After Lu Xingshi was promoted to Principal Secretary, he understood that he couldn't do his job too well, or people would easily pile more work onto him.
So from then on, he became properly middling.
He adapted well enough during the campaign. With attributes comparable to a BOSS, he naturally did not need to worry about things like acclimatization.
Then, the Cangwu Army clashed with the Beiliu Army.
All that could be said was that cavalry truly deserved to be called a pay-to-win class. Against three thousand horsemen, the Beiliu Army serving as the vanguard was trampled flat on the spot.
Lu Xingshi also discovered that these cavalrymen knew Martial Arts. They were not particularly profound techniques, merely military combat arts that followed a broad and forceful path.
In a Low Martial world, Lu Xingshi reckoned that even if they tied together one palace, two sects, three schools, and the Five Veins, they still would not withstand a cavalry charge like this.
As for the Divine Weapons and cultivation methods of the major sects, setting aside the fact that Divine Weapons required one to cultivate their matching martial inheritance to a profound level before they could be used, in an era where even a Physical Constitution of 2 points was exceedingly rare, who could possibly unleash their full power?
They were overwhelmingly powerful in Lu Xingshi's hands because his attributes were high. It was he who was strong, not the martial inheritances or Divine Weapons.
Even without them, he could still crush his opponents using the ordinary Martial Arts he had cobbled together from here and there.
"Principal Secretary Lu, these are today's documents." A soldier carried in a sizable stack of documents and set them down inside his small tent.
"Mm, I know." Lu Xingshi really wanted to complain about these people calling him Principal Secretary Lu. It gave him the strange illusion that he was Lu Bu.
When Lu Bu had served under Ding Yuan, he had held the post of Principal Secretary. Though in the Han era, there had not been much distinction between civil and military officials.
"How did today's battle go?" Lu Xingshi asked as he began processing the documents.
"Another great victory. We're currently joining up with the other armies and intend to fight the Traitorous Army to the death." This soldier knew a little about the situation as well.
"That's wonderful. Before long, perhaps we'll be able to enter the Capital and set right what has gone wrong." Lu Xingshi was happy too. He would not have to go to the battlefield.
But then he thought about it again. The enemy still had one hundred and fifty thousand men.
Over these past days, they had dealt with fifty thousand people. Of course, they had not killed them all; most had been persuaded to surrender. Prince of Wu was no bloodthirsty madman.
Besides, Prince of Wu needed enough soldiers too. Accepting surrenders was the best approach.
As long as they shattered the morale and fighting spirit of those one hundred and fifty thousand men, incorporating them would not be much of a problem.
"Soon, soon. Prince of Wu is sweeping through like split bamboo. These traitors are nothing but—" Before the soldier could finish speaking, Lu Xingshi heard movement.
The next moment, a barrage of arrows tore through the tent.
Lu Xingshi reacted swiftly, reaching out to intercept every one of them. He also saved the soldier in passing.
"Th-this... an enemy raid!" The man realized it in an instant.
Then came a chaotic uproar, mixed with shouts and cries of battle.
"Popping champagne at halftime really is a bad idea." Lu Xingshi cursed under his breath. The Cangwu Army had won too many victories lately, relaxed their vigilance, and been hit by a wave.
An arrogant army was bound to be defeated.
"Which tent is Prince of Wu in? I'll go save him," Lu Xingshi asked.
The soldier immediately pointed out the location. He could tell that Lu Xingshi possessed considerable strength, but he did not think Lu Xingshi was an infiltrator or traitor. If he had been, he would not have saved him.
The moment Lu Xingshi stepped outside, he encountered a second rain of arrows.
After identifying the direction, he could not spare attention for anything else and charged toward Prince of Wu's tent.
He encountered a third wave of arrows on the way, followed by the sounds of cavalry entering the camp.
A closer look revealed a black mass of enemies everywhere. Their numbers were unclear for now, but one thing was certain: Prince of Wu and his Cangwu Army would most likely not live to see reinforcements arrive.
"Capture the rebels! Rise three ranks in office, gain one rank of nobility, and receive a reward of a thousand gold!"
Someone among the enemy troops shouted that, instantly igniting their morale.
Lu Xingshi moved quickly and soon saw Prince of Wu in armor. The prince himself did not seem panicked.
"Principal Secretary Lu, why are you here?" his Deputy General demanded at once, leveling his spear at Lu Xingshi. Prince of Wu's guards around him did the same.
After all, Lu Xingshi showing up at this moment was indeed far too dangerous.
"This place is not suitable for lingering. The enemy has already entered the camp. Please leave quickly, Prince of Wu." As Lu Xingshi spoke, he took out the Golden Token and tossed it over.
Upon seeing the Golden Token, Prince of Wu revealed an incredulous expression. "You are Lu Xingshi, the man of the martial world known as the Golden Crow Divine General?"
"Lu Xingshi is me, but Golden Crow Divine General... that's actually a pretty awful nickname," Lu Xingshi complained.
"No, then why are you serving as a Principal Secretary in my army?" The Deputy General looked utterly dumbfounded. You should have been charging into battle on the front lines, so how had you ended up here?
"You people made me do it. At first, I went to the Prince of Wu's Estate looking for Prince of Wu. The steward received me and had me become an accountant first. I explained myself, but he insisted. I thought it was Prince of Wu's order, so I worked as an accountant for a month."
"Then war broke out, and the steward went looking for a Military Accountant. I figured I might be able to help, so I came along."
"After that, you people made me Principal Secretary. Wasn't that Prince of Wu's arrangement?" Lu Xingshi brazenly turned the tables. He could not exactly say that he had been trying to slack off.
After hearing Lu Xingshi's explanation, Prince of Wu did not know whether to laugh or cry.
So the man had arrived long ago, only to be hidden away by a series of absurd coincidences.
"I have heard that Young Hero Lu possesses the valor of an Enemy of Ten Thousand. I wonder, in the present situation..." Prince of Wu was clearly asking Lu Xingshi to charge in and brute-force the problem.
"Huh? Me?" Lu Xingshi was somewhat dumbfounded. They paid him so little, yet wanted him to fight who knew how many people? That was far too outrageous.
Prince of Wu gritted his teeth before saying, "I once happened upon Kunlun, Langya Pavilion's sect-defending Divine Weapon. With this Divine Weapon to aid you, does Young Hero Lu have confidence?"
"A Divine Weapon? Just how divine can it be?" Lu Xingshi said with a hint of disdain, though inwardly he was delighted. There was an unexpected gain after all.
Prince of Wu had likely been driven into a corner, which was why he took it out. Of course, in his eyes, Kunlun was no great treasure. This was simply making the best use of it.
"Fine, I'll give it a try. Give me the Divine Weapon first, then hide yourselves well. If I succeed, you won't need to leave. If I fail, I'll cover your retreat." Lu Xingshi directly demanded it.
Prince of Wu did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately took out Kunlun.
It was another Divine Weapon resembling a bracer and glove, perfectly forming a pair with North Sea.
Lu Xingshi's eyelid twitched. That settled it: "Eternal Youth" and "Kun Peng Devouring the World" were both rebellion gear from the Former Yan Imperial Family. Otherwise, how could they so coincidentally form a pair?
After putting it on, Lu Xingshi nodded and turned to leave the tent. Once the pay was in place, everything was negotiable.
No pay meant one kind of attitude. With pay, naturally he had to display abilities worthy of that pay.