Amid his countless duties, Liu Cheng, Administrator of Huainan and Qiao Commanderies and concurrently General of the Vanguard Army, personally traveled twenty li outside the city to welcome his wife's uncle Shen Jin-his dear friend and kinsman, Brother Shijian.
He truly was swamped. Liu Cheng was about to finish getting to the bottom of things and begin formally compiling the rolls of regular soldiers. This was tied to his efforts to take control of logistics through roadbuilding, supply stations, and warehouses. Once the two connected, he would truly be integrated into the entire Western Command system and gain the authority to coordinate everything.
Everything afterward would follow naturally.
At such a time, Liu Cheng not only went out to welcome him himself, but also brought Liu Huzi and Gao Heng, who were reorganizing their troops, the staff of the General Who Pacifies the West's Office and his own staff, and even several other generals with whom he had grown somewhat familiar. He had truly accorded Shen Jin every honor.
Shen Jin was indeed rather overwhelmed by the favor. On his journey through the South of the Yangtze, he had certainly been extraordinarily excited, his eyes bright all the way... After all, decades as a Punished Family had ended in a single day. He had brimmed with exhilaration from beginning to end. His banners had flown the moment he left Wuxing, and upon reaching Jiankang, he had refused to stay at the South Garden, insisting on lodging at the military colony in Jiangcheng. He had received his appointment, seal, and ribbon, and everything he saw had seemed fresh.
After crossing the river, with his mind made up, he had all but wished he could stride with a tiger's wind at his heels and cover a thousand li a day.
But he