Xia Chen followed behind Qin Mu, slowly walking through the Military Camp towards the Zhonglang General's tent.
The Yulin Guard is part of the Imperial Army, with a prepared by of 3,000 men. Its highest commander is a Zhonglang General, a fourth-rank official.
Below the Zhonglang General, there are three Company Commanders, each in charge of a thousand Imperial Army soldiers. Qin Mu is one such Company Commander, Xia Chen's direct superior.
Below the Company Commander is the Captain. A Captain commands two camps, totaling two hundred men.
Below the Captain is the Company Commander. A Company Commander commands one camp. The previous Class A Camp was commanded by Zhao Yu, and the people playing cards in the Military Camp were also from the Class A Camp.
Xia Chen and Qin Mu were already acquainted. To his surprise, although Qin Mu was his superior, his attitude towards him was quite polite.
Xia Chen quickly understood the reason after a moment's thought.
"Company Commander, may I ask why the Zhonglang General summoned this subordinate?"
Xia Chen walked up to Qin Mu and whispered.
"I don't know, you'll find out when you go in!"
Qin Mu smiled and shook his head, "But it's probably nothing major. You just took office today. According to procedure, you should have come to see the Zhonglang General first!"
Qin Mu looked at Xia Chen, who had a gentle demeanor and none of the fierce aggression he had shown when dealing with Zhao Yu earlier, and couldn't help but add a word.
Xia Chen looked thoughtful. This was indeed an oversight on his part. When he was brought in by the guards earlier, he thought he was going to see the Zhonglang General, but he was directly led to the side of the camp.
Xia Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. He now realized that everything had been pre-planned.
While he was thinking, a soldier walked out of the tall, spacious Military Camp.
"Captain, the General invites you in!"
Xia Chen nodded, neither humble nor arrogant, and walked in with a composed demeanor.
As soon as he entered, he saw a middle-aged general sitting in the Military Camp.
"Greetings, General!"
Xia Chen immediately clasped his fists and respectfully saluted.
In the Military Camp, everything is based on rank. Even if one wants to discuss background, that is done privately.
Subordinates must be respectful to their superiors; this is fundamental.
Therefore, no matter the reason, a subordinate daring to offend a superior is a grave offense in the Military Camp, which is why Xia Chen dared to directly expel Zhao Yu from the Imperial Army.
Even if this matter escalated, Zhao Yu would still be in the wrong.
"No need for formalities!"
Li Wenzhong said with a smile, asking Xia Chen to sit down and personally pouring him a cup of tea.
"There's nothing much to call you over for, mainly just to meet and get acquainted, haha!"
Li Wenzhong showed no airs as a superior. He continued, "We are both children of the Wu Xun Group, so we are all one family. Moreover, I have a great connection with the Zhendong Marquis Manor. Two hundred years ago, my ancestor followed that generation's Zhendong Marquis into battle and made illustrious military achievements, serving as the army's vanguard. Ultimately, he earned a Marquis title for my Li family.
Although this Marquis title is not hereditary, it still allowed us to integrate into the Wu Xun Group, which is why I can sit in this Zhonglang General position today. So, if you don't mind, just call me Uncle!"
Li Wenzhong looked at Xia Chen, actively trying to bridge the gap between them.
"Uncle!"
Xia Chen didn't hesitate and immediately said with a smile.
But at the same time, his heart was calm as he quickly analyzed the detailed information about Li Wenzhong that his eldest uncle, Xia Qian, had sent him yesterday.
Although the Li family is a member of the Wu Xun Group, with eight hundred years of national destiny, there are countless Wu Xun aristocratic families throughout the Great Wu Dynasty. After eight hundred years, things have long changed dramatically. Among the founding Wu Xun families, only three have been passed down to this day.
Emperor Wu Zong recovered the country, so it's not an exaggeration to call him the founding emperor. In those days, countless meritorious officials were rewarded.
But now, only six families have been passed down; the others have long declined. And currently, the backbone of the entire Wu Xun Group consists mostly of families who gained their titles through military merits in the past one or two hundred years.
The Li family is one of them.
However, the Li family's Marquis title was long gone. From Li Wenzhong's father's generation, the Li family began to decline. Originally, the Li family's fate should have been like most Wu Xun aristocratic families, slowly declining until they disappeared from the stage of history.
But just as the Li family was about to decline, it seemed to have a sudden resurgence. Li Wenzhong rose unexpectedly, quickly ascending from the Imperial Army to Zhonglang General, gaining control of the Yulin Guard.
This allowed the Li family to recover its vitality in recent years and begin to gain some say in the Wu Xun Group.
"He is the Emperor's man!"
Although Xia Qian's information didn't explicitly state it, Xia Chen quickly came to this conclusion.
To rise so quickly in the Imperial Army, there was only one possibility: he had gained the Emperor's favor.
Otherwise, such a crucial position as the head of the Yulin Guard would not be given to just anyone.
"His attitude towards me is so good. It seems that my Consort status is not as bad as I imagined, especially in the Imperial Army, where this status is particularly useful!"
Xia Chen quickly understood from various pieces of information why both Qin Mu and Li Wenzhong treated him with such deference.
His origin from the Zhendong Marquis Manor was one aspect, but the fundamental reason was probably his status as the Consort.
If the imperial family were likened to a household, then the Imperial Army was clearly the imperial family's private army. And as the Consort, he was at least half a master. Before the attitude of those above him was clear, these people below naturally dared not neglect him.
Thinking of this, Xia Chen's demeanor became even more composed. In front of Li Wenzhong, he was neither impolite nor obsequious. The two chatted while drinking tea, their relationship growing closer and closer. Soon, they were calling each other "Uncle" and "Worthy Nephew."
...
...
Xia Chen walked out of Li Wenzhong's Military Camp, a smile on his face. This start was better than he had originally expected.
The power he could seize in the Imperial Army might also be greater than he had originally imagined.
Xia Chen returned to his Military Camp, and Xia Qian quickly ran over.
"Young Master, General Li didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"
"In the Military Camp, we still use titles. Don't call me Young Master anymore!"
Xia Chen waved his hand and then continued, "No, General Li and I had a very pleasant conversation."
Xia Chen briefly explained some of the situation to Xia Qian and the three family soldiers.
The three family soldiers who came with him to the Military Camp were named Xia Hui, Xia Xiao, and Xia Kang.
They were all battle-hardened soldiers who had truly been on the battlefield. Among them, Xia Hui's cultivation had even reached the Seven Rank Refining Spirit Realm.
In the army, he could definitely serve as a Captain, or even a Company Commander.
As Xia Chen chatted with the four, a voice sounded outside the Military Camp.
"This subordinate, Qian Nan, requests an audience with Captain!"
Xia Chen received his other Company Commander, Qian Nan, in the Military Camp. As soon as Qian Nan entered, he respectfully saluted and then pledged his loyalty, apparently having already heard about Zhao Yu's fate.
To be honest, he was already breaking out in a cold sweat. Zhao Yu had found him yesterday and suggested that the two of them team up to give the new Captain a hard time.
Fortunately, he had led his troops out on patrol this morning and hadn't encountered them. Otherwise, he estimated that he would have already been expelled from the Imperial Army.
At this moment, he felt immensely fortunate!