Free Web NovelChapter 2345: Chapter 2320: Refusal
Bai Shan looked towards Liu Huan and Yin Huo; Bai Erlang didn’t need to look, he didn’t know anything, and Bai Er would know even less.
Liu Huan said, "I’m not familiar either."
Yin Huo said, "I heard my father mention him. He’s quite good, having inherited the title of State Duke Qiao. The Emperor and Princess Zhao had deep feelings for both the late State Duke Qiao, and they treat the two nephews quite well."
Bai Shan understood immediately. So, this person benefited from his ancestors’ favor all the way up, though he wasn’t lacking in character or talent.
When they arrived at the Protectorate, Junior General Guo came out to greet them with red, tearful eyes.
Currently, the Protectorate was still his residence, but he had already prepared to move once the new Protector arrived for the handover.
Seeing his eyes were red, Bai Shan asked, "Has the imperial decree arrived?"
Junior General Guo couldn’t help but shed tears as he nodded, "His Majesty has revoked my father’s official post; I, I may not be able to escort his coffin home."
The Emperor was so upset with General Guo, so Junior General Guo naturally couldn’t propose the matter of escorting the coffin back home at this time. Hence, he could only temporarily place the coffin at the National Temple or bury it in Xizhou.
Junior General Guo planned to wait for a few years until the Emperor’s anger had subsided before bringing up the matter of escorting the coffin home.
Bai Shan could only sigh, reaching out to pat his shoulder.
Manbao also didn’t know how to comfort him, so she took turns patting his shoulder. Yin Huo, seeing they had all patted, couldn’t very well not pat, so he stepped forward to pat too.
When Zhou Liru saw this, she also stepped forward to pat.
Beside them, Junior General Meng raised his hand, and Junior General Guo lifted his head to look at him with reddened eyes.
Junior General Meng hesitated, then nonchalantly lowered his hand and said, "Let’s go in, General Ashina and Steward Chai are waiting inside. Once the handover’s done, I’ll help you move."
Bai Shan promptly said, "We’ll help you move too."
Not to mention General Ashina, Steward Chai was also very courteous to them, especially towards Zhou Man and Bai Erlang, considering the Emperor and Crown Prince had just mentioned them before coming.
He hadn’t expected his luck to be this good, that they were still in Xizhou City, so with a smile, he inquired about the cowpox matter from Zhou Man.
Manbao said, "We’ve vaccinated three batches here, and the results have been quite good. We’ve decided to bring the vaccinated people back for the Imperial Hospital to uniformly assess the situation."
After a pause, she spoke to Steward Chai, "Because the test subjects are all military soldiers, previously General Guo agreed we could take these people away..."
Steward Chai smiled and said, "Since General Guo has promised you, everything will remain unchanged."
Manbao exhaled in relief and, smiling, said to Steward Chai, "Thank you, my lord, for your understanding."
Steward Chai didn’t understand how this counted as understanding, but by the time he realized, subordinates were handing him the account book for payment. They were taking away forty-six people, coincidentally, they were either injured soldiers or very old veterans, and such soldiers returning home were considered retired and thus entitled to settlement fees.
Besides the settlement fees, the account also listed travel expenses as well as a hundred taels of silver previously promised by Junior General Guo.
Of course, it wasn’t a hundred taels per person, or even the Emperor couldn’t afford that; it was divided among the forty-six people.
The official explaining the account said, "General, apart from the hundred taels from Junior General Guo, the rest will be drawn from public accounts."
Unlike General Guo, Steward Chai wasn’t born poor, and he wasn’t as extravagant as General Guo, so he wasn’t very concerned about money. Hence, with only a slight twinge of regret, he signed off on the account.
He said, "Bring out the Protectorate’s accounts for me to look over."
If there was no money, he would have to find ways to get it. The Anxi Protectorate not only handled local governance but also military affairs. Although the Ministry of War provided salaries and equipment, it was inevitably insufficient; soldiers’ food, clothing, and living expenses required funds, not to mention future border patrols and defending against counterattacks from other minor Western Regions states would require even more money.
Thinking, Steward Chai asked, "Is the trade route from Suiye to India open?"
The official immediately reported, "The conflict with Junior Bolu has stopped, without a decisive outcome, so the trade route to India is open again now."
Steward Chai nodded and said, "Later, draft a map from Yutian for me; we need to establish stations with garrisons along the way."
The official was puzzled, "Garrisons?"
Steward Chai nodded, logically stating, "There are many bandits and robbers along the way; to ensure the safety of trade caravans, we need to station troops at the stations to protect them."
Since protection was provided, trade tax naturally had to be collected. Additionally, the local government should contribute a portion of funds for troop sustenance. It wasn’t necessarily much, but accumulated with trade tax, it should be sufficient for station expenses.
Moreover, the stations could also accommodate passing merchants and travelers, providing another source of revenue.
Calculating in his head, Steward Chai was even less hesitant with these funds. Handing the account sheet to the official, he said, "General Ashina is about to set off, and Lord Zhou will accompany him; you should finish this matter swiftly."
The Emperor was still waiting for Bai Er’s return for marriage, and the Crown Prince was waiting for Zhou Man to report on the smallpox issue.
With Steward Chai’s influence, procedures for Bai Shan and the others at the Protectorate were handled exceptionally fast, almost instantly upon request.
The soldiers trailing behind Bai Shan to register for money were amazed by the ease; indeed, having connections made things smoother. Previously when they came to the Protectorate, accomplishing one task in three visits was considered fortunate. But following Young Master Bai, tasks were completed in a day.
Bai Shan himself marveled at the differential treatment.
Previously, when visiting the Protectorate, even with Junior General Guo’s reminders, there were occasional cold seats.
Especially Mr. Zhuang, who had once sat for three consecutive days in the Protectorate.
Bai Shan led the disabled and elderly soldiers to collect their settlement and travel fees, then guided them out, instructing them to return to the barracks first, "We’ll set out the day after tomorrow, you have a day tomorrow to bid farewell to your comrades and prepare your belongings, go."
Everyone looked at each other, momentarily motionless, until the eldest pulled out his purse and took out half of the money, saying, "Young Master Bai, as agreed, if you could take us back to the Central Plains, we’d share half of our earnings with you."
Others also opened their purses to offer money.
Bai Shan was slightly surprised, then smiled and pushed the money back, "I’m not in such dire need of money; this is the settlement fee given to you by the court and the Emperor, a reward for your years guarding the borders and protecting the country. If I were to take that money, I wouldn’t deserve to be called a man."
He said, "Keep your belongings safe. Once we return to the capital, I still owe you each a bolt of silk."
Because another batch had joined later, totaling twenty-two people, Bai Shan and the others didn’t have enough ready fabric, so they promised to settle it when back in the capital.
The silk here was too expensive, purchasing here wasn’t cost-effective.
The soldiers had long stopped dreaming of fabric; they’d even prepared to give half their settlement fees. Seeing Bai Shan refusing, realizing it was like receiving gifts, they were overjoyed, their eyes turning red with emotion.
