Chapter 45: A Bountiful Harvest
About two hours later, the bonfires were lit. It was now afternoon.
Zhou He walked over, his head beaded with sweat. "We really hit the jackpot this time. I’ve packed up all thirty-two of your heads. They were all wearing Refined Copper Armor and carrying a lot of silver—a total of two thousand two hundred taels.
I put it all in baskets for you. We’ll haul them back tomorrow.
And that’s not even counting the ones we captured alive.
The military merits from these men alone add up to four or five hundred. You’re well on your way to becoming a Thousand Men Commander."
After speaking, he gave Lu Yuan a thumbs-up.
"Let’s hope you’re right. If I really do become a Thousand Men Commander, I’ll have you transferred directly under my command."
"That would be great! I couldn’t be happier to work for you," Zhou He said at once.
On their past few excursions, Lu Yuan had come to realize that the man was a true talent. ’Aside from the commander’s skill, logistics are the most critical part of a battle.’
During their time out in the field, Zhou He had handled all the arrangements for the men flawlessly.
’I’m in desperate need of someone like that under my command.’
Just then, Old Huang also walked over. "Sir, I’ve scouted the area. There are no Northern Barbarians around. We should have a peaceful night."
"Old Huang, did you get any spoils this time?" Lu Yuan asked, looking up.
The man chuckled. "Thanks to you, sir, I managed to kill an injured one."
"Good. If it’s possible for you to reach the Entry Level, you should give it a try when you get back. That way, when we’re out here in the future... it’s not about achieving great merits, but at the very least, you’ll be safer," Lu Yuan said.
As he spoke, he brought over a basket and tossed Old Huang a few silver ingots, worth about a hundred taels.
No one was jealous. To be honest, while they were all veterans of the wilds outside the city, none of them possessed Old Huang’s skill for navigation.
Zhou He also chimed in to persuade him. "That’s right, Old Huang. We’re all counting on you to keep leading the way. And once you reach the Entry Level, your body will get tougher."
"Alright, I’ll give it a shot when I get back this time," Old Huang said with a grin.
"We lost a lot of men this time. We started with over a hundred, and now there are only about sixty of us left—and that’s including Zhou He’s men. So improve your strength as fast as you can. It’s the only way to live a better life out here."
After this final reminder, Lu Yuan said no more on the matter.
He just drank with the two of them.
Meanwhile, in Yellow Sand City, Zhang Zhe was drinking with Bai Hong in the main hall of his residence.
Zhang Zhe took a sip and said, "Teacher, orders have come down from above. The ones attacking our Three Cities Fortress this time are the Silver-armed Iron Kite. The Helian family has already reported it up the chain, so this matter is officially out of our hands."
"That’s good. The family sent word that they will be recruiting some Entry Level experts to come and bolster your forces. Starting tomorrow, you must focus on studying military arrays. It will be of immense benefit when you lead troops in the future.
As long as you can achieve Minor Achievement in the *Five Tigers Mysterious Gate Formation*, you’ll be much safer when you leave the city. This is a true first-rank military array, not something the *Arrowhead Array* can even compare to."
Military arrays, much like cultivation techniques, were categorized into nine ranks, from low to high. The first rank was the lowest, and the ninth was the highest.
The higher the rank of the cultivation technique or military array, the greater the power it could unleash.
The *Arrowhead Array* was considered an unranked military array.
The *Five Tigers Mysterious Gate Formation*, however, was an array that Bai Hong had mastered.
"Yes, I’ll follow your instructions, Teacher. But... are you sure no one from within the Three Cities could actually wipe out the Iron Kite during this period? I heard there’s still a squad from Icefield City out in the field.
The one leading them is the same person who destroyed the Iron Kite last time," Zhang Zhe said, his tone uncertain.
It would be one thing if no one could defeat this Iron Kite unit.
But if someone from the Zhou Family actually managed to do it, the Helian family would surely take their anger out on him.
"Rest assured. Even the Helian family’s own Silent Riders couldn’t defeat the Silver-armed Iron Kite."
Bai Hong gently reassured his disciple.
’While Zhang Zhe wasn’t a rare prodigy, he possessed above-average talent. More importantly, he had a powerful family backing him.’
He knew that Zhang Hong, the family’s Patriarch, was a man who concealed his true capabilities.
’He might seem unassuming, but there was no telling when he might take that next step and become the State Governor of a province.’
When that time came, as long as Zhang Zhe followed the family’s arrangements,
he would, at the very least, end up as a General.
"That’s good to hear. The worst thing in the army is being compared to others."
After he finished speaking, Zhang Zhe breathed a secret sigh of relief.
In his heart, he believed Bai Hong to be quite capable. Since his teacher had deduced it was impossible, then it surely must be so.
Meanwhile, in Yanzhou City, within the Grand Commandant’s Mansion, Hong Cheng sat in his main hall. Behind him hung a massive painting, *Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain*. The ferocious tiger in the painting had its front paws pressed on a great boulder, looking so real it seemed about to spring to life.
Standing below him was a middle-aged man.
He appeared extremely deferential.
He was the commander of the Guardian Army, an elite force under the Marquis of Jiuse.
The Guardian Army was a force Hong Cheng had formed long ago, comprised of men from his own hometown. Every single one of them was someone he could entrust his life to.
Over the years, they had followed him and accumulated countless merits.
"Hong Luo, if I were to recall a Hundred-Man Squad from your forces right now, how long would it take?"
Hong Cheng’s voice was deep, his eyes filled with a rage he couldn’t suppress.
The Zhou Family and the Helian family had deeply disappointed him this time.
"Half a month, at the fastest," Hong Luo replied quickly.
"Good. Then notify them to return. I will head to Icefield City first thing tomorrow morning and wait for them there," Hong Cheng said coldly.
This time, he would personally inspect the frontline fortresses and whip these general’s mansions into shape.
"As you command!" Hong Luo acknowledged, then withdrew.
Back in Icefield City, Zhou Hongling was beside herself with worry. Having just returned to her residence after a night of travel, she had immediately dispatched several squads out of the city, hoping to find Lu Yuan and his men.
She needed him to return at once. The Silver-armed Iron Kite was no joke.
Her own father had told her that even the family’s Night Patrol would likely be no match for them.
Although the men Lu Yuan led were not weak, they were still inferior compared to a standard Iron Kite unit, to say nothing of the Silver-armed Iron Kite.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Lu Yuan; the main issue was the significant gap in strength between their respective subordinates.
But while all parties were focused on this particular Iron Kite unit,
Lu Yuan and his men had passed an uneventful night. After a sound sleep and a quick breakfast, he gave the order to return.
They were about a hundred li from Icefield City. If they pushed their pace, they could likely make it back before nightfall.
A few moments later, the column set off.
All the captives were bound and slung sideways across the backs of their horses.
Thanks to this, their pace was not slowed.
The men even ate their meals on horseback along the way.
As dusk began to fall, Li Huzi, the guard on duty at the gates of Icefield City, was preparing to give the order to close them when he saw a column of riders in the distance, approaching the city.
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!
A moment later, a single rider galloped ahead of the group. It was Zhou He. He reined in his warhorse and shouted, "Old Li, don’t close the gates yet! Lu Yuan and the others will be here any second."
Li Huzi glanced at the sky. "Alright, but tell them to hurry up. There’s a big shot in the city today, so I have to close the gates on time. I can wait for one incense stick at most."
"You got it!" Zhou He replied before turning back to hurry the others along.