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Huang Xu stole a glance at the tricolor banner fluttering ahead of the procession. As he walked, he sidled closer to Huang Cheng and whispered, "Uncle Ye, what's the deal with Fei Langjun's banner? What's it supposed to mean?"
Huang Cheng shot him a sideways glance and said, "Can't figure it out, huh?"
Huang Xu nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at grain.
"Heh, good luck with that! Who do you think you are, trying to understand Fei Langjun's intentions? Focus on keeping up, or if we don't reach Anyi by suppertime, your squad's cooking for the whole camp!" Huang Cheng, who didn't understand it himself, was merely teasing Huang Xu. With a chuckle, he ignored Huang Xu's dejected expression, gave his horse a light nudge, and rode ahead.
Anyi was once the capital of the Wei state during the early Warring States period. At that time, Wei's territory was primarily in Hedong, with Anyi as its capital. As Wei expanded eastward, its core territory shifted to Henan, and Anyi's location in a corner of Hedong became less strategic for controlling eastern vassals and consolidating power. In the sixth year of Duke Hui of Wei, the capital was moved to Daliang, shifting Wei's center southeast.
Nevertheless, as a key stronghold on the front lines against Qin and Zhao, Anyi sat on the fertile Hedong plain, blessed with abundant water and soil. Its strategic location, combined with its history as a former capital, made it a hub of thriving economic and commercial activity.
As suppertime approached, Fei Qian's party finally reached the outskirts of Anyi.
Having sent scouts ahead to make contact and explain their arrival, and with Fei Qian's force numbering less than a thousand, the people of Anyi were not overly alarmed.
Fei Qian began setting up camp southwest of Anyi's outskirts and sent someone with his calling card to deliver to the office of Wang Yi, the Governor of Hedong Commandery.
As the administrative seat of Hedong Commandery, Anyi was, of course, a significant stronghold.
As the former capital of Wei in the early Warring States period, Anyi was impressive in both the scale of its walls and the extent of its city. Now, nearing suppertime, the roads were bustling with people leaving the city after market visits and others entering to make purchases, creating a crowded, chaotic scene.
Fei Qian frowned, initially reluctant to write another calling card. After some thought, however, he wrote one more and handed it to Huang Xu to deliver to the Wei clan of Hedong within the city.
After all, the Wei clan was a prominent local family, and proper courtesy was necessary. Whether the Wei clan chose to engage was their decision.
Watching Huang Xu's retreating figure, Fei Qian asked Huang Cheng, "Uncle Ye, does Huang Xu not have a courtesy name?"
Huang Cheng nodded. "Indeed, he has no courtesy name. Mine was given by the family head… Huang Xu, well, he grew up poor and had to train in martial arts. His family took the path of valor, but they couldn't afford the blood food needed to sustain it, so they had to compromise. Huang Xu pushed himself too hard in training, which left him looking like this…"
Martial artists consumed vast amounts of energy during training, requiring high-fat, high-calorie foods to replenish themselves. Ordinary grains like millet or sorghum were insufficient, so they often relied on animal meat and blood, known as blood food.
Huang Cheng, outwardly simple but sharp within, added, "If Fei Langjun has a mind to nurture Huang Xu, perhaps you could grant him a courtesy name?"
Fei Qian nodded but didn't respond immediately.
Huang Cheng was now essentially Fei Qian's trusted confidant. With the connection to the Huang family of Jingxiang, his loyalty was unquestionable. However, Fei Qian couldn't rely on Huang Cheng for everything.
Du Yuan, on the other hand, was a recent addition to the civil administration side, currently handling logistics. For instance, after setting up camp, each squad went to Du Yuan to register and collect supplies.
Managing logistics allowed Fei Qian to assess Du Yuan's ability to handle complex, detailed tasks and to test whether he might exploit his position for personal gain.
In later times, there was a saying: "It's not that someone can't be bought, but that the price isn't right or suitable."
Fei Qian was, in effect, evaluating Du Yuan's worth.
Though Du Yuan came from a gentry family, it had fallen into ruin. While Fei Qian's party was small, aside from his personal wealth, they carried three months' worth of military pay—a considerable sum of liquid assets…
Wealth dazzles the eyes, and windfalls stir the heart.
Thus, Du Yuan needed to pass this probationary period before gradually entering Fei Qian's inner circle.
As for Cui Hou, well, how to put it?
Cui Hou was a born merchant, of that Fei Qian had no doubt. But if removed from the commercial sphere and placed in politics, his foundation was weaker than that of his cousin.
Though Cui Hou was currently traveling with Fei Qian, their connection was fragile. If Fei Qian failed to make progress in Shang Commandery, Cui Hou would likely leave.
This was equally undeniable.
Thus, for Fei Qian, manpower remained critically short, prompting him to consider promoting talents from among the Huang clan.
In the end, it came down to his own thin foundation.
Before Fei Qian's departure, family head Fei Min had sent a batch of supplies and mentioned that he had spoken to some main and branch family members of the Fei clan about Fei Qian's endeavors. The intent was clear: to let them know the Fei family had produced a promising figure who needed support, and to see if any were willing to follow Fei Qian…
Regrettably, the vast majority of Fei clan members preferred to follow Fei Min to Chang'an. None were willing to join Fei Qian in Shang Commandery.
Despite Fei Qian's lofty titles—Left Bureau Commandant, Acting Protector of the Xiongnu Commandant General, Separate Division Marshal, and Acting Governor of Shang Commandery—which arguably outranked Fei Min's position as Advisory Counselor (Jianyi Dafu, ranked at 600 dan), the Fei clan members still chose to follow the lower-ranking official. Fei Qian's role as Acting Governor of Shang Commandery, combined with his military title of Separate Division Marshal, was a solid rank above 1,000 dan.
Yet, they preferred the 600-dan official over Fei Qian. The fundamental reason was simple: they didn't believe in Fei Qian's prospects. Even if he could offer subordinate positions in Shang Commandery, what did it matter?
It was like a company in later times, teetering on the brink of collapse. Who would join, even if offered titles like general manager or department head?
It wasn't that the Fei clan members were shortsighted; Fei Qian's current appeal was simply insufficient. In later times, everyone knew certain companies were powerhouses, but why didn't people join them early on? Even a janitor at such a company, if they had joined early, could have risen to a senior logistics role by now!
Not long after, Huang Xu returned with a reply from the Wei clan of Hedong. Meanwhile, the response from the Governor of Hedong Commandery, though sent earlier, had yet to arrive.
Official correspondence required formal procedures…
Private letters were faster.
But when Fei Qian opened the Wei clan's reply, his brow furrowed…