Iron Garment Division

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Iron Garment Division
Original	铁衣司
Affiliation	Zhao Kingdom; formally under the Six Ministries, while answering directly to the palace 30 772
Occupation/Role	Law enforcement, public security, anti-bandit operations, inspections, and the pursuit and arrest of criminals
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 30

Authority and Mandate

• The division has jurisdiction over lawbreakers and disturbances of public order throughout Zhao Kingdom's prefectures, cities, and counties. Its stated remit extends even to major sects such as the Mountains and Rivers Sect, though low-ranking officers are advised not to interfere in complicated sect affairs without the means to do so 30.
• Its chiefs created the Black List, and its officers pursue listed fugitives, bandits, and criminals 30 297.
• The division conducts investigations into Rong Tribe and Sky Wolf Guard infiltration, including arrests, interrogations, evidence seizures, and special strike operations against the Immortal Gods Sect 86 119 220 230.
• The Iron Garment Division is not a martial sect; its officers balance cultivation with official duties such as handling cases, hunting bandits, and arresting dangerous criminals 127 129.
• Although it may coordinate with other state organs, it is stated to obey palace orders rather than being directly mobilized by the Ministry of War 772.

Organization

Local Branches

Every prefectural government office contains three divisional branches 68:

Branch	Responsibilities
Bandit Suppression Division	Captures local thieves and bandits; handles related cases 68
Public Security Division	Holds most of the division's military strength and practical authority; the principal route for officers seeking advancement 78
Inspection Division	Handles clerical and administrative work, including funding and personnel matters 199 200

The Public Security Division's personnel are fewer than those of Bandit Suppression, but are considered elites with stronger overall cultivation. In contrast, the Inspection Division has fewer officers and widely varying martial ability 199.

Kyoto Headquarters

Kyoto's organization differs from local branches. Its three core divisions are the Strategy Division, Command Division, and Decapitation Division; below them are the Bandit Suppression, Public Security, and Inspection Divisions 406.

Kyoto branch	Known structure and function
Strategy, Command, and Decapitation Divisions	Core branches; each has separate workspaces and does not interfere with the others 406
Command Division	Oversees and commands divisions across the Three Royal Capitals, seven provincial capitals, and ninety-seven prefectures; intervenes in major cases that draw imperial attention 361 406
Public Security Division	Has nine chiefs; its chiefs frequently travel to supervise and guide local work 406
Bandit Suppression Division	Has nine chiefs in Kyoto 406
Inspection Division	Has three chiefs in Kyoto 406

The Kyoto headquarters occupies roughly 400 mu and includes more than 10,000 Ninth-Grade Iron Armor officers 404.

Ranks and Promotion

The Iron Garment Division uses a martial-merit promotion system rather than the scholar-official system. A candidate requires sufficient cultivation, a superior's recommendation, and a passed assessment; martial skill is emphasized over case-solving ability 30.

Rank / position	Documented details
Ninth-Rank Iron Garment Constable	Entry-level ranked office attainable through merit and martial ability; promotion can be arranged after assessment or high-level sponsorship 30 52
Eighth-Rank Iron Garment Constable	Requires assessment of martial strength; Eighth-Grade officers may hold important prefectural posts and can mobilize lower-ranked constables through their identity tokens 80 81 83
Seventh-Rank Iron Garment	High-ranking officers may serve as chief administrators; promotion is tied to recognized major merit 191 211
Sixth-Grade Iron Garment	Assessment requires witnesses and strength beyond Upper Seventh Grade; high-ranking officers receive advanced divisional martial arts and equipment 194 196 312
Fourth-Grade official	The head of a Command Division office holds Fourth-Grade official rank 361

Standard Issue and Martial Arts

Official Equipment

• Constable uniform and Official Saber — standard equipment issued to ordinary constables; the initial official saber provides Strength and attack bonuses 30.
• Iron Garment armor — ranked armor improves survivability and becomes stronger with promotion. Ninth-, Eighth-, Seventh-, and Sixth-Grade garments respectively provide increasing Health bonuses 53 81 211 312.
• Official Sabers — ranked sabers increase Strength, Agility, and attack power. Seventh- and Sixth-Grade sabers possess the exclusive Momentum Gathering skill, available only to officers with the appropriate official status 211 312.
• Identity tokens and official seals — tokens signify rank and can mobilize lower-ranked officers; seals represent an office head's authority 81 200.

Known Divisional Techniques

• Bandit-Catching Saber Technique — the basic saber art required of all constables. Exceptional mastery can attract the attention of superiors even when the user's cultivation is lacking 30.
• Tiger-Capturing Saber Technique — a third-rate saber art issued as an Eighth-Rank reward 81.
• Iron Garment Heart Method — an internal art cultivated by ranked officers such as Shi Xin and Sun Biao 51 80.
• Iron Garment Divine Armor Scripture — a second-rate internal art regarded as a core technique for high-ranking officers 194 196.
• Dragon-Capturing Saber Technique — a second-rate saber art that requires Perfect Mastery of Tiger-Capturing Saber Technique to comprehend 194 205.
• Pure Yang Iron Garment Heart Scripture — a first-rate internal art cultivated by Ji Kongliu, demonstrating that the division possesses deeper martial foundations than its standard techniques suggest 406.

History

In its early Rong Kingdom form, the Iron Garment Division was conceived by Zhao De as an office independent of the Six Ministries. Its initial responsibility was monitoring sects rather than enforcing public security or criminal law; Yang Ling was formally appointed its chief with Fourth-Grade official rank after the campaign against the Jingxiao Bandits 504 506.

By the time Yang Ling first learns of the Zhao Kingdom division, it is an established law-enforcement institution with authority across the kingdom. Constable Lin introduces him to its rank system, promotion requirements, and standard equipment before Shi Xin registers him as a Ninth-Rank Iron Garment Constable 30 52.

The Long River Prefecture branch becomes heavily involved in countering Rong Tribe espionage. It investigates suspected collaborators, arrests Jue Ming and his disciples, and later deploys more than two hundred constables to support the Water Qilin Cave expedition 86 119 139. During the operation, Iron Garment officers and the Fourth Prince fight Rong Tribe spies, with the division ultimately forcing Nan Gong Yue's group to retreat 149.

Following the Water Qilin Cave operation, Yang Ling is appointed head of Long River Prefecture Public Security Division's First Office while concurrently leading its Third Office. His appointment follows the removal of Sun Biao and Shi Xin to new posts and is justified by his role in killing three Copper-rank Sky Wolf Guard agents 199 200.

The division later faces attacks and internal failures. The Immortal Gods Sect destroys a divisional gate in Green Mountain City, while investigations uncover corruption involving Public Security Division kerosene stores and official authorization documents 202 340. In Pavilion River City, Yang Ling uses divisional authority to arrest known cultists and confronts the local magistrate, who is revealed to be affiliated with the Sky Wolf Guard 220 221.

After Yang Ling, Lu Yunchen, and Xu Wenjun are transferred to Kyoto, the division investigates fire-oil smuggling linked to the Transport Gang and the Immortal Gods Sect. The operation involves multiple Kyoto directors and more than a hundred elite officers securing a warehouse containing disguised fire-oil barrels 372 423 430.

Notable Personnel

• Division Chief — unseen leader whose authority and methods underpin the division; values ability above all else and personally created the Iron Garment Divine Armor Scripture and Dragon-Capturing Saber Technique 30 196.
• Lin Yan / Constable Lin — Ninth-Rank Green Mountain City constable who recruits Yang Ling and explains the division's promotion system 30 51.
• Shi Xin — Eighth-Rank Iron Garment who sponsors Yang Ling's first promotion and later transfers to lead a Public Security Division office in Elephant Peak Prefecture 52 199.
• Sun Biao — Upper Eighth-Rank martial artist who assesses Yang Ling and later supports his appointment in Long River Prefecture 80 199.
• Lu Yunchen — Chief of the Public Security Division who oversees assessments and represents the division in disputes with sects and the Fourth Prince's entourage 124 194.
• Zhao Xun — Fifth-Grade Iron Garment official who supports Yang Ling's advancement and reports assessment results to Kyoto 187 194.
• Yun Buchuan — Fifth-Grade director of Kyoto Public Security Division's Third Office 297.
• Ji Kongliu — Chief of Kyoto Public Security Division's First Office; known for demanding observational and case-solving standards from his subordinates 406 409.
• Li Zhong — Division Lord in Kyoto who directs the fire-oil investigation and maintains the distinction between individual wrongdoing and institutional guilt 404 424.

Relationships

• Zhao Kingdom court — Formal superior authority; the division is attached to the Six Ministries but follows orders from the palace 30 772.
• Major sects — Subject to the division's nominal jurisdiction, but relations are tense due to arrests, espionage investigations, and disputes over the treatment of sect disciples 30 119 125 140.
• Rong Tribe / Sky Wolf Guard — Primary hostile infiltrators targeted by divisional investigations and operations 51 149 221.
• Immortal Gods Sect — Cult organization subjected to mass arrests and anti-infiltration operations after links to Rong Tribe agents emerge 220 230.
• Transport Gang — Cooperates with investigations into fire-oil transport, while the division distinguishes individual criminal involvement from guilt of the entire organization 424.
• Ministry of War — A powerful state institution that may coordinate with the division, but cannot simply mobilize it without consultation with the Division Chief 772.