Chapter 135

Ten days passed.

The military and political assessment was carried out steadily and orderly.

First were the ordinary soldiers, then the officers at all levels.

The five Garrison Commanders were naturally assessed by Cao Wei and Jiang Linxian, and then submitted to Annan Town.

As for the officers.

For the lower-level officers, the specific assessment was naturally executed by the five Garrison Commanders, and finally reviewed by Cao Wei and Jiang Linxian. As for reporting to Annan Town, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Personnel, that was just a formality.

As long as it wasn't too excessive, it would basically pass.

This was the tacit understanding between the civil and military officials.

General's Prefecture.

In the main hall.

Jiang Linxian and Cao Wei had already left, leaving only the five Garrison Commanders to continue discussing matters.

Feng Yu spoke: "Everyone, according to this list, Chang Feng has the most seniority in the Seventh-Rank and should be promoted. I think the position of Platoon Leader of the Ji-Character Battalion is more appropriate."

Guan Xinrong was the first to echo.

"Reasonable."

Ning Zhongtian sat to one side, squinting at the two who were singing in harmony.

That Chang Feng had long been Feng Yu's right-hand man, but he had arrived late and hadn't been assigned a position.

Guan Xinrong, of course, could not oppose it.

Regarding this, Ning Zhongtian neither said he opposed it nor said he agreed.

After the people on Feng Yu's side finished nominating.

Ning Zhongtian expressed his own views unhurriedly:

"Ge Hong and Li Rui have broken through and should be given positions, lest it chill the drive of the soldiers."

Before the words fell.

Lu Jun was the first to speak in agreement: "Agreed."

Once these words were out, Guan Xinrong frowned: "Ge Hong is one thing, but that Li Rui has only just broken through and is already seventy; I think it is inappropriate."

Feng Yu remained silent, only looking at Ning Zhongtian.

Lu Jun replied: "Heroes are not judged by age. According to Lord Guan's logic, Regional Commander Xue is already one hundred and thirty; is that also against the rules?"

"That is sophistry!"

Guan Xinrong snorted coldly, then changed the subject: "Moreover, this person has broken through three realms in three years. Even if there were some opportunities, he must have concealed the true situation when entering the Guard. With such scheming, I fear he cannot be trusted with an important position."

He did not intend to continue making an issue of age.

Lu Jun had already brought up Regional Commander Xue; he didn't want to be labeled with the charge of criticizing his superiors.

Just when Lu Jun was about to argue back.

Ning Zhongtian suddenly spoke: "Regarding Chang Feng, I do not agree."

"You!"

Guan Xinrong was choked with anger.

Duan Yu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, looked at Ning Zhongtian with great interest.

Ning Zhongtian's attitude was very clear.

If you don't let me use my people, then don't think about using yours either.

"Come on, let's hurt each other!"

Feng Yu's eyes also turned cold.

One reason he didn't want to deal with Ning Zhongtian was that Ning Zhongtian came from the Jianghu, was reckless, and had unconventional methods.

But he happened to be very good at fighting.

And his backer was Lei Yong; even if he wanted to deal with him, he couldn't do anything to Ning Zhongtian.

In the end, Feng Yu had to speak up:

"Then Ge Hong and Li Rui, no more than that."

"Fine."

Ning Zhongtian grinned, then said to Lu Jun beside him: "Alright, I'm done, Brother Lu, it's your turn."

"..."

Feng Yu's eyes began to spit fire.

The assessment results were posted.

The huge wooden board was covered with dense, small characters.

"Ge Hong, Martial Grade B-Superior, Performance Grade B-Superior, Integrity Grade A, appointed as Platoon Leader of the Wu Battalion, leading fifty soldiers."

Ge Hong finally saw himself in the crowd.

His eyes were filled with wild joy.

Platoon Leader, Proper Seventh-Rank; in terms of deterrence, it is even greater than a County Magistrate. This is a matter of bringing honor to one's ancestors.

At this moment.

Wei Ming also saw Li Rui's name: "Brother Li, look!"

Li Rui looked in the direction of Wei Ming's finger.

"Li Rui, Martial Grade C-Medium, Performance Grade B-Superior, Integrity Grade A-Superior, appointed as Patrol Guard."

Wei Ming happily cupped his hands: "Congratulations, Brother Li, Brother Ge."

As for himself.

He had no interest in looking at all; Ning Zhongtian had already told him in advance that his position would remain unchanged.

This was also one of the costs of letting Li Rui and Ge Hong be promoted.

Wei Ming also expressed understanding of this.

Moreover, he was already a Platoon Leader; being assigned other positions wouldn't be a fundamental improvement, so it was better to focus on the Martial Path.

Ge Hong said in surprise: "Brother Li, I didn't expect you to land a position as a Patrol Guard."

A Patrol Guard is not a regular sequence within the Guard.

It does not manage any battalion or any important material depot.

Instead, it belongs to the Night Scout sequence.

It is mainly outward-facing; in other words, it deals with sects and various forces.

Although there are not many soldiers under his command, every one of them is elite. He has duties such as monitoring the sects in the area guarded by the Anning Guard and patrolling for demon disturbances. Moreover, he reports directly to Ning Zhongtian, so his status is high and his treatment is good.

Quite a few people had their eyes on this position.

Unexpectedly, it fell to an old man like Li Rui.

Li Rui also didn't expect Ning Zhongtian to value him so much.

"He actually thinks highly of these old bones of mine; I reckon Lord Ning feels that when those Sect Masters see an old man like me, they will go easier on me."

Wei Ming and Ge Hong looked at each other and laughed.

This was Li Rui's self-deprecating remark.

However, they roughly guessed the intention behind Ning Zhongtian's arrangement.

Ever since the Anning Guard came to Qinghe, the Night Scouts had had no shortage of conflicts with surrounding forces.

Now, a Patrol Guard with a good temper and an understanding of when to advance or retreat is needed.

Isn't Li Rui the most suitable?

Just at this moment, lines of small characters appeared before Li Rui's eyes.

【Congratulations to the host for completing the achievement 'General and Prime Minister' beginner plot—Promotion.】

【Upon first entering officialdom, the only thing you need to do is get promoted. Only by climbing to the peak step by step can you realize your ambitions. Becoming a Patrol Guard is a good start; please continue to work hard.】

【Task 'Promotion' completed, reward being calculated...】

【Task rating: B.】【Obtained 30 achievement points!】

【Name: Li Rui】

【Age: 70】

【Talent: Martial Bone, Outstanding Comprehension, Spirit Eye】

【Technique: Long Chun Gong, Dragon Roaming Nine Heavens Chart】

【Achievement: 40/100】

Li Rui raised an eyebrow.

"Sure enough, being an official is good."

As long as one gets promoted, one can obtain achievement points—double the reward!

Besides that, the position of Patrol Guard is closely linked to the Jianghu, so the achievement of 'Famous in the Jianghu' can also be completed together.

Killing three birds with one stone.

=9+Shu_ba

This position is simply tailor-made for him.

This Ning Zhongtian is truly someone worth dealing with.

Promotion within the Anning Guard.

Only requires approval from Jiang Linxian and Cao Wei; everything else is just going through the motions.

The official seal hadn't arrived yet.

Li Rui was called to the Night Scout camp by Ning Zhongtian.

The Night Scouts do not belong to any of the twenty-two battalions; they are more like the Garrison Commander's personal guards, or rather, their eyes and ears.

All five Garrison Commanders have their own Night Scouts.

Ning Zhongtian's Night Scouts, also called the Galloping Tiger Cavalry, theoretically belong to the Flying Eagle Cavalry and are an elite unit in the Annan Town establishment.

"Brother Tan, come out and greet the guest!"

Ning Zhongtian shouted loudly toward the camp.

No matter how Li Rui listened, he felt something was wrong.

Before long.

A man, fully eight feet tall and burly, crawled out from a residence.

That's right, he crawled out.

Most front doors in the Yu Kingdom are seven feet eight inches high.

The residences in the military camp were all built uniformly.

So this man surnamed Tan could only come out by lowering his head.

He first smiled at Ning Zhongtian: "Lord Ning, you've come."

Then he looked Li Rui up and down.

Ning Zhongtian pointed at Li Rui and said: "This is Brother Li, a Patrol Guard of the Galloping Tiger Cavalry; listen to him more in the future."

"Oh."

The burly man scratched his head in a muffled voice.

Li Rui had long ago memorized the roster of the thousand-man Anning Guard; although he had never had contact with him before, he knew the situation of this man.

Tan Hu, in his early forties, born with Diamond Bones, possessing infinite strength.

After joining the Annan Army, he made quite a few military contributions relying on his bravery.

He was valued by Ning Zhongtian and specially brought from the outer prefecture to the Anning Guard.

He is a Company Commander of the Galloping Tiger Cavalry, from the Sixth-Rank.

Officers like Tan Hu are mostly ranked by military service; Company Commanders of some elite battalions in Annan Town can even be on par with Garrison Commanders.

In the end, it depends on the soldiers under one's command and the size of one's power.

From Tan Hu's rank, one can see the importance of the Night Scouts.

Ning Zhongtian saw this and felt somewhat helpless, so he had to emphasize his tone: "Brother Li has a steady temper; listen to him more in the future, and don't act recklessly again."

This time, Jiang Linxian requested eleven positions from the Ministry of War.

Five of them were Patrol Guards for the Night Scouts.

This was because the Night Scouts of the Anning Guard had caused quite a few messes recently regarding the search for demons, so he needed to find someone steady to pull them back.

Don't look at the fact that Tan Hu is from the Sixth-Rank and Li Rui is Seventh-Rank; both are commanders of the Galloping Tiger Cavalry, and both have the power to report directly to Ning Zhongtian.

This is the charm of the art of checks and balances.

In this way, if Tan Hu wants to act impulsively, he must obtain Li Rui's consent before deploying troops.

And vice versa.

A reluctant smile appeared on Tan Hu's big face: "Yes, yes, I will listen to Brother Li in the future."

"..."

Ning Zhongtian was almost laughed at by Tan Hu.

Tan Hu is a fierce general and is loyal to him, but his temper is just too explosive.

He turned his head to look at Li Rui: "Brother Li, I'll trouble you to keep an eye on the Galloping Tiger Battalion in the future; don't let any more messes happen."

"Yes."

Li Rui nodded.

Seeking stability—this is something he is good at.

After giving Tan Hu two more instructions, Ning Zhongtian left.

Ning Zhongtian had just left.

More than a dozen heads poked out from inside the courtyard wall.

"Hall Master?"

The first to come out was Liang He.

He had previously been sent to the Night Scouts by Li Rui using connections; he didn't expect that after only a year, Li Rui would instead become a Patrol Guard of the Night Scouts.

It is truly fate.

"Little He."

Li Rui smiled.

A battalion has fifty people, and the Night Scouts have even fewer, only thirteen, but they are all ranked martial artists and are equipped with good horses; the configuration can be called luxurious.

Tan Hu said in surprise: "You know each other?"

Li Rui: "Little He previously stayed in my Armory."

"So that's how it is; this kid is clever and quite good."

Tan Hu praised Liang He a few times.

Clearly, Liang He's performance in the Galloping Tiger Cavalry was quite good and had gained the approval of his superior.

Li Rui said to Tan Hu: "Brother Tan, thank you for taking care of Little He."

Tan Hu grinned: "Little He is a real man; I like him quite a lot."

"..."

Li Rui felt that if they kept talking, it might turn into 'strong man locking man', so he turned to the main topic: "Brother Tan, where are the patrol records? I'm new here, so I'll take a look when I have nothing to do."

Tan Hu: "That's simple. Little He, you take Brother Li to see them."

"As for the rest, follow me to train!"

The others were originally watching the fun.

Upon hearing that Tan Hu wanted to train, they immediately became like frost-bitten eggplants.

(End of chapter)