The fiercest soldier of the border army

"Please rise, everyone."

Tang Shun personally helped the leader of the team in front of him to his feet, saying, "We'll have to thank all the brothers for their hard work on the trip to Wenchi."

"What should I call the team leader?"

The squad leader in front of him was no more than thirty years old, with a chiseled face, a serious expression, and a very rigid demeanor.

"Zhou Bing, commander of the ten squads of the Imperial Guards within the Military Governor's residence!"

The military governor actually dispatched his personal guards!

What an honor!

Tang Shun patted the team leader heavily on the shoulder, took a deep breath, and then looked at the scholars.

The young scholar cupped his hands in greeting but remained silent.

Tang Shun glanced at him and smiled, "How should I address you, sir?"

The scholar, with a stern face, replied indifferently, "The military governor's office is accompanied by Xie Anzhi."

The other party was not particularly enthusiastic, and clearly did not approve of Tang Shun's transition from military to civil service.

Tang Shun nodded slightly, stopped asking questions, took the reins, and mounted his horse.

The movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

He glanced down at the document pouch in his hand, confirmed that the seal was intact, then reined in his horse, turned it around, and faced east.

Wenchi County is a hundred miles away from Tingzhou, so he had to travel overnight without stopping, nor dared to stop.

Tang Shun took one last look at the gate of the Jiedushi's mansion.

Shi Hanshan stood under the eaves, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his figure as straight as a spear.

The two looked at each other across the distance. Tang Shun raised his hand and gently clenched his fist—this was the way to say goodbye in the military.

Shi Hanshan returned the greeting with a fist salute.

Without further hesitation, Tang Shun spurred the horse's flanks, and the black horse galloped off, leaping over the stone steps and disappearing into the twilight.

Thirty riders followed silently behind him, and Xie Anzhi also rode his horse.

The wind rushed towards me, and the withered grass on both sides of the road bent over in the wind. In the distance, the mountain shadows were like iron, silently stretching between heaven and earth.

He sat on his horse, back straight, his gaze always forward.

From that moment on, he was no longer just a squad leader who only needed to guard one city gate.

He was tasked with pacifying the people of the region and providing relief to them. He was tasked with taking charge of a county town when there was no food, no soldiers, and no reinforcements.

He also knew that Su Shu had left, gone far away, back to her own world.

And he could only continue walking down this path.

Perhaps one day he will be able to stand by her side, but not now.

Now he has nothing but his life.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed on the bluestone slabs, like war drums, one after another, striking towards the unknown future.

After traveling swiftly through the night, darkness gradually receded, and the sky began to turn gray.

Tang Shun and his party had already traveled a hundred miles, with the sound of hooves constantly behind them, followed closely by thirty riders, with the team leader Zhou Ren always lagging behind by half a step.

After walking all night, Tang Shun also learned some things.

Zhou Lin started following Li Qing'an at the age of three and recognized Li Qing'an as his godfather.

Generals raise orphans to serve as their personal guards and loyal followers. Their loyalty is beyond question, but they are also the most difficult to control.

As dawn broke, a dozen or so riders appeared at the crossroads in the distance.

Two thin horses were pulling the carriage.

As they drew closer, they could see that the group on horseback was none other than Cheng Feng and his party.

Cheng Feng grinned, Wei Zong stood with his arms crossed, Liang Enyi was adjusting the sedan chair ropes, and Zhu Hang smiled without moving.

Upon seeing Tang Shun and his entourage arrive, the four men dismounted and knelt on one knee, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Then more than twenty people behind them also shouted, "Greetings, Your Excellency!"

They were all excited, their faces beaming with enthusiasm.

Tang Shun pointed with his whip and laughed, "You guys are making fun of me too?"

Cheng Feng laughed heartily, "Last night, the Prefect Chen sent over horses and a carriage, telling us that we've become the Imperial Envoy's bodyguards!"

"Whose imperial envoy am I with such a grand procession? Turns out it's our team leader!"

Having said that, Cheng Feng grinned and lifted the sedan curtain, pretending to be serious, "My lord, please get in! Look at this welcoming procession, it's practically ready to start with gongs and drums!"

Wei Zong dismounted, cupped his hands and smiled, "Wen Chi is a long way. Your Excellency has been traveling all night. If you were to collapse on the way, wouldn't that be letting down the Crown Prince's high expectations? This carriage may be simple, but at least you can rest."

Liang Enyi replied honestly, "I also brought dry food and hot water, which I can use on the road."

Tang Shun laughed and waved his hand, "Horse-drawn carriages and sedan chairs are for women!"

He dismounted, walked up to the three men, pointed at Cheng Feng's nose, and said, "You little brat, you've learned to make fun of your superiors now?"

Cheng Feng scratched his head and chuckled, "I'm just happy! I heard you became a high-ranking official and were going to Wenchi, so we wanted to enjoy the good life with you and rushed over to meet you overnight."

Tang Shun's cold expression lasted for a moment, then he suddenly smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

He then turned and walked to the horse's back, untied his pack, and took several large bags.

These were all rewards specially arranged by the military governor before his departure.

"Line up!"

Tang Shun shouted, and the twenty-odd people quickly stood in place.

They were organized and methodical; they were no longer rookies, but veterans who had followed Tang Shun through mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

"Brothers, as I said the other day, when we return from Tingzhou, we will surely reward those who have contributed."

"I mean what I say!"

"Now, give us the money!"

"Those whose names are called, come and choose for yourselves!"

Tang Shun poured all the silver on the ground, and the shimmering silver light instantly dazzled everyone's eyes.

The cavalry, including the military governor's personal guards, all stared intently.

Tang Shun looked at his subordinates who had fought alongside him in defending Xiushui and called out their names one by one, "Li Wu, in the battle of Xiushui, you killed seven Xiongnu barbarians who climbed the city walls. Your reward is seventy taels of silver!"

"hiss--"

Seventy taels!

There was no deduction!

A soldier named Li Wu emerged trembling. "Squad leader, is this true?"

Tang Shun squatted down, took seven silver ingots, and threw them over.

"I've said it before, I won't withhold a single penny of the reward our brothers earned with their lives!"

"Next, Zhao Ergou, with superb archery skills, killed nine Xiongnu barbarians, ninety taels..."

"Zhang the Cripple..."

Each time a name was called, they were told to take the silver themselves.

In the end, apart from a few squad leaders who each received between four and eight hundred taels of silver, the rest of the people each received several dozen taels of silver as a reward!

The annual salary of a border soldier is no more than five taels of silver!

The soldiers were stunned, their hands trembling as they took the silver.

Someone looked down at the silver's purity and confirmed it was indeed pure silver.

Zhou Lin stood to the side, his eyes showing emotion for the first time.

His cavalrymen all had burning eyes, and at the same time, their gazes toward Tang Shun held a newfound respect.

The full amount was paid, a privilege even the Imperial Guards didn't receive!

Xie Anzhi watched from afar, his heart trembling.

He had originally thought that military men were crude and only used their power to oppress others. But today, seeing that Tang Shun personally called out names and distributed silver, even remembering the names of the lowest-ranking soldiers, he was even more attentive than a civil official to his staff.

It seems that great reputations are not undeserved.

After distributing the silver, Tang Shun put away the empty bag and stood at the front of the line.

He scanned the crowd, his voice suddenly turning cold: "Now, all three squads of the Inner Guard, listen to my command."

Everyone immediately fell silent and stood up straight.

"This trip to Wenchi County will take three months," Tang Shun said, holding up three fingers. "I only have three requests."

"First, obey orders without question. If I say go east, you are not allowed to go west. Anyone who disobeys will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane; those whose actions are serious will be executed!"

The soldiers took a deep breath, focused their attention, and listened intently.

This is military law!

Tang Shun paused, his gaze sharp as a knife, "Second, no one is allowed to take even a needle or thread from the people. If anyone steals food, robs goods, or forcibly occupies a person's house along the way, they shall be executed immediately."

As the last sentence fell, the room fell silent.

"Third, one must not have private contact with officials or businessmen in the county."

Tang Shun stared at everyone, "Without my permission, you are not allowed to talk to county officials, gentry, or merchants. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished as a traitor."

Cheng Feng muttered under his breath, "Does it have to be this strict? Not even a needle or thread from the people? Can't they just take everything else besides needles and thread?"

Tang Shun glared at him. "What did you say?"

Cheng Feng shrank back, "No...it's nothing."

"This is neither in Xiushui nor in Tingzhou."

Tang Shun said slowly, "Xiushui has military merits to offset its transgressions, Tingzhou has a military governor to protect it, but Wenchi has none."

"That's not a battlefield, it's a place where people live. We're going there to save lives, not to kill them."

"If there is even the slightest mistake, the people will not believe you, the government will oppress you, and the court will abandon you. No one can save you."

He looked at Zhou Ren: "The men you lead are now under my command. From now on, you are the deputy captain and will still be in charge of this cavalry unit. However, if there are any violations of discipline, you will be held responsible."

Zhou Bing clasped his hands in a fist and said, "As you command."

Tang Shun nodded and mounted his horse.

The troops regrouped.

"Let's go!"

The procession stretched out in a long line along the official road, advancing towards Wenchi County...