Chapter 194: We Are Useless

Qin Ze and Di Youzhi's two squads had never been disciplined to begin with.

When they mixed together, they dragged Mao Dabin's squad into the chaos too.

Wan Yun was ambitious, so his squad had been trained with clear structure.

They lined up neatly outside the gate, every man standing tall and straight as a pole.

But the more orderly they were, the more pitiful they looked.

The others were chaotic, but they had guns and cannons!

When Xu Yuan was in the Third and Fourth Ranks, the Three-Eyed Matchlock was a primary weapon.

This weapon could threaten everyone below the Seventh Rank Wu Xiu, except those of the Seventh Rank themselves.

It held great appeal for low-ranking Captains.

Xu Yuan's squad surged past from one side, and without pausing, Xu Yuan raised a hand to Wan Yun: "Captain Wan, move quickly."

Wan Yun and his men stood frozen in place for a long while, watching them race past the street corner and turn toward the Shanhe Office.

He Youxing only then emerged, accompanied by a clerk, and could only sigh helplessly: "This kid knows how to exploit loopholes!"

Then he saw Wan Yun still standing there, and his anger flared: "What are you still doing standing around?"

Wan Yun quickly ducked his head and led his men off.

He Youxing shouted after them, still furious: "A rotten leader breeds a rotten crew—you had the chance and still blew it!"

Wan Yun's men heard this and wondered: What? Was this our share too? But the Inspector failed to seize it?

Wan Yun recalled how Xu Yuan had once invited him to the treasury, and cursed inwardly: This kid is too devious!

When Wan Yun arrived at the Shanhe Office with his men, he saw two forces sharply divided.

The Shanhe Office had already prepared, waiting for the Quhui Office to join them.

The Shanhe squad numbered fifty to sixty, with two Inspectors and four Inspectors-General.

Most striking was the center of the formation: four crimson horses pulling a sandalwood incense carriage, its sides draped with pale blue gauze, obscuring the interior.

But everyone knew the Shanhe Office's female Master of Discipline must be inside.

Every member of the Shanhe Office was elite, wearing armor over their official robes, their ranks perfectly aligned—even their warhorses stood perfectly still, silent and controlled.

Xu Yuan's squad, which had arrived first… now looked inferior.

Their formation was crooked and uneven, and after having "plundered" the treasury, they carried long spears and short cannons slung over their shoulders, looking even more disheveled.

Wan Yun shook his head in disgust: This is a disgrace to our Quhui Office!

Wan Yun also noticed that among Xu Yuan's men, there was a peculiar "poor but arrogant" air—they were clearly inferior to the Shanhe Office in every way, yet each one glared defiantly at the Shanhe side, showing not a hint of submission!

Wan Yun quietly shook his head, stepped forward, and bowed to the carriage: "Wan Yun, Inspector of the Zhancheng Office of the Quhui Office, greets my lord."

A soft, clinging voice came from within: "Inspector Wan is clearly the one in charge of this mission—we've been waiting for you."

"I dare not." Wan Yun said. "I defer entirely to the Master of Discipline's command."

A laugh echoed from the carriage, pleasant to the ear.

"We rely heavily on the Quhui Office this time. I hope we can set aside old grievances and cooperate with sincerity."

"Naturally." Wan Yun replied quickly.

"Then let us depart."

"Yes, my lord."

After this brief exchange, the column moved out.

Wan Yun's first impression of the female Master of Discipline was excellent—her voice was sweet, her speech refined, far superior to that rebellious brat back in our own office.

Though Wan Yun did not therefore consider her "one of us," he secretly acknowledged her breadth of vision and composure.

So he slowed his horse to ride alongside Xu Yuan and whispered: "Don't cause trouble. Don't give them any excuse."

Xu Yuan stared at him, incredulous.

But Wan Yun had already spurred his horse forward.

Even Song Lu couldn't help muttering: "Has Fu Shuanghui cultivated the 'Beauty-Enthralling Art'? Has she bewitched his mind?"

Xu Yuan shook his head slightly, guessing the female Master of Discipline, Fu Shuanghui, might truly possess a similar "art"—a few simple words had already planted influence in Wan Yun's mind.

Di Youzhi rode beside Xu Yuan, a pistol as thick as an egg stuck at his waist, a long musket hanging from his saddle.

He kept staring at a bulky back ahead in the Shanhe ranks.

It was an "old acquaintance"—one of the two Shanhe Inspectors-General from the street brawl last time.

The bulky Inspector-General rode beside a Shanhe Inspector.

The Inspector whispered: "Is it done?"

The bulky Inspector-General grinned smugly: "Almost. Don't worry, my lord—these Quhui brutes wear everything on their faces. They'll definitely stare at me."

"Before we reach Yujing Village, this 'noose of gaze' will be tied to his eyes!"

…

The column marched out of the city and quickened its pace.

The Shanhe Captains took calligraphy scrolls from leather pouches at their saddles and slapped them onto their horses' flanks.

They deliberately opened the pouches wide, letting the Quhui Office see: we have plenty of scrolls—use them freely!

The Zhancheng Office simply didn't have such resources.

Only the Southern Jiaozhi Office, in emergencies, lavishly attached scrolls to their horses.

"Wealth" had tiers—Quhui Office was nothing compared to Shanhe Office…

Wan Yun spurred his horse hard, struggling to keep up with Shanhe's speed.

"Faster! Don't fall behind!" Wan Yun kept urging his men.

After riding ten miles, the column split into three sections.

Shanhe Corps led the front, Wan Yun and his squad were in the middle, while Xu Yuan fell to the rear.

Wan Yun was about a hundred paces ahead of Shanhe Corps, but Xu Yuan lagged behind Wan Yun by a full two hundred paces!

Wan Yun, furious, turned back and rebuked: "Xu Yuan, what's going on with you?"

Xu Yuan deliberately slowed his horse's pace, causing the entire squad to gradually slow down as well.

"Their horses have character scrolls tied to them—we can't catch up," Xu Yuan said. "They're deliberately mocking us."

Wan Yun snorted. "We represent the Face of the Purification Corps. We can't let them look down on us!"

Xu Yuan shook his head. "Face isn't won here. Handling the anomaly in Yujing Village is what truly brings honor to the Purification Corps."

Wan Yun snapped: "Don't go off on tangents. Speed up!"

Xu Yuan glanced at him, then suddenly leapt from his horse—two fire wheels appeared beneath his feet, and with a whoosh, he shot forward, swiftly catching up to the Shanhe Corps.

Wan Yun: "Where are you going—"

Xu Yuan sharply wheeled around, blocking the front of the Shanhe Corps' female Chief Discipline Officer's carriage, and called out loudly: "My lord, please slow down—our men can't keep up!"

Mocking laughter rose from within the Shanhe Corps ranks.

Lady Fu Shuanghui's voice came from inside the carriage: "It seems I overlooked this—I was so eager to reach Yujing Village and deal with the anomaly that I forgot your Purification Corps… lacks the skill."

The laughter from the Shanhe Corps grew louder.

Wan Yun burned with fury: Xu Yuan, you're bringing shame upon yourself!

Xu Yuan let out a long, sighing breath: "Ah—"

"Chief Discipline Officer, you speak truly. Our abilities are meager—we can't even match your pace. Even if we reached Yujing Village, we'd be of no help. Then we shall take our leave."

Xu Yuan turned and walked away: "Men, back to Huicheng!"

A shattered scream came from the carriage: "You stop right there—"

(End of Chapter)