The official was fair-complexioned and sported a few wisps of a slender beard. Entering the room, he cupped his hands with a beaming smile. "Forgive me for keeping Immortal Wei waiting; I truly feel terrible about it. However, Magistrate Sun is in secluded cultivation, so this humble official has come to receive the immortal. I am Ren Youwei, Assistant Magistrate of Quyang County. May I ask what brings Immortal Wei here today?"
An assistant magistrate held high rank but lacked real power—a sinecure, essentially an alternate magistrate. Yet despite his harmless, docile demeanor, this official was also a Dao Foundation cultivator.
Wei Yuan stood, returned the courtesy, and got straight to the point. "I have come on behalf of the three hundred militiamen of Shayang Village! They have served in the military for several months and fought in multiple bloody battles, yet have not seen so much as a single tael of silver in military pay, to say nothing of death pensions. I am here simply to ask: where are their grain and pay, and where are their pensions?"
Ren Youwei put on a look of sudden comprehension and said, "So that is what this is about. There is something the immortal may not know: provisions and pay are matters of paramount importance, bound by strict imperial laws that none may violate. Militias, too, cannot simply be raised by just anyone. To drill and organize militiamen, one must submit a memorial to the imperial court and secure formal approval. Otherwise, if everyone went around training militia, wouldn't the realm fall into chaos? In our county, the power to approve militia units does not rest with the county yamen, but with Vice General Liao. In truth, we forwarded Mister Fang's submitted petition for the militia to Vice General Liao long ago, but for reasons unknown, approval has been delayed. Without that approval, how could we dare disburse a single tael of silver? That would cost us our heads!"
Ren Youwei was an old fox; with a single kick, he passed the buck to Vice General Liao, washing his own hands of the matter entirely.
Lacking experience, Wei Yuan had no way to pin down this slippery old bureaucrat. But he knew that leaving like this would play right into Ren Youwei's hands. Thus, Wei Yuan sat firm and said, "I will visit Vice General Liao as well. Leaving pay and rations aside for a moment, thirty-seven men have died in battle over the past few months, and by all rights they should receive pensions. By what precedent does Your Honor intend to grant these pensions?"
Ren Youwei wore a troubled look. "Militiamen killed in battle ought to receive pensions, but first, they must be officially registered, and second, they must have fallen in engagements designated by their superiors before pensions may be issued. Forgive this humble official for being blunt, but I fear those men from Shayang Village meet neither condition."
Wei Yuan spoke again: "Multiple elderly villagers have already starved to death; the court ought to provide disaster relief. I won't make things difficult for Your Honor—simply allocate some grain first for emergency relief. Lives are on the line."
Ren Youwei let out a long sigh and said, "Hearing that people have starved breaks my heart as well! Alas, what can one do in these troubled times? It is wartime now, and our county is on the front lines. According to imperial law, all grain and fodder are currently military provisions. Without a joint warrant signed by both the magistrate and the vice general, not a single grain can be touched. Even the pancake stalls in the county seat have all been shut down. When it comes to allocating grain, I am truly powerless."
Anger welled within Wei Yuan. His face darkened, and he gave a cold sneer. "Your Honor certainly shrugs off responsibility cleanly! The county yamen buys Liao barbarian heads for one tael of silver apiece, only to flip them for a thousand taels! Meanwhile, the militiamen on the front line have neither grain nor pay, and their families are starving to death. Can you sleep at night earning such money?"
"Flipped for a thousand taels? Wherever did you hear of such a thing?" Ren Youwei looked utterly astonished. "Magistrate Sun and I merely saw that the common folk had done meritorious service in defending our soil, so we took silver from our own private pockets specifically to reward deserving men."
"Then what about those severed heads?"
"Once collected, they were sent straight to the commandery seat and taken by the commandery governor. What happened afterward is beyond this humble official's knowledge."
Ren Youwei feigned complete ignorance to every inquiry, dodging all responsibility. The more Wei Yuan listened, the angrier he grew. Slapping the table with a heavy thud, he barked, "Assistant Magistrate Ren! Does Wei need to show you just how much your Dao Foundation is worth?"
Ren Youwei looked panicky and hastily said, "This humble official possesses merely a smidgen of crude magic power; how could I withstand an immortal's assault! If the immortal insists on striking, then this humble official will simply accept death. But surely the immortal must let me die knowing my crime? Does being an immortal of an immortal sect permit one to slaughter people indiscriminately and without reason?"
This was the first time Wei Yuan had ever encountered such an impervious, shameless rogue—someone completely immune to reason and unyielding against force. Furthermore, with the man striking a posture of refusing to fight back even if beaten to death, it was genuinely awkward for Wei Yuan to resort to violence.
Yet the countless history books stored in Wei Yuan's mind finally proved useful. Following examples from the texts, he first calmed himself. Expressionless, he simply stared at Ren Youwei until the official's gaze began to flicker.
Only then did Wei Yuan speak: "It seems none of these matters have anything to do with Your Honor. No matter. Please inform Magistrate Sun that I, Wei Yuan, have been in my defense sector for two days now, yet have received only ten garrison troops. According to Tang law, heads must roll for this—and more than one. Therefore, within two days, I want to see two hundred soldiers in my defense sector! I do not care what methods you or Magistrate Sun use, but not a single soldier may be missing! If you truly cannot muster enough, you can make up the numbers with your concubines, or failing that, I must trouble Your Honor to fill a spot yourself! If Your Honor finds this difficult, I shall memorialize the True Monarch and request that he dispatch Dao soldiers to garrison the area."
Ren Youwei's smile grew strained. If this matter were pursued to the bitter end, heads would certainly roll; whose head fell was the only question. Naturally, the True Monarch would not personally send Dao soldiers just to garrison the post, but if any were sent, it would be to sever heads.
Wei Yuan added, "Since Your Honor claims that Vice General Liao has not granted approval, I must trouble you to draft a letter. I will take it to Vice General Liao right away to demand a clear answer."
With no other choice, Ren Youwei had to write a letter and hand it to Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan did not linger; he rose immediately, leaving behind a parting remark: "Watch yourself, Assistant Magistrate Ren!"
Wasting no more words on Ren Youwei, Wei Yuan left the county yamen, cast the Divine Travel Technique upon himself, and sped directly toward the military redoubt outside the town. In a matter of moments, he arrived before the redoubt.
The redoubt walls were two zhang high, built primarily of crushed stone bound with straw pulp—a method of fortification unique to the northern borders, sturdy and easy to repair. Though the redoubt's walls were not particularly tall, the moment Wei Yuan approached the main gate, he felt several sharp pricks across his skin; military experts were aiming heavy crossbows at him.
After announcing his identity, several soldiers escorted Wei Yuan into the central military hall. Seated at the head of the hall was a burly man with a scar across his face, a short beard, and hawkish, somber eyes. From the man's uniform, Wei Yuan knew at once that this had to be Vice General Liao Jingwu.
Wei Yuan bowed in greeting. "Wei Yuan of the Palace of Grand Beginning has come to pay respects to General Liao!"
Liao Jingwu swept his gaze over Wei Yuan. Instantly, Wei Yuan felt as if a ball of scorching flame had rolled over him. His heart gave a start; he realized that General Liao was no newcomer to the Dao Foundation, having most likely reached the second realm. Liao Jingwu also possessed an Earth Tier Dao Foundation, making him somewhat difficult to fight. Wei Yuan silently assessed that to defeat him, he would probably have to exhaust all his Dao power.
After exchanging formal courtesies, Liao Jingwu asked, "So it is the young immortal master from the Palace of Grand Beginning. What brings you here?"
There was a raspy, metallic grating to Liao Jingwu's voice, unnatural and jarring.
As a disciple of the Palace of Grand Beginning, Wei Yuan naturally harbored no fear toward Dao Foundation cultivators of other sects; even before a dharma idol, he remained neither servile nor haughty. Such was the confidence of an immortal sect. Moreover, although Liao Jingwu possessed an Earth Tier Dao Foundation, Wei Yuan would not fear him if it truly came down to a fight. Without beating around the bush, Wei Yuan stated his purpose directly, asking why the three hundred men of Shayang Village had yet to be enrolled as militiamen.
Liao Jingwu's expression remained calm upon hearing this. He instructed a colonel to fetch the relevant documents and examined them carefully in front of Wei Yuan. Had Wei Yuan not known the reality behind the scenes, he would likely have assumed Liao Jingwu was completely in the dark based on this performance alone. It seemed this Vice General Liao was also a seasoned actor.
After studying them for a good while, Liao Jingwu set the documents down, asked the colonel a few detailed questions, and finally said, "Fang Hetong did indeed submit a militia roster. However, investigations revealed discrepancies between the submitted names and the actual personnel; that is the first issue. Second, the roster consists entirely of aged, frail farmers, giving rise to suspicion of falsifying numbers to defraud the treasury of grain and pay. Currently, the fighting is fierce and this general is occupied with pressing military affairs. Unable to tear myself away, I truly have no time to verify the matter in person, so I set it aside for now."
Anger flared in Wei Yuan's chest. High-sounding though Liao Jingwu's words were, he too was a seasoned official, slick and evasive. The excuses he put forward were far-fetched and could not withstand the slightest scrutiny.
For instance, the claim that Fang Hetong's submitted roster did not match reality: several battles had been fought since the list was submitted, with men dying in every bloody clash. How could the actual headcount possibly match the initial roster? As for the second point, which family's militiamen were not ordinarily farmers? And how could farmers be as strong as oxen? Most were gaunt, impoverished, and frail. Not just the farmers, even the garrison troops Wei Yuan had seen were old, weak, sick, or disabled.
Unlike Ren Youwei, who feigned total ignorance, Liao Jingwu simply brushed him off with whatever convenient excuse came to hand, not even bothering to think twice about it.
The trouble was, Wei Yuan knew Liao Jingwu was stalling him; Liao Jingwu knew that Wei Yuan knew he was stalling; yet Liao Jingwu stalled all the same.
This was what it meant to be utterly brazen.
Chapter 72