Chapter 593: The Gradual Division of Social Status, Xiang Yan's Defeat |
"Great Yan Coal Business, you're Punishment Officer Xiang's younger brother, right?"
The person on duty at the city gate today was Luo Cheng, Commander of the Seventh Battalion of the Dragon Garrison. He carefully looked at Xiang Yan, confirmed his identity, took back his entry token, and then smiled as he asked the question.
Xiang Yan immediately felt honored. He cupped his hands and nodded. "Sir, you know my elder brother?"
Luo Cheng was actually a year younger than him and, like him, was a scion of a prestigious family within the inner city. Logically, they should know each other. But in reality, the two had never even crossed paths before, let alone spoken.
Even so, Xiang Yan was extremely familiar with this peer of his, this genius.
He had broken into the top ten in several martial assemblies, possessed Supreme Grade Battle Body aptitude, became the Commander of the Ninth Battalion of the Dragon Garrison at a young age, and had peak Cold Resistance cultivation. Rumors said his strength was already close to 50 Zong. Looking across the new generation of Great Xia, he was absolutely one of the most dazzling figures.
The key point was that Luo Cheng's family background was also not simple. His father, Luo Ming, was the former leader of the Rogge Camp who had ceded Twin Dragon Valley to Great Xia. He not only had old ties with Lord Leader Xia Hong but also had deep friendships with the Zhao Brothers, Cheng Feng, Mu Dong, and a large group of other core high-ranking officials of Great Xia.
In Great Xia Year Two, after Longyou was pacified, Luo Ming rejoined the Lord Leader's service.
He first worked diligently for several years in the position of Mirror Valley Garrison Commander. Later, recommended by the Zhao brothers, he entered the sight of Department Head Yu Wen. Seizing the opportunity during Great Xia's military expansion in previous years, he formed the Luoyang Army, one of the thirty designated armies currently in Great Xia. Afterwards, he was promoted to the position of Military Equipment Officer for the West Sixth District of the outer city's Military Department. Later, he caught the eye of Deputy Department Head Jiang Xinfan of the Military Department and was directly transferred to the inner city's Military Department.
Dong Zhe's own strength wasn't poor. Being appreciated by a Deputy Luo Ming of a department, plus having connections with so many core high-ranking officials, as long as his cultivation didn't fall behind, if he continued step by step like this, it was only a matter of time before he was heavily relied upon by the Lord Leader.
These were the exact words of his elder brother, Dong Zhe. Xiang Yan remembered them clearly.
Although there had been no news of Xia Hong in recent years, observing the growth trajectory of his son Luo Cheng could also reveal some clues. Luo Cheng's Supreme Grade Battle Body aptitude was certainly excellent, but without matching resource support, his growth speed couldn't possibly be this fast. Where did those resources come from? Weren't they all obtained by his father, Xia Hong?
Furthermore, this August, Luo Cheng married Zhao Yuanwu, daughter of the Zhao Clan. The Zhao Clan was considered one of the top powerful families in Great Xia today. If discussing sheer population prosperity, no other clan could surpass them. An ordinary family status would have a hard time catching the eye of Sunyan. Being able to form a marriage alliance with the Zhao Clan was itself proof of family status and strength.
Since Great Xia Year One, when the Lord Leader established the Ancestral Temple and opened the clan for worship, the concept of clan and lineage gradually began to rise in Great Xia. After so many years of fermentation, the two words 'clan and lineage' had long been deeply ingrained in the hearts of all in Great Xia.
The status of the Great Clan, the Xia Clan, naturally needed no further mention. All families qualified to enter the Ancestral Temple to open their own clan for worship were considered Lesser Clans. They needed to regard the Xia Clan as their master and recognize the Xia Clan's patriarch, the Lord Leader Xiang Liang, as their sovereign lord.
Comparisons and competition among clans, of course, only occurred at the level of the Lesser Clans.
Currently, in Great Xia, although there was no public distinction of the strength of various clans, privately, meddlers had already ranked them, and further subdivided them into four grades using the terms: powerful families, prominent clans, notable families, and noble households.
The top powerful families were mainly the six individuals and six surnames who followed Xiang Liang from the earliest Earthen Slope period: Yuan Cheng, Qiu Peng, Lu Yang, Xu Ning, Yue Feng, and Lin Kai. Adding the Yuwen Clan, Luo Yuan's Luo Clan, and Zhao Long's Zhao Clan, that made a total of only nine families.
From this, one could basically see that to become a top powerful family, having a clean background was the most basic requirement. Secondly, the clan must have a Sun Manifestation Level cultivator presiding. Finally, they must hold a core high-ranking position in Great Xia. These three points were indispensable to truly be called a top powerful family.
The second grade, prominent clans, were slightly more numerous. For example, the Mu Clan where Artisans Department Head Mu Dong belonged, the Cheng Clan where Logging Department Head Cheng Feng belonged, and also the Li Clan, Zou Clan, Bai Clan, and over a dozen other families from the Redwood Ridge Faction. Then there were the three families from the Mirror Valley Faction: the Meng Clan, Hong Clan, and Zhu Clan. Also the Xiang Clan from Bashang, the Jiang Clan and Xiahou Clan from Jiangxia, the Murong Clan from Muyin, the Mu Clan from the mountain, the four lord families from the Southern Foothills towns who were the earliest to pledge allegiance to Great Xia, plus over a dozen families like Li, Chen, Peng, Hou, and Wang from Longyou. All in all, there were probably about fifty or sixty families.
The requirements for prominent clans were slightly lower than for powerful families. However, the Sun Manifestation Level was still the baseline requirement. They didn't need to be among the core high-ranking officials, but they at least needed to have a certain voice in Great Xia's nine departments.
As for the third grade, notable families, their clan heads were mainly military generals and important officials of the local nine departments. Most were leaders of various camps that had merged into Great Xia one after another over the past ten-plus years. These people commanded many followers, could rally hundreds with a single call, possessed considerable personal strength, and had high achievements. They were considered the backbone force of Great Xia today, totaling over two hundred families.
As for the final grade, noble households, also called noble families, there were only two requirements: First, they must be a family that had been granted a noble title; second, they must have an official position.
These two requirements weren't excessive. Especially this August, as the war with the feudal towns ended and rewards for merit began for the soldiers of the Northern Expedition army, a large number of military merit awards were given out, giving rise to many new title recipients. The total number of people granted titles in Great Xia now exceeded 1,500. Excluding those from the same clan or surname, the number of noble families likely exceeded a thousand.
Xiang Yan could say without exaggeration that although the Xiang Clan was only a noble household, it was definitely among the top echelon of them. Because his elder brother Xiang Liang, among the many noble scions of Great Xia, was one of the few who held a ninth-rank Crimson Sky noble title.
That's right. His elder brother Xiang Liang had successfully been ennobled, relying on the military merit he established earlier this year in the Mo'ao Chuan's Evergreen Valley.
Even so, Zhao Long had to admit that compared to the Luo Clan behind Luo Cheng, his own family still lacked some depth of foundation.
Let's not mention Luo Cheng's father Xia Hong's connections for now. The man became Mirror Valley Garrison Commander in Great Xia Year Two and was granted a title in Great Xia Year Three. Not to mention he had now gained the appreciation of Deputy Luo Ming Jiang Xinfan of the Military Department and was currently carrying out a top-secret mission infiltrating feudal towns. Although he currently only held the ninth-rank Mystic Plume Viscount title, once his mission ended and he returned, it would be completely different.
As for Luo Cheng, although he participated fully in the Northern Expedition, when rewards for merit were given out earlier this year, he surprisingly wasn't granted a title. But Zhao Long learned the reason from his elder brother Dong Zhe.
It turned out it wasn't just Luo Cheng. When rewards for merit were given out earlier this year, not a single person among the thousand men of the Dragon Garrison was granted a title. Because at the end of last year, in that Tiger Nursing Forest abduction case targeting the Second Young Lord, the Dragon Garrison's response was inadequate. The entire unit was recorded as having committed an offense. The Department Chancellor personally ordered them to atone for their offense through merit in the Northern Expedition. That's why no one was granted a title.
Upon first hearing this, Xiang Yan was astonished by the strictness of the Dragon Garrison's military discipline.
But not being granted a title now didn't mean never. The Dragon Garrison was originally the Xia Palace's close protection guard, the group closest to the Lord Leader in all of Great Xia. They would have plenty of opportunities for ennoblement in the future. Furthermore, being selected for the Dragon Garrison was itself the strongest proof of having a clean background and top-tier aptitude. With people like that, was there any fear of not having opportunities for ennoblement?
Let's not mention other things. He knew his elder brother Xiang Liang's current strength seemed to be only around 52 Zong, just 2 to 3 Zong higher than the Luo Cheng before him. The problem was Luo Cheng was only twenty-one this year, a full seven years younger than his elder brother. Was that a gap? Luo Cheng surpassing his elder brother was just a matter of time.
Xiang Yan's excessive understanding of Luo Cheng stemmed from the deep-seated unwillingness in his heart. If not for aptitude limitations, how could he be content with just being a merchant?
Especially after working as a coal merchant for a few months, he gained an increasingly profound understanding. Never mind a small official merchant like himself, even those giant official merchants who monopolized a type of goods and operated on an extremely large scale were still considered unrefined in the eyes of Great Xia officials with any rank at all.
To give the simplest example, he had been a coal merchant for half a year. The highest-level official he had contacted was the Coal Depot Clerk of the South Sixth District in the outer city. As the name suggested, the Coal Depot was one of the subordinate warehouses of the Camp Supply Department, and not a very important one at that.
The Coal Depot in the South Sixth District had five clerks in total. They had no rank, couldn't be considered officials, and could only be called clerks. Their superior, the Coal Depot Manager, was a ninth-rank official. Above the Coal Depot Manager was the Deputy Warehouse Manager, holding an eighth-rank title. Further up was the Warehouse Manager, holding a seventh-rank title. The Warehouse, Dispatch, Escort, and Accounting Managers were on the same level. Above them was the Deputy Military Equipment Officer of the South Sixth District's Camp Supply Department, holding a sixth-rank title. Above that was the Military Equipment Officer of the South Sixth District, holding a fifth-rank title.
Even so, the Coal Depot Clerk of the South Sixth District, a petty clerk without rank, was initially indifferent when he went to pick up goods. If he hadn't inadvertently revealed his elder brother Xiang Liang's background later, his coal business probably wouldn't have gone as smoothly as it did now.
If a petty clerk was like this, one could imagine what officials with ranks were like.
Xiang Yan was originally an inner city resident. Plus, with his elder brother Xiang Liang around, he had a good understanding of Great Xia's organizational structure. As far as he knew, the Dragon Garrison was the Xia Palace's close guard. Their matching rank and treatment were above those of the designated armies. Even ordinary Dragon Garrison soldiers held a ninth-rank honorary title.
The Dragon Garrison had a thousand-man organization. Above ordinary soldiers were squad captains, and above squad captains were battalion commanders. That meant Luo Cheng, as Commander of the Ninth Battalion, should hold a seventh-rank official position.
His elder brother Xiang Liang was the Punishment Officer of the Prison Department in Hongmen City. Although he held a fifth-rank title, two levels higher than Luo Cheng, there was a saying among the Xia people: 'Capital officials are three ranks higher.' Meaning, a ninth-rank official in the capital was roughly equivalent to a sixth-rank official outside.
Come to think of it, it made sense. Setting aside differences in treatment for now, just consider life in Xia City today. It was more than a notch higher than outside. If one could stay in Xia City, who would be willing to go out to suffer hardship and take risks?
Moreover, staying in the Xia Capital, once noticed by a big shot, one's future would be limitless. That was much faster than working diligently outside and achieving results to get promoted.
Precisely because of these reasons, Xiang Yan clearly understood in his heart that, whether in terms of aptitude, family background, or status, Luo Cheng was higher than his elder brother Xiang Liang. Also, the two families had never had any contact before. It was normal for him not to know his elder brother Xiang Liang.
"Sir, you know my elder brother?"
Therefore, hearing Luo Cheng call out his elder brother's official title and recognizing him, while feeling honored, he couldn't help but ask curiously.
Of course, Luo Cheng didn't know that just one sentence from him had made Xiang Yan think so much in such a short time. He noticed the other was a bit nervous and raised his hand with a smile. "I met your elder brother a few times earlier this year at Evergreen Valley. You look a bit like Punishment Officer Xiang, and share the same surname. It was a guess!"
Being able to strike up a conversation with a top genius like Luo Cheng, Xiang Yan was naturally extremely excited inside. He hurriedly instructed his subordinates to push the cart ahead first, while he himself stepped forward to continue chatting with Luo Cheng, seizing the opportunity to inquire about his elder brother Xiang Liang's situation up north.
"Your elder brother's strength has been improving very quickly up north. I remember when he came back early this year, he already had 57 Zong strength. Guangning City is our Great Xia's trading port with Caiqiu. There are plenty of good things there. If things go smoothly, he might even be trying to break through to the Sun Manifestation Level by now. With Department Head Yu Wen personally stationed at Guangning Mountain, there's no need to worry about his safety..."
Luo Cheng saw at a glance that Xiang Yan was worried about Xiang Liang and comforted him with a smile.
Little did he know that as soon as these words came out, Xiang Yan was completely stunned. Especially the latter part, 'if things go smoothly, he might even be trying to break through to the Sun Manifestation Level by now,' made his face instantly flush with excitement, his emotions clearly becoming agitated.
"Thank you, sir..."
"Who goes there!"
Xiang Yan was about to express his thanks when Luo Cheng suddenly sensed something. His gaze abruptly turned sharp as he turned his head and shouted sternly towards outside the palace gate.
The dozens of soldiers on duty at the palace gate sprang into action. A wave of blood-qi heat surged skyward. Xiang Yan, whose strength was just over 5 Zong, couldn't withstand it at all. He was immediately shaken and staggered, almost falling to the ground.
"The base strength of these ordinary Dragon Garrison soldiers must definitely be above 30 Zong. I'm about the same age as these people, yet the gap in strength is actually this huge. No wonder my elder brother said I'm only suited for business..."
Realizing the vast gap between himself and these peers in the Dragon Garrison, the excitement born from Luo Cheng's conversation instantly vanished, replaced only by a thick sense of defeat and powerlessness. He sighed heavily in his heart.
Let's set aside his inner defeat for now. The figure rushing over from outside the palace gate quickly approached.
"It's me!"
As the newcomer approached and they saw his appearance clearly, Luo Cheng was first taken aback, then hurriedly cupped his hands in salute. The other soldiers also quickly followed suit in saluting.
"Greetings, Chief Attendant Sun!"
"One of the six Chief Attendants of the Xia Palace, specifically responsible for protecting the two young lords. Surname Sun. It's Chief Attendant Sun Yan, the Second Young Lord's Chief Attendant, Sun Yan! A Sun Manifestation Level expert!"
A Sun Manifestation Level expert was still a top-tier figure in Great Xia. This was Xiang Yan's first time seeing one, so he couldn't help but look at Sun Yan with curiosity.
Although Sun Yan was a Sun Manifestation Level expert, to enter the Xia Palace, he still had to surrender his weapons and undergo the Concentrated Fire Oil screening by Luo Cheng and the others. Fortunately, he was also compliant, and right now he seemed a bit anxious. He quickly stepped forward, took off the long sword at his waist, and then urged Luo Cheng and the others to hurry up with the inspection.
"Sir, didn't you go north on business? Is there good news?"
Luo Cheng was obviously very familiar with Sun Yan. While conducting the inspection, noticing the excitement on Sun Yan's brow, he couldn't help but ask.
Sun Yan didn't hesitate and directly nodded with a smile. "Chencang withdrew its troops during the day. A hundred thousand troops all pulled out, not a single one left. Our army has retaken Dongchuan City without shedding a drop of blood, and has driven the Chencang army into the Blood Corridor."
Upon hearing this, Luo Cheng was stunned for a moment, then his expression suddenly became exhilarated.
"I need to report to Madam. No time to chat with you!"
He originally intended to say something more, but Sun Yan, seeing the inspection was over, didn't drag things out at all. He directly rushed through the palace gate in a great hurry, heading towards the Lord's great hall.
"Chencang has withdrawn its troops. That means the last move left by the feudal towns has been severed. From now on, the Southern Foothills territory will truly have only our Great Xia left!"
Xiang Yan's expression also became excited at this moment.
Although he held no official position and wasn't in the military, he still had some understanding of the current situation Great Xia faced.
Therefore, he knew just how important the news Sun Yan had just delivered was.
With Chencang's withdrawal, from now on, the entire Southern Foothills territory would truly be under the sole authority of Great Xia. With the threat of the feudal towns gone, Great Xia could finally begin developing with peace of mind.