In the northwest corner of Liangzhou Prefecture stood the military camp of Li Jinquan, the commander of the Ruen Dynasty's infantry.
Inside the tent were only three people, General Li Jinquan and his two deputy commanders.
Li Jinquan reclined in his chair, resting to try to recover from fighting all last night. The two deputy commanders, with solemn expressions, seemed aware that he was awake and thus spoke openly about whatever was on their minds.
Li Jinquan was a capable and battle-hardened general, born into a hereditary military household. However, his family had no notable achievements, so he started his career as a lowly infantry camp captain. In less than thirty years, he climbed step by step to his current rank as a second-grade general.
Of his many accomplishments, the most remarkable was his creation of the most formidable infantry unit in the Ruen Dynasty. The Impenetrable Luanfeng.
The Impenetrable Luanfeng was a heavily armored infantry unit, with each soldier meticulously trained and selected. It comprised only thirty thousand troops, yet this small force consistently achieved remarkable feats on the battlefield, often serving as the decisive factor in battles.
The problem was that after creating the Impenetrable Luanfeng, Li Jinquan had been stuck in the position of infantry commander for five years without any chance of promotion. According to court rumors, it was said that since he had mastered the essence of infantry warfare, no one else could possibly take his place as infantry commander.
Li Jinquan was an ambitious man. He wouldn’t have fought tooth and nail to reach his current position otherwise. Having just turned fifty, he was still in the prime of his career and believed he had enough time to climb even higher. He just needed the right opportunity.
Fortunately, the war between the Ruen Dynasty and the Northern Qiang presented him with that long awaited opportunity. He observed the growing tensions between the two dominant figures in the court, Qi Zongbi and Ying Gutong.
He felt his time had finally come.
Ying Gutong was an incompetent schemer. He held the title of Marshal in name only without the capability to match it. When the imperial edict arrived this time, transferring Ying Gutong to the distant northeast, the decree’s polite language couldn’t hide Marshal Ying's obvious fall from grace.
Thus, when Qi Zongbi approached Li Jinquan a few days ago, Li Jinquan decisively chose to cooperate. In fact, even if Qi Zongbi hadn’t extended an olive branch, Li Jinquan was already on the verge of seeking him out himself.
As for the requests Qi Zongbi proposed, Li Jinquan almost agreed without a second thought, not that Qi Zongbi’s suggestions could even be considered "requests." Qi Zongbi had simply laid out his strategy for the coming days, explaining to Li Jinquan what needed to be done.
Furthermore, everything Qi Zongbi said was logical and well-founded, and Li Jinquan could easily discern the merits of the plan. If implemented, it could indeed turn the tide of the war.
Finally, Qi Zongbi promised, "General Li, with your virtue and ability, you’ve honed your skills as a commander for years. Once this campaign is victorious, it’s only fitting that you move up the ranks."
Li Jinquan’s thoughts were pulled back to the present by the conversation of his deputy commanders in the tent.
Deputy Commander Li Zhide said, "Minister Qi should have left the city by now."
Another deputy, Liu Ancheng, nodded. "The men sent to escort him should be back soon. "
"I really don’t understand what the higher-ups are thinking, changing commanders at such a critical moment!" Liu Ancheng grumbled with some frustration. "Even the newest soldier knows that’s a grave mistake."
Li Zhide sneered and pointed upward. "Do you even need to ask? Clearly, there’s someone at court pulling the strings!"
Li Jinquan cleared his throat, cutting off their conversation. With a serious expression, he said, "Watch your words! Stay disciplined. Think about it, Liangzhou is critically important right now. Would the court send an incompetent person to defend it? They would be digging their own grave."
"You’re right, General," the two deputies said, cupping their hands respectfully.
Liu Ancheng smacked his lips thoughtfully and said slowly, "This Qi Yanzhu... who knows if he has what it takes? When Minister Qi was here, Liangzhou Prefecture was as solid as an iron fortress. Let’s just hope General Qi doesn’t mess things up."
"Well said," Li Zhide agreed. "Before meeting Minister Qi, I thought he’d be like any other pompous scholar. Seeing him in action during this campaign... Well, it really changed my mind.
"From the frontier passes to dividing forces at Ningye, then rushing to Liangzhou Prefecture, Minister Qi has traveled with us every step of the way, sharing the same hardships. By the time we were force-marching, he even stopped using a carriage and rode a horse the whole way. Not once did I hear him complain.
"A scholar like him, how could his body endure such hardships? I saw him dismount several times with trembling legs, his thighs must’ve been chafed raw. Honestly, Minister Qi truly has the interests of our dynasty at heart, unlike those other officials who are all talk. I really admire him."
"Enough of this pointless talk," Li Jinquan waved dismissively. "Qi Yanzhu now holds the title of Strategist, which puts him at the same rank as me. But with the military command token in his hands, the military must listen to him.
"Don’t underestimate him. His reputation precedes him. I’ve heard that during his time at Jianxing Pass in the northeast, he managed to subdue the Oirat in just three years. A man capable of such feats must have his own talents.
"Now that he’s here in Liangzhou, let’s see what he plans to do. Minister Qi has already laid out the arrangements for the coming days. We can only hope Qi Yanzhu doesn’t go against his plans."
"Exactly!" Li Zhide slapped his knee. "That’s my concern too. I don’t know about Qi Yanzhu’s skills, but we’ve all witnessed Minister Qi’s strategic ability.
"We initially fell for Northern Qiang’s schemes and lost those frontier passes, and were led by the nose. It’s only now, with great effort, that we’ve managed to stabilize the situation at Liangzhou Prefecture. If Qi Yanzhu makes a foolish move, all our efforts could go to waste."
Li Jinquan rubbed his face vigorously and said, "We’ll take it one step at a time. If he really messes things up, then I, as the infantry commander, will have to take responsibility for the military orders. Whatever consequences arise, well, Minister Qi will have to shoulder those himself."
As soon as he finished speaking, a guard’s voice came from outside the tent. "General, Strategist Qi's personal guard requests an audience."
Li Jinquan exchanged a glance with his two deputies before pausing and saying, "Let him in."
Soon, a military officer entered and saluted Li Jinquan. "Greetings, General Li. Strategist Qi Yanzhu has arrived in Liangzhou Prefecture and has dispatched me to deliver a message. He requests your presence at the Command Post for a meeting."
"A meeting?" Li Jinquan frowned. "Did your general only invite me?"
The messenger paused for a moment before answering, "Of course not. Messengers have been sent to notify every officer in the city ranked deputy general and above."
Li Jinquan nodded. "Understood. You may leave now. I’ll be there shortly."
After the messenger left with a salute, Li Jinquan rubbed his temples and said, "This Strategist Qi is quite energetic. I thought I could take a nap, but I didn’t expect him to act so quickly."