Patrol Captain

The night in Liangzhou, even in August, still carried a chill.

Under the moonlight, the glazed tiles of the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion, with its nine-ridged hip roof, gleamed matte in the darkness, like the scales covering a giant beast. The iron eaves swayed slightly in the wind, their clanging sounds echoing around the corners of the covered corridors.

Inside the mansion, guards carrying torches patrolled the area, maintaining strict security. In the shadows, there were also eyes watching the slightest movement around them.

In the east courtyard of the Prince's Mansion, the carved railings and jade steps blurred into shadows in the night.

In a study, the flickering firelight cast two shadows on the window.

A dark figure stood below, holding onto something, head bowed, body bent.

One sat above, his profile like a mountain shadow, exuding an imposing aura in the candlelight.

Inside the room, Xiao Zhongtian, the King of Northern Liang, sat behind his desk, looking down and holding a folded document in his hand. His eyes, illuminated by the firelight, resembled those of a fierce tiger.

The air was quiet, even oppressively so.

Until Xiao Zhongtian closed the folded document in his hand, raised his eyes, and looked at the figure opposite him below.

"that's it?"

"Your Highness, the records of who the officials from the court met today and what they said are all here!" The figure lowered his head, his face hidden in the light and shadow, and spoke calmly.

"So far, nothing unusual has been found!"

"Is Your Highness overthinking this?"

Behind the desk, Xiao Zhongtian placed the booklet he was holding on the table, stood up, and spoke in a deep and powerful voice.
"I do hope so, but my brother sent a special envoy to mourn his nephew at this time. I wonder if he is really tied up with the affairs of Shu, or if he has other purposes."

The King of Northern Liang looked up and gazed eastward through the window.

"His Majesty has decreed that Your Highness be summoned to the capital and a special banquet will be held to appease you. What are Your Highness's plans?" the man below asked.

The prince, however, raised his head even higher, looked at the moon outside, and said leisurely,
"I'm afraid the banquet will be anything but pleasant."

"I can sense it."

Having said that, he turned his gaze to the side, his eyes sharp and fierce, looking down at the people below with an imposing air.
"Now that the great cause is not yet accomplished, I do not wish for any inappropriate news to reach the ears of these people."

"Do you understand?"

The person who came down bowed even lower, saying, "Your subject will remember."

Even a retainer is still a subject.

However, his tone was slightly hesitant, "But, the Crown Prince has encountered an accident, and the position is vacant. Now the Imperial Clan Court and the Prince have proposed to appoint a Crown Prince as soon as possible and leave it to His Majesty to decide."

At this point, the man paused, then said in a low voice:
"Many young masters in the manor are eyeing this position and are already impatient. They have sent people to contact the officials from the imperial court. I fear that some of them will not be able to control their tongues and will cause trouble!"

Upon hearing this, the candlelight in the room flickered, and the face of the Northern Liang King standing by the window also darkened, though his slanted eyes gleamed like cold knives.

"Let them be!"

"My sons, whether they are dragons or worms, are for them to decide. If they cause trouble and are unable to clean up the mess, I will not tolerate it."

"Keep a close eye on it."

"I'd also like to see what these people are planning."

Xiao Zhongtian's gaze was like a knife. He did not object to his sons vying for the so-called heir. Throughout history, the imperial family has been the most ruthless. It all depended on his own abilities. He would keep an eye on things. Moreover, he wanted to use his sons to find out if the people from the court had any other purpose for their trip.

Does he intend to use the position of heir apparent to undermine the morale of the people in his Northern Liang royal family?

Who knows what's on an emperor's mind!

Hopefully it's not what he thinks!

"Has that person from the sky sent any message recently?" Xiao Zhongtian suddenly changed the subject.

"No, apart from collecting information about the Martial Saint General of Shu a few days ago, there was one matter that involved this. This person sent out a message and hasn't spoken about it since. The general is aware of it."

“Chen Yuan!” Xiao Zhongtian’s gaze sharpened.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away, in Jiannan Circuit, Daofu Division, Yunding Mountain.

The next day arrived.

On the morning of that day, at the Tenth Mountain, a eunuch in brocade robes carrying a whisk arrived at the Tenth Mountain Central Hall. Led by armored soldiers, he quickly made his way to a quiet room with small, quick steps.

"General, Eunuch Cao requests an audience!"

The armored soldier who led the way reported this from outside the door.

Soon, an impatient voice came from inside.
"Let him in to see me!"

Upon hearing the general's voice, Eunuch Cao broke out in a cold sweat, but he still braced himself and pushed the door open.

Upon entering, Cao Zheng saw the General of the Northern Liang Prefecture sitting cross-legged, his upper body bare, his muscles bulging as if coated with copper lacquer, exuding a strong aura of oppression.

A pair of eyes suddenly opened, startling the newly arrived eunuch Cao, who quickly bowed and said, "This servant greets General Huo."

"What is it now?" Huo Zhen asked impatiently when he saw Eunuch Cao.

Every time I come here, there's basically nothing good to do.

In addition, he had been in a bad mood and felt irritable these past few days, so naturally he didn't give his father-in-law a pleasant look.

Cao Zheng smiled somewhat awkwardly, then said quickly, "General Huo, the Grand Preceptor wants you to go to the Zhonglang Hall for a meeting immediately. It seems there's trouble on the western defense line."

Upon hearing this, Huo Zhen's previously impatient gaze subsided, and he straightened his expression, saying...
"You go first, I'll be there shortly!"

"Ah, then this servant will take his leave and go inform the other generals."

Upon receiving the order, Eunuch Cao immediately withdrew, wiped the sweat from his brow, and hurried away.

Soon after, Huo Zhen, dressed in a suit of jet-black armor, stepped into the Heavenly Patrol Hall.

Before entering the main hall, he saw a constant stream of falcons entering the mountain, and messengers rushing by, looking quite tense.

At this moment, civil and military officials of the third rank or above who were still in Chengdu arrived one after another in the main hall.

Upon seeing this, Huo Zhen's heart tightened.

Helian Shan sat in the main seat, and Huo Zhen sat in the first seat to the right below him. Across from them, General Qi Tian of the local governor's office was already there and nodded to Huo Zhen.

After about half a cup of tea's time, almost everyone had arrived.

Let's begin the meeting!
News has come from the front!

"The Demon Kingdom is rampant now, and the western defense line is under pressure. With a powerful demon pressing in, the Heavenly Army supported by the Imperial Court has suffered losses. We need to send a general to the western front to take control of the situation and boost morale. Who is willing to go?"

Helian Shan, seated in the main seat, surveyed the crowd and began to speak.

At this moment, all eyes in the hall focused on the three generals seated at the front! The local governor's general, Qitian!
Huo Zhen, the governor of Liangzhou;
The thunderous roar of the Imperial Guards within the pass;

Only these three people can meet the requirements.

Qi Tian was the first to stand up, cupped his fists in a gesture of respect as if supporting a mountain, and said in a deep voice, "I am most familiar with the traitors of the Demon Kingdom, so let me go!"

At this moment, Lei Ming, a general with a jujube-faced man wearing black chainmail, who was sitting next to him, also stepped forward and asked, "I, Lei, would also like to meet him."

The two generals stood up, leaving only Huo Zhen, who was opposite them, motionless. Everyone's eyes immediately turned to General Huo.

With the atmosphere reaching this point, Huo Zhen, to avoid being put in an awkward position, subtly rose from his chair, clasped his hands in a fist salute, his gaze sharp and his tone resounding.
"Having stayed in these mountains for so long, I'd like to see the abilities of these demons from the Demon Kingdom!"

The three generals volunteered for the mission, and their morale was high.

"Haha!" Helian Shan laughed loudly, "Good! Good! Good!"

He praised it three times, stroked his long beard, then rose from his seat and stepped down.

He walked up to the three generals of Qi Tian and nodded.

"The three generals are unparalleled in loyalty and bravery. They deserve our congratulations to His Majesty and the glory of the world."

At this point, "it's making it a difficult choice for this old man."

As he spoke, he walked up to Qi Tian and said, “General Qi, your loyalty is beyond question. You have submitted a memorial to His Majesty. Originally, you were the most suitable person to be stationed on the western front, but since you have been summoned back, it is because the Jiannan Circuit needs you to assist the Imperial Preceptor in governing the region.”

Qi Tian was excluded.

After speaking, Helian Shan moved to the side, turned his turbid eyes and swept them over Lei Ming of the Dragon Guard and Huo Zhen of Beiliang, then narrowed them slightly.

"As for the troops under the command of the two generals, they are currently guarding Jinguan!"

"General Lei's troops are mainly deployed on the southern front, while General Huo's forces are mainly positioned on the western front, so..."

Helian Shan's gaze fell on Huo Zhen.
"General Huo will take responsibility for this matter!"

"If we can curb the arrogance of this demonic kingdom, I, the Imperial Preceptor, will certainly petition His Majesty for the General's reward!"

When Huo Zhen heard that this task had fallen to him, his eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he quickly composed himself.
"I will obey Lord Helian's orders!"

He was somewhat taken aback, but now that things had come to this, he naturally couldn't disobey orders.

"When will we depart?"

"An urgent report from the front lines! There's no time to lose. Take a small force and go into battle lightly equipped. The sooner the better. Go and take command there!" Helian Shan said decisively.

Huo Zhen was somewhat uneasy when he heard that he could only bring a small number of troops, but then he remembered that it was an urgent report from the front lines, and the Grand Preceptor had instructed him to take over the situation as soon as possible, which was obviously very urgent, so he had no objection.

"Yes!" he accepted the order.

That wasn't all. Helian Shan then looked down at his seat and continued to muster his troops.
"In addition, Fang La, the Imperial Censor, was appointed as the military supervisor to coordinate the troops supporting the western front, and the Chief Clerk was ordered to transport provisions and logistical supplies."

Inside the main hall, the officials and military officers who were called upon rose to receive their orders.

"Yes"

"Here"

"."

"Go and prepare immediately!" After giving his instructions, Helian Shan waved his hand and then looked at Huo Zhen.

"General Huo, I await your good news."

"I will not disgrace you, sir!" Huo Zhen replied firmly, then withdrew his fist, turned around, and strode away from the Heavenly Patrol Hall.

Other officials also left one after another, and those who were named went to make preparations.

In no time, the once bustling Sky Patrol Hall became deserted, with only Helian Shan watching them leave, his eyes gleaming with an unfathomable light.

Once everyone had disappeared, Helian Shan waved his sleeve, and the doors of the main hall slammed shut, plunging the interior into darkness.

Then, the wrinkles on his face drooped down, and he spoke softly.
"Lord Chen, how was my performance?"

A moment later, a hearty laugh echoed through the empty hall. "Flawless! If I hadn't known what was going on, I would have been fooled by Lord Helian and thought something terrible was about to happen on the western front."

As soon as these words were spoken, a person emerged from the previously empty space in the center of the hall.

Chen Yuan, dressed in a green robe, appeared with his eyes squinting upwards!
Helian Shan shook his head. "Of course there are things going on on the western front. What is false cannot become true, and what is true cannot become false. Does Lord Chen really think that General Huo is so easy to fool and can become a great general? None of them are easy to deal with."

Chen Yuan nodded, somewhat agreeing with this statement, but with a half-smile, "Why does Lord Helian have to go through such a roundabout and painstaking process to transfer someone with ulterior motives to the front lines?"

"Why not just kill him, capture his soul and interrogate him? If we can't get anything out of him in one day, we'll use every means possible in two or three days to force him to talk."

Upon hearing this, Helian Shan's wrinkles twitched, but he retorted with a sidelong glance, "Since Lord Chen is like this, why didn't you take action directly when you discovered Huo Zhen's treachery?"

Chen Yuan's smile remained unchanged, and he said matter-of-factly, "This man is a general of a region, and he is involved in many things. I have already resigned from my post and returned to my hometown. What would it do to me to act rashly? Wouldn't it be better to hand him over to Lord Helian? Consider it a good deed for the court. Keeping such a person around will only cause endless trouble in the future."

Helian Shan's lips twitched. What a load of rubbish about resigning and returning home; he'd practically made Yunding Mountain his backyard. But he didn't say much more, only sighing and saying, "Lord Chen also knows that this man is involved in many things. It's easy to kill people, but what happens after you kill them?"

His eyes flashed like lightning as he looked at Chen Yuan.

"Let's not even talk about whether his troops will mutini after he's killed. If this gets back to Beiliang, how will the Beiliang royal family react? It's not just one Beiliang king, it's a million-strong army."

"Lord Chen, what do you think will happen given the current mess in Shu, or if another unexpected event occurs?"

"Therefore, our goal now is not to kill one or two people, but to minimize their threat. Just as I and Your Excellency said a few days ago, besides the Western Regions Holy Sect, there is a very important figure behind these people."

"I have already reported this to His Majesty. His Majesty is suspicious and has already sent a special envoy to Beiliang to investigate this matter. We should wait for news before making any further plans."

Helian Shan spoke at length, sharing all the information he possessed with Chen Yuan without concealing anything. His intention was clearly to gradually eliminate the estrangement between him and Chen Yuan, and to win him over.

The two have now collaborated several times and the tension between them has eased. Although Chen Yuan still occasionally makes sarcastic remarks, he has made significant progress.

As Chen Yuan had said, after discovering the shady dealings between Huo Zhen, the governor of Beiliang, and the Holy Sect and the Beiliang Royal Palace, he handed the matter over to them.

As a result, Lord Helian's investigation made progress.

He was notified immediately through the Ninth Mountain.

Someone is after him. Leaving aside that ridiculous saintess, a secret letter from the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion reveals that a powerful figure has his eye on Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan became interested and decided to come and watch today's performance.

"Since I have entrusted this matter to Lord Helian, I do not intend to interfere too much."

"We trust Lord Chen's methods and await good news."

It is said that people become more shrewd with age. Chen Yuan had no doubt about the abilities of this Grand Preceptor of the Great Qian Dynasty, a veteran of three dynasties. Therefore, he wasn't worried about what trouble a few worthless insects like the Western Regions Holy Maiden could cause. (End of Chapter)