Chapter 41: Night Visit to the Cottage of the Remnant Sage (Part 1)

The actors had all left the stage, but near where the farce had just ended, two men were thoughtfully watching Han Gang's retreating back. Around them, a group of cavalrymen stood, dismounted and waiting. From their posture and demeanor, they were undoubtedly elite soldiers. To have such elite guards, these two men were certainly no ordinary people.

"Such integrity!" the younger of the two men couldn't help but praise.

"Very clever!" the middle-aged man, who was around forty, also couldn't help but praise.

The evaluations of the same person and the same event were completely different. The young man was surprised and asked, "How do you mean, sir? That scholar Han's integrity is beyond question, but he's not particularly clever! A scholar from the countryside who serves as a clerk, offending the chief of the military district, what good can come of it? I've never heard that Xiang Bao has a broad mind..."

"You are still too young!" the middle-aged man shook his head, "But that scholar Han looks about the same age as you, yet his mind is much deeper than yours..."

"... How could that be..." the young man blinked, understanding his father's meaning but unwilling to believe it, "Scholar Han can't predict the future, how could he know that Xiang An would come to apologize instead of bringing a group of servants?"

"That's why he has a deep mind!" the middle-aged man sighed, such a young man was truly rare, even when he was young, he was far from this, "He has both intelligence and ruthlessness, and is willing to take risks, truly remarkable!"

The young man shook his head from side to side. Han Gang's age was similar to his, and he simply couldn't believe that Han Gang's intelligence was so outstanding that he could predict Xiang An's reaction.

A father knows his son best, the middle-aged man chuckled, "To truly understand what kind of person Scholar Han is, you should talk to him."

"Sir, you want me to talk to him?" the young man's eyes lit up.

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, "Tonight, go and chat with him, see how his learning is. If he is really a student of Zhang Zihou, help him if you can. It's a disgrace for a scholar to serve in a lowly position. If you ignore his plight, it will be embarrassing to face Zhang Zihou in the future when you meet Cai Jinglue."

"Then I'll go directly. Sir, you should rest first." The young man's expression was lively, eager to get away from his father.

"Then you go. I'm old, I can't match your energy." The middle-aged man sighed, with deep fatigue in his brows. When Han Gang and Xiang Ronggui were having their confrontation, he had just entered the city but was blocked. He watched a good show. The middle-aged man was thin and dark, not only because of the hard work of the past few months, but also because he was not physically strong. He had been on horseback all day and was now too exhausted to stay awake.

A group of soldiers followed the middle-aged man to the city center's administrative office, where there was a special inn for visiting officials. Only two soldiers stayed behind, their actions suggesting they were to guard the young man. The young man shook his head, signaling the two not to follow. He straightened his clothes and, as his father suggested, went to visit Han Gang.

Han Gang, Wang Shunmin, and their group, led by Zhao Long, settled in a camp in the north of the city. The camp, which was usually quite spacious, was now crowded with merchants and their carts. This camp was supposed to be the designated resting place for convoys transporting supplies and rewards to the northern cities and forts of Chengji County. However, these merchants had taken over the camp, even occupying the barracks. Zhao Long led the supply team around the camp but couldn't find a place to rest.

Zhao Long, growing impatient, rolled up his sleeves and was about to drive the people away. Han Gang stopped him, smiling, "No need to use force. Let me and the military officer try."

"Clear out two rooms for me! Otherwise, you'll regret it!" This was Wang Shunmin playing the black face, brandishing a whip.

"Could you please make your men squeeze a bit? We only need to stay for the night and will leave early tomorrow." Han Gang played the white face.

Han Gang and Wang Shunmin, one soft and one hard, pressured the merchant who had taken over the largest two barracks to leave. Both were thinking that if the merchant still hesitated, they would throw the heads in the carts into his room to see if he would yield.

"Do you know who I'm working for?" the merchant was about to explode but was pulled aside and whispered to. When he returned, his fat, round face was full of a professional smile, and his eyes looked at Han Gang differently.

"Sure, sure! I'll clear out the barracks immediately!" he bowed and said repeatedly.

In a blink, the two barracks, including the officers' quarters, were vacated. The laborers rushed in. Han Gang's boldness, ability, and consideration for others, as well as his authority, made them even more admiring.

"Scholar, Brother Wang, rest for a moment. I'll go get some wine and food, I'll be back soon." After helping everyone settle in, Zhao Long hurriedly said. He was extremely attentive, almost like the laborers, who all admired Han Gang for daring to defy the chief of the military district.

"Thank you, Zhao." Han Gang bowed in gratitude. The more meticulous he was in small matters, the more careful he was, not neglecting any courtesy.

Zhao Long didn't take long, less than half an hour, and returned with a waiter carrying a food box and wine jar. Han Gang was settling the injured laborers and arranging for others to have dinner. Seeing Zhao Long return, Han Gang paid the bill first, didn't drink himself, but sent the wine and food to the laborers, and asked the waiter to bring more good wine and meat. After all, Dong Chao and Xue Nian had a lot of money, which Han Gang had taken.

"This..." Zhao Long was stunned, and the laborers were also hesitant.

Han Gang smiled, "Today in Pei Gorge, everyone fought bravely, and no one retreated. If not, none of us, including me, would have survived! In the army, after a battle, good wine and food are always provided to reward the soldiers. We can't be an exception... When today's events are reported, there will definitely be rewards. Rest assured, I won't keep a single coin."

"Thank you, Scholar! Thank you, Scholar!" the laborers were grateful, repeatedly thanking him.

Han Gang then turned to Zhao Long, "Zhao, we need to go to the city office to report the events in Pei Gorge. The tribes in Pei Gorge are now following the orders of the Western bandits, this is no small matter, and must be reported immediately."

An hour later, the three men sat around a table in the room. Their faces were not good, Wang Shunmin's anger was evident, Zhao Long frowned in disdain, and Han Gang, though seemingly calm, was inwardly cursing.

"That damn deputy city official, to entertain a damn official, ignores military matters... No wonder no one listens to him!" Wang Shunmin pounded the table, full of anger but no place to vent it.

"What does that deputy city official have to do with me?" Zhao Long was indignant, "The people of Fugou City have been looking at him unfavorably for a long time. If he were on the battlefield, who wouldn't want to shoot him in the back?"

Han Gang shook his head, not wanting to speak, and drank a tasteless light wine in one gulp. He and Wang Shunmin, Zhao Long went to the city office to report the military situation, expecting the deputy city official left in Fugou to immediately receive them upon hearing that the key route to Qin Prefecture, Pei Gorge, had been invaded by bandits. But a message came back that the deputy city official was entertaining a superior and had no time for such trivial matters. "A hundred or so bandits, what's the big deal? There are eight thousand in Gangu, and even more!" They were directly dismissed.

Zhao Long sighed again, "I don't know who that young official who visited the scholar just now is from. We came here in vain, and it delayed the scholar's affairs, truly a pity."

Han Gang smiled without concern, "If he has the intention, he will come again. If not, it's fine."

"Spoken well!" Wang Shunmin slapped the table and picked up a bowl, "Let's drink a bowl."

Han Gang quickly held Wang Shunmin back, "Military officer, you are injured, you can't drink!"

Wang Shunmin was unhappy, complaining, "Just eating vegetables without drinking, what's the point!"

Han Gang thought for a moment and let go. The wine here was mostly water, not distilled, and drinking a little wouldn't hurt.

Large bowls of millet wine, large pieces of roasted mutton, the taste wasn't great, but it was indeed satisfying. After a few rounds, although they weren't very drunk, the atmosphere became lively.

Zhao Long pointed at Wang Shunmin and told the story of how they met: "This ruffian is from Fuyan Road. I don't know what he did, but he came to Qin Prefecture in a hurry at the beginning of this year. He didn't settle down in Qin Prefecture, and with a whip, he caused chaos in the city. I went to his door to reason with him. But this ruffian, who is younger than me, refused to back down. We had a fierce fight outside the city, and after that, we became friends."

Zhao Long and Wang Shunmin had told Han Gang similar stories, but one thing surprised Han Gang: Wang Shunmin was actually younger than Zhao Long! He asked Zhao Long in surprise, "How old are you, Zhao?"

"十九!" (Nineteen!)

Han Gang was stunned, and then asked Wang Shunmin, "Military officer, you are not yet nineteen?"

Wang Shunmin coughed dryly, touching his beard, "I... I was born in the year of the dragon, Renchen."

"You are a year younger than me?" Han Gang had estimated Wang Shunmin's age to be less than twenty-four, which was already hard to believe, but now he was truly shocked.

Wang Shunmin, embarrassed and angry, said, "I just look a bit older..."

"A bit?" Han Gang held back his thoughts but his eyes betrayed his surprise. They say ancient people matured early, but Wang Shunmin's early maturity still shocked him.

"But I am indeed only seventeen!" Wang Shunmin shouted in sorrow and anger.

"Alright, alright!" Zhao Long patted Wang Shunmin's shoulder, grinning, "Let's drink to the seventeen-year-old military officer Wang."

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