Chapter 149: The Wooden Kite of the Gongshu Clan

Nobody objected.

In terms of official rank, they were inferior to Shang Lu.
In terms of strength, they could not defeat Shang Lu either.
What was there to object to?

The two centurions were the first to cup their fists and salute, "We will execute whatever arrangements the Lord makes."

The four platoon leaders quickly followed suit, expressing their agreement.

"Very well."

Shang Lu was quite satisfied with their obedient demeanor, not missing their previous unruliness in the slightest.

He instructed the four platoon leaders, "Go and organize the men. Follow me into the city shortly to undergo the screening of the Discipline Department's shamanic officials."

"A screening?"

Not only did the four platoon leaders wear looks of astonishment, but the two centurions also furrowed their brows.

"Don't misunderstand. It's not targeted at you, but a routine screening. Everyone previously in the county government office has undergone this screening..."

Shang Lu offered a brief explanation, telling them that spies had previously infiltrated the yamen, so all newcomers had to undergo screening, and furthermore, such screenings would become a normalized procedure.

Having heard Shang Lu's explanation and understood the background of the matter, the two centurions and four platoon leaders raised no further objections.

The four platoon leaders immediately accepted their orders and went to convey the matter to the soldiers of their respective platoons.

Shang Lu then looked at the two centurions. "Recommend ten men with scout experience to me, and also recommend a leader. I want them to begin patrolling immediately after the screening concludes."

Centurion Feng Nan smiled and volunteered himself, "My Lord, if you want to pick men for charging into battle, you would certainly select them from Old Xu's subordinates. But when it comes to reconnaissance and scouting, just look for me. The lads under my command all have scouting experience, and I myself started out as a scout. Even after becoming a centurion, I was often responsible for reconnoitring enemy intelligence. This leadership role falls to me beyond a doubt."

Shang Lu was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

Veteran scouts like Feng Nan were the elite among elites wherever they went.

No wonder his cultivation realm was stronger than that of ordinary centurions, being just a hair's breadth away from completing the Meridian-Opening stage.

The frontier army had actually been willing to let go of such an elite.

It seemed the commandery government, the Shamanic Academy, and even Feng Boyuan had exerted great effort.

"In that case, I will have to trouble old Feng."

Shang Lu smiled and changed how he addressed him, dropping his official title to make it sound more cordial.

Of course, it was also because his own status and position now surpassed those of Feng Nan and Xu泰.

Otherwise, it would not be cordiality, but a lack of etiquette and propriety.

Feng Nan smiled and cupped his fists. "You are too polite, My Lord. It is my duty; I dare not speak of hardship."

Shang Lu then turned his gaze toward the solidly built Xu Tai.

"Old Xu, once the screening is concluded, you will go to Mount Yunhua and take charge of the garrison patrols and vigilance. With you holding down the fort, I can rest a bit easier."

"Orders received!" Xu Tai was not one for eloquence; he simply bowed and accepted the command, stating that he would certainly not辜负 (fail to live up to) the County尉's high regard.

With all matters arranged, the two hundred or so frontier soldiers were also assembled under the organization of the four platoon leaders.

Leading this group, Shang Lu stepped out of the drill grounds and headed straight for the shamanic temple within the county city.

Having witnessed Shang Lu's strength and being strictly reined in by their centurions and platoon leaders, these frontier soldiers behaved impeccably all the way, not daring to make the slightest misstep.

The party soon arrived at the shamanic temple. After paying respects to the high priest, they proceeded to the side hall to undergo the screening.

Even though these frontier soldiers were men accustomed to life and death, at this moment and in this place, they still could not help feeling a trace of dread.

Fortunately, the screening concluded quickly. All two hundred or so frontier soldiers passed smoothly without a single issue.

This result caused the two centurions to let out silent sighs of relief.

If spies had been found among their men, they would have been implicated as well.

After thanking the two shamanic officials of the Discipline Department, Shang Lu led the two hundred or so frontier soldiers back to the drill grounds outside the city.

The centurion of the local militia had long since followed Shang Lu's orders to bring a portion of the remaining militia, along with newly recruited militia members, and was waiting for them at the drill grounds.

As soon as Shang Lu and the others returned, a platoon of frontier soldiers was immediately detached, broken up, and mixed together with the local militia.

Once the reorganization was complete, they were no longer frontier soldiers, nor were they local militia; they had all become county troops under Shang Lu's command.

Shang Lu did not let these men linger at the drill grounds, dispatching them directly to Mount Yunhua so they could familiarize themselves with one another during the execution of missions and conduct drills under actual combat conditions.

Once these men went to Mount Yunhua, a batch of personnel from there could be rotated back to continue the mixed reorganization with the remaining frontier soldiers.

After the first batch of county troops was organized, the militia centurion led them toward Mount Yunhua.

Xu Tai did not leave; he was temporarily required to stay at the drill grounds to keep everyone in line.

As for Shang Lu, accompanied by Du Feng, Liu Zhi, Feng Nan, and the ten scouts Feng Nan had selected, they all mounted official horses and rode back to the county government office.

This detachment of frontier soldiers had brought official horses with them.

Although not every man was assigned a mount, there were still around twenty horses.

Over a dozen of these were promptly allocated to Feng Nan's reconnaissance squad.

Shang Lu intended to keep the remaining official horses at the county yamen, and have Xu Tai select a few capable fighters to form a reserve force.

Whenever a situation arose anywhere, he could lead the reserve force and arrive as timely reinforcements.

On the way back to the yamen, Shang Lu consulted Feng Nan on archery and horsemanship.

He had always wanted to learn archery but could never find a suitable teacher. Although Constable Niu knew archery, he was merely the tallest dwarf in a valley—not truly formidable himself.

As a frontier scout, archery and cavalry skills were Feng Nan's areas of expertise. Seeing that Shang Lu wanted to learn, he readily agreed without hesitation, patting his chest to guarantee he would teach him well.

He even showed off his riding and shooting skills so that Shang Lu would have confidence in him.

These skills had not yet had the chance to be fully displayed during their previous clash.

Shang Lu played along graciously, cheering repeatedly. Before long, however, he noticed several wooden birds tucked behind Feng Nan's saddle.

He asked curiously, "Old Feng, why are you still carrying wooden kites? Are they gifts for your child?"

"You jest, My Lord. I am a lonely old bachelor without even a wife, so where would I have children?"

Feng Nan made a self-deprecating remark, took the wooden kite down from his horse's back, and told Shang Lu, "My Lord, this is a reconnaissance apparatus."

"A reconnaissance apparatus?" Shang Lu's interest was piqued.

Feng Nan introduced them: "These wooden kites do not need to be fed or watered. You simply apply a talisman paper, and they can fly continuously in the air for three days. Additionally, there are bronze mirrors connected to the eyes of the wooden kites, which can clearly reflect what they see onto the bronze mirrors."

Shang Lu's eyes lit up.

Weren't these wooden kites essentially unmanned reconnaissance drones?

Feng Nan's introduction continued as he pointed to the belly of the wooden kite:
"These wooden kites can also drop wooden eggs. Each wooden kite is equipped with three to five wooden eggs. Dropping them in areas that require monitoring allows you to capture the surrounding conditions entirely within the bronze mirror."

Well, these weren't wooden eggs at all; they were clearly surveillance cameras!

"Are these also treasures crafted by the Mohists?" Shang Lu asked.

"No."

Feng Nan shook his head and said, "These are devices crafted by military artisans according to the artisan classics imparted by the Gongshu family. Compared to the treasures of the Mohists, they are much cruder, but their manufacturing cost is also much lower."

"Not bad at all."

Shang Lu was extremely pleased. With these wooden kites and wooden eggs, the patrols and control over Luoshui County would undoubtedly be pushed a step further.

Upon returning to the county yamen, Shang Lu had Feng Nan leave behind one wooden kite, then arranged for Liu Zhi to partner with him, take the scouts, and immediately begin patrolling the county.

Although Liu Zhi's cultivation realm was nothing special, he had served as a constable in Luoshui County for many years and was very familiar with the terrain and local conditions.

Feng Nan possessed rich scouting experience and formidable strength.

The partnership of these two men complemented each other's shortcomings, making them like a tiger that had grown wings.

Facts proved that Shang Lu's arrangement was indeed excellent.

Within the span of just a few days, Feng Nan and Liu Zhi successively discovered the traces of several demons, ghosts, and evil cultivators.

They did not even call for reinforcements, dragging the culprits straight back to the county yamen themselves.

Shang Lu immediately arranged for interrogation experts to carry out severe questioning, and they genuinely managed to extract some intelligence.