Chapter 575: Follow-Up

Chapter 575: Chapter 575: Follow-Up

Zhang Ye has also been in the limelight recently. Of the two Deputy Thousand Households, he took on the daily affairs, while Li Jiang took on the Inspectorate. It’s hard to say which is more important, but the only two core deputies have been firmly established. Now, the Inspector is no longer the smiling "Black Skin" from before; he has firmly suppressed the once domineering Military Supervisor, his authority unrivaled.

The previous day, Shen Hao had asked Zhang Ye to select one hundred elite soldiers, demanding that both their cultivation and intellect be top-notch. This was not easy to choose, requiring repeated comparison, and coordination with Li Jiang before any decision. Unexpectedly, Shen Hao asked for the results so soon, leaving Zhang Ye a little nervous for a moment.

One hundred people, fifty confirmed? Shen Hao was fairly satisfied with this speed. While not especially fast, it wasn’t slow either. At least it showed that Zhang Ye had put genuine effort into it.

"Half confirmed? For the rest, keep speeding up. Once these people are selected, work closely with Li Jiang and have him gradually assign these people one by one into the main structure of the Border Army."

"Huh? My lord, I... I don’t quite understand," Zhang Ye said in confusion. What does it mean to be assigned to the main structure of the Border Army?

Shen Hao frowned slightly and explained, "In every place within the Border Army where there are Military Supervisors following the army, we must also have our people embedded. Every single opinion from the Military Supervisor must be immediately monitored: routine matters need quick judgment on whether to reject, important ones should be sent back to the Inspectorate for swift decision. Now do you understand?"

Zhang Ye was taken aback, then immediately nodded repeatedly. Now he understood. To put it bluntly, this was to go toe-to-toe with the Military Supervisors who ran rampant in the Border Army.

The moment he realized this, Zhang Ye’s heart was set ablaze. The reason those Military Supervisors held such unmatched positions in the military, untouchable by most, was because they were scattered throughout the army at every key position, controlling the depth of military decisions, holding great power that others had to yield to. Now, if the Inspector could use this same approach and plant themselves deep within vital military spots, wouldn’t their status in the army rise even higher?

These last two days, news of war had spread everywhere, and the military was in an uproar, cries for battle rising one after another—now was the time for the army to raise its head. If they could align with the Military Supervisors, even leaning slightly more towards the army, it could absolutely allow the Inspector’s status in both the army and the Dynasty to rise along with the military itself.

Sadly, from Lord Shen’s words, the actual execution would still fall to Li Jiang and the Inspectorate; now responsible for daily affairs, he couldn’t meddle in their business.

Ah, if only I’d let Li Jiang take daily affairs and I had taken the Inspectorate business! What a great achievement I’ve missed out on, Zhang Ye lamented inwardly.

"Understood, my lord. I’ll hurry back and get this arranged, and be sure to communicate your intentions to Li Jiang."

Li Jiang was currently over at Zhuo Huo Pass, sorting out the situation. If Zhang Ye wanted to find him, he’d have to use the Thousand-Mile Sound to contact him.

"Also, I’ve noticed a new government office has been set up in town, called ’Jingying Prefecture.’ What’s that about?" Shen Hao had seen yesterday while strolling down the street that only two blocks from his residence, a new office had hung its plaque. The name was odd—it actually used the word "Prefecture"—and there was even a stone beast as tall as a person at the door, suggesting its scale was certainly larger than the Inspector’s office of Thousand Households rank. Yet, he had never heard of such an office in the Jingjiu Dynasty.

Zhang Ye first froze, then recalled that although this Lord Shen had quite a temper and a fearsome reputation, he was after all still young and had never served in the military; it was quite normal to not know some of the more hidden matters.

So Zhang Ye explained, "My lord, the Jingying Prefecture isn’t actually a permanent institution of our Jingjiu Dynasty—it’s only set up temporarily when there’s a major war. Usually, there’s only a vacant spot left for it... Actually, the inside is filled with Sect Cultivators summoned by the Dynasty to go up against Barbarian Race cultivators."

Shen Hao suddenly understood. He’d heard Nie Yun mention these kinds of things before, but hadn’t expected there to be a special temporary institution. Then again, given the scale of great wars, it was nothing like two sects settling a grudge with a brawl or a one-on-one duel arranged in formation.

On the battlefield where it’s either you or me that dies, the "honest men" can only meet their end. The more cunning and shameless, the longer they survive—and they can even defeat "foolish" foes much stronger than themselves.

With this "Jingying Prefecture," there would surely be a unified system of deployment and command—how many people are needed where, how many experts, and perhaps even the ability to craft attacks against the enemy, all efficiently coordinated.

Speaking of Sect Cultivators, Shen Hao couldn’t help but think of Nie Yun, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. Back then, Nie Yun had been sent by the Gui Mountain Cultivation Institute to scout the Southern Border Army, even going beyond the borders on some reconnaissance. In Nie Yun’s own words at the time, it was "to be prepared in advance." But later, because of the Sound Cultivator Ning Ziye, who knows what got involved, and Nie Yun had to hurriedly withdraw, tossing even the sect’s orders aside.

Frankly, Shen Hao was a bit worried about him, but he knew his own cultivation and skills were not enough to get involved in Nie Yun’s private affairs, so he could only hope in his heart that Nie Yun would successfully finish his business and return soon.

"Does the ’Jingying Prefecture’ have Military Supervisors?"

"Yes, my lord. But the Military Supervisors in Jingying Prefecture are usually just window dressing—they don’t dare point fingers at those Sect Cultivators."

Shen Hao nodded, thought for a moment, then said, "Tell Li Jiang, since there are Military Supervisors in Jingying Prefecture, our Inspector must not overlook this. Whether it’s useful or not doesn’t matter—what matters is our attitude. Otherwise, if rumors start spreading in the army, it won’t sound good. The Inspector’s reputation cannot afford to be tarnished now."

"Understood, my lord, I’ll make sure to let Li Jiang know."

As soon as Zhang Ye finished speaking, the gatekeeper outside came to announce that two Deputy Thousand Households Officers from the military were seeking an audience—one surnamed Zhang, the other Gan.

Zhang? Gan?

Shen Hao’s lips curled up minutely. He hadn’t expected these two to come find him right now. So he said to Zhang Ye, "You head back for now. Make sure to hurry with what I mentioned, and report promptly if anything comes up."

Zhang Ye understood. With a cupped-fist salute, he said, "Yes, my lord. I’ll make sure everything is handled properly. I will take my leave now."

As soon as Zhang Ye left, Shen Hao followed out of the Public Office. Just stepping out the door and down a few steps, he saw Zhang Qian and Gan Lin—whom he hadn’t seen for days—walking in from outside, his face instantly blooming into a broad smile.

"Hahaha, Shen, are you here to welcome your elder brother?"

Shen Hao also laughed, "Of course, with you two here, of course I should come out and welcome you personally."

The two—Zhang and Gan—had always loved to be given face. Shen Hao showing them such respect naturally made them very happy; they came up quickly, each grasping one of Shen Hao’s hands and shaking them with all their might, both in words and expression like old friends meeting in a faraway land.