Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 134 - 124: Cutting through the Gordian Knot, City Guards Returning Loyalty (Seeking Subscriptions) _2

Chapter 134: Chapter 124: Cutting through the Gordian Knot, City Guards Returning Loyalty (Seeking Subscriptions) _2

...

"Where is Lin Ziqi?"

It was already well into the morning, and Zhou Ping’an, having rested briefly in his room, decided to strike while the iron was hot and take action once again.

He informed Third Miss, gathered the Guardian House Servants, and made his way grandly towards the City Guards’ camp...

The encampment of the City Guards was located in a vast flat area under the corner of the city wall to the west.

In the center of the camp, a towering Fierce Tiger Flag stood erect.

It was easy to locate.

Looking back, he always felt he had overlooked something.

After a moment of careful thought, ever since the day when Little Jiu’er was attacked and Wei Dazui was slain, he realized he hadn’t seen Lin Ziqi.

As the Protectorate Leader.

Initially, perhaps out of negligence which could have had severe consequences, he might have been ashamed to show his face, hiding under the pretext of recuperating.

But so many days had passed.

So much had happened at the Lin Residence, and now, even the County Yamen had been stormed, the County Magistrate slain, yet he still hadn’t appeared, which was a bit too much.

"Reporting to the Head Servant, Commander Lin went to the mountains outside the city a few days ago with two brothers, vowing not to return to the residence unless he found the Seven-leaf Tithonia to redeem his errors,"

said a robust young man with a simple and honest face, hurriedly bowing as he approached.

Seeing the nervous yet excited expression on his face, Zhou Ping’an guessed the lad was a fan of his.

He looked familiar. Indeed, this young man had been with him during the ambush that had eliminated Deng Yuanhua and Gao Jin at Ghost Cry Cliff.

He was considered an elite among the protectors.

His vitality was impressive, and with rigorous training for a year or two coupled with sufficient medicinal supply, he also had the chance to reach the Energy Refinement Stage.

"What’s your name?"

"Replying to my lord, I am, no, I mean... This humble one is called Wei Hu, my lord can just call me Hutou,"

Wei Hu said, touching the back of his head with a silly smile.

Having participated in every battle, he was clearer than the other guardians about just how formidable their esteemed Head Servant smiling so kindly before him could be.

The means at his disposal and his advancement in Martial Arts were all quite terrifying.

Sometimes, he even thought that if the Lin Family were managed by this man, not to mention dominating Qingyang City, perhaps they would have risen to prominence back in Guangyun County...

Compared to Third Miss Lin Huaiyu, he was better suited to be the Family Head.

Thinking of the heights he could reach by following this man, Wei Hu’s heart surged with excitement.

At this moment, he definitely needed to seize any opportunity to stand out and earn merit rapidly.

"Hutou, that’s good. Go on, tell me everything about Lin Ziqi over the past few days..."

As the Protectorate Leader, leading his men deep into Black Mountain in search of medicinal herbs was utterly out of his expertise.

Not being his expertise was one thing.

But the fact that he hadn’t reported this mission to the household, even though Lin Huaiyu had long instructed that all personnel assignments and major decisions were to be organized by himself, was quite another.

Was he dissatisfied with him?

"Forget about him for now; let’s head to the City Guards’ station."

As a martial master in the Energy Refinement Stage, could he be resentful of his promotion?

This minor matter was now beneath Zhou Ping’an’s concern. He simply instructed the guardians that if they saw the commander, they should ask him to come and meet.

Upon reaching the doorstep of the barracks, Zhou Ping’an led his men straight in to find, to his astonishment, that there was no guard on duty at the gate.

The camp was in complete disarray, with groups of soldiers gathered together playing cards; copper coins and Bits of Silver piled in front of each player as the spectators shouted and placed bets.

Moving further in towards the Martial Arts Ground, he saw even the weapon racks had toppled over, with nobody bothering to set them right, let alone practice.

Instead, snores like thunder came from the houses they passed by.

Most were asleep.

"How long has it been?"

Not even five days since Tian Shouyi’s death, and the City Guards had already deteriorated. If the Red Lotus Army decided to attack the city now, he doubted there would even be enough time to muster the men to the city walls.

Zhou Ping’an didn’t really care about the state of decay.

He knew these soldiers were only in it for the rations; unmanaged, they naturally slacked off.

Given the conduct of the foolish Magistrate Li Yunxiu, who only cared about his enjoyment, it was likely he had never even bothered to check on these soldiers.

Let alone send someone to discipline them.

Zhou Ping’an was curious; after Tian Shouyi’s death, was there really no respected figure within the City Guards who could rise to rally and reform the troops?

Cavalry Commander Lei Lie, as well as Infantry Commander Gu Dashi?

Have these two also started to slack off?

And, what about the over a hundred elite trusted aides I saw that day in the County Warden’s Mansion?

Could it be that they all took the money and fled?

"Halt..."

A group of people continued walking until they reached the front of the great hall, where a man with a beard wearing leather armor, holding a long spear, blocked their way.

Behind him, there was a middle-aged scholar with a distressed face, standing weakly at the side...

"The newly appointed County Magistrate Zhou Ping’an has come to take over the City Guards, why has no one come to hand over the duties? The defenses along the way were slack and disorganized."

Now it was time for Tang Lin’er to step up.

This person, bluffing as if it were true.

"County Magistrate?"

The bearded man glanced at Zhou Ping’an and the several dozen imposing men following him, slightly dubious, lowered his spear, and said no more.

The middle-aged scholar beside him, however, was ecstatic.

"Magistrate, if you had not taken your post, the camp would soon be out of provisions."

While speaking, he started to pull out scrolls from his robe, ready to show them to Zhou Ping’an.

"Well, the provisions still have..."

"Stop..."

"This person, are you the quartermaster?"

"Subordinate Tian Wuyong, indeed of modest repute, a scholar by training, invited by Elder Dong, served for three years as a private tutor..."

"Enough, we will talk about your matters later, first gather the troops and sound the drum."

This chaotic mess, never mind the fighting strength, they couldn’t even figure out how many people were still in the camp, what logistics could they manage?

Seeing Tian Wuyong, Scholar Tian, looking like he had found a savior, it seemed he was driven to desperation by those commanders, the camp supplies depleted; now, he wanted to shift blame.

"Dong dong dong..."

Three beats of the drum sounded.

In front of the great hall, on the Martial Arts Ground, gradually, people started to arrive, cursing and complaining.

Most were disheveled, clearly caught while sleeping.

However, the authority of military orders was still somewhat effective.

Although very dissatisfied, when the sound of the drum rose, they dared not ignore it.

"It seems the news of Tian Shouyi’s death had already spread within the City Guards’ camp, causing the soldiers’ morale to scatter and leading to the current situation."

Zhou Ping’an just stood quietly in the front.

Dozens of men silently stood firm behind him, not moving an inch.

Gradually, more and more soldiers arrived at the Martial Arts Ground, and Zhou Ping’an took a cursory look, noticing that about twelve hundred men had shown up.

If calculated based on the actual number of City Guards he had investigated, then there were still three hundred men unaccounted for.

The City Guards claimed to have two thousand elite members.

In fact, that Tian Shouyi managed to maintain the actual number of people up to fifteen hundred was already quite diligent and responsible; one must admit, he managed his fundamental base quite well.

And he had high esteem.

From the immediate collapse of the City Guards’ morale after his assassination, it seemed Li Yunxiu did not interfere with the City Guards, perhaps not because he didn’t want to, but because he had no good solutions.

"Where is the Cavalry Commander? Step forward."

Zhou Ping’an waited until the soldiers in the field had gradually quieted down before he spoke unhurriedly.

His voice spread across the Martial Arts Ground.

Yet there was no response.

Only a murmur of whispers was heard.

Zhou Ping’an’s eyes narrowed slightly; internally, he was amused, "Alright, finally found that chicken."

Lei Lie obviously had not come.

Previously on the way here, with Zhou Ping’an’s acute senses, he even heard that guy’s loud exclamations while playing cards.

He couldn’t possibly have not heard the sound of the drums, but was clearly disregarding it; there was no need to think more to understand what was on his mind.

Moreover, Zhou Ping’an also noticed, Infantry Commander Gu Dashi not only had come himself, but almost all of his soldiers had assembled.

The Cavalry had only a few dozen men arrived.

Those several hundred men who hadn’t arrived were most likely all from the Cavalry.