Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

"Yes, yes, this is Sangzi Village. Your Excellency, what brings you here...?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Anping quickly apologized to Luo Yang and jogged over to greet him.

For him, the position of county magistrate still held more weight, as it concerned everyone's livelihood. Luo Yang, on the other hand, was only responsible for conscription. Since he was returning to his hometown with Lu Xiao, there were no other surprises.

County Magistrate Dong Shan helped him up with a smile, his face full of politeness:

"No, no, you flatter me. If the village chief doesn't mind, you can just call me Brother Dong."

His politeness exceeded everyone's expectations.

Because Lu Xiao and Luo Yang were standing behind the villagers, Dong Shan didn't see them. After speaking, he gestured to the constables behind him to bring out several large boxes and open them in front of everyone:

"Brother Lu, my magistrate has received news that a great victory was achieved at White Wolf Mountain a few days ago, and Squad Leader Lu was credited with the greatest merit. Therefore, the magistrate has ordered us to deliver the reward."

"Here are one hundred taels of silver, ten bolts of silk, and ten bolts of fine silk. Please count them carefully and keep them safe for Squad Leader Lu."

"When Sergeant Lu gets home, don't forget to invite your brother over for a couple of drinks at his wedding!"

"Hahaha……"

Dong Shan's words shocked all the villagers. Lu Anping was especially stunned, staring blankly at the box in front of him for a long time before he came back to his senses.

In his excitement, he completely forgot that Lu Xiao was right behind the crowd, and only remembered to keep stealing from Dong Shan:

"Your Excellency, how can this be?"

For generations, the people of Sangzi Village have made a living by raising silkworms and weaving cloth. They have been in contact with silk products the most in their lives, but they have always been making clothes for others. When have they ever had spare money to sew clothes for themselves with silk?

The villagers were extremely envious of the silk and felt a deep sense of envy towards Liu Xianya.

They could even picture each other wearing clothes made of silk.

Dong Shan, all smiles, suddenly noticed the villagers behind Lu Anping automatically parting to make way for him. Then Luo Yang emerged with a young man, and Dong Shan hurriedly greeted him.

"So it's Commander Luo! I've heard so much about you!"

The reason he came in person to deliver the reward on behalf of the county magistrate was because he had just received news of personnel transfers from the prefectural city that morning.

General Long bypassed the county magistrate and personally appointed Luo Yang as the current garrison captain and Lu Xiao as the commander of the White Wolf outpost. While this undoubtedly reflected their respective positions and powers, it also revealed a great deal of implications.

Both he and the county magistrate believed that Luo Yang and Lu Xiao would definitely have a place in Changyang County in the future!

Therefore, after discussing with the county magistrate, Dong Shan decided to start befriending Lu Xiao when he was still in a lowly position.

After speaking, Dong Shan looked at the young man again:

"This must be Sergeant Lu Xiao, right?"

"He's no longer a section chief."

Luo Yang answered Lu Xiao with a smile, which surprised everyone.

Has something changed?

Then Luo Yang said again:

"Yesterday morning, General Long personally summoned Lu Xiao and appointed him as the centurion of the White Wolf outpost on the spot, so he should be addressed as centurion!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present except Dong Shan was shocked and bewildered.

In the eyes of the villagers, being a squad leader was already an extraordinary achievement. Now, Lu Xiao has only been in the army for a few days, yet he has become a centurion, a position they usually look up to. How could this not be surprising?

Dong Shan knew that the sentiment had been conveyed, and other matters could be discussed later. Besides, he didn't really like lingering in such a rural place, so he politely greeted Lu Xiao and the others and made an excuse to leave.

"Gentlemen, I must return to the county office to handle official business. Time is of the essence, so I will not stay any longer."

"Lord Luo, Commander Lu, halt here! I shall proceed first!"

After saying this, he gave a shout and left with his servants.

Only then did the villagers recover from their shock and begin chattering about what they had seen and heard that day.

The focus of the discussion was naturally Lu Xiao.

At this moment, Luo Yang noticed the adoration and pride, and the burning gaze, on Liu Xianya's eyes when she looked at Lu Xiao. He tactfully pulled Lu Xiao aside and chuckled as he handed him ten taels of silver.

"I didn't bring much silver with me on this trip. Consider this silver a gift for your wife. Please give it to her for me later."

"Brother Luo, you haven't even come over for a cup of tea yet!"

Lu Xiao quickly tried to persuade him to stay.

The two men's relationship deepened after this great victory, and they began to address each other as brothers in private.

Luo Yang smiled and waved his hand:

"The people in your village have been receiving news of your promotion one after another, not to mention your beautiful wife waiting patiently at home. If I stay any longer, I'll just be making a fool of myself."

"Besides, don't I have a beautiful wife waiting for me at home?"

Then he winked at Liu Xianya beside him:

"Your sister-in-law has excellent taste in choosing a husband. He even refused the general's offer to marry his daughter to him for your sake. You must cherish him in the future!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Yang turned and left, leading his horse away, waving goodbye to everyone with his back to them.

He accompanied Lu Xiao home to visit his relatives this time mainly to prove to the people of Sangzi Village that the other party had indeed made meritorious contributions and been promoted, and that some people in the village did not recognize the situation.

With Dong Shan's personal arrival, Lu Xiao was now the number one person in Sangzi Village, so he had nothing to worry about.

Once he left, Lu Xiao was left to face the villagers' questions alone.

Seeing that everyone was chattering and making a racket, Lu Anping had no choice but to use his authority as the village chief to force everyone to quiet down. He then pulled Lu Xiao to sit down on the large stone mill at the village entrance.

"If you have any questions, Brother Xiao will answer them one by one, so everyone please stop talking at once."

"Brother Xiao, tell us about what happened in that great battle."

"Yes, we only heard that during the two days of fighting, dark clouds filled the sky above the White Wolf outpost, and there were some troop movements in the county town, but we have no idea how the fighting actually happened!"

The villagers made their demands immediately after he finished speaking.

Fang Linshi squeezed to the front, bowed her head, and apologized to Lu Xiao:

"Young Master Lu... no, Lord Lu, I was blind before and said some unpleasant things to Madam Lu. Please forgive me, Lord Lu!"

"We're all on blind dates, so let's just get along well in the future."

To be honest, Lu Xiao never took this matter to heart. The reason he didn't involve Luo Yang in stopping it was because he believed Liu Xianya could handle it.

Moreover, when the news gets back, the person who made the mistake will naturally bow their head and admit it.

So he didn't pursue Fang Linshi's responsibility directly, but instead gave everyone a brief account of what happened on the battlefield, which immediately drew gasps of surprise from the crowd.

Then, Lu Xiao cupped his hands in greeting to those around him and invited them with a smile:

"Since everyone is here, I would like to invite you all to my house for a drink and a good meal. I, Lu Xiao, am extremely grateful for your hospitality!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers readily agreed with smiles, and they all went home to bring out their best wine and dishes, making a ruckus at Lu Xiao's house until nightfall before finally saying goodbye.

The house suddenly became empty and quiet.

After Liu Xianya finished tidying up, she took Lu Xiao's hand and led him into the room, her face slightly flushed.

"My lord, let me help you change your clothes..."