Lu Yuan and the others had returned. As they neared the city gate, Li the Bearded clearly caught the scent of blood wafting from them.
They were all seasoned veterans of the battlefield and knew that smell all too well.
When Li the Bearded and his men spotted the Iron Sparrowhawks bound and tossed over the backs of the horses behind them, their eyes widened.
He had spent many years on the Northern Frontier, and this was the first time he had ever seen a living Iron Sparrowhawk.
How did he know what they were? The armor worn by the Iron Sparrowhawks was different from that of ordinary Northern Barbarian scouts.
Though he had never seen one in person, he had seen some captured armor.
It was not yet completely dark.
Here and there, people were still hurrying back along the streets.
When they saw Lu Yuan's group, they couldn't help gathering around. Someone even called out, "Lord Lu, did you capture an Iron Sparrowhawk?"
After all, many people had never even seen an Iron Sparrowhawk's armor, let alone one in person.
Lu Yuan nodded in response.
At once, many people began cheering. They had suffered greatly at the hands of the Iron Sparrowhawks these past few days.
No one dared leave the city. Now that they saw Lu Yuan and his men returning, it was obvious they had captured some of the enemy.
Though the crowd was curious, no one dared act rashly.
They only watched from the side.
Lu Yuan and his men went straight to the Captain's Mansion.
It was already dark, and the Merit Pavilion had long since closed.
With so many prisoners, they would naturally have to hand them over to Zhou Hongling.
Seeing the group, the guard at the gate hurried forward. "Lord Lu, you're finally back! The Captain sent out quite a few people to look for you."
Lu Yuan smiled. "I'm sorry for making the Captain worry. But I've brought back good news today. Go and report to her that I'm back, that the Iron Sparrowhawks have been wiped out, and that I've brought back some prisoners."
The guard's eyes lit up at once. He hurried inside.
They knew a high-ranking official had arrived at the mansion today, and that he had a terrible temper. He had spent half the day touring the military camp with several officers, cursing General Zhou Ren until he was drenched in abuse and giving the Captain a thorough scolding as well.
Although a banquet had been laid out in the rear courtyard, there was little chance anyone would enjoy it.
The guard's guess had been right. In the central courtyard of the Captain's Mansion, a table laden with food and wine had been set out.
More than ten people sat around it. Among them were Zhou Ren, Helian Tielin, Helian Shang, Zhou Hongling, and Zhou Ming. The remaining officers were commanders from other cities along the frontier. Sun Gan had also come that day. Ever since his two sons died, he had been bedridden with illness, but with such an important figure visiting, he naturally had to attend.
They all watched Hong Cheng, seated at the head of the table, with great care.
Bang!
Hong Cheng slapped the table. The cups jumped, and wine sloshed over their rims.
Sun Gan even shuddered.
He was no military officer, after all, and a scene like this left him somewhat unnerved.
The man before him was a marquis. Though only a third-tier Border Marquis, he was still far beyond Sun Gan's reach.
The marquis titles of Great Yong were divided into three ranks. The lowest was the Border Marquis, who was usually responsible for guarding the frontier. Most had risen through military merit and were jokingly called commoner marquises. They might hold great sway out in the provinces, but they were far beneath the nobility at court.
The second rank was the City Marquis. They generally guarded cities within the realm and came from families that had accumulated influence over generations, or were backed by powerful lineages. Their status was higher than that of Border Marquises.
The first rank was the Merit Marquis. Their ancestors had served alongside Great Yong's founding emperor.
Hong Cheng was a Border Marquis and a Principal Third Rank military officer.
Seeing wine spilled across the ground, he bellowed in his coarse voice, "The court gives you such fine treatment, and this is what you've raised—a bunch of good-for-nothings? One Iron Sparrowhawk unit, and you've already admitted defeat.
"This is a disgrace to our frontier cities.
"It's only been a few years since we last fought the Northern Barbarians, and your military preparedness has already grown this slack?
"Starting tomorrow, get those troops drilling hard. This is the first time, so I'll cover for you.
"But if anyone ever lets the enemy blockade our gates again, you can all get the hell out! The Northern Frontier has no place for good-for-nothings!"
Zhou Hongling and the other officers stood with their heads lowered, taking the scolding.
They knew the enemy this time had been the Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks. Hong Cheng might not truly blame them, given the limited strength of their forces; it was only natural they could not defeat them.
But someone had to take the blame when the problem could not be solved, and let Hong Cheng vent his anger.
If they could not even endure that, they might as well go home.
Military officers were rarely mild-tempered. Win a battle, and they were delighted; lose one, and they cursed you to the heavens.
"Why aren't any of you saying a word? You're all so impressive when you're out and about, acting like you command your own territories. Where's your pride?" Hong Cheng continued to berate them.
Perhaps his throat had grown dry. He picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of wine, ready to carry on.
In truth, the officers had long been prepared to be reprimanded that day.
Tap, tap!
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside.
A moment later, a loud voice called, "Report!"
"Speak! What are you standing there gawking for?"
Hong Cheng pointed at the guard, who had been so startled by the scene inside that he had frozen in place.
The guard glanced at Zhou Hongling. Seeing her head bowed and her lips sealed, he promptly said, "Reporting to you, my lords: Centurion Lu Yuan has just returned to the city. He has wiped out the Iron Sparrowhawks!"
His words rang out.
The courtyard fell silent in an instant.
Hong Cheng's mouth fell open. When he recovered, he turned and asked, "Whose subordinate is Lu Yuan?"
"Reporting to Your Lordship, he's a Centurion under my command," Zhou Hongling immediately replied.
At the same time, excitement flickered in her eyes. First, Lu Yuan had returned, which was good news in itself. And now he had apparently killed the Iron Sparrowhawks.
If anyone else had said it, Zhou Hongling might not have believed them. But if it was Lu Yuan, there should be no mistake.
Hong Cheng swept a glance over Zhou Hongling. His expression showed no joy; instead, he said coldly, "Do you know the punishment for falsely claiming military merit? If your subordinate dares to do such a thing, your time as Captain will be over.
"I'll ask you plainly.
"Can your subordinate's words be trusted?"
Zhou Hongling immediately realized that Hong Cheng had misunderstood. She hurried a step forward and said, "My lord, Lu Yuan has been out of the city for more than ten days. I don't know exactly what he did, but if he says he killed the Iron Sparrowhawks, then it must be true.
"This subordinate is willing to vouch for him."
When she finished, worry showed on Zhou Ren's face. He didn't believe Zhou Hongling had such a capable man under her command. He couldn't even find someone like that among his own subordinates.
"Heh, you really do trust your subordinate. Fine, let's go see. If it's true, I'll reward him handsomely. But if he's deceived me, even your Zhou Family won't be able to protect you." With that, he strode outside.
The others followed close behind.
Helian Tielin glanced at his son.
If Zhou Hongling's subordinate had falsely claimed credit, that would be bad enough. But if it was true, his son was bound to have an even harder time.
The thought made him uneasy.