Logging into the Game World Early and Starting with a Royal Marriage to the Empress - Chapter 16

Xia Chen followed Qin Mu, slowly making his way through the military camp towards the Leader of court gentlemen’s tent!

The Imperial Guards were part of the Imperial Army, with a total strength of 3,000 soldiers. The highest-ranking officer was the Leader of court gentlemen, a position of the fourth rank.

Below the Leader of court gentlemen were three Commandants, each in charge of a thousand soldiers. Qin Mu was one of these Commandants and Xia Chen’s immediate superior.

Below the Commandants were the Commanders, each overseeing two companies, totaling two hundred men.

Below the Commanders were the Brigade Commanders, each in charge of a single company. The previous Company A had been under Zhao Yu’s command, and it was also the men from Company A who had been gambling in the tent.

Xia Chen was already acquainted with Qin Mu, and to his surprise, despite being his superior, Qin Mu was quite polite towards him.

After a moment of thought, Xia Chen understood the reason.

“Commandant, I wonder what the Leader of court gentlemen wants to see me about?”

Xia Chen walked up to Qin Mu and asked in a low voice.

“I don’t know, you’ll find out once you go in!”

Qin Mu shook his head with a smile. “But I suppose it’s nothing serious. You just started today, and according to protocol, you should have come to see the Commandant first!”

Xia Chen nodded thoughtfully. He realized he had overlooked this detail.

When he was brought in by the guards, he had assumed he was to meet the Commandant but was taken directly to the camp tent instead. His eyes narrowed slightly as he realized that everything had been orchestrated.

As he was thinking, a soldier emerged from the tall and spacious military tent.

“Commander, the General asks you to come in!”

Xia Chen nodded, walked in with composure, neither humble nor arrogant.

Upon entering, he saw a middle-aged general seated in the tent.

“Reporting to the General!”

Xia Chen immediately saluted with a military gesture, showing respect.

In the military camp, everything was based on rank. Even if background mattered, it was discussed privately.

Subordinates had to show respect to their superiors, which was fundamental.

Therefore, no matter the reason, if a subordinate dared to offend a superior in the camp, it was a serious offense.

This was also the basis for Xia Chen’s decision to expel Zhao Yu from the Imperial Army. Even if the matter escalated, Zhao Yu would still be in the wrong.

“There’s no need for such formality!” Li Wenzhong said with a smile, inviting Xia Chen to sit down and personally pouring him a cup of tea.

“I didn’t call you here for anything serious. Mainly, I just wanted to meet you and get acquainted, haha!” Li Wenzhong had no air of superiority about him as he continued speaking.

“We are both from military families, so we are practically family. Moreover, I have a deep connection with the Marquis of Zhen Dong’s mansion. Two hundred years ago, my ancestor followed that generation’s Marquis of Zhen Dong into battle and established great military achievements. He was the vanguard of the army and ultimately earned a marquis title for my family.

Although this marquis title is not hereditary, it has become part of the military establishment, which is why I am now able to sit in this position as the Leader of court gentlemen. So if you don’t mind, you may call me Uncle!”

Li Wenzhong looked at Xia Chen, actively trying to build a closer relationship.

“Uncle!”

Xia Chen replied without hesitation, smiling.

But at the same time, he remained calm inside, quickly analyzing the detailed information about Li Wenzhong that his uncle Xia Qian had sent him yesterday.

Although the Li family is part of the military establishment, over the 800 years of the Da Wu Dynasty, there have been countless military families. Many have risen and fallen over the centuries. Out of the founding military families, only three have survived to this day.

Emperor Wuzong, who reclaimed the land, could be considered the founding emperor. He rewarded countless meritorious officials at that time.

But now, only six families have survived, while the others have faded away. Most of the core families in the military establishment today have gained their titles through military achievements in the past one or two hundred years.

The Li family is one of them.

However, the Li family’s marquis title no longer exists.

Since Li Wenzhong’s father’s generation, the Li family has been in decline. Like most military families, they were destined to slowly fade away and disappear from the historical stage.

But just as they were about to fade away, the Li family seemed to have a sudden resurgence. Li Wenzhong rose rapidly through the ranks of the Imperial Army and became the Leader of court gentlemen, in charge of the Imperial Guards.

This has allowed the Li family to regain some vitality in recent years and gain a certain amount of influence within the military establishment.

“He is the emperor’s man!”

Although Xia Qian’s information did not explicitly state this, Xia Chen quickly reached this conclusion.

The only way to rise so quickly in the Imperial Army is to have the emperor’s favor.

Otherwise, such a crucial position as the head of the Imperial Guards would not be given to just anyone.

“His attitude towards me is so good. It seems that my status as an Imperial Son-in-Law is not as bad as I imagined, especially in the Imperial Army, where this identity is particularly useful!”

Xia Chen quickly understood from various pieces of information why both Qin Mu and Li Wenzhong were so polite to him.

His background from the Marquis of Zhen Dong was one aspect, but the fundamental reason was probably that he was the emperor’s son-in-law.

If the royal family were compared to a household, then the Imperial Army would be the royal family’s private soldiers. As the Imperial Son-in-Law, he was essentially a co-owner. Before the higher-ups made their stance clear, the people below naturally dared not be disrespectful.

Thinking this through, Xia Chen became even more composed. In front of Li Wenzhong, he was neither disrespectful nor overly humble. They drank tea and chatted, and their relationship grew closer and closer. Soon, they were addressing each other as “Uncle” and “nephew.”

When Xia Chen walked out of Li Wenzhong’s tent, a smile appeared on his face. This beginning was better than he had originally thought. The power he could gain in the Imperial Army might also be greater than he had imagined.

Xia Chen returned to his own camp, and Xia Qian quickly ran over.

“Master, did General Li give you a hard time?”

“In the military camp, we address each other by rank. Don’t call me master anymore!”

Xia Chen waved his hand and continued, “No, I had a very pleasant conversation with General Li.”

Xia Chen briefly explained the situation to Xia Qian and the three family soldiers.

The three family soldiers who had come with him to the camp were named Xia Hui, Xia Xiao, and Xia Kang.

All of them were true iron-blooded soldiers who had seen real battle.

Among them, Xia Hui’s cultivation had reached the seventh level of Spirit Refining. In the military, he could definitely serve as a Commandant, or even a Commander.

As Xia Chen chatted with the four men, a voice was heard outside the tent.

“Subordinate Qian Nan, requesting an audience with the Commandant!”

Xia Chen received his other Brigade Commander, Qian Nan, in the tent.

As soon as Qian Nan entered, he saluted respectfully and expressed his loyalty. He had clearly already heard about Zhao Yu’s fate.

To be honest, he was breaking out in a cold sweat. Zhao Yu had approached him yesterday, suggesting they join forces to give the new Commandant a hard lesson.

Fortunately, he had been out on patrol this morning and hadn’t encountered Xia Chen.

Otherwise, he feared he would have been expelled from the Imperial Army as well.

At this moment, he felt incredibly relieved!