usatvline Chapter 6 Embroidered Uniform Guard Households
Chapter 6 Embroidered Uniform Guard Households
The flag officer suddenly asked, "Young Flag Officer Chang, how old are you?"
Chang Yuan replied, "I'm twenty years old."
"Twenty?" the flag officer exclaimed in surprise. "I thought you were sixteen or seventeen?"
Chang Yuan laughed: "My face is tender, so I look young."
The flag officer stared at him for a long time, then chuckled, "He does look quite young, but his eyes are very steady. No wonder he plays so well."
As he spoke, he poured Chang Yuan a glass of wine.
"Now that you're an adult, have a drink with me."
Chang Yuan smiled and accepted it: "Okay."
The two clinked glasses lightly, then drank it all in one gulp, each revealing the bottom of their glasses.
Chang Yuan took the initiative to steer the conversation: "Commander-in-Chief, not a single target escaped. Are you unhappy because of the great losses suffered by our brothers?"
The flag officer smiled bitterly and said, "Yes, both of the junior flag officers who led the teams were killed in battle, and two of the three junior flag officers were killed in battle. Only you are left."
"Of the twenty-two Imperial Guard captains, nine were killed in battle, four were seriously wounded, and the rest were all wounded."
"Brother, ask yourself honestly, can this be considered a net balance of merits and demerits?"
The flag officer shook his head and answered his question: "The faults outweigh the merits."
"But you don't need to worry about me, I won't be court-martialed."
"There's something wrong with our mission this time. We were hit by an explosion right from the start, followed by a torrential downpour of blood and gore. Clearly, there's a serious problem with our intelligence."
"Even if the evil god is all-powerful and foresaw our actions, that is the responsibility of the Dao Records Bureau, not mine."
"Besides, you performed brilliantly today, brother, and your new gun and new bullets are my trump cards!"
Chang Yuan performed exceptionally well in this mission, achieving more than half of the kills, thus preventing the Jinyiwei from being completely wiped out.
When an outstanding talent emerges, the commander-in-chief will have the credit for recommending them.
Chang Yuan's improved revolver and new bullets were even more remarkable military achievements than his battle record. As Chang Yuan's superior, the flag officer was also able to share in the credit for his leadership.
With two merits combined, the flag officer would not only avoid punishment, but might even receive a reward.
Chang Yuan asked in surprise, "Then why are you unhappy?"
The chief officer sighed, "Because the junior officer who raided the manor was my comrade-in-arms for over a decade, a brother I've risked my life for."
"The loss of these two trusted brothers is heartbreaking. I truly do not know how to face their families."
The flag officer gulped down a glass of wine, exhaling the smell of alcohol: "In the end, I'm getting old. A forty-two-year-old flag officer should retire from the ranks of combat."
Then he glanced at Chang Yuan and muttered to himself, "Giving up a position in exchange for favors, finding a reliable superior for my son, is the best option."
The flag officer's last words were spoken clearly enough for Chang Yuan to hear, but not for the Imperial Guards officers.
It's obvious they're trying to curry favor with Chang Yuan.
A tiny insect attaches itself to a wild goose's feather and soars to the ninth heaven.
The flag officer was very experienced, knew his own limitations, and had a very keen eye.
But he was unlucky and never met a benefactor who appreciated him in his entire life.
Now that he is old and his ambition has been worn down, he is fortunate to have discovered a talent like Chang Yuan, and naturally wants to send his son over there.
Chang Yuan understood, but didn't agree on the spot because he didn't know what to do.
He simply clinked glasses with the flag officer again.
The flag officer was pleased because Chang Yuan had not refused him outright.
Both of them misunderstood each other's meaning, but sometimes misunderstandings aren't a bad thing.
……
The train sounded its whistle, slowed down, and slowly headed towards the Thousand Households Garrison in Henan Province.
Chang Yuan stared in shock at the city wall stretching for several kilometers and the cannons mounted on it, and couldn't help but wonder if the original owner's memories were wrong.
But after careful recollection, Chang Yuan realized that the original owner's memories were correct, but rather that the feelings he had become accustomed to were not right.
The Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) of the Thousand Household Offices consisted of 1020 men, and each Jinyiwei had a large family behind them, totaling more than 6000 people.
With so many people living together, they formed a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) thousand-household unit comparable in size to a county town.
The Thousand-Household Garrison was part of the Ming Dynasty's military household system. Its garrisons were located at important transportation hubs and also served as military defense facilities.
That's why there's a thick city wall with a circumference of nearly sixteen kilometers, and cannons are mounted on the city walls.
The railway also had its own branch lines, allowing trains to enter the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) Thousand Household Offices and stop at the core Thousand Household Building.
As the Imperial Guards carried the spoils of war and drove the prisoners off the carts, the commander of the Imperial Guards was watching them from his office window.
Seeing the rich spoils and the captured cult members, Lord Chiju smiled.
As the bodies of the fallen Imperial Guards, covered in white cloth, were carried down, the smile on the commander's face vanished.
When he saw the tenth body being carried down, he could no longer sit still. He stormed downstairs and went to the platform to demand, "The casualties are far greater than expected. What happened?"
The captain bowed and replied, "Reporting to Your Excellency, we have been ambushed."
"The cultists planted gunpowder beforehand, prepared talismans contaminated with dog blood and torrential rain, and had an invulnerable monster to assist them."
Qianhu gasped, his anger vanishing instantly.
The centurion, who had just arrived, was so astonished that he blurted out, "How did you all get back alive?"
The captain replied, "Junior Captain Chang Yuan is exceptionally brave. He improved the revolver, making it extremely powerful and capable of continuous fire, and shot down the monster and the cult leader."
Qianhu said, "Chang Yuan, I remember him."
"He is Chang Hu's eldest son and has just inherited the position of junior officer. I never expected him to be such a young prodigy."
"Where is Junior Officer Chang Yuan?"
Chang Yuan was staring blankly at the Qianhu Building, his lips even twitching a few times.
In the original owner's memories, this was an unremarkable eight-story building, but...
What's so ordinary about it?
Yes, this building only has eight floors and is far shorter than the skyscrapers of my previous life, but it's a fortress!
On just this side facing the train platform, Chang Yuan could see ten cannons.
Just then, he heard the commander call his name. He immediately focused his mind and stepped forward: "This humble official, Chang Yuan, pays his respects to Commander Chang!"
When Qianhu saw Chang Yuan's appearance, his eyes lit up instantly: "Hmm, not bad, indeed a handsome young hero."
Okay, Qianhu is also a sucker for good looks. Just by seeing Chang Yuan's face and movements, he believed that the flag officer was not lying.
He instantly forgot about the loss and his mood became very good.
For a flag officer to lose more than half of his men and most of the Jinyiwei officers in a single mission is a serious mistake.
However, from the perspective of a thousand-household commander, if a young hero can be selected through the mission, the loss of a dozen or so Imperial Guard captains and four junior officers is worthwhile.
This is not a mistake, it is a merit!