The Sun Family had a business in Hutou City, managed by their second son, Sun Yan. He handled official duties and business simultaneously, which was very convenient.
"Humph, why bother with all this? It’s better to go out horse riding or hunting with me after work."
"Wu Laosan, our Sun Castle has a high population but limited resources. We are poor and can’t compare to the Wu family. If I’m not diligent, we can’t make ends meet."
"It’s still early, don’t exaggerate."
"The winter season is almost here, and in less than two months, it’ll be the twelfth lunar month already. Without hard work, how are we supposed to survive this winter? I checked this morning; due to conflicts that have disrupted the business routes for some time, the prices of pork and pork ribs have gone up ridiculously high. Does that mean we can’t make sausages? Where do we get bacon from? What are we supposed to stew the radishes with? What about starch noodles? Do potatoes even have a soul anymore? Where should we take the pickled mustard greens?"
Here in Hutou City, beef and mutton are cheaper than pork, but just like the meaning of the Chinese character for ’home’, a household isn’t complete without pigs.
Yan State, although situated north of the Central Plains, unlike the Barbarians from the desert, regards pork as the soul of ancestral sacrifices and meals.
"Alright, alright, Sun Lao’er, I surrender to you."
"Heh, funny enough, today the manager of my family’s business brought some goods and shared some news with me."
The second-generation rich kids around instantly gathered to listen. After meals, they would rely on these gossips to aid digestion.
Zheng Fan also perked up his ears to listen.
"Mei Village, it was wiped out yesterday. The fort has been taken over, heh."
"Mei Village? That’s not far from here. Wasn’t the fortress’s owner called Mei Wannian?"
"Yes, he’s also dead. His head was hung on the city wall of the fort. Mei Wannian truly didn’t get to enjoy his later years."
"Who did this? Even if it is annexation or revenge, who would dare to do it under the watch of the North Border Army?"
Violent conflicts and annexations between forts and the various families were common spectacles these second-generation rich kids were used to. The essence of this era was survival of the fittest. In fact, Mei Village’s influence and population really weren’t prominent. Its only advantage was its strategic location, situated between Hutou City and Tuman City. This made the major forces hold back, hesitant to extend their claws.
"Yes, isn’t the North Border Army going to intervene?"
"Heh, this is what makes this incident interesting. The force that destroyed Mei Village didn’t just take it over but also hung the flag of the North Border Army on its city wall."
"What? Was it the North Border Army’s doing?"
"Has the Earl of North Border’s Estate gone mad? The Earl of North Border himself is still in the capital and hasn’t returned yet. The North Border Army first attacked the Barbarian tribes and now another fort. What are they trying to do?"
"Yes, both outsiders and their own people are attacked equally. Are they trying to tell other forces in Beifeng Prefecture not to provoke them because they wouldn’t hesitate to attack their own people when they are mad?"
"Who gave the order?"
"Yes, who led the North Border Army?"
"Could it be that Duchess again?"
Sun Lao’er shook his head and said, "Let me think, my servant who told me the news mentioned something about the troops being led by a colonel surnamed Zheng."
In Yan State, Colonels were as common as dogs, and mostly, it was the colonels leading the troops.
"Zheng? Hahaha, don’t we have a Zheng Colonel here?"
A second-generation rich kid pointed and laughed at Zheng Fan.
"Yes, could it be that our Zheng Colonel went out of the city overnight and wiped out the Mei family?"
"Hahaha, that’s interesting."
"Zheng Colonel indeed keeps a low profile while performing high-profile deeds."
Everyone was joking around; no one believed Zheng Fan could have done that. They were all locals who knew each other well.
Zheng Fan also smiled and didn’t get angry. He wondered what the North Border Army was trying to achieve. Were they preparing for a rebellion? Or just putting on a show?
"I wonder, Zheng Colonel, is that officer from the North Border Army your relative?"
Zheng Fan shook his head and said, "My family came here as refugees; we don’t have any relatives here. Even if I knew them, they wouldn’t know me."
"Ah, Zheng Colonel is being modest."
"Perhaps you may indeed have a distant relative?"
At this moment, Sun Lao’er suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "I remember now! My servant told me, the rank of the leader of the North Border Army is Guard School Colonel."
"Guard School Colonel, why does this title sound familiar?"
"Yeah, it seems like we’ve recently heard this quite a few times."
"Indeed, it does sound familiar."
Suddenly, the second-generation rich kids present all turned their eyes towards Zheng Fan simultaneously, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
It’s worth noting that the position of ’Guard School Colonel’ was a new one recently created by the imperial court to weaken local military power. It was still very new and quite a hot topic.
As for Zheng Fan himself, a million wild thoughts raced through his mind, and a suspicion began to form.
"Zheng Colonel, what’s your official title?" the third son of the Wu Family asked timidly.
With a calm expression, Zheng Fan responded, "I, belonging to the North Border Army, stationed in Hutou City, hold the rank of Guard School Colonel."
A collective gasp went through the second-generation rich kids, causing the pressure in the room to drop instantly.
Sun Lao’er put down the abacus in his hand and looked at Zheng Fan with a strange expression. The expression was strange because he didn’t quite know how to react to Zheng Fan at this moment. How could a ruthless character emerge from their group of harmoniously coexisting losers?
Still, he was extremely curious and probingly asked, "Brother Zheng, may I ask, what is the motive behind the North Border Army’s action?"
Though they were second-generation rich kids, gathering intelligence for their families was almost instinctual. The North Border Army, being the most terrifying behemoth in Beifeng Prefecture, its moves and intentions were undoubtedly the focus of concern for other families and forts in the region!
Zheng Fan took a deep breath. At this moment, he certainly couldn’t say, ’I have no idea that those guys went out yesterday and started causing trouble right away!’
Zheng Fan’s face immediately became stern, and his demeanor shifted from the prior kindly, chuckling man to someone unfathomable. He said, "Hmph, the actions of my Earl of North Border’s Estate need no explanation to others!"