Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 105 Gods and Demons Envy: Studying Three Classes Simultaneously, Losing Half of One's Life

When Wang Cheng looked up, he found that behind a completely collapsed courtyard wall, the commander who could annihilate a third-rank ghost god with a wave of his hand was looking at him.

She gave Yunxiao a reassuring look, then quickly ran over, clasped her hands in a respectful greeting, and introduced herself:

"This humble official, Wang Fugui, a centurion of the Baoshan Thousand-Household Office, greets Lord Lu."

Lu Yi used his "Xiezhi Fayan" (a type of magical eye) to sized up "Wang Fugui" in front of him.

Scholarly titles, official ranks, and official aura—these official markers of status naturally did not escape the eyes of a [Martial Judge].

But besides that, he also faintly saw a very strong aura of yin virtue in Wang Cheng.

Based on Lu Yi's years of experience in handling cases, this person must have saved at least a thousand or more lives, or done good deeds of equal magnitude.

My initial impression of him was very good.

After all, whether you're a good person or a bad person, you'll definitely prefer to deal with kind, trustworthy, and loyal people, at least you're less likely to be betrayed.

Originally, it was just a routine conscription, but now, for the first time ever, a sigh escaped his lips:
"The imperial court knew that the collapse of the twenty-four coastal guards had been going on for more than a day or two. Military households were fleeing in large numbers, and many officials and generals had become large landowners by seizing land from military farms."

The recent "Minzhou Rebellion Case" and the "Gentlemen Colluding with Japanese Pirates to Launch a Surprise Attack on Yuegang" have both enraged Your Majesty. I was originally planning to suggest that Your Majesty completely replace the garrison troops with a conscription system to resist the Japanese pirates.

It makes me seem rather blind to have seen a centurion like you in the garrison today.

The performance of the soldiers and officers of the Quanzhou Garrison today may not represent the entirety of the twenty-four coastal garrisons.

Wang Cheng made a seemingly modest remark:
"I am ashamed."

But he muttered to himself:
Actually, you are right.

At least the Quanzhou Port could muster a contingent of old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers, while most of the military households of Baoshan Thousand Household Garrison had already fled more than twenty years ago when the historical dregs resurfaced.

Sister Axiao told me that the garrison commander and most of the officials died on the spot, otherwise where would Yuegang have come from?

If you, as his superior, were to go and inspect, you wouldn't even be able to find where the military camp is.

But Wang Cheng didn't say anything, which piqued Lu Yi's interest, so he asked him another question:
"Now that the Prince of Jinghai has returned to his divine position, the Japanese pirates who attacked Yuegang are only a minor problem. The raging pirates from the East China Sea are the real threat."

The imperial court intends to select some of the elite troops from the Twenty-Four Guards to form the core of the border defense, and the regulations will be finalized by mid-February.

How many soldiers and warships does your Baoshan Garrison still have? What is its combat strength?

"This one?"

Backed by the intelligence network of the Shanhai Society, Wang Cheng, in order to leverage this power to reclaim the core of the Wufeng Banner, was more aware of this intelligence than most of the garrison officers.

Now that there is an opportunity to probe the thoughts of this close advisor to the emperor, it will obviously be of immense help to him in his risky endeavor.

Unfortunately, that's easier said than done.

Seeing the difficulty on Wang Cheng's face, Lu Yi waved his hand:

"This is just a private chat, feel free to speak your mind."

"I have personally witnessed the true conditions of many garrisons these past few days, and I am mentally prepared. No matter how bad the situation is, I will not be angry."

Wang Cheng's "Rare Goods for Hoarding" strategy failed to see through this fourth-rank military judge, but it did reveal his straightforward personality, and he no longer showed any consideration for the local officials with whom he already had a grudge.
"Lord Lu, Baoshan belongs to Zhenhai Guard, one of the four great guards of the Great Zhao Dynasty."

During the reign of Emperor Taizu, the Zhenhai Guard was a strong and well-equipped force, serving as the first line of defense against Japanese pirates, evil spirits, and various sea monsters along the coast.

One guard had nearly 6000 men and dozens of warships.

In addition to its own garrison town, it also governed four thousand-household garrisons, which, from north to south, were Baoshan Thousand-Household Garrison, Lu'ao Thousand-Household Garrison, Tongshan Thousand-Household Garrison, and Xuanzhong Thousand-Household Garrison.

However, more than 20 years ago, Baoshan was transformed into Yuegang, a bustling commercial hub, and more than 10 years ago, Xuanzhong was transformed into Meiling, a place frequented by pirates.
Now, you ask us how many actual combat troops we still have here?

Wang Cheng silently extended one finger.

Hearing this, even though Lu Yi was somewhat prepared, his face turned extremely grim. He forcibly suppressed his anger and said in a low voice a number that was close to his psychological limit:

"You didn't mention the situation at Baoshan Police Station separately. Could it be that all four police stations combined only have a thousand people left?"

Wang Cheng cruelly corrected:

"We also need to add the servants of the Zhenhaiwei garrison commander, deputy commander, and commanders to make up about a thousand people!"

As a centurion, I don't actually have a single soldier or a single boat under my command.

As you know, Prince Jinghai has been pacifying the borders for three years, and the East China Sea is at peace. The entire Zhenhaiwei is now a place of peace and quiet, with people enjoying music in brothels.

I bet they probably asked the imperial court for a lot of money for their military pay.
Was it under the pretext of guarding against Prince Jinghai?

Lu Yi's face was ashen. He was already burning with anger, and then Lu Yi was stabbed in the chest.

I was going to ask you, since you know so much, why don't you report it to the authorities?

It was only when I saw Wang Cheng's degree of Xiucai (a degree in the imperial examination system) that I suddenly remembered that he had given up his official position and left his hometown to take the Xiucai exam. What else could he do?
Not colluding with others in corruption is already a great virtue of an official.

How can one expect everyone in the Great Zhao Dynasty to be like Hai Gangfeng?

If everyone were that kind of stubborn person, it's uncertain whether the Great Zhao Dynasty would be finished, but Emperor Shaozhi, who is obsessed with alchemy, would probably be the first to perish.

If even the emperor's interests are not aligned with the interests of the nation, one can imagine how difficult it is to lead such a group when the people's hearts are scattered.

"Third Uncle, shouldn't we start making arrangements for the Pu family's assets? Cough cough."

At this moment, a young man, not more than two years older than Wang Cheng and dressed in the official robes of a commander of the White Scale Guard, led a caravan from the port direction at the end of the long street to the front of the Pu family's ancestral home. He spoke fluent Beijing dialect.

Before the carriage had come to a complete stop, he jumped down, casually cupped his hands in greeting to Lu Yi, and took a swig from the wine flask at his waist.

He coughed and vomited blood immediately after swallowing it.

Strangely enough, neither he nor Lu Yi seemed to care at all, as if they were used to it.

"Is this gentleman injured? Should we go see a doctor first before returning to carry out the imperial mission?"

Wang Cheng couldn't help but mention it.

He's working too hard; he truly deserves the Lu family's favor. If he couldn't make it in the top tier, it would be an injustice. "It's alright, this is my nephew, Lu Yunchen, the commander of the White Scale Guard. He's just like this."

If the imperial court issues its coastal defense regulations, he might come to your Zhenhaiwei for training, and you might even have the opportunity to work together.

"Just follow him when they raid the house later."

"Yun Chen, this is Wang Fugui, the centurion of Baoshan Thousand Household Office. Take him in and help us."

Lu Yi, who was in a bad mood, waved his hand and sent them away.

"Yes, Lord Lu."

Upon hearing the name Lu Yunchen, Wang Cheng knew that he was the assistant who had just assisted Lu Yi in launching the "Five Thunderbolts" crossbow attack on the ship.

Despite his pale complexion, emaciated appearance, premature gray hair, and a rusty, sheathed longsword hanging loosely at his waist.

However, he is definitely a ruthless character with real skills, not some lazy rich kid who just wants to live off others. He cannot be underestimated.

Judging from the way this official was drinking and vomiting blood, Wang Cheng seriously suspected that it wouldn't be surprising if he suddenly collapsed and died.

As they followed him toward the mansion, out of curiosity, one of them threw a [Rare Goods for Hoarding] at him.

Upon seeing the other party's information, I thought to myself: Wow!

Before watching, I thought: What's going on? Why does he look like he's about to die?

After seeing this, I thought: They're still alive? Human vitality is truly amazing!
[Rare Item: Lu Yunchen, 20 years old, commander of the White Scale Guard.]

Born into a noble family, his grandfather was the brother of the ruler of the state, and they grew up on the same milk. As the eldest grandson of the Lu family, he was favored by the ruler of the state and the dynasty's fortune from a young age.

A person with a noble destiny: The "Three Wonders of Noble Character" is a general term for the three wonders of "Heaven, Earth, and Man". The three wonders of Heaven are Jia, Wu, and Geng; the three wonders of Earth are Yi, Bing, and Ding; and the three wonders of Man are Gui, Ren, and Xin.

Those who possess this destiny are destined to be honored guests of the emperor, like Yi Yin to Tang of Shang, Taigong to King Wen, Zhang Liang to Emperor Gaozu, and Daoyan to Emperor Taizong.
Furthermore, with the Three Wonders in one's destiny, the person will surely possess outstanding character, great curiosity, and extensive knowledge and abilities.

Lu Yunchen was exceptionally talented from a young age. He could recognize a thousand characters at the age of three, recite Tang poems at the age of five, and was well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics at the age of seven. By the age of eight, he had already lit the lamp of his heart.

By a stroke of luck, I ended up holding three jobs:

The sixth-rank Heavenly Official "Divine Firmament Taoist", the sixth-rank Earthly Official "Swordsman", and the sixth-rank Water Official "Water Dividing General" are rare examples in history of officials who can collectively represent the three elements of Heaven, Earth, and Water.

He advanced in all three positions simultaneously, reaching the middle third rank before the age of twenty, and once defeated a fifth-rank enemy with the strength of the weak.

Both the Emperor and the Director of the Imperial Observatory were astonished by his extraordinary talent.

However, this move comes at a heavy price, bringing with it a negative fate: the envy of the gods and spirits!

Even the Three Officials in this world are divided into three, each in charge of a region's destiny. Heaven will not allow such a boastful fellow to exist; even ghosts and gods would be jealous of his talent.

The gods and spirits are jealous of him; he will lose half his life, his days are numbered, and he is destined to have no descendants.

"Countless predecessors wanted to take on part-time jobs, mainly because their official positions were too low-level and they had little potential."

For example, even if [Ye Xianglang] becomes the overlord, he is still just a dung tyrant. He would feel disgusted if an official from the Heavenly Rank came and trampled him to death.

The most feasible way is to randomly combine and generate new, more promising official positions and titles, like the cycle of grains, flies, germs, and finally... pshaw, anyway, that's the principle.

The more positions one holds, the closer one is to the Dao. It is based on this principle that people throughout history have continuously attempted to take on multiple roles to forge a new path.

"Master chose the Star-Gazer and the Court Attendant, but neither of them has succeeded yet."

I chose Bai Shuilang and Chao Fenglang, but I won't be able to collect them all until the end of the month. I need to observe how things develop further.

We are relatively conservative; both of our professions are in the water element, so we only worship one water official and obtain only one [Heavenly Water Golden Toad Qi].

This Commander Lu is exceptionally abnormal. He was on a broad and promising road, yet he still chose to seek death by selecting the Taoist priest Shenxiao, the swordsman, and the general Fenshui to refine his technique using the three officials' Taoist energy. Is this a destiny that a person can bear?

The fact that he didn't die only proves that this "Three Wonders Nobleman" is truly a genius!
Your life, Commander Lu, is much tougher than Commander Zuo's.

If he had only pursued a low-ranking career, his family background might have given him a chance at the highest rank. What a pity!

Lu Yunchen keenly sensed the regret in Wang Cheng's eyes.

Thinking he felt he was seriously ill, he took another sip of wine and said quite nonchalantly:

"Brother Fugui, don't worry about me!"
The troubles of a genius like me are beyond the comprehension and understanding of ordinary people like you.

Don't be fooled by the fact that my third uncle took over the old man's position; he became a fourth-rank official in his early thirties.

Brother, if I live to his age, I'll make him stand there motionless, one arm and one leg! Believe me?

After saying that, he coughed violently again, covered his mouth with a handkerchief, and collected all the blood he coughed up instead of spitting it on the ground, which was quite a good deed.

Realizing that his tone of voice might make him a target of a beating, he toned it down a bit.

"You see, you'll get used to it."

What else could Wang Cheng say? He repeatedly said:

"Trust, trust, trust!"

When they reached the inner courtyard gate, the guards demanded that all magical artifacts and talismans, such as the Qiankun bag, be left outside to avoid any misunderstandings later.

"Don't worry. Our White Scale Guards treat people quite well when they raid homes."

Unlike those petty clerks who guard the treasury, who have to be searched every time someone enters or leaves the treasury, so…

Lu Yunchen gave Wang Cheng a knowing look.

When you come out, they will only check if you have anything hidden in your clothes. They will turn a blind eye to other things. You can bring a little bit, it's okay.

How much can be smuggled in this way?
If brothers do this much, even the emperor wouldn't dare to pursue the matter further.

"Understood."

Wang Cheng readily agreed and decided to follow local customs, taking advantage of the White Scale Guard's violent organization by bringing only a tiny bit of them.

(End of this chapter)