Chapter 480: Promotion

Chapter 480: Chapter 480: Promotion

On the fourth day of the seventh lunar month, what was destined to come finally arrived.

Regardless of envy or jealousy from others, the reward proclamation for the Black Banner Battalion was once again posted on the wall of the main hall in the Thousand Households Station.

The reward proclamation is not an announcement of a case—it will not disclose the reasons for the rewards, only the specific categories and names of recipients. The two prominent seals at the end immediately stifled anyone’s sour comments.

Jingxi Governor Jiang Cheng.

Commander Pang Ban.

With these two signatures and seals, who would dare to openly criticize? The more astute simply smiled and said, "Congratulations"; the less sophisticated only scowled and turned away.

Silver coins, elixirs, merit...

Ordinary soldiers look at the silver coins and elixirs. Those with some position care mainly about the merit.

Most important is merit. This is rarely included in the reward proclamation unless someone accomplishes something outstanding. Yet with the Black Banner Battalion, merit seems to be as common as street fare—each time they manage to accrue quite a bit. How do they pull that off?

But no one doubted the fairness of the rewards. The Xuanqing Guard has a poor reputation, but its credibility is solid—externally and internally alike.

Since the rewards are fair, then the "problem" must lie with the leadership. Exactly what outstanding feat did they accomplish to deserve such accolades?

Those with a mind for intrigue immediately focused on the recently notorious "Ministry of War Corruption Case" that has the bureaucracy abuzz. That was the name they gave it, as no details about its progress were ever made public—all investigations fell to the Black Banner Battalion of the Xuanqing Guard. Yet the scope was unprecedented in decades—even the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War ended up in prison. Some even rumored that the National Pillar General Yang Yansi was sidelined.

Today’s rewards must be connected to that case.

Finally, looking over the personnel changes at the end of the proclamation was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

"Beginning today, the Black Banner Battalion of Fengri City is promoted to Deputy Thousand Households structure; all related positions and ranks will be raised accordingly..." At the end, there was also a restriction: "Special case trial implementation."

"Hiss..." All who saw this reward couldn’t help but gasp. This was a direct, tangible elevation—formally raising the Black Banner Battalion’s structure half a rank above others of the same status.

Especially for those stuck at their posts for years—their eyes were red with envy. Xiaoqi becomes General Flag, General Flag becomes Trial Hundred Households... The size is unchanged, but the positions are genuinely elevated.

Isn’t this practically a promotion by staying put?

...

"Congratulations, my lord, upon your appointment as Deputy Thousand Households! May martial fortune ever flourish for you!" Wang Jian knelt on one knee, offering Shen Hao a grave and ceremonious salute.

In the Public Office, Shen Hao looked at his newly-changed robe and nodded in satisfaction. Aside from the Taotie Pattern, a Deputy Thousand Households’ black robe was now adorned with a red embroidered sash, an added flourish, making it much livelier than before.

With the new robe came the full regalia: waist token, belt, Yanji Saber.

Especially the new Yanji Saber—this had been specially mentioned and approved by Jiang Cheng as a top-grade magical artifact, a rank normally reserved for Senior Fifth Grade Commanders of a Thousand Households. This was certainly an exception made for Shen Hao.

"Get up, no need to stand on such ceremony. I was promoted, but aren’t you all getting half a rank raise as well? When will your new robes be issued?" After donning his new gear, Shen Hao sat down again, picked up his tea, and chatted with Wang Jian in good spirits.

After two days off, Wang Jian’s complexion had fully recovered, and thanks to this batch of rewards, he was in especially high spirits.

"In reply to my lord, I’ve already inquired—they said the set has arrived. I’ll be able to collect it when I return shortly." Wang Jian could barely contain his excitement. Though working in Fengri City was tiring, the gains far outweighed the hardships. In such a short time, he had gone from Small Banner Officer to Flag Officer, and his rank was already Senior Seventh Grade. Before coming here, who would have believed it?

"Good. There are two main things I called you for. The credit for the ’Ma San Case’ isn’t limited to what’s listed on the proclamation—much more was secretly awarded by Lord Governor himself. This classified reward concerns the intelligence network derived from the Black Water Plan—your Four Divisions, as well as Zhang Lie, Flying Dragon, and the others.

This document cannot be given to you, so just read and remember it here."

Wang Jian received the secret order Shen Hao handed over, quickly read through it, and after the time it takes to eat a meal, closed it and handed it back to the table.

"My lord, there’s no precise conversion standard here—no exact figures from above?" Wang Jian noticed that the order only described the general reward rules, with specifics for non-Xuanqing Guard personnel like Zhang Lie and Flying Dragon remaining vague.

"Didn’t it say ’exercise your own judgment’? Zhang Lie, Flying Dragon, those under your Four Divisions were all derived from the Black Water Plan. How to allocate rewards to them involves many practical and detailed matters. There was a rough plan from above, but when Lord Governor consulted me, I found it unsuitable. So it was finalized as ’use your own judgment’—meaning you all must list out a feasible method based on the facts."

Wang Jian’s eyes lit up in surprise, "We get to make our own conversion?"

"Yes, that’s right. You can use your own Document Library for this task. Don’t be too strict, but don’t be too lenient either. Try to make the reward levels comparable to those on the public proclamation.

As before, the rewards for people like Zhang Lie can be converted and passed on to their descendants. This time, you will similarly propose a suitable strategy for future reference. Speed this up—you’ll need to copy it and report a copy to the Governor’s Office."

"Understood, sir."

Business on the rewards concluded, Shen Hao continued, "How is your contact with the Hengshun Carriage and Horse Company coming along?"

"There’s already progress. First, we’ll send thirty secret agents into the company, mainly targeting the transfer and supply points Hengshun has set up throughout the regions. As for the carriage drivers, they’re the next group—after some specialized training to make them pass as real teamsters."

Shen Hao nodded, then added, "After our people are inside, keep a close watch on Hengshun Carriage and Horse Company and their master, Liu Hengyi. Didn’t he put up a ten percent stake in the Black Water Plan’s public account? Assign someone to keep regular contact. Besides carriages, waterborne vessels are crucial as well."

"Vessels?" Wang Jian caught his superior’s implication and asked, "Do you have a particular target, sir?"

"The waterway from Weak Water to Gorge River junction will be the focus for you in the next half year." Shen Hao produced a rough map he’d drawn himself, with a red dot marking the location of the City of Unjust Death.

"This place is surrounded on two sides by sea, and all supplies must travel overland; there are no big cities nearby. But it borders the Weak Water and Gorge River junction, and is close to quality waterways, so shipping will certainly be prioritized before switching to carriage and horse. I want you to seize the chance to infiltrate—find out exactly who’s responsible for delivering supplies here..."