Chapter 6

"Amazing, truly amazing!"

Yuan Fang could not help but be pleasantly surprised. Now that he was about to lead troops into battle, on the battlefield, where swords and spears have no eyes, there was always the risk of unforeseen events.

Now, however, Yuan Fang had obtained this regenerative healing ability, which was like possessing a life-saving divine artifact. As long as it wasn't a fatal blow like decapitation, he could withstand it.

What a pleasant surprise!

After the initial elation, Yuan Fang quickly calmed down and re-bandaged his hand.

After all, this ability was obtained through the technology of his future life. In this era, if someone saw him being cut and then healing instantly, they would surely regard him as a monster.

Before he had enough power, he needed to keep it hidden.

After re-bandaging his hand, Yuan Fang soon thought of another matter: martial arts training.

To be honest, the reason he could defeat Yuan Xi in the hall today was mainly due to Yuan Xi's underestimation. In reality, his martial arts skills were still inferior to Yuan Xi's.

And Yuan Xi's martial arts skills, in this era of many strong figures, were not even considered third-rate.

"I need to seize the time and quickly improve my martial arts. Otherwise, relying solely on this regenerative ability, if I encounter a true expert, I might not be able to defend myself and could end up losing my head."

Yuan Fang made up his mind.

However, martial arts training is not something that can be achieved in a day. The original owner of this body had been delayed for too long, and with his imminent departure for battle, there was no time to seek a master. He could only leave Ye City with his troops, taking Qingzhou while practicing martial arts.

...

Three days later, the order to mobilize the troops was officially issued.

Yuan Shao assigned the two thousand troops stationed in Pingyang City, east of Ye City, to Yuan Fang's command, ordering him to head to Qinghe State, which bordered Qingzhou, to join forces with the three thousand troops under the command of General Zhu Ling, and then attack Qingzhou.

"Only two thousand troops, and even with Zhu Ling's forces, it's only five thousand. Sending me such a small force to take Qingzhou, Yuan Shao, you really are something."

Holding the military token and the order, Yuan Fang looked at the number of troops and silently mocked in his heart.

However, Yuan Shao's stinginess was expected.

Yuan Fang immediately took the order to the Treasury Office in the eastern part of Ye City to collect the funds and supplies.

According to the rules of the Yuan army, grain and fodder were distributed monthly by the Treasury Office to the various units, while the military pay was collected by the commanding officers themselves from the Treasury Office.

The Treasury Office was in charge of funds and supplies, and the chief clerk of the Yuan army's Treasury Office was Guo Tu.

Upon entering the Treasury Office, Yuan Fang waited for half an hour before Guo Tu finally arrived.

"Oh, I'm so busy with official duties, making the Second Young Master wait for so long. Please forgive me, Second Young Master." As soon as they met, Guo Tu bowed and apologized, but his tone was casual, showing no sign of remorse.

Yuan Fang knew that Guo Tu was a close confidant of Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi, and he was deliberately making him wait.

Yuan Fang did not lose his temper and said calmly, "Since Chief Clerk Guo is so busy, I cannot blame you. Here is the order from Father. Please issue the military pay quickly so I can lead the troops out as soon as possible."

Guo Tu took the order, pretended to read it carefully for a long time, then slowly wrote out a document, stamped it, and respectfully handed it to Yuan Fang with both hands.

Yuan Fang took it and frowned, demanding, "As far as I know, the military pay is not this amount. Chief Clerk Guo, the pay you gave me is less than half."

"I have no choice, Second Young Master. The Lord is leading the army north to prepare for a confrontation with Gongsun Zan, so he needs to concentrate the funds and supplies on the northern front. The pay for the other units has to be halved. I am just following the rules." Guo Tu explained with a pained expression.

Halving the pay and following the rules—anyone could see that Guo Tu was deliberately withholding the pay and making things difficult for him.

Yuan Fang's eyes flashed with anger.

Guo Tu, however, smiled slyly and said, "If the Second Young Master doesn't believe me, you can ask the Lord."

Yuan Fang knew that Yuan Shao had already led the army north yesterday, so who could he ask?

Moreover, Yuan Shao might have indeed issued such an order. If he pursued the matter, it would seem like he was questioning Yuan Shao's command, falling right into Guo Tu's trap.

However, even if Yuan Shao had issued such an order, Yuan Fang believed that Guo Tu would not halve the pay for the troops under Yuan Xi's command.

After all, Guo Tu controlled the Treasury Office, and a few thousand coins could be easily hidden in the accounts. Who would notice?

Guo Tu looked at Yuan Fang with a smile, as if waiting for him to explode in anger, so he could enjoy the show.

"Hmph, you go to such lengths to trip me up. You really are trying hard. If you think I'll be in a hurry, you're mistaken!"

Yuan Fang smiled coldly, then quickly regained his composure and said calmly, "If that's the case, I have nothing more to say. Goodbye."

With that, Yuan Fang left calmly, neither angry nor anxious.

Failing to provoke Yuan Fang, Guo Tu was somewhat disappointed, but a cold smile appeared on his lips, and he muttered, "With the pay halved, I wonder how you'll feed your soldiers and make them fight for you. I, Guo Tu, will be waiting to see your downfall. Hehe~"

Yuan Fang could imagine the smug look on Guo Tu's face as he left.

One day, he would make Guo Tu cry.

On his way back to the residence, Yuan Fang had to think about how to solve the problem of the halved pay.

Yuan Fang knew that to make the soldiers loyal, it wasn't enough to rely on a simple military order. A combination of kindness and authority was the key.

He was different from the other generals who had established their authority in the army. Even with the pay halved, they could still control the soldiers' discontent.

This was Yuan Fang's first time leading troops, and according to tradition, he should first reward the soldiers to win their loyalty.

But Yuan Fang had no savings and no money to reward them. If the pay was also halved, the soldiers would hardly listen to him.

Back in his room, as he was worrying, Xiao Cha handed him a silk letter and said, "While you were out, someone delivered this letter. I didn't see anyone, they just slipped it under the door and left."

A letter?

Yuan Fang was suspicious and opened the silk letter. It read:

"The Zhen family secretly gave Yuan Xi one million coins. They will enter Ye City from the north tomorrow at dusk and deliver the money to Yuan Xi. You can take it."

"What does this mean?" Yuan Fang was confused.

According to the letter, it seemed that Zhen Yi wanted Yuan Xi to successfully capture Bingzhou, so he was secretly providing one million coins. However, someone had deliberately revealed this information to him, hoping he would intercept the money.

Yuan Fang examined the letter carefully but found no signature. The only clue was the neat handwriting, which suggested it was written by a woman.

"Could it be that someone in the Zhen family dislikes Yuan Xi and is secretly helping me? Or perhaps this is a trap, a deliberate setup."

Yuan Fang's thoughts raced, considering many possibilities.

What was certain was that if this was true and Yuan Xi received one million coins, his strength would greatly increase, which would be very detrimental to him.

After much thought, a cold smile appeared on Yuan Fang's lips.

He had a plan.

"Where is Yuan Gui?" Yuan Fang called out.

"Did you call me, Young Master?" Yuan Gui hurried in from outside.

Yuan Fang had already put away the letter and asked, "Yuan Gui, how many people can you trust and mobilize?"

"About seven or eight. They are all from my clan and are absolutely reliable."

Yuan Fang nodded and waved his hand. "Gather them all and have them bring weapons."

"Bring weapons?" Yuan Gui was puzzled. "What are we going to do, Young Master?"

"Kidnap and take revenge." Yuan Fang said coldly, his tone deadly serious.

PS: Thank you to "Ou Shi" and "Wuqi Zongshi" for your support. It's not easy to start a new book, so I humbly request your support. Please consider adding it to your collection and giving it a recommendation. I am very grateful.

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