White Horse Volunteers

Ji Ruxue suppressed her urge to accuse Mo Yunxuan of neglecting his proper duties and asked again:

"What about Jun Tianxiao? Things probably aren't going too smoothly on his end, are they?"

At the second half of the question, a glimmer of anticipation flashed in Ji Ruxue's eyes. She seemed quite interested in seeing Jun Tianxiao suffer.

Seeing Ji Ruxue act like such a little girl, Hong Yu suddenly felt mischievous.

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint His Majesty. Although Jun Tianxiao was given a nasty surprise at the entrance, the Left Wei Guard showed no signs of refusing to accept Zhao Yun as their Commander."

"At least from what we can see so far, the handover of the Left Wei Guard is going smoothly."

At this, Ji Ruxue nearly went mad with frustration. Why was nothing turning out the way she'd imagined?

Seeing Ji Ruxue biting her lip, her face full of unwillingness, Hong Yu curled her lips into a playful smile.

Then she suddenly raised her voice. "But!"

That startled Ji Ruxue into a little jump, but Hong Yu pretended not to notice her reaction and continued:

"After the two of them entered the Council Hall in the Barracks, Jun Tianxiao tried to take the Commander's seat. The surrounding officers gave him such a fright—"

"He immediately collapsed to the floor, completely dazed. I heard he nearly wet himself."

When Ji Ruxue came back to her senses and heard how wretched Jun Tianxiao had looked, delight filled her heart.

But seeing Hong Yu beaming just as brightly, she shot her an annoyed look.

"You! You've even started teasing me now. I suppose I've been too good to you all this time."

Hong Yu hurriedly put on a pleading expression. "Your Majesty, please spare this servant~"

Ji Ruxue lifted Hong Yu's chin with one finger and said meaningfully:

"That depends on how you behave~"

As Ji Ruxue's close maid and childhood playmate, Hong Yu naturally wasn't too afraid of her over such a small thing.

She casually knocked away the finger beneath her chin and teased, "I think His Majesty is longing for a man. Why take it out on us maids?"

Ji Ruxue shook her head at that and laughed. "You really do have no filter. I should've sent you to the Wei State Duke Mansion last time."

But to her surprise, Hong Yu only looked utterly unconcerned.

"I wouldn't mind. Your Majesty, don't forget: if the Former Emperor hadn't passed away so suddenly, you would've nearly been betrothed to the Duke of Wei!"

She finished with a smug smile at Ji Ruxue, completely missing the way Ji Ruxue's expression darkened.

"Now that everything has been settled, I ask all the generals to return to their posts."

Weariness filled Zhao Yun's voice, and the other generals promptly saluted and took their leave.

Once everyone had gone, Zhao Yun could no longer hold back. He turned to Jun Tianxiao and asked, puzzled:

"My lord, was it really wise to give up control of the Left Wei Guard just to select three thousand White Horse Volunteers?"

Jun Tianxiao had long been confident in his answer. He replied with self-assurance:

"Absolutely!"

"That bastard Mo Yunxuan bullied me with impunity because he was stronger, and used the Wei State Duke Mansion Faction to pressure the Empress into refusing to help me."

"From that moment on, I finally understood just how important strength and power were."

"If we had three thousand Nascent Soul Realm White Horse Volunteers, none of this would've happened today, and taking control of the Left Wei Guard would've been a piece of cake."

"So, rather than swallowing the Left Wei Guard whole and choking on it, we should focus our efforts first on building up the White Horse Volunteers."

After hearing Jun Tianxiao's explanation, Zhao Yun gave a reluctant nod, accepting his reasoning for the time being.

But after thinking it over, he asked hesitantly, "What about the Empress? Have you thought about how you'll explain this to her, my lord?"

A smile immediately spread across Jun Tianxiao's face. He said smugly:

"Don't worry about that at all. The Empress and I grew up together, and we're very close. I just need to explain things to her, and there'll be no problem!"

Jun Tianxiao's smile vanished at once. In a low voice, he asked, "Zilong, how long will it take to train the White Horse Volunteers?"

"You're not going to tell me they'll have to cultivate normally and take five or six years to train, are you?"

"If that's the case, it'll take far too long. And what level of strength will the White Horse Volunteers reach once they're trained?"

Zhao Yun's lips twitched. He didn't know what to make of his lord.

You could call him impulsive, but he knew to advance steadily, first building up an army that belonged entirely to him before looking for a chance to take control of the Left Wei Guard.

You could call him cautious, but he'd made up his mind without even finding out what the White Horse Volunteers were like.

But what could he do? This was his lord! He could only indulge him.

He sighed inwardly, then answered with some resignation:

"My lord, training the White Horse Volunteers usually takes about two years. Once their training is complete, they'll all be at the Nascent Soul Realm, and they'll still be able to continue improving afterward."

"Most of that time is spent training their Military Formation and battle tactics."

"If we only focus on increasing their strength, we can shorten the training period to about half a year."

"On top of that, the soldiers provided by the Left Wei Guard already have Golden Core cultivation, so the time required can be cut even further."

"An estimated month should be enough for all three thousand White Horse Volunteers to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm."

At this point, Zhao Yun turned a stern gaze on Jun Tianxiao and said gravely:

"However, soldiers trained this way will have some loyalty, but very little. I hope you'll consider it carefully, my lord."

Jun Tianxiao hesitated as well. If the soldiers he painstakingly trained turned around and pledged themselves to someone else, he might as well not train them at all.

Given the current situation, there were only a few factions with the standing—or the ability—to interfere with the Left Wei Guard.

There was his own Anle Marquis Manor, the Wei State Duke Mansion, and the Empress.

The Empress was on his side. It was possible she might try to win these soldiers over, but unlikely; there simply wasn't any need.

At most, she'd ask a couple of questions or insert a few officers when the leadership was changed later on. None of that would matter.

That left the Wei State Duke Mansion as the only real problem. But given its past conduct, and with the Empress's orders in place, it probably wouldn't interfere with the Left Wei Guard again.

Damn it! He'd take the plunge! Fortune favored the bold!

If he kept shrinking back in fear, he'd never accomplish anything great.

Just then, Zhao Yun interrupted Jun Tianxiao's thoughts. His tone was hesitant.

"My lord, I do know a way to keep the soldiers from betraying you. It's just... a little cruel."

The news delighted Jun Tianxiao, who'd been ready to take a risk. He hurriedly asked, "What way?"

"My lord, the main reason I can train a special force like the White Horse Volunteers is the Military Tally in my sea of consciousness."

"If any soldier I've trained betrays us, I can use the Military Tally to strip him of all his cultivation."

"But the method is ultimately too cruel. That's why I didn't bring it up right away. Please forgive me, my lord."

After hearing Zhao Yun out, the curve of Jun Tianxiao's lips grew more and more exaggerated.

It was a strange sight, but anyone could see how delighted he was.

Unfortunately, as Zhao Yun apologized, his heart full of apprehension, he lowered his head deeply and didn't see it.