Chapter 177: Xia Jing Has Arrived, Everyone... Has Arrived

In this intake of agricultural officer trainees from the Ten-Yang Grotto-Heaven, Shi Yong and Zhuang Ziqing have also completed the third-tier task.

"They have the Tiger-Flood Dragon Army as backup, making their situation somewhat better than Zhao Xing's. However, both of them have each failed to receive the optimal evaluation once," the third phantom commented.

"For the third tier, let's allocate some human resources to Zhao Xing. Xia Jing from the Azure Dragon Martial Office should be transferred there to serve as the County Lieutenant, and some reservists from the Divine Might Army should also be sent."

"A small portion of the people he became familiar with during the practical breakout mission should also be transferred there."

The third phantom glowed with golden light, which vaguely formed dragon shapes swirling on its surface. Evidently, this phantom held a higher status.

"Indeed, Zhao Xing is certainly worth cultivating." The other two phantoms nodded in agreement. "Let's proceed as the Heavenly Evolution King wishes."

Yuncheng City, Shao Wanjie's residence.

Zhao Xing lay on a chair, leisurely enjoying a massage from a cat-eared demi-human girl, while the shapeshifting straw figures, 'Shao Wanjie' and the 'butler,' watched from the side.

"Master, when will the banquet begin?" a bull-headed soldier reported.

"At the highest specifications. Serve only the finest wines and delicacies!" the shapeshifting straw figure announced, mimicking Shao Wanjie's voice and demeanor.

It was too realistic, and combined with the mist swirling around the hot spring and Zhao Xing's mist-shadow concealment spell, it was easy to deceive these subordinates.

"I intend to converse and celebrate with Lord Zhao for three days and three nights. Once you've set up the banquet by the Warm Jade Pool, don't disturb us. Go enjoy yourselves."

"Yes, Master," the bull-headed soldier replied, detecting nothing amiss.

This was because Shao Wanjie had always been like this.

He sometimes spent days and nights reveling with his subordinates, ignoring official affairs.

How much more so when he had just recruited a seventh-rank official?

Even the pair of twin demi-human girls were used to entertain Lord Zhao, making it clear that Lord Zhao was truly valued.

As expected, no one approached the hot spring entertainment area afterward. Even when servants brought fine wine and delicacies, they set them down with heads bowed, not daring to look up.

Zhao Xing glanced around and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion: Shao Wanjie really lived an incredibly good life.

He primarily sought out young women, and he had a preference for demi-humans: cat-girls, leopard-girls—most of them exuded an exotic charm.

Moreover, Shao Wanjie had them wear only a single layer of thick, sheer gauze, subtly revealing their exquisite, graceful figures. Fine cuisine and beautiful women created a dual sensory impact.

"Luxury, absolute luxury!" Zhao Xing exclaimed. As he enjoyed a beauty feeding him wine and tasted the delicacies, he casually slapped a demi-human girl's backside. "Go on, dance for this lord. This lord intends to thoroughly critique it!"

"Yes, yes," the demi-human girl shyly stepped back a bit, then began to dance on the lawn.

On both sides of the lawn, musicians played, and sensuous music filled the air.

Zhao Xing sat with one leg crossed over the other, completely at ease.

Not long after the banquet began, Long Xiao returned.

Upon seeing the scene below, his jaw practically dropped.

"You... are you Zhao Xing? Or Shao Wanjie?"

Zhao Xing, with an arm around a dancer, chuckled, "What, you went to the temple and suddenly don't recognize me? Quick, sit down and eat something."

Long Xiao sat down, looking suspicious. Immediately, two maids approached him, but he pushed them away with his hand and dismissed them. "This... isn't good, is it..." he muttered.

Zhao Xing, however, said carelessly, "I've been training for so long in the Ten-Yang Grotto-Heaven, can't I enjoy myself a little?"

"Besides, we have to stay here until the higher-ups arrive. We need to make the act convincing."

Long Xiao said, "You're so skilled at this. There's no awkwardness at all when you're thrown into this kind of situation."

Zhao Xing said righteously, "I'm observing this with a critical eye, studying how these corrupt officials become depraved, understanding their degenerate psychology, so I can constantly keep myself vigilant."

"Is that so..." Long Xiao mumbled. "What you're saying makes sense, but I still feel like something is off."

"Enough of that," Zhao Xing said. "Have things been handled properly?"

Long Xiao replied telepathically, "Yes, among Yuncheng City's five offices, the Divine Temple was the only place Shao Wanjie dared not interfere with. When I brought people over, the Divine Temple's priest, Shen Mingyu, immediately took them to question Shao Wanjie before the statue of the God of Justice. His crimes were quickly confirmed, and he was imprisoned."

"Furthermore, Shen Mingyu told me that as soon as you give the signal, he can immediately move to arrest all his remaining loyalists. He has already dispatched shadow spirits to blockade all directions within Yuncheng City's borders."

Zhao Xing nodded. "It seems Shen Mingyu also realized this time was different, and his reaction was quite swift."

The Divine Temple has a supervisory role. Did Shen Mingyu not know about Shao Wanjie's misdeeds? Of course he did; he had even impeached him. But with the higher-ups suppressing it and giving no response, what could he do?

However, this time, when Long Xiao went, the higher-ups quickly responded. Shen Mingyu immediately knew that an opportunity had arisen and swiftly deployed his forces.

Long Xiao asked, "What should we do next?"

Zhao Xing replied, "It has nothing to do with us; we're just here to help. Shao Wanjie, a legitimate seventh-rank official, must be tried by people sent from above, and they don't need us to arrest his remaining loyalists."

"So? We do nothing?" Long Xiao asked.

"Not exactly nothing," Zhao Xing said, slapping a maid's backside. "Resume the music, resume the dance!"

Long Xiao was speechless.

Zhao Xing and Long Xiao's period of enjoyment concluded after two days and two nights.

Early on the third day, a large number of officials descended upon Yuncheng City.

They surrounded Shao Wanjie's residence, making it impenetrable.

Furthermore, personnel were dispatched to investigate the Fengming Mountain Bright Mine, the Bureau of Agriculture, the Bureau of Engineering, the Divine Temple, the Martial Office, and the Medical Office.

Anyone connected to Shao Wanjie was taken into custody.

Zhao Xing and Long Xiao immediately revealed their identities after the higher-ups arrived and were then released.

As for how Shao Wanjie and his remaining loyalists would be dealt with, Zhao Xing didn't care; he didn't even ask a single question, acting as if he had no involvement.

"We need people to be replenished quickly," Zhao Xing said, looking at the list of officials for Yuncheng City's various offices. Another group of people was missing, and he immediately looked troubled.

Without new personnel, he alone couldn't complete the governance. During his training in the Ten-Yang Grotto-Heaven, there had always been ample staff, and all departments had never lacked personnel or tools.

However, the actual situation was completely different. Even now, his preparatory work had only just begun.

Ling Yuan and his people began to shift their focus, cooperating with Zhang Zhong, Bao Wenshan, Jiang Xi, and He Fengnian from the Bureau of Agriculture to commence internal dike and dam construction within Yuncheng County.

But this was far from enough.

"Why do you frown, my lord?" Ling Yuan asked. "Now that the cancerous Shao Wanjie is no longer an impediment, the government agencies are gradually recovering their proper efficiency." Ling Yuan looked at the young man before him, his heart filled with respect.

To make Shao Wanjie fall just by saying it was truly terrifyingly powerful.

"You don't understand..." Zhao Xing had no desire to explain anything to Ling Yuan.

His current third-tier task was linked to his subsequent plans.

Zhao Xing wasn't truly here to establish roots in Yuncheng City. Therefore, he had to achieve results as quickly as possible.

How did the natural disasters come about? They must have been caused by the Southern Barbarians.

By occupying the upper reaches of the Canglan River, the water witches upstream could cause those downstream to work themselves into a sweat just by subtly manipulating the water veins.

Zhao Xing knew without a doubt that at this moment, the various Southern Barbarian tribes had also dispatched a large number of personnel to approach the front lines of the Nine Heavens Responding to Origins Prefecture.

There was no other way. As soon as Great Zhou moved, the various Southern Barbarian tribes had to move as well.

Regardless of whether Great Zhou was conducting military exercises or truly intended to fight, as long as one side moved, the other had to prepare accordingly.

Was Great Zhou's movement an exercise or a true intention to fight? The Southern Barbarians were unsure. After all, for over two hundred years, Great Zhou had periodically made small provocations, and the Southern Barbarian tribes had done the same.

Zhao Xing estimated that in the Fengming Mountain Range and the upper reaches of the Canglan River to the south, many military fortresses had already appeared. Moreover, a team of water witches had already begun targeting Yuncheng City, marking it as a target for natural disaster strikes.

Zhao Xing was never one to passively endure attacks and merely defend.

He needed to quickly complete Yuncheng City's defense preparations and lead a team to counterattack.

Only by doing so could he accumulate enough military merits.

Zhao Xing had memorized the Southern Barbarian topographical and power distribution maps from Emperor Jing's era. Because this was the only major war during the Jingxin calendar years, it had been re-enacted repeatedly by players in his previous life.

Later, during Emperor Wu's time, the military exercises in the Soldier Realm were all based on repeatedly simulating this very war. It was hard for a military agricultural officer not to remember it.

"Quickly, send people! I need people! People!" Zhao Xing cried out in his heart.

For someone at his level, the window of opportunity to accumulate merits in the Barbarian Pacification War was not very long.

Because the war escalated quickly.

Once it reached a certain level, participating further would entail more danger than opportunity. Zhao Xing would not participate any further; he would even find a way to extricate himself.

While Emperor Jing was metaphorically "opening champagne at halftime" and lavishly bestowing rewards, he needed to quickly accumulate merits and leave. Otherwise, the merits he gained earlier would be lost due to subsequent defeats.

"For the Ten-Yang Grotto-Heaven's last large-scale exercise, if I get 70% of the new recruit camp's standard allocation, I can use that to snowball." Zhao Xing thought silently to himself. "I don't expect top talents like Xia Jing. A few dozen second-tier professionals from various fields would be enough. I hope the luck of Yan San plays out this time."

On the fifth day after the Shao Wanjie case, at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), Zhao Xing finally received news of personnel replenishment from above.

He immediately received a notification from his official seal, stating that Yuncheng City's official roster had been updated.

Zhao Xing immediately took out his earth mirror to check.

The first batch of reinforcements was for the Three Martial Offices, totaling 513 people. This also included the restoration of the seventh-rank position of Yuncheng County Lieutenant!

To Zhao Xing's surprise, among the first batch of people, he saw the names of Xia Jing, Zhang Jie, Chen Fang, and Hu Bing!

"Hahaha, what a stroke of luck! Xia Jing has been assigned here! Seventy-five people from the Four Great Martial Offices have arrived—awesome!"

Zhao Xing immediately leaped excitedly from his bed.

"Meow?" Aotian Meow woke from its deep sleep, yawned, and looked bewildered at Zhao Xing bouncing on the bed. What was he so excited about so early in the morning?

Humans were truly incomprehensible.

Zhao Xing quickly got dressed.

He took the three eighth-rank officials on duty from the Bureau of Agriculture—Zhang Zhong, Jiang Xi, and He Fengnian—aboard the Arrowfish airship and immediately flew outside Yuncheng City.

To show his respect and importance, he even went three li outside the city to greet them.

After it landed, the signal tower and spell formation on the Arrowfish airship continuously glowed.

Zhao Xing even cleared away the gloom in the sky, making the weather warm like spring.

If conditions had allowed, he would have loved to summon a troupe of musicians and dancers as a ceremonial guard!

"Whoosh."

Soon after, a medium-sized Tiger-Flood Dragon airship descended from the sky.

Xia Jing quickly leaped down from it.

As soon as he entered Yuncheng City's territory, he immediately checked Yuncheng City's official roster.

Upon finding Zhao Xing's name, Xia Jing was also quite pleased.

The Director of Waterways was actually Zhao Xing. It was an absolute stroke of luck!

If Zhao Xing were the Military Agricultural Officer, then what could possibly hinder him, Xia Jing, in this internship test from achieving great feats and establishing his career?

"Brother Zhao!" Xia Jing jogged over. Upon seeing that it was indeed Zhao Xing and not merely someone with the same name, this Marquis's son was quite excited. "I can't believe it's really you!"

"Brother Xia!" Zhao Xing also ran over, grasping Xia Jing's arm. "It feels like three autumns since we last met!"

The words were a bit overly sentimental, but this kind of interaction was popular in that era. Many would even embrace each other and call out "brother" when excited.

"With you as the Director of Waterways," Xia Jing chuckled, "I have absolutely no worries about natural disasters!"

"With you as the County Lieutenant," Zhao Xing chuckled, "I can finally breathe a sigh of relief too."

Just then, a slightly teasing voice emerged:

"It seems Brother Zhao only has eyes for Brother Xia and no longer needs us," the voice said. "Brothers, let's just leave."

"Brother Chen!" Zhao Xing immediately released Xia Jing's hand. "How could that be? I, Zhao, have been remiss. My apologies, my apologies."

"How will you apologize?" Zhang Jie chuckled. "You can't possibly entertain us with Mayu Guo, can you? The Young Marquis can't stand it, you know."

"Ugh!" Xia Jing seemed to trigger a memory, and his body reacted by immediately grabbing Zhang Jie's neck. "You scoundrel, who told you to mention that!"

"Brother Zhang, do you even have the face to say that?" Chen Fang chuckled. "Back then, you were clinging to Commander Liu's leg, crying and calling him 'Great-Grandma'!"

Everyone immediately burst into laughter.

"Now that you've all arrived, how can you eat the same food as during training? Of course, we must eat something good!" Zhao Xing said grandly. "I happened to acquire some good things a few days ago. All of you, come with me into the city; I guarantee you won't be disappointed!"

"Let's go, into the city!"

"Hahaha, just don't tell me there's fish again."

"Ugh, you scoundrel!"

The arrival of Xia Jing and his group undoubtedly gave Zhao Xing a powerful shot in the arm. Not only were these individuals exceptionally capable, but they also each possessed significant backgrounds. For example, Xia Jing's Tiger-Flood Dragon airship was more advanced than his own Arrowfish airship. Furthermore, this group had connections, enabling them to obtain high-level intelligence, which was precisely what Zhao Xing desired most.

However, the surprises weren't over yet.

On the second day, a second batch of people arrived. These were primarily mechanical engineers and agricultural officers.

Among them, Zhao Xing recognized familiar faces such as Wang Ji, Han Bing, Che Shihai, and Cao Shuang.

On the third day, the third batch of people arrived. These were primarily medical professionals and priests.

Zhao Xing checked the list, and behold, Yuan Yang and Zhang Yi had also arrived!

"They're back, I feel it, everyone's back!"

"The luck of Yan San truly lives up to its reputation!"

Zhao Xing grinned like an idiot. What could be more joyous than reuniting with his old team?

Tantai Ming indicated: There was.

Given that Yuncheng City was a county-level city, yet had consistently failed to receive adequate supplies for years, the prefectural city decided to make a one-time replenishment to all of Yuncheng City's offices for the unallocated supplies of the past decade.

Past accounts would not need to be handled by the officials of this current term. Everything would be based on the end of the third month of the seventeenth year of the Jingxin Calendar!