Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chapter 183 The Situation in Xiao County, Rong Huai Arrives (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The moon is high in the sky, its bright light hanging high above.

The bright moonlight shines across the mountains and forests, and in the deep of summer night, the chirping of insects rises and falls all around.

Deep in the Mangniu Mountains lies a secluded valley.

Seven or eight bonfires burned in the valley, and dozens of ragged bandits sat around them, warming themselves by the fire.

Although it was the height of summer, the night was already deep, and being deep in the mountains, the chill still lingered.

Further into the valley, a deep cave is hidden within, where faint glowing lights are now emanating from the depths of the cave.

The underground cave was extremely spacious, with several moon-shaped pearls hanging from the ceiling, casting rays of clear light.

Several imposing figures sat on stone thrones, looking down at the burly men below.

"Cheng Niu'er, who ordered you to attack the reinforcements from Rongtai County?"

Suddenly, a majestic and deep voice echoed slowly within the cave, resounding with conviction.

Upon hearing this, the burly man immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying in a rough voice, "Reporting to the envoy, it was my master who ordered the night raid on Rongtai's troops!"

"The chief said that Rongtai's soldiers are inexperienced in battle and easily defeated! Zhao Xian, who leads the troops, is nothing but a country bumpkin who only rose to a high position because of Chen Sheng!"

"Heh~"

"What a complete idiot!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure above let out a soft sneer, his tone full of disdain.

The burly man below immediately tensed up, a cold sweat broke out on his back, and he didn't dare to breathe.

"Nearly three hundred men fought all night at Mangniu Mountain; how many returned?"

Then another figure, bathed in the clear light, suddenly asked in a deep voice, his tone carrying a hint of coldness.

"Several days have passed since the night raid, and a total of over sixty people have returned!"

The burly man dared not hesitate for a moment and immediately answered in a solemn voice.

"Hmph!" A cold snort echoed through the cave. "Disobeying orders and launching a private attack—even if this scoundrel returns alive, I will execute him without mercy!"

Then someone else spoke up, his tone full of murderous intent.

"Who inflicted your injuries?"

Suddenly, another figure broke the brief silence with a solemn question.

"Reporting to the envoy, he was injured by a military officer named Zhao Ji!"

"Zhao Ji?" The man pondered for a moment, a burly figure immediately appearing in his mind. He thought to himself, "I didn't expect this Zhao Ji to have already entered the Bone Refinement stage!"

"Get out of here! I'll spare your life for now!" The man waved his hand and ordered in a deep voice, "Quickly burn down the stronghold and take your men to join Flying Dragon Mountain!"

"Cheng Niu'er thanks the envoy for sparing his life!"

Upon hearing this, the burly man immediately wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, kowtowed again, and then stood up and quickly retreated.

After he left, the cave fell into a deathly silence, with only the clear light of the Moon Pearl quietly shining down.

"Fellow Daoist Qi, are you familiar with this Zhao Xian?"

Suddenly, the person in the lead among the group asked in a solemn voice, looking at the person beside him.

"We've met a few times!"

What kind of person is he?

"A brave and skilled warrior, a truly excellent general!"

"Then I wonder if it could be of use to us?"

"This~"

The man hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped, and the cave fell silent once again.

The next morning, wisps of smoke rose from the campsite.

Before long, the sweet aroma of millet filled the air above the camp, a truly delightful scent.

Zhao Xian stepped out of the military tent, looked around the camp, and then waved to someone in the distance.

"Brother, what is it?" Zhao Hong immediately walked over and asked with a smile.

"Take this Jade Pearl Rice to Fellow Daoist Chen!" Zhao Xian took out a small cloth bag of Jade Pearl Rice from his storage bag, handed it over, and instructed, "Tell him that the march has been arduous and that Fellow Daoist Chen has suffered!"

"Brother, your sister-in-law's military tent is right behind here. You can go and deliver it to her yourself!" Zhao Hong immediately took the cloth bag and joked with a grin.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Zhao Xian glared at Zhao Hong, then waved his hand, signaling him to go quickly.

Zhao Hong chuckled lightly, said no more, and turned to walk towards Chen Yuanqing's military tent.

Upon reaching Chen Yuanqing's military tent, Zhao Hong stopped about ten feet away and said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Chen, the military commander ordered me to bring you some Jade Pearl Rice. The march has been arduous; please forgive me!"

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, please thank the military commander for me!" Inside the military tent, Chen Yuanqing smiled and replied loudly, his tone warm.

Zhao Hong immediately bowed, put down the cloth bag, and turned to leave.

Although he casually referred to Chen Yuanqing as his sister-in-law in front of Zhao Xian, he dared not overstep his bounds in front of Chen Yuanqing.

A moment later, Chen Yuanqing walked out of the military tent and immediately saw the round cloth bag.

"There are so many?!"

At just one glance, she looked surprised; this half-bag of jade pearl rice probably weighed several dozen kilograms.

In the past, when they lived in the mountains, the family would only give them, who had ordinary spiritual roots, ten catties of crescent rice each month.

Jade Pearl Rice is only available to clansmen who are at least in the late stage of Qi Refining.

As Chen Yuanqing picked up the cloth bag, a newfound curiosity arose in his heart towards Zhao Xianyi.

Where did he get so many jade pearl rice?

The century-old Moon Essence Pearl, which was previously given as a betrothal gift, is also quite valuable!

Without that spirit pearl, I probably wouldn't have reached the late stage of Qi Refining so quickly!

Suppressing his thoughts, Chen Yuanqing picked up the cloth bag, turned around, and walked into the military tent.

As the sun rose in the east, the soldiers in the camp finished their breakfast, extinguished the campfires and latrines, and after tidying up, the large group set off again, heading towards the heart of Ronghuai County.

At the same time, another group of people set off from Ronghuai County and headed north of the county.

A group of dozens of people escorted five oxcarts, slowly making their way along the official road.

The leader was none other than a high-ranking official with an official seal hanging from his waist, accompanied by two other people on his left and right.

It was Song Ming and Huang Zhong, whom Zhao Xian had previously sent to Ronghuai County.

"Lord Song, has Lord Zhao entered Ronghuai County yet?" During the journey, the high-ranking official suddenly looked at Song Ming beside him and asked with a smile.

"Our lord is a steady and reliable man. He should have already entered Ronghuai County. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to meet him at dusk today!" Song Ming replied with a smile after a moment's thought.

"I have long admired Lord Zhao, and today I am finally able to meet him!" The high-ranking official nodded slightly and said with emotion.

The officials of Ronghuai County had naturally heard of Zhao Xian.

Especially when Ronghuai County was suffering from bandits and demons, while the neighboring Rongtai County was peaceful and prosperous, Zhao Xian's reputation spread far and wide.

Furthermore, after Chen Sheng took office as the county magistrate of Ronghuai, he repeatedly praised Zhao Xian in front of the county officials.

Over time, the officials of Ronghuai County also began to have a high opinion of Zhao Xian.

Now, at Chen Sheng's invitation, the magistrate of Rongtai County has sent Zhao Xian to assist him. Even if the officials have grievances in their hearts, they dare not speak out.

The official with a salary of 100 shi (a unit of grain) who accompanied Song Ming and others was Zhou Yan, the bandit chief of Ronghuai County.

He came from the Ronghuai Zhou clan and had already risen to the position of a high-ranking official at a young age.

The Zhou family was a powerful clan in Ronghuai County, with Foundation Establishment cultivators passing down their skills from generation to generation without interruption.

Zhou Yan did not harbor any hostility towards Zhao Xian.

After all, when he had official dealings with Chen Yuancheng, a bandit chief in Rongtai County, he learned a lot about Zhao Xian's deeds from Chen Yuancheng's letters.

Chen Yuancheng also spoke highly of Zhao Xian.

Zhou Yan had met Chen Yuancheng several times and knew of his outstanding talent. Zhao Xian must be no ordinary person to receive such praise from him.

The march was monotonous and tedious.

Zhao Xian's cavalry patrolled back and forth in an orderly manner, keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding movements.

The squad leaders remained with their squads, urging the soldiers to maintain order and keeping their pace at a steady pace.

Zhao Xian, along with Zhao Zheng, Zhao Cheng, and several others, walked in the middle of the group, holding scrolls and ink sticks, occasionally adding a few strokes to the scrolls.

When they had nothing else to do, the group would record their observations along the way on scrolls and use them as marching maps.

"Ronghuai County and Rongtai County are similar in size, and both have sixteen townships under their jurisdiction!" Zhao Xian looked around at the scenery and suddenly asked with a smile, "But there isn't a single township with a population exceeding five thousand households! Do you two brothers know why?"

"Of course I don't know!" Zhao Zheng replied with a smile and a shake of his head.

"Decades ago, a great war broke out between Qing and Nan provinces, and Xiao County was affected, never recovering to this day!" Zhao Xian added a stroke to the scroll, then explained in detail, "Ronghuai County, which borders Xiao County, was also significantly impacted. Before the war, Ronghuai County, as a vital passage between north and south Qing Province, was quite prosperous!"

"Times have changed, and Ronghuai County is no longer comparable to Rongtai County!" Zhao Cheng, who was standing to the side, said with a sigh.

"Not entirely!" Zhao Xian shook his head and continued, "With the uprising of the Daoist people in Xiao County, many who are afraid of being implicated have already set off north. It won't be long before Ronghuai County prospers again!"

"Once the matter in Xiao County is settled, won't these Daoist people return to Xiao County?" Zhao Hong suddenly asked, puzzled.

"It's not that simple!" Zhao Xian shook his head, but didn't say anything more.

Chen Yuanqing, who was not far behind, was also quite surprised to hear Zhao Xian's words.

She never expected that Zhao Xian would have such foresight!

"How many miles have we marched?" Zhao Xian suddenly asked the soldier beside him.

"Reporting back to the lord, we have traveled sixteen li!"

"We've marched twenty-five li today, then we'll set up camp again!"

"I will obey your command, sir!" The soldier immediately bowed and hurried to the front of the column, loudly relaying the military order.

"The military commander has ordered: today we will march twenty-five li!"

"The military commander has ordered: today we will march twenty-five li!"

Before long, the military order spread throughout the entire army.

The sun rises high above the branches, its rays blazing.

After walking for more than twenty miles, the soldiers and officers were all drenched in sweat, and their water bags were empty, but not a single person uttered a single complaint.

The pedestrians on the official road were terrified when they suddenly saw so many soldiers in full armor and weapons. They quickly moved to the sides of the road to make way for the procession.

Just then, another group of people, including their families, appeared on the official road.

Upon seeing the large group approaching, even though many of the Taoist priests were armed guards, the white-haired elder at the head of the group immediately ordered the elderly, weak, women, and children to move aside.

"Patriarch, where did these soldiers come from? They look quite elite!" A young clansman stepped forward, glanced at the group, then returned to the oxcart and bowed to the white-haired elder, asking.

"They look like they came from the north!"

"Under the scorching sun, this marching column is orderly and disciplined, truly an elite force!" someone else added.

"The north?!" The white-haired old man pondered, suddenly recalling the news he had heard a few days ago. "Could they be from Rongtai County?"

Thinking of this, the white-haired elder immediately beckoned the young clansman closer and whispered a few instructions in his ear.

A few breaths later, the young clansman turned and strode quickly toward the marching column.

After pausing to observe for more than ten breaths, the young man caught sight of a military officer in iron armor. He immediately straightened his robes, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing the voice, Zhao Ji immediately stopped and looked at the young man in front of him. He sized him up before asking, "Who are you?"

"I am from Xiao County. I am traveling north with my clan to Rongtai County!" the young man replied respectfully.

Zhao Ji nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the elderly, women, and children not far away. He immediately understood that this group of people must have fled from Xiao County.

"So you're from Xiao County. You must be tired from your journey!" Zhao Ji raised his hand and pointed in the direction for the young man. "Follow the official road and travel north for several dozen miles, and you'll reach Nankou Township in Rongtai County!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" A look of gratitude appeared on the young man's face, and he then cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask, Your Majesty, are you from Rongtai County?"

"Indeed! We are soldiers under the command of Zhao Xian, a military officer in Rongtai County!"

News of Zhao Xian and his men's arrival in Ronghuai County to quell the bandits had already spread throughout the county. Zhao Ji, naturally, made no attempt to conceal the truth and readily replied, "We have come to Ronghuai County to quell the banditry on the orders of the Lady of Rongtai County!"

"Indeed, they are soldiers under Lord Zhao's command!" The young man bowed to Zhao Ji again, then quickly turned around and hurried towards the oxcart in the distance.

A moment later, five or six people surrounded the white-haired old man and walked to the opposite side of Zhao Ji.

"My lord, is Zhao Jun in the group?" The white-haired old man bowed and asked with a smile.

"The military commander is naturally in the army!" Zhao Ji nodded, then looked at the white-haired old man and asked in confusion, "May I ask who you are?"

"I am Qi Zhang, a native of Xiao County. I have important military intelligence to report to the military commander!" Upon hearing this, the white-haired old man's expression turned solemn, and he said in a deep voice.

"Important military intelligence?!"

Seeing that the old man had an extraordinary demeanor and was not an arrogant person, Zhao Ji immediately turned around, intending to report to Zhao Xian. However, Zhao Xian and the others had already walked to a nearby place.

"That is the military commander! You may wait here!" Zhao Ji said, then quickly stepped forward, bowed to Zhao Xian, and reported, "Military commander, these are Daoist people from Xiao County. They say they have military intelligence to report to you!"

After reporting, Zhao Ji turned around and went to catch up with his own troops.

"This old man, Qi Zhang, pays his respects to the military commander!" Upon seeing Zhao Xian looking over, the white-haired old man immediately bowed in greeting.

Seeing this, Zhao Xian immediately took a few quick steps, stopped the white-haired old man, and said with a smile, "I dare not accept such a great greeting from Duke Qi! May I ask what military intelligence Duke Qi has to report?"

"My lord, when we arrived in Ronghuai County from Xiao County, we heard that some rebellious Daoist tribesmen had already infiltrated the county!" Seeing Zhao Xian's unpretentious and approachable manner, the white-haired old man immediately spoke truthfully, "They intend to join forces with bandits within Ronghuai County to continue their rebellion!"

"How many troublemakers have entered Ronghuai County? What is their target?" Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian's expression turned serious, and he immediately pressed for an answer in a stern voice.

"We do not know about that!" Upon hearing this, the white-haired old man immediately shook his head, looking apologetic.

"Lord Qi, what is the current situation in Xiao County?" Zhao Zheng suddenly asked from the side.

Qi Zhang glanced at Zhao Zheng and saw that he was dressed in military officer armor, indicating that he was of high status. He immediately sighed and said, "Of the seven counties in Xiao County, the three southern counties have completely fallen into the hands of rebels; the four northern counties are also overrun by bandits."

"The prefect is currently conscripting Daoist followers and training Daoist soldiers, intending to launch a counterattack on the three southern counties!"

"They've fallen to three counties?!" Upon hearing Qi Zhang's words, Zhao Xian and the others couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Even though Xiao County is already devastated, there are still at least 300,000 Daoist practitioners in the three counties. Even if most of them are coerced by the rebels, the gathering of so many Daoist practitioners is enough to plunge Xiao County into chaos!

Coming to their senses, Zhao Xian and the other two repeatedly questioned Qi Zhang about the details of Xiao County.

After a while, Qi Zhang took his leave, and Zhao Xian and the others personally saw him off for a few steps.

"Even if we recover these three counties, Xiao County will likely be severely weakened!" Zhao Cheng sighed after a long silence.

"Xiao County was already affected by the great war and has not yet recovered. Now, with so many Daoist people causing trouble, it will surely not be peaceful in the future!" Zhao Zheng also chimed in.

"Forget it! It has nothing to do with us anyway. Let's get through this first!" Zhao Xian sighed, taking a step forward and saying as he walked, "The rebels from Xiao County have infiltrated Ronghuai County, colluding with bandits. They must be planning to create chaos in Ronghuai County!"

"Our home lies north of Ronghuai County! This time, we must wipe out the bandits causing trouble in Ronghuai County in one fell swoop, and never let them gain any real power!"

Hearing Zhao Xian's murderous words, Zhao Zheng and Zhao Cheng also showed resolute expressions, their eyes revealing a strong killing intent.

As the sun sets in the west, its afterglow spills across the land. After setting up camp, wisps of smoke rise from the campsite.

Just then, another team arrived outside the camp.

"Military camp, restricted area. No entry allowed!"

A military officer, holding a ring-pommel sword, stepped forward, raised his hand, and shouted, his expression quite wary.

"I am Song Ming, a subordinate official of the Military Affairs Department. I have come here with Zhou Yan, the bandit chief of Ronghuai County, on the orders of Chen Sheng, the county magistrate, to meet with the Military Affairs Department!"

Song Ming spurred his horse forward a few steps and revealed his identity with a smile.

"It's Lord Song?!" The officer recognized Song Ming immediately upon seeing him emerge from the ranks, and quickly bowed respectfully. "I will go and report to the lord immediately!"

After saying that, he walked quickly toward the depths of the camp, without first opening the barricades to let Song Ming and the others in.

"Zhao Jun's leadership of troops is indeed quite skillful!" Cao Zhouyan, the bandit chief of Ronghuai County, also rode a few steps closer, his gaze falling on the barricades in front of the camp gate, the wooden fences on both sides, and the deer fortifications, and praised with a smile.

"Although Zhao Jun comes from humble beginnings, he is quick-witted, eager to learn, and has extraordinary insight!" Song Ming also spoke up, praising him sincerely.

The group waited outside the camp gate. Before long, several figures walked out of the camp gate, including Zhao Xian and Zhao Zheng.

Zhou Yan, Song Ming, and others immediately dismounted and rushed forward to greet them.

"Zhao Xian greets Lord Zhou!" Upon seeing the visitor, Zhao Xian bowed first, displaying a humble attitude.

"Zhou Yan greets Lord Zhao!" Zhou Yan did not presume and immediately returned the greeting.

Afterwards, Zhao Xian introduced Zhao Zheng, Zhao Cheng and others behind him to Zhou Yan. After exchanging greetings and pleasantries, they walked together into the camp gate.

At this moment, Zhao Hong, Zhao Duan, and Zhao Bing also came forward and started chatting with Huang Zhong.

For several years, the four of them were inseparable. Now that Huang Zhong has been gone for more than ten days, all three of them miss him dearly.

Inside the military tent, after some polite exchanges, everyone took their seats in order of rank.

"The camp is simple, please forgive me, Lord Zhou!" Zhao Xian personally served hot tea, looked at Zhou Yan, and said with a smile.

"It's alright. The bandit is busy patrolling the countryside all day long. It's not easy for him to have a cup of hot tea whenever he wants!" Zhou Yan said with a light smile, seemingly unconcerned.

"Upon entering the camp, we were truly impressed by its simple and orderly layout and the soldiers' methodical patrols!" Zhou Yan surveyed the group in the tent and praised again, "Only today do we realize that County Commandant Chen's praise of Lord Zhao was entirely true!"

"You flatter me, Lord Zhou. I, Zhao Xian, am merely imitating others and only know a little bit!" Zhao Xian immediately said modestly upon hearing this.

After a brief chat, the conversation gradually turned to business.

"Now that Lord Zhou has arrived, what are your instructions, Lord Chen?" Zhao Xian asked first.

"There were no specific instructions, only that I hand over this intelligence report about the bandits within Ronghuai County to Lord Zhao!" Zhou Yan immediately took out a jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Zhao Xian. "Apart from that, from this day forward, we will all be under Lord Zhao's command and await his orders!"

Upon seeing this, Zhao Hong immediately stepped forward, took the jade slip, and respectfully presented it to Zhao Xian.

"Lord, the herbs you instructed us to prepare a few days ago are now ready!" At this moment, Song Ming also took out a scroll of green bamboo slips from his sleeve and handed it over. "In addition, Lord Chen also allocated some healing pills and powders from the county government, which we also brought along for the soldiers under your command!"

Zhao Hong stepped forward again, took the bamboo slip, and presented it to Zhao Xian.

Zhao Xian took the jade slip and bamboo slip, glanced at them casually, and then placed them on the table, looking down at Liu Ping and Liu Sheng.

"First, verify the information on the bamboo slips and then register it!"

"After compiling the list of healing elixirs, send it to Fellow Daoist Chen!"

Upon hearing this, the two men naturally rose to accept the order, and then led Zhao Duan, Zhao Bing, and Huang Zhong out of the military tent.

"With Zhou Jun's help and these miraculous medicines, I am much more confident in eradicating the bandits this time!"

Zhao Xian looked at Zhou Yan and said with a smile.

The night was deep, and everyone was exhausted from a day's travels. Zhao Xian ordered some food and wine to be prepared to welcome Zhou Yan and his party.

After the banquet, auxiliary soldiers set up military tents for Zhou Yan and his men, and Zhou Yan's subordinates dispersed to rest.

At this time, only Zhao Xian, Zhou Yan, Song Ming, and their officers remained in the military tent.