Star Trace Gate

Chapter 939 Entering North Wind Town, the Madman Niu Dali

Wang Anquan had a very good reputation in his early years. He entered the Tiandu Canglong Academy in the 232nd year of the Migration Era. After studying for two years, he was promoted to the third rank. In addition, he was quite talented. Then he was recommended by his master to serve as an official.

As the saying goes, having connections in the court makes it easier to get an official position. Because he was recommended by his master at Canglong Academy, Wang Anquan's career started off incredibly smoothly. He first served as a minor official supervising construction at the Tianbao Mansion in the Divine Court, then rose to the fourth rank, and was directly transferred to serve as a local military officer.

Don't underestimate his starting point. The Divine Court's Tianbao Mansion is the place that refines the Divine Court's military treasures, talismans, weapons, and various military supplies. Wang Anquan is a junior supervisor, which means he is responsible for assigning refining tasks to the Tianbao Mansion, verifying the quantities, and finally signing off on the acceptance.

This position held considerable power and was extremely lucrative. Furthermore, the frequent interactions he required with military officers from various departments allowed Wang Anquan to build a substantial network of connections, paving the way for his eventual transfer to a local post. At the same time, he was deeply grateful to his master, for without him, he would not have achieved his current status.

But for Wang Anquan, his life was both made and broken by his master. In the second year after Wang Anquan was sent down to the local area, his master's lineage was completely wiped out by the Divine Court because of the "Gu Refining Case" that shocked the entire migration area. More than 700 people were arrested, including some high-ranking officials.

Because the Gu-cultivation case not only involved hunting mortals but also suspected treason, no one within the entire Divine Court dared to protect Wang Anquan's master. Furthermore, many of his master's former friends took advantage of his misfortune. The Lord of the Divine Court appointed his eldest son to thoroughly investigate the matter, and the case was completely closed in less than three months, with over seven hundred people sentenced to death.

Logically speaking, this world-shaking case, with a prince of the Divine Court overseeing it, should have been considered settled by now. However, unexpectedly, Wang Anquan, who had been traveling in the secret realm for more than half a year, heard about the case as soon as he returned to his post and prepared to submit a memorial to the Divine Court to speak on behalf of his master.

His actions immediately met with opposition from all his subordinates. Everyone believed that it was incredibly lucky that he was in the secret realm when his master's accident happened, which allowed him to escape unscathed. Now that he was back, the most important thing he should do was immediately rush to Tiandu, then try to win over the people around the First Prince, do everything in his power to clear his name, exonerate himself, and extricate himself from his master's faction…

Only by doing this might Wang Anquan have a glimmer of hope. After all, his political affiliation is very obvious, and if this series of maneuvers can result in him losing his official position but saving his life, that would actually be the most ideal outcome.

However, Wang Anquan was extremely stubborn and refused to listen to his subordinates' advice. Instead, he wrote several personal letters to the Divine Court, repeatedly emphasizing his master's achievements and loyalty, and begging the Divine Court to show leniency and spare the old man's life.

After writing the letter, before the Divine Court had even replied, Wang Anquan felt uneasy, fearing that his master would already be beheaded by the time the letter arrived. Therefore, he personally traveled to Tiandu, pulling strings and using his connections to try and get his many old friends to intervene and protect his master.

As expected, all his former friends, upon hearing of his plans, kept their distance and refused to meet with him. Finally, driven to desperation, Wang Anquan went directly to the First Prince's residence to confront him. In public, he pleaded for his master's innocence, arguing that while the Gu poison case was heinous, his master's past achievements outweighed his crimes, and he shouldn't be sentenced to death.

The eldest prince was cornered at his home by the disciple of the main culprit, losing all face. In a fit of rage, he imprisoned Wang Anquan and sent people to investigate whether there was any actual conflict of interest between him and his master, and whether he was also related to the Gu poison case...

By this point, almost all the officials of the Divine Court had heard about Wang Anquan's public confrontation with the Crown Prince to save his master's life, and they all believed that this guy was definitely doomed. After all, as a staunch member of his master's faction, he certainly wasn't clean himself.

To everyone's astonishment, the Crown Prince's men investigated Wang Anquan for over four months but found absolutely no evidence of misconduct or corruption. Furthermore, all the evidence indicated that he knew nothing about the Gu poison case. Moreover, Wang Anquan had an outstanding record during his tenure, demonstrating both literary and military talent, making him a truly capable individual.

Since Wang Anquan had not committed any crime, at most he had blurred the lines between public and private matters, creating a negative public opinion in Tiandu due to his master-disciple relationship. Therefore, he was accused of disrupting the atmosphere of the Divine Court, imprisoned for a year, and completely dismissed from his post.

After losing his official post, Wang Anquan returned to his hometown of Wu County outside Tiandu. He then got married and spent his days traveling through secret realms and living a leisurely life. During this period, he also entered the fifth rank.

Although he left and was dismissed from his post, the legend of his recklessness continued to circulate in Tiandu. Many people described Wang Anquan as someone completely lacking in political acumen, but extremely loyal and filial. Clearly, such a person was incapable of holding office.

Two years later, a sudden transfer order from the eldest prince completely shattered his peaceful life. Wang Anquan returned to Tiandu and met with the eldest prince.

At the residence, the eldest prince asked him, "Wang Anquan, are you really not afraid of death?"

Wang Anquan knelt in the magnificent and solemn main hall, adorned with dragons and phoenixes, his back straight, and said calmly with his head bowed, "It's not true that I'm not afraid, but he is my master."

"Do you know the vicious details of the Gu poison case, and the details of the collusion with the enemy?" the eldest prince asked again.

“I’ve heard of him, but that’s not important. He’s my master,” Wang Anquan replied stubbornly.

Upon hearing this answer, the eldest prince showed neither annoyance nor appreciation, but simply asked softly, "Have you heard of North Wind Town?"

"I heard."

"Is that place important?" the eldest prince asked again.

“Beifeng Town is the northern gateway to Tiandu, so it is naturally extremely important,” Wang Anquan replied without hesitation.

"Go to Beifeng to guard it." The First Prince pondered for a long time: "The person who risked his life to protect his master in the past is now guarding the north of Tiandu. This can be considered a good story. I also hope that your reputation for loyalty will be proven... and that this is not a carefully planned political performance."

Upon hearing this, Wang Anquan was utterly dumbfounded and stood frozen in place.

“Pass on the teachings, pass on the teachings… This disciple is the continuation of the master’s spirit… If you do a good job, your master will get scolded less.” The eldest prince waved his hand and said, “Go.”

"Your Highness, I will never forget what you said today." After considering it carefully, Wang Anquan bowed and expressed his gratitude.

From then on, Wang Anquan could be considered to have formally become a disciple of the First Prince, and with a reputation for integrity, righteousness, and loyalty, he took office in Beifeng Town.

But more than a decade later, this once-famous military officer, who had caused a great disturbance in the capital, led all the garrison troops of Beifeng Town to surrender when the enemy came. He did not fire a single shot and personally knelt to welcome the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon of Tianzhao Temple into the city. He became the first military officer of the Divine Court to betray the enemy and surrender before the decisive battle between order and chaos officially began.

If it were those military officers with extremely poor reputations who betrayed their posts in the face of battle, perhaps the capital wouldn't have reacted too strongly. After all, in the chaos of war and in the face of life and death, human nature cannot withstand the test. But the one who surrendered was a well-known loyal minister and general, a role model for local military officers, and someone personally commended by the Divine Court and the First Prince.

Such a "moral exemplar" betrayed the government without any resistance, which was tantamount to slapping the Divine Court hard across the face while holding it by the neck, and had an immeasurable negative impact on the garrison commanders in other places.

Even a loyal minister like Wang Anquan had his head shaved by the Crown Prince's favorite, so what am I supposed to do? Just grab a razor and call it a day...

This uncontrollable negative impact also led many in the Divine Court to want to kill Wang Anquan as soon as possible, in order to warn military officers in various regions and wash away the shame.

When Wang Anquan shaved his youngest son's head, he said, "There are no good or bad people in this world, only those who can discern right from wrong and act in accordance with the times." These eight words seem to be his guiding principle. When his master was imprisoned, he didn't try to clear his name but instead chose to cause a ruckus in the capital, pleading for his master's life and confronting the eldest prince head-on, seemingly relying on these eight words. And today, with Zhaosi swallowing up countless cities in the relocation area, making the Divine Court's position precarious, this is an unstoppable trend. Therefore, he once again relied on those eight words to make his choice…

Ever since Wang Anquan surrendered the city, the people there have been controlled by the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, their freedom restricted and cruelly exploited. Resentment grew in their hearts, and naturally, they took their anger out on the Wang family. Many risked their lives to smear excrement on the walls of the garrison headquarters and throw filth into its courtyards. Some even made portraits of Wang Anquan's two sons, hanging them in various dark places, and burning effigies with their names written on them, secretly cursing them.

But surrendered generals should have the awareness of surrendered generals. Wang Anquan not only didn't care about these reprisals, but also took the initiative to shave the heads of his son's family and hung up various slogans of the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon outside the town's guard wall. He can be said to have shown the word "traitor" to the fullest extent.

After Beifeng Town was occupied by Dawei Tianlong, most of the "monk soldiers" were transferred to Tianzhao Temple to prepare for the next plan, and in the end only 12,000 bald men were left to temporarily suppress and control the area.

Although Wang Anquan was still nominally the garrison commander and had even been commended by Tianzhao Temple, he had long been sidelined and held no real power. The surrendered generals and soldiers under his command were now imprisoned in the illusion of Nanshan Mountain in Beifeng Town, completely deprived of their freedom.

The department that truly controls the "monk soldiers" of Beifeng Town is called the Martial Monk Supervision Office. The person in charge of this office is named Niu Dali, who is also a fifth-rank military officer of Tianzhao Temple.

Moro, who is about to take up his post here, is the future civil official leader of Northwind Town. He will take over the inner government of Northwind Town and be responsible for the administration of the area. Ren will be one of his subordinates, a chief of the supply depot.

Therefore, the upcoming Moro, Ren Ye, Wang Tudou, and others are essentially Wang Anquan's living fathers. To put it bluntly, whether he lives well or not in Beifeng Town in the future depends on the attitude of these people.

Upon hearing that the sixteen civil officials would arrive in Beifeng Town that day, Wang Anquan immediately ordered his servants to prepare a lavish welcome banquet, selecting various rare ingredients, fine wines, and beautiful women, and then quietly awaited the arrival of this group of "living fathers."

……

It was nearly noon at the garrison headquarters.

As Wang Anquan was persuading his wife, who weighed over 200 pounds, to shave her head, a burly, middle-aged man led eight bald men in suits into the courtyard.

This man is Niu Dali, the commander of the Martial Monk Supervisory Office.

As soon as Niu Dali entered the courtyard, he roared at the top of his lungs, "Damn it... It's so hot today! I'm only wearing a pair of silk pants, and I can feel my crotch sticky! Hahaha, Brother Wang, good news is coming!"

Niu Dali is indeed a monk at Tianzhao Temple, but he doesn't look like a monk at all. In fact, there are very few people at Tianzhao Temple who can be considered true monks. The reason they shave their heads and call themselves monks is probably to promote a certain ideology, a certain doctrine, or to obey a certain management.

Therefore, most of the monks at Tianzhao Temple are actually people from various chaotic factions who have formed a unified alliance and are now all under a different identity.