Otherworld Advance Team -
Chapter 1551 - 1544: Rainbow Hua State
Chapter 1551: Chapter 1544: Rainbow Hua State
"Exactly like this..." Cheng Ziang spoke as he reached out his hand, revealing several shiny silver coins.
At the sight of the silver coins in his hand, the two soldiers immediately grew greedy. One must know, silver coins are quite precious in Kyushu. Although silver coins are the mainstream currency in Kyushu, it doesn’t mean that everyone can afford to use them.
Just as in ancient times when tea was rarely affordable for the poor, while Kyushu’s mainstream currency is silver coins, most people still use copper coins because it is the most stable currency.
Just as the two were salivating at the sight, suddenly there came the sound of hurried footsteps from behind. A soldier that looked like a leader rushed over and, kicking each of them once, reached out to slap the silver coins out of Cheng Ziang’s hand. But Cheng Ziang dodged in time, causing him to smack nothing but air.
"Who exactly are you, and what important business brings you to Kyushu? I bet you must be spies from the Demon Clan," said the leading soldier, staring intently at Cheng Ziang and the others’ masks, and asked coldly.
"Cut the nonsense, just come with us!" The soldier waved his hand, and the nearby border army immediately surrounded and encircled the group.
"Ah, Kyushu really isn’t peaceful, Fengyu is somewhat better," Hu Daoke couldn’t help but complain.
"Heh, if it isn’t a case of eyes lighting up at the sight of money," Cheng Ziang watched these soldiers, who look like beggars, and couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.
Right at that moment, Tangmo leisurely stepped out of the carriage, looked around, and said coldly: "Tell these people to scram, the saint is very unhappy."
The sudden appearance of Tangmo made all the soldiers’ eyes light up, for as a great Mage, she did not need to wear a mask but presented her true self. Her beautiful appearance naturally caught the eyes of these soldiers.
Tangmo disliked such licentious gazes, so her expression was very displeased. After a pause, she said coldly again, "I’ll say it once more, tell them all to scram, or I’ll gouge out their eyes."
"Gentlemen of the army, better scatter soon. If the saint is unhappy, we’ll all suffer," Cheng Ziang told them.
"Enough of your blather, take them all back!" The leading soldier seemed to be issuing orders to his subordinates, yet his hand pointed at Tangmo, making his intentions quite clear.
"Clamor!" Tangmo let out a cold voice and swung the long magic wand in her hand, beginning to incant Spells silently.
As magical fluctuations filled the air, a series of invisible explosions suddenly erupted at the chests of the soldiers. The explosions came with flames ignited from the intensely burning oxygen.
All the soldiers, without exception, were knocked to the ground by the blast waves of these minor explosions, rolling and groaning on the ground.
Apart from being singed, they also suffered rather severe injuries from Magic Power Erosion. After all, these were ordinary people without the strong meridians of Cultivators to accommodate magic power, and they were naturally hurt by the pervasive magic.
Regardless, Tangmo was already showing mercy. The power of targeted explosion magic is such that it can directly shatter a person.
"Seems like the great Mage is angry," Cheng Ziang said, facing the havoc around him, yet he appeared exceptionally calm.
But the surrounding people were shocked by their actions, merchants prepared to enter the gate quickly moved away, and the remaining border army also hurried over to support, surrounding the group once more.
Facing the encirclement again, Cheng Ziang looked towards Tangmo with some concern. He wasn’t worried about the safety of the Advance Team; rather, he feared that if they disposed of these people, it would become more difficult for them in Kyushu later on.
He noticed that whether it was her gaze or demeanor, this Tangmo was completely different from the Tangmo he knew; obviously, it was that Momo coming out again, no wonder she was so averse to the way people around her looked at her.
After all, Momo was inherently sickly jealous and intolerant of Luo’er having any ambiguity with others, let alone others coveting her. In her view, she already belonged to Luo’er, and no one else had the right or the qualifications to touch her, even a mere glance might invoke her murderous intent.
Seeing that a major conflict was inevitable, Cheng Ziang worried whether Tangmo would go too far and deal with all the border soldiers. If they did that, then the Advance Team would have directly offended the Dongsheng Court.
Just at this critical juncture, the group suddenly saw a team of Cavalry rushing out from the gate, heading towards them. Leading them was a middle-aged man in official attire. He exuded the scholarly aura unique to literati, yet he was very skilled at horse riding. Whether controlling the horse to stop or dismounting, he was extremely proficient.
Upon this man’s arrival, the encircling soldiers immediately made way, allowing the middle-aged man to enter the center of the encirclement under the escort of a team of cavalry, stopping less than five meters from Cheng Ziang.
"I am Xihe, the Military Governor of Lingyun Province. Greetings to all the Manor Lords," the middle-aged man greeted with a clasped handshake as soon as he saw Cheng Ziang.
"I am Azure Dragon, serving under the Saint. These individuals are White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, while our great Mage and the Saint are in the carriage," Cheng Ziang briefly introduced.
"Oh, I know. You must be the envoy from the Western Continent. I have been waiting here for a long time," said Xihe respectfully.
"How do you know who we are?" Cheng Ziang asked with a frown, puzzled.
"Your distinguished reputation has already spread throughout Kyushu, and despite my humble status, I have heard some things," Xihe said with a smile.
"Since when did our reputation spread across Kyushu?" Baiyue asked in surprise.
"It must be the Wuyun Sect..." Cheng Ziang immediately thought of the Wuyun Sect belonging to Fengyu.
The man before them was Xihe, the Military Governor of Lingyun Province. From his name alone, one could tell that he was not from the aristocratic families but rather an ordinary civilian.
A Province is a secondary administrative division in the Dongsheng Empire, each State consists of two to three Provinces, with the Province being somewhat similar to a modern-day prefecture-level city, governing several county-level administrative divisions. And Lingyun Province is a Province bordering Fengyu and located in Hua State.
Each Province has two main official positions, the County Magistrate in charge of administration, and the Military Governor in charge of military affairs. Above them, the administrative head of a State is called the Governor, while the military command is overseen by a Governor.
That is to say, this fellow named Xihe is, in fact, the military Chief of Lingyun Province in Hua State.
It should be noted that whether it’s a State, Province, or County, all officials are appointed by the Imperial Court’s Ministry of Appointments, and local aristocratic families are not entitled to interfere.
A tacit rule in the civil service of the Dongsheng Imperial Court is known as "State Clan not governing the State." The term "State Clan" refers to esteemed aristocratic families and primarily means influential clans.
The principle of "State Clan not governing the State" implies that members of prestigious families native to a State should not hold office in their own State, to prevent the collusion of local officials and aristocracy, leading to corruption.
For example, if the Huayu Family is the powerful clan in Hua State, neither the County Magistrate nor the Military Governor of Lingyun Province, nor the Governor of Hua State should be members of the Huayu clan.
Of course, this is merely an unwritten rule and is not formalized. In actual history, there have been instances of the State Clan holding governance in a State, and surprisingly, the results have been decent. However, in most cases, the rule of "State Clan not governing the State" is a common unwritten principle, and sons of the Huayu Family seeking office through the Imperial Court are more likely to be assigned to serve in other States.
It is commendable that nowadays, increasingly more commoners are appointed by the Imperial Court to hold significant local positions. For example, this middle-aged man named Xihe before them is a prime example.
"The County Magistrate has been waiting at the Lingyun Government for a long time. Please, Lords, come to the government residence for a chat," said Xihe respectfully.
Lingyun Government is not another term for a Government office, but a city, which is the capital of Lingyun Province. Whether it’s under Zhili or various States, or a Province, the capital is always referred to as a "Government." The Government office for Hua State, however, is located in the Rainbow Government residence of Rainbow Province.
The name Rainbow Province sounds quite romantic and does indeed have a romantic connotation, symbolizing the rainbow. Rainbow Province is also the origin of the name of Hua State itself. The saying goes "a rainbow’s beauty is like blossoming flowers," hence the name Hua State.
"What should we do? Could this be a trap?" Baiyue leaned toward Cheng Ziang and expressed her concern.
"If it’s a trap, let’s turn it to our advantage. Having a place to stay is ultimately beneficial," Cheng Ziang said after pondering for a moment, with a relaxed tone.
"Do you really trust our strength that much?" Baiyue asked, frowning.
"You must understand, aside from madmen, villains operate on logic," Cheng Ziang looked at her and said.
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