Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 426: Chapter 411: The 35th Year of Peace

Yang Zhenshan felt that taking in the disciples of Yuheng Star Hall was not a bad thing.

Actually, he had already accepted over twenty disciples from the Hengdao Sect, and these disciples had already been distributed among the Five Camps.

Now, aside from the Five Army Camps that he brought from the Tenglong Guard, there were also fewer than ten thousand remaining troops in the Five Camps, which were the soldiers who had defected during the battle at Chongshan Pass.

In other words, the Five Camps still lacked around fourteen thousand spots.

Besides the Five Camps, the various Relief Camps were also short of soldiers.

Yang Zhenshan had already planned to recruit soldiers for the Five Camps next year, so taking in the disciples of Yuheng Star Hall now was not a troublesome matter.

“Since that is the case, then bring everyone over.”

“The humble commoner has already brought them here; three hundred disciples are all within the pass city, ready to join the military at any time!” Luo Jingsong said.

Yang Zhenshan could not help but smile. It seemed that Luo Jingsong had firmly decided to join the military, otherwise, he would not have brought everyone to Chongshan Pass so resolutely.

Bringing everyone to Chongshan Pass meant that they had already abandoned the headquarters of Yuheng Star Hall; they probably even distributed their family wealth already.

If Yang Zhenshan did not accept them, they would likely disband and then scatter in all directions.

After pondering for a moment, Yang Zhenshan said, “In that case, report to the General Mansion early tomorrow morning, and I, the Marquis, will arrange official positions for you!”

“Thank you, Marquis!” Luo Jingsong said joyfully.

With his cultivation, it was easy for him to get an official position, but since he was a Jianghu Martial Artist, even though he had the cultivation of the Postnatal Ninth Layer, Yang Zhenshan would not assign him an important official position.

Luo Jingsong actually did not care much about the rank of the official position; he just wanted to join Yang Zhenshan, not really to hold an office.

Of course, holding an office would be beneficial for him; having an official status would make the Star Moon Sect more wary of targeting him.

The next morning, when Yang Zhenshan arrived at the General Mansion, Luo Jingsong, along with three hundred Martial Artists, was already standing in the courtyard of the General Mansion.

“Marquis!” Upon seeing Yang Zhenshan, Lu Wenhua immediately greeted him.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly and then walked up to the group of Martial Artists, his gaze calmly sweeping over these Martial Artists.

His gaze was very plain, but it made the group of Martial Artists feel a strong authority; as his gaze moved, each Martial Artist bowed their heads in turn, restraining their previously lax attitudes, not daring to make eye contact.

“Since you have chosen to join the military, from now on, you must abide by military discipline and laws! If you violate military laws, no one can save you!”

“Do you understand?”

Yang Zhenshan said in a cold voice.

“Understood!” Came the scattered response.

Yang Zhenshan’s brows rose, and his demeanor became much more imposing, pressing down on everyone like thunder, making them feel its weight.

“Your voices are weak; you are a rabble; shout louder!”

“Do you understand?”

He asked again in a cold voice.

“Understood!”

This time the voices were much louder and more unified.

Yang Zhenshan nonchalantly nodded and set his gaze on Luo Jingsong, who was standing properly at the front.

“Luo Jingsong!”

“Present!” Luo Jingsong stood with chest out and head high, stepping forward.

“From today onwards, you are appointed as the Commandant of the Personal Guard Camp with the rank of Deputy Magistrate under my command!” Yang Zhenshan declared.

The Personal Guard Camp was the elite of the elite, the strongest military force under Yang Zhenshan’s command. Though there were only two hundred people, every one of them was a Martial Artist of at least the Postnatal Fourth Layer.

Taking any one of them out would suffice to hold a Deputy Magistrate or Sentry Commander position in the Five Camps.

Previously, Yang Minghao was in charge of the Personal Guard Camp, but now that Ming Hao has joined the rear Camp as a Commandant, this left the position of the Commandant of the Personal Guard Camp vacant.

Originally, Yang Zhenshan wanted to promote someone from within the Personal Guard Camp, but now that Luo Jingsong had come over to his side, having him serve as the Commandant was just the right fit.

Placing Luo Jingsong in the Personal Guard Camp also meant that Yang Zhenshan wanted to keep a close eye on him.

After all, Luo Jingsong had just joined his side; to say that Yang Zhenshan had much trust in him would certainly not be true.

The Commandant of the Personal Guard Camp was not a significant position, possessing little real power. Even within the Personal Guard Camp, any deployment had to follow Yang Zhenshan’s orders.

Thus, for Luo Jingsong, the title of Commandant had more symbolic meaning.

To speak flatteringly, occupying this position meant that he was one of Yang Zhenshan’s trusted aides. To speak bluntly, it was merely a placeholder with no real power.

Whether Luo Jingsong could integrate into the Personal Guard Camp depended on whether he could bond with the soldiers.

Each soldier of the Personal Guard Camp was an elite among the elite, naturally carrying an air of pride. Yang Minghao, leveraging the fact that he was Yang Zhenshan’s son, could manage the Personal Guard Camp well. But for Luo Jingsong to blend in, he had to set aside his own pride and truly bond with the soldiers.

However, this was a good position for Luo Jingsong.

Whether or not he had real power was not important; what mattered was his desire to follow Yang Zhenshan, and the Commandant of the Personal Guard Camp was undoubtedly one of the official positions closest to Yang Zhenshan.

Therefore, Luo Jingsong happily cupped his fists and accepted the command: “Your subordinate obeys the order!”

“Um!” Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly and turned his gaze to Li Chengguo, Qian Zhonghe, and Ji Zhengfei.

“Li Chengguo, you should retire and go to the Marquis Mansion. There are quite a few guards there; you can serve as their instructor,” Yang Zhenshan said softly.

Li Chengguo’s age did not permit him to join the military. Military commanders of his age should be retiring to a second-line position, yet he aspired to join the military at this age, making it difficult for Yang Zhenshan to assign him an official position.

Sending him to the Marquis Mansion to retire was also a good choice. The guards of the Marquis Mansion were a considerable force. Currently, the Marquis Mansion’s guards had three leaders: Ding Qiu, Wu Zheng, and Wu Zhan, and one instructor, Zhu Shanghe.

Although Li Chengguo was old, his cultivation was not low, and he had a wealth of worldly experience, qualifying him to be the instructor for these guards.

“This old one obeys the order, thanks to the Marquis for providing this old one a place to stay!” Li Chengguo had no objections. For him, all prospects were but illusions and the most important thing was to have a place to live.

If not for the fear of troubles from the Star Moon Sect, he would even wish to find a place to seclude himself and live as a country farmer.

Yang Zhenshan’s arrangement was exactly what he desired.

“Qian Zhonghe, Ji Zhengfei, you two will first go to the Five Camps and serve as deputy garrison officers,” Yang Zhenshan said.

A deputy garrison officer is the assistant to a garrison officer. The Five Camps had positions such as Guerrilla General, garrison officer, deputy garrison officer, thousand commander, Bazong, Sentry Commander, and platoon leader.

The Guerrilla General was the chief officer, the garrison officer the deputy officer. The position of deputy garrison officer was not always established and could act as an assistant to either the Guerrilla General or garrison officer.

“Your subordinate obeys the order!”

Qian Zhonghe and Ji Zhengfei naturally had no objections. Since they had decided to follow Yang Zhenshan, they naturally had to comply with his arrangements.

Moreover, the arrangements given by Yang Zhenshan were reasonable and in line with their expectations.

With the main characters taken care of, the rest were easier to manage.

Yang Zhenshan didn’t need to arrange for each person individually; he directly divided them into seven groups and assigned them to the Five Camps and the Six Relief Camps.

There were more people assigned to the Five Camps, about one-third, and they were the stronger ones.

There were fewer people assigned to the Six Relief Camps, about thirty each, and they were just ordinary martial artists.

After the arrangements were complete, Yang Zhenshan had the Five Camps come and take the individuals away first, while those assigned to the Rescue Camp could return home and, after the festival, report to the respective Assistant General Mansions.

“What about their families?”

After the crowd dispersed, Yang Zhenshan walked into the hall of the General Mansion and asked Luo Jingsong.

These three hundred martial artists were not all by themselves; many had families. While the martial artists could be arranged to join the Camp and the Rescue Camp, their families certainly needed a place to settle.

“Marquis, rest assured, their families will accompany them to their respective postings!” said Luo Jingsong.

“Do they need to purchase their own houses?”

“Yes, they have silver. Your subordinate distributed all the wealth of the Yuheng Star Hall,” Luo Jingsong said.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, “You are a man of loyalty, indeed!”

Yang Zhenshan was unsure how much silver the Yuheng Star Hall had before, but he estimated it must be tens of thousands of taels of silver at least.

If three hundred people divided tens of thousands of taels of silver, each could get at least a hundred taels.

A hundred taels of silver wasn’t much, but it was enough to buy a small courtyard in the city and settle a family.

Besides, these martial artists certainly had silver saved at home. They couldn’t be penniless, relying solely on the silver given by Luo Jingsong for living.

“Your subordinate also hopes these brothers can lead a good life in the future!” Luo Jingsong said with a smile.

Yang Zhenshan nodded and did not interfere further.

“You go familiarize yourself with the Personal Guard Camp first. The festive season is approaching, and there is nothing to do before the festival. Everything else can wait until after the festival!”

“Yes!” Luo Jingsong said.

After sending Luo Jingsong off, Yang Zhenshan went to the study to deal with official business.

In three days, it would be the festive season. Most of the matters had been dealt with, and those that hadn’t could not be handled now and had to wait until after the festival.

He sat in the study for over half an hour before returning to his mansion.

…

A year of joys and sorrows passes tonight, and greying temples await us tomorrow.

Time does not stand still, and the seasons flow swiftly; in the blink of an eye, time had reached the first day of the first lunar month of the thirty-fifth year of Chengping.

Inside the Marquis Mansion’s carved beams and painted rafters, newly decorated, the courtyard was adorned with blossoming plum trees, with a faint fragrance in the air. The Yang family members, dressed in beautiful robes and wrapped in warm fur coats, gathered in the main courtyard to exchange New Year greetings, their laughter and cheerful voices echoing throughout the compound.

Early in the morning, Yang Zhenshan, dressed in a dark blue brocade robe and a head full of beaded ornaments, sat with Yu Qingyi in the main hall, waiting for his children and grandchildren to come and offer their New Year greetings.

The first day of the first lunar month was always the liveliest day for the Yang family. With the increasing number of family members, the festive atmosphere grew even thicker.

This year, the Yang family’s festivities were especially joyous; now that the Yang family had become a Marquis Mansion, the status of all its members had changed.

In the main hall, the heads of each household successively paid New Year’s respects to Yang Zhenshan and Yu Qingyi. Once everyone had finished, it was almost the third watch (9 AM to 11 AM).

Yang Zhenshan called Yang Mingzhi into the study.

Before the New Year, Yang Mingzhi had been in Fuzhou City, returning home only on New Year’s Eve. Until now, Yang Zhenshan had yet to have a proper conversation with Yang Mingzhi.