The Great Martial Saint!

Chapter 742 Appointment in the Northern Territory, the Azure Dragon Trembles

"Greetings, Lord Chief."

Inside the official residence of the Prefectural Garrison Commander, Chen Ping'an bowed respectfully, speaking humbly and behaving politely.

"Ping An, come, come, take a seat."

Zhang Tianyuan smiled, treating Chen Ping'an as if he were a junior member of his own family.

“I know you’re cultivating, but I still called you over. Do you know what it’s about?” Zhang Tianyuan said with a smile.

The enthusiasm in his words was far greater than before.

Although he is a swordsman, Zhang Tianyuan's swordsmanship is not pure due to his years of worldly affairs.

If he were purely virtuous, he might not have been able to sit in this position.

Such things, though not common on the path, are not uncommon.

The path to becoming a pseudo-celestial being is severed. Although it can increase combat power, in the end, without a great opportunity, there is no possibility of further improvement in one's realm in this lifetime.

In such circumstances, one inevitably thinks about matters before and after death, and one's heart toward the Tao is no longer the same as before.

"I don't know," Chen Ping'an replied calmly, "but I suspect it's related to the appointment."

Zhang Tianyuan was a shrewd and experienced man who had held power in the prefectural garrison for many years and had seen countless things come and go. There was no need to play tricks on him in this matter; simply answering truthfully would suffice.

"You," Zhang Tianyuan smiled and then told Chen Ping'an the purpose of inviting him over.

"You guessed right, it is indeed about appointments."

As he spoke, Zhang Tianyuan raised his hand, and a scroll of gold silk appeared in front of him.

"Just today, the Northern Border Garrison Command sent a message. This is a copy from the Heavenly Secrets Message. Take a look."

Chen Ping'an focused intently; with his current cultivation level, it would naturally be easy for him to investigate.

In the blink of an eye, he saw the information transcribed on the gold and silk.

"Xuanling Heavy City?" Chen Ping'an's expression was slightly shocked.

He had some guesses about the appointment information on the gold and silk scroll, but the nature of the position was still slightly beyond his expectations. Although his current situation was mostly a pretense, he couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

How could the Northern Border Garrison be so trusting of him?

“That’s right, it’s Xuanling City!” Zhang Tianyuan gently reached out, and the gold and silk in front of him disappeared instantly. “Congratulations, Ping An. You’ve taken charge of the Xuanling garrison, protecting the interests outside and maintaining the system inside. The Fusi has high hopes for you. Even we didn’t expect such an appointment.”

"I am ashamed," Chen Ping'an said respectfully, bowing. "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Chief."

On the gold and silk scroll was the latest appointment from the Northern Border Garrison, promoting Mang Dao Chen Ping'an to Garrison Commander of Xuanling Heavy City, acting as the Garrison Commander of Canglong Prefecture, fully responsible for the garrison affairs of Xuanling in Canglong Prefecture, holding the power of garrisoning Xuanling, contacting the Garrison Commanders of other prefectures, and jointly controlling the garrison affairs of Xuanling.

Garrison Commander of Xuanling Heavy City!
These appointments, by any measure, indicate immense power and authority.

To put it simply, it represents the pinnacle of power within the deputy director level, reaching the highest level among the third-tier positions, second only to the deputy director with real power.

On a grander scale, it could be considered as being transferred to a region to govern a state, overseeing the interests of that region—a truly exceptional and superior position.

Chen Ping'an hadn't really expected to receive this appointment.

According to his plan, with his newly promoted deputy director's qualifications, even though he has already shown amazing talent and the cultivation of a martial arts grandmaster, he can at most achieve a leap in rank in this kind of appointment.

Skip the nominal appointments and directly assign a substantive post, like Ning Zhengyue, the Five Thunder Transformation Master, who is in charge of the routine affairs of the various prefecture-level garrison offices under the jurisdiction of the state.

Unexpectedly, this appointment to the Northern Garrison Command resulted in a two-level leap for him, elevating him to the highest level of authority among the deputy commanders.

They were in charge of all confidential matters within the prefecture and controlled the core interests of the prefectural garrison. Such power, in a single thought, could often influence the fate of countless people; a single word could determine rise and fall, life and death.

They are the true top echelon within a state, the top echelon involved in major state-level decision-making. Every word and action they utter affects countless forces. Slight policy guidance can trigger changes in the state's ecosystem. Slight guiding remarks can alter the decision-making direction of various forces.

The sliver of information revealed between their fingers represents the desperate efforts of countless people and forces to gain a competitive advantage.

Such appointments would place the most outstanding individuals in the entire state.

It seems that with his current talent, he has indeed caught the eye of some bigwigs in the Northern Border Garrison.

"No need for formalities." Zhang Tianyuan raised his hand in a gesture of respect, his smile warm: "Our department did not contribute much to this matter; it was mostly due to your own talent and ability."

Since Zhang Tianyuan was like this, Chen Ping'an would not simply accept it, but instead became even more humble and respectful, saying a few words.

Such matters, which the magistrate has reported and requested, are of great importance, requiring considerable effort and thought.

And so on, Zhang Tianyuan enjoyed the conversation immensely.

However, at Zhang Tianyuan's current level, it's difficult to discern his true feelings from his expression alone. Nevertheless, such words from a promising junior with considerable influence should offer some comfort.

After several conversations, the two became quite friendly.

Taking advantage of this atmosphere, Chen Ping'an also learned a lot of information from Zhang Tianyuan.

Although Xuanling Chongcheng is not the capital of Xuanling Prefecture, in terms of trade volume, as a well-known commercial city in the Bicang region, its status is even higher than that of Xuanling Prefecture.

These important cities, situated at the crossroads of commerce, see massive daily trade volumes, making it crucial to safeguard their interests.

This matter not only concerns Xuanling Prefecture, but also relates to the interests of several surrounding prefectures.

In addition, Xuanling City, as a well-known commercial city in the seventeen states, is home to many independent cultivators and powerful forces, making its internal ecosystem extremely complex.

The interplay of various forces, the entanglement of different interests, and the undercurrents of infighting make it impossible for the Xuanling Prefecture's Zhenfu Division alone to handle every detail.

Under these circumstances, the intervention of the various prefectural garrison commands became a matter of course.

Under the coordination of the various state garrison offices and after review by the Northern Border Garrison Office, the garrison method of Xuanling Heavy City has been confirmed over the years.

Azure dragon, blazing flames, rosy clouds, the celestial pole.
Special envoys were dispatched by the Zhenfu Divisions of each prefecture to represent the interests of that prefecture and garrison Xuanling City.

Such appointments were called garrison commanders!

The garrison commanders stationed in Xuanling from each prefecture's Zhenfu Division can act as the highest representatives of the interests of their respective prefectures, and work with the garrison commanders from other prefectures to jointly control the garrisoning of important towns in Xuanling.

This matter was nominally led by the Xuanling Prefecture Garrison Command, but in practice, the Xuanling Prefecture Garrison Command only held a nominal position. The real interests and outcomes still had to be determined through discussions among the various prefectures.

Xuanling City is a bustling commercial hub with a constant stream of visitors, and its scale is enormous.

It has an extremely large throughput and flow of people every day.

Chen Ping'an had a deep understanding of this point after visiting Xuanling City before. Besides the sheer volume of people, the most important factor was the level of cultivation among those coming and going.

Xuanling City is a thriving commercial center, attracting many people from other states to make purchases. There's even a possibility that powerful cultivators from outside the Bicang region might come, whether passing through or with ulterior motives.

Such things happen frequently.

Those who can travel across states, whether from powerful factions or independent cultivators, are mostly extraordinary individuals. Moreover, those who travel across territories are at least at the level of Grandmasters of Martial Arts.

Occasionally, pseudo-celestial beings will appear.

It is said that martial arts masters may get involved in some top-level events.

Under such circumstances, controlling Xuanling would naturally be a complicated situation.

In addition, Xuanling City is filled with all sorts of forces. We'll leave aside the smaller and medium-sized forces for now.

There are quite a few forces that are truly terrifying.

For example, the Hengshan Sect and the Wenxin Sword Pavilion, which Chen Ping'an had previously come into contact with, both have ties to this Xuanling Heavy City.

There is also the Bicang Chamber of Commerce under the jurisdiction of the Bicang County Prince's Mansion, the Xuanling Chamber of Commerce formed by various forces in Xuanling Prefecture, and the top forces in each prefecture, such as the Daqi Sect, Tianwu Pavilion, and the Gu Family.

To control interests and ensure ecological stability, five provincial garrison offices are jointly stationed within Xuanling City. In addition, there is also the Qiankun Division, which also has representatives to oversee and monitor the situation.

Within the Five Provinces Garrison Commands, the Canglong Province Garrison Command, where Chen Ping'an was located, was somewhat special.

More than a decade ago, the previous Canglong Garrison Commander retired due to serious injuries. Under pressure from various parties, the Canglong Prefecture Garrison Command never sent a garrison commander again.

Only one deputy garrison commander remained, struggling to hold on and acting as the deputy commander of the Canglong Prefecture Garrison, in charge of the garrison affairs.

The Canglong Prefecture Garrison Command did not want to change the status quo, but for various reasons, it had been unable to do so.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ping'an's appointment solved this problem.

"Peace be with you on your journey to Xuanling. Please be careful. Although the task is important, your life is of utmost importance!" Zhang Tianyuan said with a worried expression.

Although Zhang Tianyuan's words had the air of trying to win people over, Chen Ping'an was still grateful for them.

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will make this trip safe and sound, and will certainly live up to Your Excellency's expectations and the trust of the State Garrison."

From Zhang Tianyuan, Chen Ping'an also learned the reason why the previous Canglong Garrison Commander was seriously injured.

Although he was seriously injured, he was practically a cripple. Otherwise, given the strategic importance of that place, a normal injury would have allowed him to recover and return to health in a few years.

The former garrison commander of Canglong was seriously injured. The apparent reason was the conflict of interests among various parties. During the alliance meeting outside the city to mediate the disputes, a riot broke out, and he died in the chaos of battle.

However, judging from the current situation in Xuanling City, there is clearly something else going on.

It is worth mentioning that, in the past ten years or so, such an example has only happened once.

I don't know if they learned their lesson or for some other reason.

In addition to the Canglong Prefecture Garrison, similar incidents also occurred in Xiaguang Prefecture, but these were related to handling other disputes. Before taking action, it was clearly stated beforehand that anyone involved would be responsible for the matter, regardless of life or death.

Ultimately, the official in charge of handling the matter in Xiaguang Prefecture died.

However, it was the deputy envoy who died in Xiaguang Prefecture; the envoy is still in a high position and oversees the interests of Dai Prefecture.

Whether such events were coincidences or deliberate schemes, whether they were premeditated or sudden, is now impossible to ascertain. Whether there was influence from other states or internal power struggles, the underlying reasons are difficult to predict.

Complex situations can make even simple or complex cases become extremely complicated.

The interests of being stationed in Daizhou make the interpersonal relationships and networks of the garrison commander extremely complex. The entanglements and conflicts arising from the various matters involving these interests are incredibly intricate.

Over the years, this will lead to the formation of a large number of interest groups around us, as well as a large number of opposing interest conflicts.

The intricate web of relationships has made it impossible to discern the specific details.

"Ping An, these are the information files of the garrison commanders of each state. You can take a good look at them when you have time." During the conversation, Zhang Tianyuan took out a scroll and handed it to Chen Ping An.

"Thank you very much, Your Excellency." Chen Ping'an gladly accepted the gift.

With his current cultivation level, he didn't really care about the garrison commanders of the various states. But it was still good to know more about such matters.

"Oh, by the way, there are also records of some of the resident powerhouses in Xuanling Heavy City in the state's archives and secret pavilions. With your authority, you can access them. You can take a look when you have time," Zhang Tianyuan reminded him.

Chen Ping'an smiled and replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

Xuanling City is located in several states, and in addition to powerful figures, there are naturally many independent cultivators within the city.

For example, Old Monster Jin, whom I had met once before, was one of the best among the rogue cultivators.

There is also Hua Danshi, the number one alchemist in Xuanling, who, strictly speaking, is also a model figure among rogue cultivators.

However, Master Hua Dan has been stationed in Xuanling for many years and has long established intricate relationships with various forces.

Those who are proficient in alchemy will eventually become honored guests among various factions.

In Xuanling City, Alchemist Hua holds a rather transcendent position.

Even the regional military commands, despite having valid reasons, dared not interfere too much with them and had to treat them with respect and courtesy.

Besides being the number one alchemist, Master Hua is also a renowned top-tier pseudo-celestial being.

In terms of overall momentum, it is not much inferior to that of a true martial arts master.

The circle he belongs to is the most elite in the entire Bicang region.

During this meeting, Chen Ping'an talked with Zhang Tianyuan for a long time, almost half an hour, before he finally came out of Zhang Tianyuan's office.

"Xuanling Garrison Commander!" Chen Ping'an's eyes narrowed, and he strode out of the Canglong Prefecture Garrison Command.

Representing the interests of the entire state and stationed in Xuanling, his public influence now stands at the pinnacle of the state. He is powerful enough to control the overall situation of the state and stir up trouble in several other states.

After leaving the Canglong Prefecture Garrison, Chen Ping'an went to the Gu family and immediately shared the news of his appointment.

At the same time, after speaking with Chen Ping'an, the Canglong Prefecture Garrison Command officially issued a public announcement.

Following review and approval by the Northern Border Garrison Command, Chen Ping'an, the Mangdao (a type of halberd), was appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Canglong Prefecture Garrison Command and the Garrison Commander of Xuanling, acting on behalf of Canglong Prefecture and stationed in a key city. Together with the Garrison Commands of the five prefectures, they will jointly oversee garrison affairs.

The news sent shockwaves throughout the state.

(End of this chapter)