Chapter 7: What Reward Do You Want

"What?"

The moment the words left his lips, a stir rippled through the cavalry unit.

One had to understand that the Black Wolf Tribe was no ordinary band of Tartars. These elite scouts were each one-in-a-thousand hardened killers, every one of them having the blood of at least a dozen frontier soldiers on their hands. Yet now, six of them had been cut down by a village boy who hadn't even formally enlisted, among them a centurion!

The officer took the token, glanced at the wolf-script characters engraved on the back, and laughed.

"Boy, do you have any idea who you killed?"

Lin Chuan remained composed. "Reporting to the commander, I only knew he was a Tartar."

"Good, good, good!" The officer clapped and laughed heartily. His gaze swept over the six corpses on the ground; without even needing a closer look, he could see that each had been killed with a single strike. "What sword style do you use?"

Lin Chuan calmly unbuckled the long blade at his waist and offered it with both hands. "Reporting to the commander, it was just an ordinary hack."

The officer took the blade and examined it briefly. "A decent blade, and you are quite humble." He tossed the sword back to Lin Chuan, his eyes landing on the torn skin between the boy's thumb and forefinger. "Did you get that just now?"

"Reporting to the commander, it is a minor injury and of no consequence," Lin Chuan replied. "If not for the villagers fighting for their lives, I fear my injuries would have been far worse."

The officer roared with laughter. "Good! A fine display of 'the many risking their lives, and a brave man slaying the enemy'!"

He turned to his personal guards and shouted, "Write this down! Lin Chuan of Tielin Fortress, leading eleven villagers, annihilated six enemy cavalry in street combat while remaining unscathed."

He turned his gaze back to Lin Chuan. "What reward do you want?"

Lin Chuan’s heart skipped a beat. From the moment the officer dismounted, he had been observing him. The black horse was tall and powerful, yet perfectly submissive under him; the officer’s palms were rough, covered in thick callouses that spoke of a lifetime of gripping a blade; and the cavalrymen, though dusty, were in perfect formation.

*This man must be a veteran of a hundred battles,* Lin Chuan thought to himself. *Rather than begging for a reward, it is better to take a gamble...*

He suddenly knelt on one knee, cupping his hands in a salute. "Reporting to the commander, the reward stated on the notice is already generous enough. I only ask to receive the bounty according to the law; I dare not ask for more."

A flash of light crossed the officer's eyes. "According to the law?"

"Commander, we did issue a bounty notice," Pang Dabiao whispered from behind. "Ten taels of silver for one Tartar head. Three heads earned, and one is granted the rank of Small Flag Officer."

"A Small Flag Officer?" The officer chuckled. "Wouldn't that make him the superior of Old Hu?"

Pang Dabiao gave a low laugh. "That blockhead, he really got a massive bargain."

The officer looked at Lin Chuan. "Are you willing to join my personal guard battalion?"

The personal guard battalion? Lin Chuan was stunned. This unit was akin to a modern-day security detail, responsible for the close protection of the commander. Joining them meant becoming a trusted confidant to the officer, which, for an ordinary villager, was an ascent to the heavens in a single step.

However, Lin Chuan had other considerations. If he joined the guard, he would rarely have the chance to stand on his own, let alone put his ambitions into practice. He had already made a deep impression on the commander; in time, he was certain he could provide the man with even greater surprises.

Lin Chuan pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands. "I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Commander. However..." He gestured toward the villagers behind him. "These villagers fought to protect our home. If I were to leave now, I would not be at ease. Furthermore, I have already promised Corporal Hu that I would report to Tielin Fortress tomorrow for enlistment..."

By changing his self-reference from "this humble one" to "your subordinate," he had made his intentions clear.

Sure enough, the officer raised an eyebrow, clearly satisfied. He looked at Lin Chuan with a faint smile. "Oh? And what is your proposal?"

"I dare to request the position of Small Flag Officer from you, Commander," Lin Chuan said steadily. "In this way, I can continue to guard my village while also serving your needs."

Pang Dabiao muttered from the side, "This kid, passing up the guard battalion just to be a Small Flag Officer..."

The officer laughed loudly. "Good!" He pulled a piece of raw iron from his pouch and tossed it to Lin Chuan. "Three days from now, bring this token to the garrison camp in the city, and I shall make you a Small Flag Officer!"

Another stir ran through the cavalry. Some gasped, while others whispered, "The waist token of the Assistant Regional Commander..." "This kid has hit the jackpot..."

The cavalry swept away like a whirlwind, leaving a trail of dust. The dozen garrison soldiers, no longer daring to be arrogant, helped the man with the bulbous nose and fled in disgrace.

Only the villagers remained, dazed and silent.

"I-I-I-is... what is a Small Flag Officer?" Zhang Xiaonian stammered. He looked at Wang Tie-zhu, who looked at the others. Everyone looked at one another, then turned their eyes toward the village head.

When the cavalry had arrived, the village head had been trembling, not daring to lift his head. Only now did he recover his wits, and he quickly knelt before Lin Chuan, kowtowing. "Greetings, Master Flag Officer!"

"What? Master?" The villagers looked at each other in confusion. Some felt their legs go weak and prepared to kneel as well.

Lin Chuan caught the village head’s arm, preventing him from kneeling further. "Uncle, you are shortening my lifespan." He shook his head with a bitter smile. "It only counts once I have the official appointment papers. For now, I am still just Lin Chuan from the village."

The village head remained in a half-kneeling, awkward posture, his clouded eyes blinking. "But the commander just gave the word..."

"Military orders are indeed as heavy as mountains," Lin Chuan nodded, "but until the seal and letter are in hand, if I were to use official authority to pressure people now, how would I be any different from those garrison soldiers?"

Only then did the village head stand up, trembling. He brushed the dust from his knees and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs: "Did you all hear that? Our Willow Tree Village has produced a Flag Officer!"

The shout rippled through the crowd like a thunderclap.

"Village Head, what kind of official is a Flag Officer? Is he bigger than the County Magistrate?" someone asked.

"This Flag Officer is a real, bona fide military rank!" The village head’s face beamed. "He commands eleven military households! He doesn't even have to kneel when he sees the County Magistrate!"

"Really? He doesn't have to kneel to the Magistrate?"

"That’s a real big official!"

"If Lin Chuan is a frontier Flag Officer, does that mean those garrison soldiers won't be able to bully us anymore?"

"Look at how they acted earlier! When garrison soldiers see frontier troops, they're like mice seeing a cat!"

"Hahahaha..."

"The Lin family ancestors must be smoking with good fortune..."

The villagers chimed in one after another, and the way they looked at Lin Chuan had changed. There was envy, but even more, there was fear and distance. This was the society of the ancient world; between the commoner and the official, an invisible chasm would always loom.

Zhang Xiaonian approached, trembling. "Lin, Lin Flag..."

"Call me Big Brother Lin!" Lin Chuan glared at him.

Zhang Xiaonian froze, looked at the gazes of those around him, and cheered up. He nodded vigorously. "B-b-b-big..."

"..." Lin Chuan rubbed his forehead helplessly.

"B-b-big brother." Zhang Xiaonian grinned foolishly and pointed at the iron token in Lin Chuan's hand. "W-w-what is this?"

Lin Chuan finally picked up the iron token to examine it closely. "Xilong Garrison?" he read the three characters on the token.

His original self had spent his days reading in his room, oblivious to the world outside, and had no idea what this "Xilong Garrison" was. He asked the village head, "Uncle, do you know about the Xilong Garrison?"

"Good heavens!" the village head exclaimed. "The Xilong Garrison is the elite iron cavalry of our Northern Defense Army, directly under the command of the Northern Frontier Regional Commander!"

Wang Tie-zhu gasped. "M-m-more powerful than Tielin Fortress?"

"Tielin Fortress?" The village head grew excited. "Tielin Fortress is just a gatekeeper compared to the Xilong Garrison!"

"Then who was that general from earlier?"

"If I'm not mistaken, nine times out of ten, that was the famous 'Iron Whip Chen' of the Xilong Garrison, General Chen!"