After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 912 - 898: Officials of Varying Ranks

After the battle was over, besides the Xiongnu soldiers who escaped, they captured more than two thousand people. Zhao Hanzhang left Zeng Yue and others to clean up the battlefield and follow-up, while she took Shi Le and others into the city.

Linghu Ni enthusiastically led the way for them.

The East City Gate and South City Gate of Jinyang were opened to allow the refugees outside the city to enter. Although it was late at night, it was bustling.

Liu Kun’s organizational ability was quite good. The refugees entering the city were uniformly arranged, preventing them from running around and causing disturbances, which would lead to unnecessary criminal incidents.

The city had already prepared porridge shelters, and many people were summoned to cook water and porridge overnight for the refugees’ use.

Because of the sudden influx of refugees, Liu Kun was so busy that he couldn’t come to meet Zhao Hanzhang for a while.

Instead, Linghu Sheng came over first. He was the general leading the army. In the previous battle, his son was the vanguard, and he was the commander. He had just visited the wounded soldiers’ camp and hurried to pay respects to Zhao Hanzhang afterward.

Zhao Hanzhang looked at the father and son with a gentle demeanor, "No need for formalities. Where is your Inspector?"

Linghu Sheng asked his subordinates and immediately took Zhao Hanzhang to meet him.

Liu Kun freed himself from his busy affairs and looked up to see Zhao Hanzhang. He froze for a moment, then was delighted. He quickly went to greet her, "Lord Zhao!"

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and returned the courtesy after Liu Kun paid his respects.

The two had exchanged letters for four years, and they were both a bit excited to finally meet face to face today.

Liu Kun immediately invited her to the Inspector Mansion to chat. On the way, Liu Kun asked her, "Mr. Ming said that the poem was also suggested by Lord Zhao?"

Zhao Hanzhang asked him, "How many refugees have entered the city? What’s the estimate for how many more are expected, and when will they all be in?"

Liu Kun paused for a moment and first answered her question, "According to the data reported earlier, a total of five thousand six hundred eighty-four people entered through the two city gates. Now, it’s estimated to be eight thousand. Some refugees are scattered widely in the suburbs, so it might take another two hours for them all to enter."

Only then did Zhao Hanzhang answer his question, "The poem wasn’t written by me, nor the music. Both were acquired by chance, and I know Governor Liu loves music, so I thought this piece suited you especially, which is why I gifted it to you."

Liu Kun was somewhat skeptical, "I’ve read extensively, and I’ve never heard of this ’Union of Heaven and Earth.’ Are you sure it wasn’t composed by you, Lord Zhao?"

Zhao Hanzhang gently shook her head and smiled, "There are so many books in the world, and countless talented individuals. We can only see a small part of the world, so how can we define things by our own knowledge?"

Liu Kun’s face turned slightly red, and he said to Zhao Hanzhang, "I misunderstood."

He wanted to ask more about the composition, but Zhao Hanzhang had already shifted the topic, asking questions one after another without a pause, "How much grain and fodder are left in the city? How much can be used to relieve the disaster victims? How far are Wang Jun’s troops from here, and how many people do they have? Have there been any recent attacks?"

Without waiting for Liu Kun to answer, she asked again, "You sought help from the Xianbei, how did Tuoba Yilu respond? Do they have any dealings with Wang Jun?"

Liu Kun’s eagerness to inquire about the music cooled down, and he began to answer Zhao Hanzhang’s questions one by one.

The two of them discussed Jinyang’s current situation for half the night until dawn.

Zhao Hanzhang got up to wash and have breakfast, taking the opportunity to sleep a while longer, while Liu Kun wiped his cold sweat and breathed a sigh of relief, quickly returning to his main courtyard.

Zhao Hanzhang finished washing and eating breakfast in fifteen minutes, then slept for half an hour, so when Jinyang City started to become lively, she woke up, changed into a light outfit, and went out.

She was very curious about the internal situation of Jinyang. Fu Tinghan was busy with logistics, and since Ming Yu and Zhang Bin were idle, she called them along, and also brought Linghu Ni, and they started to wander around the city.

Zhao Hanzhang asked about the city defense of Jinyang, and Linghu Ni did not hesitate to tell her, causing Zhang Bin to glance at him several times.

Linghu Ni didn’t comprehend the meaning of Zhang Bin’s glance, and noticing his gaze, smiled back at him politely.

Zhang Bin: ...

This person is quite naive. Although Zhao Hanzhang now controls the government, she is an Inspector, and Liu Kun is also an Inspector. Both have equivalent positions. Of course, Liu Kun’s power is somewhat smaller; he only manages Jinyang City, while Zhao Hanzhang...

Well, Zhao Hanzhang is about to conquer the entire Central Plains and Northern Land, but shouldn’t Linghu Ni just revealing the city defense to Zhao Hanzhang, right?

Does Liu Kun know how his subordinate generals are compromising him?

Linghu Ni couldn’t really be blamed. It’s because Liu Kun considers Zhao Hanzhang a confidant, and he’s publicly said more than once that he wishes to align with Zhao Hanzhang, so if she ever comes to Jinyang, she should be respected as he is;

For the past two years, Liu Kun’s days have been tough, frequently disturbed by Liu Cong. The last time, Liu Cong almost broke into the city, but Zhao Hanzhang’s "Siege Wei to Rescue Zhao" alleviated their predicament.

After that incident, Liu Kun praised Zhao Hanzhang even more, almost openly stating that he was Zhao Hanzhang’s subordinate.

So in the eyes of Linghu Ni and others, Zhao Hanzhang is equivalent to Liu Kun.

If Liu Kun asks about Jinyang’s city defense, how could they not answer?

Zhao Hanzhang, after understanding the city defenses, asked about the situation of the city’s people, such as the current permanent population, how many refugees have come seeking refuge in the past two years, how many have left, what everyone lives on, the situation with taxes and labor levies...

She asked in detail, but Linghu Ni was not at all fazed, able to answer everything systematically.

Even Ming Yu couldn’t help but turn to look at this young man.

When he eagerly went to buy sweet cakes for Zhao Hanzhang, Ming Yu said, "Miss, this person is a great talent. Do you think you can take him under your wing?"

Zhao Hanzhang looked deeply at the figure of Linghu Ni patiently lining up to buy sweet cakes and nodded slightly.

"Originally, I only wanted to ask Liu Yueshi for one person, but now it seems, I should indeed ask for one more."

Ming Yu’s eyes brightened, asking, "Is there another great talent by Governor Liu’s side? Who is it?"

Zhao Hanzhang: "A talented scholar named Xu Run."

Zhang Bin was thoughtful, but before he had fully processed his thoughts, a commotion arose.

A group of government officials barged into the shop and smashed a basket of sweet cakes. The shopkeeper was dragged out, his face flushed red, loudly pleading for mercy. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Linghu Ni was right behind them. He frowned slightly, stepped forward to stop the government officers, and asked, "What crime has the shopkeeper committed?"

Linghu Ni wasn’t wearing an official uniform, just casual clothes, so the government officers rudely pushed his hand away, snapping, "Who are you? Can’t you see the officers are at work? Move aside quick."

Linghu Ni’s face wasn’t pleasant, and he tightened his grip on the handle of his blade, pushing the government officer back, "How dare you! I am an Assistant General of the Jin Army!"

The government officer frowned, sizing up Linghu Ni, inwardly cursing his bad luck, but he wasn’t afraid of Linghu Ni, merely softening his tone a bit, and perfunctorily raising his hand in salute, "Please, Assistant General, don’t take offense. We are carrying out official duties."

Zhao Hanzhang and her companions squeezed through the crowd to watch the spectacle.

Ming Yu and Zhang Bin were initially hesitant to speak, but seeing Zhao Hanzhang watch with great interest, they held back their words, joining her with hands tucked into sleeves to enjoy the show.