White-Robed Chief

Fan Yang smiled. “Xiao Jiang, I’ll go get those items. Why do you have to bother Old Zhao?”

“I want to see how big his ego is!” Jiang Jinfu laughed coldly. “This is the Soaring Eagle Cavalry, not the Great Light Peak!”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Fan Yang grinned. “This is the Soaring Eagle Cavalry, but what’s the matter with you today, Xiao Jiang? Why do you keep picking on Old Zhao?”

“Elder Fan, are you trying to pick a fight with me as well?” Jiang Jinfu noticed there was something amiss about the way Fan Yang spoke.

Fan Yang waved his arm dismissively. “Of course not. I’m just curious and I want to ask you.”

The twenty prisoners on death row were comprised of young and middle-aged men, with no elderly men among them. They looked at Fan Yang and Jiang Jinfu curiously.

They were supposed to be executed, but they were suddenly informed that they had another chance to live. This would happen as long as they would remain in the Sharp Vigor Battalion for one whole year.

This was great news for them. Even if they failed to stay in the battalion for one year, it was nice for them to live a little longer.

They were not afraid of serious and huge matters. So, they eagerly watched Jiang Jinfu and Fan Yan, anticipating them to get into a fight.

Jiang Jinfu’s face turned darker than ever. He had delicate features and was not a tall person, but he was skilled in martial arts. As the General’s personal scribe, he spent his days ordering people about in the army and had never had someone disobey him before.

Xu Cihang walked towards them lazily and gave Jiang Jinfu a side eye. “What is it? Did you come to the Sharp Vigor Battalion to show how mighty you are?”

Fan Yang waved his arm hastily. “Xiao Xu,this is nothing. Don’t get yourself involved.”

Xu Cihang continued to look at Jiang Jinfu. “If you try to stir up trouble, I’ll break your neck!”

He may look sleepy and lethargic on the outside, but he was the most hot-tempered one. Instead, his personality was the complete opposite of Fan Yang’s.

“Alright, alright, don’t start breaking necks for no reason.” Fan Yang pushed him and grinned. “Don’t mind him, Xiao Jiang. Let’s go and get the equipment!”

Jiang Jinfu glared at Xu Cihang coldly.

He was aware of Xu Cihang’s history. Although the man was skinny, he was very strong. Back in the day, he had broken the neck of a fellow centurion and as a result, he was exiled to the Sharp Vigor Battalion. If Jiang Jinfu aggravated Xu Cihang, his own neck might be broken.

“Let’s go.” He snorted angrily and left.

Xu Cihang stepped inside Chu Li’s tent and sat down on the other bed. “Oppressive brute!”

“People like him spell trouble and should be gotten rid of.” Chu Li shook his head. “Or else, be a neutral person like Elder Fan.”

If he emphasized mercy and kindness in the army, he would only be viewed as a weakling. Moreover, he was in the Li Dynasty’s army so he had to maintain an open mind.

“If you give him face, he will take advantage of it and assume you’re genuinely afraid of him!” Xu Cihang grumbled. “If he dares to cause trouble, I’ll seize an opportunity to kill him!”

Chu Li nodded. “These new recruits aren’t a seasoned bunch.”

He had already observed all twenty men. None of them were Grandmasters and the most powerful one was merely a Perfected Innate Master.

By dumping these men to the Sharp Vigor Battalion, their fate was most certainly death.

“Better than no one,” Xu Cihang muttered. “Better train them well in their riding skills. Till then, we can just set up an outpost.”

“We need to use them properly.” Chu Li shook his head. “I have a rough understanding of formations. Since they are weak in martial arts, I’d better train them in formations. It’s better for them than to fight alone.”

“Battle Formation Technique?” Xu Cihang gasped.

Chu Li said, “I know a bit of it.”

“A true disciple of the Holy Church of Light indeed!” Xu Cihang grinned.

Chu Li smiled. Very few disciples of the Holy Church of Light were familiar with formations, but he refused to mention that. “We need to toughen them up before we can train them properly.”

“Leave that to me!” Xu Cihang patted his chest.

Meanwhile, Fan Yang and Jiang Jinfu had returned. They carried back with them twenty sets of armor and twenty blades in which they distributed to the crowd.

Before Jiang Jinfu walked away, he glared at Chu Li’s tent viciously.

Then, he went back to the main tent in the army and met Yang Ping. He gave a fist salute. “General, the men have settled down in the Sharp Vigor Battalion.”

As Yang Ping stared at a map, he nodded in an unconcerned manner.

Jiang Jinfu took a deep breath and spoke, “General, I don’t understand something.”

Still, Yang Ping did not lift his head. Instead, he continued to stare at the map as he said, “Speak.”

Jiang Jinfu asked, “Why don’t you send Zhao Dahe away? What’s the purpose of keeping him?”

This time, Yang Ping lifted his head up and looked at him.

Jiang Jinfu lowered his head in a guilty manner.

“Why? Has he offended you?” Yang Ping got up and approached him.

Feeling embarrassed, Jiang Jinfu smiled. “No, it’s just that I’m not used to his poor attitude. He became the boss the moment he entered the Sharp Vigor Battalion!”

He could remember the first time he entered the military encampment and the oppression he faced until he finally gained the General’s recognition. He was then selected to become the latter’s personal scribe.

He was the son of a nobleman, while Zhao Dahe was merely a disgraced disciple who had his martial arts abilities crippled. What was it that made people view him as a leader? That was the Sharp Vigor Battalion!

Yang Ping nodded and patted Jiang Jinfu’s shoulder. “Did you taunt him?”

“I ordered him to assist me with getting the equipment, but he completely ignored me!” Jiang Jinfu snorted.

Yang Ping said, “He’s a disciple of the Holy Church of Light. Naturally, he has a huge ego.”

“He’s now a soldier of the Soaring Eagle Cavalry, not a disciple of the Holy Church of Light!” Jiang Jinfu scoffed.

Yang Ping smiled. “You are envious of him, aren’t you?”

Jiang Jinfu scratched his head sheepishly. “I can’t hide anything from you, can I?”

Yang Ping pointed at him. “You shouldn’t have reacted like that!”

Jiang Jinfu was upset. “General, I couldn’t tolerate his attitude, so I wanted to snuff that ego of his!”

“His ego is just a part of the Holy Church of Light’s ego. Do you think you can snuff that?” Yang Ping waved his arm. “Fine, stop embarrassing yourself and get to work!”

“General, are you going to leave him be and not send them out to battle?” Jiang Jinfu asked, “Just let them go out and be rid of them!”

It was too easy to eliminate the men of the Sharp Vigor Battalion. All the General had to do was give an order and the men would be sent on an impossible mission that would result in a dead end for them. Even the most skillful individual would not be able to survive. One person was not powerful enough to face an entire army.

Yang Ping spoke, “I have a plan for this, no hurry.”

“…Yes.” Jiang Jinfu noticed Yang Ping’s serious expression and did not dare to say anything further. “General, I’ve crossed the line.”

Yang Ping said in a low voice, “Don’t taunt him again!”

“Yes!” Jiang Jinfu replied helplessly.

He retreated from the tent unhappily.

Yang Ping fixed his gaze on Jiang Jinfu’s silhouette. He clasped both hands behind his back and paced in front of the desk. His expression was inscrutable.

Obviously, he wanted Zhao Dahe to meet his death as quickly as possible, but he had his concerns.

Zhao Dahe was a disciple of the Holy Church of Light. Moreover, he was a Branch Leader before he violated the Church’s rule. Evidently — he was no ordinary disciple.

If an ordinary disciple could not die, what about a Branch Leader? If Yang Ping dared to use Zhao Dahe as a normal soldier of the Sharp Vigor Battalion and he did perish in the battalion, how could the rest of the Holy Church’s disciples forgive him?

Zhao Dahe might have violated the Church’s rules, but he had not been banished from the Holy Church of Light yet. He was still its disciple.

The disciples of the Holy Church of Light were particularly influential in the army and the government. Although he was strongly opposed to the Holy Church’s influence in the army, he was not completely against the Church. He knew how mighty it was and he was nothing but an ant before the Holy Church of Light.

The best way was to hang Zhao Dahe out to dry. Then, there would be no chance for him to gain merits! However, he would not let any accidents happen to him and would prevent him from dying in the Soaring Eagle Cavalry.