Equitable Transport Magistrate Zhao Xing, No. 92 Granary City, and a Chance Encounter with a Fat Sheep
Sheep! (6k)
"It's out?" Long Xiao, and saw a tall figure slowly flying out from it.
"Zhao Xing!" Long Xiao waved and shouted.
Zhao Xing Xingchao nodded to Long Xiao, then bowed to Lu Bang: "Thank you for your guidance, Master Lu."
"No need for formalities, it's all thanks to your own hard work." Lu Bang smiled slightly, then pointed at Long Xiao: "This kid is getting impatient, go ahead."
Zhao Xing cupped his hands in greeting and quickly flew out of Great Granary Institute with Long Xiao.
"Zhao Xing, you seem different." Long Xiao looked at Zhao Xing. Although his appearance was still the same, his temperament was completely different from when he was in Cloud City. Before, in Cloud City, Zhao Xing's temperament was fierce and sharp, like a drawn sword, and his aura was also very menacing.
Now, however, he has a transcendent feeling, his aura completely restrained. If you sense it carefully, Long Xiao can feel his astonishing vitality, like a volcano about to erupt.
"There have been some changes." Zhao Xing nodded, he was well aware of it himself. Before, because he had just entered the Earth Fiend Realm, neither his physical body nor his Seven Po nor his vital energy had been able to completely integrate the fiendish energy, so he naturally gave people a very fierce and sharp feeling.
However, after more than a month of training and enlightenment, especially after leaving the Primordial Dao Field, he has been able to completely control the evil energy and achieve perfect integration.
He finally resolved the potential problems caused by the rapid upgrades.
"Lu Bang said you're trying to understand the Dao, but what exactly have you figured out? It's been going on for so long," Long Xiao asked curiously.
"The high-level spell of the True Self Faction, Instant Primordial."
"I've never heard of that before."
"It belongs to the advanced Origin Analysis Technique, and relatively few people know it," Zhao Xing explained. "It enables plant life to break through growth barriers."
Long Xiao nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite. "I hope your spell is truly powerful. You've wasted a lot of time on it; the Pacifying Barbarians Merit List has been open for over half a month!"
"No rush," Zhao Xing laughed. "Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. How far can we advance in half a month?"
Wars between officials below the Fifth Grade have been going on for several years; missing half a month won't make a difference at all.
"How far can you advance? Ha, you really underestimate the strength of the Great Zhou."
"The 50,000-li border is under full-scale advance. In just half a month, the battlefront has advanced 10,000 li, and the section closer to the border is already 4,000 li," Long Xiao said. "South of the Canglan River, excluding the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture, more than 3,000 cities have been newly built!"
"In terms of territory alone, they have already conquered the lands of five Yingyuan Prefecture!"
Long Xiao thought Zhao Xing would be anxious after hearing this, but Zhao Xing didn't react at all.
Ten thousand miles was indeed a long distance when he first entered the Ninth Grade, but now that Zhao Xing's mobility has greatly increased, he naturally knows that ten thousand miles is not a very long distance.
Furthermore, the more than three thousand cities mentioned are purely "Emperor Jing's style of reporting".
The report cannot be said to be exaggerated; the figures are certainly accurate.
The construction of cities by the Engineer School was fast, but Zhao Xing estimated that most of these three thousand-plus cities were either grain cities used for supply, baggage cities, or cities occupied by the Southern Barbarian Royal Court.
This victory can only be considered a minor boost to the Pacifying Barbarians War.
It's not time for Zhao Xing to get anxious yet.
If even sixth and seventh-rank officials suffer large-scale casualties, then Zhao Xing should really be worried, because it means that the window of opportunity to gain merit is about to close.
"Where have I been assigned?" Zhao Xing asked. "What's my new appointment?"
"You're in seclusion, how can we assign you tasks?" Long Xiao asked. "The Marquis didn't send anyone to disturb you; we'll discuss it when you come out."
"Now that the battle orders for each battalion have been assigned, there aren't many left that match your Seventh Grade Official Rank. The Nine Section Commander are already full, so I reckon you won't have many opportunities to fight."
"Making merit doesn't necessarily mean becoming the Nine Section Commander." Zhao Xing was quite open-minded. This Pacifying Barbarians War was full of opportunities to make merit.
With Aotian Meow by their side, Zhao Xing and Long Xiao boarded the Arrowfish Flying Boat and rushed to Xier City, the Divine Might Army's garrison.
Zhao Xing now belongs to the Divine Might Army, and he has come to pay his respects to Yang An.
Six hours later, the two arrived in Xier City.
Yang An lived in a mansion in Xier City, which he named Bo Ping Residence.
Bo Ping Residence was heavily guarded, with spears standing like a forest. The two arrived at the Military Affairs Hall, where the commander-in-chief usually handled military affairs.
Outside the hall was the drill ground, which was densely packed with swords, spears, and halberds. Every soldier was dressed in armor and robes, wearing an iron helmet, and had a solemn expression.
On the steps outside the palace, Jia Pu held a precious sword, its hilt inlaid with gems that gleamed softly in the sunlight.
He remained motionless, like a statue. Even passing soldiers couldn't help but glance at the doorway out of the corner of their eyes when they saw him.
They knew that the Military Advisor was waiting for an Agriculture Official named Zhao Xing, and that he had been waiting for three hours in advance.
I wonder what Zhao Xing's abilities are that allow him to receive such treatment.
"They're here." Jia Pu suddenly looked up, and Long Xiao and Zhao Xing appeared at the door.
He immediately walked down the steps.
As Zhao Xing and Long Xiao approached, Jia Pu also arrived at the bottom of the steps.
"Greetings, Divine Might General." Zhao Xing bowed respectfully upon seeing Jia Pu. Since Yang An had demoted himself to a common soldier, the man before him was temporarily assuming the position of commander of the Divine Might Army.
"Zhao Xing," Jia Pu smiled and offered a slight gesture of support, "No need for formalities. You've been in seclusion for many days; have you made any progress?"
"Reporting to the General, we have made some progress."
"That's good then," Jia Pu said. "The Marquis is not currently in Xier County, so I will issue your appointment on his behalf. Is there anywhere you wish to go?"
"I will obey your orders, General," Zhao Xing said. "Wherever you command, I will go."
"The Marquis specifically instructed me that Zhao Xing is an all-around talent in Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, capable of both fighting and farming, and that he must hear your thoughts first." Jia Pu took out a Mirage Pearl from his pocket. "This contains a record of the camps of my Divine Might Army in the Southern Wilderness. You can choose any of them."
"Choose one? "Long Xiao muttered to himself. The battle order was already full. Did he have to add a battalion for Zhao Xing?
Seeing this, Zhao Xing stopped Guest Qi and started reading seriously.
The Divine Might Army currently has many Sixth Rank soldiers fighting on the front lines, and also uses the Southern Wilderness Casting City as a supply and resting place.
The fastest fighter right now is a captain named Liao Rulong, who commands eight battalions, including the Five Elements, Divine Machine, and Nine Sections, totaling 12,000 men. Chen Shijie and Long Xiao are among those who work under Liao Rulong.
Currently, Liao Rulong is resting in a place called "Machang City". He has already penetrated more than 6,000 miles into the Southern Wilderness and is fighting against the "Wolf God" tribe under the Golden Feather Royal Court, because Machang City was originally the territory of the Wolf God Tribe.
"Reporting to the general, I wish to join the command of Commandant Liao Rulong." Zhao Xing gave his answer. He wanted to join a stronger team, since Old Chen and Long Xiao were both there. Having acquaintances there was much better than joining a completely unfamiliar team.
"The only remaining Seventh Grade military officer position under Liao Rulong is the Equalization of Equitable Transport Magistrate. The other captains still have the position of Nine Section Commander," Jia Pu said. "If you wish to command a battalion yourself, I can arrange for you to be its commander."
Zhao Xing shook his head. "My abilities are shallow, it would be better for me to familiarize myself with the environment first."
Old Chen and his men went too deep into enemy territory. Although the Military Sima Nong could grow grain, it was only for temporary consumption. With limited supplies, it was still impossible to grow it quickly in such a harsh environment.
That's why the Military Realm built a city in the Southern Wilderness. The duty of the Equitable Transport Magistrate was to forge key treasures such as "medicinal herbs," "Engineer School materials," and "restorative supplements" needed by the army, and to organize manpower to deliver them to the army's location.
This position is very important. The large-scale retreat of the Southern Wilderness is intended to prolong the battle lines and thus wear down the Great Zhou.
The Equitable Transport Magistrate had far too many opportunities to make meritorious contributions, even more than those who fought in previous battles, because the various tribes in the Southern Wilderness would occasionally launch surprise attacks on supply cities.
Furthermore, Zhao Xing went to support Chen Shijie in order to prevent the guy from dying in the Southern Wilderness.
"In that case, come with me!"
Jia Pu led Zhao Xing into the hall, where a statue of a deity stood.
"Zhao Xing, listen to my command!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"By the Military Realm decree, you are hereby appointed as the Equitable Transport Magistrate of Liao Rulong's Divine Might Army, in charge of the No. 92 Granary City of the Divine Might Army! You are responsible for the supply of provisions to the army, effective immediately!" Jia Pu reached out and a golden document appeared from the furnace beneath the statue. Jia Pu then affixed the seal of the Divine Might Army's commander.
"Yes, sir!" Zhao Xing knelt before the statue and respectfully accepted the document.
In the military, the transfer of Seventh Grade officers requires approval from the Military Realm. If the transfer order is too outrageous, such as sending a Seventh Grade military officer to charge the Golden Feather Royal Court's camp, then the Military Realm will Yin Spirit the rationality of the transfer order.
Of course, under normal circumstances, the Military Realm would not interfere.
After the process was completed, Jia Pu said solemnly:
"Zhao Xing, Long Xiao, on your journey to the Southern Wilderness, do not disgrace the name of the Divine Might Army."
"Yes."
On June 20th, he arrived in Xier County to receive his appointment. On the same day, Zhao Xing and Long Xiao crossed the river with the appointment.
"Now Cloud City has become the heartland of the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture."
The Arrowfish Flying Boat glided through the sky, and Zhao Xing looked down at the scene below.
He secluded himself for one month and twenty days, Pacifying Barbarians Merit List was open for eighteen days. The changes were indeed significant.
Originally, Cloud City was a border town of the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture.
However, at this time, 120 new mountain cities had been established to the south of Cloud City, and powerful individuals had altered the surrounding Heavenly Timing.
It looks like they plan to turn this piece of land into developed land.
"South of Cloud City, six counties have been enclosed, and these are not small-scale operations. The Boundary Marker have already been moved, and the construction of county-level temples has begun."
Whether the territory expanded by the Great Zhou was undeveloped or developed depended on whether a temple was erected there!
If no temple is built, or if the temple is of low quality, it indicates that the land is undeveloped, meaning that the land may experience repeated setbacks, be easily conquered, or be found to have a harsh environment and may be abandoned in the future.
"More than three thousand cities, three-tenths of which are fertile ground, and they are expanding rapidly." Zhao Xing thought to himself, "The Southern Wilderness wants to lure the enemy in and lengthen the battle lines, but the Great Zhou will build cities step by step to devour the territory and shorten the supply lines. Nobody is stupid."
"Take a look at the battle merit list."
Zhao Xing took out the Earth Mirror and opened the list of battle merits.
[Zhao Xing Divine Might Army: Official Seventh Rank, Lower]
[Battle Achievements: 0]
[Rank: 5518712]
The battle merit rankings changed in real time, and the next second, Zhao Xing's ranking dropped by several hundred places.
"I haven't accomplished anything and I'm already at the bottom," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "Even a lowly soldier is ranked higher than me, but once I get to No. 92 Granary City, I'll rise quickly."
His Qidian was the Seventh Grade Equitable Transport Magistrate. Once he started "Daily Military Affairs," he could easily rise hundreds of thousands of ranks in a single day.
"Let's see who's number one on the list."
Zhao Xing flipped to the front.
[Top of the Battle Merit Ranking: Lu Yuanwei of the Divine Thunder Army; Official Sixth Rank, Upper; Battle Merit: 1,041,015]
"A million battle merits already?" Zhao Xing clicked his tongue in amazement. That was fast. "The name Lu Yuanwei sounds familiar. The Divine Thunder Army ... a prince from Lüliang Province?"
"Long Xiao," Zhao Xing pointed to the top of the battle merit list, "Do you know who this Lu Yuanwei is?"
"Isn't it written here? It's from the Divine Thunder Army."
"..."
Your words are truly enlightening.
"Is he from Lüliang Province?"
"How would I know? I don't pay attention to these things." Long Xiao shook his head. "Probably. The Divine Thunder Army ranked 116th in the last Military Realm exercise. It's not easy to be a captain in such a strong army."
"Okay, go pet the cat." Zhao Xing knew it was pointless to ask, so he started looking at it himself.
He skipped the Sixth Rank official and went straight to the list of Seventh Grade generals.
The promotion of officials ultimately follows the principle of selecting the best from the list.
Therefore, as long as Zhao Xing ranks among the top in the Seventh Grade, he can be promoted to the Sixth Rank in the phased reward system.
The same applies to other grades.
In addition, military achievements also involve the bestowal of various honorary titles such as land, Nobility Title, and unranked ranks.
Those of the Seventh Grade and above, with outstanding military achievements, will even be rewarded along with their families.
For example, if Zhao Xing could get first place on the Seventh Grade list, his wife or mother could be granted the title of "Seventh Grade Wu Hua Lady" according to the "Noblewoman" rank.
Such imperial decrees can also increase lifespan, fortune, grant the right to cultivate, and even help advance Essence Gathering Qi level.
The wives of officials of the first to Fifth Grade were also very powerful in combat, because their rank was determined by their husbands' positions.
"There are so many unfamiliar names among the Seventh Grade?"
"Xia Jing actually ranked outside the top two thousand."
Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised.
Xia Jing is now Official Seventh Rank, Lower, but he ranks over 2,800 on the merit list.
However, Xia Jing's rise was very rapid; in the blink of an eye, she had risen three places.
"The competition is fierce."
"The Cenozoic Era Seventh Grade are competing with the Seventh Grade."
Zhao Xing saw Long Xiao and immediately understood.
Because Long Xiao's Xia Jing was 500 places higher than Xia Jing's, he was Valiant Commandant of the Official Seventh Rank, Upper.
Furthermore, combat strength and battle merit rankings are not entirely the same thing. You might be unlucky and get assigned a tough task, and it's possible to not achieve anything for more than ten days.
In addition, military achievements did not only increase but also decrease.
If you lose a battle or suffer heavy losses, your battle merits will be deducted.
"Military Realm regulations stipulate that in war, if more than half of the soldiers are killed or wounded, no merit points will be awarded; instead, merit points will be reduced depending on the circumstances, except in special cases."
Zhao Xing then looked at the top ten of the Seventh Grade list.
Beyond the top 50, the rankings change quite frequently.
However, the rankings in the top twenty are relatively stable and may not change for several days.
[Battle Merit Ranking (Seventh Grade):]
[One: Beginning Origin Army 'Qi Yuan Army', Official Seventh Rank, Upper, Battle Merit 272142]
[Second: Primal Glory Army, Yi Yue, Official Seventh Rank, Upper, 250145 Battle Merits]
[Three: Nangong Ye of the Illusory Nether Army Nangong Ye, Official Seventh Rank, Upper, Battle Merit 242514]
[Four: Pang Zheng of the Beginning Origin Army, Official Seventh Rank, Upper, 240211 Battle Merits]
[Five: Primal Glory Army...]
[10: Tigron Army Wei Hong, Official Seventh Rank, Upper, 215475 Battle Merits]
[20: Helian Lie of the Blazing Sun Army, Official Seventh Rank, Upper, 172451 Battle Merits]
It wasn't until the tenth place that Zhao Xing saw a familiar name.
"Wei Hong is Wei Yuan's fourth son, and he is also a member of the Tigron Army."
"Helian Lie and Wei Yuan both tried to recruit me before."
Zhao Xing remembered these two people. Wei Yuan and his teacher Tian Yan were old friends, and he naturally knew Wei Yuan as well. Wei Hong was Wei Yuan's fourth son.
His three sons all died in battle when they were developing the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Prefecture in their early years.
"The armies in the other four Grotto-Heaven are all ranked higher than the eight armies of the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven. Only the Tigron Army can be compared with the strong armies of the other four Grotto-Heaven. The Black Armor Army, the Blazing Sun Army, and the Sea Pacifying Army are ranked lower."
"Shi Yong and Zhuang Ziqing are doing quite well in the Tigron Army, and they're almost in the top 10,000 of the Seventh Grade list," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
"Compared to the Sixth Rank, there are more people at the Seventh Grade, so being within the top ten thousand is already considered quite good."
As for the Sixth Rank, based on the total number of Sixth Rank participants from the Five Great Grotto Heavens, the total number of Sixth Rank officials and subordinates is roughly around 50,000.
The main reason is that there are more Sub-Sixth Rank strong armies. If they were in weak armies, Sub-Sixth Rank official could hold the power of a commander. However, in strong armies, there have even been cases of Sixth Rank officials serving as commanders. For example, in the Divine Might Army, Eighth Grade official is generally considered to be a commander.
After crossing the river, the Arrowfish Flying Boat continued to move forward at an extremely high speed.
Because the Pacify Barbarian Legion was advancing in a comprehensive manner, the Military Realm was not in a hurry, and the battle lines were all pushing forward together.
The area four thousand miles south of Cloud City is generally safe.
The only slightly dangerous area is the region four thousand miles away.
The different armies are advancing at different paces, and it is very likely that the Four Great Royal Courts of the Southern Barbarians will bypass the strong armies and break through the weak armies' defenses by targeting specific points.
In about four hours, Zhao Xing had already crossed the 'four thousand li' safety line.
The Heavenly Timing began to change unpredictably.
Long Xiao also came out of the cabin. "Is there anything wrong?"
"No findings have been made yet."
Zhao Xing shook his head.
"Stop if things get complicated," Long Xiao said. "I've wasted Heavenly Timing coming here to find you. If you run into any enemies, don't let them get away; those are real battle achievements."
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on it for you." Zhao Xing smiled.
His partnership with Long Xiao meant that even against teams consisting entirely of Seventh Grade members, as long as the number didn't exceed five hundred, they could basically crush weaker opponents.
Of course, if the other side also has a genius, then that's another story.
However, it is unlikely to occur on the front line of four to eight thousand miles.
Because the main strategy of the Southern Wilderness at this time is to fight and retreat at the same time, it is unlikely that the Four Great Royal Courts will send out geniuses that are one in ten thousand. If they are lost, it will be very painful.
They flew safely over a thousand miles again.
At this moment, Zhao Xing had already lowered the Arrowfish Flying Boat to a low altitude of three thousand meters.
Because at an altitude of 3,000 meters, Astral Wind rage from time to time, making it difficult for the Seventh Grade Earthly Fiend Realm to fight in such an environment.
The harsh environment of the Southern Wilderness is not entirely due to innate reasons. Some of the celestial witches of the Southern Wilderness also deliberately cast spells to disrupt the Heavenly Timing, using it as a protective barrier to hinder the progress of the Great Zhou.
The Arrowfish Flying Boat is a low-grade Tier 5 warship. When flying in Astral Wind, its speed will decrease, and the warship's core propulsion materials will be consumed more quickly.
Half an hour later, Zhao Xing descended to an altitude of 1,000 meters.
At this point, they had reached a battle line of over 5,500 li.
Originally, Zhao Xing was able to see many cities of the Great Zhou during his flight.
But now the number of cities has decreased, and even following the map, it takes a long time to see one.
Just when Zhao Xing thought he was about to arrive safely at No. 92 Granary City,
"Um?"
Zhao Xing suddenly had a thought and looked at the horizon ahead.
"Long Xiao, come out quickly!"
"Whoosh~"
Long Xiao immediately rushed out.
"Something's up?"
"Have."
Zhao Xing pointed in a certain direction.
"Looking southeast, up a hundred meters, we saw traces of the enemy."
Long Xiao looked up, only to find nothing.
Because he didn't see the enemy at all.
Zhao Xing didn't explain, and immediately changed the direction of the flying boat, quickly advancing ten miles in the southeast direction, and flying a hundred meters higher, reaching the 'Astral Wind Layer'.
"Phew~"
Zhao Xing Cloud Method to create a narrow cloud path, which stuck to a certain spot in the sky.
"Change!"
Zhao Xing's Cloud Method turned blood red—this is the "Blood Cloud Mimicry" of the Devouring Cloud Art.
"Did you see that?"
Long Xiao became excited. "I saw it! It's the contrail of the Netherflame Warship!"
"Not bad." Zhao Xing nodded. "The Netherflame Warship of the Southern Wilderness is completely modeled after the 'Raging Flame Warship' of the Great Zhou. Its Yang Wind Sail, Firecloud Sail, and Five-Element Banner can conceal the spaceship's tracks, allowing it to move stealthily even in Astral Wind."
"But the material used in the Southern Wilderness is Netherrock, which has a drawback: it leaves a shallow cloud of mist at the tail of the spaceship, just like when a ship sails on water, the water at its tail will be pushed outwards, making a lot of noise."
"Despite the numerous improvements made by the Southern Wilderness, the tracks have been disguised very well. They are now only twenty meters wide, but they can still be detected within an hour."
"If this time passes, I won't be able to detect anything unusual about this layer of Astral Wind, because it will soon be blown away by the Astral Wind."
Long Xiao, a man who had fought many battles alongside Chen Shijie, understood immediately upon hearing Zhao Xing's explanation. "So, a foreign warship just flew by less than an hour ago?"
Looking at the long trail, Zhao Xing pondered, "Judging from the width and density of the fog, only half an hour has passed."
Long Xiao immediately pulled out a map and slid his finger across it. "There is a military supply town within 300 miles to the southeast, which is for the Sea Pacifying Army."
"Eight hundred li ahead, there are three supply cities, belonging to the Sea Pacifying Army and the Black Armor Army respectively."
"Wow, these supply cities are all top-tier; we've stumbled upon a real big hit!"
Zhao Xing nodded and said, "That's right. If they dare to attack these three cities, they will definitely be led by Seventh Grade official. The Netherflame Warship is a high-grade fifth-rank vessel, capable of carrying three thousand-man battalions and giant city-breaking Divine Soldier... Long Xiao, are you in?"
Long Xiao laughed, "You're already sailing like the wind, and you're asking me if I want to join? Of course I'll! But can we catch up?"
Zhao Xing said, "The Arrowfish Flying Boat is a lightweight model, and speed is its strength. The Netherflame Warship, in order to conceal its tracks, cannot run too fast. I can probably catch up with them when they reach the city of the Sea Pacifying Army in half an hour."
Long Aotian, standing to the side, roared to the sky, "Meow~"
Long Xiao drew his greatsword from his back. "Hahaha, look, Heaven Defier has already told us to charge! Hurry up, hurry up! Don't be stingy now, taking him down would be a huge achievement! Quick, max out the speed of the warships!"
There were many things to do during the holiday, and I was too busy during the day, so this chapter only has 6,000 words. Therefore, tomorrow's update will have 10,000 words.