The ninety-third day of great unrest.

Outside the Chen Mansion, Dai Xishan had just crawled out of his warm bed. Upon learning that Chen Mo wanted to see him, he dared not delay for a moment and hurried towards the Chen Mansion.

"Deputy General of the Fire Qilin Army, Dai Xishan, here to see the lord. Kindly report," Dai Xishan said respectfully to the gate guard.

The guard smiled and said, "General Dai, you are too courteous. The master instructed that if General Dai comes, there’s no need to report; just let General Dai enter."

"Please, General Dai, this way." A maid, who had been waiting, came over to lead Dai Xishan.

The Chen Mansion was vast and deep. The two of them walked for an unknown amount of time, through courtyards and along paths, bypassing rockeries, before the maid brought Dai Xishan to the study room.

"General Dai, please wait in the study. I will notify the master," the maid said with a clever smile.

"Thank you, young lady, for leading the way." Though Dai Xishan came from a prestigious background, he was not from one of the seven great noble families, yet he behaved with considerable etiquette.

Dai Xishan had only just waited in the study for a moment when Chen Mo walked in.

"Dai Xishan, at your service, my lord."

Chen Mo exhaled a long breath, releasing the stale air from his chest, and upon approaching, he smiled and said, "Brother Xishan, there’s no need to be so formal. We can refer to each other as brothers."

Dai Xishan nodded and said, "What instructions does the lord have for me?"

"Indeed, there is something," Chen Mo invited Dai Xishan to sit down. Then, using Celestial Perception, he scanned the surroundings to ensure no one was eavesdropping before speaking, "I need you to take my military talisman and lead a battalion secretly to Haiqing Lake..."

Dai Xishan listened intently.

Chen Mo wanted Dai Xishan to escort the relocation of the gunpowder workshop at Haiqing Lake to Nanyang County. In a few days, he would be taking his post in Nanyang, and that gunpowder workshop was his trump card. Naturally, it had to be relocated there.

This was to prevent any unexpected situations from occurring upon his assumption of office, which might hamper his abilities.

After hearing Chen Mo’s words, Dai Xishan was filled with awe. The powerful fire bottle bombs were mass-produced there, and he also realized the importance of the gunpowder workshop.

Now that he had been entrusted with the task of relocating it, wasn’t this indirectly expressing Chen Mo’s trust in him?

Dai Xishan solemnly nodded, "I will certainly live up to the lord’s expectations."

"Hmm," Chen Mo patted Dai Xishan’s shoulder and then smiled, "You came over so early; you probably haven’t had breakfast yet. Walk with me to grab a bite."

Chen Mo took Dai Xishan to the living room, asking Chun Lan to notify the kitchen to prepare some light dishes and wine.

While Chen Mo and Dai Xishan chatted over drinks,

at the Hongfu Tavern in the west of the city,

"Waiter, add an order of braised pork and Mapo tofu to the Heavenly Suite No.2,"

"Sure, sir, please wait," the waiter shouted towards the kitchen, "Heavenly Suite No.2, one order of braised pork and Mapo tofu."

The Heavenly Suite No.2.

Li Weiqiu was hosting a gathering for the top ten martial exam candidates who were yet to be recruited here.

In less than half an hour, everyone had arrived.

Since it was a treat, there was naturally no shortage of beautiful maidservants.

Li Weiqiu did not stand on ceremony, lazily sitting to the side with an arm around a maid’s slender waist. After sipping some wine, he said, "Gentlemen, have you all heard? The Desolate Kingdom has invaded, Hulao Pass has fallen, and the Princess has retreated."

"I’ve heard. It’s really unexpected, even the Celestial Dragon Army was defeated. The Desolate Kingdom has come with great momentum," everyone present, being from distinguished backgrounds, naturally had their own sources of information, and besides, the fall of Hulao Pass wasn’t a secret.

"The Celestial Dragon Army wasn’t exactly defeated. The Princess led the Celestial Dragon Army in head-on resistance against the Desolate Kingdom’s army for almost two months without any reinforcements. They were eventually flanked and defeated by the enemy’s General Ling Zhi. If there had been any help for the Princess, the outcome might have been different."

"What’s the use of saying this now? Hulao Pass has already fallen, and once it’s lost, the Desolate Kingdom’s army can advance unimpeded. If no one stops them, they’ll likely reach the Capital before the end of the year."

"Who do you think the Imperial Court will send?"

"Who else but Chen Mo? Even two hundred thousand men under King Yan couldn’t match him, and he earned the title of War God. Now that there’s a foreign invasion, who else but him?"

"..."

The conversation flowed amongst them.

Suddenly, Li Weiqiu set down his wine cup and said, "Gentlemen, should we enlist in the military and serve our nation?"

At these words, everyone was startled.

But it wasn’t that the words themselves were surprising; it was that they came from Li Weiqiu.

Wasn’t he someone known for his idleness and dislike of constraints? Why was he thinking about joining the army?

Under everyone’s gaze, Li Weiqiu blushed slightly and then said, "The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every man. Now, with the country in peril, how can we stand by idly?"

Li Weiqiu’s words were inspiring. As citizens of the Great Song, none of them wanted to see their country ravaged by outsiders, and everyone felt a sense of empathy.

Zhang Lie said, "Now is also an excellent time for us to achieve great deeds. A true man should be on the battlefield defeating enemies."

Zhang Lie still couldn’t forget the moment when Chen Mo returned victorious, and Dai Xishan and Bai Yongtao were in the limelight.

And that battle in Qinyang County, it could only be considered internal strife.

Even internal strife attracted everyone’s attention.

If I repel a foreign invasion, won’t I be revered by all the people?

When I die, won’t my plaque be moved far more towards the front?

"So, whom should we join?" someone asked.

"Of course, it’s Lord An Yang." Currently, Xiao Yunqi’s influence was the strongest, and the entire Imperial Court was under his control. If one wanted to achieve merits, naturally, they had to join him.

"Makes sense, makes sense," someone concurred.

Noticing that Li Weiqiu hadn’t finished, Zhang Lie looked at him and said, "Weiqiu, what is your opinion?"

"I plan to join our War God," Li Weiqiu said.

"Chen Mo?" someone was taken aback, "Why? Isn’t Chen Mo just one of An Yang Gong’s subordinates? Wouldn’t it be better to rely on An Yang Gong directly?"

"You don’t understand," Li Weiqiu lowered his voice. Everyone leaned a bit closer as Li Weiqiu said, "Lord An Yang has an abundance of talented people. If we join, we might not necessarily be valued.

But with Chen Mo, it’s different. He’s just been appointed as the Governor of Nanyang and is about to take office, just when he’s in need of people. Moreover, from what I know, the only Innate Martial Artists he can really use are Dai Xishan and Bai Yongtao, and we are not inferior to them in terms of strength..." Li Weiqiu said slowly.

Zhang Lie felt tempted and said, "But last time when he came to recruit us, we refused. If we seek him out now, will he still accept us?"

The answer is: yes.

On the ninety-fourth day of the great unrest, in the morning, after Li Weiqiu, Zhang Lie, and Wang Kai expressed their desire to join Chen Mo, Chen Mo welcomed them warmly and even painted a grand vision for them.

That evening, Chen Mo even hosted a banquet at the Hongfu Tavern, inviting them and also bringing Bai Yongtao along.