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

"You are right. I have indeed been preparing for this, but it is definitely not what Your Majesty worries about. I have the intention of rebellion. If I wanted to rebel, I would have rebelled before he had firmly established his throne. Why wait until now, when the dust has settled, for him to put a knife to my neck?" Wei Chengfeng's expression remained unchanged.

"I have always just wanted a peaceful border, free from war!

The reason I haven't handed over the military power is because the time has not come yet. If I don't hand it over, I and these children under my command still have a glimmer of hope. If I hand it over, I will be at the mercy of others. The only exchange I can offer now is the position of deputy commander. No matter who is appointed, I will not interfere. How do you say it?"

Objectively speaking, this is already a huge concession for Wei Chengfeng.

The imperial court had sent military supervisors to the Guazhou military camp before, but none of them could stay.

The people of Guazhou are already tough, and the Guazhou military camp is extremely xenophobic. Coupled with Wei Chengfeng's intervention, the people who come can only be decorations and have no useful value.

Therefore, the imperial court did not even send a military supervisor last year.

Seeing that Zhang Ping'an didn't say anything, Wei Chengfeng continued, "Although he's only deputy commander, he has great power in the army. Moreover, if I don't interfere, he can quickly familiarize himself with military affairs and will most likely take over the Guazhou Army in the future. I'm old and in poor health. How many more years can I hold on? Ahem!"

"Uncle Wei, you are using this trick of inflicting pain on me. Alas! You are putting me in a difficult position!" Zhang Ping'an also sighed. He knew that what Wei Chengfeng said was true, but it was not enough. This was not what Zhou Ziming wanted.

What he wanted was complete military power so that he could completely control the Guazhou cavalry.

"Hehe, you should think about it carefully. Even if it's just for a buffer, it's not bad. You know, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, it will burn your mouth," Wei Chengfeng smiled and insisted.

"Okay, I'll think about it, but I have one last question. Wei Jichuan must be Wei Ziying, the orphan of the Wei family. Why didn't you think of handing over the Guazhou Iron Cavalry to him, but instead let him be an ordinary character among the Thirteen Sons?"

Wei Chengfeng's eyes flashed with surprise after hearing this, but then he understood. "Sure enough, you've even found out this, so Lord Zhao is so confident, right?! But unfortunately, he guessed wrong. Although I love this child more than my own life and promised his father that I would do my best to protect him, I won't trade military power for it. I know exactly what's more important!"

"As for why I haven't considered handing over the military power to him, you asked. It's because he's not suitable. I came to the Northwest to join the army when I was fifteen. Every blade of grass and every tree here has become part of my life. They are more important than my own life. I will only hand over this army to the right person, unless... you have the guts to rob him! Even if you can, I have nothing to say!"

The wind started to blow, and the cold wind of early spring made Wei Chengfeng's clothes rustle.

Although the lion is old, his confidence still makes people admire and move him.

After Zhang Pingan exhaled, he said solemnly: "I will seriously consider it!"

"The wind is blowing, let's go back!"

"I've been a little long-winded today, but after talking to you, I feel much more at ease. Let's go, let's go back!" Wei Chengfeng said and easily jumped on the horse.

After seeing this, Zhang Pingan also mounted his horse and the two rode side by side.

At this time, there was no sign of serious illness on Wei Chengfeng's body. He looked heroic and full of vigor.

After returning to the military camp, Wei Cunren had already ordered people to prepare ginger tea to ward off the cold for the two men.

After drinking it, Zhang Pingan smiled and said, "Thank you, General Wei, for the ginger tea. Hurry up and take Uncle Wei back to rest. Don't get tired!"

Wei Cunren didn't say anything polite. He helped Wei Chengfeng and left.

As soon as the two left, Zhao Renzhi couldn't wait to ask, "How is it? Did he compromise?"

"It's not that easy, but it's not without progress. It can be considered a semi-compromise. He proposed to give up the position of deputy commander in the army and let the court arrange a suitable person to take over, and he will no longer interfere or target us in the future," Zhang Pingan replied.

Zhao Renzhi sneered after hearing this: "That means we are still under the control of others. Although the position of deputy commander is tempting, His Majesty will not agree to it."

Zhang Pingan nodded. "Indeed, I told him that, but his feelings for the Northwest and the Guazhou Iron Cavalry are very deep, even more so than his own life, and Wei Ziying's life. Anyway, there's still time to grind!"

"Since it has been confirmed that Wei Jichuan is Wei Ziying, we can actually use this incident to charge him with the crime of harboring a criminal and change the leader legitimately. Is that also feasible?" Qian Jie pondered.

"The time has not come yet. If we make a fuss about this, we'll be at the final stage of a falling out. What we want is to completely take over and control the Guazhou Iron Cavalry, not just a tiger talisman. Wei Ziying is an orphan of the Wei family. As you all know, although the Wei family army is gone, its influence is still great. Doing so will not only fail to convince the public, but will probably also arouse the anger of the army!"

Zhang Pingan rejected it immediately upon hearing it.

It's not time to bring this matter to the surface yet.

"This doesn't work, and that doesn't work. So what should we do?" Zhao Renzhi frowned, with a hint of complaint in his words.

Zhang Pingan said calmly: "I said it's not the time yet, so just be patient!"

A higher-ranking official can crush someone to death. Zhao Renzhi felt aggrieved and too lazy to say anything more. He immediately opened the tent curtain and left.

Qian Jie crossed his arms and looked around. He and Zhang Pingan were the only ones left.

So, without any reservations, he asked directly, "Continue to argue with Wei Chengfeng? How do you say that? He clearly doesn't care about his own life, nor does he care about Wei Ziying's life. He's putting himself at risk and making it very difficult to deal with!"

"One word, wait!" Zhang Ping'an raised his eyelids and replied.

"Wait?" Qian Jie's expression turned serious. "Do you have a plan?"

"It was only in the past two days that I understood the emperor's intention of sending Zhao Renzhi here. Now I guess it's time for him to take action. All we have to do is wait."

Qian Jie frowned: "Can you explain yourself more clearly?"

"A loud drum needs no hammer, and there's no point in talking too much." Zhang Ping'an shook his head. "I'm just guessing. We should have a clear answer in the next two days."

If he had only doubted it before, he now completely understood that Zhao Renzhi was just a pawn doing the dirty work, and there would be others who would enjoy the fruits of their labor after clearing the obstacles.

He even felt a little sympathy for him.

Qian Jie was not a very curious person, and since Zhang Pingan was unwilling to say more, he stopped asking.

Everyone has his or her own plans, so it would be pointless to try to get to the bottom of things.

Beneath the calm surface of the water, undercurrents are surging.

This atmosphere continued until three days later, when reports came from Yumen Pass that there was an enemy attack.

Everyone was shocked!