Chapter 241: Chapter 132: Three Powers Stand in Luo Mountain Prefecture, Luo Changfeng Begins His Seclusion
Before long, another month had passed.
During this month, Qingqu County Liang Family, through relentless and cost-effective aggression,
successfully captured the entirety of Shanghua.
Now, within Luo Mountain Prefecture, Qingqu County Liang Family possessed the lands of two counties.
They also commanded an army that had surpassed the five hundred thousand mark.
With just a bit more effort, raising a million-armored soldiers was within the realm of possibility.
…
In order to take Shanghua, the Liang Family of Qingqu County had paid a steep price.
On the other hand, it seemed that the situation for the Huai Shui County Luo Family was quite different.
Ever since the Luo Family joined forces with the Lu Family,
they had driven straight through the enemy, sweeping everything before them.
The cities within Shang Heng District surrendered upon the mere sight of their approach.
Without even a hint of hesitation.
Even some cities had opened their gates before the Luo Family’s army was in sight, silently waiting.
Such behavior left the Luo Family somewhat at a loss.
Thus, with an unstoppable momentum
the Huai Shui County Luo Family took a mere three days to completely seize the whole of Shang Heng District.
Having stayed in Shang Heng District for about half a month,
they reorganized the allied forces of the four major families of the district.
Then, leaving behind approximately a hundred thousand elite troops in full armor,
Luo Yong, who commanded this force, silently returned to Huai Shui County with his elite soldiers.
Indeed, conquering Shang Heng District was straightforward.
But fully taking over Yellow Mountain County was a bit more troublesome.
Yellow Mountain County was the largest in area within the entire Luo Mountain Prefecture.
It also had the largest population in the entire Luo Mountain Prefecture.
The other counties were either controlled by official powers or by local familial forces.
While bandit forces did exist, they were mostly incapable of causing major disruption.
However, within Yellow Mountain County, it seemed everything was the opposite.
The rampant bandit forces in Yellow Mountain County were so terrifying that they could be described in no other terms.
If it weren’t for the deep-rooted local familial forces in Yellow Mountain County, which also occupied numerous fortified cities,
this vast Yellow Mountain County would likely have already fallen into the hands of bandit forces.
…
Huai Shui County, Qingshi City, Luo Family Ancestral Land.
Inside the room of the Luo Family Patriarch,
Luo Ping and Lu Jun were quietly present.
The two stood in front of a huge map.
They watched it in silence.
The map depicted the entire topography of Luo Mountain Prefecture.
On it, Shang Heng District and Huai Shui County were already marked with the word “Luo.”
Luo Mountain Prefecture City and the nearby two counties,
were marked with a large “Guan.”
Qingqu County and Shanghua were labeled with a large “Liang.”
Apart from the three Guan counties, the two Liang counties, and the two Luo counties,
there was still one county in the vast Luo Mountain Prefecture that had yet to be claimed.
That was the territory of Yellow Mountain County within Luo Mountain Prefecture.
The terrain there was extremely complex, with an exceptionally high number of valleys.
Apart from Lu Family, the leading force among Yellow Mountain County’s familial powers, there were countless bandit forces scattered throughout.
These bandit forces revolved around three major strongholds.
First was Blood Wolf Stronghold.
This stronghold was the foremost among the bandit forces in Yellow Mountain County,
with a terrifying level of comprehensive strength.
Second was Grey Horse Stronghold.
Known for their swift Grey Horse bandits, this stronghold had extremely strong mobility.
On the battlefield, they moved like the wind.
In terms of overall strength, they were considered second place among all the bandit forces in Yellow Mountain County.
Third was the White Lotus Stockade.
Nowadays, although White Lotus Stockade had lost about one-third of its forces in a battle with the Huai Shui County Luo Family,
its deep roots still remained.
Its comprehensive strength only followed behind Blood Wolf and Grey Horse’s strongholds.
If the Huai Shui County Luo Family truly intended to settle in Yellow Mountain County or even take over the entire area in one fell swoop,
White Lotus Stockade was undoubtedly the best target.
“Lu Family Head, what do you think about White Lotus Stockade?”
After a long period of contemplation, Luo Ping suddenly asked in a low voice.
Lu Jun considered the question and replied, “Among the three major bandit forces in Yellow Mountain County, White Lotus Stockade is the third, not weak but not too strong either. Taking action against White Lotus Stockade is naturally the best choice…”
Luo Ping nodded upon hearing this.
“To strike against White Lotus Stockade is easy, but to completely eradicate it…”
“Seems to be somewhat difficult!”
Luo Ping stared at the map before him, at the territory of Yellow Mountain County,
and he couldn’t help but let out a slight sigh.
If the terrain had been flat and open, eradicating bandit forces would pose no challenge to the Huai Shui County Luo Family.
But to completely obliterate White Lotus Stockade within Yellow Mountain County—
that was far more difficult than the previous skirmishes with Qingqu County Liang Family.
If they could destroy them in one fell swoop, so be it.
However, if they could not completely eliminate White Lotus Stockade,
and instead allowed them to escape,
then even if the Luo Family fully secured the territory of Yellow Mountain County,
they would still face countless harassments.
This was truly a vexing issue.
“The terrain of Yellow Mountain County is complicated. The issue of bandits is inevitable. Are the concerns of the Luo Family Patriarch perhaps a bit excessive?”
“Even if we completely root out White Lotus Stockade, there could still emerge Black Lotus Stronghold and Yellow Lotus Stronghold in the future.”
“Therefore, the most important thing now is to first take the land of Yellow Mountain County.”