Poaching talent is a sneaky business; no matter who does it or in what field, it never sounds good. Besides, if you’re going to poach someone, doing it secretly would be one thing. But to do it so openly, right in front of their boss... even the free-spirited and magnanimous Earl of North Border, Li Liangting, couldn’t help but flush with embarrassment.
Lord Jingnan simply stood there quietly. The atmosphere, to say the least, was exceedingly awkward, especially since Lord Jingnan deliberately remained silent, seemingly wanting to prolong the embarrassing situation and make the Earl of North Border uncomfortable for a while longer.
In Yan State, only two individuals dared to make the Earl of North Border lose face , deliberately keeping him waiting. As it happened, Lord Jingnan was one of them.
"Wujing, you have a good eye, hehe," the Earl of North Border said, chuckling. He reached out and patted Zheng Fan’s shoulder a bit too forcefully, causing Zheng Fan to sway. Keep in mind, Zheng Fan was a ranked martial artist, but before the Earl of North Border’s palm, he truly seemed rather ’willowy.’But it was like an elder ruffling your hair; even if you didn’t like it, you wouldn’t dare make a peep.
Indeed, as the Yan Emperor had previously mentioned to Wei Zhonghe in the Imperial Study, the Earl of North Border’s interest in Zheng Fan wasn’t due to his martial talent, nor because Zheng Fan spoke engagingly. Rather, it was because men like the Earl of North Border, who stood at the pinnacle of their domain, best understood the importance of the grander strategic picture. They had no shortage of individuals skilled in leading troops and waging war—it was no exaggeration to say they had talented commanders as numerous as clouds. However, someone capable of comprehensively considering all factors, such as the politics, economies, and cultures of two nations, was exceedingly rare. This was the caliber of a true marshal, a seed of genuine great leadership. Though Zheng Fan was merely a rough stone now, who knew if, after a decade of polishing, he might not become a breathtaking piece of jade?
Most importantly, his strategy for attacking Qian State was almost identical to the one the three of them had previously discussed. Excluding the unreliable possibility that Tian Wujing had leaked the ’topic’ in advance to promote him, it meant this young man was already showing his brilliance. Recruiting him now was merely a question of how much profit could be made; a loss was impossible.
"Come on, Wujing, don’t just stay silent. This man, just let me have him, won’t you?" Seeing that Lord Jingnan still wasn’t saying anything, the Earl of North Border couldn’t help but press him a second time.
Lord Jingnan, who had just annihilated his entire household the previous night, seemed completely unfazed now. There wasn’t the slightest trace of grief on his face; he was still just as Zheng Fan had first perceived him. He was steady, always very steady. He had been steady when leading the Jingnan Army into Nanwang City, steady when his forces faced off against the Qian State army, and steady last night when he uttered the words, "Leave no one alive."
"He is from Beifeng Prefecture." Finally, Lord Jingnan spoke.
"’Of course, he is! He’s from my hometown, you know.’"
"Your hometown, Li Liangting, is Yinlang County."
"Ancestral roots, ancestral roots! My Li family has been rooted in Beifeng Prefecture for a hundred years; we’ve long been people of Beifeng Prefecture. And to say something that might displease His Majesty our Emperor, go out and ask, ask anyone you find—ask them if this Beifeng Prefecture isn’t surnamed Li!"
Such words were, to say the least, quite taboo. For anyone else, it would have been considered great disrespect, and having their entire clan exterminated wouldn’t have been excessive. But the Earl of North Border indeed had the audacity to say such a thing. Besides, consider this: for someone who could roast a leg of lamb in the imperial garden first thing in the morning, saying such words wasn’t strange at all.
"Doesn’t that just mean that you, Li Liangting, are blind?"
The Earl of North Border: "..."
"A talent from your Beifeng Prefecture, a talent from the lands of your Li family, yet he was discovered by me, Lord Jingnan, in the southern Yinlang County. If you aren’t blind to the talent right under your nose, then what are you?"
"Fine, let’s just say I, Li Liangting, misjudged this once. This man, Tian Wujing, are you going to let him go or not?"
"Alright, let him choose then. I am offering him the position of Deputy General, and can assign one thousand North Border Army iron cavalry to be under his command."
The Yan Army’s system also distinguished between substantive posts and nominal ones. For example, when Zheng Fan had first become the Captain Protector of Merchants at Hutou City, even the city gate guards dared to joke with him. Wasn’t that because Zheng Fan was merely a captain in name only?
A thousand North Border Army iron cavalry!
Zheng Fan subconsciously swallowed.
The North Border Army was so incredibly elite! His own few hundred barbarian cavalry could already stroll along the Qian State border, but one had to remember, these barbarians, in the desert, on their home turf, were beaten so badly by the North Border Army that they’d cry ’daddy’! With a thousand North Border Army iron cavalry under his command, Zheng Fan didn’t know if he would dare, but Liang Cheng would definitely dare to charge three thousand Qian State cavalry head-on.
Li Liangting had made his offer. A good bird chooses its tree to roost; this was an immutable principle since ancient times. At the same time, it was also a case of ’everyone helps carry the bridal sedan.’ Even if Zheng Fan didn’t choose him, Li Liangting was indirectly helping to raise Zheng Fan’s value. The tastiest food is that which is fought over; food snatched away always tastes the best. He had upped the ante here; now Tian Wujing, no matter what, would surely have to show a bit more sincerity too.
In the final analysis, it was still because, in Li Liangting’s view, although they belonged to different factions and military commands, they were all people of Yan State. He valued Zheng Fan, so he didn’t mind giving the young man a push to help him rise sooner. Right now, Yan State was in dire need of capable individuals. What was lacking? Talent! A war between nations was imminent; it was truly an era for military stars to shine brightly!
However, Lord Jingnan merely stated very calmly, "Commander of the Green Willow Fortress in Yinlang County."
His official position remained unchanged, nor was there any mention of assigning elite Jingnan Army troops to him—just that one simple sentence. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝕟𝕖𝕥