Chapter 154 He was appointed centurion!
I should have known he would rather starve and freeze at home than come here.
Liu Yan brought Zhang Liao to Shen Lanxi.
"My lord, Zhang Liao has come to join our army!"
Shen Lanxi raised her head and put down the information in her hand.
"Zhang Liao, do you know who you have pledged your allegiance to?"
Zhang Liao was taken aback, then thought for a moment and said, "I am serving the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
Shen Lanxi: "Think about it again!"
Zhang Liao looked at Liu Yan for help. Was there something wrong with his answer?
This wasn't a question asked when people joined the army before, was it?
"My lord, over thirty people have already signed up, half of them are young men. They look a bit thin now, but with a few good meals and some training, they'll be strong and healthy in a few months!"
Shen Lanxi nodded in satisfaction.
Zhang Liao was indeed a bit slow on the uptake. His loyalty to the court over the years had become an indelible mark on his mind, and he couldn't imagine anything else.
Seeing that he still hadn't figured it out after all this time, Liu Yan couldn't help but remind him, "You're loyal to whoever pays your salary. You're loyal to whoever feeds you. Can't you even understand that?"
Zhang Liao's eyes lit up, and he quickly explained, "I just didn't think of that, I had no other intentions!"
Liu Yan nodded.
Zhang Liao immediately knelt before Shen Lanxi: "My lord, I pledge my allegiance to you. I may not be good with words, but I am loyal. From now on, I will only serve you, my lord!"
Shen Lanxi: "Captain, go and lead ten new recruits to training!"
Zhang Liao was taken aback, but upon realizing he had been promoted, his face lit up with joy.
"Thank you for your guidance, my lord!"
Liu Yan returned and led Zhang Liao away.
Recruiting soldiers didn't stop, and with less than ten days left until the end of the year, Shen Lanxi finally decided to suppress the bandits!
Leading a force of four hundred men, he stormed up Grass Camel Ridge, circled the ridge, left half of his men behind, and then, covered in blood and the heads of bandits, went to see Tian Maofeng!
"Lord Tian, after more than ten days of surveillance, we finally located the bandits' lair. It was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the soldiers we temporarily recruited were all old, weak, sick, or disabled. We suffered half our casualties, but we finally wiped out the bandits' lair, and now all the bandits have been executed!"
Liu Yan burst into tears and began to play the victim: "Lord Tian, our captain almost had his arm cut off by the bandit leader because we tried to stop him. Luckily, the road was slippery because of the snow, and the bandit leader's big knife went astray. Otherwise, our captain would not be here to see you alive!"
Tian Maofeng looked at Shen Lanxi's blood-stained face and the bandages on her arms that were constantly oozing blood, feeling both moved and gratified.
He can finally report back to Suiyuan Prefecture. He just managed to finish his task before the New Year, and he'll definitely be rewarded after the New Year. If he pulls some strings, he might even be able to become a Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!
"Good, you've all done a great job. Lanxi, you are now a centurion under this commander, in charge of the three garrisons of Dayutun and Xingyuantun in Baihe County. All the soldiers under your command will be promoted one rank!"
Shen Lanxi: "Thank you, Mr. Tian, for your cultivation!"
Tian Maofeng was in a hurry to report to Suiyuan Prefecture. After having someone hand over the centurion appointment letter and token to Shen Lanxi, he left in a hurry.
Shen Lanxi left the commander's residence, changed into her centurion's badge, wiped her face, and turned around with a frosty expression.
She gazed at the commander's residence from afar, and that look in her eyes startled Wei Dongzhu, Liu Yanhui, and the others!
"Purchase grain and meat to take back to Baihe County and reward the soldiers of the three detachments!"
"yes!"
When Tian Maofeng returned that evening, his subordinates immediately reported to him.
"Lanxi and his men purchased a lot of grain and meat, saying that they would reward the soldiers of the three units when they returned!"
Tian Maofeng's face was grim: "Place someone in to keep an eye on him!"
"Does the commander suspect him of having problems?"
Tian Maofeng shook his head: "There doesn't seem to be any, but this kid's background is unknown. And he rose from a lowly soldier to a centurion in such a short time, so I have to be careful!"
"Understood!"
The soldiers under your command can be excellent, but they cannot overshadow their commander! Tian Maofeng doesn't want to be a stepping stone for others, so he has to crush all the rising ones below him.
Throughout history, those whose achievements overshadow their rulers have always been eliminated!
...
"My lord, I've sent messages back to the families of those two hundred men, saying they'll be on duty during the new recruit training and New Year's celebrations and won't be going home for the next two months. I've also sent money and provisions to their families, and they're all very happy. They even sent word back to tell them to focus on their training and not worry about home!"
Shen Lanxi was looking at the purchase ledger that Liu Yan had sent back.
"Buy more meat. The grain and charcoal will arrive in the next couple of days. Don't stop recruiting soldiers!"
"yes!"
Liu Yan and the others had a lot of questions on their minds, but none of them dared to ask them.
What they most wanted to ask was how far Shen Lanxi would lead them, but every time they thought about this question, their hearts would race with fear, and they dared not think any further!
Taking advantage of the free time during the Chinese New Year holiday, Shen Lanxi went back to Hongliutun!
The atmosphere in Hongliutun is a bit better than before. The men in the families have been conscripted, and the remaining people still have to make a living.
This time when she returned, she brought Zhang Liao with her.
Cao Lianwang illegally seized a lot of land in Baihe County and forced military households to reclaim a lot of wasteland. These lands were not registered. Tian Nong had only been in office for a few days and had not yet had time to deal with these lands!
"Change the grain requisition from the military households to normal grain payment. As for the extra land, ask who wants to lease it, and pay an appropriate amount of grain each year according to the harvest. You will be responsible for keeping track of this grain!"
She planned to let Zhang Liao continue to manage the military households' farmland, and also hand over Cao Lianwang's property in the county to him for management!
"Distribute the reclaimed farmland in Hongliutun today, and tomorrow secretly lead men to ransack Cao Lianwang's house!"
Zhang Liao had been stunned into numbness for the past two days. He never expected that so many tall and strong men would listen to this man who looked like a scholar. It really shows that you can't judge a book by its cover.
"My lord, what if Tian Maofeng's daughter goes to Tian Maofeng to complain?"
Shen Lanxi: "Use your brains! If all else fails, then use knives!"
Zhang Liao: "..." I understand. I'll go back and ask Mr. Liu.
The women from Hongliutun and some of the students from Liuzhao Village, along with the students from Qinglan Academy, have returned this time to make arrangements for them!
“I’ve found a few doctors, all of you should go and learn medicine!” she said to the women of Liuzhao Village.
"yes!"
The remaining students.
"I'm going back to the Baihe County Military Garrison tomorrow. You can come with me, or you can go after the New Year!"
The group immediately wrote: "Together!"
Shen Lanxi nodded: "Go and prepare!"
The students of Qinglan Academy communicated with each other using paper and pen. They had a premonition that they might not be able to return for a long time, and they took everything they could with them!
...
"Young Master, you're finally back..." Chunxue Qiushuang ran up to Shen Lanxi as soon as she saw him return.
Seeing the two people with tears in their eyes, Shen Lanxi smiled.
"Change into men's clothing, pack your things, and come with me to the garrison tomorrow!"
The two immediately stopped crying and started laughing, thinking that the young master didn't want them anymore.
So that's why they were taken away!
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