Chapter 476 - 429: Managing Forces (2)

Chapter 476: Chapter 429: Managing Forces (2)

With the problem of forging weapons solved, the next matter to worry about was recruiting soldiers.

Bai Yuan considered the issue.

Recruiting soldiers seemed like a personnel issue, but it was actually a matter of money.

This was a world of the Martial Dao. Ordinary soldiers were nothing more than meaningless cannon fodder; only Martial Artists were truly valuable assets. But the cost of maintaining a Martial Artist was far too high. The combined taxes of the Four States of Shuofang would struggle to support an elite army of ten thousand Martial Artists.

Fortunately, the Four States of Shuofang had a decent foundation due to years of preparing for war, so there was something to work with.

Of course, the best method was to directly absorb the forces of the Jianghu.

Every sect had experts. When added together, they amounted to a considerable number.

That same day, Bai Yuan returned to Shenfu Mountain and sought out Sect Leader Ouyang Hua.

The two had a conversation.

No one knew the content of their discussion, but the final result was that the Divine Mansion Sect deployed all its elite members. The goal was simple: to turn all the Jianghu sects in the Four States of Shuofang into subordinate sects of the Divine Mansion Sect.

’If I, Bai Yuan, ever need people, it’s perfectly reasonable for the Upper Sect to conscript them from its subordinate sects, isn’t it?’

A mere three days passed, and all of Shuofang, with the exception of Qingzhou, had undergone a massive transformation.

The Heir of Qingzhou, Li You, witnessed this efficiency and was practically drooling with envy.

For government decrees to be executed so smoothly is an incredible luxury in any dynasty. How could Li You not be envious of such rapid results?

...

Everything was proceeding in full swing.

Just as things in Shuofang were heating up, a shocking piece of news arrived.

The Celestial Profound Sect had rebelled!

This news undoubtedly spread through Xuan Yang like a clap of thunder. And they had even joined forces with the Red Turban Army.

All this time, although the major Jianghu sects had been getting involved, they had remained restrained. At most, they would merely fund those who rebelled. But the Celestial Profound Sect was the first to rebel so openly.

What was even more shocking was that at almost the same time the Celestial Profound Sect declared their uprising, the Jiedu Envoy garrisoned in Lingzhou was assassinated.

One must understand that anyone capable of becoming a Jiedu Envoy was bound to be a Mingxin Grandmaster.

And anyone who could kill a Mingxin Grandmaster must possess unfathomable strength.

The Lingzhou Jiedu Envoy’s strength was not something the likes of Xia Han or Jiu Moshi, whom Bai Yuan had killed before, could compare to.

Soon, the identity of the true culprit who killed the Lingzhou Jiedu Envoy came to light. It turned out to be a grand ancestor of the Celestial Profound Sect, one whom the world thought had already died of old age. Due to the shattering of destiny’s flow, this ancestor had a stroke of luck and broke through the Divinity Communication Barrier just as his lifespan was about to run out.

Fate truly plays tricks on people.

As for why this ancestor led the Celestial Profound Sect in rebellion, no one knew.

The situation in the once-stable Northern Territory instantly became convoluted and unpredictable.

The first to be affected was naturally the Northern Garrison Army.

Besides resisting the southward advance of the Demon Race, suppressing rebellions was also a crucial part of the Northern Garrison Army’s duty. Not to mention, the distance between Lingzhou, where the Celestial Profound Sect was located, and Xiangzhou was not far at all.

The Grand General of the North, Dong Wanjun, certainly did not coddle the Celestial Profound Sect.

He led the Northern Garrison Army to a great battle against the Celestial Profound Sect’s army at the border of Xiangzhou and Lingzhou.

While the two armies were clashing, the Grand General of the Realm, Xu Dingchun, who was commanding the Zhenxi Army, issued a direct statement.

He didn’t care how the Celestial Profound Sect fought, but if that grand ancestor dared to make a move, he wouldn’t mind shortening the old man’s life by fifty years.

These were not empty words.

Xu Dingchun was perhaps the youngest master to have reached the Divinity Communication level in the current generation. He had the capital to trade his life for another’s.

Even if the Celestial Profound Sect’s ancestor had broken through, he could at most live for another century. He couldn’t afford such an expenditure.

The result was as expected. The old ancestor did not make a move, but experts from the Celestial Profound Sect kept emerging, causing a huge headache for the Northern Garrison Army.

Any discerning person could see that these unfamiliar powerhouses were experts sent from other major Jianghu sects as reinforcements.

...

Outside Huanglong Prefecture City.

In a camp that occupied almost an entire valley, the sounds of training drills could be heard from time to time.

An army of several thousand, standing in disciplined square formations, seemed to be waiting for something.

Finally, a few figures appeared at the very front.

The next second, a roar like a mountain collapsing into a tsunami erupted: "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

A slight smile touched Li Huan’s lips. He looked at Bai Yuan as if seeking praise. "What do you think?"

Bai Yuan gazed at the disciplined, well-equipped army and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad."

As a Jiedu Envoy, he naturally had no time to train the troops himself, so he had delegated this task to Li Huan.

The results were surprisingly good.

Looking across all of Xuan Yang, perhaps only the elite of the four great armies could compare to such a formidable force.

Of course, it was all built on money.

Fortunately, Bai Yuan had killed so many monsters and stockpiled a large amount of High-Tier Monster Flesh, which was the only way he could afford to support a force of this size. There were three Sensing Powerhouses alone, and even more at the Entering Strength level.

Not only that, but all several thousand soldiers were equipped with Demon Horses and clad head-to-toe in light armor forged from Tang Tie. They were truly the elite of the elite.

Only an army of this caliber had the confidence to sweep across the Northern Territory.

Bai Yuan slowly walked onto the high platform.

"You are all men of the Shuofang Army! You will march with me. The first to scale the walls will be rewarded with a Divine Weapon! Those who break the enemy’s formation will be rewarded with monster flesh! Those who slay a general will be promoted two ranks! And he who captures the enemy’s banner will be rewarded with a Cultivation Technique!"

Hearing Bai Yuan’s words, the eyes of the soldiers below turned crimson with excitement.

They hadn’t joined the Shuofang Army for empty slogans like "protecting the homeland." Their goal was to rise in rank and get rich.

Martial Artists earn a lot, but their expenses are even greater. As a result, most were not as wealthy as one might imagine.

Too many Martial Artists stagnated for their entire lives because they lacked the family resources to advance.

To get stronger, one had to risk one’s life, and joining the Shuofang Army was a good way to do just that.

Who could blame them, when their Jiedu Envoy was so incredibly generous?

As long as one performed meritorious deeds, Cultivation Techniques and Divine Weapons were all within reach.

He had even established over ten pages of rules for military merit and had appointed Li Huan specifically to oversee the matter.

"KILL!"

"KILL!"

"KILL!"

Bai Yuan watched the seething thousands and then roared, "March out!"

On that day, seven thousand soldiers of the Shuofang Army marched out of Ling Province!

...

In a valley at the border of Lingzhou and Xiangzhou.

The once-dense mountain forest had long since vanished. This place had now become the battlefield where the Celestial Profound Sect and the Northern Garrison Army clashed.

The scorched-black earth, mingled with the red of blood, looked particularly gruesome.

Countless souls were buried here, yet the great battle showed no signs of stopping.

A few miles from the valley stood a majestic city. This was where the Celestial Profound Sect’s army was stationed, in what was originally an ordinary county town in Lingzhou.

The city’s original County Magistrate’s Office had long since become the place where the Celestial Profound Sect’s generals discussed battle strategy.

Linghu Yang was in the main hall of the County Magistrate’s Office at this very moment.

A man with a saber at his waist had a cold look in his eyes, and a hideous scar was emblazoned on his face.

"That man Dong is truly formidable. We were ambushed."

The man with the saber had a grim expression.

The gash on his face was a gift from Dong Wanjun.

Linghu Yang said, "Brother Fu, you’ve worked hard. Go and tend to your wounds."

The Celestial Profound Sect had no Mingxin Grandmaster with the surname Fu. Even with the world’s destiny in turmoil, not everyone was as lucky as their grand ancestor to achieve a breakthrough. For most, it was considered a great feat just to maintain their original cultivation realm.

This man, named Fu Shan, was an expert from the Zhengyang Sect. He had come specifically to reinforce the Celestial Profound Sect.

On the surface, it was the Celestial Profound Sect’s uprising, but in reality, the Zhengyang Sect had put in a great deal of effort behind the scenes.

This was also part of a deal struck between their grand ancestor and that Sect Leader Song of the Zhengyang Sect.

Emperor Xuanyang, Li Chengyuan, had previously tried to purge the Jianghu and plunder its fortune. This had thoroughly touched the reverse scale of the major Jianghu sects, and the Zhengyang Sect had one of the strongest reactions.

And now that the Court’s fortune was greatly diminished, the Zhengyang Sect would naturally seize this opportunity to drag Li Chengyuan down from his throne.

Even if they couldn’t change the dynasty, they had to install an emperor who was more friendly to the Jianghu.

To this end, the Zhengyang Sect had paid a tremendous price. Otherwise, why would the Celestial Profound Sect be willing to be the one to stick its neck out?

Linghu Yang’s eyes were fixed on the sand table in the center of the hall.

He saw that a city to the south of Lingzhou had been captured.

And the one who had taken the city was none other than Bai Yuan—the man with whom he had sworn a battle to the death!

"He really came."