Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chapter 185 Sharpening the Sword and Preparing for War (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Upon hearing this, the council hall fell into an immediate, deathly silence.

The leaders exchanged a subtle glance, already believing seven or eight tenths of Cheng Niu'er's words.

Even if there is some exaggeration in it, it is probably just a slight exaggeration of the strength of the government troops at the foot of the mountain.

The chief leader, seated at the head of the table, lightly tapped the armrest of his chair with his index finger. The crisp, light sound resonated in the hearts of all the other leaders.

Seeing this, Cheng Niu'er's heart also jumped, and a hint of tension and unease gradually appeared on his face.

"Chief Cheng, please take a seat." Suddenly, the chief in the main seat looked at Cheng Niu'er below, a faint smile spreading across his face.

"Thank you for your trust, Chief!" Cheng Niu'er showed a grateful expression at the opportune moment, bowed deeply, and then sat down as instructed.

The chieftain looked around at the other chieftains, nodded slightly, and slowly smiled, saying, "What you chieftains have said is a prudent and sound opinion. The lives of hundreds of brothers in Flying Dragon Mountain are in our hands. We must not act rashly or recklessly."

With a slight shift in his gaze, the chieftain looked at the scholar in a moon-white brocade robe to his left and ordered in a deep voice, "Chief Wu, tomorrow you will lead your men down the mountain and sneak into Dongzhu Township to carefully investigate the situation."

"I will obey the orders of the chief!" Upon hearing this, the scholar in the brocade robe immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and respectfully accepted the order.

The night was deep, and the leaders of Flying Dragon Mountain discussed for a long time before getting up and leaving.

No one knows how many people on this mountain will be tossing and turning, filled with worry, tonight.

The next morning, as dawn broke and the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

Before breakfast time, the soldiers in each unit, led by their captains and squad leaders, lined up in neat rows.

There's no need for a march today, so drills are naturally the top priority.

According to Zhao Xian's order, after washing up in the morning, all military officers and soldiers in the army were required to practice boxing to strengthen their muscles and bones.

On the makeshift earthen platform, Zhao Xian stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the four neatly arranged squads of soldiers below.

"Black Tiger Fighting Fist, First Form: Fierce Tiger Protruding Claw!"

Its sound was as loud as a bell, echoing across the fields!

As the voices rang out, the soldiers below the stage all assumed their stances in perfect unison.

"Second move~"

As Zhao Xian shouted, the soldiers fought with great skill and precision.

The force of his punches was fierce, and his momentum was growing stronger.

After practicing the boxing techniques ten times, the soldiers in each team were already drenched in sweat, and steam rose from their heads, gathering into wisps of light white mist that swirled above the ranks.

"Teams disband!"

Zhao Xian gave another shout, and the soldiers, led by their officers, immediately returned to their respective areas in an orderly fashion to prepare for their meal.

The meals remained very simple: a rice porridge made from a mixture of corn, rice, and minced salted meat, served with hard, brick-like wheat cakes, and a few spoonfuls of fermented soybeans for seasoning.

But for these Taoist people who have worked hard all year round, this is a rare and delicious meal.

After all, spirit rice is rare and cannot be obtained every day.

After having a meal and resting briefly, the soldiers from each unit gathered again below the earthen platform to continue practicing their weaponry.

The army's commander-in-chief, Zhao Xian, was no longer on the earthen platform.

At this time, several guests had already entered Zhao Xian's military tent.

"Sun Mao, the clerk of Dongzhu Township, pays his respects to Your Majesty!" A short, stout middle-aged scholar bowed to Zhao Xian, who sat in the main seat, and Zhou Yan, who sat to the lower right.

"We pay our respects to Your Majesty!" Behind him, the village head of Dongzhu and several elders followed closely behind, bowing respectfully.

"Please rise, everyone." Zhao Xian smiled and raised his hand to help them up, showing great approachability.

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone took their seats in turn.

After Sun Mao settled down, a genuine look of gratitude appeared on his face. He cupped his hands again to thank Zhao Xian, saying, "We are deeply grateful to the General for leading his troops to wipe out the bandits of Feilong Mountain and relieve our Dongzhu Township from its dire straits."

"I was ordered by Magistrate Gao of Rongtai County and Lieutenant Chen of Ronghuai County to come and quell the bandits. It is my duty and nothing to boast about," Zhao Xian said with a smile.

Before he could finish speaking, an elder from a prominent village, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, immediately rose to flatter him: "Our Dongzhu Township has long been plagued by bandits, and the people under its jurisdiction suffer greatly. Now that the military commander has arrived, I am sure that the bandits will be wiped out soon, and peace will be restored to our village."

"We have prepared a small gift to reward the army and express our gratitude. We hope that you will accept it, General." After saying this, Dongzhu Township Assistant took out a piece of silk from his sleeve, held it with both hands, and respectfully presented it.

Upon seeing this, Liu Ping immediately stepped forward, took the silk, and presented it to Zhao Xian.

Zhao Xian took the silk, quickly glanced at it, then put it down. He looked at the village official and thanked him with a smile, saying, "Since you all have such a kind offer, it would be impolite of me to refuse."

Seeing that Zhao Xian accepted the reward, the people of Dongzhu Township felt a little relieved. Sun Mao, the village head of Dongzhu Township, then tentatively asked, "When will the garrison commander go into the mountains to suppress the bandits?"

Zhao Xian had only just met the group, so he naturally wouldn't reveal his plans. He simply smiled and said casually, "Flying Dragon Mountain is a treacherous place. We are newcomers and not yet familiar with the situation in the mountains. Entering the mountains now would be reckless and underestimating our enemy."

"It is not too late to suppress the bandits after we have sent soldiers to scout out the terrain on the mountain and the strength of the bandits."

Upon hearing this, everyone in Dongzhu Township understood immediately. After exchanging a few more words, they got up to take their leave.

"Aping, Asheng, follow everyone to receive and inventory the supplies." Zhao Xian looked down at Liu Ping and Liu Sheng, and nodded in the direction where the people from Dongzhu Township had left.

The two immediately stood up to accept the order and followed the others.

"Judging from this list, Dongzhu Township doesn't seem to have suffered from bandits," Zhao Xian said with a smile, waving the silk in his hand at Zhou Yan and Song Ming.

"Oh? Let me see!" Zhou Yan said with a smile, his curiosity piqued.

Zhao Xian raised his hand and gently pushed, and the piece of silk landed steadily on Zhou Yan's desk.

This skillful technique of manipulating objects from a distance immediately surprised Zhou Yan and Song Ming.

This military lord actually possesses such exquisite magical power manipulation ability!

Suppressing his surprise, Zhou Yan picked up the silk and examined it closely. He then exclaimed in astonishment, "One shi of crescent-shaped rice, twenty shi of millet, one ox, three sheep, three pigs, and twenty shi of wine! This kind of supplies is worth at least ten thousand talismans!"

"It's just for show." Song Ming shook his head and added, "The camp has two hundred soldiers. Just for rations, they need three shi of millet and thirty jin of crescent rice every day. These supplies won't last more than five or six days."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian readily agreed. He looked at Song Ming and instructed with a smile, "In a moment, please have Lord Song send a letter to Dongzhu Township requesting a month's rations and monthly salary for the soldiers."

"For now, we will have 100 shi of millet, 10 shi of crescent-shaped rice, 4 shi of condiments such as fermented soybeans, pickled vegetables, and salted meat, and 70,000 coins."

"Okay!" Song Ming immediately agreed with a smile.

"Affix the seals of both myself and the military commander," Zhou Yan also said. Now that he and Zhao Xian were in the same boat, they naturally had to work together and move forward side by side.

"What if Dongzhu Township refuses to provide it?" Song Mingfu asked with a smile.

But Zhao Xian looked out of the tent with a determined gaze and a confident tone: "They can't hold out for more than a few days."

In the afternoon, the document demanding money and grain was delivered to the desk of Sun Mao, the village head of Dongzhu Township.

Looking at the list in front of him, which seemed like an outrageous demand, Sun Mao felt a wave of dizziness and almost collapsed to the ground.

"Sun Jun!" Upon seeing this, Li Jin, the village official below, quickly stepped forward to help him up. His gaze then fell on the list, and his expression immediately became serious.

"Outrageous! Do you really think Dongzhu Township can be bullied like this?" After a while, Sun Mao came to his senses, stood up abruptly, pointed at the list on the table, and started cursing angrily.

Li Jin stood by with a wry smile, and could only keep trying to comfort and reassure him.

After his angry outburst, Sun Mao glared at Li Jin and sternly ordered, "Li Jun, quickly draft a document and send it to the county! I'm determined to file a complaint against Zhao Xian before the county magistrate!"

"Sun Jun, please rest for a while and don't get angry." Li Jin smiled helplessly, helped Sun Mao sit down again, picked up the list on the table, and slowly advised, "Zhao Xian is a guest soldier. Even if you take him to the county magistrate, I'm afraid the magistrate will be unable to do anything about him."

"Moreover, if this matter were to reach the ears of County Magistrate Chen, it might cause him to misunderstand, which would be detrimental to you."

After saying that, he pointed to another mark on the list and gestured for Sun Mao to take a closer look: "Sun Jun, look, there's Zhou Jun's seal on this too."

Upon seeing Zhou Yan's mark, Sun Mao couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder what kind of bewitching Zhao Xian has done to Zhou Yan, that he would help him like this!"

"As the magistrate of the county, Zhou Jun is responsible for suppressing all bandits in the county. Naturally, he should work together with Zhao Xian to wipe out the bandits," Li Jin said softly.

Sun Mao looked at Li Jin, who was standing to the side, and suddenly asked, "Lord Li, now that things have come to this, what should we do?"

Upon hearing Sun Mao's question, Li Jin's expression remained unchanged, but he secretly thought to himself, "That old fox is quite adept at shifting blame! Zhao Xian commands hundreds of soldiers. If I offend him because of this, I and the Li family behind him will likely suffer the consequences."

After a moment's thought, Li Jin slowly said, "Why not summon all the prominent families and wealthy households in the village so that we can work together to raise the money and grain? Given the current situation, there is no other way."

"Alright! This matter will be handled by Li Jun!" Sun Mao immediately agreed. As the saying goes, a higher-ranking official can crush a lower-ranking one, so he naturally wanted to pass this hot potato to Li Jin to deal with.

It should be noted that the position of village assistant is always held by a member of a prominent family in the village. He assists the village head in handling the village's affairs. Although the position may seem lowly, it actually carries great power.

Left with no other choice, Li Jin could only bow and agree, "This humble official obeys."

"Gathering such a large amount of money and grain will not be a matter of just one or two days. I would like to ask Lord Sun to write back to Marquis Zhao and request a few more days." After thinking for a moment, Li Jin bowed to Sun Mao and asked for instructions.

Sun Mao carefully examined Li Jin for a few moments and understood his intentions.

They're just trying to buy time and make further plans.

After pondering for a few moments, Sun Mao finally agreed slowly: "I will write the document now."

After all, he would still need to rely on Li Jin and the Li family behind him to carry out his business in Dongzhu Township in the future, so it was not appropriate to maintain a stalemate.

At the same time, several travel-worn figures arrived at Dongzhu Township Pavilion.

The leader was a scholar dressed in a blue robe, riding on horseback, holding a green bamboo slip, with a calm expression.

Under the scorching sun, the accompanying attendants were already drenched in sweat, but the scholar in the blue robe had not a single bead of sweat on his forehead and remained calm.

"Look how hot you all are. Fine, take these talismans and distribute them. They might help cool you down a bit." The scholar in the blue robe glanced at his attendants, smiled helplessly, and took out a few talismans from his sleeve, handing them over.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Several attendants were overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to accept the gifts, thanking them in unison.

As night fell, the moon rose high in the sky, its clear light bathing the earth.

The mountains and forests were quiet and still, with only the occasional chirping of insects.

In a secluded valley, there are seven or eight thatched huts, with several bonfires burning brightly outside, illuminating the surrounding night.

Outside the valley, several Taoist priests carrying long spears patrolled back and forth, their eyes scanning the distant mountains and forests warily, not daring to relax their vigilance in the slightest.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound rang out as several arrows shot out from the depths of the forest, moving with lightning speed!

-

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Several muffled thuds, a flash of cold light, and arrows pierced flesh. In the blink of an eye, the four guards fell to the ground, lifeless.

Immediately afterwards, several dark figures leaped out of the forest, their figures rushing into the valley like whirlwinds. The blades flashed, and wherever they passed, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and screams echoed.

"Kill!" Dozens more rushed out of the mountains and forests, like tigers descending the mountain, swarming towards the valley.

The deafening sounds of battle instantly roused the sleeping bandits.

A dozen or so bandits rushed out of the thatched hut in a panic. Before they could even see who was coming, they were slashed to the ground by the wolf-like figures and killed instantly.

"Who are you?!" Seeing this tragic scene, the bandit leader's eyes widened in fury. He roared and charged at one of the bandits with his knife.

Those men did not respond, but continued to slash and kill, like tigers and wolves driving sheep.

Only one young man with reddish-yellow hair and beard leaped out of the crowd, his spear thrusting like a venomous snake from its hole, aiming straight for the bandit leader.

A loud "thud!" echoed throughout the valley.

The spear came with fierce force, knocking the ring-pommel sword from the bandit leader's hand with a single strike.

Immediately afterwards, the spear tip, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, aimed straight for the bandit leader's chest.

With a muffled "thud," the spear tip pierced the bandit leader's chest, and a tremendous force sent the bandit leader flying into the air.

He then fell heavily to the ground and died.

"Ah Zhong, what excellent marksmanship!" A burly man behind him exclaimed in praise upon seeing this.

In a short while, the sounds of fighting in the valley gradually dissipated, and there were no survivors.

"Quickly clean up the battlefield, leave no trace!"

Xu Dejing gave a loud order, and his men immediately dispersed to carefully search the valley and clean up any traces.

Before long, everyone reunited.

Xu Dejing looked around, then at Han Du beside him, and ordered, "Lord Han, set it on fire."

Han Du nodded slightly, took out a fireball talisman from his sleeve, flicked it with his fingertip, and the fireball talisman landed precisely in the valley, instantly igniting a raging fire.

After everything in the valley had been burned to a crisp, the group carefully extinguished the remaining embers before turning to leave.

Stepping out of the forest, everyone mounted their horses.

"Han Jun, it's still early. Let's go to the next bandit's den." Xu Dejing said in a deep voice, glancing at the moonlight.

"Alright." Han Du responded, and after quickly determining the direction, he spurred his horse to lead the way.

The thunderous sound of hooves echoed as dozens of riders swept across the country lanes like a gust of wind, disappearing into the night in an instant.

The group sped along the official road for more than ten miles, and in the distance they could see the pavilions and houses ablaze with fire, and the sounds of fighting rose into the sky.

In this situation, it goes without saying that bandits are attacking the pavilion.

Even outside of the dead of winter, bandits would attack pavilions and houses, which shows how rampant the bandits were in Ronghuai County!

On the other side, outside the roadside pavilion, more than ten ruthless bandits surrounded a burly bandit leader, their eyes fixed on the pavilion not far away, their expressions cruel.

"Boss, in a few more moments, we'll be able to break through this pavilion and capture the people inside!" A ruthless bandit, seeing the resistance from inside the pavilion growing weaker, hurriedly stepped forward to flatter and congratulate him.

The burly bandit leader sighed with feigned heroism, "The village head here is quite brave and skilled in battle, managing to hold out until now!"

It's a pity, but they would rather die than surrender; I truly admire that.

"Boss, what's so difficult about that!" a bandit said with a laugh. "Just tell the brothers to break down the pavilion and spare his life."

"Good! Pass on the order!" The bandit leader had barely finished speaking when a thunderous sound of hooves came from afar.

Everyone looked up and saw a troop of cavalry charging towards them like tigers, their momentum unstoppable.

The thugs were all dumbfounded, and for a moment they forgot to turn around and run away.

As the cavalry drew ever closer, a piercing wail suddenly echoed through the night: "Run!"

The bandit leader suddenly realized what was happening, roared, and turned to flee, but it was too late.

With a chilling glint in his eyes, the knight on horseback lightly flicked his wrist, and his ring-pommel sword sliced ​​through the bandit in front of him in two as easily as cutting tofu, blood gushing out.

After the cavalrymen had all gone far away, the area outside the pavilion was littered with corpses, with no sign of life left.

After an unknown amount of time, the gate of the pavilion slowly cracked open.

A figure cautiously peeked out, warily surveying the surroundings. Once it was safe, it shouted, "Ting-jun! The thieves are all dead! We're saved!"

In an instant, several bursts of maniacal laughter, the sound of survivors, echoed from inside the pavilion, lingering in the night.

The next morning, as dawn broke and the first light of day appeared in the east, the sky began to lighten.

The resounding bugle call pierced the sky and echoed throughout the camp. Soldiers moved at the sound, gathering in an orderly fashion, their postures upright and their spirits high.

He still practiced boxing in the morning, and after eating, he continued to practice weapons.

The weapons practiced in the camp were those commonly used in battle: spears and ring-pommel swords.

The daily training order is as follows: first practice with the long spear, then with the ring-pommel sword, and finally with hand-to-hand combat.

As for bows and arrows, there weren't many skilled archers in the camp. Only Zhang Gong's group of Daoist people were proficient in archery. Therefore, after practicing with spears,

After mastering the ring-pommel sword, one should focus solely on archery, eliminating the need for hand-to-hand combat training.

Today's drills also attracted Taoists from the surrounding villages, who gathered outside the camp gate to watch.

They did not come yesterday because they were afraid. Today, seeing the soldiers training in an orderly and disciplined manner, their fear gradually dissipated, replaced by curiosity and awe.

Among the crowd, the scholar in the blue robe stood quietly, his gaze carefully observing the soldiers training in the camp.

Upon seeing the hundreds of soldiers moving in perfect unison, their swordsmanship sharp and precise, he wore a faint smile on his face, but his eyes were filled with solemnity.

"This sergeant is truly deserving of his reputation." After the training of both spear and sword techniques was completed, the scholar in the blue robe couldn't help but murmur a word of praise.

Hearing this, the attendant beside him felt a little unconvinced and whispered, "Your Majesty, their gestures are neat and impressive, but I wonder if they can actually fight on the battlefield."

The scholar in the blue robe shook his head and said calmly, "Whether we can fight or not is still uncertain. But if we continue this training, after several months of honing our skills and supplementing them with real combat experience, we will surely become an elite force."

After observing for a while, seeing the group disperse and the soldiers leave in an orderly manner, the scholar in the blue robe turned and walked towards the official road. His followers quickly exchanged glances and followed him.

At this moment, deep within the camp, behind a row of military tents, two figures were fiercely fighting, their blades clashing and the wind whipping around them.

After an unknown amount of time, one of them had his ring-pommel sword knocked away by his opponent, and he was also knocked back several steps by a tremendous force before he regained his footing.

"Fourth brother, how is it?" Zhao Xian sheathed his sword, looked at Zhao Cheng opposite him, and asked with a smile.

Zhao Cheng bent down to pick up the ring-pommel sword from the ground, and shook his head helplessly: "It's still a bit lacking."

"It's alright, we can have another battle this afternoon and hone our skills further," Zhao Xian replied with a smile, unconcerned.

Looking around at the people around him, Zhao Xian's expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "We are currently stationed in Dongzhu Township to wait for Dejing and the others to settle things properly. The soldiers under your command train hard every day, and we, as military officers, must not slack off."

"In any case, we must reach the level of a first-class martial artist as soon as possible in order to keep our soldiers in line and have a better chance of winning in future bandit suppression battles."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zheng, Zhao Cheng, and the others all nodded in unison and replied, "Yes!"

"The elixirs that Master Chen sent earlier, besides those for healing, also included some cultivation elixirs, among which was the Leopard Embryo Tendon-Changing Pill, suitable for second-rate martial artists. In a little while, you will all go to Fellow Daoist Chen and each take three pills," Zhao Xian continued to instruct.

"From this day forward, you will all stay here with me to hone your martial skills. After returning to the ranks, you will be responsible for instructing the veteran soldiers under your command, such as squad leaders and sergeants, to improve your martial skills and combat capabilities. While the bandits of Flying Dragon Mountain are still at large, seize the time to improve your cultivation and make thorough preparations."

"We will obey your orders, General!" The men bowed respectfully and then departed.

It was nearly noon, the perfect time for lunch.

Zhao Xian looked up at the sky and glanced at the sun. He couldn't help but think of Xu Dejing and the others who were out suppressing bandits. He sighed softly, "I wonder how the bandit suppression is progressing with Dejing and the others."

After expressing his feelings, he turned and walked towards his military tent.

Although the camp only had about two hundred people, there were still many complicated official duties.

Fortunately, with the help of Song Ming, Liu Ping, and Liu Sheng, he was able to find the time to guide Zhao Zheng and others in honing their martial arts skills.

For the next three to five days, the training in the camp continued without interruption.

Every day at dawn, the soldiers lined up to practice boxing and weapons, ate lunch, rested for an hour in the afternoon, and then trained until sunset. Day after day, they never slacked off.

Zhao Zheng, Zhao Cheng, Zhao Ji, and others also followed Zhao Xian every day to hone their skills and improve their martial arts. With Zhao Xian's personal guidance, they made rapid progress.

As for the soldiers under Mo, they gradually adapted to this high-intensity training, their physiques became stronger, and their spirits steadily improved.

Of course, all of this is inseparable from the tonic soup prepared by Chen Yuanqing.

Although all the herbs used are common herbs, they can effectively nourish the soldiers' vitality and restore their strength after training, making it a truly effective remedy.

Therefore, the soldiers held this reclusive military doctor, who devoted himself to preparing medicines, in high esteem.

As for Zhao Xian, since Chen Yuanqing entered the camp, the two only exchanged a few pleasantries on the first day, and then had little contact.

Chen Yuanqing also strictly abided by the camp rules, rarely venturing out and focusing solely on herbal medicine, never interfering with military affairs.