Chapter 116: Assistant Regional Commander Cao Wei

In the blink of an eye.

A month passed.

Qinghe New City was still under frantic construction, but the General’s Mansion was nearly complete.

Such a massive project could only be finished in so short a time by the imperial court.

On the relatively level official road.

A very long procession moved slowly forward.

There was no merchant caravan in sight.

The only force capable of monopolizing the official road in Yu State was surely the military—the road had originally been built for transmitting intelligence and troop movements.

“General Cao, we’re almost at Qinghe.”

A middle-aged military officer spoke with excitement.

The walls of Qinghe were already visible in the distance.

Anning Guard Assistant Regional Commander Cao Wei, riding at the front on horseback, nodded.

“Has Jiang Lin arrived in Qinghe yet?”

The middle-aged officer replied: “We heard yesterday he just left Anning Prefecture; he won’t arrive for at least three days.”

“Hmm.”

Cao Wei grunted casually.

In the entire Anning Guard, the only person he feared was Jiang Lin.

“Jiang Lin.”

Cao Wei murmured those three words softly.

He was not from Yunzhou, nor even from any of the several prefectures under Annan Town—he was from the capital.

Originally a sixth-rank assistant director in the Ministry of War, he was appointed as a fifth-rank Assistant Regional Commander under the Fifth Prince’s orders.

Official rank in the capital counted as half a level higher.

But competition was fierce; his status as the son of a Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works wasn’t enough.

Great generals rise from the ranks; chancellors emerge from the provinces.

Cao Wei had always served in the capital.

The Fifth Prince had sent him here with the intent to cultivate him—only by gaining military experience could he one day hope to sit as Vice Minister of War.

That’s the advantage of having powerful backing.

Otherwise, a greenhorn like him wouldn’t even know these intricate machinations.

The truly capable are already mapped out for promotion—every step is calculated.

That’s why it’s easier to serve in office when you have connections.

Before leaving the capital,

the Fifth Prince had specifically warned him to be wary of that Jiangdong Sword Immortal.

According to what he knew, Jiang Lin had once met His Majesty in person.

Just that fact alone was enough to make him wary—not everyone had the privilege of an audience with the Son of Heaven.

Fifteen minutes later,

Cao Wei led over a thousand troops to the gates of Qinghe City.

A large crowd was already waiting there.

Ning Zhongtian, as Garrison Commander, held the highest rank and stood at the front, followed by Wei Ming and County Magistrate Zhang, then Qinghe’s other officials and Li Rui and Ge Hong from the Anning Guard behind them.

“General Cao.”

Ning Zhongtian hurried forward with a broad smile.

“Hmm.”

Cao Wei dismounted, gave Ning Zhongtian only a slight nod, then stepped past him toward County Magistrate Zhang Linkang.

Who was Zhang Linkang?

He had served as County Magistrate of Qinghe for over a decade.

He instantly understood: Cao Wei was deliberately snubbing Ning Zhongtian to deliver a warning.

“Damn.”

Sweat beaded on the County Magistrate’s forehead.

Recalling certain rumors,

he realized he had been dragged into a struggle between powerful figures—unfortunate misfortune indeed!

Ning Zhongtian glanced at Cao Wei and smiled faintly.

This had been exactly what he expected.

“County Magistrate, Zhang Linkang?”

Cao Wei asked.

The County Magistrate nodded rapidly: “That is this humble official.”

Cao Wei had previously been a Ministry of War director—a true capital official whom the County Magistrate couldn’t even find a door to in the capital; now he was a fifth-rank Assistant Regional Commander. He dared not offend him in the slightest.

Cao Wei clasped his hands behind his back:

“Let’s go. Show me how the new city is coming along.”

“Yes, yes.”

The County Magistrate bowed deeply, nodding obsequiously—no trace remained of his former image as a just and upright magistrate.

Afterwards,

the newly appointed Assistant Regional Commander Cao inspected the new city, then returned to the General’s Mansion satisfied.

After seeing off this formidable man,

Wei Ming finally exhaled deeply and muttered: “What an imposing aura!”

Ge Hong fully agreed.

With such a superior, their days ahead wouldn’t be easy.

Ning Zhongtian patted Wei Ming’s shoulder: “Once Senior Jiang arrives, things should get easier.”

He was under Lei Yong’s command.

Given Lei Yong’s relationship with Jiang Lin, in Cao Wei’s eyes, he was automatically grouped under Jiang Lin’s faction.

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It would be strange if he got any kind treatment.

There would be no shortage of obstacles in the future.

Of course, with Jiang Lin as a counterbalance, Cao Wei couldn’t go too far.

They were all just pawns in their superiors’ games.

Li Rui said nothing.

His mind was filled with the image of Cao Wei, clad in golden radiance.

He had thought Jiang Lin’s gear was already top-tier, but compared to Cao Wei, it was even weaker by several degrees.

“No wonder he’s from the capital.”

He inwardly whistled.

“Let’s go.”

Ning Zhongtian, however, remained calm—he saw Cao Wei off and calmly led Wei Ming and the others toward the barracks.

What they called barracks

was in fact a large residential district.

These were quarters for the Anning Guard soldiers.

The Anning Guard totaled over a thousand men; ordinary soldiers shared rooms five to a room, squad leaders and above had individual rooms, and the higher the rank, the larger the residence.

Li Rui was in charge of grain—eighth-rank.

His assigned residence was smaller than his previous one at the Qinghe branch of the Heaven and Earth Alliance, since his rank was the lowest here.

Grain Officer.

As the name implies, he was the official responsible for guarding grain supplies.

In ancient times, marching to war, grain was paramount—how could you win battles if your troops were hungry?

This grain wasn’t just wheat and soybeans—it included elixirs, martial arts manuals, weapons. The kickbacks were staggering.

Of course,

none of this had much to do with Li Rui, a lowly Grain Officer.

In short,

he was still just a warehouse keeper.

The authority to allocate supplies required at least the rank of Garrison Commander—he merely handled registration; there were several other Grain Officers like him in the Anning Guard.

Each managed one warehouse—some handled elixirs, others weapons.

Li Rui happened to be in charge of martial arts manuals.

“Am I destined for the librarian’s post?”

After bidding farewell to Ning Zhongtian and the others, Li Rui returned to his residence—it had truly been a tiring day.

He had just stepped into his residence.

“Old Li, you’re back.”

Yang Yong’s voice rang out.

Li Rui moved to Xincheng, and so naturally did Yang Yong and Wang Zhao.

Unlike the frontier troops.

Annan Town had only about twenty thousand people; each guard battalion numbered roughly a thousand, a far cry from the frontier commanderies, where battalions often exceeded ten thousand.

Of course, this was due to their differing functions.

Thus, although the Annan Army was small in number, it recruited only elite soldiers.

Not like the frontier troops, where anyone willing to fight could enlist.

Their pay and benefits were naturally exceptional.

Senior officers were even permitted to keep concubines in their own homes.

As long as they didn’t neglect their duties, no one usually interfered.

Life was exceedingly comfortable.

Moreover, their reserves of elixirs and martial arts techniques surpassed those of most sects.

Otherwise, how could so many people have scrambled to join the Annan Army?

Wasn’t it because the pay was so good and the status so high that they became the favorite sons-in-law of mothers-in-law?

(End of chapter)