Chapter 49: Chapter 49 Blackwind Stockade’s Move_1
After receiving the message from the Family Head, Luo Ping,
Luo Yong, the third elder of the Luo Family and a martial artist at the Bone Refinement Perfection stage,
quickly began to expand his forces within Qingshi Town. Of course, he could not simply expand the army to whatever size he wished.
The number of troops had to be considered alongside the amount of money and grain available within the clan.
Additionally, the population base within Qingshi Town had to be sufficient.
After all, if they were to thoughtlessly expand the army, drafting one in ten or even one in five…
how would the Luo Family continue to develop Qingshi Town?
As time passed,
three days went by in a blink of an eye.
During these three days, the number of refugees in Qingshi Town continued to grow at a rapid pace.
The size of the army under Luo Yong’s command was also increasing by nearly a thousand men each day.
In fact, if Luo Yong had relaxed the recruitment standards,
it wouldn’t have been impossible to recruit two thousand, three thousand, or even five thousand men a day.
However, according to Luo Yong, those who did not meet the physical standards, even if recruited, would not be able to form an effective fighting force.
Moreover, his Luo Family would have to provide for these people’s food, drink, and allowances.
Under such circumstances, Luo Yong preferred to set higher standards.
This way, even if the number of refugees he could recruit each day was less, they would, at least, be able to provide some help to the Luo Family if only by keeping them fed and watered for a short time.
At the very least, the new recruits could help the Luo Family maintain order in Qingshi Town, right?
At noon,
the sun was high in the sky at that moment.
The warm sunlight shone upon the land, temporarily driving away the chill of winter.
In Qingshi Town, the expansion of Luo Yong’s forces still continued.
Outside of Qingshi Town, the Luo Family’s mining of the Qingshi ore veins was also proceeding vigorously.
And in a deep mountain outside Qingshi Town,
within a stockade known as Blackwind Stockade,
a large hall with only two people inside,
the current leader of Blackwind Stockade, Xiong Qi, clad in a warm tiger skin coat and with a Hundred-Forged Steel Knife that flickered with cold light by his side,
frowned slightly, looking somewhat uneasy as he sat on the chair.
“The number of refugees in Qingshi Town is increasing…”
“Three days ago, I heard that the Luo Family has started a large-scale army expansion…”
“If we allow the Luo Family to continue this smooth development for another month or two…”
“The comprehensive strength of the Luo Family in Qingshi Town would at least double or even triple…”
Before Xiong Qi, the handsome, calm scholar Qu Yan, while looking at Xiong Qi, spoke softly.
Xiong Qi, “Sir, are you suggesting…”
“I mean, now is the best time to make a move against the Luo Family.”
“Sir, could you elaborate?” Xiong Qi asked, with a hint of caution in his words.
After all, that was the Luo Family Ancestral Land in Qingshi Town.
That was a family power with the terrifying presence of an expert in the Organ Refinement Realm.
Opposing the Luo Family was not without risk; one misstep, and Xiong Qi could plunge into an irreversible disaster.
Under such circumstances, he could not afford to be anything but extremely cautious.
In response, the scholar Qu Yan simply smiled slightly,
Raised his hand to adjust the collar of his robe,
and then, with considerable confidence, spoke softly, “The chaos within the Da Feng Dynasty is worsening by the day, and the number of refugees is growing.
“Almost every day, a large number of refugees pour into Qingshi Town.”
“And the Luo Family in Qingshi Town has only just taken control of this place.
“The number of soldiers under their command that have seen combat and can be put to good use absolutely does not exceed two thousand.”
“Moreover, these two thousand soldiers, in order to maintain the order within Qingshi Town,”
“would definitely not be easily deployed outside of Qingshi Town.”
“Therefore, if we choose to send out troops now and kill all those who the Luo Family has mining the Qingshi ore veins,
“the development speed of Qingshi Town will inevitably be greatly delayed.”
Qu Yan’s words slowly echoed throughout the hall,
where Xiong Qi sat quietly in the main seat, draped in a tiger skin coat, with a Hundred-Forged Steel Knife laid by his side.
At this moment, he was slightly bowing his head, his eyes slightly narrowed.
It seemed that he was contemplating the feasibility of Qu Yan’s words.
As well as the pros and cons of such an action.
“Leader Xiong Qi, are you still hesitating?”
“From the very beginning, you and I were already bound together on the same boat.”
“I can even go so far as to say that there are definitely no fewer than ten stockades like Blackwind Stockade under the Prince’s control.”
“If you want to stand out among the many stockades and want to catch the Prince’s eye,”
“merely developing your stockade’s power in an orderly and compliant way is far from enough…”
Seeing that there seemed to be some hesitation in Xiong Qi’s eyes,
Qu Yan fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
Xiong Qi asked, “Sir, are you sure there is no danger in this matter?”
Hearing this, Qu Yan couldn’t help but laugh.
In the not-so-large hall with only two people, he couldn’t restrain a burst of laughter.
“Leader Xiong Qi, how come as the stockade grows stronger, your courage becomes increasingly smaller?”
“In this world, what matter is truly devoid of any risk?”
Xiong Qi: “Damn it, screw being a coward, let’s do this!!!”
Following the end of the discussions between Qu Yan and Xiong Qi,
the plan to attack those gathering Qingshi ore outside Qingshi Town was decided.
And as time passed on once again,
and it came to deep in the night of this day,
Blackwind Stockade’s current leader, Black-Haired Tiger Xiong Qi, and the military strategist of Blackwind Stockade, known as the brain of the stockade – the scholar Qu Yan –
led more than a thousand knife-wielding bandits each,
swiftly rushing towards the location of the Qingshi ore veins.
The result, as one might expect, was obvious.
It seemed that the Luo Family of Qingshi Town had not anticipated that someone would dare to strike at them at this time.
Or perhaps it was because the number of displaced people within Qingshi Town kept increasing,
and the town’s public order gradually became more chaotic,
resulting in exceptionally limited military force guarding near the actively mined ore veins.
Under such circumstances, it naturally led to
the bandits slaughtering frenziedly with their knives as if they were in an uninhabited land.
Deep into the night,
a graceful moon hung high in the sky,
casting down waves of soft moonlight.
However, the location outside Qingshi Town, where the Qingshi ore veins lay,
was now a river of blood, a mountain of corpses.
The rich scent of blood gradually condensed into thick mists of blood,
lingering around for a long time, unable to disperse.
“How is it on the Sir’s side? Is everything going smoothly?”
After Xiong Qi and Qu Yan regrouped, Xiong Qi, gripping his Hundred-Forged Steel Knife, asked Qu Yan in a slightly anxious tone.
“Extremely smoothly…”
“So much so that it’s unexpectedly smooth…”
Qu Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the distant Qingshi Town and spoke in a low voice.
“So, as long as the old ancestor in the Organ Refinement Realm of the Luo Family Ancestral Land doesn’t make a move,”
“the Luo Family of Qingshi Town doesn’t really have anything special, right?”
Xiong Qi laughed heartily, seemingly using these words to dispel his own terror of the martial artist in the Organ Refinement Realm.
Qu Yan looked at the heartily laughing Black-Haired Tiger Xiong Qi beside him,
his expression extremely calm.
A thoughtful look momentarily flashed across his bright eyes.
The first strike against the Luo Family had gone incredibly smoothly.
While somewhat beyond his expectations, it was still within reason.
But if they wished to harass the Luo Family a second time,
it wouldn’t be as simple as the first.