EFB Chapter 4 Squad Leader
Chapter 4 Squad Leader
Name: Lu Yuan
Age: 16
[Technique: Eight Forms of Breaking the Edge (2013/10000 Mastery)]
【Tiger-Taming Stance (70/100 Beginner Level)】
"In one battle, my swordsmanship gained a bonus of a thousand. It seems that combat is indeed the best way to improve."
Lu Yuan thought to himself, then glanced outside to make sure no one was coming back to cause trouble, before lying down on the bed to sleep.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, after getting up, the first thing I did was prepare some food.
One steamed egg custard, plus two brown rice buns.
It wasn't anything particularly delicious, but in these days, it was considered quite good.
After eating, wash the dishes and chopsticks thoroughly.
Then a commotion came from outside.
"A-Yuan, A-Yuan."
As the shouts rang out, a slightly hunched figure appeared inside the house.
"Heh, your room is still warmer, but you've burned so much charcoal," Old Huang grinned.
In northern Xinjiang, charcoal is a hard currency, and it's not cheap.
Ordinary families wouldn't dare use it; burning some firewood would be considered a luxury.
"Hey, you can't just let yourself suffer like this. What happened to your face?"
Lu Yuan put the bowl and chopsticks in the cupboard. As soon as he turned his head, he saw that Old Huang's face was covered in blood and had several handprints on it.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. I accidentally provoked two cats in heat yesterday, and they scratched me." Old Huang waved his hand, not embarrassed at all.
Seeing his response, Lu Yuan didn't press for details, but simply asked, "Did you come here today for something?"
"Something happened. Someone died last night, right in your Binggu Alley. I'm sure you know that. And the higher-ups aren't allowing the news to spread. I won't go into details, and they're not allowing us to ask about it either. I'm here today mainly because the North City Defense Division asked me to go there."
"I reckon they're going to appoint a new squad leader." Old Huang said with a hint of envy.
Although a squad leader isn't a high-ranking official, guarding the city gate can still be quite lucrative, and two taels of silver a month is no small sum.
Most importantly, they have become full-time soldiers and can receive training manuals from the City Defense Division.
From now on, their lives will be completely different from those of ordinary garrison soldiers.
"Let's go then." Lu Heng nodded, got up and walked out of the courtyard. After locking the door, he and Lao Huang headed towards the city defense headquarters.
As soon as I stepped outside, I could hear crying on the street.
White silk ribbons were hung outside both courtyards.
Old Huang tucked his hands into his sleeves, hunched over, and sighed, "I heard that dozens of people died last night. A squad of city guards was killed here. These northern barbarians never stop."
The city defense headquarters in the north of the city is not far from Binggu Lane. It is a large courtyard with four courtyards, green tiles and blue bricks, and a vermilion gate.
Two soldiers with knives stood outside.
Once inside, you can see dozens of people standing there.
They were discussing something with each other.
Lu Yuan and Lao Huang didn't go over; they just stood in a corner.
One of them was a new recruit, and the other was an older man nearing the end of his military service; usually, no one wanted to talk to them.
"Old Huang, I was in a hurry to leave and forgot to bring my tobacco. Could you go home and get it for me?" A middle-aged soldier walked over and said as soon as the two of them stopped.
"Wei Yong, the centurion will be out soon. If I'm not there, won't that cause trouble? I'll get it for you after this is over," Old Huang said with a forced smile.
He's getting old and has no children, so he's bound to suffer some mistreatment in this place.
"Hey, Lao Huang, why are you getting more and more clueless as you get older? Just go if Brother Wei tells you to. You probably don't know that Brother Wei entered the country a couple of days ago. This time, he's going to do something that's a sure thing. If you know what's good for you, hurry up and do it."
Don't make things difficult for yourself.
A young man standing nearby crossed his arms and glanced at him sideways.
His name is Zhang Gun. He's from the same clan as Lu Yuan and the others. He's young, strong, and has been in Icefield City for quite some time. He's very good at currying favor.
Wei Yong stood there without saying a word, but his face had already darkened.
Old Huang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Go ahead, the centurion will be coming out soon to give a speech."
If he doesn't go, Zhang Gun is telling the truth, and Wei Yong might make things difficult for him.
He had experienced this before; he had done the same thing to others when he was young. Now that he was old and being tricked, he had no complaints.
It's just a bit of a dilemma.
Just as he was about to speak, Lu Yuan frowned and said, "Old Huang is talking to me right now, let's send someone else."
"You little brat..."
Zhang Gun didn't finish his sentence.
A man emerged from the central courtyard, wearing gleaming leather armor with patches on his chest; he was a squad leader of the city guard.
He was slightly older than Lu Yuan.
The city guards are different from the garrison troops in that one is full-time and the other is part-time. The former also has a higher status and is not under the jurisdiction of the local centurion, but directly under the jurisdiction of the city defense department.
Wei Yong was a formal city guard, and his own strength was quite good, so many garrison troops were willing to follow him.
"Who is Lu Yuan? Come with me."
As soon as the squad leader came out, he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Lu Yuan glanced at Zhang Gun without saying anything, responded, and walked towards the central courtyard, where he was led into a room.
The person inside was Zhou Xiong, whom I had seen last night.
He looked up at Lu Yuan, pointed to the chair below, and said, "Sit down and talk."
The latter didn't stand on ceremony and sat down.
"Your skill was quite good yesterday; your swordsmanship has reached a high level?"
"kindness."
Lu Yuan nodded.
"Not bad, it's been a long time since we've had a young man like you. Yesterday I went through the files and found out that your squad leader was killed by the barbarians."
"You'll be the new squad leader. Go collect your armor and weapons later, and choose a martial arts technique."
"Thank you, sir." Lu Yuan hadn't expected to be appointed as a section chief, considering he hadn't been there long.
Zhou Xiong laughed and said, "No need to thank me. You earned this all by yourself. Four skilled fighters who entered the country died at your hands. It would be strange if I didn't mention you."
Remember, as long as you're strong enough, there's never a shortage of opportunities in the Northern Frontier.
As he spoke, a waist token was tossed into Lu Yuan's hand.
Then, pointing to the squad leader who had brought Lu Yuan in, he said, "This is my nephew, Zhou He. You should get to know him better."
Clearly, Zhou Xiong had tried to win over Lu Yuan, treating him as one of his own.
After all, a centurion only has ten squad leaders under his command, especially in the northern frontier, a place where war could break out at any time.
The relationship between superiors and subordinates is relatively harmonious.
Most importantly, Lu Yuan is quite capable and worth nurturing.
"Yes, sir."
"Come on, brother, don't be shy. I'll take you to get your equipment and cultivation techniques, and I'll announce your promotion later."
After hearing his uncle's words, Zhou He stopped being serious and smiled.
She pulled Lu Yuan and walked outside.
Next door was where the equipment was stored. After opening the door, brand-new suits of armor appeared before him.
"This armor is nice. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't one of us. Buy me a drink at noon." Zhou He took out a piece of armor and handed it to Lu Yuan.
Then, the other person felt a weight in their hand.
"It's made of rhinoceros hide, with a layer of refined steel on the chest. It's not as good as the Xuan Tie Heavy Armor, but it's still a good suit of armor. It's very difficult for someone of the same cultivation level to break through it."
Lu Yuan examined the armor in his hand. It was coated with a layer of black metallic paint, and there was a breastplate on each side of the chest.
He looks quite imposing.
It must be said that the equipment in Dayong is quite good.
"Try them on and see the size. If they don't fit, we'll change them." Zhou He didn't stand on ceremony and started taking off Lu Yuan's clothes while helping him put on his armor.
A moment later, a majestic young man in armor appeared in the armory.
The leather armor, crafted from rhinoceros hide, was inlaid with copper studs on each plate. A copper belt was wrapped around the waist, and there was a breastplate on each side of the upper body.
Lu Yuan was already broad-shouldered, but now he appears even more robust.
"Keep wearing it from now on. Wearing armor in the city is a symbol of status and will reduce a lot of trouble," Zhou He said with a grin.
He patted Lu Heng on the shoulder, looking quite satisfied.
Then, she pulled him to a bookshelf and said, "You've been promoted to squad leader and officially become a city guard. You'll be able to lead ten city guards, plus ten rotating garrison soldiers. Choose a cultivation technique."
This is a rare opportunity; in the future, you'll have to exchange military merits for these techniques.
Lu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and stepped forward to begin searching for a suitable cultivation method for himself.