Transmigrating Through the Heavens: Starting with the Silly Pillar of the Courtyard

Chapter 335 Joining the Cangzhou Prefecture

The arrangement made by Qianhu Niu Mang was clearly intended to cultivate his own loyalists and purge the old guard.

Previously, all the officers in the Thousand Household Office were trained by the current Commander Liu Peng.

Now that the garrison is under Niu Mang's control, he certainly won't trust the old guard. Therefore, gradually replacing the loyal followers left behind by the garrison commander Liu Peng is his most pressing task.

Wu Tao knew this, which is why he took the initiative to give the other party a gift.

Knowing he would be transferred to another region, Wu Tao wouldn't be foolish enough to give a thousand taels of silver to Qianhu Niu Mang.

The eight hundred taels of silver came at a crucial point. Commander Niu Mang certainly wouldn't refuse the money, but he wouldn't actually arrange for Wu Tao to be directly promoted to centurion in Songjiang Prefecture.

Any less, and Commander Niu Mang certainly wouldn't accept it. Wu Tao wouldn't give him any more either; eight hundred taels was a very good sum.

While others feared the harsh and cold land of Cangzhou Prefecture, Wu Tao was overjoyed.

He had long wanted a territory where he could develop his own power, and staying in Songjiang Prefecture meant he had to be careful no matter what he did.

If I went to Cangzhou Prefecture and became a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, that would truly be a place where the emperor is far away and the country is far from its reach.

Wu Tao quickly packed his belongings, closed the blacksmith shop in the city, and led several hundred people in a grand procession toward Cangzhou Prefecture.

Among these people were blacksmith apprentices, craftsmen, and their respective families.

Wu Tao himself brought Chen Wu, Wang Liu, Zhao Si, Niu Er, Qian Hu, and a small squad of personal guards.

Chen Wu, whose full name is Chen Chao, has been promoted by Wu Tao to be a junior officer.

After taking office, Chen Chao quickly recruited all the soldiers in his squad.

Including the strongmen, a small guard squad totaled fifty men.

These are Wu Tao's true loyal followers. Compared to the ten junior officers who are about to be sent to Cangzhou Prefecture, this personal guard squad is clearly more worthy of Wu Tao's trust.

Qian Hu is in charge of leading the blacksmith shop's people to Cangzhou Prefecture, where they will reopen the blacksmith shop's business.

Xiao Qi Chen Chao was in charge of leading the personal guard squad to protect Wu Tao and two maids as they traveled.

Wu Tao brought several carriages with him this time. He was accompanied by two maids, and some women from the blacksmith shop and the flag team were also sitting in the carriages.

Although it was only a little over 100 kilometers, it still took two days to travel from Songjiang Prefecture to Cangzhou Prefecture.

The city gate of Cangzhou was solemn and dignified today, with more than three hundred Imperial Guards dressed in flying fish robes standing in two rows, watching the distance.

Commander Ling Tian and Guo Wei, the former Commander of the Jinyiwei Hundred Household Office in Cangzhou Prefecture, stood side by side at the front.

"Commander Ling, you and Lord Wu are old acquaintances. What is Lord Wu's character like?"

"Oh, Lord Wu has a very good personality; he is warm-hearted and conscientious in his work."

"That's good, that's good. I'll have to ask Commander Ling to put in a good word for me with the adults in the future."

"Of course, of course."

Commander Ling Tian's face was solemn, but his heart was filled with bitterness. He was almost forty, the same age as Wu Tao's father.

Who would have thought that in the end, because of his arrogance, he would be directly overpowered by a young man?

If he had known this would happen, he should have made a decisive bet back then. Even if he had been transferred to Cangzhou Prefecture as a centurion, it would have been better than being Wu Tao's direct subordinate now.

His demotion to Cangzhou Prefecture had already made him a laughingstock in everyone's eyes.

Unexpectedly, Wu Tao then became his superior and came to Cangzhou Prefecture.

Ling Tian felt terrible inside, but he didn't dare to show it on the surface.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had a strict hierarchy. Although there was a slight difference in rank between a captain and a centurion, offending a centurion could easily cost you your life.

The key is that you can't disobey orders; that would be truly courting death.

Even if Director Ling Tian was feeling terrible inside, he still had to show his respect today.

"They're here."

A commotion arose in the crowd, and then everyone hurriedly straightened their clothes, displaying an even more respectful expression.

Wu Tao saw the crowd at the gate of Cangzhou City from inside the carriage. Although he did not recognize the flag officer Guo Wei, he knew who the director Ling Tian was from the sight of him.

The former deputy centurion of Cangzhou Prefecture was directly promoted to the position of centurion of Songjiang Prefecture.

As for the former centurion of Cangzhou Prefecture, he was brutally killed by the Tartars when they invaded the border not long ago.

This is why the former deputy commander was willing to give up all his wealth to escape Cangzhou Prefecture.

Now that Wu Tao has taken up the post of a centurion in the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) of Cangzhou Prefecture, he no longer has to compete with the deputy centurion.

Without Deputy Centurion Ling Tian and General Guo Wei, they probably wouldn't have much confidence to challenge Wu Tao.

"My lord, your humble servant Ling Tian greets you."

"My lord, your humble servant Guo Wei greets you."

As the two captains bowed, the captains and strongmen behind them shouted in unison.

The city gate of Cangzhou was already crowded with onlookers, and there were also many spies inside observing.

Wu Tao was dressed in the attire of a centurion, wearing a pair of python-patterned court boots with four cloud-shaped copper buckles on the boot surface.

With his hands on his embroidered spring knife, the dashing Wu Tao led his men out. Only when he arrived in front of the two captains did he slowly speak.

"Thanks, brothers. Let's go back to the city."

"Your command, my lord."

Wu Tao, accompanied by General Ling Tian and General Guo Wei, strolled into the city.

Both sides were lined with menacing-looking Imperial Guards, with Junior Officer Chen Chao protecting the blacksmith's men as they followed behind.

The Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) Hundred-Household Office of Cangzhou Prefecture was located in a secluded courtyard on the west side of Cangzhou Prefecture.

The courtyard covers several dozen acres, and after entering the main gate, there is a huge drill ground.

On the east side of the drill ground was a row of official residences, where the centurions, captains, and junior officers usually worked and rested.

Behind the drill ground was the private residence of the centurion, a four-courtyard complex covering an area of ​​more than 2,000 square meters.

Wu Tao instructed his family to clean the house in the back, while he himself, along with General Guo Wei and General Ling Tian, ​​arrived at the official residence.

The blacksmiths and their families followed Qian Hu to the large courtyard they had bought in advance and settled in.

Knowing that he was about to take up his post in Cangzhou Prefecture, Wu Tao arranged for Qian Hu to bring people to Cangzhou Prefecture to buy shops and courtyards in advance.

With over a hundred people, including their families, Wu Tao naturally wouldn't let them end up homeless.

Besides, the blacksmith shop is also a crucial part of Wu Tao's future plans.

Chen Chao, the junior officer, left a few men to protect Wu Tao, while he and his men helped clean up the mansion behind the house.

Wu Tao is no longer the same as he was in Songjiang Prefecture. Here, as a dignified commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he will have at least a dozen servants to serve him.

In addition, since the Little Flag Guard would also be living with Wu Tao, there was no need to worry about the mansion being left unattended.

It was a four-courtyard house, and the strongman lived in the back room of the front courtyard.

The second courtyard was where the captains of the Little Flag Guard lived.

The third courtyard was Wu Tao's main house, along with the east and west wing rooms, which were the rooms for his son and daughter.

The female members of the family lived in the fourth courtyard.

Nowadays, Wu Tao has no sisters, mother, grandmother, or anything like that. In the four-courtyard house, there are only two concubines living there.

He would only go to the third courtyard when he needed someone to accompany him; he usually lived in the fourth courtyard.