Seated upright on his fine horse, Xu Zifeng swept his gaze over the scene ahead. When his eyes landed on the face of that ramrod-straight figure in an ordinary commandant's uniform, his pupils abruptly contracted, and his entire body stiffened!
He did not even wait for the deputy general behind him to bark a reprimand. He jerked the reins and practically tumbled out of the saddle, moving with such haste that he looked almost flustered!
He instinctively started to bend his knees in salute, but in that lightning-fast instant, the sight of Li Chen's commandant's uniform and their surroundings made his exceptionally keen political instincts kick in. His Majesty was conducting an incognito inspection!
He forcibly stopped himself from kneeling and quickly forced an exceedingly unnatural smile onto his face, one tinged with fear and reverence, before hurrying up to Li Chen with quick, small steps.
Under everyone's incredulous stares, he bowed slightly and ventured cautiously, "M-may I ask how I should address you?"
Li Chen remained composed and said mildly, "My name is Cheng Li. I'm the commandant here."
Xu Zifeng understood at once. His Majesty was playing the role of a low-ranking officer!
Boundless "admiration" surged within him. Look at that! This was a truly enlightened ruler! Other emperors went on incognito inspections to tour mountains and rivers, merely going through the motions;
His Majesty was genuinely immersing himself in the ranks, experiencing their lives, sharing the soldiers' hardships and joys!
He immediately straightened and spoke with immense respect, his tone almost that of a subordinate reporting on his work. "So you're Commandant Cheng! Your subordinate, Xu Zifeng, has just completed orders to deal with a clash involving a force of Great Luo Cavalry along the border. I've come to Cold Iron Pass to resupply and rest."
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