If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

Zhou Wu hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. The crossbows were far more effective than anticipated, and the Qingyang Army soldiers had experienced real combat and reaped countless spoils, including weapons, armor, and horses.

“Niu Er, go back and summarize this battle. One person actually fell off his horse, and another twisted his ankle? Twisting an ankle while riding a horse, I need a reasonable explanation.”

Despite the resounding victory, Zhou Wu still hoped that Niu Er and the Qingyang Army would not become arrogant. Praise was necessary, but appropriate reprimands were also needed.

. . . . .

The Great Dragon Empire, Imperial Palace.

The imperial officials were holding their daily court meeting, but these past few days had been almost entirely focused on the front-line war, especially the operation to rescue the crown prince. Although the Qingyang Army had been ruled out, no one expected them to succeed. So, Emperor Li Tiancheng had drawn another 20,000 men from the capital to rescue the crown prince. However, the journey was long and would take some time, so it depended on whether the crown prince could hold out until then.

Suddenly, a guard appeared outside the palace requesting an audience.

"Your Majesty, there is news of the Crown Prince."

Normally, no one is allowed to interrupt the court assembly, but these past few days the Emperor has specifically instructed that any news of the Crown Prince must be reported immediately, hence this scene.

"Xuan."

At this point in time, it's clear that the capital's rescue efforts haven't reached the Mishui River yet, but news of the Crown Prince has arrived. Li Tiancheng is somewhat afraid of hearing the worst possible outcome, but he can't stop now.

"Your Majesty, news has arrived from the front lines regarding the Crown Prince."

The golden-armored guard bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.

"read."

The voice of the Sage Li Tiancheng was devoid of joy, and the ministers in the hall all knew that the guards were likely bringing bad news.

"Yes, in September of the twelfth year of Tiancheng, the Crown Prince's army was besieged by the Khmer army at the Mi River for more than half a month. The Qingyang Army was ordered to go to the rescue. Led by Regiment Commander Zhou Wu, the Qingyang Army mobilized all three hundred men of its regiment and cooperated with the Crown Prince's army from within and without. They beheaded more than eight thousand six hundred enemy soldiers and captured the rest. The Crown Prince's army has successfully broken through the siege and is heading towards the capital of the Khmer Kingdom."

"Hiss~~~~"

Contrary to everyone's expectations, the Crown Prince not only escaped unharmed, but was also successfully rescued by the Qingyang Army. The Qingyang Army and Zhou Wu were thus thoroughly remembered by the officials in the capital.

"Hahaha, okay, okay."

The three powerful characters of Li Tiancheng swept away the gloom of the past few days.

Of course, some ministers were happy that the crown prince was rescued, while others were disappointed, since factional struggles among princes have existed throughout history.

"Qingyang Army, Qingyang Army, what a fine Qingyang Army, what a fine Zhou Wu! Come, I will reward my Great Dragon's warriors well."

Just as Li Tiancheng was getting into the conversation, an untimely voice abruptly interrupted him.

"Your Majesty, it is rather inappropriate to bestow such great rewards while the war is still raging."

This man was an official from the Fourth Prince's faction. He had seen that the Crown Prince was about to die in Cambodia, but Zhou Wu, who appeared out of nowhere, interfered, so he naturally had to come out and stop him.

"Then let's make a note of it for now, and reward him after the war is over."

The sage Li Tiancheng realized that he had gone a bit too far, so he had someone write it down and would deal with it later.

. . . . . .

Back in Niujia Village, Zhou Wu took 10% of the spoils as a reward for the Qingyang Army, and then instructed Niu Er to quickly arrange for the replacement of the remaining personnel.

"We're not in a rush this time; we must carefully screen all applicants."

Now that the Qingyang Army has been officially recognized, the remaining seven hundred positions must be filled.

"Yes"

Recruiting is now the most important thing on Niu Er's mind, so he plans to start as soon as possible.

. . .

Having endured so much humiliation since being rescued, Li Junren was eager to vent his anger. He led 30,000 Dragon Army soldiers and marched directly to the capital of the Khmer Empire. The Tat-ta Kingdom and the Black Monkey Kingdom were also suffering under attacks from the other two forces.

Immediately afterwards, the three kingdoms sent envoys to beg for the Great Dragon Emperor's forgiveness. As a result, the court was divided into two factions, one advocating war and the other advocating surrender, and they argued fiercely. However, these matters had nothing to do with Zhou Wu, after all, he was just a minor ninth-rank deputy military officer.

Ultimately, the sage Li Tiancheng accepted the peace faction's suggestion and agreed to withdraw his troops. Moreover, he did not take this opportunity to demand high compensation. The Dada, the Black Monkey, and the Khmer only made some symbolic compensation to the Great Dragon Kingdom, and the whole matter was dropped.

When Zhou Wu learned the final outcome of the matter, he didn't say anything, but Niu Er looked very unhappy.

"This is utterly humiliating! What are these officials good for? How can they even negotiate something like this?"

"Alright, keep your voice down, or someone might overhear you."

Zhou Wu was actually quite unhappy. The situation was clearly in Da Long's favor, but these bigwigs made the most foolish choice.

"We are powerless to speak on matters of the imperial court. We should focus on improving our Niujia Village and making the villagers prosperous. That is the right thing to do."

"Yes, Brother Wu is right."

Niu Er also knew that he was just an ordinary citizen and there was nothing he could do. The only thing he could do now was to build up his village.

. . . . . .

November of the twelfth year of Tiancheng.

The Great Dragon Army returned to the capital in triumph. The generals, led by the Crown Prince, rode their tall horses through the streets of the capital, receiving enthusiastic cheers from the people. However, the Crown Prince was not happy at all. The Great Dragon Army had completely surrounded the capital of the Khmer Kingdom, and it was said that the other two armies had also reached the capital. The destruction of the country was imminent, but his father had ordered the army to return to the capital, which was something he had never expected.

However, the current Great Dragon Kingdom is not under his control as the crown prince, so he can only obey his father's orders.

"How's the information I asked you to investigate?"

Since it was something he couldn't decide, Li Junren decided not to think about it too much. He turned to ask the adjutant beside him.

"Your Highness, I have already ordered someone to investigate this Zhou Wu. He is from Niujia Village, Qingyang County, Jinshan Prefecture. It is said that his ancestors were also officials of the imperial court, but the family fell into decline. Zhou Wu himself was originally a scholar, but after the family fell into decline, he gave up his studies in order to make a living. Later, he somehow obtained a large amount of grain to support disaster relief in Qingyang County. The magistrate of Qingyang County, An Bao, recommended him as the head of the Qingyang County militia. That's how it is."

"Oh, I see. The background is so clean."

"He has no connections with the central government."

"That's good."

As the crown prince, Li Junren wanted to gather talented people without connections in order to build his own team. Zhou Wu was brave and resourceful, well-educated, and had no connections in the court, perfectly meeting all of Li Junren's requirements for gathering talent.