For five straight days, Shen Hao had been so busy in the garrison that his feet barely touched the ground.
The new station needed to be put in order, the new regulations had to be announced, and preliminary training for personnel was required as well.
In Shen Hao's eyes, higher-ups setting up the Black Banner Battalion in Xuanqing Guard seemed similar to creating a disciplinary unit. Internally, it should serve to correct mistakes and fill in overlooked gaps, and, if necessary, cut away the "ulcers." Externally, it had to possess much faster response and greater overall competence than ordinary Xuanqing Guards.
So these days, whenever Shen Hao found a spare moment, he'd scribble his ideas on paper, jotting them down to improve them little by little.
Wang Jian ended up hopping over after all, becoming the Small Banner Officer of Team A for the Black Banner Battalion. With Tang Qingyuan handling personnel matters, Chen Tianwen didn't make things difficult, and everything was settled smoothly.
However, Zhang Liao and Han Xin weren't very friendly about Wang Jian's "parachuting in." They just remembered that this was only the founding of Team A; later, there'd be Team B, Team C, even Team D, so there'd be plenty of posts for Small Banner Officers. That helped them rein it in and not kick up a fuss.
Actually, Zhang Liao and Han Xin didn't realize that their General Flag, Shen Hao, was hoping they would act out—so he'd have a perfectly good reason to teach these troublemakers a lesson and crush a bit of their arrogance.
...
"Alright, those are basically the regulations for now. They should be enough for the short term. As for training, have Zhang Liao and Han Xin get on it. Whether it's those Warriors or the Soldiers under them, I want them to be better than the other flags. Doesn't have to be by much—just enough to stand out."
"In that case... we'll have to start with the Combined Attack Skill. But for that, we'll need to get Lord Hundred Households' approval."
"Fine, I'll go talk to Lord Hundred Households. You take care of the rest."
"Yes, General Flag."
...
It wasn't until dusk that Shen Hao finally wrapped up all his tasks. If nothing unexpected happened, from tomorrow on, the Black Banner Battalion would officially start appointing officials at the Li City Xuanqing Guard Station.
After five days of non-stop work—Shen Hao had only managed to nap, hunched in a chair in the public office—he was desperate to get home and really lay down for some overdue sleep.
He'd barely gotten a few steps from the garrison before stopping in his tracks, then turned a different direction after a moment's hesitation.
He'd been so busy out of his mind that he only just remembered his old rented courtyard had been cleared out. Now he lived in a residence assigned by Xuanqing Guard—on Willow Street, north of the city. It was only about as long as burning two sticks of incense to the garrison, quite close.
Speaking of this residence, Shen Hao had only been here once, when he moved in; the rest of the time, it was managed by the garrison's servants. Today was the first time he was properly going home to rest.
"Knock, knock, knock."
He'd only knocked three times when the door opened. An old man around sixty, named Hu Tian, answered. He doubled as both doorman and steward. Supposedly, he'd once served as a Soldier in the military; still strong-bodied, always with a smiling face.
"Master, you're back? Have you eaten? Should I have Xia Nu make you some noodles?"
"Noodles? Sure, that sounds good."
Sitting on the chair and resting for a moment, a bowl of hand-pulled noodles covered in a hearty meat sauce was brought out by a young girl and set before him.
This girl was Xia Nu.
A nameless girl, a Fox Race slave taken up by the garrison's servant staff.
She was called Fox Race, but besides having a tuft of yellow fur on her pointed ears, she really wasn't any different from ordinary people. Well, maybe her figure was more outstanding than most girls, which was a Fox Race trait.
Besides Xia Nu and Hu Tian, there was one more servant and a cook in the residence. The cook didn't stay overnight, so if Shen Hao wanted food in the evenings, Xia Nu had to make it.
Among all the servants, only Xia Nu was Shen Hao's private "property." Fox Race, slave, and a girl—she counted as a fringe benefit from his promotion.
The hand-pulled noodles were authentic, heavy on the chili, and the meat sauce was rich—just the way Shen Hao liked it.
In no time, he'd wolfed down the bowl, slurped a glass of cold tea, and felt utterly refreshed.
"Master, are you finished?"
"Yeah, I'm done."
"Did it taste right?"
"Very good."
"That's great! Um, Xia Nu has heated up some water for you—if you're tired, you can wash up before bed?"
Looking at the Fox Race girl beside him, with the tuft of fluffy yellow fur on her sharp little ears, Shen Hao joked with a smile, "Are you going to help me wash up?"
"Ah? U-uh, if Master asks, I..."—she couldn't finish her sentence, just hung her head, scuffing her toes anxiously into the floor.
Shen Hao burst out laughing. The girl's face was too pure—it was fun teasing her, so different from the songstresses at Lai Feng Building.
The big bath tub was located in the washroom of Shen Hao's bedroom. Buckets of hot water were poured in, then cold water to adjust the temperature. Naturally, you had to wash off the dirt first before soaking, otherwise the whole bath would be filthy.
Watching Xia Nu lug in buckets, sweating buckets herself until the water was ready, Shen Hao asked reflexively, "Is it tiring?"
"Not at all. I'm tough!" Xia Nu's eyes flashed with a hint of panic.
"Don't worry, I don't eat people."
"B-but, I'm scared you'll think I'm too weak and slow and won't want me. I don't want to go back to the brokerage—I'd be beaten to death there."
"Aw, are you crying now? Alright, there's enough water. Go on, I won't send you back to the brokerage."
Shen Hao couldn't help but laugh and cry—was she overreacting or what?
But he realized this Fox Woman seemed awfully timid—must have suffered plenty in the brokerage.
"I... I don't need to leave. I can help M-Master scrub your back."
"Out."
"Ah? Oh!"
Shen Hao watched as Xia Nu bowed her head and scurried out, closing the door. Finally, he began to undress, washed off, then soaked into the tub—the fatigue of days just melted away, and it felt beyond good.
He lounged in the water, dozing lightly, when the bedroom door opened again.
"Master, I brought you clean clothes. I'll wash the ones you change out of, alright?"
"Mm, bring them in."
Opening the washroom door, Xia Nu caught sight of Shen Hao's muscled upper body rising out of the tub. She dropped her gaze in a flash, face aflame, and nearly bolted—tripping on the threshold in her panic, making Shen Hao's mouth twitch with laughter in the bath.
He soaked until the water started getting cold.
"Master, should I add some hot water for you?"
"Yes."
After adding hot water, Xia Nu hesitated for a long moment before speaking timidly, "Master, I learned massage when I was at the brokerage—would you like me to relax your shoulders a bit?"
"Oh? You know massage? Fine, let's see your skills."
Hearing Shen Hao agree, a nervous look flashed across Xia Nu's face. She shuffled behind Shen Hao with trembling hands, pressing gently on his solid shoulders.
"Tss... that's really good."
"Master, as long as you think it feels good."
After that praise, Xia Nu's hands stopped shaking, her movements became more fluid, and Shen Hao relaxed, closing his eyes in comfort.
"You can cook and do massages—you're pretty capable."
"It's all things I learned at the brokerage. I couldn't do any of this before."
"Then you must have Talent. Otherwise, you wouldn't have learned. I tried learning to cook once—turns out what I made was inedible."
"That's different. If you can't learn at the brokerage, you die."