Chapter 205: Everlasting Merit (1/2)

Chapter 205: Everlasting Merit

Translator: TransnEditor: Transn

”How do you feel? You've been the Navy Commander for a few months, holding the fates of hundreds of men in your hands and controlling the entire water route. Do you feel like you have an entire empire within your grasp?”

”It's nice to have authority, but it's something given and can be withdrawn at any moment no matter how great it is. I feel very anxious holding it.” Junior Leopard looked at a smiling Li Yuan and returned with a wry smile. ”Thank you, Your Excellency, for giving me this chance to train myself. During my time in Jiang City, I didn't only broaden my horizon but also nourished my soul. Authority is an illusion, only personal strength is the most substantial!”

”Good!” Li Yuan said repeatedly. ”Zhou Bao, it's great that you have such a thought. After doing so many things in Jiang City and gaining so many benefits, I'm afraid you'll be lost in your pursuit of power and hinder your own cultivation!” He paused to have a small sigh. ”Back then, I didn't consider this properly. In the end, all I did benefitted some other people instead of myself!”

”You're now the Conquering West General in charge of military affairs of an entire state. You have great power in your hands. You're unlike me, who's a lowly Navy Commander!”

”Hahaha! This brat, after all that talk, you still think your power is too small!”

”You must be kidding, Your Excellency. I've already decided to cultivate in martial arts after my trip to Jiang City. The path of a fighter is what I should be walking on, instead of getting myself involved in court politics. I don't have the ability nor the capital to fight with others!”

”That's not a bad choice. You're already a Level Seven expert at your age. If you put your heart into it, your future will be immeasurable!”

”You exaggerate, Your Excellency. I'm only at Level Four cultivation!”

”A Level Four cultivation, with the battle prowess of Level Seven. With your wolf beside you, I'm afraid any other Level Seven expert will run when they see you.”

Li Yuan's words carried a hint of respect, making Junior Leopard extremely comfortable. Yet he said, ”I'll never be an expert unless I reach Level Seven cultivation. I wouldn't have won so easily against Dragon Granny if she hadn't underestimated her opponent!”

”Whether it's a strong person or an expert, I won't argue with you. Either way, you're now the strongest asset in my hands. Therefore, you should also receive the best treatment. Now that I'm in charge of the military affairs of the state, I have several good positions. You're still young so it's impossible for me to make you an Admiral. But you can be the Garrison in various counties!”

”Thanks for your gift, Your Excellency. However, if you don't mind, let me stay beside you and serve in your personal guard camp, just like the old times!”

”Won't I be disgracing you to let you stay there?!” Li Yuan laughed helplessly. ”You're someone with the battle prowess of a Level Seven expert!”

”You must be joking. It's not humiliating to serve beside you!” Junior Leopard laughed. ”Besides, being your personal guard means I'll have plenty of free time. These few years are the crucial period for cultivating martial arts. I need large amounts of personal time to cultivate. If you give me a heavy responsibility, my cultivation will be hindered. Hence, Your Excellency, please do a good deed and allow me to return to the personal guard camp!”

”You, this brat...!” Li Yuan helplessly waved his hand. ”If that's the case, then come back. It so happens that I released Wang Lei recently and made Qi Fei the Camp Supervisor. He doesn't have a deputy yet. Since you'll come back, then you can take the position!”

”No way! Your Excellency, just let me be a personal guard. A deputy needs to manage a lot of things!”

”We'll just decide as such. The personal guard camp isn't all that different from the Jianghu; one's strength determines his position. Your battle prowess is first in the camp. You only lack experience. If you stay by my side for a few more years, I'll make you the Camp Supervisor. I'll give you three days, but three days later, assume your post immediately!”

”Yes!” Seeing there were no stopping things from developing in that direction, Junior Leopard helplessly accepted the reality.

Over the next three days, Junior Leopard was basically soaking in the wine jar.

Those from the personal guard camp wouldn't miss such a chance and dragged him to the wine bar every day. They were saying that now Commander Zhou had hit the jackpot and was even promoted, he shouldn't forget about his old brothers. He ate meat, so he had to at least give his brothers some soup to drink.

After being tormented for three days, Junior Leopard finally assumed his position with a groggy head.

Being a personal guard, he was treated well and given plenty of free time.

Things were different now and he was the new deputy, so logically he should be managing some affairs. But he simply couldn't be bothered and pushed all his responsibilities to Qi Fei. He became a Deputy Supervisor only in name. Unable to do anything against him, Qi Fei could only shoulder everything from the small to the big responsibilities that Junior Leopard should be doing.

...

...

This time around, Li Yuan's new role was the Conquering West General with the responsibility of managing military affairs in Qing Province.

In Jin, Qing Province was not considered a large state but its geographical location made it crucial. Furthermore, it shared a border with Yunzhou and was northwest of Jin.

Yunzhou was Jin's northernmost state, directly facing Northern Yuan. It could be said to be the frontlines in the war against Northern Yuan. Qing Province was the equivalent to the backup base of Yunzhou, the heartland connecting Yunzhou to the Jin empire. In the past few hundreds of years, Qing Province was at the throat of Yunzhou. Though it was now under the governance of Ma Tianchang, Yunzhou had substantially changed in nature. It was capable of providing for its people, no longer needing the assistance and support of the Jin empire. However, those were ordinary times.

Things were different now. Northern Yuan and Jin had drawn their swords and bows against each other. There were no major conflicts, but minor conflicts were incessant. It could be said both countries were partially at war. Under such a situation, the position of Qing Province became marvelous.

When Junior Leopard was in Zhonghejun City, he had never paid any attention to reports from the north because he was in the hinterland of Jin. Now that he was in Qing Province, he could feel the tense atmosphere.

That atmosphere was thanks to two people: Ma Tianchang and Wang She.

Wang She had murdered the three princes who could be the next Khan. Not only was the three Grandmasters from the Northern Yuan hunting him down, he also aroused the anger of the entire country. Northern Yuan held Jin accountable for his actions. On the other hand, the Seven Troops of Southern Yard went south and congregated military forces at the border of two countries. There were patrolling calvaries everywhere.

Wang She was the catalyst for everything. As for the Governor of Yunzhou in charge of its military affairs, he added numerous firepower in the firestarter.

Under the circumstances whereby the Seven Troops of Southern Yard was testing the waters without actually attacking, he used the provocation of Northern Yuan as an excuse and led his thousand calvaries. Not only did he kill all the patrolling cavalry that the Seven Troops of Southern Yard had sent out, he even went deep into the grasslands and eradicated all the tribes within 50 miles of the border of the two countries. His methods were extremely vicious. This aroused the strong rebound from the Seven Troops of Southern Yard. Both sides battled it out for three rounds. After three rounds, the main forces of the Seven Troops of Southern Yard were exhausted. Three out of the seven troops fled. The other four leaders, together with 3,000 of their calvaries, had their heads chopped off by Ma Tianchang and hung in the borders.

There was a plan behind this!

After a few rounds of battle, everyone could see there was a plan behind this. Ma Tianchang had long prepared for this, setting up a trap. It was as if he knew a year earlier that the Seven Troops of Southern Yard would attack. Hence he wasn't tired when he fought them. It could be said he made an easy work out of them.

When Northern Yuan suffered such a setback, they were forced to slow down. They were furious at Jin but had to rest to recover their lost face.

What they didn't expect was an unprecedented storm of a hundred years to cover the entire grasslands. Countless people and livestock were frozen to death. Even the large tribes within Northern Yuan were struggling, let alone the small ones.

It was only then that Northern Yuan discover Ma Tianchang had already planned to close off the fairs in Northern Yuan a few months prior. Before the fairs were completely closed off, tens of thousands of dan of grains would enter the country. Now, not even a single grain could pass through.

Without anything to eat or wear, the whole Northern Yuan was in a state of extreme frost.

Historically, the only solution to this problem was a southern invasion.

They were taught that if they had nothing to eat, they should go south and rob them; if there was nothing to wear, go south and rob them; if their people were frozen to death, go south and rob them. The solution to their problems was always to go south and to burn, kill, and rob them.

This year, they realized this method didn't seem to be working.

The Seven Troops of Southern Yard, for a few hundred years, had always been the vanguard when Northern Yuan invaded the south. It was also the tribe most familiar with heading down the south. However, these seven tribes had been completely wasted by Ma Tianchang. They now held no zero battle power. Without the Seven Troops of Southern Yard leading them, the calvaries wanting to go south was akin to having lost their pair of eyes.

It was one thing to have their Seven Troops of Southern Yard to lose their power, but the most crucial issue was that Northern Yuan had lost their Khan.

Wali Khan was dead, so was all his three princes with the right to succeed him. All the major tribes were on the move, eyeing the Khan position. It was basically impossible to choose a new Khan within a short period of time.

Without the Khan, the various tribes of the Northern Yuan were just like a pile of loose sand, unable to unify into a powerful force. Though the prairie alliance still existed, it was akin to company meetings in Junior Leopard's past life. There were too many elders with their own benefits and interests. No one wished to submit to another. The First Elder with the highest authority in the alliance was only occupying an empty position, unable to quell the other Elders.

At this moment, the three people with the greatest say in matters were the Three Grandmasters. They were all on the hunt for Wang She and unreachable on such a short notice.