Chapter 236 The New Chosen One

"Gao Jia's son? Are you sure?"

"My subordinate verified his identification documents. He is indeed from Luoyang, named Gao Yang. He also presented this."

Gao Yuan took the small token. With a single glance, he recognized it as an internal command token of the Gao Family Army, distinct from the tokens used by the Great Qian Army.

"Indeed, it is a token from the Jia Battalion of the Gao Family Army. Go and bring him here."

Over an hour later, a slightly thin but energetic young man was brought before Gao Yuan.

"System, scan him!"

"Name: Gao Yang. Character Attributes: Child of Fortune, All-around Commander, Filial Son. Comprehensive Evaluation: A+ (Weakened State)."

He has A+ strength even in a weakened state; once recovered, he'll surely be S-rank or even S-rank. Since Bayinnaung, Gao Yuan was seeing a wild S-rank in this world once again.

"System Notification: The Host can obtain rewards by either slaying or recruiting a Child of Fortune, and can also plunder half of their luck."

Seeing this prompt, Gao Yuan couldn't help but feel restless. He was tempted to 'kill the chicken to get the egg' and just slaughter the man before him to take the rewards and luck for himself.

However, if he could recruit him, he would not only get the rewards but also gain a super employee.

"Hmm, I'll try to recruit him first. If that fails, I'll make my move!"

Seeing that Gao Yuan remained silent, Gao Yang hurriedly bowed to pay his respects.

"This commoner, Gao Yang, greets..."

Gao Yuan had already walked up to him and supported his arms.

"Since you are the descendant of Uncle Jia, you are my own brother. There is no need for such formality."

Gao Yang was somewhat stubborn and insisted on completing his bow to Gao Yuan.

"Etiquette must be observed. You are a noble of the imperial court and someone I admire. I must pay my respects."

Seeing his persistence, Gao Yuan stopped arguing and accepted the bow before asking,

"Gao Yang, since you come from a family of generals, I assume your martial arts are not lacking?"

Gao Yang scratched his head and said with a smile,

"To be honest, brother, I have a slight knowledge of martial arts."

Gao Yuan was very pleased with Gao Yang's humble attitude. He pointed to Chen Dao beside him.

"This is my Personal Guards commander, Chen Dao. Are you interested in a sparring match with him?"

"I hope General Chen will go easy on me!"

Gao Yang knew Gao Yuan was testing him and immediately agreed.

"I am Gao Yang. I ask for General Chen's guidance!"

"Please!"

On the drill grounds, the two sat atop their warhorses, each holding a wooden staff. After cupping their fists in greeting, they clamped their legs against their horses' flanks and charged at each other.

There was always a saying that in official history, Chen Dao was not inferior to Zhao Yun in any aspect. The Records of the Three Kingdoms stated clearly that 'his reputation and rank were often second only to Zhao Yun, and both were known for their loyalty and bravery.' They were of the same caliber, with Zhao Yun being only slightly higher.

So overall, Chen Dao was not bad at all. At this moment, Gao Yuan saw that Chen Dao's martial arts were indeed very high; in terms of Spearmanship alone, Gao Yuan was certainly no match for him.

"It seems I can spar with Chen Dao more often in the future."

While Gao Yuan was thinking, the two had already exchanged over a dozen rounds. The brilliant duel captured everyone's attention, and the field was filled with continuous cheers.

"The commander's Spearmanship is truly superb!"

"Nonsense, if the commander's martial arts weren't good, would the Lord let him lead us Baier Soldiers?"

"By the way, who is that kid? He can actually fight the commander to a standstill."

"I don't know. They say he's the Lord's clansman."

"No wonder. A clansman of the Lord definitely wouldn't be simple."

Others couldn't see it, but it was already obvious to Gao Yuan: Chen Dao had fallen into a disadvantage in the clash with Gao Yang.

One must remember that this was Gao Yang in a weakened state. To be able to gain the upper hand against Chen Dao meant his martial arts were already comparable to Zhao Yun's. Combined with his All-around Commander attribute... he had truly found a treasure!

After another dozen rounds, Gao Yang took the initiative to rein in his horse and cupped his fists toward Chen Dao.

"General Chen's Spearmanship is divine. I am full of admiration."

Chen Dao knew very well that if they continued, he would undoubtedly lose. The other man was clearly saving him face, so he immediately accepted the gesture and cupped his fists back at Gao Yang.

"General Gao's physical condition is poor; I took advantage of that. This battle is my loss."

"Good, good, good! Bring the rewards!"

Gao Yuan shouted 'good' three times while clapping. With a wave of his hand, two Female Soldiers came forward carrying trays, each containing ten strings of coins.

The two felt a bit embarrassed seeing the money, but Gao Yuan patted them on the shoulders.

"Doesn't such a brilliant duel deserve a reward? Besides, Gao Yang, you've just arrived in Panyu. Without money, how will you settle your family?"

Gao Yang immediately understood that Gao Yuan was giving him money in a roundabout way. He couldn't help but feel moved, and his eyes turned red.

Gao Yuan signaled for the crowd to withdraw, then put his arm around Gao Yang's shoulder.

"Alright, alright. A grown man shouldn't act like a young girl. Take this money to settle your family first. In a few days, there will be another test. Once you pass, I'll make proper arrangements for you."

"Thank... thank you, brother."

"Mm."

However, it wasn't until Gao Yang arrived at the inn that he learned Gao Yuan had already sent people to settle his family in a courtyard house.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was infinitely better than the home he and his mother had in Dengzhou. Moreover, it was fully stocked with furniture, clothing, grain, wine, and meat. There were even rouge, powders, and various jewelry prepared for Madam Hu and Qin Cui.

Looking at the piles of items in the courtyard, Madam Hu's eyes grew red with emotion. She took her son's hand and spoke earnestly,

"Xiao Yang, you must work hard and properly repay your elder brother!"

As a genius, Gao Yang was proud, but he possessed two excellent traits: he was filial and he valued loyalty.

If his original intention in seeking out Gao Yuan was just a temporary measure while looking for a better opportunity, he had now accepted Gao Yuan by seventy or eighty percent.

Over the next few days, Gao Yuan went to great lengths to win over this talent.

Not only did he have Zhao Xiyao issue an order to grant a marriage between him and Qin Cui, but after Gao Yang passed Wen Pin's assessment, he was directly appointed as a Commandant in the Third Division of the Beiwei Army.

Although leading only five hundred men was a bit of a waste of Gao Yang's abilities, everything needed to proceed step by step; one couldn't rush growth.

No one saw a problem with Gao Yuan's arrangement. After being able to defeat Chen Dao and receiving high praise from Wen Pin, people wouldn't have been surprised even if Gao Yuan had appointed him as a Brigade Commander on the spot.

However, those with keen eyes could see that by placing him in the Beiwei Army, Gao Yuan intended to groom him specifically, perhaps even preparing to hand the Third Division of the Beiwei Army over to him.

A young man with a boundless future!

Understanding this, on the day Gao Yang received his official appointment, the stream of people sending gifts to his home was practically endless.

However, Madam Hu and Qin Cui stepped forward at this time. They merely accepted the gift lists and invited the senders to a banquet, but returned all the gifts, accepting only the rewards from Gao Yuan and Zhao Xiyao.

This led Zhao Xiyao to lavish praise upon Gao Yang's mother and his new bride.

Gao Yang did not let Gao Yuan's efforts go to waste. Not only did he train hard every day, but Gao Yuan also reaped the rewards he deserved from him.

"Congratulations to the Host for recruiting a native S-rank talent (Gao Yang, S-). Achievement completed: 'Duke Zhou Spits Out His Food'. Achievement Reward: Sharpshooter Set."

"A set? It's not more growth-type equipment, is it? My spear and armor aren't even fully grown yet, and here's another one?"

However, a few seconds later, Gao Yuan excitedly hugged his wife and gave her a heavy kiss.