Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 379: Chapter 364, you castrated eunuch without balls, do you think this old man is afraid of you!

Zhang Chengzhi stood up and cupped his fists, saying, ”This subordinate will certainly not disappoint General’s expectations!”

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly and then glanced at Zhang Yuanwu and others, ”You all do your best to assist Mr. Zhang, once this battle is over, I will surely ask for rewards on your behalf!”

”Yes!”

Zhang Yuanwu and others showed joy and responded with cupped fists.

They were most afraid of court punishments, given that they had previously sided with Liu Zeqing. Even if it was just out of compromise or feigning compliance, they indeed did not resist Liu Zeqing at the first opportunity.

Now that Yang Zhenshan mentioned asking for rewards for them, it effectively settled the matter. They were without fault and furthermore had merits, which completely put their minds at ease.

After Yang Zhenshan comforted the officials of the Songzhou Guard, he began arranging other matters.

Leading tens of thousands of troops was not an easy task.

Previously, he only led hundreds to thousands of soldiers, and didn’t need to consider too many things, but now he had forty thousand troops under his command, all of whom’s eating, drinking, and daily needs he had to personally handle.

Having arranged all affairs in order, Yang Zhenshan wrote a battle report and had it sent to Pang Tang.

Inside Qinghua Prefecture.

Pang Tang received the battle report from Yang Zhenshan and felt slightly surprised.

He knew that Yang Zhenshan had just arrived in Songzhou City not long ago, and didn’t expect him to have taken Songzhou City so quickly.

After reading the battle report, Pang Tang was no longer surprised.

The decisions of Zhang Chengzhi, Zhang Yuanwu, and the other military officers were both reasonable and expected, and did not constitute anything surprising.

”Mr. Pang, this is General Yang’s battle report, may I have a look?”

In the study, just as Pang Tang finished the battle report, a person next to him spoke up.

This person was around thirty years old, pale-faced, beardless, with narrow, long eyes that appeared deep and gloomy. At first glance, one would feel this person was not easy to get along with.

This person was Chen Zuchang, the garrison eunuch from Chongshan Town, who had come from the Capital City.

Pang Tang handed over the battle report to him, saying, ”Please have a look, Chen.”

Chen Zuchang opened the battle report and the study fell into quietude, while Pang Tang delicately savored his tea.

After a moment, Chen Zuchang looked up, ”Mr. Pang, there seems to be some impropriety with this battle report!”

”What is the impropriety?” Pang Tang continued savoring his tea.

”This Songzhou City was clearly taken thanks to Mr. Pang’s brilliant strategy, yet General Yang didn’t mention a word about Mr. Pang in the battle report!” Chen Zuchang squinted, looking at Pang Tang with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Pang Tang put down his tea cup, extended his hand to take back the battle report, and looked at Chen Zuchang with a similarly ambiguous smile.

”I, a brilliant strategist?”

”What about it? Mr. Pang is talented and capable, naturally able to strategize and decide the outcome of battles from thousands of miles away!” Chen Zuchang laughed.

Pang Tang could clearly understand his meaning.

Mentioning talent and strategy, the purpose was to entice Pang Tang to snatch the credit.

In fact, Pang Tang hadn’t helped at all; the laborers he organized and the provisions he gathered hadn’t even been transported to An Yuan City yet, let alone participated in the battle for Songzhou City.

However, since Pang Tang was indeed the governor of Chushan Town, if he shamelessly aggrandized himself in the battle report, it wouldn’t be excessive.

But Pang Tang didn’t want to do that!

Looking at Chen Zuchang, Pang Tang’s expression suddenly became stern, ”How long have Chen served the Crown Prince?”

”I have served the Crown Prince for twenty years!” Chen Zuchang said proudly, it was his most prideful matter.

”Twenty years!” Pang Tang exclaimed.

This meant Chen Zuchang was an old servant by the Crown Prince’s side, also a confidant.

Here, he represented the Crown Prince!

Offending him was tantamount to offending the Crown Prince.

”I heard that yesterday Chen had someone move one hundred thousand taels of silver from the treasury!” Pang Tang shifted the topic.

Chen Zuchang had arrived at Qinghua Prefecture the day before, yet he had someone move one hundred thousand taels of silver from the treasury yesterday.

”Yes! What’s the harm in that?” Chen Zuchang didn’t hide his intentions.

”What does Chen intend to do with that silver?”

Pang Tang continued to inquire.

”Hehe, Mr. Pang, some things you ought to understand without me saying them!”

”I don’t understand!”

”What do you mean by this?”

”What I mean!”

Pang Tang stared at him, his turbid eyes emotionless.

His gaze made Chen Zuchang feel uneasy, who awkwardly chuckled, ”Mr. Pang, if you think I took too much, I can return some of it!”

Pang Tang flew into a rage, grabbed a teacup from the table, and hurled it at Chen Zuchang, ”You castrated villain dare to embezzle salary right under my watch!”

”You testicle-less dog, still trying to sow discord between General Yang and me, and drag me into your corruption!”

”Absolutely abhorrent!”

”I have been an official for twenty years, always upright and clean, how dare you, a castrated dog, tarnish my reputation!”

Chen Zuchang did not expect Pang Tang’s sudden outburst, watching the teacup coming and not dodging, it directly hit him on the forehead.

The forehead split open, blood flowed, and before Chen Zuchang could wipe off the bleeding, Pang Tang picked up an inkstone and violently smashed it at him.

”Mr. Pang, you’re mad!” Chen Zuchang shrieked in alarm.

Hearing this, the guards outside immediately rushed into the study.

Clang~~

A guard actually drew his sword.

”Disrespectful thing, daring to draw a sword in front of me, who gave you the courage!”

”Even if the Crown Prince wants to kill me, he must ask whether the court officials would agree! Whether the scholars across the land would agree!”

In his fury, Pang Tang directly smashed the inkstone onto the body of the guard.

”Come, my head is right here, do you dare to chop it off?”

He stretched out his neck in front of a group of guards.

The guards looked at each other and repeatedly stepped back.

Pang Tang is who? He is the Chongshan Town Governor, the Liaoyuan Governor, and the Right Deputy Imperial Censor for the Imperial Examination Hall.

Although he is not a big shot in the court, he is still a high-ranking official and holds a significant position.

Who in the entire court dares to take down a high-ranking official easily?

Unless the old Emperor personally decrees it, the court would need to carefully consider before taking down a high-ranking official.

As for these guards in front of him, do they dare to touch even a finger of Pang Tang?

Let alone these guards, even Chen Zuchang wouldn’t dare to do anything to Pang Tang!

”You, you, you~~”

Chen Zuchang came back to his senses, pointing angrily at Pang Tang.

Pang Tang glared fiercely, ”Eunuch, in front of me, you have no right to speak, get out!”

”Someone, throw this eunuch out for me, if he dares to step one foot into the government office again, break his legs!”

”Pang Tang, I will make you pay for this!”

”Eunuch, you dare to embezzle military salary, I will definitely impeach you to the Crown Prince!”

”You, you~~” Chen Zuchang panicked, ”Unreasonable!”

With that, he flung his sleeves and fled in panic.

”Pah, a eunuch without balls, you think I’m afraid of you!” Pang Tang felt unsatisfied and continued to curse at Chen Zuchang’s retreating figure.

”My Lord, my Lord, calm down, calm down!”

At this moment, his aide came forward and patted his back to soothe him.

Pang Tang glared hard at his aide and said, ”Why didn’t you act earlier?”

”My Lord, you said just to put on a show, right?” the aide replied, feeling wronged.

Pang Tang grunted coldly, ”That eunuch is really good for nothing!”

Alright, at first, he really just wanted to put on a show, but his temper rose and he couldn’t stop himself, enjoying the scolding.

And the reason he did this was to drive away this nuisance.

If Chen Zuchang were a reasonable person who understood the importance, Pang Tang naturally wouldn’t have done this.

But knowing just one day after Chen Zuchang’s arrival that this eunuch was a nuisance,

On his first day, he focused on the silver in the treasury, this damn nuisance.

And just now, Chen Zuchang even tried to provoke a dispute between him and Yang Zhenshan over credit.

If this guy were to stay, who knows what trouble he might cause.

Especially now, as Chongshan Town is in turmoil, he needs to collaborate with Yang Zhenshan to eradicate the rebels and surround the Northern barbarians.

Having Chen Zuchang causing trouble in Chongshan Town at this time, how could he tolerate it?

Even at the risk of offending the Crown Prince, he must drive this eunuch away!

If Chongshan Town were peaceful now, he might have maneuvered slowly with Chen Zuchang, but the current situation does not allow him to waste time and energy on Chen Zuchang.

Thus, he had no choice but to cause a fuss.

”Is the impeachment memorial ready?” Pang Tang asked his aide.

”It’s ready!” responded the aide.

”Good, send this battle report along to the Capital City!”

Pang Tang left his name on the battle report and stamped it with the official seal.

”Here!”

The aide took the battle report and arranged for someone to send both the report and the memorial to the Capital City.

...

After three days of rest in Songzhou City, ensuring that Zhang Chengzhi could stabilize the situation, Yang Zhenshan once again ordered the army to march.

On the thirteenth of June.

The army arrived below Chongshan Pass City.

Looking at the majestic Chongshan Pass, Yang Zhengshan felt complex emotions.

He had been to this pass countless times, but he had never imagined that one day he would lead an army here.

In the past, he always thought that having such a pass was a blessing for Chongshan Town, but now he found it somewhat obstructive.

Inside, the pass gave a strong sense of security, but standing outside, Yang Zhenshan felt almost frantic.

The walls of Chongshan Pass are four zhang high, nestled between two mountain peaks, connected to the Qian Mountains, resembling a terrifying gigantic beast crouching between the mountains.

How to conquer such a formidable pass became Yang Zhengshan’s greatest challenge!

”General, both the Left and Right Camps of the standard battalion are empty; there are no issues!” Niu Zhuang reported to Yang Zhenshan.

The Left and Right Camps of the standard battalion were outside the pass and were originally positioned to collaborate with Chongshan Pass, but now Ji Feiyu had moved all troops inside the pass, leaving the two camps empty.

”Check again carefully; if there are no issues, we’ll set up camp around the Left Camp’s site!” Yang Zhenghan said.

”Yes, sir!” Niu Zhuang complied.

Yang Zhenshan continued to gaze at Chongshan Pass, his frown deepening.

How to conquer Chongshan Pass?

Construct siege equipment?

How much would need to be built?

Not to mention anything else, just the cloud ladders needed to be four zhang high!

It’s not that it couldn’t be done, but it would be time-consuming and labor-intensive.

”Alas, we can only take it slowly!” Yang Zhenshan had no other solutions and could only resort to the most straightforward method.