Lin Tong was a centurion of the Ninth Company and also the liaison officer designated by the military, which is why he knew this name before the sinking.

If there's anyone in the Lu Shu camp who would know his appointment date in advance, it's undoubtedly this person.

What made Shen Qian frown was that he waited for another ten minutes before a middle-aged military officer finally arrived.

"Are you Lin Tong?"

Shen Qian frowned.

"Reporting to the company commander, I am Shen Cong, the adjutant of the first squad!" the bearded middle-aged man shouted at attention.

"Where is Lin Tongren?" Shen Qian frowned even more deeply.

"Reporting to the company commander, Captain Lin is not available. Please go see him." The middle-aged man, who was from the same family as Shen Qian, replied after a moment's hesitation.

"presumptuous!"

Shang Zuo roared angrily, about to make a move, but was stopped by Shang Zuo again.

"lead the way."

He said expressionlessly.

Shen Cong led the two through a winding path until they finally arrived at a relatively quiet courtyard in a corner of a camp. There were two guards at the gate, but they only saluted Shen Qian silently.

Shen Qian silently walked into the courtyard, and then met Lin Tong in the inner room.

However, the scene inside the room surprised him slightly.

Thud!

"Lin Tong, centurion of the first squad of the ninth company of the Jiangzhong Army's Lushu Battalion, reporting for duty!"

Before Shen Qian could react, the pale-faced young man, who was about thirty years old and lying on the sickbed, struggled to kneel on one knee and gave a military salute, while letting out a suppressed groan.

"team leader!"

The bearded man, Shen Cong, was somewhat anxious, but hesitated to step forward under the young man's stern gaze.

Before Shen Qian spoke, Lin Tong remained kneeling.

Only when beads of sweat appeared on his forehead did Chen Qian speak calmly, "Your legs are useless?"

"It's just a temporary injury, I'll get better," Lin Tong replied in a hoarse voice.

"Get up."

After Shen Qian said something, Shen Cong quickly stepped forward and helped Lin Tong back onto the bed.

"Tell me, what's going on?"

Shen Qian sat down on the chair next to him and asked.

"As you can see, Company Commander, the Ninth Company has been weak for a long time. Now, whether it is in terms of organization, equipment or treatment, it is the worst in the entire Lushu Camp. The junior officers are not motivated, and the middle officers are muddleheaded. Your subordinates... have done their best."

After a brief silence, Lin Tong spoke.

"What's the root cause?"

Shen Qian was quite satisfied. Lin Tong was very clever; he knew that Shen Qian wasn't asking about his injuries.

"There are many reasons, but if we trace the root cause, it started ten years ago."

Lin Tong said cautiously.

"Ten years ago?" Shen Qian raised an eyebrow upon hearing this sensitive date. "You're not going to tell me this has something to do with Jiang Chengye again, are you?"

Ten years ago, Jiang Chengye was the company commander of the Ninth Company.

Lin Tong relaxed a bit and replied.

I felt a little dazed before sinking.

What kind of deep-seated grudge is this?

He actually came to the place where Jiang Chengye had once stayed.

Shen Qian shook his head and frowned, saying, "So, after Jiang Chengye's incident, the Ninth Company fell into a slump? And what about Commander Yu? Did he turn a blind eye to it too?"

"This subordinate does not know, but..."

"That's all," Shen Qian said calmly.

Lin Tong felt immense mental pressure for no apparent reason. He was somewhat shocked that Shen Qian, at only seventeen years old, possessed such imposing presence. Recalling some rumors, Lin Tong felt more confident, and his tone immediately became smoother.

"These years have just coincided with a turning point in the reform of military personnel. The commander of the Lu Shu Camp has changed frequently, and Commander Yu only took office this year. He probably hasn't had time to rectify the situation yet, and there may be some factors of laxity involved."

Lin Tong hesitated for a moment before continuing, "The various battalions of the Jiangzhong Army all uphold the principle of strength above all else. Apart from the basic quota, all other resources must be obtained through competition. However, due to the years of turmoil in our Lushu Battalion, the form of competition is somewhat irregular..."

"What exactly is against the rules and regulations?" Chen Qian pressed for an answer.

"The bigger the fist, the more resources you can get."

Lin Tong finally gave a wry smile, "For example, the camp that our Ninth Company originally occupied was similar to that of the Eighth and Tenth Companies..."

Suddenly, I realized what was happening.

No wonder he felt that the camps of the Eighth and Tenth Companies were larger than those of the other companies.

"Might makes right?" Shen Qian muttered to himself, "That makes things easier..."

He couldn't care less about historical origins; he wasn't there to investigate a case.

What happened to your injury?

Shen Qian had just examined Lin Tong.

He could tell that Lin Tong had many new injuries.

Neither is fatal, but in the absence of sufficient medicine and medical resources, it will take a considerable amount of time to recover.

“Three days ago, I got into a fight with several centurions from the Fifth Company over the distribution of the Satiating Pills and concentrated fruit juice,” Lin Tong said briefly.

"How many are there?"

Six.

"And you, how many of you are there?"

"...Just me."

"What about the other centurions of the Ninth Company?"

Shen Qian narrowed his eyes.

Although the Ninth Company was not fully staffed, theoretically there should still be at least four centurions.

"The unequal distribution only affected ordinary military personnel; they... didn't take action."

Lin Tong's words were rather subtle, but they were enough to allow the reader to gain insight into the information.

"I see."

Shen Qian didn't ask any more questions, but instead closed his eyes slightly.

The room fell silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Qian opened his eyes again. "Where does the Ninth Company usually hold its major meetings?"

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