Commandery Commandant Office

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Commandery Commandant Office (都尉司)
Alias(es)	“Eagle Dogs,” “Black Dogs,” and “watchdogs” — derogatory Jianghu terms 82 85
Affiliation	Great Xuan Imperial Court; answers directly to the Emperor 82
Occupation/Role	Imperial intelligence, anti-rebellion, official surveillance, Jianghu monitoring, and armed enforcement 82 179 231
Status	Active 800
First Appearance	Chapter 82: Dreamlike Omens

Authority & Mandate

• The office was established after the Great Xuan Dynasty’s founding to monitor the Jianghu, alongside the court’s incorporation of the Divine Fist Society and suppression of the Maitreya Sect 197.
• Its agents gather intelligence, suppress rebellions, and monitor officials; inspection and surveillance of officials are described as its primary responsibility 82 179.
• It regulates the Jianghu to prevent any force from gaining enough influence to provoke rebellion, combining coercive enforcement with negotiated exchanges of benefit 231.
• During major imperial cases, it may cooperate with the Enforcement Hall, the Mystic Sacrificial Official, yamen, and regular garrisons 478 722 740.
• An imperial order authorized it to interrogate and apprehend any person implicated in the Prince Yan case, irrespective of rank, noble status, wealth, or clan influence 722.

Organization

Rank / Unit	Documented Structure
Capital headquarters and prefectural garrisons	The office maintains a capital headquarters and garrisons across the prefectures 86.
Chiliarch	Each garrison has three Chiliarchs; one may serve as Seal Holder and lead the local Chiliarch Office 86 169.
Centurion	Each Chiliarch commands ten Centurions 86.
Banner Officer	Each Centurion commands two Banner Officers 86.
Sub-Banner Officer	Each Banner Officer manages five Sub-Banner Officers 86.
Subordinates	Each Sub-Banner Officer commands ten personnel 86.

• Zhao Wujiu, the powerful eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, formerly held an office position within the Commandery Commandant Office and continues to control it from behind the scenes 741.
• Internal rivalries can be lethal. In Chang’an, Centurion Chang Xuan removed deputy Chiliarch Yu Chen after Yu Chen was exposed for colluding with the Maitreya Sect and leaking information on new-style firearms 134.
• The Chang’an office later fractured between Chang Xuan’s faction and Feng Han’s old guard, with deaths occurring before outside pressure imposed a temporary peace 170 177 179.

Identification & Equipment

The office’s personnel are recognized by black brocade uniforms bearing embroidered fierce beasts. Xianyang agents wear Yazi and Bi’an insignia in silver thread, while capital cavalry are described with Taotie-patterned armor 82 85 710.

• Black official hats, patterned leather belts, and wrist guards are part of the documented Xianyang uniform 82.
• Agents commonly carry sabers, bows, and firearms, allowing squads to alternate between close-range and ranged combat 82 370 741.
• Field units use falcons, mastiffs, specialized compasses, and formation flags for tracking, scouting, concealment, and ambushes 89 631 710.
• The office operates Sharpshooter Squads whose members possess Spiritual Power and use coordinated firearm volleys against Grandmasters 712.
• Its headquarters are associated with eagles, high-walled compounds, and dedicated torture instruments 179.

Combat Doctrine

Combined-Unit Formations

The office is feared for the skill of its personnel and their coordinated attack methods 82.

• A hundred-man unit can form a three-layer defensive circle: shield-and-sword fighters on the outside, musketeers behind them, and sword-wielding specialists held in reserve 369.
• Agents remain organized when confronting demonic threats, withdrawing from melee before sharpshooters deliver covering fire 741.
• Units stationed in mountainous territory employ hounds and birds of prey to pursue targets through difficult terrain 89.

Firearms

The Commandery Commandant Office was an early adopter and developer of firearm tactics.

• Guan WanChe trained marksmen with sorcerers and powerful firearms using new-style gunpowder 163.
• Its personnel deployed firearms in large numbers during the Xiangyang crisis, though these were not necessarily new-style weapons 370.
• Commandery Commandant Office firearms have been stolen, modified, and used by hostile forces on several occasions 170 362 545.
• Concealed sniper positions, screened by formation flags, became a documented office tactic following its mountain warfare against the Heavenly Saint Sect 631.

Notable Personnel

• Guan WanChe — Former Xianyang constable recruited into the office; Chang Xuan promoted him directly to Banner Officer 82 86.
• Chang Xuan — One-eyed officer who served as a Centurion in the Chang’an Garrison before becoming a Chiliarch; he orchestrated Yu Chen’s removal over the firearms leak 86 134 179.
• Feng FeiYan — Wind Listener Sub-Banner Officer; formerly served under deputy Chiliarch Yu Chen and survived his purge 134 169.
• Feng Han — Chang’an Centurion associated with the office’s old guard and a rival faction to Guan WanChe and Chang Xuan 170 177.
• Guo YuHuai — Former Seal Holder Chiliarch of the Shaanxi Prefecture office; contested authority with Chang Xuan during the investigation into the Lantern Festival firearm incident 169 179.
• Zhao Xianda — Chongqing Centurion who emerged as a rising figure after the Chongqing Prefecture conflict and was entrusted with major cases 469.
• Tian Chiliarch — Officer with prior experience fighting Japanese pirates; assisted the Enforcement Hall’s investigation into the massacre of Commandery Commandant Office personnel 730.

History

The office emerged from the Great Xuan court’s post-founding effort to control the martial world. Having relied on Jianghu forces during its rise, the Imperial Court established the Commandery Commandant Office to monitor those same forces after the dynasty stabilized 197.

In Xianyang, the office searched the Asking Dao Pavilion, recruited Guan WanChe, enforced the Mass Burial Grounds lockdown, and joined the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect in pursuing the Beggar Gang 82 85 89. The deployment included Hidden Strength Sub-Banner Officers and Manifested Strength subordinates under Chang Xuan’s command 89.

A theft of new-style gunpowder exposed severe compromise within the Chang’an Garrison. Chang Xuan used the resulting scandal to arrest deputy Chiliarch Yu Chen and take his position, but the purge intensified the struggle between rival office factions 86 134 170.

The office remained active throughout regional crises. It worked with Li Yan and local religious forces in Yunyang, E Prefecture, Shuzhong, and Chengdu; it suppressed the Du Family alongside the Lushan Sect; and it carried out a broad purge of Xiangyang officials after uncovering collusion with demon cultivators 205 253 370 505.

By the capital arc, the office had become central to the Imperial Court’s response to rebellion, foreign infiltration, and demonic threats. It participated in the Capital’s Great Sweep, investigated the massacre of its own members, arrested Iron Anchor Society president Luo Gongsheng, and raided the Western Church alongside the Enforcement Hall 710 722 730 740 741.

Major Operations

• Asking Dao Pavilion search — Searched the ransacked pavilion with Guan WanChe and local yamen runners, but found it empty 82.
• Mass Burial Grounds operation — Maintained the lockdown, received Sha LiFei’s report on the GuShui Village massacre, and cooperated with the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect against the Beggar Gang 85 89.
• Chang’an firearms investigation — Investigated missing firearms and searched Li Yan’s residence for alleged rebels amid factional infighting 170 179.
• Xiangyang purge — Arrested the prefect, entered government offices, and detained Regional Military Commissioner Liu under imperial authority after traitors were exposed 370.
• Chongqing consolidation — Cooperated with Emei to seize control after the Chongqing Prefecture incident, with Zhao Xianda handling major cases 469.
• Du Family suppression — Subdued the weakened Du Family together with the Lushan Sect after the death of its Old Ancestor 505.
• Capital Great Sweep — Used cavalry, spirit hounds, compasses, and coordinated search teams to sweep warehouse districts outside Chaoyang Gate 710.
• Western Church raid — Surrounded and assaulted the church with the Enforcement Hall; cultists’ explosives caused office casualties, but the East Ying warriors were captured 740 741.
• Prince Yan case — Publicly arrested Luo Gongsheng and received authority to interrogate all implicated parties without regard for status 722.

Reputation

• Jianghu figures fear the office for its ruthless methods, surveillance of martial artists, and readiness to intervene in local affairs 82 85 197.
• Its garrisons depress nearby property values, and officials have historically “turned pale” at the mere mention of the office 179.
• Despite its feared authority, individual garrisons may be undermined by corruption, divided loyalties, or infiltration. Chengdu personnel were considered unreliable after some defected to the Shu King Residence, while Li Yan later suspected the Luoyang office might be compromised after Di Longzi’s death 545 635.