Chapter 83: The Colorful Whip Flies Over the Spring Ox (Part 2)

But Han Gang was far too young, making people doubt whether the regulations truly came from him. A guest in Li Shizhong's entourage, after reading it, immediately shook his head and said, "This must be Han Gang's plagiarism! He absolutely could not have written it."

Just as writing poetry and composing cannot transcend the author's own experiences, how could the newly emerged Han Gang be as comprehensive as a seasoned official?

If it were merely based on imagination, it would be far inferior to works infused with genuine emotion. Without personally walking the Sichuan path, Li Bai could not have written "The Difficulty of the Sichuan Path." Without being a wine-loving, free-spirited wanderer, "Let Us Drink" would not have been created. "The straight smoke rises over the vast desert, the round sun sets over the long river." Without personally experiencing the desert, how could such lines be written?

A guest in Li Shizhong's entourage, who had also served under Wang Su, once told him, "When Fan Zhongyan was the governor of Shaanxi, he wrote many 'Fisherman's Pride' poems, all starting with 'When autumn comes to the border,' depicting the hardships of the frontier towns. But Ouyang Xiu mocked them as the words of a 'poor garrison commander' and wrote his own 'Fisherman's Pride' to send to the Secretary Wang, who was about to enter Guanzhong, claiming it was 'the true work of a general.'

That day, I was also present and heard several courtesans from the Secretary's household sing it, but now I only remember the line 'After victory, we report the good news, pour the celebratory wine, and offer longevity to the emperor on the jade steps.' The rest has long been forgotten. But Fan Zhongyan's 'The geese from Hengyang have no intention to stay' has spread throughout the world and is still sung today."

Li Shizhong had been in Qin Prefecture for more than half a year and deeply understood the 'white-haired general and the tears of the soldiers.' Ouyang Xiu had never held office in Guanzhong, and his 'offering longevity to the emperor on the jade steps' was merely a superficial effort, lacking both authenticity and genuine emotion, and thus could not be passed down.

No matter how much Ouyang Xiu boasted, his 'Fisherman's Pride' was far inferior to Fan Zhongyan's 'When autumn comes to the border, the scenery is different.' Instead, 'The leaves are small and have not yet formed a shade' and 'Laughing, he asks how to write the word 'mandarin ducks' were more captivating because they were based on real experiences. Of course, it was precisely because Ouyang Xiu vividly depicted the charm of a teenage girl that rumors of his improper relations with his niece spread.

Li Shizhong understood why his guest mentioned Ouyang Xiu and Fan Zhongyan's 'Fisherman's Pride'—to suggest that Han Gang, with no practical experience, could not have written the extensive regulations for the wounded and sick camp. But Li Shizhong silenced the guest with one question: "Who did Han Gang plagiarize from?"

If a young man wrote excellent verses that contradicted his life experiences, it would be reasonable to suspect plagiarism. However, regarding military medical regulations, there were no precedents or guidelines, so from where could Han Gang have plagiarized?

Unless he was a private disciple of Sun Simiao! But in the history books Li Shizhong had read, Sun Simiao never seemed to have written or spoken about such matters.

If these regulations were indeed Han Gang's original work, combined with his ability to eliminate an entire family of tyrants with a single word, his intelligence was enough to make Li Shizhong feel uneasy. His only flaw was the lack of a jinshi degree and his early entry into officialdom, which made him somewhat impatient.

Li Shizhong now deeply regretted allowing Han Gang to serve in the Military Commission. If he had known of Han Gang's talents, he would never have agreed. But now that the emperor had issued a special decree, it would not be easy to change his mind.

Looking at the graceful and upright Han Gang from a distance, Li Shizhong felt a burning irritation. Since Wang Shao brought Han Gang into his entourage, the small actions had increased, causing him much trouble. Moreover, Wu Yan and Zhang Shouyue also recommended Han Gang, giving the already isolated Wang Shao two more capable assistants.

'At the very least, I must get him away from Wang Shao! If there's an opportunity, framing him for a crime would be even better...'

Suddenly, Han Gang felt a chill run down his spine. Just as he turned, he caught a cold, damp gaze, making him feel as if a cold, slippery snake were coiling around his back. He glanced around casually, but the gaze did not reappear. The only certainty was that it came from the Qin Prefecture officials gathered around the Spring Ox.

Han Gang looked in their direction. Li Shizhong stood steadily, his eyelids half-closed, seemingly waiting for the ox-whipping ceremony to end. The deputy commander of the Qin-Feng military, who was right behind Li Shizhong, happened to look his way.

Han Gang slightly lowered his head to avoid the scrutinizing gaze.

Dong Shunqing, the new deputy commander, was a new face. He arrived in Qin Prefecture in mid-winter, reportedly to replace the incompetent predecessor. However, Dong Shunqing had gray hair and a slightly hunched back, looking older than Zhang Shouyue and lacking the aura of a seasoned warrior. At first glance, he seemed like a mediocre civil official.

Like Dong Shunqing's appearance, Han Gang had not heard of any outstanding military achievements. He seemed to have fought pirates in the East China region (Shandong) and suppressed rebellions in the Jinghu North Road (Hubei).

Han Gang's ancestral home was in the East China region, and his family moved to Guanzhong due to certain reasons in his grandfather's generation. Hearing about Dong Shunqing's exploits in his hometown, he felt a sense of familiarity. However, the pirates today were similar to the bandits he had killed recently, usually consisting of a dozen or a few dozen people. If suppressing pirates counted as military achievements, then Han Gang's record would not be inferior to Dong Shunqing's in the East China region.

Dong Shunqing inherited his position through his father's influence. His father had risen to the rank of a high-ranking general, one of the top thirty in the court. Dong Shunqing himself was even more fortunate, holding the position of Chief of the Imperial Guards and the Governor of Yongzhou, and now serving as the deputy commander of the Qin-Feng military!

The ten thousand imperial guards stationed in the Kaifeng region were divided into two commands and three offices. The two commands were the Imperial Guards Command and the Imperial Bodyguards Command, which was further divided into the Cavalry and Infantry Commands. These three commands were collectively known as the Three Offices. The Chief of the Imperial Guards was the third-ranking military officer, just below the Commander and Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, overseeing the imperial guards and the elite troops like the Sunlight and Heavenly Martial forces.

However, for Dong Shunqing, the position of Chief of the Imperial Guards was not a real assignment but an honorary title, similar to Xiang Bao's 'Imperial Bodyguard.' Compared to the imperial guards, the Chief of the Imperial Guards was much higher in rank. Xiang Bao could make the previous deputy commander ineffective, but he could not do the same with Dong Shunqing.

In Guanzhong, the only military official who could rival Dong Shunqing in rank was Guo Kui, the Southern Vice-Chancellor, the acting governor of Jingnan Circuit, and the military commissioner of Fuyan Circuit.

The position of Governor was one of the highest ranks for military officials, second only to the Circuit Governor and the acting governor, ranking third in the military hierarchy, followed by the Defense Governor, the Training Governor, and the Prefect.

Such high-ranking officials were not only given to military officers but also to imperial relatives and in-laws, and occasionally to civil officials. The thirteenth son of Prince Pu, Emperor Yingzong, was a Training Governor before being adopted by Emperor Renzong as a prince, known as the Thirteenth Training Governor, two ranks below Dong Shunqing's Governor.

With Dong Shunqing's current rank, he had already earned a place in the national history. Generally, reaching such a high rank meant the peak of one's career, with only a handful of military officials achieving it. At this point, one should enjoy tea and sunshine, waiting for retirement.

The previous deputy commander of the Qin-Feng military was already old and ineffective, and Dong Shunqing was even older. Guo Kui, a seasoned general with numerous achievements in Shaanxi and Hebei, was appointed by Emperor Zhezong to stabilize Yan Prefecture for the strategic expansion of Hengshan.

However, there were no notable achievements attributed to Dong Shunqing. His hometown was Xiangzhou, and he was a fellow townsman of the influential minister Han Qi, who had helped him rise to his current position. Han Qi was now the leader of the anti-reform faction, and even though he had left the capital and returned to Xiangzhou, his influence still loomed over the reformists.

Wang Shao was very concerned that Dong Shunqing's arrival in Qin Prefecture would align with Han Qi's interests, making the border expansion plans mere talk. Han Gang, now staring at Dong Shunqing from a distance, had forgotten about the source of the cold gaze and was instead pondering the changes the new deputy commander would bring to the Qin Prefecture bureaucracy.

"Yukun!"

"Hmm?" A voice startled Han Gang from his thoughts. Wang Hou and Wang Shunmin had squeezed their way to his side, and a few people who had been pushed aside were grumbling. But a glare from Wang Shunmin, who had helped Wang Hou push through the crowd, made them scatter like wet dogs, obediently making way.

"Yesterday, when we returned, the master stayed up all night searching through the archives of the Military Commission to find past decrees on handling disputes between the tribes, to use as a reference for the report on the Shuotuo and Longbo tribes. He didn't find what he was looking for, but he found something even more useful... Guess what the master found, Yukun?" Wang Hou was very excited, even though the ox-whipping ceremony was about to start, he ignored it and started talking to Han Gang.

"Without any context, how could I possibly guess..." Han Gang's voice suddenly paused as he looked at Wang Shao's face in the line of officials. Although Wang Shao tried to act nonchalant, Han Gang, who knew him well, could see the obvious joy.

"Is it related to Guwei? Or did he find something to use against the Military Commissioner?" Han Gang speculated. Wang Shao was not one to lose his composure easily, so whatever he found must be important information that would aid the border expansion plan. Since he was searching through decrees from the Chancellery that were unrelated to tribal affairs, the possibilities were limited.

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