Chapter 72: Soldiers and Armor

"I say, Fifth Brother, you should have at least let someone know in advance that you were coming. I would have had your sister-in-law cook at home; it would have been much better to eat at home than to run to this restaurant."

Chen Mo spoke with considerable warmth, draping an arm over Mo Hu's shoulder to pull him into his seat.

Feiniu Lou is the best restaurant in all of Zhu Niu Ji, and the premier banquet in the building is the Whole Cow Feast.

From the cow's head to its hooves, from the cow's heart to its "treasures," as long as it is edible, it can be made into a dish.

Mo Hu is Chen Mo's elder brother; by custom, he should have been entertained at home to show closeness.

But he came in a hurry, and Chen Mo's home was unprepared, so he could only entertain him at this restaurant first.

"I was in a rush, too. I have to go take up my post immediately, and it's not like I'm traveling at a leisurely pace, so how could I have had time to let you know in advance?"

Mo Hu explained with a smile. Having attained the title of provincial graduate, he now carried a certain air of high spirits.

"Fifth Brother, what official position are you going to take that has you in such a rush?" Chen Mo looked puzzled as he poured him a cup of tea first.

"Seventh Rank Tax Division Inspection Envoy, it's not far from where you are." Mo Hu smiled; this position of his was a good one.

According to Great Gan Law, commercial goods transported between prefectures are subject to heavy taxes.

His position is to patrol the several main roads and mountain trails near Xingyuan Prefecture to prevent itinerant merchants from evading or dodging taxes.

This position is slightly more arduous than Chen Mo's Salt Transport Commissioner, but the "grease" is quite substantial.

For commercial goods that evade or dodge taxes, he can pocket the majority himself; if merchants want to transport untaxed goods through the areas he patrols, they must also give him enough silver to make him "not see" it.

Of course, the premise for all of this is not to go too far. If a small amount of smuggled goods flows in, the Imperial Court will turn a blind eye; no one will investigate it in detail.

But once a large amount flows in, the Imperial Court will certainly investigate thoroughly.

Just like the private salt peddlers that exist within the scope of Chen Mo's patrol, a small amount of circulation is fine; no one will, and no one dares to, easily investigate this matter.

Because once they investigate, it is not just Chen Mo who is affected, but an entire interest group.

It is just that he cannot go too far either. A small quantity is fine, and even if there are stubborn people who insist on investigating, there will be people to protect Chen Mo.

If the quantity is too large and breaks the rules, then even if someone wants to protect him, they won't be able to.

"Then this is a good errand. I congratulate you in advance, Fifth Brother." Chen Mo laughed loudly as the eight cold dishes were served one after another.

"There is one more important thing I need to do on this trip." Mo Hu suddenly lowered his voice.

Chen Mo waved his hand lightly, and the waiter serving them retreated quite tactfully.

He had guessed earlier that Mo Hu might want to discuss some relatively important matters with him, so this banquet only had the two of them, and he did not have anyone else accompany them.

"What is it?" Chen Mo asked, also lowering his voice.

"I heard a mention from a fellow examinee during this Imperial Examination that the Dutian Dao Sect is transporting certain things between Xingyuan Prefecture and Yangyang Prefecture, but it is unclear what exactly they are.

Furthermore, the Dutian Dao Sect in Yangyang Prefecture is not a reclusive sect; it is quite famous and has many ties with local noble families and officials. I see that investigating them will not be easy."

Mo Hu spoke slowly. Ever since his elder brother was killed while saving him, this matter had become a knot in his heart. If this grudge is not avenged, he cannot even lie down peacefully to sleep at night.

"Is that fellow examinee of yours reliable? And what is the Imperial Court saying? Are they still investigating?" Chen Mo frowned slightly and asked in a low, focused voice.

"He should be reliable. Although I don't know him well, I once fought alongside his elder brother at the border; it counts as a life-and-death friendship."

"As for the Imperial Court, they are still investigating. My foster father mentioned some news to me: the higher-ups are already very dissatisfied that no problems have been found after so long, and they are preparing to send more people to investigate."

"They are not only going to investigate the Dutian Dao Sect, but also whether those who investigated previously had any connections with the Dutian Dao Sect."

Mo Hu's voice was very low, speaking almost right against Chen Mo, yet his gaze kept observing the surrounding doors and windows to prevent walls from having ears.

The Imperial Court wants to investigate the Dutian Dao Sect; besides sending their own people, they would inevitably have officials within Yangyang Prefecture cooperate. However, it has been months now, and they still haven't given the Imperial Court a reasonable explanation!

This must surely displease the high-ranking officials of the Imperial Court overseeing this matter, and even the current Emperor.

After all, it is understandable not to have found anything clear after investigating for so long, but it is very suspicious to have found absolutely nothing at all!

There are only two possibilities for this: either the local officials of Yangyang Prefecture and the officials sent down to investigate are all fools who only know how to eat and do nothing.

Or they never intended to investigate this matter clearly at all.

Regardless of which possibility it is, the Imperial Court will increase its efforts to continue investigating the Dutian Dao Sect.

Chen Mo can figure this out, and he believes that there must be someone within the Dutian Dao Sect who can figure this out as well.

It is just that they want to drag out the time now; they are likely trying to use this opportunity to relocate or disperse, minimizing their losses as much as possible.

Of course, Chen Mo also thought of another possibility, which is that the Dutian Dao is waiting for a suitable time to rebel.

To wait for this time, they are now trying every possible way to drag things out.

"Then does your foster father mean that he won't let you go over to investigate?" Chen Mo's expression was slightly suspicious. If it were to suppress the Dutian Dao Sect, they would be duty-bound, and it would be a good opportunity to perform a meritorious service.

But to go and investigate is not a good errand; not only is it hard to investigate, but there is also a certain amount of risk. The Dutian Dao Sect is no pushover.

"No, my foster father originally wanted me to be the County Lieutenant in Anhe Xian, not far from our military camp, but I declined and took the initiative to ask him for this errand."

"Because of this bitter errand, I was able to get this Seventh Rank official position; otherwise, such a lucrative Seventh Rank position would not have fallen into my hands so easily."

Mo Hu spoke slowly, narrating the situation. He only passed the Imperial Examination as a provincial graduate, not the top scholar, and not even in the top three.

While there was the reason of his foster father being able to fill a vacancy, at most it would only be a vacancy for an Eighth Rank position.

Only by taking on the responsibility of investigating this matter could he go a step further and obtain this lucrative Seventh Rank position.

This matter has risks, but it also has opportunities. More importantly, investigating this matter clearly will allow him to take his revenge.

Otherwise, if he continues to wait for the Imperial Court's investigation, the Dutian Dao Sect might be destroyed, but that Ziyi Daoren might be allowed to escape.

And Mo Hu mainly wants to find out the whereabouts of that Ziyi Daoren from back then and find a way to kill him to pay tribute to his elder brother.

"Fifth Brother, I know your thoughts, but don't be impulsive about this matter; the risk is still too great." Chen Mo advised with a cautious look.

The methods of the Dutian Dao Sect are too bizarre; it is very risky for Mo Hu to investigate rashly.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Even if I can't find anything, I must stay alive and safe first. But if I really find something, and I can't solve it alone, I want to ask you to help me then." Mo Hu's words were almost pleading.

The area he is to patrol is not far from Chen Mo's side, only a hundred miles away.

If something really happens, asking Chen Mo for help is undoubtedly the fastest and most reliable way.

As for asking his foster father?

By the time the news reached the old man, the opportunity would have long since passed.

It is, of course, fine to ask the old gentleman for help with trivial matters, but for more important information, it is faster to find Chen Mo.

"Alright, but you must not be impulsive; with your strength, I fear you are no match for that Ziyi Daoren." Chen Mo did not hesitate in the slightest and nodded decisively in agreement.

Avenging the Fourth Brother was also something he intended to do.

"Rest assured, I only intend to find out where that Ziyi Daoren is located; I have no intention of confronting him directly." Though angry in his heart, Mo Hu remained calm, for he knew he could not deal with that Ziyi Daoren so easily.

He only intended to find out the opponent's specific location, and then, whether by asking his foster father or other experts to take action, he could find a way to kill the opponent.

Chen Mo said nothing more and opened the wine jar to pour a large bowl of wine for both Mo Hu and himself.

Mo Hu drank until he was dead drunk; fortunately, he was not going to his new post alone this time, as several Personal Soldiers from the Personal Soldier camp were accompanying him, so even if he were drunk, they could take him there by carriage.

After safely sending him into the carriage, Chen Mo returned home with his foster father's reply and the armor and weapons.

The meaning of the reply was very brief: he was to first collect evidence of Liu Mingqiao's corruption and bribery, and as for when and how to use it, Chen Mo need not worry about such matters.

As for the armor and weapons, they were specially crafted by a master artisan; the entire set of armor weighed fifty-seven catties, complete from helmet to leg guards, all made of high-quality Fish Scale Lamellar Armor.

When worn, it was surprisingly effective against swords, bows, and crossbows, and compared to other armor, it had relatively little impact on mobility.

And this weapon was quite interesting; its style was not much different from the seven-foot long spear he had used before, except that it was cast entirely from refined steel and was extremely heavy, weighing sixty-three catties.

However, the reason the weapon was special was that it had elasticity.

The reason a long spear must use a wooden shaft is that the wooden shaft has elasticity, which allows for the execution of relatively more refined spear techniques.

The reason Chen Mo wanted a long spear made entirely of refined steel was that he did not intend to use it as a spear at all, but purely with the idea of overpowering others with brute force.

However, according to what his foster father said in the letter, this weapon he had crafted for him had Iron-Reinforced Spear cast into the shaft.

This allowed the weapon to maintain sufficient elasticity while having enough weight and solidity.

His foster father did not mention the price, but one did not need to think to know that such materials would definitely not be cheap.

And as for money, not only did his foster father not accept a single cent, but he also gave him an extra one hundred taels.

The letter also told him to practice steadily, eat well, and train well, striving to take the exam for the provincial graduate degree in two years, just like Mo Hu.

It must be said that the old gentleman, his foster father, treated him quite well.

The treatment he received was likely not much different from that of a biological son.

After putting away the armor and weapons, Chen Mo prepared to find someone to conduct a general investigation into Liu Mingqiao.

Two chapters totaling 5,000 words have been updated; now that it hasn't been officially launched yet, I, the author, update two chapters every day, and this is set in stone.

Each chapter starts at 2,000 words; it is impossible for a chapter of only 1,000-plus words to appear.

I will release more chapters for everyone after the official launch.

Finally, considering how diligently I update, asking for monthly tickets isn't too much to ask, right!

(End of this chapter)