flstandardbreds Chapter 138 Li Zhen's Refusal
Chapter 138 Li Zhen's Refusal
Because Anyang City was heavily fortified, Wanyan Ping only brought six or seven men with him. As for the Jin soldiers he was hiding in the shadows, they could only hide in a mountain forest east of Anyang City.
The next day, he led his men to the Anyang Prefectural Government Office to present a visiting card. The government office was now devoid of any yamen runners; those on guard and those handling official duties were all soldiers of the Li family army. These soldiers were disciplined, mostly from impoverished backgrounds or displaced people, and lacked the bad habits of the yamen runners. They were deeply loved by the people and established a good image for the local population.
While waiting for news outside the door, Wanyan Ping observed the soldiers on guard and found that they were all in excellent spirits, with bright, piercing eyes and semi-automatic rifles that no other force in this era possessed. The gleaming bayonets emitted a chilling light, clearly indicating their formidable combat capabilities.
An officer came out and smiled at Wanyan Ping, saying, "Your Highness, we apologize for keeping you waiting. Our lord is already waiting for you in the main hall."
Wanyan Ping followed the officer inside. He had been to the Anyang Prefectural Government Office before, when he was the prefect of Zhangcheng. The government office had changed a lot. Small signs on the gatehouses displayed various names, and the busiest place was the Household Registration Office, where many merchants who came to Anyang for business were queuing to exchange for new temporary passes. Last night, Wanyan Ping had asked the Jin merchant and learned that a household registration system was now in place throughout Anyang Prefecture. The patrol teams responsible for maintaining order would check anyone acting suspiciously for an ID card or temporary pass. If they didn't have one or didn't have it, they would be taken to the local government office for further questioning.
This is precisely why the spies and agents of the Jin and Song dynasties were unable to establish themselves in the area. Initially, they also considered forging these documents, but no matter how skilled the artist was, they could not completely imitate them, because Li Zhen made these documents using a printer and camera. Not to mention anything else, the photos on the ID cards were simply impossible to reproduce.
Li Zhen, dressed in plain clothes, walked out of the main hall: "Hahaha... Your Highness, how have you been? I've missed you quite a bit. The magpies in the trees have been chirping non-stop this morning, so I knew we would have a distinguished guest today."
Wanyan Ping gestured for the merchant to wait at the door, while he and Li Zhen entered the main hall alone. The original furnishings had been removed, including the high table used for hearing cases; the arrangement now resembled a large reception room.
Li Zhen enthusiastically pulled Wanyan Ping to sit down: "Your Highness, why don't you try this sofa? You know, in this era, you won't find anything as nice as this anywhere else except here."
When Wanyan Ping first sat down, he was quite startled. This thing called a sofa was nothing like a hard chair; as soon as he sat down, he sank deep into a soft ball of flesh. What was most amazing was that it even had a comfortable backrest. The feeling was so wonderful that it made you want to close your eyes as soon as you sat down.
Seeing Wanyan Ping's appearance, Li Zhen chuckled and said, "How is it? Comfortable, isn't it? If Your Highness likes it, you can buy some before you leave. I still have some in stock."
Upon hearing this, Wanyan Ping immediately became interested: "That's great! I was just thinking about how to bring it up with you. If possible, I'd like to buy more and send them to the palace so that Father Emperor can also enjoy them."
After exchanging some trivial pleasantries, Li Zhen asked, "I wonder why Your Highness has come here? You should know that just a few days ago our Li family army fought a battle with your Jin army in Neihuang County. We should be enemies now."
Thinking of this, Wanyan Ping felt somewhat ashamed. His army of over a thousand men had failed to defeat Li Zhen's men who had taken a hundred men, and it was a crushing defeat.
Wanyan Ping replied with a smile, "That was all a misunderstanding. The people chasing the Song army mistook your men for Song soldiers, which led to that battle. Fortunately, you didn't suffer any losses, otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here safely drinking tea with you."
"Actually, I came here this time to ask you to come out of seclusion and help me. As you know, the Great Jin Dynasty is different from before. Not only does it have a vast territory, but my father also attaches great importance to Han culture. Now, the Great Jin court has employed countless Han officials and generals. We Jurchens and Han people should not be enemies. We should be friends and brothers."
Li Zhen had initially thought Wanyan Ping wanted to purchase supplies or weapons, but unexpectedly, he wanted to recruit him. Putting aside the terms offered, he couldn't bear to part with his large force.
Li Zhen filled Wanyan Ping's teacup with water: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, in thinking so highly of a country bumpkin like me. However, I must disappoint you. My ambition lies not in the court. Neither the Song nor the Jin is my choice. I want to build my hometown into a peaceful paradise far from war. I want my people to be well-fed and clothed, with everyone having clothes to wear and hot meals every day, and children receiving a good education."
Wanyan Ping was surprised that Li Zhen refused so decisively. He hadn't even offered Li Zhen any terms yet, and for a moment he didn't know how to continue the discussion.
Li Zhen glanced at Wanyan Ping, whose expression was somewhat displeased, and said with a smile, "Although I cannot serve as an official under you, I can provide you with all kinds of supplies you need. Grain, oil, rice, flour, and your favorite Erguotou liquor—I guarantee an ample supply."
Wanyan Ping: "Then what about the weapons I want for your soldiers?"
"Hahaha... Your Highness is joking. This is the foundation of my livelihood. Apart from weapons, everything else is negotiable."
Knowing Li Zhen's character well, Wanyan Ping didn't bring up the matter of asking him to come out of retirement again. Fortunately, Li Zhen said that he would not serve the Song Dynasty. So Wanyan Ping shook off his gloomy expression and continued to negotiate with Li Zhen. This time, he ordered a large amount of grain and other supplies from Li Zhen. Most importantly, he also bought a lot of sofas and those soft Simmons beds. However, the prices were a bit high. Li Zhen charged him three taels of gold for just one sofa set, and five taels of gold for the Simmons beds. What was most infuriating was that Li Zhen said this was a "friendship price".
After Wanyan Ping left, Bu Liang came out from the house next door.
"My lord, our men have investigated and found out. Wanyan Ping didn't come alone this time; the five hundred Golden Feather Guards he brought are currently hiding in the mountains east of Anyang City. When Wanyan Ping passed through Junxian County, he also wiped out a group of local bandits. Do you think we should...?"
Li Zhen pondered for a moment and said, "Wanyan Ping cannot be allowed to get into trouble here. He may become the crown prince of the Jin Dynasty in the future. Besides, even if we keep Wanyan Ping and all his men here, the Jin emperor has other sons, and we will suffer a crazy retaliation from the Jin Dynasty. It would be a loss for us."
"Moreover, our major clients are all concentrated in the Jin Kingdom. It is not important to us which of the Jin and Song Kingdoms is in the lead right now. What we need to do now is to develop our own strength as soon as possible. Neither the Jin Kingdom nor the Song Kingdom is our biggest enemy. Our enemy will come from the grasslands."
Bu Liang never understood why his lord always said that their greatest threat was the Mongols, when it should have been the Jin or Song dynasties.