Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1782 - 1775: Officer Organization

Chapter 1782: Chapter 1775: Officer Organization

On the other side, while the officers joined forces to kill a soldier, Yichuan Fei also faced the threat of another soldier.

At that moment, he was hit squarely by an arrow, and his left arm immediately lost its ability to move. Faced with the enemy’s relentless advance, he retreated in disgrace, but while he appeared flustered, he was actually leading the enemy toward a pre-arranged shooting position.

Upon reaching the designated area, Yichuan Fei picked up some snow from the ground and threw it at the soldier. Taking advantage of the soldier’s confusion, he laboriously raised the crossbow with his one hand and shot an arrow right into his neck.

The vibration of the bowstring echoed, and the arrow instantly pierced through the soldier’s throat. He paid with his life for his arrogance, immediately collapsing onto his knees before slowly falling to the ground.

Having killed this Eastern Barbarian soldier, Yichuan Fei struggled to crawl out of the muddy snow. His left arm was pierced by an arrow, causing excruciating pain and rendering it weak.

After rising with difficulty, as the adrenaline gradually wore off, he felt a bone-chilling cold, involuntarily taking a deep, icy breath and shivering.

Ignoring much else, Yichuan Fei drew his long sword from beside him and staggered toward the Dongsheng officers.

They were about the same age as Yichuan Fei, and though they appeared disheveled, they bore faces of wealth, undoubtedly all scions of noble families.

This was natural; the Eastern Barbarian army captured these officers to extort ransom, while ordinary people would have been slashed to death long ago.

Seeing Yichuan Fei walking unsteadily toward them, one of the officers swallowed and cleared his throat slightly before expressing gratitude, "Thank you, Manor Lord, for saving my life."

Yichuan Fei walked up to them without speaking, instead raising his long sword in a gesture. The officers immediately understood, showing the ropes binding them.

The long sword sliced through the knot, and with a forceful flick, Yichuan Fei freed the first officer. He then decisively took the sword from Yichuan Fei’s hand and freed the others.

Yichuan Fei was already at his limit; he trembled as he walked up to the bonfire lit by the Eastern Barbarian soldiers, directly thrusting his frostbitten hands into the flames until the pain returned.

Soon, the officers were all free and gathered around the fire for warmth. A handsome officer walked over to Yichuan Fei, noticing the arrow in his left arm. He crouched down with a serious expression and said, "The arrows of the Eastern Barbarians might be poisoned; let me remove it for Manor Lord and treat it properly."

"Thank you." Yichuan Fei was already struggling to speak.

"No need for thanks; we should be the ones thanking Manor Lord for rescuing us," replied the officer.

An officer sitting by the bonfire looked around, then turned to Yichuan Fei, coughing slightly before speaking, "I assume we are all colleagues of the Heavenly Army; may I ask how the Manor Lords are addressed?"

Without waiting for others to speak, he first introduced himself, "I am Jiuyun Ying from the Northern Province."

"I am Luzun Qian from Tong State..." An officer raised his hand and said.

"Huayu Xuan from Hua State," said the officer whose face was stained with blood after ripping out the throat of the Eastern Barbarian soldier.

"From Yun State, Gaofeng Yang!" The handsome officer attending to Yichuan Fei’s injuries said without looking up.

Gaofeng Yang’s words surprised the officers; they did not expect a scion of the Gaofeng Family overseeing Yun State to fall to such a plight.

"It seems we are all from prominent families." Jiuyun Ying commented nostalgically.

"How should we address this Manor Lord?" After pausing, Jiuyun Ying turned to Yichuan Fei and asked.

Yichuan Fei slowly raised his head, looking at him weakly, and replied, "From Yin State, Yichuan Fei!"

"Yi, from the Yichuan Clan!"

His identity truly shocked the surrounding officers, for they were no more than mighty clans of the states, while the Yichuan Clan was the leader of the entire group of civil officials.

Moreover, the name Yichuan Fei was not simple either; anyone familiar with the Imperial Court would recognize it.

The person before them was none other than the nephew of Emperor Wu, the son of Cabinet Hundred Chief Yichuan Qing, Yichuan Fei.

For a moment, the officers froze in place, stunned, even Gaofeng Yang ceased attending to Yichuan Fei’s wounds.

"Do not be surprised; at this moment on the battlefield, we are merely fellow soldiers," Yichuan Fei’s tone was exceptionally calm, seemingly immune to waves.

His words temporarily eased the atmosphere; though the officers ceased to be astonished, their gazes held newfound respect and distance when looking at Yichuan Fei.

Thus, the officers sat by the bonfire amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood. In this icy landscape, without sufficient warmth, they could not travel far, so they were in no hurry to leave the battlefield.

Luzun Qian cut some meat from a nearby dead horse and roasted it over the fire. The aroma of roasting meat filled the air, yet mingled with the heavy scent of blood, failed to evoke their appetites. In fact, Jiuyun Ying couldn’t help but vomit from the smell.

The horse meat was roasted half-cooked, and the officers rushed to eat it, replenishing their energy. It was unseasoned and without salt, but they no longer cared.

Meanwhile, the arrow was finally removed from Yichuan Fei’s left arm; it was a rusty arrow, no wonder the pain was so severe. In the rudimentary conditions of the battlefield, Gaofeng Yang could only give a crude bandage.

After consuming the horse meat, everyone felt revitalized. Jiuyun Ying looked around the bonfire once more, then gazed around. With a sorrowful expression, he said, "Tens of thousands of troops, gone in a day. Even if they survived initially, this sweeping snow was enough to kill all remnants. Damn it, how could this happen, the Heavenly Army defeated so utterly."

"We fell into a trap; the Eastern Barbarians set an ambush here, the army charged headlong and was annihilated." Huayu Xuan spoke while wiping blood from his face.

"Those bastards from the Wu Family must be gloating in the Imperial Court now. Those dogs only know cultivation, lacking any strategic thinking!" Luzun Qian cursed angrily.

Luzun Qian’s words led Jiuyun Ying and Gaofeng Yang to fall silent, feeling awkward and unsure whether to speak or not.

Though Jiuyun Ying and Gaofeng Yang were civil officers, both were cultivators as well. This situation was quite common within the Dongsheng Empire, as not all cultivators were part of the Wu Family; some grew under civil government and supported its policies.

"Defeated is defeated, there’s nothing to say," Yichuan Fei suddenly interjected, speaking calmly, "We can fail once, twice, thrice, even more times. But if the Wu Family interferes with the Heavenly Army again, we will never rise again, nor have the right to fail."

"Now if we return, the Wu Family will undoubtedly gloat, suggesting they lead the army to redeem our disgrace." Luzun Qian spoke quietly.

"Whether civil or martial factions, it’s time to change the personnel of the Imperial Court. As it stands now, it’s full of pests, unfit for critical use." Yichuan Fei’s words silenced the officers.

These words should not be uttered casually; they count as criticizing imperial affairs and could be reported by the Ducha Department.

Yet, the officers found it unsurprising Yichuan Fei dared speak such words, given his unique status. Spoken by him, even the left and right censors of the Ducha Department would not dare to act against him.

Then, Yichuan Fei looked at everyone, continuing, "I see you are all young talents, why not join me in managing state affairs and supporting the foundations of the civil government?"

"Uh..."

The officers exchanged hesitant looks, reluctant to agree too hastily.

"I, Huayu Xuan, am willing to follow the Young Lord’s lead," Huayu Xuan declared first, voluntarily kneeling on one knee and saluting.

Evidently, Huayu Xuan realized the opportunity in Yichuan Fei’s identity, a chance of a lifetime. Aligning with him would ensure future prosperity.

Though the Dongsheng Empire was nominally under Emperor Wu, the truth was the Cabinet Hundred Chief, Yichuan Fei’s father, oversaw governmental matters.

Though not a constitutional monarchy, the Cabinet Hundred Chief could bypass Emperor Wu, independently setting agendas and approving them. Not constitutional, yet as good as constitutional.