Xuanqing Guard

Chapter 368: Chapter 368: The Inside Story

Last year, Jiang Cheng received an "Excellent" rating in the official evaluation. Among the four Governors, he was the only one to receive such a distinction, and at the previous assembly, Commander Pang Ban commended him by name three times in public. He even praised him as a mainstay of the Xuanqing Guard.

This kind of situation is quite rare; at the very least, Pang Ban had never before shown such direct appreciation for anyone—Jiang Cheng was the first.

This also allowed Jiang Cheng to obtain significant bureaucratic credentials at the beginning of this year, which was extremely important for someone like him who had almost no support left. It meant that as long as he continued to follow Pang Ban and did not make any major mistakes, and as long as Pang Ban did not fall from power, his political career would again show promise.

Actually, in other places, "career potential" is generally something people pay close attention to. But within the Xuanqing Guard, things are a bit different.

Before becoming Governor, one could indeed attract many opportunists because of "career potential." But after attaining the position of Governor, not many people try to curry favor with you for that reason anymore.

The reason for this involves the accumulation of power at the top of the Xuanqing Guard.

The Governor holds a Junior Fourth Grade title; above that is the Senior Fourth Grade Captain.

But the Captain does not handle specific affairs, instead being assigned to "sit" in the Commander’s Office. Of course, it’s not literally just sitting around; it’s a practice customary to the Xuanqing Guard—in essence, forced seclusion.

This is also why, aside from the Commander and the Governor, Captains are rarely seen.

Attaining the Primordial Pill Realm is the threshold for becoming a Governor. If one wishes to ascend further within the Xuanqing Guard and sit in a higher position, one’s cultivation must reach at least the late Primordial Pill Realm, that is, the seventh layer of the Primordial Pill Realm.

Those who reach the seventh layer of the Primordial Pill Realm have two choices.

The first is to serve as Captain, enter the Commander’s Office, and enter seclusion to strive for the next realm, namely the Profound Sea Realm. This is meant to maximize cultivation growth, eliminating worldly distractions, coupled with the full provision of resources, with the main goal being to cultivate high-level combat power for the Xuanqing Guard.

But this is relatively inflexible, and some people dislike being forcibly made to cultivate in seclusion. Thus, there is a second choice.

The second choice is to enter Fenghong Manor and become a Golden Sword Cultivator, bidding farewell to the Xuanqing Guard’s system.

Now, Jiang Cheng is the Jingxi Governor, but he has never seen any active Captain. He only knows that in the Commander’s Office there are four Junior Third Grade Deputy Commanders, each of whom attained the Profound Sea Realm after serving as Captain. But they also wield no direct authority, serving more as a show of martial force for the Xuanqing Guard.

Jiang Cheng is not sure if his potential will allow him to break through to the seventh layer of the Primordial Pill Realm, but he knows exactly the path he wishes to pursue. To take a gamble: even if his cultivation prevents him from advancing further, at the very least he wants to amass enough credentials and capital to firmly secure his position as Jingxi Governor.

Therefore, as soon as Jiang Cheng assumed the role of Jingxi Governor, he strove to make strong impressions, largely because he chose to trust his subordinate and disciple Shen Hao, supporting him wholeheartedly and reaping generous rewards in exchange.

So when Shen Hao reported the remarkable transformations brought by the pilot program in Fengri City’s Black Banner Battalion over more than a month, Jiang Cheng’s first reaction was, "clerical error," after which he ordered an on-site investigation in Fengri City. In the end, it naturally proved that Shen Hao made no "clerical error"—everything was true.

That such a small thing as a Peiyuan Pill could bring such dramatic improvement to the grassroots soldiers surprised Jiang Cheng, making him instantly aware that this disciple of his was likely about to create another major stir.

Naturally, Jiang Cheng’s attention once again focused on the "Grand Tournament" that Shen Hao used to demonstrate results.

Since Fengri City’s Black Banner Battalion had already shown astonishing advancement, coupled with the fact that this disciple reliably conducted matters, this was yet another opportunity to step into the spotlight.

So Jiang Cheng temporarily put aside the "reward specifics," and, weighing the pros and cons, used additional incentives to make himself and the Jingxi Governor actual participants rather than mere bystanders.

If the bet paid off, he would gain another boost in career potential.

However, on April 9th, Pang Ban suddenly summoned him, nearly disrupting Jiang Cheng’s plans.

"The Southern Border Army has already begun to move. Is this the ’reminder’ you mentioned before?"

As Pang Ban spoke, he tossed a copper rod into Jiang Cheng’s hands.

Upon opening it, Jiang Cheng saw that it was an urgent dispatch sent via the Xuanqing Guard Inspector within the Southern Border Army. It stated that at noon on April 8th, the Southern Border Army had fully entered a state of war-readiness, activating all wartime posts. There were also earlier reports that, as far back as late March, three Vanguard Battalions had crossed Zhuo Huo Pass to the south and encountered a full-fledged Barbarian Race force in Southern Barbarian territory. The two sides had clashed repeatedly, each suffering losses.

The copper rod further stated: afterward, Southern Military Chief Officer Zuo Yuliang dispatched three more mixed auxiliary battalions, totaling over fifteen thousand men, south through Zhuo Huo Pass.

The information was rather general, not at all detailed, but given the Xuanqing Guard Inspector’s awkward position within the military, these reports were already the best they could manage.

"Yes, my lord. I just didn’t expect Zuo Yuliang to respond so strongly and so quickly."

With a faint smile, Pang Ban, leaning against his chair, continued, "Zuo Yuliang is an able general—his skill in leading troops is not lacking, and his approach is distinctly ’steady.’ This time, even after your Black Banner Battalion’s agents and the Hongli Trading Company fanned the flames, he did not lose his composure. The two deployments out of the pass are understandable. The first was a probe; the second, with fifteen thousand men, is ostensibly to push forward but in truth to establish a salient for observation.

This round of response befits Zuo Yuliang’s reputation. However... by your own assessment, the Southern Barbarians are deliberately adopting this stance to capitalize on the situation, with their true aim being to enable the Red-eyed Wolf Race to successfully ascend and rebuild the Royal Court. Isn’t Zuo Yuliang’s move playing directly into the hands of the Barbarian Race?"

"For the present, yes. Zuo Yuliang’s deployment and subsequent battles with the Barbarian Race are already extremely unfavorable news for them. They have yet to reestablish the Royal Court and are nominally divided, so this forces them to submit to the Red-eyed Wolf Race and unify as soon as possible."

"Did you not anticipate this outcome? What benefit could accelerated unification of the Barbarian Race have for us?"

"My lord, the earlier intelligence already indicated that unification of the Barbarian Race is inevitable; the only difference is how long it takes. If it were before, we would of course have coordinated with Zuo Yuliang before making arrangements. But now, suspicion still clouds the Border Army, so we dare not act rashly, for fear of jeopardizing the investigation."

After Jiang Cheng finished speaking, there was a moment of silence; he lowered his head, not daring to meet Pang Ban’s gaze.

After a long time, Pang Ban finally spoke again: "You truly place great trust in that disciple of yours. This time, as he has invited me to attend, I am most curious to see what kind of person he is."