Chapter 148: Pinch?

  This last sentence is too shocking and its content is also too frightening!

  The empire was founded a thousand years ago, and has gone through many dynasties. But now, the Emperor is openly promising to grant... a dukedom to a young man who isn't even twenty years old?!

  Although granting titles based on merit was a legal system of the Byzantine Empire, merits vary in size, and for someone like Xia Ya who is under twenty years old and has just been granted a barony (which hasn't even been formally confirmed yet), the emperor directly promised a dukedom in front of everyone...

  Such an example... does exist! Indeed, it does! But after the shock of the people present, someone searched their mind and thought for a while. Since the founding of the country, those who have received such favor and trust from the emperor... are not many, but there is indeed one person who, at a young age, achieved great merit with an untainted reputation and was conferred the title of duke.

  Australia! Duke of Tulips!

  Although the title is only nominal and cannot be compared with real power, the empire often appears to have a high-ranking title that is noble but has no real power. However, after all, the emperor's word can take away a duke's title, which is too scary.

  Moreover, in the army, there are cases of indiscriminate killing and embezzlement of military funds. Everyone knows about it, but I don't know if this Xia Ya is that kind of ruthless person.

  If he were ruthless and cruel, letting the army slaughter civilians, it wouldn't be impossible to get 30,000 heads in three years. Even if he was more benevolent and didn't let the army slaughter civilians, spending money to search for Odin's slaves and buying human heads... seems like a cost-effective deal compared to an earl's title.

  Everyone had different thoughts, but under the majesty of the great emperor, they could only bow their heads in unison. The emperor soon left, and the people below immediately became less restrained. In an instant, Xia Ya was surrounded by a crowd, with many people raising their cups to congratulate her on gaining the emperor's recognition. There were familiar faces, unfamiliar ones, kind intentions, and malicious ones - for a moment, Xia Ya couldn't tell them apart.

  Fortunately, the toad still had three points of clarity, he knew that among these people, there were probably many jealous people, and he had no experience. If he randomly said something, in this kind of gathering, he might suffer from some open or secret attacks. With a flash of inspiration, he picked up several large wine cups and drank them frequently, but he refused to say another word.

  He pretended to be simple and straightforward, others had no choice but to follow suit. However, several eagle-like generals saw through Xia Ya's tactics and secretly laughed: "This kid actually knows how to hide his cleverness."

  As expected, after drinking several cups, Xiaya fell backwards, pretending to be drunk. The servants beside him quickly carried him away, and outside the banquet hall, Kato and Sharuba hurried over to take Xiaya back.

  That night, everyone camped outside the hunting grounds in a campsite. Although Shaya was a baron, he was still young and shallow. He only got an independent tent on the outskirts of the campsite, which was close to the Imperial Guard's barracks - this showed how deep the favoritism went, the higher the rank and power, the closer the tent was to the Emperor's golden tent, while Shaya...he was far from it.

  Xia Ya was pretending to be drunk, but he actually drank a lot today. After returning to the tent, he fell asleep soundly.

  The next morning, Xia Ya heard the sound of a military horn and immediately got out of bed. He casually washed his face with clear water in the tent and put on his armor to go outside.

  Outside, the morning glow was faintly visible, and the sky was half gray and half white. The entire camp was still largely shrouded in silence, apparently due to the fact that the nobles had partied late into the night, and most people were still not up yet.

  Xia Ya's tent was located at the edge, and he was startled by the early morning drill of the Imperial Forest Army next door. After getting up, he saw that the outer perimeter of the camp had already begun its early morning drills, with row upon row of Imperial Forest Army soldiers!

  The Imperial Forest Army is the most important branch of the imperial family's military, and its personnel are all selected from the regular army's elite troops. Not only do they have outstanding personal qualities, but each person's background and family have also been carefully screened.

  At this moment, Xia Ya looks like he's not ordinary! This team of Imperial Guards who came out to drill is indeed strong and powerful - not to mention anything else, in the imperial capital, a place of prosperity, they are still cautious and vigilant, coming out to drill so early in the morning, showing that their military discipline is still strict - just this one point alone makes people unable to underestimate them.

  Xia Ya stood by and watched the Imperial Guard's drill for a while, which was divided into infantry and cavalry training. The infantry training was just lining up and practicing formations, but the cavalry training made Xia Ya excited - he was from the 13th Battalion, so he naturally had a special affection for cavalry. Watching these Imperial Guards' cavalry training, although it was just an act, they were clearly well-trained and worthy of being an elite force. But... after watching for a while, Xia Ya felt a strange feeling.

  This Imperial Guard is indeed strong and powerful, with excellent equipment. Their weapons and armor are a grade higher than those of the regular troops they've encountered. During training, their formations are well-practiced, and during drills, they're full of energy...

  It's just... yet somehow this army seems to be missing something.

  After careful consideration, Tuo Bao finally vaguely grasped a few clues.

  Indeed, there's something missing... killing intent

  The aura of killing is something you can't see or touch, but those who have experienced it firsthand will naturally understand!

  Even in Xia Ya's own feeling, he had been to the 13th Cavalry Regiment and had seen the drill of the 13th Cavalry Regiment. The tactics of the cavalry charge, such as encircling and outflanking, seemed not as neat as those of the Imperial Guards.

  But when the cavalrymen of the 13th Cavalry Regiment charged forward, that kind of murderous aura naturally came rushing forth! This was not some illusory thing, but rather a genuine temperament tempered from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood!! That was a kind of bone-deep desperation and bravery!

  He suddenly remembered a sentence he had heard in the 13th Legion Army.

  "It's not the years of service that make a veteran, but the experience of life and death on the battlefield. A soldier who has been through a real battle is a veteran, no matter how short his time in service. On the other hand, someone who has been in the army for three years, training every day, but has never seen combat, is still just a rookie."

  "It's no wonder." Xia Ya muttered to himself in a low voice: "These Imperial Guards have been stationed in the capital for many years, where would they have the opportunity to experience any battles? Although their drills are proficient, they don't have the aura of killing, and can't be considered true elite soldiers."

  Sharuba and Kato also got up early, both of whom were from the Iron Army and naturally accustomed to military life. After getting dressed, they saw that Shaya was already fully dressed. The three exchanged a smile, looking at the still quiet camp of nobles in the distance, all of them showing a hint of disdain.

  It was the sound of the Imperial Forest Army's drill that brought a few points of closeness among the three.

  Xia Ya and Sharba Kato took out their knives and swords, and began to practice in front of the tent. Although they were not in the military, morning training was an indispensable part of their daily routine. The three of them practiced sword techniques and killing defense skills for a while, then Sharba and Kato fought Xia Ya together. Suddenly, the sound of clashing metal filled the air as the three of them clashed, each one enjoying the thrill of the fight. Only after they had all worked up a good sweat did they feel invigorated, finally getting rid of the lingering smell of wine from the night before.

  Xia Ya and his entourage practiced martial arts in the camp early in the morning. Although the Emperor had not seen it with his own eyes, someone secretly reported back to the Emperor. After the Emperor got up from bed, which was almost noon, he heard about it and felt relieved, thinking that he had not misjudged this young man. This kid was in the imperial capital but did not lose his military bearing, and was indeed a promising talent.

  In the morning, the emperor was drunk and fell asleep, so everyone was free to do what they wanted. Xia Ya had been following the emperor all day yesterday and didn't have a chance to go hunting. As a hunter by birth, he couldn't help but feel some itchiness in his hands. So this morning, he took Sharuba and Kato with him into the forest, and after half a day, they had a rich harvest.

  Xia Ya went hunting, but he didn't just rely on shooting arrows. He also showed off his skills by jumping around in the woods, digging holes and setting traps. In just one morning, he caught more prey than Sharba and Kato combined, without even firing many arrows.

  In comparison, Sharba and Kato, who had also served in the 13th Legion for many years and were often stationed outdoors, were far inferior to Shaya, a genuine mountain hunter, in terms of wilderness survival skills.

  The three of them, without the pretentious nobles by their side, were much more at ease than they had been the day before, and so they galloped freely through the forest, chasing after game.

  After wandering around in the woods for a long time, Xia Ya suddenly saw a white shadow flashing by in the woods, as fast as lightning! Xia Ya immediately shouted: "It's Snow Fox!!"

  The snow fox is a rare creature that only grows in cold climates, with white fur all over its body. It's extremely difficult to capture due to its cunning and vigilant nature, even for the most skilled hunters. As a result, the snow fox's fur is highly valuable on the market, and nobles take pride in wearing snow fox coats!

  Xia Ya knew the snow fox, but had never hunted it on the Wildfire Prairie. Now that he saw one, he couldn't help but feel excited and shouted as he and his two companions chased after it on horseback.

  He refused to shoot the arrow, fearing that he would damage the fox fur. He only spurred his horse to chase after it, exhausting the snow fox's physical strength first. This snow fox was originally a guard in the imperial garden, captured from the north and released here for the royal nobles to hunt for entertainment. Such released animals had already lost some of their wild nature compared to real wild animals, and their instincts had degenerated somewhat. Being chased by Xia San and his companions, they were eventually caught up with after running around in all directions.

  "Spread out left and right! Surround it!"

  Xia Ya shouted, Katuo and Sharba were both born cavalrymen, their horsemanship was naturally superb. They immediately split to the left and right, circling around from the sides.

  Xia Ya rode alone in pursuit, but the little beast was dodging back and forth in the grass thicket. Xia Ya came out in a hurry and didn't bring hunting dogs or hawks, so he had the strength but nowhere to use it.

  This chase, Xia Ya ran so fast that he didn't know how far he had chased out. He darted through the forest and ran for a while, but even Sabal and Kato were nowhere to be seen. He wasn't anxious in his heart, on the contrary, his nature was stimulated, today must catch this little beast.

  All the way, Zhang Gong set up his bow and arrow, shooting left and right, not to hurt the fox, but to scare it from running away in all directions. Fortunately, when Xia Ya came out, he brought a bag of ordinary goose feather arrows, otherwise, those iron-backed armor-piercing arrows would have been too wasteful.

  As they chased, the fox in front was already running with its tongue out, gradually slowing down. Xia Ya's heart was filled with joy, and suddenly she saw a steep slope rising up ahead. As she galloped up the slope, she saw an open area before her, with woods spreading out to both sides, and in front of her lay a tranquil lake.

  This lake is surrounded by the royal garden, and its area is not very large, only about 100 meters in diameter. The surface of the lake is calm like a mirror, and the water is emerald green, as if a huge piece of jade is embedded in the mountains and forests.

  The grass by the lake is lush and green, although it's the time of winter going and spring coming, but there's no withering color, instead a thriving vitality.

  What shocked Xia Ya was that there was actually someone standing by the lake!

  A woman stood by the lake, wearing a snow-white cloak. The cloak seemed to be woven from swan feathers and was worn on a woman's body, full of noble air. The woman stood sideways, gazing at the lake water, with a head of blue long hair scattered, only a golden hoop on her forehead, her skin as white as snow. Although the cloak was wide, it still showed a few elegant curves.

  Although Xia Ya's aesthetic concept was still a bit vague at this moment, after that trip to the brothel with Lu Erqing, he gradually came to some realization that he was just afraid of being played by the old man and his beauty standards were distorted. It was just that years of habit couldn't be changed overnight... At this moment, the woman standing by the lake, standing in the wind, was like a goddess in the misty waves. If it were any other man, they would probably be stunned by her beauty at first glance, but Xia Ya looked at her and only slightly raised an eyebrow before losing interest.

  Xia Ya didn't have time to think about how there was a woman in the royal garden, he just thought about that snow fox, he chased it all the way, his hands already holding several gold coins, seeing the snow fox slow down, suddenly he swung his hand, several gold coins scattered like golden light. His aim is usually not good, but Xia Ya is now rich and arrogant, using gold to hit people, one hit is a big piece, the snow fox can't dodge, instantly being hit by two gold coins on its body, it rolled over and fell to the ground. Xia Ya laughed and rode his horse over, bent down to pick up the fox, didn't expect this beast was pretending to be dead, just as he stopped his horse, suddenly it flipped over and jumped up again, several steps rushed forward, but it rushed to the side of the woman by the lake.

  The woman was startled, but the snow fox suddenly darted into her arms, only revealing a fluffy head, with a pair of vigilant eyes staring at Xia Ya, and making a few mournful "chirping" sounds in its mouth.

  Xia Ya's head was a bit dizzy, he got off the horse and walked quickly to the lake shore, coming in front of the woman. At this moment, with the distance closer, he could finally see the woman's face clearly.

  He looked like he was only in his early twenties, at most two or three years older than Xia Ya. A pair of eyes as clear as autumn water, with a gaze that shone brightly, yet hinted at a few hints of melancholy - and this pair of eyes alone was enough to make one forget the rest of her face!

  It's not that she was born ugly, her appearance is also a top-notch beauty in the eyes of ordinary people, but this pair of eyes seems to be full of a certain charm, and the eyes are bright and full of vitality! Xia Ya's standard of beauty may be a bit blurred at this moment, but she can't help but feel a sense that this woman's eyes are really beautiful! Among all the people she has seen in her life, no one's eyes can compare to this woman's eyes in terms of attractiveness.

  "That lady." Xia Ya scratched his head, slightly bowed his body in a salute - this action made him feel somewhat inexplicable! It was as if the woman's eyes were looking at him, and the indescribable aura of nobility on her body, seemed to carry a kind of sacred dignity, making people unconsciously feel ashamed, not daring to profane her. Xia Ya, such an uncouth person, even spoke with a polite tone, unexpectedly taking the initiative to salute, "This fox in your arms is my prey, please return it to me."

  The woman's eyes stared intently at Xia Ya, with a hint of curiosity in her gaze. Her eyelashes fluttered, and then her eyelids drooped slightly. Her slender hand pressed against the fox's head, gently stroking it twice. The fox's fluffy head immediately lowered: "General, what did you just call me?"

  "Huh?" Xia Ya was taken aback: "What did I call you? Ah, respected miss... uh, madam? Lady?"

  The woman gazed at Xia Ya, and her eyes suddenly revealed a smile, bright and curved like two crescent moons. When she smiled, her eyes were warm and gentle, enveloping her body, even Xia Ya couldn't help but feel a little lightheaded, his face flushing red for no reason, stuttering and unable to speak.

  "General, don't you recognize me?"

  It is undeniable that this woman's voice sounds good, with a warm and soft tone, yet without any flirtatious flavor, gentle and amiable.

  "This Xia Ya was somewhat impatient: "I haven't been in the Imperial Capital for long""

  He glanced at the snow fox in the woman's arms,

  "Hmm, are you the new transfer in the Imperial Forest Army?" The woman looked at Xia Ya with a thoughtful expression, then nodded slightly and walked over, but passed by Xia Ya, her tone returning to its usual coldness, as if...

  She mentioned the "Imperial Forest Army", and a hint of cold indifference seeped into her tone as she walked past Xia Ya, casually tossing out a sentence: "Perfect timing, my horse ran off, and my servant went to chase after it, but left me stranded here. You can send me back."

  These words were spoken lightly, but seemed to carry a sense of matter-of-factness. Xia Ya felt a slight discomfort in her heart and looked at the woman's back as she walked away. The woman's figure was slender and captivating, especially her long legs under the large fox fur coat, with curves that were subtly visible - unfortunately, these charms were lost on Xia Ya, this country bumpkin who didn't know how to appreciate them.

  He was worried about the snow fox he had been chasing for half a day, and now this woman was holding it, without any intention of returning it to him, and even gesturing for him to send her back.

  What's wrong with you? Is your grandfather your servant?!

  Xia Ya was furious and hummed: "Hey! Stop right there!"

  That loud shout startled the woman with pancreatic cancer, who suddenly turned around, frowning at Xia Ya.

  Xia Ya strode forward in big steps, angrily saying: "You woman are really lawless! Snatching my prey, not knowing how to return it. Give me back my things, I won't bother with idle talk, give me back my prey!"

  After he finished speaking, he stretched out his big hand to grab her. The woman was stunned and didn't expect that there would be a man in the world who would dare to treat her with such disrespect. As Xia Ya's large hand approached, she let out a cry of surprise, hugged the snow fox tightly and tried to dodge to the side. But Xia Ya was too quick, and as a weak woman, she couldn't dodge in time. However, this attempt at dodging ended up making things worse...

  Xia Ya suddenly felt his hand grasping a woman's bosom, and as soon as his palm closed in, he felt a full, soft, and resilient mass, with a plump elasticity that filled his grasp...

  Huh? This feel......

  Xia Ya had a hint of confusion in her heart, subconsciously... uh, really, purely it was just a subconscious action, even more innocent than V-queen.

  The turtle's palm deliberately squeezed the brick twice...

  Silence... for several seconds...

  "Ah!!!!!!" The woman, V-mama, suddenly widened her eyes, let out a sharp cry, and jumped backward as if electrified. She stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud.

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