"Xu Chengguang, of the Xu Clan in the capital."
The moment those six words landed, the main assembly hall fell into dead silence.
Even the sound of the northwest wind carrying sand and gravel against the window lattice became harshly piercing.
Several young military officers standing at the far end of the hall felt their shoulders slump involuntarily, cold sweat seeping from the hands gripping their swords.
The Great Qian Dynasty had stood for a hundred years, and the oppressive weight of aristocratic clans had long been etched into the bones of every man.
In the face of true power, figures like this were people they would never have dreamed of meeting in their lives.
As the scion of a noble house, his every public appearance was an affair of grandeur.
Gongs would clear the way, and a green-curtained palanquin, borne by eight bearers, would lead the procession.
A swarm of attendants followed, with personal aides like Mingyan never straying from his side. Horses were always saddled and ready for his departures, and even the hem of his robes was adjusted for him by servants.
The Xu family held sway over civil governance, with disciples and former subordinates scattered across the capital and all thirteen provinces. The name "Xu Clan of the Capital" weighed heavier on the soul than any urgent military dispatch from the Ministry of War.
On the frontier, swords and spears could kill a man; in the capital, a single word from the Xu family could destroy a spirit.
The imperial supervising censor had barely settled his backside against the edge of the grand armchair when he heard this. With a "whoosh," he sprang to his feet.
He rose so abruptly that his black gauze official hat tilted to one side. He didn't even bother to right it, merely sneaking a glance at Tie Lanshan, who sat in the place of honor. His lips quivered twice, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word.
A seventh-rank civil official, he lacked even the qualification to deliver a visiting card to the Xu residence in the capital. Now, the personal grandson of the Chief Grand Secretary stood before him, alive and breathing. The awe that seeped from the marrow of his bones made his legs feel like jelly.
Zhao Heng remained kneeling on one knee, his head bowed so low he barely dared to breathe.
Tie Lanshan did not respond immediately.
He turned slowly, his old eyes that had read countless battlefields and witnessed countless lives and deaths, scanning Xu Chengguang from head to toe once more.
Tie Lanshan caught the scent of a kindred spirit. It was the smell of blood and game, a stench only cultivated through years steeped in gore and desert sand.
This young man had a ferocity in him that could match the veteran soldiers of the northwest.
"I presume this is Second Young Master Xu..." Tie Lanshan spoke, breaking the hall's silence, "General Xu of the Pingqiang Army in the northwest?"
He took half a step forward. "Why leave the fine pastures of the northwest for this wind-battered, leaking fortress of mine?"
The question was deliberately rude.
Tie Lanshan was a pure frontier commander, a man of the border troops who had always kept his distance from the tangled, intricate aristocratic clans of the capital.
For a member of the Xu family to appear abruptly at Zhenbei Pass... this was no casual social call.
What's more, with Helian's seven thousand iron cavalry bearing down on them, a major figure arriving from the capital at this critical juncture—was he a supervisor? A usurper of command? Or someone sent to reap the fruits of others' labor?
At the lower end of the hall, Xu Qinghuan raised her teacup, using the act of drinking to hide the slight curve of a smile that tugged at her lips.
Interesting.
Her gaze fell upon Xu Chengguang's hands.
The foundation of a literary noble house, the aura of a soldier from the northwest frontier, and layered atop it, the identity of being the grandson of Chief Grand Secretary Xu Jie.
Xu Qinghuan's mind raced through the recent political winds in the capital.
Xu Jie was pushing his New Learning in the court, using the Xu family to stir the pot. And now, he had dispatched his own grandson to the most dangerous post at Zhenbei Pass.
What scheme was this old fox weaving? Was he tying the Xu clan irrevocably to the chariot of the Xu family, or was he gambling the survival of Zhenbei Pass on the next century of the Great Qian Dynasty's fate?
Xu Chengguang met Tie Lanshan's scrutinizing gaze without a flicker of expression.
He gently placed the ancient scroll he had been holding on the side table, then clasped his hands in a respectful salute. His tone was measured and steady: "I come carrying a secret decree from my grandfather, specifically assigned to assist in the defense of the Middle Route Army command at Zhenbei Pass."
At these words, the breaths of several veteran generals in the hall grew heavier.
A secret decree from his grandfather—that was the personal order of Chief Grand Secretary Xu Jie himself. The weight of those four words was enough to have the Minister of War personally come running to serve tea.
Xu Chengguang lifted his head, his gaze passing over the assembled officers to land on the massive map of the northern frontier hanging on the wall: "If Helian's seven thousand iron cavalry come to attack, their first blow will undoubtedly fall on Zhenbei. This place is too close to the gateway of the capital; it cannot be compromised. I am ordered to report here and serve under Marshal Tie's command."
Every word was clear, devoid of any of the arrogance expected from an aristocratic young master. Instead, he placed himself in a position of great humility.
To serve under Marshal Tie's command meant that what he brought was not just the clout of the Xu name, but real military power and combat readiness.
The crack soldiers of the Northwest Pingqiang Army were the most formidable troops among the Great Qian border forces.
Tie Lanshan narrowed his eyes, rubbing his calloused thumb over the hilt of his blade a couple of times. "The Chief Grand Secretary is most thoughtful. But the conditions at Zhenbei Pass are harsh. I fear Second Young Master Xu's precious person might not withstand this wind and sand."
"A soldier knows only how to kill the enemy, not the wind and sand," Xu Chengguang replied curtly.
He paused, his eyes sweeping over the faces of the generals in the hall before finally settling back on Tie Lanshan. His tone remained as calm as ever: "Furthermore, there is a private matter."
The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
"During my time in the northwest, I often heard tales of a truly formidable warrior at Zhenbei Pass: General Xu Zhan, a man with the strength to shatter heavy armor with a single arm and topple ten with his brute force. In the army, they call him 'Asura,' 'Xiang Yu Reborn.'"
The imperial censor swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously between Xu Chengguang and Tie Lanshan.
Several of the veteran generals who had followed Tie Lanshan for years immediately darkened their expressions.
General Xu Zhan's feat of shattering heavy armor with a single arm was the pride of Zhenbei Pass, a source of honor for these old soldiers.
Now, a young aristocratic general from the northwest had come, singling out Xu Zhan by name. The implication was as clear as day.
The northwestern army had always been known for being arrogant and looking down on others. This was a challenge.
The veteran generals exchanged meaningful glances with each other. The atmosphere in the hall tightened instantly.
Xu Chengguang seemed oblivious to the sudden chill that had settled over the room.
He tilted his head up slightly, looking directly at Tie Lanshan, his articulation crisp and forceful: "I also wish to request the honor of a sparring match to test his skill."
