Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 19 We must be given official titles!

Changshan North City, Military Affairs Office.

In the dim light of dawn, Chen Sheng, dressed in light black armor and with the "Shehan" sword gleaming faintly at his waist, sat atop a tall, steed-like horse.

With a calm expression and indifferent gaze, he surveyed the somewhat dilapidated military camp gate before him, and slowly rode in, escorted and protected by Yan Ming and his close entourage of soldiers.

Wherever the procession passed, soldiers on duty or passing by bowed and greeted them. Although the scene was not very grand, it still had its own imposing presence.

The two deputy commanders of the North City Military Camp may have been dissatisfied and unwilling to be overshadowed by a young man who had been "parachuted in," but none of the lower-ranking soldiers dared to show any real disrespect. The struggle between superiors was one thing, but if these lowly soldiers dared to openly disrespect the new commander, the consequences would be far beyond what they could bear.

Chen Sheng didn't really take the two deputy commanders seriously, even though he had heard of them before. Through the scattered hints in the "Avoiding Misfortune and Seeking Good Fortune" celestial book, he had already glimpsed the deeper threads behind this matter.

The other party's provocation was not entirely directed at him personally, but more at Wu Kuang, the county magistrate behind him.

Since the day the powerful family hosted a banquet to "entertain" them, the other party's intentions have become clear: either cooperate and share the profits, or become enemies and make it impossible to move an inch.

However, Wu Kuang has remained inactive for the past few days, without giving any clear response. He believes that once he accepts the other party's benefits, he will be giving them leverage, which will hinder his future actions.

That's why local powers want to exert some pressure and flex their muscles.

Targeting Wu Kuang directly is too risky and could easily lead to a complete breakdown in relations. However, it would be more appropriate to target Wu Kuang's confidant—it would demonstrate strength and serve as a warning to Wu Kuang.

The commander-in-chief, who was in charge of the military affairs of Changshan County, tacitly approved of and even condoned his subordinates' difficult intentions.

Otherwise, as long as he clearly expressed his support for Chen Sheng, who in the camp would dare to easily provoke this tiger?

It was precisely because he understood these complexities that Chen Sheng patiently waited until he broke through to the Bone Forging Realm before officially taking office.

A martial artist at the Bone Forging Realm would be considered a master, whether in the previous Mountain Battalion or in Changshan County.

Moreover, he was no ordinary Bone Forging Realm cultivator—the Golden Bell Body Forging Method was extremely difficult to cultivate, but it also endowed him with a solid foundation and a powerful physique far exceeding those of his peers.

With his already mastered and unadorned basic swordsmanship, unless he encounters a martial artist in the late Foundation Establishment stage who has begun to change his tendons and marrow, he fears no one below the Marrow Transformation stage!
As Chen Sheng and his entourage entered the camp, the two deputy commanders inside quickly received the news. However, instead of coming to pay their respects immediately, they acted as if they had made a pact, putting on airs and deliberately trying to embarrass their new superior.

Chen Sheng was not angered by this. He remained calm and, under Yan Ming's guidance, began to inspect the North City Martial Camp.

After a thorough inspection, the result could only be described as a "rabble".

According to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, the Beicheng Military Camp should have a full complement of 150 soldiers.

However, based on what we actually saw, and Yan Ming's previous report, the number of employees actually employed was less than two-thirds, and the practice of receiving salaries without working was blatant.

Even the remaining hundred or so men were mostly old, weak, and undisciplined, with less than half being able-bodied. In contrast, the thirty or so veterans he brought with him, who had experienced the ravages of war, became the camp's rare "elite."

……

Meanwhile, inside the military camp's yamen (government office).

The two deputy commanders, Gao Cheng and others, were also secretly plotting how to give the newly arrived young commander a "profound" greeting.

"This Commander Chen is quite composed."

Through the window, Deputy Commander Cheng saw Chen Sheng calmly patrolling near the training ground. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Instead of looking down on him, he thought that the young man's composure was quite remarkable.

"Hmph, so what if he can keep his composure? He's still too young and his foundation is shallow."

Deputy Commander Gao Qiheng gave a light snort. Of the two deputy commanders, Gao Qiheng was undoubtedly the dominant one.

As for his dissatisfaction with Chen Sheng, there are two reasons: First, deep down he believes that Chen Sheng stole the position of commander of the North City that should have belonged to him. He has the highest cultivation level in the camp and comes from the Gao family of this county. He has already made proper arrangements with everyone and thought that this position was already in his grasp.

Unexpectedly, a county magistrate named Wu was parachuted in from above. To give face to his new superior, Wu was forced to "give up" his position, which made him very unhappy.

Secondly, he roughly learned that Chen Sheng had only been in the army for a few months and was not known for his bravery or strength.

Based on this, it can be inferred that his cultivation level is likely only at the Bright Breath Realm, and even that is not considered outstanding among those at the Bright Breath Realm. In contrast, Gao Qiheng is a genuine Bone Forging Realm martial artist!

Whether this level of attainment is achieved through family resources or personal hard work, the advantage in terms of level is undeniable.

He was already resentful of being forced to be subordinate to someone whose cultivation level might be lower than his own.

Therefore, after receiving a hint from the family's higher-ups that he needed to create some trouble and put pressure on the newly appointed county magistrate Wu Kuang, he was quite happy to do so.

Now that he has the backing of his family, he naturally wants to take this opportunity to make his presence known. Even if County Commandant Wu chooses to cooperate with the Gao family and local powerful families in the future, he can use this opportunity to sideline Chen Sheng and exercise the power of the commander-in-chief in the position of deputy commander!

Upon hearing this, Deputy Commander Cheng merely smiled and did not echo his opinion.

He couldn't afford to offend either Commander Chen, who was backed by the county magistrate, or Deputy Commander Gao, who was backed by the Gao family.

The reason he chose to side with Gao Qiheng was out of necessity—because compared to the newly established leader whose power base was not yet secure, he was more wary of the deeply entrenched Gao family and the vengeful Gao Qiheng.

“Let’s go and meet this Commander Chen. Since he’s not coming, I, Gao, will go and see him myself.”

Seeing that Chen Sheng was late in coming to the yamen, Gao Qiheng became even more convinced that the other party was all bark and no bite and lacked confidence. With his confidence growing stronger, he waved his hand and led a group of his confidants toward the training ground.

……

On the training ground, Chen Sheng was inspecting the martial arts camp when he suddenly sensed something. He looked up and saw a large group of people surrounding two people, walking towards him in a grand procession.

He narrowed his eyes, stopped in his tracks, and calmly swept his gaze over the two leaders.

Although they had never met, he could confirm the identity of the visitor from Yan Ming's detailed description beforehand—the one walking at the front, with a slightly burly build and a hint of arrogance in his eyes, was none other than Gao Qiheng, the deputy commander from the Gao family.

He is also the mastermind behind everything.

The one who lagged slightly behind, with a calm expression, was naturally Deputy Commander Cheng.

Gao Qiheng led his men to a stop five paces away from Chen Sheng, a slightly exaggerated smile on his face, and bowed familiarly, saying:
"Oh dear, I heard that Brother Chen is taking office today. I unfortunately caught a cold a couple of days ago and have been unwell, so I was unable to come and greet you. I am truly sorry for the neglect!"

In his conversation, he addressed the other person as "brother," completely disregarding the hierarchy between superiors and inferiors.

The deputy commander Cheng beside him was more proper, bowing with clasped hands and speaking in a calm tone:
"Commander Chen."

Chen Sheng's gaze swept lightly over the group of soldiers behind them who were clearly there to watch the show and bolster their morale, and finally settled on Gao Qiheng's face, which was wearing a fake smile.

He wasn't angry; his voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable chill that clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"Doesn't Deputy Commander Gao even understand the rules of hierarchy? This is the military camp headquarters, there are no brothers here. Since you've come to pay your respects to me, you should address me by my official title!"

(End of this chapter)