Chapter 32: Only when dressed so neatly can one be called a First Rank Official

Zhang Yuan knew this news.

Wang Qinian had been bragging about it for two years.

Whenever that fellow drank, he would say that once the Black Ice Platform reclaimed the Martial Guard Office, he, Wang Qinian, would no longer be the pathetic commander of a dozen dark guards and spies, but a figure commanding hundreds of elites.

As if the Martial Guard Office actually possessed many elites.

Zhang Yuan agreed to go to Yong'an County on behalf of Hu Yang. Hu Yang immediately produced all the intelligence regarding the bandit suppression and then went outside the main hall to assemble their squad of Zao-yi Guards, shouting orders to pass down the mobilization command.

The prefectural city was over two hundred li from Yong'an County; at the marching speed of martial soldiers, it would take only a day.

Tomorrow morning, the office would arrange for weaponry, logistics, and several carriages to head straight for Yong'an County.

Zhang Yuan did not linger at the office. Instead, he returned to Ding Family Alley and stopped by the academy on the way, asking Young Master Tao to look for information regarding the bandits on the Guangji River in Yong'an County.

The Black Ice Platform's combat strength was currently worrisome, but they had many spies and possessed a vast amount of intelligence gathered from various sides.

From the martial arts world to the official government, they had it all.

This was also why the Black Ice Platform operated with increasing discretion.

It drew resentment.

Upon returning to Ding Family Alley, Zhang Yuan took out two taels of silver and instructed Guo Da and Old Man Xu to visit the families of several fallen comrades over the next few days, and to also check in on the academy and the medical clinic.

In the evening, Tao Hong delivered the maps of Yong'an County along with intelligence on the various martial arts factions.

Guo Da brought some medicinal salves from Hu Chunniu's clinic and handed them to Zhang Yuan.

The other Zao-yi Guards who had received mobilization orders would also go home tonight to settle their affairs.

As Martial Guards, such missions were common.

And because they were missions, they carried inherent danger.

No one dared to claim they would certainly return alive.

This was the nature of the Great Qin martial soldiers: ordinary, yet steadfast.

These ordinary soldiers formed the foundation of Great Qin.

Zhang Yuan had nothing to arrange at home, so he stayed in his room reading the maps and intelligence Tao Hong had sent.

With the help of Chaos's recording and analysis, he only needed to select the key points to memorize.

He read the intelligence while practicing his cultivation, his blood qi and true essence constantly circulating.

Using the power of blood qi and true essence to temper his body and increase his physical capacity was what he had been focusing on lately.

In the absence of finding the Heavenly Dao opportunity or the Grandmaster Tribulation required to enter the Grandmaster Realm, continuous tempering of the physical body was the most fundamental method to increase combat strength.

Before dawn, Zhang Yuan rose from bed. Old Man Xu's wife in the front courtyard had already prepared breakfast.

In this small courtyard of Ding Family Alley, such things had become a habit.

After breakfast, Zhang Yuan donned a set of black martial robes. Carrying no weapons, he headed straight for the Martial Guard Office.

By the time he arrived at the office, the sky was bright.

Two squads of Zao-yi Guards had assembled in front of the office gates.

"With a kid like you stepping up, Hu Laoqi can truly live a carefree life," the leader of the other squad remarked upon seeing Zhang Yuan.

Qi Junliang was the "Fifth Qi" that Hu Yang spoke of.

There were eight martial squads in the office, each with its own designation.

Zhang Yuan's squad was ranked seventh.

Qi Junliang's squad was fifth.

This ranking was said to be based on strength, some said on the combat power of the leaders, and others said on the years since their establishment.

The specific criteria were known only to the superiors.

A middle-aged man wearing a seventh-rank military officer's uniform with black patterns and a sword hanging at his waist strode out from the office. His gaze swept over, landing on Zhang Yuan and Qi Junliang standing before the stone steps.

"Is everyone here?"

Zhang Yuan and Qi Junliang cupped their fists: "We are here."

The military officer nodded and barked, "Move out."

Zhang Yuan and Qi Junliang cupped their fists again: "Understood."

...

As the morning sun rose, the two squads of Zao-yi Guards had already left the city following seven horse-drawn carriages.

They headed south, with scouts constantly riding back and forth on warhorses ahead of them.

Although the Martial Guard Office was not a formal military unit, their marching followed the military laws of Great Qin.

Scouts every ten li and sentries every five li—this was the minimum standard.

Each squad had five warhorses; the leader could ride one, and the other four horses were for the rotation of the two scouts.

The scouts for Zhang Yuan's squad were Feng Cheng and Chen Wu.

This was Zhang Yuan's arrangement.

It wasn't out of favoritism; Chen Wu's horsemanship had been taught by him, making him capable of mounted combat, and Feng Cheng came from a decent family with respectable martial cultivation and prior experience in mounted combat.

Most Zao-yi Guards in the Martial Guard Office were infantry-based soldiers; while they could ride horses, few possessed the ability for mounted combat.

At noon, the entire force halted for a rest.

They were now over eighty li away from the Luyang prefectural city.

The two squads gathered separately, and soldiers went to the front carriages to carry out steamed buns and water.

The warm water was boiled overnight and allowed to cool in bamboo tubes.

The steamed buns had also been steamed overnight and were wrapped in layers of thick cloth.

Great Qin emphasized that provisions must precede the movement of the army; thus, all logistics were of paramount importance.

Any error in military logistics could result in losing one's head.

"Brother Yuan."

As Zhang Yuan sat eating a bun, someone called from behind.

Turning around, he saw a young man in black martial robes, his face full of respect.

"Huang Sanliang?"

"I saw you just now. Weren't you supposed to be tending to family matters recently? Why are you on a mission?"

Zhang Yuan spoke, reaching out to pull Huang Sanliang down to sit beside him, handing him a bun.

Huang Sanliang and Chen Wu were among the first batch of disciples from Yulin Academy and were Zhang Yuan's former comrades; both now held positions in the Martial Guard Office.

Huang Sanliang's cultivation was slightly lower than Chen Wu's, but he had already reached the early stage of the Houtian Realm. Zhang Yuan had tested him last time; his blood qi power was over seven hundred jin, just a step away from the middle stage of Houtian.

Because his family had a second child, Huang Sanliang had been appearing less frequently at the office lately.

"Qi Tou's intention is that I should gain more experience," Huang Sanliang said, tearing the bun and stuffing a mouthful into his mouth.

"With the new baby, is things difficult at home?" Zhang Yuan turned and asked.

Huang Sanliang's hand paused, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

A ninth-rank Zao-yi Guard's salary was only one tael and five mace of silver. With elders and children at home, and a new addition to the family, things were indeed tight.

Field missions provided subsidies, and if one achieved military merit, silver could be earned.

"Be careful. Think of your wife and children at home; don't just rush in blindly," Zhang Yuan took a bamboo tube, pulled off the stopper, and took a sip of warm water. "Also, remember, do not engage the bandits underwater."

"The water bandits on the Guangji River are excellent swimmers. Since we are wearing armor, we will be at a disadvantage if we fight them in the river."

Huang Sanliang nodded and whispered, "I understand."

Looking up, Chen Wu was riding toward them from not far away. Huang Sanliang smiled and tossed a bun toward him.

Chen Wu caught the bun and spurred his horse back to scouting.

The column moved again, the pace quickening.

By the afternoon, under the high sun, they arrived at Yong'an County.

Several mounted martial artists came to meet them, bowing before the front carriages.

The leader was the County Lieutenant of Yong'an, followed by the head constable of the Yong'an County Office and two Martial Guard captains.

The local Martial Guards were under the command of the County Lieutenant, with each squad consisting of only ten men.

In front of the carriages, the military officer conferred with the County Lieutenant for a moment, asked a few more questions in a low voice, and then turned to look at Zhang Yuan and Qi Junliang.

"The Guangji River is thirteen li from here. The bandits have arrived by boat, and the Yong'an County soldiers have set up river-blocking cables in preparation for a siege."

"March ten li at a rapid pace, then rest for fifteen minutes. Don your armor and prepare your troops."

The officer's gaze swept over the two squads: "You are weary from the march, but a sudden raid is required. You have all worked hard."

"Understood!" Everyone cupped their fists, their expressions solemn.

As Martial Guard soldiers, a thousand-li march was merely a matter of following a single command.

The carriages led the way, with several mounted scouts ahead.

After a ten-li sprint, the riverbed, ten zhang wide, appeared ahead.

The green waves rolled, shimmering under the sunlight.

The carriages stopped, and the soldiers stepped forward one by one to collect their armor.

They had traveled light; their armor and weapons were all in the carriages, with only the sentries and scouts carrying weapons.

Zhang Yuan collected his own armor and weapons.

Combat boots with bamboo-plate leg guards, lightweight and flexible.

A layer of soft armor, fine and thin, capable of preventing punctures, weighing eleven jin.

A second layer of scale armor, with overlapping scales to resist heavy strikes and slashes, weighing twenty jin.

Vambraces, elbow guards, shoulder guards, and a combat helmet.

A one-foot short blade.

A four-foot goose-feather long saber.

A protective hand crossbow and two boxes containing twenty foot-long crossbow bolts.

A five-foot throwing spear.

Donning scale armor required coordination with fellow soldiers to tighten the leather straps on one's back.

Only when fully equipped was one considered "armored."

A man capable of breaking through the encirclement of three to five such armored soldiers was already an expert.

One who could break through ten such soldiers was undoubtedly a powerhouse within the Houtian Realm.

Even those in the Xiantian Realm would not dare to enter the formation of a hundred such soldiers.

By the time Zhang Yuan was fully geared up, four other soldiers had already gathered around him.