Hong Cheng's face was as dark as still water. He strode along quickly, seeming to bring the wind with him.
Although Zhou Hongling trusted Lu Yuan, she was still uneasy.
As for the others, their expressions varied.
Some were skeptical, others surprised. Zhou Ming, in particular, was conflicted.
But all their thoughts changed to astonishment when they reached the Captain's Mansion.
They saw a troop before them, with a vast number of horses being led behind it, stretching beyond sight. Baskets and sacks on their backs were filled with heads.
Some of the horses even had living captives tied to them.
Lu Yuan didn't know Hong Cheng, but when he saw Zhou Hongling, he stepped forward and clasped his fists. "My lord, on this sortie, we killed five hundred and thirty-one Northern Barbarian scouts and sixty-four Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks.
"We captured twenty-three Iron Sparrowhawks alive."
Before Hong Ling could respond, Hong Cheng strode forward and opened one of the sacks to take a look.
"Flap, flap!"
When he turned it over, a head rolled onto the ground.
Ignoring it, he inspected the armor on the horses' backs, as well as the identity tags hanging from them.
"They're Iron Sparrowhawks."
His voice was low.
Then he turned to study Lu Yuan. "What position do you hold now?"
Before Lu Yuan could reply, Zhou Hongling hurriedly said, "This is the Grand Governor."
Although Lu Yuan had never met Hong Cheng, he had certainly heard of him. The Marquis of Nine Fortresses was renowned throughout the Northern Frontier.
"Reporting to the Marquis, I am currently the Captain's guard Centurion."
"Thump!"
Hong Cheng clapped a hand on Lu Yuan's shoulder.
"You're impressive."
Then he turned to Hong Ling and said, "Get your quartermaster here. Have them tally the battle merits and issue the rewards at once!"
Hong Ling naturally didn't dare delay. She immediately ordered someone to fetch the quartermaster.
Someone brought Hong Cheng a chair, and he sat down without a hint of ceremony.
He wanted to see with his own eyes exactly how much they had taken.
As for the captives, they had already been escorted to the dungeon.
This time, Hong Cheng had truly vented his anger.
The gloom lifted from his face, and as he looked at Lu Yuan standing nearby, approval showed in his eyes.
At the same time, the people around him came out of their shock with all sorts of expressions on their faces.
Zhou Ming was now full of regret, his face twisted with pain.
Zhou Hongling had once wanted Lu Yuan to become his disciple. How had he been so bewitched that he hadn't even taken a proper look at the boy?
If he had only paid a little attention, this would never have happened.
Now Yun Mo had lost an arm, and half his future career had been cut short.
But Lu Yuan? Anyone could see that he had caught Hong Cheng's eye.
As long as his battle merits and cultivation kept pace, his future was bright.
And he was young, yet had already accomplished something so great. His foundations could no longer be called merely solid.
Zhou Ren was practically beaming with excitement. A talent like this had emerged under his daughter's command, and he was thrilled.
What was more, they had gained an elite unit comparable to the Night Scouts.
They had struck it rich! And there was another thing: the position of commander of the three cities would certainly go to Zhou Hongling this time.
It was all but certain.
Helian Tielin was full of envy. He couldn't help sighing inwardly. Why did every good thing have to go to the Zhou Family? They had already outshone his family in the Northern Frontier, and now this.
They were even going to hand over command of Yellow Sand Fortress.
His own son was about to become Zhou Hongling's subordinate.
There was no way he could feel good about that.
Then his gaze fell on Lu Yuan.
If I had a subordinate like him, I might be able to turn things around someday.
At the thought, a fervent gleam appeared in his eyes.
Poaching from other garrisons was commonplace.
Lu Yuan was only a Centurion for now. If Helian Tielin offered enough, he refused to believe he couldn't lure him over.
As for Helian Shang, he was already cursing inwardly. They were both subordinates, so how could the gap between Zhang Zhe and Lu Yuan be so enormous?
Zhang Zhe had only been assigned to go out because of the Yun Province General's influence.
Now he had come back in a panicked rout, utterly beaten.
That was how people were. Without anything to compare against, things seemed passable. But once a comparison was made, the gap became glaring.
Resentment began to fester in his heart.
Just then, the quartermaster hurried over.
He began tallying all the spoils.
A moment later, a list of numbers was read out, matching Lu Yuan's report exactly.
Hong Cheng could no longer hide his smile.
He was a general who had risen from the lowest ranks, with none of the arrogance of those noble marquises. Instead, he greatly admired low-ranking soldiers who dared to fight and risk their lives.
He rose at once and said, "The battle merits of Lu Yuan's unit will still be calculated at triple the usual rate. In addition, I'll personally award Lu Yuan five thousand taels of silver, and everyone else one hundred taels each."
A look of delight appeared on Lu Yuan's face.
He couldn't help thinking that he'd really hit the jackpot this time.
He had already brought back quite a lot of silver. Add in the heads, weapons, armor, and horses after they were exchanged, and he would have more than five thousand taels of silver in hand.
With the additional five thousand taels in rewards, his purse would be bursting.
More importantly, if the battle merits were tripled, then added to his previous accomplishments, his total would be over twelve hundred. Once his cultivation reached the Organ Refining Realm, becoming a Chiliarch would be no problem at all.
He clasped his fists at once. "Thank you for the reward, Marquis."
"Hahaha! I've never been stingy. But rewards are for people who have the ability to earn them. If you can accept this, it's because you've earned it."
Zhou Ren hurriedly chimed in, "The Marquis is right. Now that the Iron Sparrowhawks have been dealt with, let's continue our drinking. We've prepared plenty of game today, all of it to the Marquis's taste. It'd be a shame to waste it.
"The men have been out there working hard for so long. Why not let them collect their rewards and go rest first?"
After he spoke, he gave Zhou Hongling a meaningful look.
She understood and discreetly gestured for Lu Yuan and the others to withdraw.
The Zhou Family was clearly worried that Hong Cheng might try to poach him.
After all, Lu Yuan's performance had been too dazzling. In Zhou Ren's eyes, he was no worse than the Fortress Guard Army under Hong Cheng, so it was only natural that others might covet him.
Hong Cheng seemed to see through Zhou Ren's intentions. But the Zhou Family had handled things so well this time that he couldn't say more. He simply pointed at Zhou Ren, then chuckled as he entered the courtyard.
But just as he turned away, he seemed to remember something. He looked back at his deputy and said, "Make sure the Marquis's rewards are distributed at once, too."
Lu Yuan had performed well, but that alone wasn't enough to make a marquis abandon his dignity and poach him.
In Hong Cheng's eyes, he was merely good.
But things were different for the Helian Clan. The father and son exchanged a glance, and Helian Shang fell behind to quietly give instructions to a subordinate.
Only after a moment did he enter the courtyard.
Once the important figures had left the area outside the Captain's Mansion, Zhou Hongling came over to Lu Yuan. Looking at the young man before her, she suddenly realized that he had grown half a head taller than her without her noticing.
Then she smiled and said, "You did well this time. The Zhou Family won't forget you. Rest for a few days, and we'll make arrangements afterward."
Her meaning was clear: the Zhou Family would reward him separately, and the reward would certainly be generous. For now, he should head back.
"Yes, my lord!"
Lu Yuan answered, then led his men to collect their silver rewards.
At last, he let out a breath of relief. Then came the joy: this time, they had truly reaped a great deal.
His improvement in strength had been especially substantial.
But he would have to check it after he got back. There was no need to rush just yet.
At the same time, everyone knew that after this, Lu Yuan's name would shake the nine fortresses of the Northern Frontier, and his status would rise rapidly.