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. Its early form was established in the Rong Kingdom 30 506 772
Occupation/Role	Law enforcement, public security, anti-bandit operations, inspections, counterespionage, intelligence work, and the pursuit and arrest of criminals; initially, monitoring sects in the Rong Kingdom 30 506
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.
• The Kyoto Command Division may take over major cases that attract imperial attention and commands the division's branches across the Three Royal Capitals, seven provincial capitals, and ninety-seven prefectures 361 406.
• The division employs long-term undercover operatives, including agents embedded among Rong Tribe forces and organizations such as the Transport Gang, then restores them to formal service after their missions 410 415.
• 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.
• The Division Chief retains authority to dispatch trusted officers on politically sensitive investigations, including the inquiry into suspected Rong Tribe infiltration and possible defection at the Martial God King's Capital branch 813.
• In its newly established Rong Kingdom form, the division's mandate was limited to monitoring sects, including the seven first-rate sects. It had not yet acquired the later Zhao Kingdom division's criminal-investigation or public-security duties 506 899.
• The early division issued an order forbidding sect experts from sparring in public without permission. Yang Ling invoked its authority when a duel between Divine Sect and Nine Immortal Dao Palace experts obstructed traffic on the Tianyuan River 906 907.

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; unlike their local counterparts, these chiefs are civil officials assigned by the Ministry of Personnel and review local Inspection Division communications before they reach the Division Chief 406

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

During his tenure as chief of the newly formed Rong Kingdom division, Yang Ling selected a Kyoto headquarters site that matched the location of the later headquarters. He planned courtyards for all six divisions, and the Ministry of Works rapidly constructed and opened the main building 909.

Command Division Third Office

Yang Ling is appointed head of the Third Office under the Command Division after his service on Fire Jiao Island, placing him within one of Kyoto's core operational branches 781.

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
Fourth-Grade division chief	Zhao De appoints Yang Ling chief of the newly established Rong Kingdom division and gives him an official seal signifying Fourth-Grade rank 506
Fourth-Grade Grandmaster	Yang Ling is formally registered as a Fourth-Grade Grandmaster after revealing Lower Fourth-Grade cultivation, establishing him as one of the division's foremost rising martial officers 744
Third-Grade Great Grandmaster	Yang Ling is registered as a Third-Grade Great Grandmaster without an additional assessment after his return to Kyoto, his strength having been demonstrated publicly against Qi Tairan 813

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.
• Official uniforms, sabers, and boots — Kyoto may issue complete Eighth-Grade sets to reinstated undercover personnel and newly regularized officers 410.
• First-generation Iron Garments — officers of the newly established Rong Kingdom division wore garments resembling those used by later generations, though made from different material 897.

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.

The newly formed division lacked the intelligence-gathering capacity, combat strength, and institutional confidence of its later incarnation. When Yang Ling assembled more than a hundred officers for an operation against Arhat Temple, Xu Kai disappeared before the march, and most of the officers hesitated after Right Vice Minister of Personnel Kong Luan produced a document purporting to dismiss Yang Ling. Yang Ling refused to surrender his authority, defeated Kong Luan, and obtained his acknowledgment that Yang Ling remained division chief. The officers' confidence rose afterward 898 899 900.

Three Third-Grade Iron Garments trained under Zhao De, including Chu Pinglan, subsequently arrived to assist with the Arhat Temple operation. Yang Ling later enforced the division's prohibition on unauthorized public sparring when a duel between Divine Sect and Nine Immortal Dao Palace experts blocked the Tianyuan River. He subdued members of both sects, announced the duelists' arrest, and ultimately released Mo Changyun and Wu Xiaotian after registration, statements, and fines 903 906 907 909.

After reaching Kyoto, Yang Ling selected and arranged the site of the early division's headquarters. The Ministry of Works completed its main building within days, and the headquarters opened shortly afterward. As the division prepared to receive envoys from the Great Dream Dynasty, Yang Ling vanished from that period 909.

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.

In Kyoto, the Division Chief places Yang Ling temporarily in the First Office of the Public Security Division. Ji Kongliu subsequently assigns him a team composed of Eighth- and Seventh-Grade officers, supported by one hundred Ninth-Grade Iron Armor officers 405 410. Yang Ling also recruits player-operated Transport Gang workers as Iron Garment constables and informants to identify cultists within the gang 415.

The division continues to defend its institutional authority during the Transport Gang investigation. When Iron Garment constables are framed, Yang Ling kills the responsible Seventh-Grade Transport Gang member, compels Gang Leader Nangong Linghe to submit, and obtains compensation for the wronged officers; Ji Kongliu acknowledges the necessity of preserving the division's dignity 439.

During the Fire Jiao Island campaign, the division deploys an unusually large force: six Public Security Division directors, six Bandit Suppression Division directors, and additional officers from other branches. The deployment is intended to secure the expedition and counter Rong Tribe threats 430. Afterward, the Division Chief publicly describes Yang Ling as the Iron Garment Division's “sharpest future blade” and uses Grandmasters from rival factions as sparring opponents to hone him 744.

Yang Ling is later promoted to head of the Command Division's Third Office and receives the Eldest Princess's Profound Fire Qilin Armor in recognition of his service to the imperial court 781. Upon returning from another disappearance with Third-Grade Great Grandmaster cultivation, he is registered without a further assessment and is secretly assigned to investigate suspected Rong Tribe infiltration and potential betrayal within the Iron Garment Division at the Martial God King's Capital 813.

Yang Ling subsequently strengthens the division's player constables by distributing Iron Bear Sets to qualified members and Flying Eagle Sets to lower-level recruits, allowing many to seek martial assessments and improve their combat readiness 841 842.

Notable Personnel

• Division Chief / Zhao Chongxu — the middle-aged layman who directs the Iron Garment Division; values ability above all else, is said to have personally created the Iron Garment Divine Armor Scripture and Dragon-Capturing Saber Technique, and assigns sensitive missions directly to trusted officers 30 196 405 813 842.
• Yang Ling — former Long River Prefecture Public Security Division office head, later Kyoto officer and head of the Command Division's Third Office; regarded by the Division Chief as the division's sharpest future blade and registered as a Third-Grade Great Grandmaster 200 405 781 813 744.
• 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 and chief officer of the Command Division's First Office; directs the fire-oil investigation and maintains the distinction between individual wrongdoing and institutional guilt 404 423 424 441.
• Officer Yun — a high-ranking division officer who guides Yang Ling on Martial Dao Fire Seeds and directs Fourth-Grade Grandmasters in the search for the Crimson-Refined Fire Jiao Sect's inheritance on Fire Jiao Island 562.
• Qin Kunlun — martial artist accepted into the Iron Garment Division by Yang Ling after the capture and execution of Sky Wolf General Jiang Zhuo 752.
• Zhao De — founder and principal backer of the early Rong Kingdom division; appoints Yang Ling as its chief and remains the person Yang Ling regards as directing much of its work 504 506 906.
• Li Yuan — Seventh-Grade officer of the early division who verifies Yang Ling's chief token, accompanies the operation against Arhat Temple, and remains attentive to his orders 897 899.
• Chu Pinglan — one of three Third-Grade Iron Garments trained under Zhao De who come to assist the early division; later serves as Yang Ling's aide during the establishment of its Kyoto headquarters 903 909.
• Xu Kai — officer of the early division who disappears before its march on Arhat Temple and urges other officers to withdraw when Kong Luan challenges Yang Ling's authority 898 899.

Relationships

• Zhao Kingdom court — Formal superior authority; the division is attached to the Six Ministries but follows orders from the palace 30 772.
• Ministry of Personnel — Oversees personnel transfers affecting the division and appoints the three civil-official chiefs of Kyoto's Inspection Division 372 406.
• 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.
• Martial God King's Capital branch — A subordinate branch suspected of ignoring Kyoto's recall orders, permitting Rong Tribe infiltration, and potentially defecting from Zhao Kingdom 813.
• Player constables and informants — Yang Ling recruits players into the division as constables, uses some as Transport Gang informants, and equips them to accelerate their advancement and strengthen the organization 415 841 842.
• 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.
• Rong Kingdom court and Zhao De — Zhao De establishes the early division as an office independent of the Six Ministries and appoints Yang Ling to lead its surveillance of sects 504 506.
• Ministry of Personnel in the Rong Kingdom — Right Vice Minister Kong Luan attempts to dismiss Yang Ling during the Arhat Temple operation but retracts his decision after Yang Ling defeats him 899 900.
• Arhat Temple — A target of the early division's sect-monitoring mandate and of Yang Ling's first major operation as chief; its abbot Shi Fadu and Enforcement Hall chief Zong Heng are subsequently imprisoned 898 899 909.
• Divine Sect and Nine Immortal Dao Palace — Their experts dispute the early division's authority over public sparring. Yang Ling intervenes in their obstructive Tianyuan River duel, arrests those involved, and later fines and releases the two dueling experts 906 907 909.
• Ministry of Works — Assists the early division by rapidly building its selected Kyoto headquarters 909.