piratefiction Chapter 58 Generals Arrive in the Prefecture!
Chapter 58 Generals Arrive in the Prefecture!
The inner city, the county magistrate's residence.
As they disembarked from the carriage, the minor official quickly led the way.
Zhao An looked at the huge government building; this wasn't his first time here.
He had also attended the celebration of fame and success not long ago.
However, compared to before, there are now obvious signs of burning and smashing on the magistrate's residence.
Several craftsmen were also at the main gate, putting up a new plaque.
Zhao An estimated that it was probably because of the previous battle, which caused turmoil throughout the city. The remnants of the Black Wind Stronghold were so audacious that they might have even attacked the county magistrate's office and wantonly destroyed it.
As you enter the mansion and walk through a pavilion, a group of armored generals suddenly approach you. Each of them is tall and imposing, with a powerful stride and the armor plates on their bodies clanging loudly.
The junior official in front quickly bowed his head to let him pass.
"They are generals from the prefectural city, Zhao Wusheng, don't block them," the clerk reminded Zhao An beside him.
Zhao An raised his eyebrows and moved to the side as instructed.
Although he was a ruthless killer, he was not actually a person who acted on impulse.
Regardless of anything else, conceding a little is acceptable.
A group of generals walked past Zhao An, not giving the minor official and Zhao An a second glance.
"Their aura is powerful, their blood and qi are like dragons and tigers, and their strength is probably no weaker than that county magistrate He Zhang!" Zhao An silently assessed these generals from the prefectural city.
Especially the middle-aged general at the very front, whose aura was restrained, yet made him seem all the more unfathomable and immeasurable.
"Are all the martial artists in the prefectural city really this powerful?" Zhao An thought of the county magistrate who also came from the prefectural city, whose personal guards were all incredibly strong!
That Tao Jinyi is also a genius who can command an army!
Frankly speaking, it's a bit of a waste of his talent to just serve as a bodyguard for the county magistrate.
In fact, Zhao An was also aware of this.
It's impossible for everyone in the prefectural city to be like a dragon, but as the center of the prefecture, the prefectural city naturally possesses the richest resources in the entire prefecture.
Merchants, warriors, scholars, talents from all walks of life, and money were all drawn to the prefectural city.
With such a large number of martial artists, the prefecture naturally produced many heroes, making it a place of outstanding people and abundant resources, where martial arts flourished.
In comparison, Lianjiang County seems quite ordinary.
A truly ambitious martial artist would never be content to stay in a county for the rest of his life.
After walking through the corridor, Zhao An was led to a council hall where he was personally received by County Magistrate Tao Heng.
"This is Zhao An, the top martial arts student in the county this year, a young hero." Tao Heng took Zhao An's hand in a friendly manner and introduced him to everyone in the hall.
Zhao An looked around and saw a dozen or so armored generals in the hall.
Most importantly, he had just seen the black armor worn by these generals, with its patterns and style.
These are also generals from the prefectural city!
As the magistrate introduced them, several of the generals nodded, responding out of respect for the magistrate, while the remaining generals were more indifferent to Zhao An.
A first place in the county-level martial arts examination is an achievement that will be talked about for a long time in the county town, and everyone will respect it.
But for these generals from the prefectural cities, they were used to seeing the world, and the top scorer in the martial arts exam from a small county town was not considered particularly impressive in their eyes.
If one were to achieve first place in the prefectural examination and become a military officer, then they would be worthy of their attention and the initiative to ingratiate themselves with them.
"Please sit down first. You may reconsider what I said earlier. If you choose to stay, the Tao family will certainly not let you down," Tao Heng said to the generals before leading Zhao An away alone.
Before leaving, he instructed several attendants to stay and treat the generals well, lest they be neglected.
After the magistrate left, the generals each drank a few cups of wine.
One of the generals, with piercing eyes, put down his wine cup and said in a stern voice, "This wine is good, but it's not enjoyable to drink here."
His voice was loud, carrying a hint of complaint, which made the waiters pouring wine uneasy.
"You may all leave." Another, slightly older general waved his hand at the servants, and they were all dismissed.
"That young master from the Tao family wants us to stay and serve him. What do you all think?"
The generals looked at each other.
Another general with a more square face said in a deep voice, "Although we are all from Lianjiang County, our families helped us pave the way, and we finally made it to the prefectural city to lead troops and become generals. There is no reason for us to come back."
"Isn't that young master Tao making us ruin our futures?!"
"Anyway, I don't want to!"
Upon hearing this, many of the generals showed expressions of agreement.
"But if we offend him, and the Tao family tries to trip us up in the future, how can we bear it?" A middle-aged general with a long beard said with a frown.
Upon hearing this, the generals present fell silent once again.
It was clear that they were extremely wary of the Tao family of Fucheng.
"Let me think about it some more..."
In the study.
Zhao Anxian received three hundred taels of silver, which was the government's reward for his bravery in fighting the enemy on the city wall.
He killed many, hence the amount of three hundred taels.
Ordinary martial artists would be considered lucky if they could kill one or two people and receive a few dozen taels of silver as a reward.
"This is your reward for killing the Moon People. In addition, you saved me and wiped out the fugitives and the remnants of Black Wind Stronghold. Is there anything you want as a reward?"
"If possible, I would like to go to the armory and choose a martial arts manual," Zhao An said directly, without any pretense of refusal.
Tao Heng stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and nodded, saying, "This is not in accordance with the rules, but since you have rendered meritorious service in defending the city, I can make an exception for you this time."
Upon hearing this, Zhao An immediately expressed his gratitude.
"However, I have another suggestion. If you want martial arts skills, my Tao family has many. If you are willing to serve me, you can learn sixth-grade martial arts, or even fifth-grade family techniques!"
"The superior elixirs are inexhaustible..."
Tao Heng couldn't resist extending an olive branch to Zhao An once again.
It wasn't that he lacked self-control, but rather that Zhao An's strength and potential far exceeded his expectations.
He feared that if he continued to proceed slowly, Zhao An would rise to prominence and would no longer bother with him.
Unfortunately, Zhao An still declined.
He had no intention of serving anyone, and even though the opportunity to learn so-called sixth-grade or even fifth-grade martial arts was extremely precious, he had no intention of compromising.
"No rush. This is my first recruitment. When you go to the prefectural city in the future, my Tao family can still help you. We have a long future ahead of us," Tao Heng said gently.
He didn't use any forceful words with Zhao An, and he wasn't surprised that the recruitment attempt failed on the first try.
Those ambitious and proud talents are not easy to recruit; showing sincerity is enough.
Afterwards, the two sat down and talked about many things.
Tao Heng was very eloquent, and although he was only twenty-eight years old, he was learned and farsighted.
Some of his words made Zhao An feel enlightened.
The two had a very pleasant conversation.
"I have eight hundred books in my collection, including ancient classics, biographies of famous people, travelogues and historical books. You can borrow them anytime you wish to read them in the future."
"I often feel that martial artists should cultivate their minds and enrich their knowledge as well. Otherwise, no matter how skilled they are in martial arts, in the eyes of those in power, they are just a good sword that is easy to wield," Tao Heng said.
"If the magistrate says so, then I will take it seriously," Zhao An said.
He was indeed very interested in these books. In addition to enriching his knowledge, he also wanted to find some treasures that he could make a wish for through good deeds!