The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

"It seems that you, Lord Huang, are very optimistic about him," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile.

"As for a person in officialdom, he always has to assess the situation," Mr. Huang also smiled.

Then he asked curiously, "Why are you suddenly so interested in him? To be honest, there is no conflict of interest between you two. He is a military commander and you are a civil official. The road is long and we can each go our separate ways!"

"You're right, I'm just curious," Zhang Ping'an made up an excuse to get away with it.

However, he secretly kept this person in mind.

He saw a thriving ambition and unwillingness deep in this man's eyes, and he knew he was definitely not someone who was willing to be inferior to others for long.

There is always a bad feeling in my heart.

"How about it? Do you have anything to do tonight? Let's have dinner together later. Bring your brother-in-law with you. My servants just sent me a fresh musk deer today," invited Lord Huang.

He was a shrewd man and knew that Zhang Ping'an was not telling the truth, but he did not ask any further questions. In the officialdom, it is important to distinguish between truth and falsehood, so how could he be so serious?

Since Zhang Ping'an didn't say anything, there must be a reason for him not to say it, which means that their friendship has not reached that level yet.

Someone invited him to dinner and Zhang Pingan had nothing to do in the evening, so he naturally accepted the invitation.

I took my eldest brother-in-law with me to Mr. Huang's tent and had some roasted musk deer with dipping sauce and side dishes. It was really delicious.

"You really know how to enjoy life," Zhang Ping'an sighed, his mouth full of oil.

If this musk deer is sold to a restaurant in the city, you will not be able to eat it without two or three taels of silver.

Liu Sanlang was now much more knowledgeable about the ways of the world, and while eating he did not forget to toast Mr. Huang and compliment him a few times.

The two men praised Lord Huang very much, and the atmosphere in the tent was very good for a while. In the end, Lord Huang wanted to be brothers with them.

However, given the seniority, it was obviously inappropriate, so in the end I had to give up.

At the end of the meal, Mr. Huang's only regret was: "If only my son-in-law Ruan San could be transferred to Kaifeng, it would be such a great opportunity for him to make great achievements. What a pity, alas!"

As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed, his face full of regret.

"You can't say that. Although he can't get promoted in Runan Prefecture, at least he has a stable life. There are always risks on the front line. You can't expect your daughter to be a widow in the future, right?" Zhang Ping'an advised with a smile.

"What's there to be afraid of about being a widow?" Mr. Huang said without a care in the world. "The most important thing for a man is to make achievements and establish a good career. Only when he gets promoted to a higher position can he be truly successful. Then no one will dare to look down on him."

This kind of ideological difference can be resolved by persuading them once, but you can't force them to do so, as everyone has different ideas.

Zhang Ping'an laughed a few times and let the matter go.

After the dinner, when they returned to their tent, Zhang Pingan pondered and asked his brother-in-law, "Brother-in-law, do you think that Old Huang was too enthusiastic today, especially towards you? This seems a bit abnormal!"

Liu Sanlang thought about it carefully, nodded, and said pertinently, "There is one thing. You two never specifically asked me to come along when you had dinner together before, but today you insisted on asking me to come as well. Moreover, his attitude towards me was quite pleasant. It's a bit unusual."

"If something is out of the ordinary, there must be something wrong. Pay more attention to everything in the military camp in the next two days," Zhang Ping'an advised.

"I understand," Liu Sanlang replied.

Then he asked, "Are you planning to send someone outside the city to look for Uncle Daqiang and the others in the next two days?"

"Yes, I plan to send more people out to look for them in the shacks outside the city and in the countryside. They don't have any special skills and haven't received much education. It's not easy for them to make a living. They are most likely to be doing hard labor. We will find them to inquire about the whereabouts of their relatives and to help them," Zhang Pingan replied.

"I hope everything is going well for them!" Liu Sanlang also agreed with this decision.

The next day, Zhang Ping'an mobilized most of his men to look for people outside the city.

I discussed matters with my brother-in-law and other colleagues.

The current head coach of Kaifeng, Yang Zhong, is a veteran who previously served under Zhou Ziming. He has no background, was an orphan, and grew up by eating at other people's homes.

After he became an adult, he lived in a turbulent time and had to rely on himself to fight and survive all the way. Even his name was given to him by Zhou Ziming.

Therefore, he is loyal to Zhou Ziming.

After Zhou Ziming changed the dynasty, this man was also promoted because of his contribution to the emperor.

He is now the most powerful person in Kaifeng City.

He also presided over today's parliament, and all civil and military officials above the sixth rank were present, without a single one absent.

The meeting style was also very serious. There was no flattery or fawning, and no pile of flowery words. It went straight to the point and solved the problem.

From this point, we can see a bit of the coach's style and personality.

Although Zhang Ping'an had just arrived, he still maintained the principle of being cautious in his words and actions, watching more, listening more, learning more, and talking less.

This one look really made him realize that something was wrong.

Although this coach's style of doing things is very tough and he seems to have the final say, his subordinates dare not resist.

But he could see that his two deputy commanders were resentful but dared not speak out. Zhao Renzhi was the peacemaker between the two sides, and he was able to please both sides.

It's okay in the short term, but in the long run, if the head coach and the deputy head coach don't get along, problems will arise sooner or later.

The main focus of today's meeting is to discuss the strategy of the Northern Expedition. The court still has large tracts of land such as Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, and Shandong that have not been recovered.

His Majesty has stationed 300,000 troops in Kaifeng and has been waiting for so long. Now that the South has been completely unified and there are no worries, the Northern Expedition must be put on the agenda.

"The imperial court can't keep people like us eating for free. You all must always remember to share the worries of His Majesty!" Commander Yang Zhong said seriously as he glanced at everyone.

I am very dissatisfied with the performance of the civil and military officials today, especially the military officers.

The Great Zhou has not yet unified the world, but these military officers have already begun to indulge in enjoyment. This kind of atmosphere is unacceptable!

Zhao Renzhi saw the atmosphere froze for a moment. After a moment's thought, he stood up, bowed, and said, "Commander, please don't be angry. Everyone here has a point. Kaifeng is located in the southern plains. The main targets of the Northern Expedition are Hebei or northern Shanxi. The key is to break through the defenses north of the Yellow River and overcome the cavalry disadvantage. Don't act rashly. We must take a long-term view!"

"Hmph, it's been a long time since we've been talking about taking the long view. The emperor issued an order at the end of last year to prepare for the Northern Expedition. As a result, we haven't even decided on a plan for the Northern Expedition yet. We're blocked by a mere Yellow River and are afraid of other people's cavalry. How can this be okay?" Yang Zhong snorted coldly.

"We're all old buddies, brothers who've shared life and death, a bond of friendship. I don't want to sound harsh, but look at what you've done. Over the past year or so, you've been reduced from tigers to housecats. Where's the spirit of fearlessness and the courage to charge into battle again!!!"

Yang Zhong was so angry that he slammed the table and continued, "Some people, don't think I don't know. They have several mistresses in the city and are secretly making a fortune. I am not going to bother with you now because of our past friendship. If you ever make me angry, I will report you, humph!"

After saying that, he turned away!

There was no result from today's meeting.

Zhang Ping'an lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought, but Lord Huang was no longer surprised.