After him, Xue Mingyuan also rose to his feet. He looked somewhat more seasoned than Shui Ruolin, occasionally pausing as he spoke as though recalling specific details.
"Other than that bandit suppression operation, the Second Battalion also cooperated with the navy on two coastal patrol missions last year. The first was in early October, when we received a report from fishermen about an unidentified vessel coming ashore. We went to investigate with the navy and found a smuggling ship that had run aground. There was no one aboard, and some of its cargo had already been removed. We towed the ship back to port for inspection, followed the trail to a shop in town, and seized a batch of illicit salt and contraband."
"The other was at the end of November. After the pirates receded, they made probing moves in the direction of landing ashore. The navy detected the activity first, and we cooperated in setting up defenses along the coast for two days. The pirates withdrew without landing. There was no direct clash that time, but during those days of lying in wait by the sea, two soldiers fell ill after catching a chill at night. It was nothing serious."
After hearing the report, Xiao Yun made the appropriate arrangements. "You two have done well. Keep working harder in the future. The City Guard cannot stop cultivating. Now that we have the Public Security Bureau, many minor matters will be handled by them. Unless it is something like suppressing bandits, wiping out pirates, or resisting a beast tide, the City Guard is not permitted to intervene. So the burden on the two of you remains heavy. Within four years, your goal is for every City Guard soldier to possess physical strength at least equal to that of a Soul