At the gate of the Divine Machinery Battalion.
When Yang Cheng and his group of twenty arrived, the royal guards following them already felt something was wrong.
This was not a place people could just visit.
But they didn't dare stop them.
Every one of these twenty held high status—especially the leader, the Crown Prince himself.
Among the nineteen "Tiger Generals," a few of the older kids already showed signs of hesitation.
Clearly, they were aware of how sensitive the Divine Machinery Battalion was.
Yang Cheng noticed and asked, "Do you all know what this place is?"
"Your Highness, this is the Divine Machinery Battalion," said ten-year-old Huo Tingsheng. "This place is very sensitive. We should leave right away."
"Yeah, the commander Xiao Yurong betrayed Great Zhou. This place is full of problems."
"If we go in, we might get our butts whooped when we get back."
The other older kids quickly added on.
Hearing this, even the younger ones started to feel scared.
"You think I don't know where we are?"
Yang Cheng said, "You all only think of this place as a disgrace. But have you ever considered that the people inside are all meritorious soldiers?
Yes, the battalion lost a war, and yes, Xiao Yurong defected. But what about the rest of them? Are they not innocent?
From what I know, the Divine Machinery Battalion is the fiercest force in the Great Zhou army. They've won the most battles and made the biggest sacrifices.
Take Vice Commander Qin Feng for example. Five members of his family served in the battalion. His brother and three sons all gave their lives for the nation.
But just because of one incident, the court turned its back on people like him—loyal and honorable men. How do you think the rest of the army sees this? How will the world see this?
Won't it chill the hearts of all those who've fought and bled for this country?"
The kids—both older and younger—froze up.
"I don't care what others think," Yang Cheng said. "If I ever become the Grand Marshal of All Under Heaven in the world, I'll never let loyal soldiers feel abandoned. If you all follow me and earn merits in the future, I will remember every single one of them."
Their blood was boiling again.
"I support the Crown Prince!"
"Your Highness should be the one to lead us in battle!"
"What Crown Prince? We should call you the Grand Marshal of All Under Heaven!"
The younger kids started howling with excitement.
Caught up in the emotion, even the older ones tossed aside their doubts.
So, the twenty of them marched into the Divine Machinery Battalion.
Inside, the soldiers were stunned. They had no idea where these twenty kids had come from.
Right now, they were all under semi-confinement.
Though no one had physically locked them up due to how sensitive the battalion was, they couldn't leave the compound either.
No one dared to visit them. This place had basically become a prison.
And now, out of nowhere, a bunch of children had barged in?
"Your Highness, young sirs, please leave this place immediately. This isn't somewhere you should be," Vice Commander Qin Feng hurried out to meet them.
But if you looked closely, you'd see his eyes were slightly red.
His cultivation was high enough to hear what Yang Cheng had said outside earlier.
Despite how young the Crown Prince was, his words had stirred something deep in Qin Feng's heart.
"The Crown Prince?"
"We greet the Crown Prince!"
The rest of the battalion's soldiers were shocked and quickly bowed.
"No need for formalities," Yang Cheng said, gesturing for them to rise. He walked up to Qin Feng, but he was still too short and had to look up at him.
Zheng Guanbao immediately pulled over a chair.
Yang Cheng gave him an approving glance and stepped up onto it. Finally, he had some presence.
The rest of the kids stood neatly to his sides, flanking him.
This scene made his aura stand out even more. The battalion soldiers were dumbfounded.
"I know you've been wronged," Yang Cheng said. "I regret that I'm too young to help you much. I'm only here to offer my respects.
But I promise, the Emperor and the court will not forget your deeds. One day, your honor will be restored."
At that moment, not just Qin Feng—everyone in the battalion had red-rimmed eyes.
Yang Cheng clapped his hands.
Lin Shu appeared from behind, pulling out a stack of silver notes and handing them to the Tiger Generals.
Each of the kids personally gave the notes to a battalion soldier.
This wasn't just about charity. It was about getting these kids personally involved.
Each note was worth 100 taels of silver.
With 800 soldiers in the battalion, Yang Cheng spent a total of 80,000 taels.
It wasn't a huge amount—but it showed his heart.
He could have given more, but he chose not to.
If he had, the soldiers probably wouldn't have accepted it.
Even now, Qin Feng said, "Your Highness, we can't possibly accept your money…"
"This is a personal gift," Yang Cheng cut him off. "I know you haven't received salaries for three years. You've been living on your own savings all this time."
The battalion used to have 3,000 men.
The others couldn't take it and left.
These 800 that remained? Every one of them stayed out of loyalty.
In his past life, Yang Cheng had been in dire straits himself at this point. He knew what had happened to the battalion but had been powerless to help.
That became one of his deepest regrets.
Now that he had the chance to make up for that regret, there was no way Yang Cheng would miss it.
"But…" Qin Feng still tried to refuse.
Yang Cheng said, "This is an order. Whoever refuses is disobeying my command."
Only then did Qin Feng fall silent.
"Thank you, Your Highness," the soldiers of the Divine Machinery Battalion were all stirred. Some were even choked with emotion.
Seeing this, the Tiger Generals behind Yang Cheng felt even more proud and accomplished.
Just then, Yang Cheng noticed a boy in the distance, fiddling with a crossbow.
He sat alone, clearly a loner.
"Who's that?" Yang Cheng asked, though he already knew.
"Your Highness, that's Xiao Jingchuan, son of the traitor Xiao Yurong," Qin Feng's face darkened, and he quickly added, "Your Highness need not pay attention to someone like him. No need to dirty your eyes."
"You're worried I'll hold it against him?" Yang Cheng saw through Qin Feng's concern immediately.
These soldiers weren't actually bullying Xiao Jingchuan. On the surface, they distanced themselves to protect him.
If a traitor's son lived too comfortably, it would only bring him harm, not safety.
Just by looking at Xiao Jingchuan's frame, it was obvious he wasn't lacking food or care. Clearly, the battalion had not mistreated him.
Before Qin Feng could say anything else, Yang Cheng had already walked toward Xiao Jingchuan.
Xiao Jingchuan hurriedly knelt. "Xiao Jingchuan, son of the traitor, greets the Crown Prince."
He knew his situation was tricky. His survival depended on the secret protection of the Divine Machinery Battalion.
If he offended the wrong noble, he'd be doomed.
Yang Cheng said, "Everyone else step back. I want to speak to Xiao Jingchuan alone."
"This…" Both sides hesitated.
The battalion was afraid the Crown Prince would punish Xiao Jingchuan. Meanwhile, Yang Cheng's people feared Xiao Jingchuan might be a threat.
At this moment, Xiao Jingchuan showed remarkable intelligence.
He quickly wrapped iron chains around his wrists and bound himself.
That act immediately put Yang Cheng's side at ease.
"Is that good enough? Now back off," Yang Cheng snapped.
Everyone backed away.
Yang Cheng first unchained Xiao Jingchuan, then said, "Xiao Jingchuan, I know Xiao Yurong didn't actually betray Great Zhou."
Xiao Jingchuan trembled violently and looked up at Yang Cheng.
Yang Cheng continued, "Not only do I know—Father knows too. But he can't step forward, which is why I've come instead."
Of course, that was a lie. He just needed a way to explain why he trusted Xiao Yurong.
Sure enough, Xiao Jingchuan seemed to understand immediately.
His eyes turned red as he trembled, "Your Highness… His Majesty truly knows?"
Yang Cheng said, "Xiao Yurong pretended to betray Great Zhou so he could go to Northern Yan and investigate how the Divine Machinery Crossbows were cracked. Am I wrong?"
Tears welled up in Xiao Jingchuan's eyes. He fought hard not to sob out loud.
"I know you've suffered," Yang Cheng said. "But to keep General Xiao's cover intact, Father can't clear his name yet. Nor can your current situation change."
"I understand," Xiao Jingchuan said, trembling. "With Your Highness's words, both Father and I can die without regret."
Yang Cheng asked, "Then, Xiao Jingchuan, are you willing to follow me?"
But Xiao Jingchuan hesitated.
"I know your passion is in the Divine Machinery Crossbows," Yang Cheng said. "Even if you follow me, you don't need to leave the battalion. Stay and continue your work.
From now on, I'll arrange funding and manpower to secretly support you."
Xiao Jingchuan immediately knelt and bowed. "With Your Highness's kindness, I'd die a thousand deaths for you without regret."
Ding!
[Unbelievable. The host actually recruited Xiao Jingchuan?]
[Xiao Jingchuan was Yang Xiu's top trusted general, his most vital secret weapon—even more crucial than Lin Shu, the Empress of the Dark Night.]
[It was because of the Divine Machinery Battalion under Xiao Jingchuan's command that Yang Xiu was able to conquer the Eastern Wastes and become the alliance leader.]
[Host has performed a feat on par with reversing destiny—surpassing glory, achieving a legendary accomplishment. Reward: Ultimate Ten-Star Dual Pupils—"Supreme Dual Pupils."]
[Would the host like to claim the reward now?]
Even though Yang Cheng had already received countless heaven-defying rewards, this time, he couldn't help but feel excited.
Thump. Thump. Thump…
His heart pounded wildly from the thrill.