Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 627 - 626 Welcome Feast

The speaker was Governor Zhao Ping of the Governor Mansion, who glanced casually at the waist token before patting Tian Peng’s shoulder warmly, as if the person he had just doubted was not him.

Tian Peng put away his waist token and smiled casually, "Indeed, identifying people based on portraits is not always accurate. Even with portraits, mistakes can be made."

"Exactly," Zhao Ping responded.

He sized up Tian Peng’s rear, then asked, "Why doesn’t General Zhu have any guards with him? You’ve traveled such a long distance alone on horseback."

"I was originally a commoner, used to being by myself. Besides, I’m here to assume the post of a military general, what’s the issue with traveling alone? In the future, I’ll have to fight alone too," Tian Peng replied.

The new appointee for the position of General who Guards the Northwest was a commoner who had become Top Scholar, which they were all aware of.

However, it was rare to see someone travel alone for the appointment. Although there were hardly any officials coming from Chang’an to take up posts here, even a Lieutenant General would have his own guards, but this man did not, which was quite unusual.

Although this man had just been awarded the title of martial arts champion and arrived in the northwest from Chang’an, Zhao Pingyuan had initially thought that he must have offended the Emperor. But the letter he received mentioned that he volunteered to come to the northwest, which made Zhao view him in a new light.

To be honest, there really was no one else in the world who would willingly go from a bustling place to such a remote, cold, and difficult location.

Even though there were not much warfare, there were occasional clashes with weapons. Let alone others, even Zhao Ping wouldn’t want to travel all the way to the northwest if he could land a decent position in Chang’an.

This young man was only seventeen or eighteen years old and had just won the title of martial arts champion. Although the title did not carry much weight, it was indeed a solid recognition of his martial prowess.

With such looks and temperament, in Chang’an he would certainly be highly sought after. Yet he wanted nothing, and resolutely decided to come to the northwest. How could that not be surprising?

"What General Zhu said makes sense," Zhao Ping smiled, and then said, "The banquet to welcome you has already been prepared. Let’s go have a meal first, and after that, I’ll take you to the barracks to take a look. You’ll be residing there often in the future, and I don’t know whether you’ll get accustomed to it."

"The barracks are great, Governor. You don’t know, the place where I used to live was even worse. I’ve lived in all kinds of conditions, so I really don’t have any issues with adaptation," Tian Peng said.

Zhao Ping was just being polite, after all, whether accustomed or not, one had to get used to living in the barracks eventually.

"Looking at General Zhu, you seem like a dragon among men, you must have had a good life before. It couldn’t have been as bad as you say," Zhao Ping laughed, leading Chen Nuo towards the inside of the mansion.

Inside the Governor Mansion, several people were waiting. These individuals would be Tian Peng’s subordinates in the future. A few others had not come as they were on duty, for even though there was currently no conflict, the military could not be left unmanned.

Zhao Ping exchanged courtesies while guiding Tian Peng inside the house.

"Here, General Zhu, these people will be helping you in the future, consider them your left and right hands. They figured you’d arrive today and hurried over," he said.

As soon as Tian Peng stepped inside the house, the people inside all stood up and clasped their hands towards Tian Peng, "General Zhu!"

"Ah, hello everyone," Tian Peng nodded in response.

"This is Deputy General Chen Gong, and this is Tribune Zhao Qinghe, Deputy Commandant Zhang Pu," Zhao Ping clarified each name and position to Tian Peng.

As each person’s name was called, they all bowed deeply towards Tian Peng.

Tian Peng nodded while observing their expressions, which reflected a certain respect for him. It was clear that they were indeed here to welcome him warmly, rather than to intimidate him.

After the introductions, they all took their seats, had a few drinks, and chatted merrily. With that, Tian Peng had become thoroughly acquainted with them.

After the meal, Zhao Ping and a few Deputy Generals and Colonel(s) took him to the military camp.

The camp looked just like any ordinary military camp. The Great Tang was gradually becoming more prosperous, and such prosperity was not only evident in the elegance of Chang’an but also exuded from the military camp, reflecting the nation’s flourishing state.

The soldiers in the camp were neatly dressed with spirited expressions. Although their faces were dry and reddened from the cold wind, their liveliness could not be concealed.

Seeing Chen Ping and the Deputy Generals and Colonel approaching, they immediately stood straight and saluted respectfully with clasped hands.

Deputy General Chen gave a nod, then introduced them, "This is General Zhu, the General who Guards the Northwest appointed by His Majesty. He will be living and working in the camp with us from now on."

Upon hearing ’General who Guards the Northwest,’ these soldiers bowed to Tian Peng, "We pay our respects to General Zhu."

Having just arrived at the camp, Tian Peng knew he needed to present himself with the right attitude and aura.

He could not be too friendly, or else he would have no deterrent power; but neither could he be too stern, lacking approachability, which might lead the soldiers to think he was akin to a prodigal son.

As for his aura, he didn’t need to control it himself. As long as he displayed it, there would be no discrepancy.

Fortunately, in terms of aura, he was truly unmatched in the mortal world. He nodded slightly and then said with a smile, "No need to be so formal. I’m a new official here, and in this military camp, my experience isn’t as extensive as yours."

"If that’s how you see it, you’re being too modest, General Zhu," Deputy General Chen flattered. "If His Majesty has chosen you for this position, your abilities must certainly be strong. In the face of genuine talent, experience hardly matters. Otherwise, the post of General who Guards the Northwest wouldn’t have fallen to you."

Deputy General Chen had drunk a bit more during the meal; buoyant with liquor and having shared a good conversation with Tian Peng, he was now speaking without much restraint.

However, these words were all in jest. The military camp was full of men, and while they were serious during actual combat, they were not so stern in everyday life.

The others present tightened up when they heard Deputy General Chen’s words, first checking Tian Peng’s reaction. Seeing him smile, they then laughed along. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Exactly, in the military, there are no strict hierarchies. Whoever is capable is the boss," Zhao Ping added with a laugh.

"That’s true," Tian Peng replied with a smile.

"Since that’s the case, when serious matters need to be dealt with in the future, don’t pull rank on me, or I’ll be accused of being pretentious again," he said.

Though Tian Peng’s words seemed to be in jest, he was actually laying the groundwork to prevent them from using seniority as an excuse against him if something were to happen.

"General Zhu is right. Since you have joined us, you are naturally our leader. Whatever you say goes. If you say face south, we will face south; if you say north, we won’t look west," echoed the Colonel and Deputy Commandant.

They continued to walk and joke as they entered the camp, greeting all the Lieutenant Generals and Deputy Generals on duty along the way.

Tian Peng’s tent had been prepared since the arrival of his letter; it had been ready for a month before his arrival at the camp, with soldiers cleaning it daily.