From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

"Greetings, sir."

After making arrangements for Du Mingyue and the others, Chen Shi summoned Zhang Sandao and the others the next day.

Previously in Wuxing, Chen Shi recruited a group of江湖人士 (jianghu figures), as well as three swindlers who impersonated him and Xiao Fengxiao.

The only sixth-ranked member, along with two or three other skilled fighters, stayed in Wuxing to select a site to establish their own sect.

The remaining Zhang Sandao and his group were taken back to Yongqiu. They had been among those searching for the array diagram in the mountains.

After being attacked by Feng Ji and the Fufeng Society, several of them were lost, and now only five remain.

Including the three charlatans, there were now a total of eight people.

Chen Shi was preparing to resign from his position as chief steward and was expected to join the army soon. He originally wanted Zhang Sandao and the others to serve as his bodyguards and attendants, but after thinking about it, he decided against it.

These are all people from the martial arts world. Although they are skilled in martial arts, they are used to being undisciplined and may not be able to be controlled. In a disciplined military camp, they may cause trouble instead.

"Go and join forces with Sun Shaoyang to strengthen the Fengming Sect."

Sun Shaoyang is the sixth-rank official. Some time ago, news came that he had established a sect on an unnamed mountain in Wuxing.

Chen Shi couldn't help but think of Xiao Fengxiao, and smiled to himself, giving him the name Fengming Sect.

"……yes!"

Zhang Sandao and the others nodded quickly, a look of joy in their eyes.

Although following Chen Shi meant no worries about food and drink, and plenty of money to be made, being confined to Yongqiu City every day was truly uncomfortable.

If they went to the Phoenix Cry Sect, they would be mountain kings, making all the decisions themselves. Wouldn't that be much more carefree and happy?

As for money, with Chen Shi as their financial backer, there's no need to worry about it at all.

Seeing their excited expressions, Chen Shi gave a soft snort.

"Do you remember what I said before?"

"I remember, I remember."

The group nodded and said with smiles.

"Master, you said money is not a problem, you want us to make the Phoenix Cry Sect as strong as possible."

"Anything else?"

"And another thing? Oh, I remember now, one must not make things difficult for the people, nor do evil deeds."

"Anything else?"

"And what else? Hey, I can't remember some of them."

"Also, if you encounter any problems that you can't solve, send me a message and I will help you."

"Yes, yes, I remember!"

The group nodded repeatedly, their faces full of excitement.

Chen Shi not only gave them money, but also supported them. Such a good employer is hard to find even with a lantern.

"Don't just think about having fun outside."

Chen Shi's gaze swept over the group, and his expression suddenly turned serious.

"Don't forget, you still have criminal records in my hands. If you don't do your job properly, I'll send troops to bring you here to be punished. Assassinating a member of the Marquis's family is a capital offense."

"……yes"

The group of people, who had just been beaming with joy, suddenly trembled and lowered their heads in fear.

Seeing the appearance of the group, Chen Shi smiled with satisfaction.

When Chen Shi first recruited these people, it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision; he had no specific plans for how to arrange things.

After thinking about it, I decided to let them establish a martial arts sect.

Chen Shi was not a member of the martial arts world, nor did he intend to get involved, but there is a saying that wherever there are people, there is a martial arts world.

Establishing a sect in the martial arts world can be considered a foothold.

Chen Shi's move was not based on any long-term considerations; it was merely a frivolous act.

It might come in handy someday if it ends up here.

Since it is a chess piece, it must first be controlled.

These people's criminal records are leverage. Of course, if they become powerful and influential one day, they may not care about these criminal records and will be able to get rid of Chen Shi's control.

But Chen Shi at that time might have been even more powerful.

He's just a nobody anyway, no need to put too much effort into it.

"Go."

Having given the instructions, Chen Shi stopped rambling and waved his hand.

After bowing, the eight people quickly left.

It evokes the feeling of birds being released from their cages and fish entering the sea.

Chen Shi smiled slightly, not taking it to heart.

After arranging things for this group of martial arts figures, Chen Shi then took the time to meet with Xiao Fengxiao's shopkeepers in Yongqiu.

Once he is no longer the chief steward of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion, these people will probably look down on him!

Even if Chen Shi is no longer the chief steward of the Marquis's mansion, his relationship with Xiao Fengxiao is still there, so dealing with these merchants will be a piece of cake.

Xiao Fengxiao didn't even need to make a move; Du Yueming and the others were enough.

But dealing with it later would only make him seem incompetent, so it's better to give him a warning before the problem occurs.

They were just some merchants; scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants were the lowest of the four classes of people. As expected, it didn't take much effort.

In this way, Chen Shi has basically consolidated his power outside the Marquis of Jing'an's residence.

Even if Chen Shi is no longer the chief steward of the Jing'an Marquis's residence, he has only lost the rights of the chief steward, which will not have much impact on the outside of the residence.

With everything settled, Chen Shi continued to fulfill his duties as general manager while patiently awaiting news from Gu Tingshu.

Several days have passed in the blink of an eye, and it is already mid-July.

Around noon that day, a servant came to report, and Gu Tingshu summoned him over.

It's finally here.

Chen Shi took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and went to Gu Tingshu's study.

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

"Um."

Gu Tingshu sat upright behind the desk, nodded slightly, and spoke directly.

"I have made all the arrangements. You will first study at the military academy for six months."

"The Military Academy?"

Upon hearing these three words, Chen Shi was taken aback.

The current Great Qian Dynasty implements the Fubing system, in which Fubing soldiers farm in peacetime and go on expeditions in wartime, and are led and managed by the Zhechongfu.

According to Xiao Fengxiao, this was originally intended by the Emperor to limit the Eight Pillars, Thirteen Marquises, and Twenty-Four Armies. However, unfortunately, it didn't have much effect, because the Zhechong Prefecture also fell under the control of the Eight Pillars and Thirteen Marquises.

The Zhechongyuan was not a Zhechongfu, nor even an affiliated one; it was simply a place for training generals, more like a local official school. The difference was that the Zhechongyuan did not teach the Four Books and Five Classics, but rather the strategies for leading troops in battle.

"What? You don't want to?"

Seeing that Chen Shi remained silent for a long time, Gu Tingshu asked a question.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir!"

Coming to his senses, Chen Shi quickly bowed and thanked him.

Although he was highly skilled in martial arts, he was completely ignorant of leading troops in battle. If he were to enter the army and become a general, he would only know how to lead his men in brave charges, and at best he would be a fierce general.

If a general cannot be a commander, his future is ultimately limited.

If he could enter the Zhechongyuan system to learn strategy, it would be of great benefit to him.

As the saying goes, sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood; six months of preparation can benefit him for a lifetime.

And that's not all.

The Zhechongyuan (military training academy) is where generals are trained, and his classmates there will become his network of connections in the military!

It must be said that Gu Tingshu's move was quite deliberate.

"It's good that you understand."

Gu Tingshu nodded slightly and then continued.

"Six months from now, after you graduate from the Zhechong Academy, I will select you to join the Longxiang Army."

"Thank you, sir!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi's face lit up with joy again.

The Longxiang Army is one of the Twenty-Four Armies, and it is superior to those miscellaneous armies in many aspects.

Moreover, the Longxiang Army is located on Jiangnan Road, so he doesn't even need to leave his hometown.

Overjoyed, he secretly admired her, for Xiao Fengxiao had indeed predicted it correctly once again.

"in addition."

Just as Chen Shi was feeling happy, Gu Tingshu suddenly spoke up again.

"I have one more request for you."