Chapter 42: Centurion
After receiving Zhou Hongling’s reply, Lu Yuan left for the Military Preparation Warehouse next door.
He now had close to three thousand taels of silver on him, and he had also broken through to the Muscle Refining Realm.
He had to buy some elixirs.
When he arrived at the Military Preparation Warehouse, it was sparsely populated. Apparently, no one had left the city recently, which meant everyone was short on silver and military merits. In turn, fewer people were coming to exchange for supplies.
After Lu Yuan entered, he looked around for a bit, and his gaze finally landed on the Muscle Refining Pills. After reaching this realm, the elixirs he needed were much more expensive than before.
Three hundred taels of silver per bottle.
Lu Yuan figured, ’If I want to break through, one or two bottles definitely won’t be enough.’
He had plenty of silver now, so he went ahead and bought five bottles, paid, and returned home.
He took the elixirs and began to cultivate.
The night passed in the blink of an eye. Early the next morning, he arrived at the Captain’s Mansion.
As soon as he entered, he saw many people already gathered in the training yard. He recognized a few of them, including Wei Yong, Zhang Gun, and Zhang He.
They spotted Lu Yuan, too, and shot him a few winks and knowing glances.
But they didn’t dare come over to greet him casually.
The Captain’s Mansion was no joke.
No ordinary person would dare run around freely here.
When he went inside, he saw Zhou Hongling eating breakfast. There was a large spread of food, and it was all meat.
A broth made from large chunks of meat simmered with medicinal herbs.
The sight alone was enough to make one’s mouth water.
’No wonder she has such a full figure,’ Lu Yuan thought. ’Who wouldn’t, eating like this?’
Zhou Hongling heard him approach. When she saw him come in, she pointed to the seat across from her and said, "You haven’t eaten, have you? Go on, sit. I knew you were coming, so I had extra made."
Lu Yuan didn’t hold back. He sat down and dug in.
He was especially fond of the large tureen of broth, drinking one bowl after another.
A smile appeared on Zhou Hongling’s face as she watched him eat with such relish.
By the time Lu Yuan had eaten his fill, almost all the food on the table was gone.
After his breakthrough, his appetite had grown even larger.
However, Lu Yuan knew this was only because he was in the Muscle Refining Realm. Once he started Organ Refining, he would have to rely on food, in addition to elixirs, to generate his qi and blood. His appetite would be even larger then.
Things would only get better once he reached the Innate Realm.
"Let’s go. Today you officially assume your post as Centurion. You’ll also meet your new subordinates."
With that, she stood and headed outside.
Lu Yuan followed. When they reached the training yard, Zhou Hongling pointed to the warriors already assembled in formation. "These are the subordinates assigned to you," she said. "Eighty-three men in total. Thirty-seven have been added to your original unit.
Among these new men, twenty are at the Entry Level. This is the most elite unit we can muster right now.
After we lost an elite unit last time, we don’t have many Entry Level experts left to spare. Otherwise, we’d risk creating a gap among our grassroots Centurions.
However, the men before you are all young and strong, and every one of them has seen battle. As long as they can earn military merits, they can exchange them for elixirs and reach the Entry Level in no time."
"Thank you, Captain," Lu Yuan said, cupping his fist.
"No need for thanks. When you leave the city, you’ll be winning glory for me, so it’s only right that I support you. All the Entry Level experts in this unit have been equipped with half-body iron armor, and the regular warriors have been issued new leather armor.
All their weapons and equipment are new as well.
As for the numbers, I know you plan to take others with you when you leave the city, so I didn’t fill the unit to capacity."
A smile touched Lu Yuan’s lips at the thought of Zhou He. He’d discovered on their last mission that the kid was a real talent—not only was he meticulous with logistics, but he could also hold his own in a fight.
His help would certainly make things a lot easier.
Zhou Hongling then looked at Lu Yuan and continued, "Decide for yourself when to depart. However, my orders are to pacify the region around the Three Cities within one month, and eight days have already passed."
"I’ll get it done as soon as possible," he replied at once.
"Don’t rush. If you can accomplish this, it’ll be a pleasant surprise. If not, so be it," Zhou Hongling said slowly.
She had come to terms with it; as long as the Helian Family also failed to obtain the position of Three Cities Garrison General, she would be content.
As for annihilating the Iron Kite... honestly, even with Lu Yuan’s breakthrough, she wasn’t holding her breath.
Next, Zhou Hongling’s gaze turned to the warriors in the training yard. Her expression instantly grew solemn, and she said slowly, "From now on, Lu Yuan is your Centurion. You must obey his orders.
Alright, get acquainted with each other. I’ll be heading back now."
With that, she turned and left.
Normally, Zhou Hongling wouldn’t personally attend the appointment of a Centurion. At most, a Thousand Men Commander would show up.
But Lu Yuan was different. He reported directly to Zhou Hongling, with no Thousand Men Commander above him. Moreover, he was truly outstanding, which was why she had made a personal appearance.
Once Zhou Hongling had departed,
the men’s faces visibly brightened with joy. Let’s not even talk about the men who had served under Lu Yuan before; even the newcomers had heard of his reputation and knew there were rewards to be had by following him.
They’d all seen how Old Huang, once an insignificant old veteran, had struck it rich. Rumor had it that widows were now lining up to be with him.
Besides, and most importantly, with military merits, they could get the elixirs they needed to break through.
As warriors on the border, every single one of them hoped to reach the Entry Level.
In the past, the best they could do was scrape by and not starve. But things were different with Lu Yuan.
So, forget about anyone trying to be a troublemaker; not a single man dared to even slouch.
Lu Yuan looked at them and kept his words brief. "Wei Yong, take the men and teach our new brothers the Military Array. Have them master it as quickly as possible. We march in three days."
"Yes, sir!"
Wei Yong responded at once.
By then, Lu Yuan had already turned and left, his hands clasped behind his back.
’There’s no need to be overly courteous. I’ve learned a few things by now. As long as you make sure your men get their share of the spoils, you can curse them out daily and they’ll still be happy.
But if you’re incompetent and can’t bring them any benefits, they’ll curse your name behind your back no matter how respectfully you treat them.’
The army was, at its core, a place that worshipped strength.
Even as Lu Yuan was making his preparations,
over in Yunzhou, Zhang Hong and Zhang He of the Zhang Family were sitting in their drawing room, drinking tea.
Zhang Hong looked at his younger brother. "You’ve heard about Zhe, haven’t you? He ran into the Iron Kite in his very first battle on the Northern Border and was utterly defeated. Still, the Helian family has no grounds to blame him for it.
After all, the Northern Barbarians’ Iron Kite unit is infamous across the kingdoms.
But comparisons are what I fear. My concern is that if someone else manages to destroy this Iron Kite unit, life will become very difficult for Zhe.
I hear that the Marquis of Jiuse, Hong City, has ordered this Iron Kite unit to be eliminated within a month."
Zhang He took a sip of tea and said softly, "Don’t worry, elder brother. Sir Bai Hong sent another letter yesterday. He said the units from the other two Sai Cities were also routed. This mission will not be so easily accomplished.
Besides, didn’t the General of Yunzhou say last time when we were drinking? Matched in numbers against the Iron Kite, unless it’s the Night Patrol or the Silent Riders, no one else stands a chance. If someone actually pulled it off, they would have already become famous throughout the Northern Border.
And we’ve never heard of any such capable individuals in any of the three Sai Cities."
"Sigh... that may be so, but it’s still a shame. If only Zhe had been able to destroy the Iron Kite. His career in the army would have been set for a meteoric rise."
Zhang Hong’s voice was tinged with regret.
The Zhang Family desperately needed someone who could establish a foothold in the army.