Chapter 149: A New Journey

The autumn sun had shed the summer's fierce heat, becoming warm and bright.

It generously showered upon the newly built city wall of Linhe County.

Chen Wen stood alone on the city tower, hand on the battlement, gazing far into the distance.

As far as the eye could see, it was no longer the desolate, ruined scene of the past.

The city wall was solid and heavy.

It had recently been reinforced with a mixture of glutinous rice lime slurry and rammed earth.

Battlements and arrow towers were complete, exuding an immovable sense of steadiness.

Outside the city, the formerly weed-choked wasteland had been reclaimed into neat fields.

Although the autumn harvest was over and the fields lay fallow, one could still envision the recent scene of golden waves rolling in a bountiful harvest.

The winding official road had been repaired and leveled, connecting distant Thus entries: Thus entries: Anping and Luo River.

Further off, newly built canals and dams could be faintly seen like veins, nourishing this land.

Within the city walls, cooking smoke curled softly, and the sounds of the market could be faintly heard.

From the direction of the Artisan Battalion came a rhythmic clanging;

On the drill field, the new recruits' training shouts were uniform and orderly, full of vigor.

A vigorous, tranquil, hopeful atmosphere permeated the air.

Compared to the ragtag troop that, over a year ago, had struggled to survive from Jiao Tu Zhen, facing death each morning and evening, this was more than a world of difference.

Compared to when he first arrived at Chan Prefecture, though he had received recognition, his foundations were shallow and he needed to act with caution; this, too, was incomparable.

The Battle of Highflat was like a thorough tempering and hammering.

It not only let him personally break through his shackles, granting him thirty-twofold power sufficient to influence the battle's outcome.

Moreover, it truly gave him and the force he had built enough to secure a foothold and establish themselves.

Even extending to future capital and reputation.

The title of Founding County Marquis, the authority of the Chan Prefecture Defense Commissioner.

And Chai Rong's appraisal of him as 'my Wei Huo,' with the expectation of 'jointly ruling the world.'

These were like steps, pushing him onto a wholly new height.

He was no longer the mere soldier struggling just to survive.

Nor was he still the military aide who needed to cling to the strong, cautiously seeking room to grow.

Now he commanded elite troops, held sway over three counties, won the people's hearts, and his foundations were initially established.

His name, 'Chen Wen' or 'Chen Wenzhong,' could already make the enemies of the Northern Frontier wary.

It caused the nobles of Bian Liang to look askance, and within Chan Prefecture and its broader reaches, it became a symbol of 'order' and 'strength.'

An unprecedented sense of power and responsibility intertwined in his heart.

He slowly raised his own hand.

This hand had once gripped a saber in the dense forest outside Jiao Tu Zhen to survive.

It had once brandished a horse‑cutting sword amid the mountains of corpses and seas of blood at Highflat to carve a path to life, and had also held a pen to review documents, planning the future of these three counties.

"Ability Granting"…… this miraculous power from the "Cow Horse System" had once been his greatest reliance for survival and rise.

And now, his understanding and use of this power had also entered a new stage.

At first, it was merely his personal efficiency multiplier.

Later, he discovered he could bestow it on others, boosting the squad's combat power.

In the Battle of Highflat, he first applied "wide‑scale granting" to the entire army, turning the tide.

But now he more deeply realized that this ability to enhance "efficiency" held value far beyond the battlefield.

Whether it be spring plowing and autumn harvest, artisan construction, officials handling administration, or troops drilling,

its core lies in "efficiency".

and his ability is precisely the world's strongest "efficiency" catalyst.

He can use it to accelerate production, letting grain fill granaries faster and weapons take shape quicker;

use it to improve governance, letting orders flow more smoothly and injustices be redressed more swiftly;

use it to strengthen the army, letting training yield twice the result for half the effort and letting soldiers quickly grow into elite troops.

This is no longer a mere "golden finger," but a "foundation" ability capable of fundamentally altering a faction's developmental trajectory.

The key lies in how to employ it more ingeniously, systematically, and sustainably.

Maximizing its effect while concealing its extraordinary nature as much as possible, to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"A New Journey……"

Chen Wen murmured to himself, his gaze passing over the city wall toward the far‑south.

That was the direction of Bian Liang, and also the direction where future greater turmoil and opportunity lay;

He then looked northward, to the territories of Northern Han and the Khitan, where the flames of war had not yet been extinguished;

His thoughts even drifted toward the mysterious Iron Crow Army and its "master," still hidden in the mist.

He knew that the victory at Highflat was merely a beginning, a prelude that would formally thrust him onto the central stage of the chaotic world.

The road ahead will not be smooth.

Internally, there were the growing suspicions and possible restraints from the Bian Liang Imperial Court, and perhaps within Chan Prefecture itself a delicate balance and latent competition.

Externally, Northern Han and the Khitan, though defeated, were not destroyed and could at any moment rally again.

And the Iron Crow Army's strange "Purge Plan" and their obsession with maintaining "nodes".

All the more like the Sword of Damocles, not knowing when it might fall again.

But he felt no fear in his heart; instead, he was filled with a quiet, eager power.

He had gained the power to change the local situation, and also saw clearly the responsibility he bore—protecting this piece of land beneath his feet that he had personally participated in rebuilding.

Protecting the soldiers and civilians who had placed their hopes on him, following the enlightened lord who had shown him kindness and a grand vision, to truly… attempt to end this chaotic age.

This is no longer idle fantasy, but now has the possibility of being put into practice.

He turned and walked down from the city wall.

Below the city, what awaited him were endless administrative duties and defenses urgently needing improvement.

It was the winter plowing preparations concerning next year's harvest, and the Jun Ying's new round of training plans...

Each step was concrete, each step was arduous.

But each step also led toward the future he hoped for.

The new campaign began beneath his feet. And he had already made ready.