In a chaotic world, border soldiers begin their journey by enlisting in the army and getting married

Although this suppression of the rebellion was simple and easy, it was still a suppression of a rebellion, and it was a great achievement to speak of.

The Red Banner Battalion was a major contributor to the suppression of the rebellion, and they naturally cared a great deal about the rewards from the imperial court.

"The imperial court has issued an order that the defense line of Wushan Prefecture will be guarded by the Hanlin Army. We need to return to the northern border."

"In addition, the military merit awards have also been issued."

"Chen Shan has accumulated enough military merit to be appointed as a captain. According to military regulations, he may choose to remain in his original camp or form a new camp."

Soon, Nan Tu Rou recounted the imperial court's rewards one after another.

The Deficit Camp received the greatest reward for its merits. Although the Wind Camp was also good, the gap between it and the Deficit Camp was huge.

The only thing Chen Shan didn't expect was that among these rewards, Xiao Zhen, as a captain, only received some gold and silver rewards, and his military rank remained unchanged.

"These are the rewards. In addition to the imperial court's rewards, the Prince's Mansion will also give you all silver as a reward."

"Five hundred taels for a captain, three hundred for a commander of a thousand, one hundred for a commander of a hundred..."

After Nan Tu Rou finished speaking, all the generals present wore expressions of joy.

Whether the Xia Kingdom's army receives any extra rewards besides those from the imperial court depends on the superiors.

As an army under the command of the Southern King, they never lacked such extra rewards.

This is also one of the reasons why the army under the Southern King was loyal.

The treatment they received far exceeded that of other military units, which naturally made people willing to follow them.

Not to mention others, even Chen Shan felt an urge to truly serve the Southern Slaughter King.

"General, what's the deal with this Hanlin Army? Could it be just an army of bookworms?"

While the rewards were exciting, Chen Shan was clearly more interested in the army that had come to take charge of Wushan Prefecture.

Although I had seen the other legions before when I was in the Tiannan Army.

However, apart from the Third Army Corps which was directly under the command of the Southern King, the rest were all imperial troops.

This was the first time Chen Shan had ever heard of the Hanlin Army, nor had he heard Xiao Zhen and the others mention it.

"This Hanlin Army is not composed of bookworms, but those who command the army and above are all Confucian scholars and civil officials."

"Moreover, the Hanlin Academy has made many contributions since its establishment and is highly valued."

Nan Tu Rou's assessment of the Hanlin Academy Army was relatively fair.

However, upon hearing that all officers above the rank of colonel were Confucian scholars and civil officials, Chen Shan realized that the army's extraordinary nature was not reflected in its strength.

What is truly noteworthy is the infiltration and control that civil officials exert over military power.

Generally speaking, civil officials take military power in order to strengthen their own voice in the court and to coerce or induce the emperor to make policies that benefit them.

In addition, having military power makes it easier for them to do things that benefit themselves.

Although Chen Shan knew of many generals who were also great poets, that was only one person, just one general.

It's unusual for so many to appear in an army.

"It seems I underestimated these scholars."

"However, the generals are all scholars; this civil official has quite the ambition."

Kong Qingzhi is already the nominal commander of the Tiannan Army, and now there is also the Hanlin Army. Chen Shan doesn't know how many more soldiers in the Xia Kingdom's army have not been influenced by civil officials.

Perhaps only the situation in the Southern Slaughter King's territory is relatively better.

Those civil officials are extremely jealous. If you were to lead an army or fight a war under their command, Chen Shan could forget about getting promoted.

"This is not something we can decide. Everyone, go back and reorganize your troops, then return to Inkpool City in the North."

Nan Tu Rou didn't say much about this matter.

Although she was a princess, her father never interfered in politics, so she, as a princess, had even less right to do so.

If she does that, the entire Southern Slaughter King's Mansion will suffer.

Seeing that Nan Tu Rou said this, Chen Shan didn't say anything more.

As the generals left one by one, Chen Shan and Xiao Zhen were about to get up and leave when Nan Tu Rou called them back.

"Wait a moment."

"General, is there anything else?"

Xiao Zhen looked curious, and Nan Tu Rou only spoke after everyone else had left.

"Besides the imperial order, my father also has other plans this time."

Does the Southern King have other plans?

This sentence piqued the curiosity of both Chen Shan and Xiao Zhen.

I'm also curious about what the Southern Slaughter King's plans are.

"My father said that because you came from the Xiao family army, there are many restrictions on your application to the Ministry of War, so he did not promote you to a higher military rank. However, my father also said that if you are willing, you can join my Southern Slaughter King's Mansion when the time is right."

"You won't be overlooked then."

Xiao Zhen came from the Xiao family army, so he was capable and skilled.

Unfortunately, he was implicated because of the Xiao family's affairs.

The meaning behind Nan Tu Wang's words was clearly that he wanted to protect Xiao Zhen.

This surprised and touched Xiao Zhen.

After all, ever since the Xiao family got into trouble, all the officials and generals who were once on good terms with them have kept their distance.

They were terrified of being implicated, let alone offering help.

In the entire Xia Kingdom, only King Nan Tu dared to do this.

"Thank you, but I don't have that plan at the moment."

"Since the general knows the details and is aware of the relationship between Chen Shan and me, I will simply follow his lead and assist him."

It wasn't that Xiao Zhen didn't believe in the Southern Slaughter King's abilities, but rather that even the Southern Slaughter King couldn't do anything about this matter.

Xiao Zhen knew very well that the Southern King would not overturn the Xiao family's case for his sake.

Therefore, he had no need to waste his time.

"Alright, I know you have your ideas. However, with the seven kingdoms in conflict, beset by internal and external troubles, finding an opportunity in this chaotic world is both difficult and easy. A slight misstep could lead to utter ruin."

"I won't stop you; after all, I'm curious to see just how far you're capable."

Nan Tu Rou's words can be seen as giving them an attitude from the King of Nan Tu.

If Chen Shan really does achieve that in the future, the Southern Slaughter King's Mansion will not interfere.

"Thank you, General."

Xiao Zhen thanked him respectfully, but Chen Shan didn't bother with such formalities.

Now that the other generals have all left, there's no need for him to put on airs.

"General, aren't you afraid something will happen to your palace before I climb up?"

"You might need my help then."

Chen Shan's words were very bold, which stunned Xiao Zhen.

Chen Shan's unbridled speech is truly a headache.

Xiao Zhen was even about to say something to ease the tension, but before he could speak, Nan Tu Rou immediately glared at Chen Shan.

"What? You're really hoping something bad will happen to my family?"

"If you want to mess with my family, there aren't many people in the imperial court who have that kind of power."

Nan Tu Rou not only did not blame Chen Shan for his unrestrained and insubordinate remarks, but even showed a hint of coquettishness, displaying a rather arrogant demeanor.

This left Xiao Zhen completely dumbfounded.