After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

Proud as Xun Xiu was, when Zhao Hanzhang came up holding a wine jar, he couldn’t help but stand up with his bowl in hand.

Zhao Hanzhang poured him a bowl of wine and said with a smile, "I heard that when General Xun recaptured Xuchang, he led eight hundred soldiers into the city alone and took the first merit in retaking Xuchang!"

Xun Xiu felt pleased, but he humbly said to Zhao Hanzhang, "It’s all thanks to General Zhao for luring away the Xiongnu stationed at Xuchang. The Yamen General guarding the city was under Qiao Xi. After Qiao Xi died, their morale faltered, and they sent out a large force to chase General Zhao, so I took advantage of it."

Mi Ce squeezed in and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, who among us hasn’t taken advantage of General Zhao? Half of the Xiongnu Army in Yu State was lured away by General Zhao and General Beigong."

At this, the soldiers finally remembered to ask, "General, where is General Beigong?"

Zhao Hanzhang replied regretfully, "General Beigong was very homesick and has returned to Xiliang."

Xun Xiu then inquired, "In this Yu State battle, does General Beigong count as having the first merit?"

The soldiers all pricked up their ears. Although they were mostly free from court control now, they were still very pleased if they could accumulate military merits and receive official recognition from the court.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and nodded, pouring herself some wine as she said, "Indeed, General Gou and General Beigong hold the first merit. Without them, solving the crisis in Yu State wouldn’t have been so easy."

She clinked her bowl against theirs, "A toast to General Beigong and General Gou."

Zhao Hanzhang drank it all in one go.

The soldiers sincerely acknowledged the merits of Gou Xi and Beigong Chun, and seeing Zhao Hanzhang already setting the tone, they also raised their bowls, "A toast to General Beigong and General Gou."

Zhao Hanzhang laughed with them, "But all of you generals have accomplished not small deeds either, I’ve noted it all. Once this is over, I will write to the court and commend you to be granted titles."

Their eyes shone brightly, and they happily agreed one by one.

Governor Zhang, left behind, saw that they seemed to already regard Zhao Hanzhang as the Inspector and felt frustrated. He drank the wine in his bowl in one gulp and turned to leave.

He had secretly sent someone to contact Prince East Sea this afternoon, but had not yet received any news back.

Zhao Hanzhang noticed him turning to leave, so she immediately brought the wine jar forward, blocked his path and said, "Governor Zhang, the soldiers are happily sharing revelry, why are you frustrated? Come, come, let me offer you three bowls of wine."

She laughed heartily and said, "I just realized today that wine is a wonderful thing, enhancing joy in joy, comforting in gloom, truly a fine product."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers laughed heartily, "The general has grasped the true essence of wine!"

Zhao Ming, sitting and drinking, curled his mouth and turned to Ji Yuan, "In this aspect, she resembles me slightly."

Ji Yuan didn’t want his master to become a drunkard, but drinking did indeed improve camaraderie with the soldiers, so he remained silent.

Fu Tinghan didn’t drink; he just sat quietly by the side, drinking water.

Zhao Hanzhang, having made her rounds, was still very spirited. She called on everyone to eat and have meat, "While wine is delicious, drinking too much is harmful to health. You should eat more meat! Come, everyone, eat some meat!"

Everyone happily started eating meat.

Governor Zhang, being drawn in, found he couldn’t leave for a moment, feeling more depressed.

Zhao Hanzhang genuinely wanted to talk to Governor Zhang, so she held onto him tightly and kept offering him three bowls of wine, thanking him for his magnanimity and generosity. She sighed and said, "Governor Zhang, by choosing to set aside prejudices and join me in expelling the Xiongnu, it shows that your heart is still with the people. For this alone, I should toast to you."

After speaking, she poured another bowl of wine for herself and Governor Zhang.

Whether Governor Zhang was moved or not was uncertain, but the generals around him were moved. Xun Xiu sighed, "For General Zhao to think this way shows an even broader heart."

Governor Zhang, whose mood had just slightly improved, immediately felt worse again.

Zhao Hanzhang felt awkward, she truly meant to praise Governor Zhang. After all, she was going to dismiss him, and since he had worked in Ruyin County for many years, it felt somewhat awkward to replace him as soon as she came to power.

So she thought to praise him first, hoping to soften the atmosphere a bit when discussing his dismissal later. Who knew it would backfire.

Zhao Hanzhang had a headache; she really had no experience with such matters. Before, she had only read about them in books. In reality, she was just a teacher and a librarian; her theoretical knowledge, though extensive, lacked practical experience.

Speaking of which, after she dismisses him, there won’t be a bloody event, right?

Governor Zhang really seemed to dislike her very much.

Just as she was feeling troubled, a soldier carefully avoided the crowd and approached Ji Yuan, handing him a letter.

Ji Yuan unfolded the letter, and his warm expression instantly turned cold.

Fu Tinghan, sitting nearby, couldn’t help but turn his head to look, "What’s wrong?"

Ji Yuan handed the letter over to him to read.

Fu Tinghan took it, scanned through it quickly, and his expression also turned a bit grim.

Glancing at Zhao Hanzhang, who was still looking puzzled and holding onto Governor Zhang to explain, he stood up and walked over.

Ji Yuan was taken aback, hurriedly saying, "Prince, this matter can wait until later, tonight is..."

However, Fu Tinghan had already reached Zhao Hanzhang’s side, took her hand and pulled her to one side, saying, "No need to be distressed anymore."

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"Hmm?"

Fu Tinghan handed her the letter, "Someone has made the decision for you."

Zhao Hanzhang, already a little tipsy, took the letter with a laugh. She read it and couldn’t help but chuckle, laughing so much tears nearly fell from her eyes.

She shoved the wine jar into Fu Tinghan’s arms, stepped forward and patted Governor Zhang on the shoulder with a grin, "Governor Zhang, do you still want to be the Inspector of Yu State?"

Governor Zhang’s heart skipped a beat; his gaze fell on the letter in her hand, but he remained expressionless, saying, "The position of Inspector is currently vacant. Anyone who possesses virtue and talent can obtain it..."

"But do you have virtue and talent?" Zhao Hanzhang looked at him with a smile, "You neither have the people’s commendation nor the ability to quell chaos. Thirdly, the entire Yu State knows that I paid a great price to invite Gou Xi to join me. Since he helped expel the Xiongnu from Yu State, even if we can’t repay him in full measure, shouldn’t we avoid kicking him when he’s down at this moment?"

Zhao Hanzhang waved the letter in her hand and jokingly asked Governor Zhang, "Governor Zhang, which aspect of virtue or talent do you possess?"

Although she was smiling, the soldiers around her could all sense her anger. Confronted with her cold gaze, Governor Zhang felt a chill down his spine and was about to shake off Zhao Hanzhang to leave.

However, Zhao Hanzhang pressed his shoulder firmly, rendering him immobile, "Don’t move,"

She lowered her voice and said softly, "I’m presently in anger and may not have control over my strength. Governor Zhang, do you wish to keep this arm of yours?"

Feeling the pain, Governor Zhang immediately dared not move.

Xun Xiu and the others heard this and exchanged glances. They nudged each other until finally, Zhao Kuan, who had already gotten acquainted with them and made considerable contributions this time, was pushed to the front.