Chapter 144: Two-Front Negotiations

It was three days later when Pang Xing finally returned to Sha County. For Pang Xing, however, it had been a very long time since he last set foot within the city walls of Sha County. Seeing the bustling streets and continuous stream of traffic once again, he felt a surreal sense of displacement, as if a lifetime had passed.

First, he delivered the letter written by Xu Wenshan to his former platoon leader. Upon reading it, the platoon leader summoned all the other platoon leaders. Several of them engaged in a fierce argument inside the room; a few seemed to be on bad terms, smashing their cups and storming out in anger, while another platoon leader rushed over and grabbed Pang Xing tightly, refusing to let go. Fortunately, a few platoon leaders who still kept their wits about them stepped in and rescued Pang Xing.

Even so, Pang Xing was inevitably shaken by the ordeal.

Afterward, these platoon leaders led him to the Sha County seat to see the commanding officer of the garrison defense. Upon reading the letter, the officer declared that he lacked the authority to make a decision and instructed them to take it up with Major General Wu.

After reading the letter, Major General Wu excused himself for a moment and stepped outside the residence. A short while later, two of the major general's servants came to fetch Pang Xing, stating they had orders to escort him to a specific location.

As Pang Xing walked, he imagined every conceivable worst-case scenario: being led up to the city walls and pushed off; being dragged into an alley, thrust into a sack, tied shut, and taken straight to the execution grounds; or perhaps having a group of alluring maidens suddenly rush out and beg him to keep today's events a secret. None of these things happened, however. The servants simply led him into a room.

The moment he stepped inside and laid eyes on the figure seated in the center of the room, his thighs began to tremble like reeds in the wind, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans broke out across his forehead. Slowly dropping to his knees, he cried out, "Lord Commandant..."

Seated before him was none other than the Lord of Sha County, a Third-Rank Viscount with a fief of three thousand *shi*, and Commandant Yu Dingyuan.

"Ah, General Pang has arrived? Please, rise at once." Yu Dingyuan personally stepped down from his seat to help Pang Xing up. Pang Xing stood up on trembling legs. As a mere centurion, he was overwhelmed with flattered astonishment to be addressed as a general by a commandant.

Yu Dingyuan was the man who had single-handedly pacified the entire State of Chen's naval forces in Sha County. In Pang Xing's imagination, he should have been a ferocious powerhouse—if not endowed with three heads and six arms, he should at least have possessed a broad chest and a thick waist. In reality, however, he was far removed from that mental image; the Yu Dingyuan before him had a slightly yellowish complexion and appeared rather thin and unassuming.

After inviting Pang Xing to take a seat, Yu Dingyuan looked at him with a warm smile and asked, "General Pang has long served on the front lines. How do you find it now that you've been transferred to the garrison forces?"

Pang Xing awkwardly replied, "This humble subordinate is merely a humble garrison station commander; I hardly dare rank myself among the garrison forces."

"Now, now, General Pang is being too modest," Yu Dingyuan chuckled. "Managing a garrison station is no easy task either. With a dozen or so men under your command, you bear the burden when the big troubles come from above, and you handle the small issues from below—you've been living quite comfortably! I'm even envious!"

Pang Xing awkwardly shook his head.

Withdrawing his smile, Yu Dingyuan continued, "General Pang, I know that as a centurion who has rendered distinguished service on the front lines, you must certainly feel a sense of injustice at being relegated to a mere station commander in the garrison forces."

"This subordinate wouldn't dare."

"There's no need to hide it from me, General Pang!" Yu Dingyuan said, his smile fading entirely. "I, too, rendered brilliant service on the front lines, was personally enfeoffed as a viscount by the Duke, and serve as a dignified commandant—yet haven't I also been transferred to the garrison forces? Do you think I don't understand what that feels like?"

Cold sweat broke out on Pang Xing's forehead once more, and he stammered timidly, "This subordinate did indeed feel a sense of injustice."

Yu Dingyuan sighed and remained silent for a long moment, seemingly nursing a grievance over his own transfer to the garrison forces. This left Pang Xing quite puzzled. He knew that the letter Xu Wenshan had given him was of extraordinary importance, yet Yu Dingyuan delayed bringing it up, leaving him completely unable to guess what the man was thinking.

Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, Yu Dingyuan leaned forward and asked Pang Xing, "Is the information you provided absolutely true?"

"It is entirely true," Pang Xing said, a stone finally dropping from his throat as he immediately began reciting his rehearsed lines. "I saw the silver on those carts with my own eyes. They all bore the Grand General's seal, and I can confirm they were military provisions sent to the front lines."

Meanwhile, in Li City, a hundred miles away from Sha County, Liang Dong was seated inside the Grand General's residence. Platters and food boxes were arranged before him, while a beautiful concubine at his side poured wine for him.

"Are you certain the Marquis of Yun's daughter is unharmed? That so-called Spider Hero truly didn't lay a finger on the eldest miss?" asked the person seated at the head of the table.

"Absolute certainty," Liang Dong replied. "That Spider Hero is consumed by greed; he believes the Marquis of Yun's daughter gives him leverage to jack up the price, so he hasn't touched her at all."

The person at the head of the table nodded and said, "That is of the utmost importance."

That person was none other than Wei Xianyong, the Grand General of the State of Cai.

Wei Xianyong said to Liang Dong, "Being captured by the enemy is a crime in the State of Cai, but reporting such vital intelligence is a meritorious deed. I will endorse you for reinstatement into official ranks, and with me paving the way for you in officialdom moving forward, your path ahead will be exceptionally smooth."

Liang Dong hurriedly prostrated himself to express his gratitude. Wei Xianyong continued, "Of course, you must bear firmly in mind that from now on, you are no longer one of Yu Dingyuan's men... Do you understand what I mean?"

Liang Dong kowtowed and said, "This subordinate understands."

Yu Dingyuan belonged to the garrison forces, whereas Wei Xianyong belonged to the soaring eagle forces. If one was not Yu Dingyuan's man, then one belonged to the front-line army.

Pang Xing paced back and forth within the residence. "This matter must be handled properly; we must absolute not let it blow up. If the Duke finds out, our Sha County will not survive."

Feeling utterly bewildered, Pang Xing asked, "Why would Sha County not survive just because the Duke finds out? As this subordinate sees it, the State of Chen is already powerless to launch an attack this far, isn't it?"

Yu Dingyuan shook his head. "You don't understand. Do you think our Cai military is an unbreakable iron monolith? Far from it. You used to be a soldier of the soaring eagle forces, and now that you've come to the garrison forces, you should have noticed the difference, shouldn't you? The garrison forces and the soaring eagle forces have long been at odds; there is far too much infighting between them."

Pang Xing asked blankly, "Then, General, are you a man of the soaring eagle forces, or of the garrison forces?"

"I am neither. I am the Lord of Sha County," Yu Dingyuan declared. "All I want is to protect this patch of land in Sha County. If the Duke learns that the military provisions were plundered within my jurisdiction, the entire blame will fall squarely upon me. If I make even one misstep, my entire territory will be gone."

Hearing this, Pang Xing finally understood why Xu Wenshan had casually altered the location of the provision robbery from Gui County to Sha County—so many intricate schemes lay hidden beneath the surface.

Yu Dingyuan continued, "However, this is also an opportunity. For the military provisions of the front-line troops to fall into the hands of a band of mountain outlaws—that alone is enough to impeach them. If this matter is handled well, I might even have room for further advancement."

"General Pang, I will let bygones be bygones regarding your capture by the bandits. Furthermore, I appoint you as the Sha County Patrol Major General, directly subordinate to me."

Upon hearing these words, Pang Xing immediately dropped to his knees, kowtowing to thank Yu Dingyuan for his immense favor. At that moment, it felt all like a dream; he had never expected that after struggling on the front lines for so long, such an official post would now be within his grasp.

"Starting today, you will be given full authority to handle negotiations with the bandits, with strict instructions to properly retrieve those provisions."

"Starting today, you will be given full authority to negotiate with that Spider Hero, with strict instructions to ensure the Marquis of Yun's daughter returns home safely."

In two locations a hundred miles apart, Wei Xianyong and Yu Dingyuan spoke simultaneously.