Ye Lin arrived in front of the main tent. Also late, was a burly, yellow-faced general.
The man was of medium build and looked tough. He had a yellow complexion and a small mustache. The guards around him wore different uniforms, but there were even more of them than Ye Lin's, and they all bared their teeth at the sight of Ye Lin, looking arrogant.
If Ye Lin hadn't braced himself, the two groups would have crashed into each other!
"Ye Sima, the Prefect is summoning the generals, why are you late?" The general on the other side steadied himself after stumbling and asked with a cold snort.
"My lord, this is the newly arrived official, Han Hao." Chang Junhou, his close confidant, whispered a reminder from behind.
Ye Lin hadn't transmigrated as Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, or Liu Bei, nor had he become Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, or Ma Chao, so his temper wasn't that good at the moment.
"I respect others, and they respect me." Damn it, Fang Yue, the famous general of He Nei, was his brother-in-law. He himself was a Zhongjun Sima, a position worth a thousand shi. You, a local militia leader from the mountains, given the title of official after being recruited, dare to mess with him?!
"I am a famous general of He Nei! Get out of my way, you insignificant people!"
Ye Lin snorted, puffing out his chest as he swaggered into the Central Army tent, ignoring everyone else. Han Hao's expression shifted several times behind him, but he eventually sneered and followed. He seemed to think that Ye Lin was using his courtesy name.
Inside the tent, massive tallow candles illuminated the space. The light was bright, and the crowd of people was silent.
"This subordinate greets the Governor! Greetings to the County Commandant!"
Ye Lin bowed, his voice booming. Han Hao, however, had moved ahead and spoke in unison with Ye Lin.
After completing the formalities and taking their places, Ye Lin looked around.
In the Qin and Han Dynasties, the right side was considered the position of honor. In the middle of the left side of the tent, facing south and with his back to the north, sat a man in his thirties on a table behind a couch.
He looked sharp, with keen eyes and a ruddy complexion. He wore a meticulously tailored, bright red silk official robe, a seal of authority at his waist, and a black Jin Xian crown with two beams. There was no need to guess; this was Wang Kuang, the Prefect of He Nei.
The Western Han favored black official robes, just like the Qin Dynasty. The Eastern Han favored fire, so the official robes were red. The Jin Xian crown, higher in the front and lower in the back, was the standard headwear for Eastern Han officials. The Three Dukes and Nine Ministers could have a crown with three beams. Wang Kuang was a two-thousand-stone Prefect, hence the two beams.
On Wang Kuang's left, in the position of a deputy general, sat a white-faced warrior in his early thirties, clad in iron armor and leaning on his sword. It was Fang Yue, the County Commandant, and Wang Kuang's brother-in-law. The other officials stood on either side, according to their civil or military ranks.
The Prefect originally wanted to use the roll call to reprimand Ye Lin, the greenhorn Central Army Commander, for being late!
However, after an incense stick burned out, this guy actually marched in with the drumbeat. Moreover, Han Hao, the newly appointed official who volunteered to fetch people, arrived later than him. So, the attempt to intimidate him was abandoned.
At this moment, in the military ranks on the west side of the main tent, Ye Lin, as the Central Army Commander, was a general leading a thousand soldiers. He stood at the front of the line in the first empty position. Looking down, the other Sima and County Commandants were in full military uniform, behaving properly and not looking sideways.
Across from him, the annoying, sallow-faced official, Han Hao, was also in military uniform, but he stood proudly in the first position to the east of the Prefect. Below him were the County Assistant, the Merit Official, the Chief Clerk, the Inspector, and other civil officials, as well as the county magistrates and chiefs of several major counties in He Nei.
"I say, everyone, the Guan Dong Lords are allied at Suan Zao to punish the traitor Dong Zhuo. Now, that scoundrel Dong has sent someone to persuade us to surrender. What do you all think we should do?"
Wang Kuang's Luo Yang official language had a distinct Shandong accent. Besides sounding full of energy, it also carried a hint of inexplicable humor. Most of the generals and officials under his command were from He Nei County, and they usually spoke the Luo Yang accent of the official language.
When Prefect Wang asked this question, those who understood and those who didn't were all buzzing and whispering to each other. They were all speaking in Henan dialect, but no one immediately stepped forward to solve the Prefect's worries.
Ye Lin was pondering what the Prefect was up to. Is this a way to get information? Or is he trying to flush out his enemies? Or perhaps he wanted to see where the officials of He Nei stood politically?
It was true that Dong Zhuo was a tyrant, but he had saved the Emperor at Mang Mountain, and then he had the justification of deposing the young emperor and installing a new one.
Not to mention, the positions of Yuan Shao as the Prefect of Bo Hai, Yuan Shu as the General of the Rear and Prefect of Nan Yang, Bao Xin as the Chancellor of Ji Bei, and even Wang Kuang's position as the Prefect of He Nei, were all granted by Dong Zhuo!
Dong Zhuo granted them positions, and then Wang Kuang and Yuan Shao, upon taking office in the east, formed an alliance to attack the national traitor. People's hearts were truly wicked!
It was clear what kind of people were advising the Grand Tutor; they were all pig-brained!
Moreover, although Yuan Shao was the leader of the Guan Dong Lords, it was the result of everyone's recommendation.
And what happened? Dong Zhuo had Yuan's family in Luo Yang executed, and their heads were displayed to the public. This gave Yuan Shao more justification for revenge. So, with things as they were, how could they negotiate or compromise?
"Gentlemen, what is our plan?!"
The County Administrator Wang Kuang's voice turned somber. He steadied himself on his sword, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the tent.
Ye Lin wasn't intimidated by the outsider Wang Kuang. This was He Nei, not Tai Shan County in Yan Province. In this territory of He Nei's army, it was his brother-in-law and his own He Nei County troops who held sway.
What? Laying an ambush outside with executioners? Giving a signal with a raised cup inside the tent? Try it. Did they think this was some kind of historical novel?
Ye Lin glanced at his brother-in-law, Fang Yue, who stood beside Wang Kuang. Hmm, the County Commandant is closing his eyes and resting his mind, giving no hints or instructions. Oh, so that meant "wait and see." Understood!
"We will follow the County Administrator's lead in all things! We await your orders, my lord."
The one who stepped forward and spoke, cupping his hands in respect, was Wang Fen, the Front Army Commander to Ye Lin's right. This fellow was Wang Kuang's cousin, the leader of the Tai Shan troops. It was said he was an excellent archer, able to hit a target at a hundred paces, but he was ugly, with a rat-like face.
Wang Fen had no choice but to stand out. He thought to himself, These He Nei locals are really clannish. They're all chattering, but no one's stepping up. My brother can't be left hanging, can he? It's just a matter of showing where you stand, what's so hard about that?!
"Even so, we must all work together. The Guan Dong Lords' alliance to punish Dong Zhuo is to relieve the nation's worries and clear the emperor's side. In the face of such a great matter of right and wrong, why are you all hesitating and not speaking?"
Wang Kuang glared at his cousin, who was completely oblivious to the situation. Now wasn't the time for grandstanding and shouting slogans to show your loyalty. What he needed was the attitude of the He Nei generals. What was this guy from Tai Shan County doing here, butting in?
"My Lord," Han Hao, the official sitting opposite Ye Lin, stepped forward with a respectful bow. "May I ask who the envoys from Luo Yang are? What proposals and demands does the court have?"
Han Hao's confidence came from the thousand fierce He Nei followers under his command, who had, of course, been recruited into the new He Nei army.
Han Hao had led these men in countless battles, supposedly to protect their hometowns, against the Yellow Turban Rebels and the White Wave Bandits in He Nei!
Therefore, Han Hao's reputation within He Nei was, at this moment, not much less than that of Fang Yue, the famous general from He Nei who had gained fame by following Zhu Jun in his many battles against the rebels.
As soon as Han Hao spoke, Fang Yue's eyes next to Wang Kuang widened slightly. Ye Lin had already sensed something. This Han fellow was very good with words, only mentioning the court and not Dong Zhuo. Was this guy planning to compromise with the court and accept an amnesty again?
"Yuan Si speaks correctly," Wang Kuang replied. "Dong the Villain controls the court, holding the Emperor hostage to command the lords. There is no court to speak of now...
However, the envoys who have arrived are Han Rong, the Grand Herald; Hu Mu Ban, the Commander of the Guard; Wu Xun, the Director of Works; and Wang Gui, the Colonel of the Cavalry, all important officials of the court, who have brought an edict to persuade the lords to submit to Luo Yang."
Yuan Si was Han Hao's courtesy name. When the governor mentioned "the Commandant of the Gilded Guard, Hu Mu Ban," his tone paused. Hu Mu Ban was his brother-in-law. Dong Zhuo sending Hu Mu Ban as an envoy was undoubtedly a move to divide, weaken, and attempt to recruit Wang Kuang.
After all, He Nei County was just north of the Yellow River, right on the doorstep of the Luo Yang court!