Martial Cultivator

His Majesty's verbal decree, just these four simple words made Xu Ming fall silent.

In the Great Liang Dynasty, some might not care about these words, but Xu Ming was certainly not one of them.

As the garrison commander of Xuanling Commandery who was personally promoted by the Emperor, Xu Ming vividly remembered how his predecessor, Wei Feng, chose to retire and leave the military after a casual remark from the Emperor. Xu Ming, who had no backers and no connections within the Northern Frontier Army, had spent many years as a deputy commander of Xuanling Commandery. Even if Wei Feng eventually left his position, Xu Ming was not likely to be the one to take over. More likely, the General's Office should have appointed a new commander, and Xu Ming would continue as a deputy.

Having been personally appointed by the Emperor to become this Xuanling Commandery's garrison commander, Xu Ming had only one thought in mind: to never fail the Emperor and to never fail Great Liang in this lifetime. In his heart, even the General's Office was secondary.

Now, since it was the Emperor's verbal decree, even though he did not understand and felt some dissatisfaction, he remained silent.

"Commander Chen is now the Emperor's most favored subject. In the Divine Capital, this is already well known. We should not..."

After the messenger soldier left the tent, a deputy commander in armor soon arrived. Upon seeing Xu Ming, he spoke quietly. The deputy commander was called Xu Sheng, although sharing the same surname, was actually unrelated to Xu Ming. After becoming the commander, Xu Ming had the right to select a deputy, and after careful consideration, he chose Xu Sheng as his trusted aide.

"This general understands. Previously, this general had the intention of making friends too, but I didn't expect that this person would come here with the desire to establish authority. He's a young man after all, he can't hide his thoughts, which makes him somewhat impetuous."

Xu Ming smiled bitterly. Although this was his opinion, it was something that could only be discussed privately.

Xu Sheng shook his head and retorted, "This deputy doesn't think it's like that. This deputy specifically reviewed that young commander's past experiences. He doesn't seem to be the type of reckless martial artist. Just considering his journey from Tianqing County to the Divine Capital, this deputy couldn't find any issues upon repeated review. If he hadn't come to the Divine Capital, he would have likely met a tragic end back then."

Xu Ming was taken aback and looked at his deputy commander as he asked curiously. "Explain in detail?"

Choosing Xu Sheng as his deputy was based on Xu Ming's appreciation for his unusually sharp mind. If it were not for that, there would be no reason for him to choose Xu Sheng.

Xu Sheng smiled bitterly and said, "It's something that this deputy often pondered myself. The magistrate of Tianqing County had publicized this matter widely before his appointment, and it quickly became a hot topic in the Divine Capital. Such things are clearly not coincidental, it must be that that young commander building momentum. If General underestimates him and treats him as just an ordinary youth, that would be a mistake."

Xu Ming thought about it and asked, "So what do you think his current attitude means?"

Xu Sheng thought for a moment and shook his head, "Can't guess. It might not just be an attempt to take General down a notch. Perhaps His Majesty has indeed said something, maybe to test General's temperament to see if you're suitable for important responsibilities. After all, although His Majesty is the ruler of the world, the Northern Frontier Army has always been somewhat outside of His Majesty's control. After the death of the Great General, the Northern Frontier lacked suitable candidates, which forced the appointment of the Lord Warden Commander to the Northern Frontier. This probably gave His Majesty an opportunity, and he might have such intentions by promoting General afterwards too. His Majesty has grand ambitions, but the Northern Frontier Army may not necessarily heed his orders. So..."

At this point, Xu Sheng shut his mouth too. Since the promulgation of the conscription law in the first year of Tianjian, His Majesty had been making many enemies among the court officials by increasing resources for the Northern Frontier Army. While the high-ranking generals might not care, the lower-ranked soldiers were genuinely benefiting. As this issue continued to subtly transform over time, even if many generals eventually had disagreements with His Majesty on certain matters, they might be outweighed by the will of these soldiers.

A few soldiers might not make much of a difference, but what if every soldier in the Northern Frontier thought this way?

Xu Ming also realized this, feeling a chill down his spine.

Xu Sheng whispered, "Perhaps His Majesty plans to use the military against the foreign lands, to crush them so thoroughly that no foreign cultivator within our borders would dare to treat our people like dogs."

Xu Ming was surprised, "Does His Majesty truly have such resolve?!"

Xu Sheng replied softly, "Previously, the imperial decree has already reached Sword Qi Mountain. His Majesty's power and influence is incomparable to any previous emperors."

Xu Ming clenched his fists, feeling a surge of excitement. "Although the demon race is our main enemy, those foreign cultivators are no good either. When the army marches south, no matter if they are great sages or great sword immortals, we will crush them all. Just thinking about it is delightful!"

Xu Sheng laughed, "It's just this deputy's speculation, General, you don't need to take it seriously."

"That said, General, you must handle this young commander properly. Regardless, this deputy believes that the position of Lord Warden Commander which has become vacant, is likely reserved for him. If you can establish a good relationship with him, even if you face difficulties in the Northern Frontier Army, you'll have a place in the Great Liang."

Xu Sheng said in a somewhat envious voice, "The right to bear arms! Among countless martial artists in our Great Liang, there's only one with such a privilege. His Majesty's intentions couldn't be clearer. I can't tell if the people in the Divine Capital are deliberately ignoring this or if they are truly foolish, still opposing this young commander."

Xu Ming also laughed, "Hearing you say this, this deputy feels enlightened."

Xu Sheng nodded, "Now I am quite eager to meet this Commander. Regardless of anything else, who wouldn't want to see such a young talent?"

……

……

Chen Chao walked into Greenfield Camp in the light snow. After dismissing the messenger soldier, he glanced at the main tent from a distance, paused for a moment, then turned and headed towards the deputy general's tent.

Greenfield Camp, Xu Ming was the main commander, followed by two deputy commanders. Besides Xu Sheng who was his close confidant, there was another person named Ning Chong. Ning Chong was no ordinary martial artist, his family had served in the Northern Frontier Army for generations. His uncle, Ning Shanting, held the rank of a third-grade general in the Northern Frontier Army, commanding a personal army of thirty thousand and often leading a hundred thousand troops in battle. Ning Shanting's cultivation was formidable as well, having reached the Great Beyond Realm several years ago. He was once considered a potential candidate for the next Great General of the Northern Frontier if the previous Great General had lived longer. However, the Great General passed away prematurely, which did not give him the time. Despite this, the Ning family had deep roots in the Northern Frontier Army, with numerous members serving in various capacities. This Ning Chong was just 30 years old and he could already become a deputy commander in Xuanling Commandery, his influence was clear at a glance.

If it were not for the Emperor personally appointing the main commander after Wei Feng was forced to retire, this Ning Chong might have been promoted to main commander in a few years.

Hence, even though Xu Ming was this Greenfield Camp's main commander, he had always maintained a hands-off approach with Ning Chong, not wanting to provoke this kind of high-potential seedling of an influential family.