Zuo Jiqian’s appearance here left Zheng Fan somewhat surprised, yet not entirely so.
After the assassination attempt at the funeral of the former Commander, Xiao Dahai, Lord Jingnan had sat on the threshold of the mourning hall, with Zheng Fan and Zuo Jiqian kneeling below. Due to Zuo Jiqian’s noble lineage, Lord Jingnan had even chatted idly with him.
It would be impossible to say Zheng Fan felt no envy at that moment. After all, whether in ancient or modern times, a good pedigree could make everything significantly easier.
However, recalling it now, on that day Lord Jingnan had also discussed the Zuo family’s old patriarch with Zuo Jiqian. Their conversation, though clearly observing the distinctions of rank, still carried an undercurrent of amity and mutual respect between prominent families.
Damn it, what exactly was going through Lord Jingnan’s mind back then? Zheng Fan mused. Was he perhaps looking at a little quail about to be snuffed out?
Zuo Quail was now confined within, though "confined" wasn’t quite the right word. The convicts here received decent treatment regarding their personal welfare; no one abused or was unduly harsh with them.
But what truly served as their punishment was likely the immense shock of falling from grace—from being masters of men to prisoners in chains. Such a fall was enough to drive a person mad.
Zheng Fan looked at the captain beside him and asked, "What’s the Zuo family’s sentence?"
"The entire clan has been demoted to slave status."
Zheng Fan nodded. If the sentence had been clan extermination, Zuo Jiqian wouldn’t be here now. The convicts who could be escorted here were all those whose families had been condemned to slave status. His Majesty the Emperor was merciful, granting them a chance to strive anew and win back freedom for their families.
But for those whose clans were annihilated, or whose family members serving as officials elsewhere were implicated, there was no chance of survival. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚫𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚫𝕟𝕖𝕥
After all, in all of Yan, there was only one Lord Jingnan, and His Majesty the Emperor trusted only this Lord Jingnan.
This was a great purge. Zuo Jiqian, behind the enclosure, reminded Zheng Fan of the Soviet Union’s purge of its own military leaders before the Soviet-German War. This was considered one reason for the Soviet Union’s string of defeats in the early stages of the war.
However, Yan didn’t need to be overly concerned about this, even though Zuo Jiqian, the former Commander of Jitui Fort, was now being "sold off" here.
The Earl of North Border’s family had suppressed the barbarians for a century. Zheng Fan, having once served as a public official in Beifeng Prefecture, knew very well the relationship between the Border Northern Army and the Earl’s estate—it was impenetrable, impervious to any external influence. As for the Jingnan Army, it had been handed to Tian Wujing over a decade ago, shortly after the Yan Emperor ascended the throne. In all these years, promotions of officers within the Jingnan Army were decided solely by Lord Jingnan’s word.
Yan’s two most elite field armies would not be affected by this purge of the great clans; any impact would be negligible.
So, looking at it this way, those three must have been in cahoots for at least a decade, maybe even longer, huh.
"Lord Zheng, Lord Zheng!"
Zuo Jiqian grew anxious when he saw Zheng Fan lost in thought.
Zheng Fan snapped back to reality, looked at Zuo Jiqian, and sighed helplessly.
The members of the Huo Family had been privately set aside for him by Fatty Hui. Although they stuck together as a group, making them hard to break up and assimilate, their strengths likely outweighed this drawback, and many military leaders would probably be interested in them. With war imminent, whoever possessed high-quality, combat-ready soldiers could earn military merits sooner. These seven hundred from the Huo Family were, damn it, a well-trained little army! They needed to kill enemies to win back freedom for their kin, and he, in turn, needed them to gain military achievements. Not every military leader had such a strong desire for possession and control.
But as for Zuo Jiqian... Looking at the several hundred men sitting on the ground behind him, Zheng Fan believed this wasn’t another backdoor Fatty Hui had left for him; it was purely because... they were unsellable.
Firstly, although Zuo Jiqian was a Zuo, and the Zuo Family’s foundations were not in Yinlang County, he was the former Commander of Jitui Fort. Those condemned alongside him were his personal retainers who had accompanied him from the Zuo Family to serve at Jitui Fort.
If the Huo Family members were a group of clueless simpletons, then Zuo Jiqian’s men were simpletons with awareness and ideas. Even though all his positions had been stripped, which of these military leaders would dare to take him in? After taking him in, who would be in charge—you or him?
So, it wasn’t hard to understand Zuo Jiqian’s excitement upon seeing Zheng Fan. As an "unsellable commodity," he was desperate! He truly hoped he could be "sold"! If he couldn’t be "sold," then he and the two hundred-odd Zuo clansmen with him would genuinely have to become laborers.
How could laborers earn merits? How could they win back freedom for the women, children, and elderly of their clan? By toiling for ten, or twenty years?
Zuo Jiqian knew why he was unsellable. Many days had passed. He had gone from initial slight reserve to eventually swearing oaths to the heavens, just short of kowtowing to acknowledge a new master, yet none of the military leaders—whether of higher or lower rank than his former self—dared to accept them.
Zheng Fan! Zheng Fan could!
Zuo Jiqian was aware of Zheng Fan’s background—though the background he knew was incorrect. But, it didn’t matter. Swapping "South" and "North" didn’t seem to make much difference anyway.
It was no wonder Zuo Jiqian was so deferential; if Zheng Fan didn’t take them, they would truly have to become laborers.
Zheng Fan pointed at Zuo Jiqian.
The captain, a trusted subordinate of Hui Wenzu, naturally understood the close relationship between his own master and Chief Zheng.