Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 393 Commander You

Chen Qingzhi then said to Yang Zhong and Chen Baxian, "Your rewards have all been reported. Wait for good news."

"Thank you, Commander Chen." The two were also very happy.

Chen Qingzhi then looked at Zu Geng, whom he had rescued, and said, "Commander Zu, why don't you stay and serve in my army?"

He looked unfamiliar to most people. There was no indication that he was actually Zu Geng's martial uncle.

"Yes, sir." Zu Geng knew perfectly well that he could easily be charged with treason. The fact that the court wasn't holding him accountable and was only requiring him to serve in the army meant that his uncle had pulled strings behind the scenes.

How can one possibly say 'no'?

"Tell us how you got back," Chen Qingzhi asked with a smile. "How did you manage to descend from the sky in such an extravagant flying car?"

“This is a ‘royal salute’ custom-made for the ‘Emperor of Great Qi,’ how could it not be extravagant?” Ren Yuan laughed. “It was highly praised by Ge Rong.”

Then he recounted the entire story of his trip to Xindu to Chen Qingzhi.

Chen Qingzhi initially found it amusing. But when he heard Ren Yuan say that they had actually managed to escape Ge Rong's pursuit using this car, his expression became serious.

"Can that God-Slaying Arrow really harm a demigod?"

"We saw it with our own eyes; they even knocked Ge Rong's teeth out," Chen Baxian laughed. "They also blew his hair out."

"Unfortunately, they were all superficial wounds and didn't really hurt him. In the end, it was actually thanks to Ren Xian's 'using one tiger to devour another' strategy, by employing Du Luozhou, that Ge Rong was stopped," Zu Geng commented.

"I underestimated the strength of a demigod. I thought I could at least seriously injure him even if I couldn't kill him. I might as well not call this 'God-Slaying Arrow' anymore."

“Alas, Zu Sima went too far.” Chen Qingzhi shook his head with a wry smile and said, “You were already beyond my comprehension to be able to injure Ge Rong—although a demigod is not a god, he has already transcended the level of mortals, yet he could still be injured by your arrow. Even if it is only a minor injury, it is enough to shock the world!”

As he spoke, he ordered in a deep voice, "After this, you don't need to do anything. Just continue researching the Chinese flying car and the God-Slaying Arrow, and try to get the former into mass production as soon as possible and continue to improve the power of the latter!"

"Yes." Zu Geng nodded. Even without Chen Qingzhi's instructions, he planned to do the same. Ren Yuan had mentioned that Gangzi's armor had been upgraded generation after generation, eventually becoming capable of even dealing with a God King.

Now that he has decided to make China Steel, he certainly cannot stand still.

"Go and transport that vehicle to the central military camp and keep it under guard," Chen Qingzhi ordered again.

"Yes." Chen Zhao replied in a deep voice. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Zu Geng say, "I have to go with you, otherwise you will get hurt by that car."

“Okay.” Chen Zhao inherited Chen Qingzhi’s personality and had enough awe for a car that could hurt a demigod.

~~
Chen Qingzhi dismissed everyone, leaving only Ren Yuan to speak.

"So you're leaving Gouchen Division now, no objections, right?" Chen Qingzhi personally poured him a cup of tea.

Ren Yuan shook his head and smiled, "As long as I follow Commander Chen, and besides, I've been promoted, what objections could I possibly have?"

"But isn't this a bit too big a step?" he said somewhat anxiously.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid of getting hurt?" Chen Qingzhi teased. "Don't worry. Even the Seventh Inner Division isn't anything special. Big shots won't take them seriously. As for the lower ranks, officers from the Gou Chen Division who are transferred to other posts are usually promoted two ranks. Besides, you've made a contribution. Becoming a military commander is more than enough for you." He paused and then laughed, "Besides, is becoming a military commander something just anyone can do? Anyone who's jealous can try."

Among the official positions bestowed upon Ren Yuan by imperial decree, the Commander-in-Chief of the Tent was a military discipline officer responsible for supervising troops and maintaining discipline. He patrolled the camps with a "blue canopy and banner" and was responsible for immediately beheading anyone who disobeyed orders. He was also responsible for recording and verifying the number of heads taken from various camps to prevent false credits.

However, it would be a waste to put someone as talented as him, who had made numerous outstanding contributions, into such a routine official position, so he was also given the post of a military commander.

Commander You, leading 500 elite cavalry, was in charge of reconnaissance. In short, he was the captain of the reconnaissance battalion, responsible for the most dangerous, arduous, and crucial military intelligence work. Only a highly intelligent, courageous, and exceptionally capable general could fulfill this role.

This job is so bad that you'll lose your head if you don't do it right, so no one is jealous of Commander You's position.

“From now on, we won’t go back to Gouchen Division.” Chen Qingzhi simply told Ren Yuanming, “That place is just a stepping stone for us. A true man should make his mark on the battlefield.”

"Your humble servant will follow Commander Chen's lead without question." Ren Yuan said in a deep voice, clasping his hands in a fist salute, "Since Commander Chen intends to achieve merit on the battlefield, your humble servant will serve him faithfully and be his vanguard!"

"Haha, you old subordinates are my greatest asset." Chen Qingzhi chuckled and slowly asked, "When you came back, did you see how undisciplined those guys were?"

“I saw it.” Ren Yuan nodded, deeply moved, “To put it bluntly, even the unruly soldiers under Ge Rong’s command of the Six Garrisons have much better military discipline than them.”

"The Six Garrisons were able to rout the Northern Dynasty's government troops, which is certainly commendable." Chen Qingzhi said with a wry smile, "But my Liang army is definitely not the pathetic force it is now."

"And who are they?" Ren Yuan asked softly.

"They're just putting on an act about me," Chen Qingzhi said calmly. "I'm the only one who has the final say in the Gouchen Division because I founded it myself. Now that I've left the Gouchen Division and joined the Imperial Guard, no one will respect me anymore."

As he spoke, he chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "I heard them say behind my back that Chen Qingzhi, a mere chess slave, knows how to fight? Following him will only lead to our deaths."

"Hmph, you're so condescending." Ren Yuan spat fiercely.

"It's normal that the soldiers don't trust me. After all, I've never been on the battlefield before, and to be honest, I don't even know if I'm capable," Chen Qingzhi confessed.

"Chen Shuai will definitely succeed, or something else will happen!" Ren Yuan said confidently.

"Haha, thank you for your kind words." Chen Qingzhi nodded with a smile, then said seriously, "Those officers also played a very bad role. They deliberately condoned their subordinates' laxity in military discipline, actually just wanting to see me make a fool of myself."

"Why are these guys so vicious?" Ren Yuan asked.

“Because family background matters just like in the military. Since I was parachuted in by the emperor to lead troops, I naturally became a thorn in the side of officers from military families.” Chen Qingzhi said knowingly, “They couldn’t wait to kick me out of the game to ensure the purity of their ranks.”

"Bullshit purity! It's just that they're clinging to the Unity Party and won't allow outsiders to meddle in their little corner of the world," Ren Yuan sneered.

"That's true." Chen Qingzhi nodded and smiled. "Fortunately, the army is different from other places. As long as we win a few brilliant battles, we can win the hearts of the soldiers."

“But how can we win a good battle when the people below are disloyal and disaffected?” Ren Yuan said helplessly.

"It's really difficult. I'm afraid that if we fight, we'll be exposed as soon as we start fighting," Chen Qingzhi said quietly.

“No wonder Commander Chen has been holding back.” Ren Yuan sighed softly, “With a bunch of insects like this, you think you can unify the world? You can’t even hold onto half the country.”

(End of this chapter)