Chapter 113: Take a Good Look

"Magistrate Shen, what did you just say? This General did not hear you clearly!"

Picking at his ear, Lu Shaozhi thought he had misheard; a County Magistrate actually dared to reach out and demand a Troop Deployment Order from him, and even dared to spout wild nonsense at them. If this weren't truly happening right in front of him, he wouldn't believe such a person existed.

These scholars, sigh. What are you all thinking? Do you not want to live anymore?

"This official said that Sanshui County is not a place where you can act wantonly; is that clear enough!"

"Audacious! Do you know who you are talking to?" Before the leader, Lu Shaozhi, could speak, the Deputy General beside him could no longer watch, stepping forward with his blade held horizontally, nearly hacking down immediately.

In their view, a mere Eighth Rank County Magistrate, whom they wouldn't even bother with in the past, actually dared to speak to their General like this—it was simply courting death.

"You don't need to be so loud; your General may be able to control you, but he cannot control this official!" With a cold snort, Shen Yu retorted unceremoniously, "Do you know that unauthorized troop movement is a capital offense!"

"If the General produces a Troop Deployment Order, that is fine, but if not, then this is unauthorized troop movement. Who gave you the authority, who gave you the nerve?"

"Magistrate Shen, that is where you are wrong!" At this moment, Lu Shaozhi beside him finally could not help but speak. However, his expression was very ugly right now; if it weren't for the fact that the person opposite him was an expert and still posed a bit of a threat to them, he would have dragged him out and beheaded him long ago.

It was his first time seeing a scholar dare to nag like this when encountering soldiers!

"My Dongning Army has the duty to suppress bandits and pacify the people. The Ying River Giant Bandits burn, kill, and plunder, and this General was ordered to lead troops to annihilate them, which is why we pursued them all the way here! In an emergency, one acts according to expediency; how can there be any talk of unauthorized troop movement!"

"On the contrary, Magistrate Shen!" Looking down at Shen Yu, the Lu Shaozhi opposite him revealed a trace of killing intent in his eyes, "You have repeatedly obstructed this General; could it be that Magistrate Shen is colluding with the bandits?"

"I am sorry, this official only recognizes the deployment order and does not know any Mid-ranking General of the Dongning Army. If there is no deployment order, then return to wherever you came from, otherwise do not blame this official for reporting you!"

Looking coldly at the other party, suppressing bandits? Hmph, what a great excuse. What bandit suppression? Such a grand formation was likely just to find Gu Xi!

However, the so-called bandits were likely real, and these troops were also real; only their ultimate goal was fake!

That so-called list seemed to have caused an impact far greater than he had imagined.

"Good, very good! A mere County Magistrate dares to manage this General's affairs?" Taking a deep look at Shen Yu, this Magistrate's nerve was even greater than he had imagined. Facing twenty thousand cavalry head-on, he still dared to be so tough; this was him seeking his own death!

"You follow this General to station in the County Government Office, order the main army to sweep through every place, and ensure not a single corner is missed!"

"Yes, General!"

"You dare!" The other party did not put Shen Yu in their eyes at all, but instead gave orders on their own, directly commanding the main army to search the city. Moreover, they were going to station in the County Government Office without any explanation; their purpose was already clear as day.

No matter how powerful the Mechanism Great Array he left in the County Government Office was, the time for setting it up was limited, and it could not withstand the army's forced destruction. Even if these twenty thousand troops used their lives to fill it, it would be enough to flatten all the mechanisms.

"Do not miss any corner"—it sounded like they were searching for bandits, but in reality, they were going to search for Gu Xi. It was because they were afraid he hadn't hidden Gu Xi in the County Government Office but elsewhere, so they had to let the entire army enter the city to search.

If they still couldn't find her in the end, Shen Yu even suspected they would dare to use the army to blockade Sanshui County until the person was found. At this point, these people were indeed anxious.

"Slow down!" Stepping forward to block the front of the other party's horse, Shen Yu shouted loudly and unceremoniously, "This is Sanshui County, I ask the General not to be wanton!"

"Shen Yu, you have great nerve! This General is a dignified Fourth-Rank Mid-ranking General with twenty thousand cavalry under my command. You are merely a mere Eighth Rank County Magistrate; you dare to block this General's army?"

"What a joke!" Slowly drawing the sword in his hand, Shen Yu pointed it at the other party from afar, "This is Sanshui County, and I am the Sanshui County Magistrate. Without a court deployment order, let alone you, even if the Commander-in-Chief of the Dongning Army came, this official would certainly dare to block him!"

"Audacious! You dare to be disrespectful to our Dongning Army Commander-in-Chief!"

"All officers, hear my order: form the formation!" With a violent shout, Lu Shaozhi waved his hand fiercely. The cavalry following behind moved instantly, their Qi and blood rising and condensing into one piece; looking from afar, it was like a man-eating tiger, majestic and unparalleled in dominance.

"This is... a Military Formation?" Once such a terrifying momentum appeared, Shen Yu had to become cautious.

He had only heard of this Military Formation before; it was rumored that only the court's true elite armies were equipped with Military Formations. Based on a Formation Map, they could connect the Qi and blood of all the soldiers in the army into one.

Tens of thousands of troops under a Military Formation were like one body, their Qi and blood surging like a vast river, enough to crush everything; its power was terrifying.

If there were top-tier fierce generals presiding over the Military Formation, it would be even more invincible. This was the foundation upon which the court maintained its rule, and it was also what the major sects truly feared.

Only when facing the Military Formation head-on did Shen Yu realize that the rumors were indeed not false. The Military Formation condensed by the army before him had completely suppressed his momentum, and even his breathing could not help but become a bit stifled.

This was still because most of the troops Lu Shaozhi brought were still outside and had not fully entered the city. If it were the complete twenty thousand cavalry, he truly did not know what it would look like.

"Family Head, it is the court's army, the true elite!" An excited voice came from the street corner, as if the person leading the cavalry charge was him.

This scene of the Dongning Army confronting Shen Yu fell into the eyes of the major forces in Sanshui County, immediately making them heave a sigh of relief; it seemed they had all won their bet this time.

It was just that they had thought of countless possibilities before, but they had never expected that an army would enter the city; these people had such a grand display.

These twenty thousand cavalry would surely be like a rolling torrent, capable of crushing everything before them into powder, even if the person opposite was that terrifying Magistrate.

"I see it. I said it, this little Magistrate definitely won't be able to stir up any trouble!"

Laughing softly, this person then ordered, "Immediately have people go down and prepare, ready to send people to reward the army at any time. The Dongning Army has come from afar, we must fulfill the duties of a host!"

"Yes, Family Head, the Family Head is wise!"

While the major forces of Sanshui County were busy clinging to their new backer, on the other side, Lu Shaozhi had already drawn the blade at his waist, and that dense killing intent was released without reservation.

Both sides were unwilling to give an inch; if one were not careful, a tragic slaughter would break out right before their eyes.

"This General will give you one last chance: move!"

"And if this official does not move?"

"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Since you are seeking your own death, do not blame this General for being heartless!"

Waving the blade in his hand, Lu Shaozhi shouted angrily, "All officers, hear my order: Sanshui County Magistrate Shen Yu is colluding with bandits and obstructing the bandit-suppression army; his crime is punishable by death!"

"All officers, hear my order, follow me... wait!"

The word "charge" had just been shouted, but Lu Shaozhi stopped abruptly, his eyes staring straight ahead, his face full of disbelief.

Before his eyes, Shen Yu was holding a Command Sword that looked familiar but which he dared not recognize; this couldn't be, right?

"General Lu, do you recognize this item? Open your eyes wide and take a good look!"