Chapter 52: Who Says a Wound Must Lead to Death (Part 1)

Better to arrive at the right moment than to arrive early!

Zhou Ning had no idea why Han Gang suddenly blurted out such a nonsensical phrase before stepping into the treasury office. All he knew was that the final leg of their four-day journey from Qin Prefecture to Gangu was finally in sight.

Zhou Ning had heard that the most troublesome part of transporting military supplies was not the treacherous and winding roads, but the officials who received the supplies upon arrival. If the perilous journey was akin to the road to the underworld, then the treasury office in Gangu was the palace of the underworld, and the supervisor of the treasury, Qi Duyan, was the king of the underworld sitting on his throne.

The notorious Qi Duyan, known for his cruelty, was well-known to all the officials and laborers on the Qin Prefecture road. Zhou Ning believed that Scholar Han Gang and Commander Wang Jun must have heard of him as well. Otherwise, Commander Wang wouldn't have pulled Scholar Han Gang aside upon entering the city and spoken to him for a long time. Zhou Ning could vaguely hear them repeating the same nonsensical phrase, "Better to arrive at the right moment than to arrive early."

Among the thirty-odd laborers, only Zhou Ning had received some education in his youth. He always considered himself superior to the others, believing his intellect was higher. However, he still couldn't understand what Han Gang meant by that phrase.

Scholar Han Gang led Zhou Ning into Qi Duyan's office without any hesitation, as if he were visiting a relative. But Zhou Ning, following behind Han Gang, was trembling with fear at the thought of Qi Duyan's reputation. 'If only Commander Wang were here.'

Unfortunately, Wang Shunmin was not present. After entering the city, he spoke briefly with Han Gang and then parted ways with the convoy, heading to the city center. Although it was an excuse, Wang Shunmin did have official documents from Wu Yan to deliver to the city hall. Thus, Han Gang led the convoy alone to the southern part of the city, where the treasury was located.

The convoy struggled through the crowded streets, which had become even more congested due to the good news of victory, and finally arrived at the treasury. The laborers waited outside the office while Han Gang only took Zhou Ning with him inside. Zhou Ning's limited education, which included both reading and basic arithmetic, was valued by Han Gang. Han Gang had chosen him as a companion, with the intention of promoting him in the future.

The treasury office, located in the treasury area, was a simple courtyard with a single hall. Normally, they would have to wait until the next day to be summoned after arriving late at night. However, due to the victory, the hall was brightly lit, with numerous clerks running in and out, busy with their tasks. After a fierce battle, rewards were inevitable. Although the main rewards would come from the imperial court, it was a long-standing tradition to provide some advance rewards to the victorious soldiers. However, the amount of these rewards depended on the availability in the treasury.

The name of Qi Duyan, the supervisor of the military treasury in Gangu, was well-known to all laborers and officials coming to or about to reach Gangu. However, when Han Gang and Zhou Ning first met Qi Duyan, they encountered a dramatic scene.

A middle-aged officer was facing off against Qi Duyan. Under the bright lights, a large scar on his left cheek was clearly visible, and he still smelled of blood and fire. The scar-faced officer looked extremely agitated, as if he were on fire: "Qi Supervisor, the wine the commander wants is not five jars, but fifty! With two thousand brothers, you're only giving us five jars. Do you want us to drink diluted water?"

Qi Duyan cried out in injustice, looking completely unlike the cruel man he was known to be: "Commander Xu, it's not that I don't want to give it to you. You've seen the warehouse; it's so empty that a rat could run through it. No additional wine is available. These days, due to the Western invaders attacking Gangu, none of the scheduled supply convoys have arrived. Even a skilled housewife can't cook without rice. I can't produce forty-five jars of wine out of thin air!"

"Go tell that to the two thousand brothers! See if they agree!"

The scar-faced officer glared and shouted angrily, while Qi Duyan smiled bitterly and spread his hands. He could be cruel to the laborers, but he didn't have the authority to mistreat the soldiers. Facing a victorious army, he wouldn't dare to provoke them unless he had no other choice.

Standing outside, Han Gang and Zhou Ning watched the entire scene.

Han Gang lowered his head, hiding the smile that had appeared on his face. He had something that would satisfy the two thousand victorious soldiers. He muttered to himself, "Better to arrive at the right moment than to arrive early."

Zhou Ning heard this and was shocked, his eyes wide open. Could Scholar Han Gang have predicted this scene? This was too... too... Zhou Ning couldn't find the right words to describe Han Gang's foresight. He looked at Han Gang's back in amazement, 'No wonder some say he will definitely become a scholar...'

Han Gang cleared his throat lightly, took two steps forward, and entered the room without waiting for an announcement: "Gentlemen, I have something to report."

"Get out! This is no place for you to speak!" The scar-faced officer turned around angrily, his mood already烦躁. 这声如雷的怒吼吓得门外的周宁连退了三五步，差点一屁股坐在地上，而离得更近的韩冈却连眼皮都没动一下。

韩冈微笑着继续说道：“在下奉命押送犒军的酒水银绢，刚刚抵达甘谷。总计酒水六十坛，银五百五十两，绢八百匹。请齐管勾查验。”

“酒水？”疤脸军官脸色一变，顿时转怒为喜，一把拉住韩冈，急切地叫道：“在哪里？在哪里？快带俺去看看！”

韩冈歉然一笑：“请殿直稍候，等齐管勾点验后自当交给殿直！”

“你是哪个县的？文书在何处？要点验的军资又在哪里？”韩冈的出现解了齐隽的围，但他依然不改平时的口吻，拖长声调便要在韩冈身上扒层皮下来。

韩冈还没回答，疤脸军官心中火烧火燎，一拳捶在齐隽的桌案上，震散了一地的文书，破口大骂：“鸟你的‘县’！鸟你的‘文书’！鸟你的‘点验’！谁不知道你这贼鸟尽吃着衙前的肉，少扒点皮会死啊？都监正等着发赏，你再拖着试试？”

齐隽被溅了一脸口水，脸色阴沉得可怕。他是从九品的文官，拍着他桌子的徐疤脸却只是个正九品的右班殿直，是武臣！但在徐疤脸面前，他却硬不起来。很简单，齐隽是进纳官，用钱买来的官身，虽然从官职上属于文资，但不会有一个士大夫出身的文官会将他视为同僚。别说是一个正九品的武官，就是还没入品，只要占着一点理，便完全可以不给他半点面子，即便他齐隽在经略司有后台，也不会因着一点明显不占理的小事为他出头。

一阵微风卷入房中，灯火闪烁，映得房中忽明忽暗。房中三人的表情也如灯火一般，有明有暗。

韩冈谦恭地站在一边，只有眼神中透着喜色。他挑起了头就已经足够了，不需要再煽风点火。大势如此，齐隽纵然有着将衙前扒皮抽筋一般的凶悍，却也不得不低头。

阴着脸，暗自发狠了一阵，齐隽在徐疤脸不耐烦的催促中，一把抢过韩冈手上的文书，看也不看就在最后面签名画押。又随手写了一张回执，盖上印，递给了徐疤脸：“短了少了，也别来找本官。”

他眼睛一转，又冷冷地盯了韩冈一眼。独眼中传出来的信息，韩冈确实收到了——走着瞧！这是齐隽现在心里最想说的话。

韩冈对着齐隽抱拳行礼，姿态像是在道谢，挺秀的眉眼中却凝集着满不在乎的笑意。齐独眼怎么想他可不在乎，既然齐独眼已经怄了一肚皮的怨气，那让他肚皮的怨气再多一点也无妨。

韩冈如今最不怕的就是得罪人，甘谷立城不过一载，齐独眼扒皮抽筋的大名已经遍传秦州。据韩冈在出发前打听到的传言，齐独眼跟陈举好得能穿一条裤子。既然跟陈举已是你死我活的关系，跟齐隽翻脸，也不会让自己的境况更为艰难。

他是押运的衙前，既然齐独眼已经签了回执，那就再管不到他韩冈的身上。何况陈举已经没几天好蹦跶了，韩冈不认为王韶会放过他。即是如此，作为同一条线上的蚂蚱，齐隽如何能独善其身？唯一可虑的是张守约会保着他，但看张守约派人过来催赏赐的态度，齐独眼很明显是经略司掺进来的沙子。得罪了他，张守约怕是乐见其成。

徐疤脸接过回执，转手递给韩冈，笑道：“张都监没了消息，这两日南面便没一队人马敢来甘谷。伏羌城的刘安到了安远就不肯再挪一步，反倒是你们这队转运银绢酒水的先来了。下次见到他，洒家要好好问问他，看他臊不臊。”

韩冈接过回执，小心地折起收好。他辛苦了这么些时日，也就是为了这薄薄的一张纸。

徐疤脸又拿起桌上的过关文书，看了一眼标注的时间，当即又惊叹道：“四天！四天就从秦州到了甘谷城，竟然一点都没耽搁！”

“秦州！”齐隽正盘算着怎么把眼前这名走了大运的衙前煎皮拆骨，这时听着一惊，身子一下绷直了。泛着凶光的独眼死盯住韩冈的脸，这难道是陈举要对付的人？

韩冈谦虚地笑了一笑，道：“将士们正等着这批军资，韩某自奉命北来，只恐走得慢，就压根没想过要拖延时间。至于打下甘谷……凭一万西贼也配？”

“说得好！”徐疤脸大笑着拍了拍手，越看韩冈越是顺眼，口气也温和了许多，“对了，还没问过衙前的名讳？”

“韩冈！”

回答的不是韩冈本人，陈举派来甘谷联络齐隽的黎清，正站在门外。他张大了嘴，难以置信地看着在房中笑意盈盈的韩三秀才。

翻页上AD开始

翻页上AD结束

---

Better to arrive at the right moment than to arrive early!

Zhou Ning had no idea why Han Gang suddenly blurted out such a nonsensical phrase before stepping into the treasury office. All he knew was that the final leg of their four-day journey from Qin Prefecture to Gangu was finally in sight.

Zhou Ning had heard that the most troublesome part of transporting military supplies was not the treacherous and winding roads, but the officials who received the supplies upon arrival. If the perilous journey was akin to the road to the underworld, then the treasury office in Gangu was the palace of the underworld, and the supervisor of the treasury, Qi Duyan, was the king of the underworld sitting on his throne.

The notorious Qi Duyan, known for his cruelty, was well-known to all the officials and laborers on the Qin Prefecture road. Zhou Ning believed that Scholar Han Gang and Commander Wang Jun must have heard of him as well. Otherwise, Commander Wang wouldn't have pulled Scholar Han Gang aside upon entering the city and spoken to him for a long time. Zhou Ning could vaguely hear them repeating the same nonsensical phrase, "Better to arrive at the right moment than to arrive early."

Among the thirty-odd laborers, only Zhou Ning had received some education in his youth. He always considered himself superior to the others, believing his intellect was higher. However, he still couldn't understand what Han Gang meant by that phrase.

Scholar Han Gang led Zhou Ning into Qi Duyan's office without any hesitation, as if he were visiting a relative. But Zhou Ning, following behind Han Gang, was trembling with fear at the thought of Qi Duyan's reputation. 'If only Commander Wang were here.'

Unfortunately, Wang Shunmin was not present. After entering the city, he spoke briefly with Han Gang and then parted ways with the convoy, heading to the city center. Although it was an excuse, Wang Shunmin did have official documents from Wu Yan to deliver to the city hall. Thus, Han Gang led the convoy alone to the southern part of the city, where the treasury was located.

The convoy struggled through the crowded streets, which had become even more congested due to the good news of victory, and finally arrived at the treasury. The laborers waited outside the office while Han Gang only took Zhou Ning with him inside. Zhou Ning's limited education, which included both reading and basic arithmetic, was valued by Han Gang. Han Gang had chosen him as a companion, with the intention of promoting him in the future.

The treasury office, located in the treasury area, was a simple courtyard with a single hall. Normally, they would have to wait until the next day to be summoned after arriving late at night. However, due to the victory, the hall was brightly lit, with numerous clerks running in and out, busy with their tasks. After a fierce battle, rewards were inevitable. Although the main rewards would come from the imperial court, it was a long-standing tradition to provide some advance rewards to the victorious soldiers. However, the amount of these rewards depended on the availability in the treasury.

The name of Qi Duyan, the supervisor of the military treasury in Gangu, was well-known to all laborers and officials coming to or about to reach Gangu. However, when Han Gang and Zhou Ning first met Qi Duyan, they encountered a dramatic scene.

A middle-aged officer was facing off against Qi Duyan. Under the bright lights, a large scar on his left cheek was clearly visible, and he still smelled of blood and fire. The scar-faced officer looked extremely agitated, as if he were on fire: "Qi Supervisor, the wine the commander wants is not five jars, but fifty! With two thousand brothers, you're only giving us five jars. Do you want us to drink diluted water?"

Qi Duyan cried out in injustice, looking completely unlike the cruel man he was known to be: "Commander Xu, it's not that I don't want to give it to you. You've seen the warehouse; it's so empty that a rat could run through it. No additional wine is available. These days, due to the Western invaders attacking Gangu, none of the scheduled supply convoys have arrived. Even a skilled housewife can't cook without rice. I can't produce forty-five jars of wine out of thin air!"

"Go tell that to the two thousand brothers! See if they agree!"

The scar-faced officer glared and shouted angrily, while Qi Duyan smiled bitterly and spread his hands. He could be cruel to the laborers, but he didn't have the authority to mistreat the soldiers. Facing a victorious army