Mountain Patrol Military Officer-Chapter 1095 - 718: Raiding Beiliang for Spoils

Outside the hall on the plaza, golden streams flowed down from the cauldron, forming piles of large and small ironwood boxes, each sealed with the Court’s lacquer, gradually stacking up like a small mountain.

Chen Yuan casually gestured, and a box, about a zhang in size, flew up from the plaza, soaring directly into the hall before landing with a thud in the middle, emitting a dull sound.

Then, with a flick of his fingers, the seal on the box was torn open, and the lid was lifted, revealing what was inside.

Inside was a glint of cold light, a set of standard long swords sheathed, standing upright on a wood rack with holes, ten in each column, totaling two hundred across all rows and columns.

Chen Yuan casually drew one, the snow-white blade unsheathing with a metallic scrape, held horizontally before his eyes, he flicked it with another finger, the blade ringing in response.

Not bad, no breakage.

Having done this, Chen Yuan held the sword single-handedly, then with a flick, the blade slipped precisely back into the sheath.

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who had been watching from the side, though expressionless, felt inwardly tense, fearing any more trouble could arise.

Some in the Ministry of War held positions idly and negligently; there was always the fear that they would pass off shoddy weapons as the real deal. Fortunately, from the expression on Marquis Chen’s face, this seemed not to be the case.

"Marquis Chen, you see..." he began, with an uneasy look in his eyes, mindful of the weighty imperial edict in his hands, aware that if Chen Yuan refused to accept it, he’d be at a loss, having no face left to complete his task upon returning to the capital.

Chen Yuan turned his head towards him, his expressionless face now wearing a gentle smile,

"Forgive me for having you laugh, Lord Jiang."

"Then I shall thank Your Majesty on behalf of The Overseers and its soldiers for this grace." He extended his hand and took the imperial edict from Jiang Yi. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Jiang Yi felt a weight lifted, having finally completed one task, though endured trials along the way, it was done nevertheless.

Still, he did not forget about the ambush on his escorting group; this incident concerned the Court’s reputation, and now that Chen Yuan had accepted the edict, it should also concern the dignity of Marquis Zhen Nan. Thus, after consideration, he gestured towards the hall’s entrance and sighed:

"I am ashamed, the military supplies that His Majesty intended to reward our frontline soldiers with were mostly taken away; only I managed to escape with the rest of my escort, facing both His Majesty and the soldiers of Jiannan Road without honor."

As he spoke, the cauldron he had sent out earlier now shrank back, flying into his sleeve, his hands flicking his sleeves as he solemnly bowed to Chen Yuan,

"This matter concerns the Marquis’s honor and the grace for Jiannan Road’s soldiers, hence I beseech the Marquis to deploy troops, investigate this matter, and avenge this wrong."

As he finished, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites’ voice became firm and commanding, his eyebrows knitted angrily with imposing presence.

Chen Yuan furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes narrowing, within them a point of golden light while he observed Lord Jiang, discerning whether the man’s words were genuine or if there was hidden meaning, aiming to stoke discord.

He maintained his smile at the corners of his lips,

"I observe that Lord Jiang’s injuries are not light and should be treated urgently, else they might leave hidden harm, resulting in trouble later."

"Military Adviser Gao, please escort Lord Jiang to the courtyard below for rest and summon the best healers to tend to Lord Jiang’s wounds."

"Yes." Standing at the end of the hall, Gao Yu stepped forward.

Seeing this, Jiang Yi grew anxious, "Marquis Chen, this matter cannot be delayed; can you swallow this indignity?"

"This issue requires careful deliberation; Lord Jiang should focus on recuperating." Chen Yuan remained unfazed, using an indisputable tone, even as he turned to give Gao Yu a knowing look.

Gao Yu swiftly approached, blocking Jiang Yi who was about to speak again, and gestured politely, "Lord Jiang, please!"

Jiang Yi implicitly understood the meaning in Chen Yuan’s words, realizing persuasion was temporarily futile, he expressed an unwilling "ah", flicked his sleeves behind him, and strode towards the hall’s exit, with Gao Yu promptly following to lead the way.

Once the Minister of the Ministry of Rites had left the Heavenly Patrol Hall, amidst the flickering candlelight, Chen Yuan turned to the side, the imperial edict in his hand, watching the figure disappear down the steps, his gaze flickering.

At this moment, the generals stood solemnly, saluting with deep voices: "Congratulations to the General on being promoted to Marquis Zhen Nan!"

Their voices were unanimous and full of power.

Chen Yuan absorbed the imperial edict into his sleeve, his gaze returning to rest upon the attending generals.

"Yun Tiansheng, Fan Chou." He called out the names of the two individuals.

Yun Tiansheng and Military Fan Chou stepped forward and saluted, "We are present."

"You two have a task to tally up the rewarded goods on the plaza, record and organize them for my review."

"Understood." The two accepted the order, left the hall, and went out to gather personnel to inventory the goods on the plaza.

"The rest may disperse, Gongsun Yang, remain." He motioned with a wave, adjourning the meeting.

Thus, the Colonels followed orders and departed, leaving only Gongsun Yang inside the hall.

Seeing most had departed, Gongsun Yang knew the General had a specific task for him, stepped forward two steps, raised his head, and softly spoke,

"General, or rather, now should I say Marquis, is there something you wish the old man to undertake?"

Chen Yuan did not immediately answer but instead pondered as he asked, "Mr. Gongsun, do you think what Lord Jiang said is true? Was it really Beiliang sending people to ambush, or is this a bitter scheme to ignite conflict, hoping to spur me to act against Xiao Zhongtian?"

He didn’t trust the Court, so it was only natural to question this matter, imagining with the utmost malice.

Gongsun Yang, hearing this, also wrinkled his brow into a "川" shape,

"Returning to the General, such things should not be speculated on lightly, given the scant information we currently hold, yet according to testimony from the Qi Tian General at Tianxiong Pass, the Minister of Rites indeed was pursued outside the border by a mysterious Martial Saint, who also intervened. As for the inner details, that needs time for verification."

"Is the General considering sending the old man to investigate?"

Chen Yuan raised his hand slightly, "No, we do not have the time to engage in such pointless pursuits."

"Whether it was Beiliang involved or not is inconsequential, I do not need to pursue the truth."

"But if nothing is done, how can I consolidate military morale?"

"What does the General mean by that?" Gongsun Yang couldn’t help but be curious about the General’s implication.

"You, take command and lead three thousand elite cavalry from the Ninth Mountain, venture into Beiliang’s side, see if there’s a chance to seize some loot, their army of a hundred thousand was defeated last time, and they may not have recovered yet. Act as the situation dictates, see if you can breach one of their gates for General Qi to collaborate and raid their rear."

"In essence, I originally contemplated this; as the scale of recruitment and war grows, the subsequent requirement for military resources becomes vast, and depleting resources from all sources risks stirring public unrest, adding variables, it’s better to seize what’s needed from Xiao Zhongtian’s territory without restraint, having fewer concerns."

"Now that the Court has provided a reason, it fulfills everyone’s desires, and let His Majesty rejoice a bit, this marquisate is quite a bargain." Chen Yuan finished with a sly, humorless chuckle.

Gongsun Yang grasped the concept and found the plan feasible,

"I understand, and I will proceed now."