Chapter 322: A New Designation (1/2)

[Volume 5 – A Distance Within Reach]

At this time, the airship captain approached with a flight bill and performed a military salute before handing it to the general.

The airship captain said respectfully, “General Dong, please look over the itinerary and sign it. The journey to our final destination, Blackflow City of Trinity River County, is rather long. As such, we plan to stop three times on the way for rest and supplies. Our midway points are Plateau Mountain City, Weiming City, and Vast Depth City.

This fat general was Dong Qifeng who was preparing to take office at Blackflow City. He received the itinerary but was still glancing at his aide-de-camp, the iceberg-like beauty, through the corner of his eyes.

The lady was quite clear what the general was concerned about. Thus, she introduced the three stops with great emphasis on their famed characteristics—some were known for their good food, some for their scenery, and Weiming City for its beauties.

Dong Qifeng was radiant with delight after listening to this introduction and repeatedly said ”good”. He then reached out to grope the aide’s buttocks yet again.

The aide-de-camp didn’t even raise her eyebrows, her expression cold and defensive. This was exactly Dong Qifeng’s favorite type. This general fancied ladies who were ice-cold on the outside and as passionate as fire on the inside.

Dong Qifeng had taken the journey toward his new post as a vacation trip and wouldn’t miss any attraction along the way. Otherwise, it was little more than a day’s journey—who else wouldn’t fly directly?

Dong Qifeng was quite satisfied with this arrangement. He checked the safety measures and found that he would be escorted by two military use gunships. He immediately decided that there was nothing to complain about and signed his name with a wave of his big pen.

Ignoring everything else, the three big characters Dong Qifeng were, in fact, written with an impressive style. This was a clear display of his great power.

“Enough with the blathering. Let’s board the airship! This general has to hurry on with the journey!” Dong Qifeng waved his large hand and boarded the airship first.

But his entourage hadn’t even finished entering the cabin when a light jeep arrived as if it were flying. It rushed directly toward the airship and came to a halt at its side.

A major jumped down from the vehicle and shouted loudly, “General Dong, please wait! I have orders from General Xiao asking you to return to headquarters immediately!”

Dong Qifeng poked his head out of the cabin door and asked curiously, “General Xiao?”

The major passed over an official document and said, “This is a handwritten order from General Xiao. Please take a look.”

Dong Qifeng received the document and glanced over it. However, the order only asked that he return to headquarters and didn’t explain any details. The general’s expression immediately turned gloomy after receiving such an order all of a sudden and for no good reason.

There was only one General Xiao who could give orders to General Dong in the expeditionary army, and that was the deputy commander-in-chief, Lieutenant General Xiao Lingshi. The expeditionary army commander-in-chief, Luo Mingji, was an imperial marshal. His role with the title was merely to oversee the general situation and wouldn’t involve himself with the details. Almost all military affairs were handled by the four deputy commanders-in-chief, and Xiao Lingshi was one of them.

But whatever opinion General Dong may have regarding this lieutenant general of humble origins, he wouldn’t express it at this moment. He simply gave out some instructions, returned to the jeep, and traveled back toward the expeditionary army headquarters with the major who came to convey the order.

The convoy of jeeps rapidly drove all the way and practically sprinted through the headquarter gates. The major then led Dong Qifeng straight to Xiao Lingshi’s office in the eastern building. The moment he stepped into the building, Dong Qifeng suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure, and this person was one who shouldn’t be here at this time.

Dong Qifeng said in great astonishment, “Du Yuanze, why are you here? Didn’t I send you to take over the seventh division?”

That person was, indeed, Du Yuanze. The man smiled wryly and whispered, “General, let’s go in first. General Xiao is already waiting in the conference room.”

A layer of dark clouds emerged in Dong Qifeng’s heart. He gave a nod, then followed Du Yuanze up to the top floor and into the conference room.

The room wasn’t that big at all. There were only ten-odd people seated here, but their general’s stars were sparkling on their uniforms—apparently, most of them were generals. It could be said that most of the high-ranking officers under Xiao Lingshi were gathered here. Xiao Lingshi himself was seated at the end of the long table. No clues could be obtained from his expressionless countenance.

Seeing Dong Qifeng and Du Yuanze enter, Xiao Lingshi gestured for them to sit down and said slowly, “I received news just now from Blackflow City that a certain mercenary corps called Dark Flame has annexed the seventh division. They have dispatched a messenger to the headquarters requesting us to revoke the seventh division’s designation number. At the same time, they expressed their willingness to join the expeditionary army system. The designation they applied for is Dark Flame Independent Division.”

“Dark Flame Independent Division!”

Discussions immediately broke out within the conference room as soon as this new title was announced. Even those generals weren’t an exception—everyone felt that this Dark Flame Mercenary Corps was crazy. They were actually demanding an independent division designation?

The expeditionary army’s main fighting units were classified into two types—dispatch divisions who were assigned to guard the cities, and field divisions used to supplement the gaps in the defensive lines. However, there was also a number of specialized organizations, and the independent division was one of them. This designation represented greater authority and scale.

An independent division could recruit 50% more troops than an ordinary division, and the staffing structure would also increase accordingly. Moreover, only the deputy division commander position required the approval of the expeditionary army headquarters. The appointment and dismissal of all other senior-officer positions would be left to the division commander.