Daishan Prefecture, Jiujiang City.
Once hailed as Zhuang Kingdom's fourth prefecture, Jiujiang City had become... just Jiujiang City after the real fourth prefecture, Yongchang Commandery, appeared.
It was Jiujiang City, under the jurisdiction of the Daishan Prefecture Governor.
The reason was simple: Duan Li, commander of the Jiujiang Black Armor and once a man with hopes of attaining Divine Presence, had been crippled in the Zhuang-Yong War.
Though the Zhuang Court had lavished honors and rewards on him, even refusing his resignation and forcing him to remain in command of the Jiujiang Black Armor,
everyone knew this was only his final moment of glory.
The sunset's afterglow was beautiful, but it was about to fade.
Duan Li was no longer capable of managing the Jiujiang Black Armor's day-to-day affairs...
There were two reasons they maintained this arrangement. First, Duan Li had been loyal and brave in service to his country, and he had been crippled for its sake. Replacing him without warning would inevitably chill people's hearts. Second, in the aftermath of the Zhuang-Yong War, the entire Zhuang Kingdom truly could not find anyone capable of taking his place.
The meat Zhuang Kingdom had torn from Yong Kingdom in great bites needed time to digest. The rising generation of powerful figures at home needed time to grow. The powerful newcomers who had come to join them needed their loyalty confirmed before they could be entrusted with important roles.
And so the matter dragged on...
In truth, the Jiujiang Black Armor was now run by five deputy generals, including Du Yehu, each managing a different area.
The Daishan Prefecture Governor also came to Jiujiang City from time to time to "inspect" the place. Everyone knew he meant to get a handle on this powerful army.
As it happened, after being the