Chapter 2

Chapter 5: A Warlord?

"Only a fool would stroll around the Imperial Army's territory with a sub-lieutenant's rank, carrying a regimental sword." Lin Dongyun grinned, sheathed his sword with a swift motion, and fastened the sword's iron chain to the dedicated clip on his belt. He posed a few times, gripping the hilt, and nodded in satisfaction.

He muttered, "It seems even the big shots in the city only wear swords with red hilts. Would I get beaten up if I walked around in front of them?"

Shaking his head, he asked the AI, "AI, are we good? If we're good, I'm leaving."

[Hold on, you haven't been assigned to a company yet.]

"Oh, right, I'm a new recruit! I need to go through basic training! Give me a good training camp!" Lin Dongyun suddenly realized.

[Sorry, but you are already a lieutenant colonel in the Patrol Battalion. You can't go through basic training. You will be directly assigned to your post to command the troops!]

Lin Dongyun's face changed, and he waved his hands frantically. "Directly command troops? No way! Absolutely not! I'm a new recruit who knows nothing! I haven't even gone through basic training! How can you make me command troops?! If you make me lead a unit, it will collapse!"

In the unknown world, [Hmph, how can you get away with it? I, the AI, am already hidden in your wristwatch. How can I let you off without achieving something great!]

[Main Brain, what are the hotspots in our Guangwu Governorate? Give me access to the data! I need a place where a lieutenant colonel can command troops, facing war or about to break out, and with a vacant position!]

[...Alright, alright, don't be so difficult. I'll let you experience it, which will be very beneficial for the improvement of us AIs.]

[Oh, you're the Main Brain. Alright, it's the same. Just give me the data quickly!]

[Ha ha, I love you, Main Brain!]

[What? I thought it would be hard to find, but it turns out there's a position that just became vacant due to an officer's promotion? And it's in a hotspot area in a rural part of the province and city?]

[Let me see... How could it be so coincidental... What? It's the legendary Guard Zone? How could such a position become vacant? It hasn't happened in decades!]

[What? Main Brain, what file did you send and then instantly delete? Send it again, I didn't notice it before. I'll definitely keep it this time!]

[Ignoring me? So mysterious. Well, there's no better place than that hotspot area, so let's choose it!]

Lin Dongyun waited for a while, and when the AI fell silent, he couldn't help but mutter, "Is it down? If there's no response, I'm leaving!"

[Lieutenant Colonel Lin Dongyun, your post has been determined. It is Zhangxia Village in Longwo Township, Longwan County, Habin City. You will be the commander of the 347th Infantry Battalion and the Zhangxia Guard.]

"Zhangxia Guard? Guard?! Zhangxia Guard!" Lin Dongyun was stunned for a moment.

Realizing what was happening, Lin Dongyun immediately shook his head and waved his hands, refusing. "No! I won't do it! I don't want to be a warlord!"

[What are you talking about? What warlord? Our Empire doesn't allow warlords. It's a Special Guard Zone! A bright future as the commander of a Special Guard Zone!]

Lin Dongyun sneered, "Ha, no warlords? Don't fool me! Even without mentioning the pure warlords with 'Guard' in their titles, the governors who control both military and civil affairs are warlords too! No way, I won't do it! Cancel the appointment quickly!"

The reason Lin Dongyun reacted so strongly and refused to be a warlord was because he knew what the Zhangxia Guard represented.

As mentioned before, Lin Dongyun had done a lot of research on the Empire's military institutions to complete his mission.

After confirming that the only option at 16 was the Patrol Battalion, he focused on collecting data about the Patrol Battalion.

In short, any position in the governorate with 'Guard' in its title means that the person has both military and civil authority.

These Guard Zones are very peculiar. There is no internet signal in the zones, making them isolated from the outside world. No one knows what happens inside, and the residents cannot leave unless they become citizens.

Thus, the information available online is scattered, mostly from the words of retired soldiers.

But even from these scattered words, one can understand why Guard Zones are called warlord zones.

The commander of a Guard Zone can act as they please without rebelling, violating the constitution, and even causing widespread unrest, as long as they can suppress it.

If they can't suppress it, they will naturally be in trouble.

As for why such peculiar warlord zones exist, who knows.

Perhaps it's to test different systems, or to alleviate the ambitions of certain influential figures?

In any case, these warlord zones have existed for many years without any major incidents.

For the Empire, which controls several space fleets, as long as the regional governors don't have space warships, even if all the administrative planets rebel, it's a matter of easily suppressing them.

With such confidence, the Empire naturally allows the regions to do as they please without causing problems.

But for Lin Dongyun, a 16-year-old boy, controlling the military and civil affairs of a village was truly terrifying!

The AI, tired of his rambling, said, [The appointment has been issued and cannot be changed. Lieutenant Colonel Lin Dongyun, please report to Zhangxia Village in seven days, or you will be punished for insubordination.]

After saying this, the AI opened the door and did not respond further.

Lin Dongyun, who wanted to protest, saw a group of passersby peering and pointing outside the door. He sighed helplessly and walked out, gripping his sword hilt.

Some of the onlookers had seen Lin Dongyun enter and were naturally very curious. However, upon seeing the sword with the red hilt, their faces changed, and they all stepped back.

After Lin Dongyun left, they eagerly held up their wristwatches, which also served as ID cards, to the door, confusing the uninformed passersby.

But unfortunately, the door only responded with, [This new recruit collection point has been decommissioned!]

Lin Dongyun walked quickly down the street, his brow furrowed. He was now somewhat agitated, wondering how a 16-year-old new recruit could be sent to a rural area to be the Zhangxia Guard, a warlord?

Lin Dongyun had no interest in controlling the military and civil affairs of a village. He found it repulsive, as the education he had received since childhood had taught him that warlords were evil, inhumane scoundrels, and that everyone in the Empire must unite under the Emperor.

Thus, hearing that he would become a warlord naturally made him feel repulsed.

More importantly, having spent most of his life studying and training, he had never even been a class leader. The thought of controlling a village made him anxious and flustered.