Zhu Tian: Starting from the World of Zongwu

The Imperial City Administration is stationed in the Qianhu Office of Suzhou and Hangzhou Prefecture, covering an area of ​​more than ten thousand acres. It has numerous departments and courtyards scattered around. Rockeries, gardens, and artificial lakes can be seen everywhere, full of the charm of the Jiangnan water town.

Along the way, Zhou Yang greeted a number of middle- and senior-level officials of the Qianhu Office. After introducing the identities of Song Xuan and others, he led them to the Deputy Qianhu Office that had been prepared.

It was an independent courtyard, which was kept very clean and tidy. No matter what Zhou Yang was thinking, at least he looked good in terms of appearances.

"Brother Song, there's a yard behind this office. You can live there on weekdays. If you're not used to it, I can arrange an independent manor for you in the city."

Song Xuan waved his hand, "As cultivators of my generation, we don't care about these things.

Could you please arrange for the handover to begin today?"

Zhou Yang smiled unnaturally, "Okay, in that case, I'll arrange for someone to report to you."

As he spoke, he walked out of the room and waved. Soon, two burly centurions came over.

"Greetings to the Deputy Captain!"

Song Qian frowned slightly. It was obvious that she was a little sensitive to the word "secondary". Her lips moved slightly, but she still didn't speak.

Look at the situation first, then decide whether to get angry.

She has experience in getting angry. When the brother doesn't say anything and looks at her, it's time for her, Shura Sword Song Qian, to take action!

Being in the officialdom, there are some things that I need to maintain my image of being great and upright, so it is not convenient for me to take action personally.

But she is a woman and doesn't understand any big principles. She couldn't stand seeing her brother being bullied, so she acted cruelly. Isn't this reasonable?

Song Xuan's expression remained calm as he asked calmly, "What are your names, both of you?"

"Your Excellency, I am Zhang Long, a captain of Jiangcheng Commandery."

"Sir, I am the captain of Jianghe Commandery, Zuo Jingzhong!"

Captain Zhou then spoke up, "From now on, Captain Zhang and Captain Zuo will be directly under your jurisdiction, Brother Song. Jiangcheng and Jianghe counties will be under your jurisdiction. What do you think, brother?"

Song Xuan's expression was calm, but he did not answer. Instead, he glanced at Song Qian.

The same old rules, you get angry, and I will decide how to deal with these people based on the subsequent situation!

When Song Qian received the signal, she was immediately delighted. With a clang, the long sword at her waist was half unsheathed.

"Captain Zhou, do you think my brother is easy to bully since he just arrived?"

Zhou Yang's expression changed. "What does Captain Song mean?"

Song Qian's face was cold. "As far as I know, there are a total of nineteen counties in Suzhou and Hangzhou Prefecture. My brother is at least a deputy commander, but you only assigned him to be in charge of two counties?"

As she spoke, the aura around her dissipated, as if the sky was collapsing, causing everyone including Zhou Yang to feel their hearts stagnate and their bodies seemed unable to move.

Zhou Yang's face looked very ugly.

He couldn't say for sure how strong Song Qian's cultivation was, but judging from the aura she was emitting at the moment, she was at least a great cultivator in the Spirit Severing stage.

He knew that there were many experts in the Imperial City, but this was the first time he encountered a dragon crossing the river in his jurisdiction.

For a moment, he was a little overwhelmed and didn't know how to deal with the situation.

He lacks strength. Even though he holds a high official position and is the chief officer of a thousand households, he still does not have much confidence when facing a big man in the distraction stage.

Song Xuan is easier to deal with. He seems to understand the rules of officialdom and will not do anything extreme.

But the first impression this woman gave him was that she was irritable and quick-tempered, and she was ready to attack someone if they disagreed with her. If he wasn't careful, she might even kill someone.

As we all know, it is impossible to reason with a woman when she is angry.

If he really killed himself on the spot, even if the top leaders of the Imperial City Bureau cleaned up the mess and held this woman accountable in the future, he, Zhou Yang, could not be resurrected, so his death would be in vain!

Zhou Yang felt that he was extremely unlucky. He was doing well as a captain, but he had to encounter such a bad thing.

Seeing that Zhou Yang was a little timid and didn't dare to speak, Song Xuan immediately knew what was going on.

Obviously, the other party doesn't seem to have any powerful backers behind him. He may have some ulterior motives, but he shouldn't start to make things difficult for him right away.

He smiled slightly and winked at Yao Yue.

Yao Yue immediately understood and pulled Song Qian back, "Xiao Qian, please be mindful of the situation! There might have been some misunderstandings during the handover between your husband and the captain. Just explain it clearly. There's no need to get angry."

Song Xuan also spoke at the right time, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Your Excellency. My sister has been spoiled by me since she was a child. She has a bit of a spoiled temper, but she is still very kind-hearted. Your Excellency, don't be afraid!"

Zhou Yang also smiled, but that smile was uglier than crying.

You told me not to be afraid, how could I not be afraid? Didn’t you see the look in your sister’s eyes, she was still staring at my neck?

Chapter 607 You don’t want me to make trouble?

The tense atmosphere gradually dissipated as Song Xuan spoke.

Song Qian held the sword against her chest, stood aside, and looked around the yard, but she was no longer aggressive.

Zhou Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, subconsciously wiped the sweat from his forehead, and hurriedly explained: "Brother Song, don't think too much. You are taking over the responsibilities of the previous deputy captain, who was in charge of these two counties before.

This is the responsibilities originally assigned by the Wanhu Lords of the Tiannan Territory Imperial City Division. Although I am a Qianhu Lord, I dare not make any changes at will."

Song Xuan nodded and smiled, "Since it's a misunderstanding, let's talk it out. Come, everyone, sit down and talk slowly."

Being in the officialdom, Song Xuan is not a rookie. Unless he has to, he doesn't want to be known as someone who killed his superiors as soon as he took office.

After everyone took their seats, Song Xuan spoke first, "I wonder if the captain could tell us about the specific situation of these two counties?"

Zhou Yang hesitated for a moment, first glanced at the two centurions Zhang Long and Zuo Jingzhong, and then instinctively lowered his voice.

"Captain Zhang and Captain Zuo are both here. If there's anything I said that's wrong, feel free to add to it."

He coughed lightly and continued, "In Suzhou and Hangzhou Prefecture, there really aren't many things going on. However, these two counties have been a bit restless."

“These two counties were once an ancient battlefield. Thousands of years ago, masters from the Daosong Dynasty and the Moyuan Dynasty engaged in a large-scale battle there.

Therefore, compared with other areas, the demonic energy and evil spirit there are more intense, and it is a treasure land for the cultivation of demon cultivators, evil cultivators, and some demon cultivators and ghost cultivators.

The Imperial City Headquarters has sent experts to wipe out demons and evil spirits more than once, but the evil cultivators are best at running away, and each sweep has little effect.

When the experts from the Imperial City Division return to the capital, all the demons will return and take root here. Over time, Jiangcheng and Jianghe counties will become a cancer in our Suzhou and Hangzhou Prefectures."

"Later, the Imperial City Administration's leadership changed their strategy, from completely eradicating them to controlling them. As long as those evil demons didn't cause too much trouble and the harm could be contained within these two counties, they turned a blind eye and tacitly accepted the existence of those evil demons."

Having said this, he glanced at the two centurions and said, "Am I right?"

Zhang Long quickly agreed, "Your Excellency is right!"

On the other hand, Captain Zuo stiffened his neck in dissatisfaction and shouted angrily, "How could I, the dignified Imperial City Commander, compromise with those evil demons? It's truly laughable!"

He stood up straight and looked at Song Xuan, "Sir Song, to tell you the truth, your predecessor, the deputy captain, was in charge of Jiangcheng County. He was beaten into a mess by Xie Xiu and had to use his connections to transfer him away.

Jiangcheng and Jianghe counties were a mess. No credit could be given there, but instead one had to live in fear every day. The commander-in-chief had transferred three deputy commanders to take charge, but none of them could stay for long and they could not wait to find a way to transfer out.

I have also heard a little about Mr. Song's background. He is an elder of a major sect.

But to be honest, I don’t think highly of you.”

"Oh?" Song Xuan didn't get angry, but smiled and said, "Tell me, why are you not optimistic about it? Do you think I'm not strong enough?"

"That's not true."

Captain Zuo glanced at Song Qian, and then said: "Since you can be an elder in a big sect, I think you must be quite powerful. Just now, your sister showed her strength, and I knew it in my heart. You and your party are not here to kill demons and do practical work, but to get promoted and enjoy the blessing of the dynasty's luck!

Otherwise, how could a great cultivator at the Spiritual Severing Stage be willing to come to a prefecture and become a mere deputy commander? "

He paused and said seriously, "I don't mean to look down on the position of Deputy Captain, but I mean that with the strength of you and others, the position of Ten Thousand Captain or even a Pacification Envoy is your goal.

If you guys can't make progress in Jianghe counties and don't get enough merits for promotion, I think you won't be willing to waste your time and energy here.

There's a high probability that he will use his connections to transfer out, just like the previous deputy captains did!"

He took a deep breath and bowed, "So, instead of making trouble for each other, I'd better explain the situation to you in advance.

It's difficult to gain any credit in Jiangcheng and Jianghe counties, so it's better for you to stop bothering and find a way to transfer out early."

Song Xuan stared at him, "Don't you want me to make trouble?"

"No!" Captain Zuo said in a deep voice, "I don't want you to leave after just a few days. You'll have some free time if you leave, but those of us who still have to serve in the local area will have a lot of trouble later.

Those evil cultivators are afraid of the Imperial City Administration and will not make things too difficult for us, but the people under our rule will be miserable, and will definitely be used by the evil cultivators to vent their anger!

When accountability comes from above, we will be the only ones held accountable.”

He pointed at Zhou Yang and said, "There's Captain Zhou. He calls himself Captain, but in reality, he's just there to clean up the mess for every former Deputy Captain. Every Deputy Captain would make a fuss and then just walk away. In the end, he's the one who's left to be held accountable!

To be honest, if the higher-ups hadn't considered that he needed to continue to take the blame for the crimes that Qian Hu was responsible for, he would have been completely dismissed long ago!"

Zhou Yang forced a smile, which was a bit awkward, “Actually, it’s not that serious.

At most, I have poor political performance. Although there is no hope of promotion in this life, I will not be demoted to the bottom.

Our Suzhou and Hangzhou Prefecture is different from other places. As a captain, I am just a steward in the rear, while the deputy captain is specially appointed by the higher-ups to do the job.

The three deputy captains who were transferred away before were all very powerful. They were all great monks in the Spirit Severing Stage who were specially sent by the higher-ups to control the two counties of Jiangcheng.

But unfortunately, every one of them is ambitious when they take office, but after a period of time when they fail to make progress, they lose their enthusiasm and start looking for ways to transfer through connections.”

Zhou Yang looked helpless. "Brother Song, don't blame the people below for speaking bluntly. Anyone who is tormented again and again will complain."

He spread his hands and said, "Now that the words have been spoken, let's just say it straight.

If Brother Song is not prepared to fight to the death in the two counties of Jiangcheng, then there is no need to make trouble. Just stay in Hangzhou for a while and let the sect find a way to transfer you away.

This way, everyone will save trouble, and the evil cultivators in Jiangcheng will not retaliate later."

Song Xuan pondered for a moment, "I thought the Imperial City Division was very powerful, but now it seems a bit disappointing!"

Zhou Yang shook his head, "The Imperial City Division is very powerful, but the empire's territory is too vast, and it is impossible for them to focus their main efforts on Suzhou and Hangzhou Prefecture.

Furthermore, the Imperial City Bureau's top brass is primarily responsible for dealing with the secret services of other dynasties. In their eyes, the evil cultivators in Suzhou and Hangzhou Prefecture who haven't caused too much trouble are merely minor nuisances, but not to the point where they must be completely dealt with."

Chapter 608: The national treasure, the compass of destiny!

Zhou Yang waved towards the door, and soon, an old man dressed as an accountant walked in quickly with several staff members from the Imperial City Bureau.

"This is the chief clerk of our Qianhu Division. You can just call him Old Sun."

Old Sun had a flattering smile on his face and handed storage bags to Song Xuan, Song Qian and others one by one.

"All the necessary items for you to take up your posts have been prepared in the storage bags. If you need anything else, please let me know at any time and I will do my best to arrange it for you."

Song Xuan swept his spiritual sense through the storage bag, and found several robes of the Imperial City Bureau, elder tokens, some standard weapons, spiritual treasures, pills, talismans and other common cultivation supplies.

In addition, a special compass-shaped magic treasure attracted Song Xuan's attention. With a thought, he took out the compass from the storage bag.

Playing with the smooth, blank compass, Song Xuan asked, "What is this?"

"This is the exclusive identity token of our Imperial City Division."

Zhou Yang explained: "To be precise, this is not just an identity token, it is also a treasure that can be called a divine artifact in some aspects."

"Oh? Tell me carefully."

Zhou Yang raised his hand and turned it over. An identical compass appeared in his hand, and on his compass were several lines of words.

Mission: To assist the new deputy captain Song Xuan and others in joining the company.

Task progress: Task in progress.

Reward for completing the mission: ten merit points.

Penalty for mission failure: deduct five merit points.

Song Xuan's eyes lit up, "This is..."

Zhou Yang said: "This is a replica of the national treasure of the Song Dynasty. It has a direct connection with the national treasure, the Qiyun Compass. After dripping blood to recognize the owner, you can accept tasks issued by the top leaders of the Imperial City Bureau on the compass, and you can also choose to submit tasks at any time.

The completion of the task will be uniformly reviewed by the Fortune Compass, so there is no need to worry about the credit being taken away by others.

It can be said that in the entire Daosong Dynasty officialdom, although our Imperial City Division also has its share of human relationships and social customs, relatively speaking, promotion or demotion in the officialdom is the most fair.

As long as your merit value is high enough, even the First Commander of the Imperial City Division will not be able to suppress you, otherwise the Fortune Compass will take corresponding countermeasures! "

"In addition, our Imperial City Division's identity compass can also sense surrounding Imperial City Division personnel, or use it to call for help when in danger."

"By the way, the most important thing is."

Zhou Yang pointed at the compass and said, "After you acknowledge your master with your blood, a unique string of numbers will be generated in the compass. Remember that string of numbers, they belong to you alone.

When faced with a hopeless situation, or when discovering a major hidden danger that threatens the safety of the dynasty, one can input that string of numbers into the compass with one's mind.

After the numbers are input, it can be directly connected to the national artifact, the Fortune Compass. The spirit of the artifact will descend at the first time to make subsequent judgments and responses.