What Xiao Yuan ate during this meal was like a piece of cake.
During the banquet, everyone was changing glasses, and there was endless laughter and laughter. Only he and Peng Shuang were standing there, and no one wanted to have a glass of wine with them.
This obvious atmosphere of isolation made him feel uncomfortable all over, and he didn't want to stay any longer.
Could it be that they were treated so differently just because they were from poor backgrounds and had no money to give heavy gifts?
Peng Shuang was suffocating in his heart, and he couldn't help but raise his head and drink the wine.
After the banquet, on the next day, Lu Bolin also summoned Xiao Yuan and Peng Shuang again, because by this time, the appointments and rewards from the imperial court had come down for this battle against the ghost clan.
After being introduced to Lu Mansion by the butler, and seeing Lu Bolin in the hall, the two of them also clasped their fists, saluted and said, "Shuai Lu."
"No need to be polite." Lu Bolin sat on the chair directly above him. After speaking, he also picked up the tea cup and took a sip, and then said: "Your appointments have been announced."
"Oh?" Hearing this, Peng Shuang looked obviously excited, and Xiao Yuan was also shocked. Anyone who is a human being would be nervous about his future.
Moreover, in this battle, the two of them made great achievements. After receiving the awards, if nothing unexpected happens, they will definitely be promoted several levels in a row.
But to the surprise of both of them, Lu Bolin said in a calm voice: "The imperial court means that you two will continue to lead the troops and garrison in Liucheng. Xiao Yuan will be appointed as the captain of Liucheng, and Peng Shuang will be the deputy captain."
"What!?" When Peng Shuang heard this, he immediately showed an incredible look.
To be honest, in terms of military exploits, the two of them would never be like this, because the two crucial battles were fought by the two of them.
These two battles, Poyue City and Liucheng defense, played a decisive role.
More importantly, before Poyue City, the Central Plains army had been suppressed and beaten by the ghost army. It is no exaggeration to say that Xiao Yuan's battle turned the entire battle situation around.
Without him and Peng Shuang, there would be no hope of winning this war.
But now, the two men's military exploits have been obviously covered up!
Seeing Peng Shuang's expression, Lu Bolin glanced at him, put down the teacup and said, "What? Do you have any objections?"
"This is unfair!" Peng Shuang, who was upright and outspoken, immediately shouted angrily: "When I came here just now, I heard that Deng Qing was promoted to former general. He is such a loser, greedy for life and afraid of death, useless, and a complete rat! What ability does he have to be promoted to a former general!"
"And General Xiao and I fought bravely to defeat the enemy, broke through the Moon City, and fought bloody battles in Liucheng! In terms of military achievements, why are we not as good as Deng Qing!"
"Is it just because Lu Shuai celebrated his birthday yesterday that Deng Qing gave him a big gift?"
He asked questions one after another, straightforwardly. Lu Bolin's face immediately darkened, and then he slapped the table beside him hard.
With a 'bang' sound, he also stood up, pointed at Peng Shuang and shouted angrily: "How presumptuous! This is an appointment from the imperial court! What do you want to do!"
Hearing this, Xiao Yuan quickly pulled Peng Shuang calmly, and then said to Lu Bolin: "Commander Lu, please calm down. Peng Shuang has no intention of committing any crime. We and I have no objections to this appointment."
"This!" Peng Shuang heard this and glanced at Xiao Yuan anxiously.
He still wanted to argue with Lu Bolin, but Xiao Yuan understood that if the argument continued, it would be meaningless, and the only ones who would suffer would be the two of them. Therefore, he also quickly winked at Peng Shuang, signaling him not to continue. Talk a lot.
Seeing this, Peng Shuang took a deep breath, then hugged his fists towards Lu Bolin, and said in a muffled voice: "Peng Shuang obeys the order."
"Huh!" Lu Bolin snorted coldly, glanced at the two of them again, and then said lukewarmly: "In that case, you two should not stay in the capital for a long time, and should return to Liucheng as soon as possible to take up their posts."
"Yes, I'm resigning." Xiao Yuan saluted, then pulled Peng Shuang, and the two left Lu Mansion.
As soon as he left the gate of Lu Mansion, Peng Shuang couldn't bear it any longer and said angrily: "Why didn't you let me continue arguing with him just now?"
"Is it useful?" Xiao Yuan glanced at him: "Lu Bolin has a high and powerful position. Our appointment is said to be the decree of the imperial court. To put it bluntly, it is not up to him to have the final say whether we have military exploits or not. Besides, he doesn't like it in the first place. If you continue to argue between the two of us, you should be reduced to a foot soldier."
As he spoke, he continued: "In today's world, official circles are dark, and the same is true in the army. You have been in the army for so many years, don't you still understand?"
"I'm just not convinced! A rat like Deng Qing can be promoted to a former general! What ability does he have! When encountering a war, he is greedy for life and afraid of death! He can run faster than anyone else!" Peng Shuang said with a blush on his face.
Xiao Yuan shook his head slightly: "It's okay not to be convinced. Do you have money?"
After saying that, he sighed again: "Forget it, let's go back to Liucheng."
From this moment on, Xiao Yuan also officially became a sixth-grade military attaché appointed by the imperial court.
A few days later, the two returned to Liucheng. At this time, because the war was over and the ghosts had surrendered, Liucheng had returned to its previous scene. The sounds of hawking began to appear on the streets, and there was an endless stream of pedestrians.
After returning, Xiao Yuan immediately gathered his troops and began to build a military camp outside the city to prepare for a long-term military garrison.
On this day, when he was commanding his soldiers outside the city, Liu Yuzhi, the magistrate of Liucheng County, came looking for him.
Upon hearing his arrival, Xiao Yuan stopped what he was doing and hurriedly welcomed him out. After all, he would be stationed in Liucheng from now on and would inevitably have to deal with the county magistrate frequently. Besides, Liu Yuzhi was a person he felt was worthy of close friendship.
After the two met and exchanged greetings, Liu Yuzhi was the first to speak: "I thought that after the last battle, the general would probably be promoted in the Lu family army, but unexpectedly he was transferred back to Liucheng."
Hearing this, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Isn't it the same with Mr. Liu? The credit for defending Liucheng has been wiped out by the higher authorities, and I don't know who is being blamed."
When Liu Yuzhi heard this, he waved his hand indifferently: "Huh? These are all expected, and there is nothing strange about them. This is how officialdom is nowadays, and I have long been used to it."
As he spoke, he added: "General, don't think too much. It might be better if we break away from the Lu family army, right?"
"Haha, what Mr. Liu said is absolutely true." Xiao Yuan also smiled heartily.
After chatting, Liu Yuzhi paused and said, "I came here this time because I have something serious to do with General Xiao."
"Oh?" Xiao Yuan raised his eyebrows in confusion.
Liu Yuzhi reminded: "Now, the general has become the captain of Liucheng, and I and other superior officers are all the guards of Anyang County. It is time to pay a visit."
At that time, under the county system, Liucheng was a county, under the jurisdiction of Anyang County.
Now, Xiao Yuan serves as a sixth-grade military attache here. Although he has his own army, his superior officer is still the Anyang County Governor, and his military pay, food and grass supplies, etc. are also allocated by the County Governor.
If it weren't for Liu Yuzhi's reminder, he really wouldn't have known about this matter. After hearing this, he nodded and said, "I understand. Thank you Mr. Liu for reminding me."
