Chapter 42: There are cows!

"Commander, the elite troops selected from various places have arrived one after another. On average, a squad leader is appointed for every fifty men, but none of the units are at full strength. The higher-ups are deliberately planting their own people."

Roughly calculating, Wu An would need at least eight more squad leaders under his command.

When he previously negotiated with the Empress, she was only willing to grant a troop quota of three hundred men. However, the final official documents issued by the Ministry of War and the Three Secretariat specified five hundred men—two hundred more soldiers than originally agreed.

These were certainly not hastily assembled peasant soldiers or tribal levies casually rounded up from the borderlands, but authentic Tang dynasty garrison militia, and in all probability, elite troops drawn from the Twelve卫 Garrisons.

Still, Wu An would have to offer deep gratitude to the heavens if even one out of every ten of these men proved to be genuinely competent.

As a former junior officer, he understood the mindset of certain military generals all too well.

Everyone was bound to keep their own trusted confidants and carefully nurtured soldiers close at hand; those were prized assets capable of turning the tide anywhere. Why would anyone willingly send them away to the palace just to curry favor?

A military confidant was far more than a simple subordinate; at critical moments, they represented military merits, a way out, and your very lifeline!

The Centurion Guard originally consisted of slightly more than a hundred men, but only a quota of one hundred soldiers was allocated to Wu An. Combined with the hundred-odd men transferred from the Hexi army and the three hundred elite troops selected from various other forces, they managed to patch together this Five-Hundred-Strong Thousand-Rider Command.

Wu An originally still had dozens of fellow-townsman comrades and soldiers from his days in Hexi. If that final battle had not been so devastating, they would have formed the foundation of his future military career.

Now, he had to settle for the next best options: Liang Xin and Zhang Wu were both decent choices.

Liang Xin was cautious by nature yet occasionally displayed a radical streak. His immediate judgment was that the imperial court was planting insiders within the Thousand-Rider Command.

"The number of troops a squad leader commands exceeds fifty men. This is the capital; although corruption and embezzlement of soldiers' pay do occur, the higher-ups investigate strictly and won't let it become too outrageous. Therefore..."

Liang Xin weighed his words carefully and slowly continued:

"In other words, excluding myself and Zhang Wu, at least eight squad leaders must emerge from the remaining four hundred men."

Above the squad leaders, there were no higher-ranking military officers to pass down orders and report back, which meant Wu An had to take over and build a government office of several hundred men entirely from scratch.

Back in Hexi, while serving under Heichi Changzhi, Wu An had seen and learned a great deal, but he had only ever been a squad leader himself.

If Wu An simply accepted his current role as a mere blade in the hands of the Emperor and Empress, ready to be discarded whenever they pleased, then naturally he would have no need to worry about the operational logistics of this office.

Even looking at it from Liang Xin's perspective, these eight squad leaders were actually not meant to restrict him. Rather, the Emperor or the Empress had taken his practical execution capabilities into account and deliberately added mid-level officers to alleviate the difficulties Wu An might face when mobilizing personnel.

Wu An stroked the document in his hand, his gaze sweeping once more over the names, native places, origins, and official posts. Suppressing the gloom in his heart, he asked, "What is the progress on the information regarding the Li estate that I asked you to gather earlier?"

Liang Xin immediately replied:

"Most of it is groundless hearsay, but the Li estate has an endless stream of visitors coming and going, with numerous social engagements. Cases of accepting bribes certainly exist, including clan members privately acting as intermediaries to smooth over various matters. If we truly want to investigate, we can certainly stir up a great deal."

"But I want more precise information."

Wu An put down the document in his hand and said indifferently:

"The two of you still think too simply. When I told you to investigate matters, you only knew to lead your subordinates around asking questions everywhere.

On the contrary, you could very well attempt to directly contact people within the Li estate, buying off their maids and stewards, and letting those people look and listen on our behalf."

The Emperor and Empress certainly had no inkling of an enigmatic organization from later generations known as the Brocade-Clad Guard, but rulers with even a shred of intelligence were invariably obsessed with establishing such espionage agencies. Wu An surmised that the imperial couple most likely each possessed their own intelligence networks, yet he wished for his own to stand unrivaled.

At the same time, the men under his command must never truly become anything like the Brocade-Clad Guard; they had to remain an... army.

The two superiors above would naturally never agree to this, but Wu An likewise disliked being suppressed—in his past life, the highest pressure he ever faced came from bosses, but absolutely no heaven-mandated emperors!

The study was quiet. Liang Xin and Zhang Wu could tell he was deep in thought, yet both waited in silence.

The former waited because he believed Commander Wu could make the correct decision, while the latter was simply broken into submission after Wu An intentionally or unintentionally tormented him several times through coercion and lure.

"Forget it. After all, this is the court's intention. Even if my subordinates are all newcomers, I can't just kick them out and replace them with a few people of my own choosing."

Wu An glanced at them and said deliberately:

"When the Empress first arranged for me to take charge of the Centurion Guard, the meager hundred or so men I could mobilize to go out with me—aside from you lot, who were selected as elites from the Imperial Guard—what about the rest? The sabers were handed down to you after being used for years by others in the palace; the armor was discarded by the Imperial Guards, heavy as lead, with rusted plates. If you took those to the borderlands, even the lowest-ranking battle-weary soldiers might not be willing to wear them."

He looked at the two commanders, who were lost in their own thoughts, and spoke:

"As for how many men the Centurion Guard originally had, I certainly have no idea, but you've seen it yourselves. The Centurion Guard has now been expanded into the Thousand-Rider Battalion. In the future, one, two, or three thousand men is not out of the question, or perhaps even forming Left and Right My-Rider Armies..."

When that time came, even a Garrison General—let alone a Deputy General—would become the proper commander of an entire army, and neither of you would lack high official positions and generous stipends.

The position of a Commandant of Central Military might not seem terribly low, but Wu An did not believe the two men before him lacked the ambition to climb higher.

In their eyes, their appointments as Commandants were not imperial favors bestowed by the court, but secured directly through Wu An's connections.

Even Zhang Wu was crystal clear on this fact in his heart.

"The court wants us to work; otherwise, it would be impossible to give me so many extra things, but..."

Wu An slowly stood up and said calmly:

"The court provided this many extra men and issued a few hundred sabers. Beyond that, not a single bow, crossbow, piece of armor, nor stipend or provision was included. They want the horse to run fast yet refuse to give it any grass—where under heaven is there such an unreasonable thing?

However, we must also remember: we are not infants who cry for milk whenever we lack it. If we want things, we must fight for them ourselves!"

He looked at Liang Xin and Zhang Wu, saying in a deep voice:

"Rest assured, this official has plenty of methods to whip them into shape and make those 'elites' from the Twelve Garrisons obediently follow my commands."

***

"You've always been the type to ask me for whatever you lacked. What is this? Now that you have five hundred men, are you truly satisfied?"

As usual, the Empress sat behind her desk reading memorials. Hearing Wu An's words, she asked without even raising her head.

"Military armor and weaponry are contraband items after all. Your nephew figures that as long as we achieve more merits for the court, we can eventually secure them. Aunt is a supreme Sage, handling affairs of state a myriad times a day; how could I trouble you over such minor matters?"

The Empress was quite satisfied with Wu An's attitude. Finally setting down her brush, she looked at him with a smile.

"Though you are rash in minor matters, you remain remarkably clear-headed when it comes to matters of great principle."

"Your nephew is a subject, and Aunt is the sovereign. Sharing the sovereign's burdens is a subject's bounden duty."

"If you asked for them now, I could grant them."

"Your nephew does not want them."

This was somewhat unusual... The Empress knew full well that her nephew was by no means an easygoing person. Just from the fact that he previously dared to lead the Centurion Guard straight into the dungeons to strangle Hao Chujun and Xue Zhen, she knew that beneath his obedient exterior lay the bloodthirsty, wild nature of a warrior.

Yet she was pleased, because whenever he faced her, this nephew remained forever submissive and obedient, sparing her any headaches.

"If you want them, I can truly issue the decree for you right now."

"Your nephew truly does not want them."

The Empress's previous rewards had merely been money and jewels. Although valuable, they meant very little to the Empress.

While the Emperor widely promoted Daoism across the country, constructing Daoist temples and building palaces in the Eastern Capital and elsewhere, the Empress maintained a facade of frugality though she frequently donated large sums of powder-and-paint money—the imperial couple practically competed in spending.

Armored gear was an entirely different matter.

If crossbows and bows belonged to items restricted by the court, then armor was an absolute taboo. Even the dark iron armor Wu An wore had to be taken off every day and returned to the palace before being re-issued from within.

The armored soldiers of his Centurion Guard were no exception; unless they were on active patrol duty, their armor had to be stored in the armory on schedule.

Anyone who took it out privately or failed to hand it in on time without a valid explanation would be executed without mercy, according to the Tang Code.

Even if the Empress issued a decree, what he would likely end up in his hands would be a batch of literal "bottom-of-the-chest" antiques, perhaps even rare hidden-edition sets from the first year of Zhenguan.

In any case, he was not qualified to use new and fine equipment, and the officials of the Ministry of War would certainly never give them to him.

As for asking the Empress to personally intervene and apply pressure?

Wu An hadn't even entertained such a foolish thought.

He had to find a way to make the Empress or others offer it voluntarily, rather than begging for it himself.

"You need not concern yourself too much with the Crown Prince's affair. His Majesty has also stated that the illicit deeds Li Jingxuan has been carrying out behind the scenes must be investigated first. The court cannot spend years bestowing ranks and stipends only to nurture a scourge."

The Empress did not pursue the subject further. Instead, she picked up her brush to leisurely review documents and dropped this calm reminder.

Wu An carefully weighed her words, a subtle ripple stirring in his heart.

What she said sounded indeed like the admonition of an elder—careful instruction delivered with unyielding dignity.

If she wanted to use him to eliminate Hao Chujun—even though that man possessed immense prestige in the court and served as a reigning chancellor—Wu An could completely understand it. He might even have believed that she truly intended to groom him as a junior member of the family.

Yet from some unknown point onward, that initial impression began to shift.

Perhaps it was the realization that behind the Empress stood the Emperor, and the Emperor's actual target was the Eastern Capital; from that very moment, Wu An had plunged back into a prisoner's dilemma, where the ultimate objective of every subsequent decision he made was merely self-preservation.

No wonder her tactics all along seemed so crude while he was forced to throw himself headfirst into the fray.

This couldn't even be considered an open strategy; after all, if the Emperor and Empress hadn't personally entered the ring to battle, he would have long since been destroyed by Li Jingxuan's extensive court connections.

They didn't care whether he saw through it or not. As long as he refused to obediently follow the script, they had countless ways to kill him.

Wu An stood before the Empress, his gaze darkening slightly.

He hoped to unravel the true objective of the Emperor and the Empress: was it merely to check the Crown Prince and intimidate the Eastern Palace, or to thoroughly depose him once and for all?

One thing, however, was certain: it was precisely his appearance that likely prompted them to start considering these possibilities.

"Your nephew has come to wish Aunt a good morning, and now I must attend to my duties."

"Mmm..."

Still not lifting her head, the Empress waved her hand casually: "You are an official of the court now. Work diligently."

"I shall strictly follow Aunt's teachings."

As the sound of footsteps faded away, the Empress slowly raised her head, gazing toward the empty hall doors with a deep, thoughtful look in her eyes.

***

"There is nothing under heaven that can be kept hidden from Her Majesty."

Shangguan Wan'er reminded him.

"I am not asking you to be my accomplice. I simply want you to tell me small details: whom she sees every day, what she says, and whose memorials she reads. Just tell me these minor things, and she will never find out."

What this bastard was asking her to do was far worse than being an accomplice... Shangguan Wan'er felt a chill of anger wash over her, wondering if the world was completely broken.

She was merely a young female official on the rise.

As for the desire for revenge, she truly... did not have any.

Shangguan Wan'er felt that he was treating her as a mere tool, and shot him a fiercely venomous glare.

"Even the words we speak tonight, I will go back and tell Her Majesty—every single word, without omission!

I am doing perfectly fine as a female official in the palace; why on earth would I do these things for you?"

She finished saying all this in one breath. Seeing that Wu An remained entirely unprovoked, she immediately spoke in a cold tone:

"If you intend to use my family's circumstances to persuade me, let me tell you this: don't even think about it!"

"It is true that my elders and ancestors died at the hands of Empress Dowager, but... my mother is still living in the Yeting Prison. Since she is still alive, I must consider her life, must I not?"

Wu An acknowledged this with a hum; he was well aware of Shangguan Wan'er's situation.

Given the kind of person the Empress was, to actually keep Shangguan Wan'er close by to serve her—and even personally instruct her in court protocol—meant that if Shangguan Wan'er truly harbored malice, she would have had countless opportunities to assassinate the Empress, at the mere cost of her own life and her mother's.

She did not want to die; she wanted to live well.

"Actually... I simply want to live."

"As long as you perform well enough, Her Majesty will truly protect you!"

Wu An shook his head slightly.

Many years ago, a Crown Prince named Li Zhong was falsely accused by Xu Jingzong and others of plotting a rebellion alongside Shangguan Yi and others, ultimately resulting in him being repeatedly demoted to a commoner.

Li Zhong died, Shangguan Yi died, and while Xu Jingzong escaped being slaughtered after outliving his usefulness, that was only because his foundation was far too formidable; at the time, he and the Empress were allies rather than master and servant.

The target he was now dealing with was likewise the Eastern Palace, yet Wu An lacked any confidence whatsoever that he wouldn't be liquidated when the time came.

After all, the tallest tree catches the wind. Didn't the Sima clan back then slaughter the entire family of Cheng Ji after the deed was done?

Whether he himself was Xu Jingzong or Cheng Ji was a matter of glaringly obvious clarity.

"I'm sorry, but tonight, besides you, I have invited another guest."

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Shangguan Wan'er still flared up with anger.

She had been more than fair to Wu An, yet now he was scheming against her!

She immediately stood up, her eyes returning to a cold, moon-like detachment.

"Since you have guests, I shall leave."

Before she could react, Wu An said in a deep voice:

"My guest tonight is Prince Han, Li Yuanjia."

Shangguan Wan'er: "?"

Damn it, you bastard Wu An!

I don't want to hear this!

Wu An shook his head slightly. Even though he knew Shangguan Wan'er would certainly not go back and run her mouth, he still said calmly:

"Actually, since you came to my quarters tonight and heard these words, if you go back and breathe a word of it, do you really think the Empress will still be able to tolerate you? Think of your current life, think of your mother."

"Before you did these things, did you never give any thought to the future?"

Shangguan Wan'er's voice squeezed through her teeth, her tone freezing cold.

"Then when you served the Empress, did you never think that you should have been the most cherished granddaughter of a reigning chancellor, born to a life of luxury and fine silks, destined to find a husband of peerless talent and looks when you grew up, instead of kneeling on the ground day in and day out... serving others?"

Wu An looked at her and said slowly:

"If you still have reservations, I can give you my promise."

"Your mother, I shall provide for her; you need not worry."

Wu An had experienced the wars of the borderlands, but he was not a purely traditional Tang warrior; hence, he almost instinctively seized every opportunity to expand his own sphere of influence.

If he truly exhausted every possibility and then calmly walked toward his death, the outcome wouldn't be too bad.

However, if he began to slack off now and only felt regret when the executioner's blade pressed against his neck, it would be far too late.

This was also one of the primary reasons why Hao Chujun, Xue Zhen, and even the civil and military ministers across the court remained in a state of intellectual "shutdown" throughout the entire affair.

They were still habitually probing and testing the waters, never expecting that this mad dog returning from Hexi would bite down with a single snap and refuse to let go.

Such a tactical approach was not entirely unheard of, but decades had passed since the founding of the dynasty, and half of the aristocracy and officials who owed their positions to their ancestors' military merits had long since sunk into the decadent comforts of Chang'an, wrapping all their actions in layers of slick smoothness.

And this smoothness was a basic skill for any court official, because the reigning emperor was not nearly as easy to serve as Emperor Taizong.

Conversely, warriors were the exact group of people who least liked to reason things out.

Once faces were torn, the first thing a warrior handed over was not a polite step down, but a blade.

Wu An had cultivated this fine habit.