Chapter 140: In a Laugh, Ashes Scatter—Young Protector, Receive the Edict

The leader of the Gold Guard was a young, stern giant.

His Bazi beard added to his solemnity, inspiring involuntary awe.

He was born in poverty, originally just an ordinary stable boy in the residence of Prince Chenglong, the Second Prince.

But!

Through his exceptional horsemanship and late-night study of military strategy in the horse pastures, he caught Zhou Zhen's attention and gradually rose to prominence.

He followed the Second Prince through his rise, playing an indispensable role in securing the throne for him.

During the campaign to suppress the rebellion led by Wang Yang, he repeatedly distinguished himself with outstanding battlefield achievements.

He once openly declared: "Lu Chen, Tuoba Shuyi, Jiang Yafu, Peng Gu, Yu Shuihan—these men vanish in a single laugh."

Aside from Lu Chen and Tuoba Shuyi, the others were all high-ranking generals of Chu and Han, wielding immense power in Qianyuan.

Yet he was utterly bloodthirsty, having massacred thirty thousand civilians—a deed that made him reviled in court and deeply controversial.

But he remained utterly loyal to Zhou Zhen.

The Emperor held him in high esteem, entrusted him with great authority, and appointed him leader of the Gold Guard.

Though still under thirty, he held the rank of Second Rank.

His name: Dong Jie.

At this moment!

He wore no heavy armor, only a chainmail tunic.

His eyes fixed deeply upon you.

After ascending the throne, Zhou Zhen established two elite guard units: the Gold Guard and the Imperial Forest Guard.

The soldiers of the Gold Guard were mostly orphans raised and trained from the sons of fallen soldiers; they were called "Gold Guard Orphans," originally meant to be commanded by the Minister of the Imperial Household and tasked with palace defense.

But!

Zhou Zhen specially created the post of Gold Guard Central Commander, appointing Dong Jie as its leader and granting him the Second Rank, bestowing upon him immense power.

He answered only to the Emperor!

The Imperial Forest Guard was an elite force composed of skilled horsemen and archers from frontier commanderies like Longxi and Beidi, also known as Imperial Forest Warriors or Qimen Guards, numbering over a thousand.

Their primary duty was "to guard the palace gates" and "escort the imperial family with weapons," ensuring the safety of the royal household. The commander of the Imperial Forest Guard was initially the Prefect, chosen from the sons of noble families in the six northwestern commanderies.

Both units were fiercely loyal to Zhou Zhen.

After ascending the throne, Zhou Zhen swiftly consolidated a core of fanatically loyal followers, dismantling and dividing many court factions.

The once-overlooked Second Prince revealed a strategic acumen rivaling that of the former Emperor.

Meanwhile, Prince Jing, the Eighth Prince, rested and recuperated in Jiangbei, reformed the militia system, and reinstated military officers; within a few years, his territory was transformed, and his prestige in Jiangbei soared.

The Sixth Prince, Zhou Xuan, who proclaimed himself Heavenly King, also pushed sweeping reforms in Hexi.

He reopened the imperial examinations, promoted humble scholars to the Grand Secretariat, reformed court rituals, shattered the aristocracy's monopoly, and opened pathways for sons of common families—Hexi now bloomed with renewed vigor.

In contrast, Zhou Zhen was constrained by the Grand Empress Dowager's adherence to old customs, and the southern regions of Daqing still followed traditional rites.

All three princes were ambitious, each harboring visions of expansion.

A folk rhyme circulated: "The Four Dragons of Daqing in one court have drained Daqing's four-hundred-year fortune."

Today, the Gold Guard and the Imperial Forest Guard acted in tandem.

The Gold Guard breached the inner compound of the Western Depot, while the Imperial Forest Guard secured its outer perimeter and provided support.

They had already slain over a thousand men of the Western Depot; each Gold Guard soldier wore severed heads slung at his waist.

In the Daqing Imperial Army, military merit was calculated by the number of heads seen—not tallied by superiors, but self-reported, with each head counted as proof.

This system, it was said, was established by Dong Jie—and its effect was immediate.

Under this system, soldiers fought fiercely to claim merit, making their troops extraordinarily fierce, worthy of the title "Tiger Army."

As the Gold Guard slowly closed in.

Lu Yu merely let out a cold snort.

The sound was low, yet it echoed like a muffled thunder, radiating a chilling authority.

The front-line enemies, upon hearing the snort, seemed struck by invisible boulders—their faces flushed crimson, weapons slipping from their hands, legs buckling as they collapsed to their knees, gasping for breath.

Yet this effect seemed confined to within a zhang or so.

Those further back were unharmed.

Still, the soldiers grew far more cautious, unwilling to approach.

Dong Jie, however, ignored it entirely.

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, locked onto you.

As if searching for some flicker of change in your expression.

You, meanwhile, wore a calm, indifferent face.

You could tell his cultivation had reached the Master realm.

Your insight into people detected his hostility.

Though you had never met before, you felt an inexplicable, intense animosity from him.

It had no cause, yet it was overwhelming.

Dong Jie suddenly smiled and spoke in a deep voice:

"Stand down. Do not disturb the Young Protector."

The Gold Guard obeyed, though their eyes held curiosity.

Could this middle-aged man be the famed Young Protector of the Lu family from the north?

He looked utterly ordinary.

Most of the Gold Guard were young, with little experience of the northern wars.

The legend: "It is easier to shake a mountain than to shake the Lu family army!"

To them, it seemed the old court had been weak, the Emperor favoring scholars over soldiers.

Now, the Emperor prioritized military strength—things were no longer as they were.

A rebellion quelled, the Gold Guard should have earned fame across the land.

Yet the Lu family army's slaughter of thirty thousand northern iron cavalry went unmentioned.

The Gold Guard had long resented this.

The northern wind? Merely nomads from a frozen wasteland—the northern barbarians of Liaodong!

Would they dare march south now?

The Lu family army only thrived because of favorable times!

Today, the northern wind and Daqing are allies.

In the refined histories of southern literati, the two nations were merely "misunderstandings," long since reconciled.

In southern teahouses and taverns, northern wind merchants were the most popular; trade between the two nations made their bond seem intimate, even dubbed "brothers."

"Married for ten thousand generations," joked many in the capital—this year, another northern wind princess was to be sent to Daqing.

And!

Qianyuan clearly intended to swallow the four nations; thus, the alliance between northern wind and Daqing was especially vital.

The battle between the Lu family army and the northern wind's Iron Cavalry—eight thousand against thirty thousand, won against the odds—was dismissed by southern literati as folklore, exaggerated beyond reason.

Just overblown nonsense!

The Lu family army was merely revered by northern folk—"rumor upon rumor."

You gazed calmly, seeing contempt in the eyes of the Gold Guard.

Dong Jie pulled out an imperial edict, stood atop the steps, and looked down:

"Young Protector, kneel and receive the decree."

Change the name—it doesn't display properly in traditional characters.



(End of Chapter)