Lord of the Desert

Chapter 560 The capable should serve the labor
Fifteen minutes later, all the attendees had arrived, totaling less than a hundred people.

At the very top, there are six martial arts masters of Yuan Ci level and above, each with their own throne, which is more than one-third of the total in the Northern Frontier.

Below, in the inner circle, are thirteen guardians;

The middle circle consists of thirteen colonels and high-ranking officials from the three generals' offices, including chief clerks, prefectural assistants, and registrars.
The outer circle consists of important figures like Kou Yong and Xu Zhiyan, who do not hold positions within the Zhenbeiwei system.

Hong Fan had done his homework before coming, and now he compared what he saw with the information.

Kou Fei sat in the head seat, Peng Guan was on the left, and Huo Wei, who was attending on behalf of Huo Zhan who was in seclusion, was on the right—he would, barring any unforeseen circumstances, become the next Left Guard General.

The remaining three Yuan Ci are Xiang Lingjue from the Xiang family of Zhongwei, Sun Hanyue from the Sun family of Zhongwei, and Zheng Qian from the Rongtie Palace of Youwei.

Looking down, among the remaining people were also some well-known figures.

To Hong Fan’s left sat Wang Xiaodan, the former first-ranking officer of the Purple Ribbon Cavalry and now the captain of Duanhong City, the northeastern barrier of the Left Guard, known as “Chongjian Kerui”; to his right, separated by one person, was Song Qiwu, the captain of Zongjun City, the second largest city in the Left Guard, and the star master of “Jian Huangquan”. The former was over forty years old and was said to be extremely close to the Yuanci realm, while the latter was recognized as having combat power equivalent to Yuanci.

The star "Seeing the Yellow Springs" can suppress the functions of the living and manipulate fresh corpses. It is said that it can create two or three times the battle results of the previous life with a single corpse, making it invincible on the battlefield. However, it is weak and not an ordinary natural opponent.

Opposite Hong Fan, the Iron Terrace City Commandant was none other than his former defeated foe, "Snowstorm Gluttony" Feng Tianqing. Between Kou Yong and Xu Zhiyan sat the last Star Lord present, "Creation Body" Han Zhengqing.

The meeting was opened by Kou Fei and chaired by Xiang Lingjue.

The first few items on the agenda were all major events that had occurred in the Northern Frontier in the past year—including the military situation, the movements of Wolf Ridge City, the reinforcement of the Giant Spirit Hanging Gall Mountain Fortress, and the recent famine in Right Guard Fenglin City and the corresponding deployment—judging from everyone's reactions, they were aware of all the above developments, except for Beacon Tower City, which was "isolated from the world."

After all the matters were discussed, it was noon. Everyone had a light meal in the hall and then continued the meeting.

The main agenda item in the afternoon was personnel appointments.

Wang Xiaodan was promoted to garrison commander of Duanhong Town, Xu Zhiyan was promoted to deputy judicial commissioner of Zhenbeiwei, and Kou Yong was hired as the Sima of the Zhongwei General's Office—he seemed quite unwilling, so much so that Kou Fei glared at him fiercely—according to Hong Fan's judgment, the latter two should be honorary positions without any real duties, the focus being on political status and treatment.

After the personnel matters were settled, officials from various regions began to submit reports and petitions, most of which concerned local affairs. However, one case that mentioned Chen Danning, who was responsible for "the burial of the heavens," attracted particular attention.

Just recently, the Feng family's patrol team in Iron Terrace City intercepted a caravan that was taking a detour through the Right Guard. Their destination was Wolf Ridge City, where human rebels had gathered.

Caught red-handed, their usual fate would be to be banished to various places without a trace. The problem is that most of the goods in this shipment were expensive luxury items intended for personal enjoyment, and the recipient was Chen Danning.

A cultivator at the Second Realm Celestial level, top of the Evil List, and the sole legitimate successor of the "Martial Tribulation Divine Rune Scripture"...

Looking across the northern frontier, based on the rankings on the land list, this person's combat strength is probably second only to Kou Fei.

Regarding the handling of this matter, everyone present had their own opinion, and in the end, Kou Fei decided to turn a blind eye.

For the people of the heavens, mountains, rivers, and national borders are not obstacles. Chen Danning is extreme, easily angered, arrogant, and has a low self-esteem. He also likes to enjoy himself. If he frequently travels south because of the lack of enjoyment in Langji City, it will only add pressure to the local areas within the territory.

This was the first time Hong Fan had met Kou Fei.

According to rumors, he has a strong and domineering personality and has clashed with the Feng family many times over the years. However, judging from today's handling of the matter, Hong Fan saw that he was basically dealing with the matter objectively and was open to suggestions. He did not deliberately make things difficult for the petitioner because he was Feng Tianqing.

The long and tedious meeting was drawing to a close.

Just as Huo Wei was bracing himself and preparing to launch an attack, his intended target was to speak first.

"Hong Fan, the Commandant of Fengsui City, reports that the Left Guard Grain Commissioner and the Granary Commissioner are disrupting logistics and embezzling funds..."

Hong Fan did not merely complain verbally.

He brought with him logistical supplies, including the initial accounts from Shannan, inspection documents from Congrui Pass, and materials from the receiving checkpoints at Fengsui City...

A thick stack of original documents was presented to Kou Fei by the attendant.

He didn't look at it, but glanced at Hong Fan with interest, as if to say, "You have the guts to bring this up."

Hong Fan was also in no hurry.

This matter is clearly not going to be resolved here; this statement is both to demonstrate our stance and to leave a record.

"Governor Suo, is this true?"

Kou Fei pressed down on the document and looked at Suo Chengzhou.

"I don't know."

Suo Chengzhou replied.

"General, please allow me to report that all affairs within Fengsui City are now being handled by Lieutenant Hong."

Such a reply was humiliating for a high-ranking official in the northern frontier, but it also put Hong Fan in a very difficult position. A moment of silence fell over the hall; the atmosphere was strange.

A cold laugh immediately followed.

"Commander Hong is new to the area, but he has quickly seized power and established his own regime."

Huo Wei lowered his gaze from the stage.

"It's just a case of the higher-ups setting an example for the lower-downs."

Hong Fan responded with a direct look and a sarcastic remark.

While these words were true, their arrogance was so over-the-top that it made everyone's eyelids twitch.

Even more strangely, the three officials sitting high on the throne at the head of the table were not angry at all.

Huo Wei reached out and picked up the stack of documents, flipping through them casually.

"They acted very seriously, but only 30% was lost; the climate in northern Xinjiang is harsh, unlike other places. It's normal for a blizzard to delay the journey for several days. Perhaps the truck overturned or the goods were lost."

He casually tossed the documents back onto the desk.

"I think it's more appropriate to talk about your lawlessness and exclusion of dissidents in Fengsui City."

"Guo Han, who was in charge of the No Return Camp, was my subordinate. He disobeyed orders and deserved to die."

Hong Fan gave a cold and hard reply.

Sitting to his left, Wang Xiao swallowed hard, first glancing at Kou Fei, then at Huo Wei, thinking he was dreaming.

Opposite him, Feng Tianqing stared intently at the radiating, broken basalt brick in the center of the hall—it was the brick that Feng Manyun had crushed when she was knocked to her knees by the power of Ruhai Zhenyuan after their first meeting.

Since then, Feng Manyun has never returned to Snowman City.

Not only them, but everyone felt uncomfortable.

Verbal arguments that avoid the main issues are not the style of the Northern Frontier. The Zhenbei Guard has always been a strongman regime, and no one dares to openly confront the Three Guards General's Mansion in public, let alone stand up to them.

But at this moment, Kou Fei and Peng Guan remained calm and watched as Huo Wei and Hong Fan argued.

Is it because foreign monks chant sutras more easily...?

Wang Xiaodan thought to himself that if it were him, he would have already collapsed on the ground, vomiting three liters of blood.

"I am not referring to Guo Han."

Huo Wei leaned forward slightly.

"Then what should be done if you lead troops into the garrison headquarters to arrest people, thus disrupting the government with your position as a captain?"

"Guo Han's matter was instigated and protected by Suo Chengzhou. It involves military violence and is no small matter. I, Hong, have an inescapable responsibility. How can I let mere bricks and tiles keep him out?"

Hong Fan returned immediately.

"I sent two copies of the background information, along with witnesses, physical evidence, and testimonies, to the Left Guard and the Central Guard General's Mansion a month ago. Why does Senior Huo need to ask questions he already knows the answers to?"

"Asking knowingly?"

Huo Wei's temper flared, and his voice grew louder.

"What an arrogant 'Blazing Star,' do you really think you can confuse right and wrong with your sharp tongue?"

"Maintaining order within the city is not within the jurisdiction of the City Defense Commander, but now all matters related to maintaining order and apprehending criminals within Fengsui City have been taken over by He Ben, the Martial Supervisor of the Martial Academy. Is this true?"

"The garrison's incompetence has brought ruin to the entire city."

Hong Fan showed no mercy to Suo Chengzhou.

“When I arrived, I saw that the strong bullied the weak and committed all kinds of mistreatment in Fengsui City. The people had no choice but to form gangs to protect themselves and seek fairness by force. Since Suo Chengzhou did not have this ability, there are capable people who will do the work.”

"What a fine saying! 'The capable should be given the opportunity to work!' Hong Fan, you've practiced martial arts for eight years and are only twenty-three years old. Do you really think you can do it?!"

Huo Wei was furious and could no longer contain himself.

(End of this chapter)