ranks so they could protect you in the future."

He devoted himself wholeheartedly to his son's future.

Wang Qi coldly warned, "Stop causing trouble."

Wang Ba: "You don't understand the suffering of having no one to rely on."

If Wang Qi could compare to Guan Si, Wang Ba would have nothing to worry about.

Zhang Yang's troubles didn't last long.

Han Wo: "My lord, shall I write a letter to my classmate?"

The mountain prefectures have been separated from the Heavenly Market Kingdom for many years, with various regions within their borders controlled by separatist forces. Although the original systems of each prefecture and county are still retained, every position is held by the lord's confidants or close relatives. Outsiders cannot infiltrate this circle.

Many talented people without connections had no choice but to leave.

Strictly speaking, Hanwo also belongs to this category.

She hailed from Bodu County; had she not lacked opportunities for advancement locally, she wouldn't have sought refuge with relatives and spent so much time away from home. Hearing that her lord was short of men, Han Wo had an idea. If her friend could begin his official career as a county magistrate, that would be quite good.

Zhang Yang said, "Any classmates or friends you have can be recommended."

The overall quality of people recruited through internal referrals is generally higher than that of those recruited uninvited. Uninvited talent lacks job security, while those recruited through internal referrals have the guarantee of the recommender. Zhang Yang added, "We'll recruit as many as we can, preferably those who are capable and currently unemployed; they'll be given priority."

She did not show favoritism.

Besides Han Wu, Zhang Yang also instructed his subordinates to search their own networks, recruiting anyone they could, without any hesitation. While this approach was acceptable in the early stages, it wouldn't be sustainable once the organization grew. Zhang Yang didn't want to project an image of a small clique to the outside world. Therefore, in addition to internal referrals, Zhang Yang continued to post recruitment notices.

Perhaps we can catch a few wild ones too.

Among his subordinates, only a few did not get involved, such as Xiao Sui. Xiao Sui had many acquaintances, but they were scattered in various places. They were either from good families or highly talented, and it was highly unlikely that they would come here for a small local county magistrate or assistant magistrate job.

Therefore, Xiao Sui had a lot of free time.

In her free time, she could even steal a moment from Lu Yuan's busy schedule to have a drink.

The two had just finished one jar of wine when news came from outside that He Zhi was requesting an audience. Xiao Sui looked at Lu Yuan with a half-smile. The grudges and entanglements between Lu Yuan and He Zhi had already spread, and she treated her friend's private relationship as a story to pass the time.

Lu Yuan asked, "What is he doing here again?"

She was just having a drink, not seeking out some young male lover. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't; all the flowers and plants in the backyard had been uprooted by He Zhi, who was taking revenge for his own sake…

"What's meant to be will be, and what's meant to be will be. Why can He Feiye hold you back?" Xiao Sui watched the commotion from the sidelines, adding fuel to the fire.

But when He Zhi arrived, he realized that the other party was not looking for Lu Yuan.

Xiao Sui: "Looking for me?"

He Zhi said, "There's something I need to discuss with you."

Xiao Sui sat up straight, her expression serious, and listened attentively.

He Zhi: "This morning we intercepted a maid who had fled from Dou County. The maid claimed to have served in Changsun Wang's household. Changsun Wang's defection to his lord was exposed, and Sun Ban, in a fit of rage, arrested and executed his family members, whose bodies were displayed in public. The maid came to deliver the news."

Changsun Wang was the young man whose leg was broken by Lü Yuan.

Lu Yuan was taken aback: "Has Sun Zhaoruo gone mad?"

He Zhi said, "The maid brought news that Sun Zhaoruo originally intended to arrest Ge Xidan's family, but failed, and Changsun Wang's men suffered the consequences. What do you think, is this news true or false?"

Xiao Sui: "Has the lord informed us?"

He Zhi said, "I have already sent someone over, but I still feel there is something wrong with this matter, and I would like to discuss it with you first."

With Xiao Sui's support, he can better stand his ground.

I didn't contact Han Wo because Han Wo is busy right now.

Xiao Sui pondered for a moment: "Do you suspect that she's using a self-inflicted injury ruse? Using the heads of her family members to gain Changsun Wang's trust, and then colluding with him from the inside? The key issue is whether the heads displayed are real or fake. If they are real, then this matter is most likely true."

If it's fake, it must be a ruse.

"What if the severed head is real, and the self-inflicted injury is also a ruse?"

Lu Yuan clicked his tongue: "That means Changsun Wang has lost his mind. Just because he was granted the surname Changsun doesn't mean he'll be so devoted to us. If Sun Zhao takes the head of his relative and uses it, and he still has the heart to play the victim with us, that would be truly terrifying."

Zhang Yang was also taken aback when he heard the news.

"How come Sun Zhaoruo has so many tricks up her sleeve?"

Zhang Yang is an honest person; she only knows how to play straightforwardly.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she looked at Changsun Wang, whose face was deathly pale and who seemed dazed, and asked, "Is this a ruse?"

Instead of guessing, just ask directly.

? ?|??w?`)

Today's post is a bit short; I'll update it tomorrow.