Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 555 – The Reason I’m Here Is for Blood and Wine

“I’ve never met a perfect officer like him before. So strong, and he can even make every one of his troops show their full potential. Chen Chou, as their commander, you should know just how lazy and useless those members of that group of roaming cavalry were at the beginning.”

“Anyone will admit to his usefulness in those battles, but to speak of perfection…guzzling wine and brawling every day, just how is that perfect? Do we still want military discipline or not? I agree to assigning him merit, but correspondingly, shouldn’t we also give him punishment for violating the prohibition?”

“If he were my subordinate, if he brought back ten-odd wolf cavalry corpses every time he went on patrol, then let alone drinking and brawling, as long as it wasn’t murder or arson, I would be willing to endure anything. Punishment? I only wish I could wash his feet every day!”

“Aren’t you all forgetting one very important problem? He was sent to us by the military tribunal of the Northern Expedition Administration…I hear that only if you offend some very important figure there will you get sent to some remote region like this. If his name is placed on the register of military merits, might the military administration have some opinion?”

“Even if they do, does that mean we should suppress his military achievements? This will cause the soldiers to become disillusioned!”

“Who said we were going to suppress his military achievements? Aren’t we just thinking of the most suitable method?”

“Everyone, stop talking! Military merit is military merit, and if we should punish, we should punish…with the military merit he has achieved in the past few days, there’s even a chance that he will be conferred a noble title, but given how he has violated the military prohibitions in the past few days, beheading isn’t out of the question either. I see that both sides are in conflict, so let’s issue him a commendation, but as for the monetary reward, we will hold it for now.”

The noisy tent was instantly silenced. Everyone turned to the general seated at the very front, subconsciously wanting to oppose this decision. However, upon careful thought, handling matters this way was the best method, and then they all couldn’t but turn as one towards that deputy general called Chen Chou, their eyes filled with sympathy or schadenfreude.

Chen Chou was extremely angry. He picked up his helmet from the table and exited the tent.

……

……

The reason for his colleagues’ schadenfreude or sympathy, and the reason for his anger, was that everyone keenly understood that with the young officer’s personality, he would definitely fly into a rage upon hearing this news. Moreover, no one, not even the general himself, was willing to directly confront that fellow’s fury.

“What? Only a commendation but no money?”

The layout of the barracks was very simple and crude, the things within all heavy and cumbersome. Fortunately, the wooden table in the middle holding an oil lamp and a dozen or so wine cups was not flipped over.

Chen Chou naturally did not expect to see any good expression after this officer learned the result of the discussion in the officers’ tent, but he did not think that this person’s response would be so severe. He quickly held him fast and incessantly consoled, “The commendation is a good thing! The general went against the pressure of the military administration to confer it upon you!”

Only with this inflexible embrace was everything on the table spared from being shattered into pieces by this person’s, this officer’s, rage.

This officer’s armor was covered in dust, as was his face. Paired with his whiskers that had not been groomed in a very long time, he looked very filthy.

Nevertheless, his eyes were bright, clear, and deep. Only by seeing his eyes would people realize that he was just a young man of twenty-some years.

The young officer struggled free of Chen Chou’s hands, walked over to the table, and poured a pot of wine down his throat as he fumed, “I refuse to accept this.”

Chen Chou helplessly replied, “My little devil, could it be that you’re lacking in that little bit of money?”

The young officer slammed the wine pot on the table and said, “I’m just not convinced. Why, after I achieved so much, could it be that I can’t exchange it for fifty taels of silver?”

Chen Chou glanced outside the barracks and said, “Last time…you killed the prisoners too ruthlessly.”

The young officer waved his hands. “Just where did this rumor come from? How could I do such a gory thing? Only you Zhou troops like to do that sort of thing.”

“Pay attention to your words. Although you’re a southerner, at the moment, we only have one army.”

“Fine, since we’re all one family, why can’t you give me any money?”

“Just what do you want this money for?”

“If you don’t want money, what can you want?”

“The general said, if you’re willing to have your name registered, with the speed at which you’re accumulating merit, you’ll quickly surpass everyone in Seven Li Xi, even…”

Chen Chou looked at him, his emotions complex as he continued, “In five years, you could become a new Divine General.”

Upon hearing this, the young officer seemed to be stunned for a few moments. Then, he smiled and said, “I’m not interested in this sort of thing.”

In the Great Zhou Army, if anyone else heard this statement, they would definitely regard the speaker as a madman.

But Chen Chou showed no surprise because this was not the first time he had heard such words.

“Just what sort of person are you?” he asked the young officer.

The young officer replied, “I’m just a young man that loves money and easily gets angry.”

As he spoke, his eyes were extremely calm.

In reality, previously when he was shaking the table and cursing the general’s mother, his eyes had been similarly calm without any hint of real rage.

Chen Chou sighed, saying, “I really don’t understand the strange hobbies people like you have. Why pretend to be a crude person?”

The young officer got close and seriously asked, “Was I not acting like one?”

Chen Chou took the measure of him then assessed, “Clothing, appearance, and personality are all rather similar, it’s just your eyes that are different.”

Back then, the reason he was able to see that this young officer was no ordinary person was through his eyes.

No matter if he were facing a hundred wolf cavalry or that demon expert, this young officer’s eyes would always be exceedingly calm—this sort of composure signified an absolute self-confidence that could imbue confidence in others, whether it was the young officer himself, the forty-odd roaming cavalry under him, or even his nominal commanding officer, deputy-general Chen Chou.

After this conversation, Chen Chou was all the more certain that this young officer was a truly powerful personage.

Only a truly powerful personage could have these sorts of eyes, and only a truly powerful figure could express such disdain for something like becoming a Divine General.

If he had not confirmed that the transfer papers were all in order, Chen Chou would not have dared to allow this young officer to remain in his unit. But even today, he still did not understand why such a powerful figure would come to such a desolate and dangerous place as Seven Li Xi, and just what he wanted to do.

Tonight, he finally could not hold back this question.

The young officer gazed out of the barracks at the snowstorm, smiling. He seemed rather exhausted but very serene, no anxiety or impatience on his face.

He did not answer Chen Chou’s question, instead indifferently saying, “To drink wine.”

Although Chen Chou knew that this officer was a powerful figure, in the military fort, he was still his subordinate. Moreover, in the past few days, they had braved the snow and ice together, fought side by side and engaged in many bloody battles with the demon cavalry. He had long become familiar with this refusal, but he still couldn’t help but get angry and yell, “You only know how to drink and drink! I’m seriously asking you here!”

The young officer was startled and then roared with laughter. “Ah, I’m also seriously answering.”

His smile faded, and as he gazed out at the wind and snow, he continued, “Here, the wine is strongest and demons to kill the most abundant, assisting people in calming their hearts.”