Patrol Captain

Outside the palace square, streams of light fell from the tripod, revealing large and small iron and wooden boxes, each adorned with imperial lacquer, gradually piling up into a small mountain.

With a casual wave of his hand, Chen Yuan sent a box about ten feet in size flying into the air from the plaza. It flew straight into the hall and landed in the middle of the hall with a thud.

Then, with a flick of his finger, the seal on the wooden box was torn open, and the lid was lifted, revealing the contents inside.

Inside, a cold light gleamed, revealing rows of standard longswords with sheaths, vertically inserted into perforated wooden racks, ten in each row, totaling two hundred.

Chen Yuan casually drew one of them, the snow-white blade emerging from its sheath with a metallic scraping sound. He held it horizontally in front of him, then flicked his other finger, causing the blade to vibrate as the metal struck the metal.

Not bad, it didn't break.

After doing all this, Chen Yuan held the sword horizontally with one hand, flicked it, and the blade landed precisely in the scabbard.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, who had been watching from the side, remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was somewhat nervous, fearing that something unexpected might happen.

Some people in the Ministry of War are incompetent and hold their positions without doing any work. I'm afraid they might use poorly made weapons to fill the ranks. Fortunately, judging from Lord Chen's expression, that shouldn't happen.

"Lord Chen, what do you think?" he said, his eyes showing a troubled expression. After all, the imperial edict in his hand was very heavy. If Chen Yuan did not accept it, he really would have no choice, and he would have no face to return to the capital to report.

Chen Yuan turned his head to look at this person, a warm smile appearing on his expressionless face.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Lord Jiang."

"Then I, on behalf of the soldiers of the Pacification Commission, thank Your Majesty for your grace." He reached out and took the imperial edict from Jiang Yi's hand.

Jiang Yi felt relieved, having finally accomplished something, even though it had been fraught with difficulties.

However, he hadn't forgotten the ambush and killing of his troops, a matter of national pride. Now that Chen Yuan had received the imperial decree, it should also concern the reputation of the Marquis of Zhennan. So, after a moment's consideration, he gestured towards the outside of the hall and sighed:
"I am ashamed. The military equipment that His Majesty should have bestowed upon the soldiers at the front was mostly intercepted. I was the only one left to escape from the escorting force. I have no face to face His Majesty, nor to face the soldiers of Jiannan Road."

As he spoke, the cauldron that had flown away shrank and flew back, disappearing into his sleeve. Then, with a flourish of his sleeves, he bowed respectfully to Chen Yuan.

"This matter concerns the reputation of the Marquis and the kindness of the soldiers of Jiannan Road. I beg the Marquis to send troops to help me investigate this matter and avenge this grudge."

As he continued, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices spoke with a resounding tone, his brows furrowed in anger.

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, narrowed his eyes, which shone with golden light, and stared at Lord Jiang, trying to discern whether the man's words were sincere or if he had ulterior motives and wanted to stir up trouble.

The smile remained on his lips.

"I see that Lord Jiang's injury is quite serious. He should be treated in time, otherwise he may suffer from hidden injuries, which will cause trouble later."

"Military Advisor Gao, take Lord Jiang to the lower courtyard to rest, and also invite the best healers to treat Lord Jiang's injuries."

"Yes." Gao Yu, who was at the end of the line listening to the audience, stepped forward.

Seeing this, Jiang Yi's expression turned anxious. "Lord Chen, this matter cannot be delayed. Can you really swallow this insult?"

"This matter is still open to discussion. Lord Jiang, please focus on recovering from your injuries." Chen Yuan remained unmoved, speaking in an unquestionable tone, and then turned his head to give Gao Yu, who was approaching, a meaningful glance.

Gao Yu quickly stepped forward, stopping Jiang Yi who was about to speak, and gestured for him to enter, saying politely, "Lord Jiang, please!"

Jiang Yi understood the implication in Chen Yuan's words and knew that he couldn't persuade him in time. Reluctantly, he sighed, flicked his sleeves, and strode towards the palace gate. Gao Yu quickly followed and led the way. After the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices left the Imperial Patrol Hall, in the flickering candlelight, Chen Yuan, holding the imperial edict, turned to the side and watched the other man's figure disappear down the steps, his eyes flashing.

At this moment, all the generals stood at attention, cupped their hands, and said solemnly, "Congratulations, General, on your promotion to Marquis of Zhennan!"

The voices were clear and powerful.

Chen Yuan sucked the imperial edict into his sleeve, then turned his gaze back to the group of generals.

“Born to be, Fan Chou.” He called out their names.

Yun Tiansheng and Fan Chou, the military advisor, stepped forward, cupped their hands, and replied, "Your subordinates are here."

"You two will have to work hard to take people to count the reward supplies in the square, make records, and organize them for my review."

"Yes, sir." The two men accepted the order and left the hall to gather people to inventory the supplies in the square.

"The rest of you may leave now, Gongsun Yang, stay behind." He waved his hand, and the meeting was adjourned.

At this point, all the officers left as ordered, leaving only Gongsun Yang inside the palace.

Seeing that most of the people had left, Gongsun Yang knew that the general had something for him to do, so he took two steps forward, raised his head, and said softly,

"General, no, you should be called Marquis now. Is there something you need me to do?"

Chen Yuan did not answer directly, but pondered for a moment before asking, "Does Mr. Gongsun think that what Lord Jiang said is true, that Beiliang sent someone to ambush him halfway, or that this is a ruse to stir up trouble and make me deal with Xiao Zhongtian?"

He doesn't trust the imperial court, so it's understandable that he'd be suspicious of this matter; we might as well speculate with the utmost malice.

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Yang frowned, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.

"General, it's not appropriate to speak carelessly about such matters, as we currently have very little information. However, according to the testimony of General Qitian of Tianxiong Pass, this Minister of Ceremonies was indeed chased to the border by a mysterious Martial Saint, and he also took action. As for the details, we need time to verify them."

"General, are you suggesting that I investigate this matter?"

Chen Yuan raised his hand. "No, we don't have time to waste on these meaningless things."

"Whether it was done by the Northern Liang group or not is not important. I do not need to pursue the truth."

"But if I do nothing, how can I win back the hearts of the troops?"

"What does the general mean?" Gongsun Yang couldn't help but wonder what the general meant by those words.
"You are here to take three thousand elite cavalry from the Ninth Mountain and go to Beiliang to see if there is any chance to raid them. Last time, their army of one hundred thousand was defeated, and they should not have finished resting for a short time. You should act according to the situation and see if there is any chance to open up a pass for me and have General Qi cooperate to plunder their rear."

"Actually, I originally had this idea. After all, with the large-scale recruitment of soldiers, the scale of this war and the subsequent military resources required are enormous, and the gap is not small. We cannot exhaust the resources of various prefectures, lest it arouse public anger and increase the variables. It would be more practical to seize it from Xiao Zhongtian's territory. We can be more ruthless and have fewer scruples."

"Now that the court has provided a reason, let's grant everyone's wishes and make His Majesty happy. His conferment of the title of Marquis of Zhennan is still worthwhile." Chen Yuan gave a final, insincere laugh.

Gongsun Yang understood the meaning and thought the method was feasible.

"I understand, I'll take care of it immediately." (End of Chapter)