Jiuxi

Chapter 683 [Sharp Blade]

The fifteenth year of Jianwu was gradually coming to an end.

The military reform of Dingzhou has been completed. There are currently one battalion and nine armies with a total of 120,000 combat soldiers. In addition, under Lu Chen's strong insistence, the Huaizhou wing army also retained the structure of three armies with a total of more than 40,000 people as the reserve force of the Dingzhou border army.

Under the coordination of Liu Yuan, the chief clerk of the Governor's Office, blacksmith Zhang Hua led a group of apprentices and helpers and finally forged a long sword that met Lu Chen's requirements. Now more than ten larger craftsman shops are stepping up forging, and it is expected that within half a year, the requirements of the various armies in Dingzhou will be gradually met.

Starting from mid-November, Lu Chen led 300 cavalrymen to leave Ruyin City, first went to Qingliu Pass in the west to survey the border terrain and situation, and then went north to Fengqiu City, where he drank and talked with Song Shifei, the commander of the Feiyun Army, all night long.

On December 11, after inspecting the northern border of Dingzhou, Lu Chen entered Dongting Prefecture, heading directly for Gu County.

The first snow covered the mountains and rivers, and the earth was covered in silver, with only scattered green spots.

The officials of Gu County, who had already learned the news, came out in full force, but they only dared to stand solemnly by the road to greet them, looking respectfully at the figures in front.

In the middle is a woman, wearing a bright red feather satin and a cloak of the same color. Her black hair is combed into a bun with two pearl hairpins inserted diagonally, which makes her look elegant and graceful.

The officials in the rear naturally did not dare to look at her for too long, because this woman was not only the most beloved eldest daughter of the number one martial artist on the Jianghu Martial Arts List, but also the principal wife of the current Grand Commander of Dingzhou.

Lin Xi looked at the straight road ahead. Dong Mian, who was standing next to her, sighed leisurely, "When I first met the Duke, I felt that he was not an ordinary person. His courage was rare even among the outlaws! In just a few years, the Duke has risen from a mere captain to the current Grand Commander of Dingzhou. It shows that I have a good eye for people."

Ran Xuanzhi on the other side teased, "When Jiang Houming was targeting you, weren't you cheering for him?"

Lin Xi couldn't help but smile when he heard that.

Dong Mian blushed and said, "Bullshit, when did I ever target you? I saw that the leader and you were in cahoots, so I led that guy into the trap."

Ran Xuanzhi shrugged and said with a smile: "Today I know that you, Dong Mian, are also a shameless guy."

Dong Mian was about to argue when he heard Lin Xi say, "Uncles, stop arguing. He's here."

Everyone looked into the distance and saw hundreds of riders coming on the snow.

The officials behind were all holding their breath. The highest officials they had seen in the past were the prefect of Dongting, the governor of Dingzhou, and the Duke of Shanyang. To them, such identities were undoubtedly big figures on the top of the world. How dare they be rude in the slightest?

Even Dong Mian, Ran Xuanzhi and Qi Lianfu, the elders of the Seven Stars Gang, looked respectful.

Although they could still joke around in private, these outlaws who had traveled all their lives knew very well what the status of a powerful county lord who commanded more than 100,000 soldiers was.

A young and prominent person may not necessarily become arrogant, but such a huge change in status is bound to cause a change in his state of mind.

Moreover, now that the Seven Star Gang has returned to the rule of Da Qi, even for the sake of the future of the gang members, these elders are willing to show humility.

Only Lin Xi had a smile on her face, calmly looking at her husband who was getting closer and closer.

When he arrived, Lu Chen dismounted, handed the reins to Qin Zilong behind him, and then strode forward.

"I pay my respects to the Grand Commander!"

Dong Mian and others paid their respects with great ceremony and welcomed him respectfully in unison.

Then he felt a pair of strong hands holding his arms. He looked up and saw Lu Chen smiling and saying, "Uncle Dong, Uncle Ran, Uncle Qi, what are you doing?"

Ran Xuanzhi said: "Rituals cannot be abolished."

Lu Chen asked them all to stand up and shook his head, saying, "This is Senior Sister's home, isn't it my home? Since we are meeting family, there is no need to be so formal."

As soon as these words were spoken, several bandit lords felt relieved and friendly smiles appeared on their faces.

Dong Mian wanted to make a few jokes, but was pulled away by Ran Xuanzhi. Then he saw Lu Chen turn around and look at Lin Xi. The couple looked at each other quietly, so he shut up tactfully and retreated with the others.

"Senior sister, I miss you."

Lu Chen walked up to Lin Xi, lowered his voice, and there was a hint of cunning in his eyes.

According to his expectations, the senior sister would most likely blush and then scold him a few words. This was the unique little interest between the two of them.

But this time Lin Xi looked calm and said with a wink: "Really?"

Lu Chen suddenly felt guilty.

Lin Xi said with emotion: "General Lu personally led the troops to rush all the way to help Sister Bingxue at the critical moment. This matter has already spread all over Jiangbei. Even I have heard about it in Gu County. How can one not envy such a good story?"

Lu Chen coughed twice, glanced around, and whispered cautiously: "Senior Sister..."

Lin Xi smiled and said softly, "Okay, I'm just teasing you. Would I be jealous of Sister Bingxue?"

"Senior Sister is the best." Lu Chen quickly flattered her, and then changed the subject and asked, "Is Master Taishan in the county?"

Lin Xi shook his head and said, "Since I came to Gu County, Dad has handed over the matter of settling the gang members to me, saying that this is for future preparations, and the foundation of the Seven Stars Gang will be passed on to me anyway. He has been very relaxed these past few months, either traveling around to visit old friends, or going back to Baotai Mountain to inspect the village. I don't know where he is wandering in the mountains right now."

"Master Taishan has worked hard all his life, and now it's time for him to enjoy a peaceful life."

Lu Chen smiled slightly, then took Lin Xi's hand and said, "Let's go into the city."

Lin Xi responded: "Yeah."

The officials of Gu County who were waiting respectfully not far away hurried forward to pay their respects, led by the magistrate Ye Shanqin.

"Excuse me."

Lu Chen's gaze fell on the face of the man next to Ye Shanqin.

By now, the resettlement of tens of thousands of members of the Seven Stars Gang has been basically completed, and the officials of the Governor's Office have all returned to Ruyin. The only one who remains in Gu County to finish the work is Chen Xun, a secretary of the Governor's Office.

After several months of training, this famous scholar from Huaiyou has become thinner and darker, but his overall spirit and energy are obviously better than before, and his demeanor has become more calm.

The group walked slowly into the county town, and Chen Xun said slowly, "My Lord, this time, a total of 17,360 households of the Seven Stars Gang, totaling 53,270 people, were resettled in the county town of Gu County and 67 surrounding villages and towns. A total of 9,213 households of the original Gu County people were relocated and resettled in other counties in Dongting Prefecture, Dongming Prefecture in the south, and Yongqiu Prefecture in the west. Now, all the people of the Seven Stars Gang have been registered, and their houses and fields have been secured."

Lu Chen looked at his thin face and said sincerely: "De Zun, thank you for your hard work."

Lin Xi next to him also said: "Chen Zhonglang is thorough and meticulous in his work. In the past few months, thanks to his dealings with the officials of the Governor's Office, everything has been handled in an orderly manner."

"Thank you for your praise, Lord and Madam Lin."

Chen Xun said respectfully: "This is all my duty, I dare not take credit for it."

"This is a great achievement, how can we not reward it?"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "I wonder if Dezun is willing to take on the position of Sima?"

The Sima of the Military Governor's Office was an assistant official to the Grand Governor, just below the Chief Secretary, and on the same level as the Chief Clerk held by Liu Yuan.

Chen Xun did not act pretentiously. He bowed and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, Grand Commander. I will do my best to live up to your expectations."

Lu Chen nodded and gave a few more words of encouragement.

When they arrived at the Lin family mansion, everyone else had left, only Qi Lianfu was kept by Lu Chen.

After the three of them sat down, Lu Chen coughed lightly and said to Qi Lianfu, "Uncle Qi, I remember that you have been in charge of the Yin Hall of the gang all these years. Can you give me a detailed introduction?"

Before the civil strife, the Seven Stars Gang had a total of six halls. Later, at Lu Chen's suggestion, Lin Jie adjusted the structure and only retained the Feng, Lin, Shan, and Yin halls, which were led by Lin Xi, Ran Xuanzhi, Dong Mian, and Qi Lianfu respectively.

The Yin Hall has always been the most mysterious force in the Seven Stars Gang. They are mainly responsible for gathering information in various places. Their whereabouts and identities are extremely secretive, and even the elders in the gang are not clear about the details.

This is supposed to be the most important secret of the Seven Stars Gang, but Qi Lianfu did not hesitate at all, and did not even ask Lin Xi for his opinion. He said frankly: "My Lord, the Yin Hall has a total of 112 core members, including me, 290 second-level brothers, and more than 700 external secret agents. According to the arrangement of the gang leader, the current activities of the Yin Hall brothers are mainly in Heluo City and Henan Road west of Baotai Mountain."

Lu Chen nodded and said, "Thank you for clearing up my confusion. I have an idea, and I would like to invite Uncle Qi to discuss it with me."

"Please give me your orders, sir."

"I heard from my senior sister that in terms of martial arts, the brothers of Yintang are the strongest in the gang. In addition, you are good at hiding your identities. Whether it is the ability to adapt to unfamiliar environments or to avoid being questioned by outsiders, you are very strong. Obviously, you are very suitable for a new identity."

"What identity?"

"assassin."

Hearing this answer, Qi Lianfu was slightly stunned.

Seeing this, Lu Chen said, "I know that for the outlaws, insidious assassinations are not in line with the way of doing things. You are more accustomed to fighting openly, just like the heroic deeds that Senior Sister once did as a Bodhisattva, such as appearing directly in front of Li Xuan'an and taking his head in front of nearly a hundred of his personal soldiers. But our situation will change in the future, and the means of response must also change. Training a group of top assassins is a precautionary measure."

Qi Lianfu glanced at Lin Xi, and seeing that she had no objection, he said sincerely, "Everything is up to your arrangement, sir."

Lu Chen said, "Uncle Qi, this matter must be kept secret. Apart from me, Senior Sister, Lord Taishan and you, no one else can know the inside story. From now on, if I lead troops outside, Senior Sister and you will be in charge of the assassins hidden in the Yin Hall. In addition, the assassins are not the most precious, but the best. They must be absolutely trustworthy and have strong enough abilities. I will prepare a special sum of money for Senior Sister, and all expenses will be paid from it."

He paused for a moment and said seriously, "When necessary, they must be able to kill with one strike."

Qi Lianfu's heart trembled, and he stood up and said, "As you command!"

(End of this chapter)