Xu Haifeng followed Fang Lingtian and others to the large school field, where it was already crowded with people, but the grandstand in the south was exclusively for the royal family and high officials. Those who could occupy a seat there were all powerful figures of the current dynasty.

  There are only a limited number of seats, so its naturally impossible to accommodate everyone. However, with the Fang familys power and influence, it would be easy to bring in Xu Haifeng and his four companions. Moreover, even if Fang Lingtian didnt care about him, this grand ceremony wouldnt leave out the Black Flag Army either.

  This grand ceremony was held to celebrate the emperors personal conquest and decisive victory over the Caesarians. Although Linan City had been captured for nearly three months, ancient transportation was inconvenient, and it took a long time to spread the news to various states and counties, prepare congratulatory gifts, celebratory programs, and hold a grand military parade, with ceremonial troops drawn from various legions, and traveling far to the capital, three months time was already extremely urgent.

  Fortunately, this great victory is a rare triumph in the hundreds of years since the founding of the Great Han Dynastys wars against foreign tribes. Not only were countless spoils of war obtained, but also thousands of miles of territory were expanded. On the surface, it seems to be a prosperous and powerful dynasty that commands respect from all four seas. Officials from all over the country worked hard to supervise and urge, and finally completed all the preparatory work in this short period, making it possible for the grand ceremony to open smoothly as scheduled.

  As soon as Fang Ling Tian arrived, he immediately caused a stir. The officials from the south all came to pay their respects. If only considering official positions, Fang Ling Tians position as Minister of War was also a high-ranking one, but there were not a few people at the same level as him. However, Fang Ling Tian had another identity - that of the head of the Fang family. Within the borders of Great Han, this identity was far more useful and impressive than his position as Minister of War. In the entire world, apart from Emperor Han Xian, there were only a handful of people who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

  Fang Ling Tian pulled Xu Hai Fengs hand, introducing him one by one. Xu Hai Feng listened to a large number of officials names such as Shangshu and Shilang, but in the end, he couldnt remember any of them. On the other hand, everyone was flattering Fang Ling Tians newly adopted son, with words of praise pouring out like a tide.

  After a while, Fang Ling Tian left his brother and Qin Yong to continue with the others at Da Shan, while he took Xu Hai Feng to the high platform. It was much quieter here, and those who could come up here were of even higher status. Min Zhi Tang and Gu Dao Xun were already seated.

  "Youre late, soldier!" A thick voice came from above. Xu Haifeng looked up and saw an old man with white hair and beard, smiling at the two of them.

  "Fang Lingtian pointed at the old man on the stage and said to Xu Haifeng, Haifeng, this is Su Dongshun, the Minister of Works of our dynasty. Hes also the head of the Su family, in charge of all craftsmen under heaven. My indestructible sword was forged from his own body."

  Su Dongshuns eyes swept over Xu Haifengs waist, where the indestructible sword was hanging, and his eyelids twitched imperceptibly as he asked: "Ling Tian, is this the new adopted son youve taken in, Xu Haifeng? You even gave him the Indestructible Sword; arent you afraid that Xiang Rong will be furious when she returns?"

  Fang Ling Tian smiled slightly and said: "Xiang Ming is like a brother to him, he will definitely not object to me passing this sword on to Feng Er."

  Xu Haifeng only then realized that Fang Lingtian had also thought of playing this sword, but hearing their tone seemed to be reluctant to give it away, and now it was passed on to himself, this favor was truly great.

  Su Dongpo smiled and said: "I dont care about your family affairs, but you soldiers always come so late, whats the reason for that?"

  Fang Ling Tian also burst out laughing: "Im not like you, that blacksmith, with nothing to do all day and having a lot of free time. Look, isnt Old Tang not here yet?"

  "Which old fellow is it that dares to speak ill of me behind my back? Lets see how Ill punish his garrulous crime." Another slightly hoarse voice sounded from behind.

  Su Dongshun shook his head and said, "Either dont come, or appear together. You two are indeed a good match as in-laws."

  Xu Haifeng turned around to see a short and stout old man walking up the stairs, followed by a woman with exceptional beauty and elegance. Xu Haifeng would never forget that face which could rival Lin Wanxins, and the person was none other than Tang Rouer.

  Fang Ling Tian grasped Xu Haifengs hand tightly for a moment, and Xu Haifeng immediately came to his senses. He reluctantly turned away his gaze.

  "Ah, havent you met Tang Zonghan, the old master of the Ministry of Revenue?"

  "Yes, Ive seen Old Man Tang." Xǔ Hǎifēng bowed slightly and looked over to see that the old man was quite fat and had an ordinary appearance. He couldnt help but wonder how he had managed to have five beautiful daughters. In his heart, Xǔ Hǎifēng made a malicious guess, wondering if they were really his own flesh and blood.

  Tang Zonghan supported Xu Haifeng, took a closer look and nodded in praise: "Young brother must be the leader of the Black Flag Army, Xu Haifeng. Good, indeed a talented and handsome young man, not bad, not bad."

  Xu Haifeng smiled awkwardly, unable to say a word. He still had some self-awareness and knew that his appearance was far from being handsome. What a talented person, this old man was simply talking nonsense with his eyes open. Sure enough, the corner of his eye caught a fleeting smile on Tang Rouers face.

  At this moment, the heads of the three major families all arrived, and even people like Min Zhitang couldnt sit still, getting up one after another to greet them. The three of them seemed to be in their element in such a setting, handling everything with ease and finesse.

  Xu Haifeng suddenly discovered that the three clan leaders unexpectedly all held the official position of Shangshu, and as for further promotion to the Three Dukes positions, no one dared to ask. After a moments thought, he suddenly understood the reason - their three families already dominated the world, and if they were to seek the Three Dukes positions, the first person to arouse suspicion would be none other than the Emperor himself.

  "General, were here." A thunderous shout came from behind Xu Haifeng, drawing everyones attention.

  Xu Haifeng didnt even need to turn his head to know that the only person who spoke in this tone was Qin Yong, the fierce general. Seeing that he had become the center of attention for everyone here, he felt extremely embarrassed and turned his head back, saying in a low voice: "Shut your crow mouth, dont speak."

  Qin Yong was taken aback, and just as Zhang was about to respond, he suddenly remembered Xu Haifengs words and had to swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue, but his expression was quite comical.

  "What a brave and martial warrior! Is this the Qin Yong General who shook Caesar?" Tang Zonghan looked at Qin Yong, who was one head taller than him, with his robust and majestic physique, and praised.

  Qin Yong let out two loud whoops and grinned from ear to ear with a silly smile.

  Xu Haifeng saw that he didnt answer Tang Zonghans words, and was shocked in his heart. He hastily scolded: "You mute, why arent you speaking again?"

  Qin Yong said with a hint of resentment: "Didnt you, General, tell me to shut up?"

  Xu Haifengs lips trembled twice, and he was about to scold a few more sentences when he heard Fang Lingde say from behind: "Silence, Your Majesty has arrived."

  Sure, here is the translation:

  "Indeed, from atop a high platform, an eunuch with a voice like a crowing rooster loudly shouted: The Emperor has arrived."

  The whole scene suddenly fell silent. After a moment, a team of eunuchs and palace maids appeared from the back stage with ceremonial fanfare, followed closely by Emperor Xian of Han.

  The Emperor Han Xian arrived at his own seat, and as soon as he sat down, he heard the sound of "Long live the Emperor, long live, long live" echoing throughout the large drill ground.

  "All of you, return to your homes." Emperor Xian of Han said with a smile: "Lets begin."

  "Yes." The eunuch in charge of the imperial retinue responded, raising his hand to signal. Instantly, soldiers who had been waiting on the tower that suddenly rose from the eastern part of the school grounds struck the bronze bell at the top of the tower.

  "Dong...... dong...... dong......" Three bell rings sounded, marking the official start of the grand ceremony.

  The troops that had been waiting outside the city for a long time marched into the city gate in high spirits, one after another. The first to enter was the Tianying Legion, one of the five major legions of the empire stationed in the west for many years. They wore sky-blue uniforms and special cloaks on their shoulders, which seemed like eagles about to take flight. They marched into the city in neat rows, with proud expressions and heroic strides. This great victory was won on the western front, where the Tianying Legion had resisted the Caesars forces for many years, earning them the honor of being the first to enter the city and receiving thunderous applause.

  Close behind was the city garrison, a force well known to the citizens of the capital. Although in terms of momentum, personnel quality and attire, the city garrison was far inferior to the Heavenly Eagle Legion, this was after all the local army, and the citizens of the capital gave them thunderous applause without reservation.

  Next is the Red Ocean Army, one of the five major legions with a red flag. They are still riding high-headed horses, and the Red Ocean is the only all-cavalry unit in the Great Han Empire, known for its strong combat power. In this battle, the 5,000 young men led by Fang Xiang performed exceptionally well, earning a very high reputation for the Red Army, making the Red Ocean firmly occupy the first place among the five major legions.

  Next are the Grey Wolf Legion, also stationed in the north, and the Green Qilin Legion, which excels on water. The five legions are separated from each other by miscellaneous troops of local forces, which makes the five legions stand out even more.

  The troops entering the city gradually decreased, and in the end, only two troops were left, namely Hei Qi Jun of Xu Haifengs Black Flag Army and Huang Long Jun of the Imperial Guard. According to convention, the Huang Long Jun, who guarded the imperial family, was always the last to appear, so the Black Flag Army became the second-to-last troop to appear.

  Zhe Bie carried the Heaven-Opening Bow on his back and followed the rear of the Qilin Army Corps into the capital.

  The people at the city gate were cheering excitedly, when suddenly they saw a troop of black flags, black clothes and black shirts entering from the city gate. Unlike other troops, their formation was not perfect, but rather loose, yet it gave people an extremely strong feeling. The people who got close to them suddenly felt cold all over, their heart beating faster, hands and feet numb, and cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.

  These civilians who stayed far away were already like this, and the soldiers of the Qilin Army who were at the back were even more miserable. They suddenly felt a strong killing intent surging out from behind them, fortunately they themselves were seasoned veterans of the battlefield, and also because of the strict military law, they did not dare to escape, otherwise they would have collapsed early. And the last to enter the city was the Huanglong Army, who were far away with their tails between their legs. This batch of imperial guards had seen the skills of the Black Flag Army under Linan City, and they didnt dare to steal the thunder from these madmen. Moreover, at this moment, the Black Flag Army seemed to be full of killing intent, so it was better to stay as far away as possible.