Chapter 802 - General of the South
After a while, battle drums began to echo down the great hall. King Rob slowly stood up from his throne and projected his voice, “Generals of Tian Ling City, adventurers from all over the world, thanks to your fierce fight to the death, Tian Ling City has finally killed the two Demons, Han Lin and Kehl and has pushed back the invasions upon the city. Today’s feast is to thank you for your sacrifices. Drink and eat to your heart’s content!”
A crowd of players were waiting around for their rewards while the governors and officials ran up to the king to congratulate him. It was an incredibly competitive atmosphere as NPCs and players pushed and shoved each other to get their time with the king, hoping he would give them a higher position in this cheerful mood.
……
Theodore’s arm was wrapped in a bandage, some blood seemed to have seeped through. He had gotten the injury during the fight with the Blood Giant. He looked up at the king and said, “Father, these adventurers are still waiting for your reward!”
King Rob nodded and said, “Heroes, come forth. I will give each of you your rewards now!”
Dancing Forest, Simple, and Q-Sword all stepped forward. There were two kinds of system rewards: one was a job promotion, and the other came in the form of levels, equipment, and Charm. A few seconds later, the result was revealed. Wan Er received a Deity Tier cape while Dong Cheng received a pair of Demon Harvest Magic shoes. Dancing Forest’s luck was pretty good and she got a Deity Tier longbow. This time, her attack power was going to be pretty incredible.
After Q-Sword and Ye Lai received their rewards, they gave a curt goodbye and turned to leave.
“Well then, what about you?” King Rob looked over at Fang Ge Que.
Fang Ge Que replied, “I would like my military achievements to be recognized by the kingdom!”
King Rob said, “You are a general under my son, Theodore. I’ll let him give you the reward!”
Theodore leaned against his sword and stood up, “Youngster, you’re very brave in battle. Now I will promote you to a Second Cavalry Officer with a Lieutenant’s salary and the leadership of the 3rd Regiment of the Long Spears. How does that sound?”
Fang Ge Que smiled, “Thank you your highness!”
After receiving the promotion, Fang Ge Que also turned to leave. Looks like he wasn’t very interested in any of the other things. On the other hand, Wan Er and Dong Cheng were still waiting for their rewards.
Drunken Spear stood all by himself with his spear in hand. He was the only one in his guild, [Flying Dragon], to have made it into the Top 20. As if to single him out, the old king pointed directly at Drunken Spear and said, “Hero who hails from the Demon World, what kind of reward would you like?”
Drunken Spear grunted, “I would like to climb to a higher position in the military!”
King Rob looked at him for a long time before giving his final verdict, “You've made quite a contribution to this battle, if that is what you wish for…. There is a difficult task I have in mind. Do you have the courage to take it on?”
Drunken Spear’s face lit up, “Your majesty, please continue!”
King Rob smiled at his enthusiasm, “Of the empire’s dozens of armies, the Harvest Army was nearly annihilated. An army of 40,000 was decimated until only a few survivors were left. Even Commander Klein died a heroic death in the midst of battle. The Harvest Army still has its place within the empire, and around seven hundred men have returned to its call. As such, I hope that someone will take on the responsibility of becoming the Harvest Army’s commander and will rebuild it to its former glory. Are you willing to take this position? I will be straightforward, the Harvest Army does not have much priority when it comes to recruiting, and furthermore, after this restructuring, the Harvest Army will become a branch under the Xia Yu Army. Only after it grows and develops will it become independent. Are you still willing?”
Drunken Spear nodded without hesitation, “I am!”
“Good!”
King Rob raised his goblet and smiled, “If that is the case, then let me send you off on this task with this glass!”
Drunken Spear immediately took the goblet and gulped it down. He then left the palace to meet the straggling army. It seems like he has taken a path similar to mine. But the reality was, Drunken Spear’s path was much more difficult than the one I took. Almost all of the original soldiers in the Harvest Army were either dead or disabled. Additionally, since it was subservient to the Xia Yu Army, and because the Xia Yu Army was second in the nation, there was undoubtedly some underhanded dealings that the Harvest Army would inevitably become embroiled in. If Drunken Spear really brings up the Harvest Army from within the Xia Yu Army, then that would truly be quite the feat.
……
That was when the king looked over to me and smiled, “Commander Li Xiao Yao, in this battle, both your leadership and courage have impressed me. There were many instances where the Demon Army was pushed back when you were in command. Not to mention the fact that you personally killed the Blood Giant Kehl yourself. You outshone many in this battle. Tell me, what kind of reward would you like? Ask me anything!”
I looked around and saw that the generals and officials were all looking at me and there was no lack of jealousy and envy. But, there was no other way. I had climbed the ranks in the empire too quickly. Under my command, the Royal Army’s troop of weaklings had suddenly turned become one of the main forces. Rather, I would be suspicious if those senior generals did not show the least bit of dislike towards me.
I stepped forward and looked up at the old king, “The Royal Army has taken too many losses from this battle. I ask that your majesty replenish our forces, along with our supplies and weapons. More importantly, we’ll also need to replenish our battle machines!”
“Anything in addition to that?” King Rob asked.
I pondered for a moment before replying, “In addition, I hope that your majesty will allow the Royal Army to open up a new camp outside the city. The camp we have within the city is too small and can hold at most twenty thousand men. Right now, the Royal Army is most in need of battle power, and a mere force of twenty thousand is not nearly enough.”
King Rob couldn’t help but smile cheerfully, “If it isn’t so. Alright then, I will grant all of those requests. Within the next few days, the Moon Blade Forest just southwest of Tian Ling City will be opened up for you. Furthermore, a million gold pieces will be budgeted to you for the Royal Army to begin building a new campground. The Magic Flame Army and the Star Rifle Army both lost over seventy percent of their forces and the two commanders were unfortunately killed in action. How about having the remaining soldiers of the Magic Flame Army and the Star Rifle Army be reassigned to the Royal Army?”
Pearl excitedly bumped my shoulder beside me and said, “Why aren’t you thanking his majesty yet?”
I was stunned, “What?”
Pearl replied, “The Magic Flame Army and the Star Rifle Army were originally long time veterans of Tian Ling City. While their numbers are few, they are all experienced elite soldiers. Even after losing seventy percent of their forces, they still have ten thousand men left. What do you think?”
Surprised, I said, “Thank you your majesty!”
King Rob continued, “You’re welcome. After all, the Royal Army has worked hard on behalf of the empire. Rebuilding it has been a concern of mine from the beginning. Now that General Li has built it into a strong force, you have laid those worries to rest!”
King Rob coughed a few times and clearly pronounced, “This announcement will take immediate effect. General Li Xiao Yao has now been promoted as the General of the South and is ranked as a Fourth Tier Commander. He will be in command of the entire Royal Army, and will have full power to deploy the troops. If the Royal Army ever suffers any resistance, Li Xiao Yao may use the General of the South badge to deploy any army from the empire. All commanders must obey!”
I stiffened. Pearl was nearly jumping with joy. The king’s order this time was truly generous. He was actually giving me the permission to use any of the armies in the empire. Based on the ancient military system, the only person with that kind of power was the field marshal. To think that I, a small General of the South, would actually be given the same kind of treatment was unbelievable. Looks like King Rob truly valued the service from Pearl and I.
An imperial bodyguard stepped forward and presented a crimson badge, “General Li, do you accept the badge of the General of the South and the official seal?”
I bowed my head and accepted the two items. The badge for the General of the South was slightly heavier than my original General badge. Furthermore, the workmanship of the new badge was much more detailed and intricate. Truthfully, my heart was secretly leaping with joy. Based on the tiering system in the Tian Ling City empire, a General was a sixth tier official, while a General of the South was a fourth tier official. I had risen two tiers with this one promotion.
“Ding!”
System Notification: Congratulations, you have demonstrated outstanding military achievement at the Battle of the Sea of No Return and have received 1,000 Achievement points. Furthermore, you have received the following rewards: Level+1, Charm+50, Gold+100,000!
……
Now that was the real system reward. Perhaps my level was already getting too high, and so the system was only granting one level to me. But that was still just fine. At Level 151, I could advance to the next class!
The king looked at me and said, “General Li, I hope that you will not betray the faith that we have put upon you and continue to work hard for the empire!”
I nodded, “I shall.”
Pearl smiled, “The Magic Flame Army and the Star Rifle Army are both waiting for you outside the city. How about you bring your men over to welcome them? Additionally, preparations are already being made for the supplies to be sent out. They will be sent at first notice to the Royal Army. Do not worry, the man making the preparations is one of my mine, he will not make a mistake.”
I smiled, “Thank you!”
While my heart was set on the issue of advancing from the sixth class, I knew that I needed to handle the Royal Army matters first. After all, it was much more important. The Royal Army was now accepting two military forces, and had suddenly grown into a 40,000 man army. With patience and training, this group could soon become an exceptional godlike army that will sweep the seven continents!
Wan Er and Dong Cheng both left to grind levels. They both were young girls anyway and didn’t find much interest in matters like training troops. Otherwise, they would have done the same as Fang Ge Que and Drunken Spear and would have asked for a military position as their reward rather than equipment and levels. However, the rewards that they received had pushed the two girls close to Level 150. They were probably grinding to hit the Level 150 requirement for the sixth class advancement. At this point, no players had reached that frontier. Who knows what kind of new skills were available at the sixth class advancement. Anticipation filled the air.
……
Outside Tian Ling City, there were players were all over the place. I followed Pearl into the Moon Blade Forest. From a distance, I could already see the soldiers lined up in neat rows in a clearing. It was the soldiers from the Magic Flame Army and the Star Rifle Army. Their armor was still bloody from the previous battle. Many of their garments were torn or tattered. However, there weren’t any injured soldiers. Those that were injured had most likely been sent back home.
All of the soldiers were whispering to one another and were clearly anxious. The commanders of the two armies had died in battle, and nobody knew about the fate of their army. This kind of uneasiness was to be expected.
“Silence! Her highness, Princess Pearl, has arrived!”
The messenger called out from his horse as he rode into the clearing and everyone quieted down.