Chapter 95: Full Support
"Yes, that’s what I was thinking. The lands Beyond the Passes are full of refugees and fugitives. Some have been living here for decades, for two or three generations. It’s a place that neither the Northern Barbarians nor Dayong governs.
Usually, only scouts patrol the area, and when they meet, they fight to the death. If a unified power were to emerge here, both the Northern Barbarians and Dayong would certainly do their best to win it over.
However, the one thing you must do is maintain a balance between both sides. Otherwise, one careless mistake could offend them both, and that would be a dead end," Wu Han said softly, analyzing the situation for Lu Yuan.
The latter nodded. "In short, develop carefully. No matter who you contact, you must be prepared to bargain with wolves. In the early stages, avoid provoking Dayong. If a behemoth like that truly decides to act, it will be terrifying."
Wu Han nodded. Although their development outside the city had shown some progress, it was actually more dangerous now than before. Trying to survive among the various powers was incredibly difficult.
Then, Lu Yuan looked at Zhou He, who was beside him. "Let Wu Han take the things we transported out yesterday."
"Yes, sir. This is a map to the supplies. Just take your men and retrieve them in a bit. It’s all elixirs that you can use right now." As Zhou He spoke, he handed over a diagram.
Wu Han took it, a look of delight appearing on his face.
"This is what we need most right now. As long as we have resources, there are plenty of strongmen Beyond the Passes. We’ll be able to recruit a large batch quickly."
Lu Yuan nodded and pulled out forty thousand taels in silver notes from his clothes. This was his share of the assets seized from the Baihua Courtyard. He handed the whole stack to Wu Han. "Take this, buy some grain, and continue to expand your current operation.
If, one day, you can truly establish a foothold here, we will have the qualifications to negotiate with anyone."
"Yes, sir!"
Wu Han didn’t refuse. He simply bowed, and at that moment, the superior-subordinate relationship between them was completely solidified.
Seeing him act this way, Lu Yuan didn’t say much more.
Instead, he patted the other’s shoulder and said, "Is there anything else you need help with? Just tell me directly."
"Less than a hundred li from Icefield Pass is Vulture Ridge. The stronghold there has been established for quite some time, and they have about twenty to thirty thousand people. If we could eliminate them...
...then the strongmen in the stretch of land from Yellow Sand Pass to Icefield Pass could probably be brought under the banner of the Celestial King Stronghold."
Wu Han didn’t stand on ceremony and said immediately.
After all, if they could truly destroy Vulture Ridge and bring the spheres of influence outside Icefield Pass, Yellow Sand Pass, and Huqiu Pass under the control of the Celestial King Stronghold...
...they would surely receive even more support from the Northern Barbarians.
Lu Yuan’s eyebrow twitched. Dispatching troops to eliminate bandits was, in fact, within the scope of duties for Pass City generals like them. However, Vulture Ridge had a large population. If they really wanted to annihilate it, they would need Zhou Hongling’s cooperation.
However, he was confident he could persuade her to send troops.
Thinking of this, he nodded. "Alright, I’ve made a note of this. I’ll figure something out after I get back. Do you know the strength of this Vulture Ridge?"
"Their Village Chief is at the Blood Movement Realm, and he has five or six subordinates at the Organ Refining Realm. Their overall strength is greater than the Celestial King Stronghold’s, but they don’t dare to attack rashly. Even if they won, they would suffer significant losses.
There are other large strongholds eyeing them like tigers, so we’re relatively safe for now," Wu Han said frankly.
Lu Yuan glanced at him and said, "I understand. I’ll get this done as soon as possible. The most important thing right now is to increase your bargaining chips."
After saying this, he left with Zhou He.
The two of them walked towards the city.
The latter looked at Lu Yuan and asked, "Are we really going to eliminate Vulture Ridge? If so, our Captain’s Mansion alone won’t be enough. A stronghold of twenty to thirty thousand people... it’ll be a tough fight if we don’t have at least ten thousand men."
Lu Yuan glanced at Zhou He. "We’ll do our best to find a way. Nothing worth achieving is ever smooth sailing."
"That’s true," the latter nodded.
Meanwhile, inside the Jiuse Marquis’s Mansion, Hong Cheng sat in the main hall. He looked at his adopted son, Hong Zheng, who stood beside him, and slowly asked, "Has there been any news of the Charm Demon Sect recently?"
He had just returned from a major defeat. Although he had been a scapegoat, he truly needed to redeem himself through meritorious service.
Right now, all regions were searching for the whereabouts of the Charm Demon Sect. If he could be the first to smoke out a group of them, he would earn the highest merit.
This was a chance to regain face before the imperial court and wipe his slate clean, so naturally, he was very anxious.
Hong Zheng was a robust man in his thirties, tall and clad in black armor. Years ago, he had taken a blade for Hong Cheng, leaving a long scar that remained on his face to this day.
Seeing Hong Cheng’s anxious expression, he hesitated before saying, "Adoptive Father, we have already begun a strict investigation within the Jiuse region, but there’s no news yet. The people of the Charm Demon Sect are masters of concealment."
"What in the world are they doing? I’ve been back for days! I’m not asking them to find the people immediately, but even a few clues would be good. Yet now there’s absolutely no news. What are they trying to do?
Do they really think I, Hong Cheng, won’t kill people?!"
As the commander-in-chief of the nine Pass Cities, Hong Cheng had the authority to directly dispose of any official below the Fifth Grade.
At this moment, he was clearly enraged, wanting to make an example of someone to scare the others into completing their task as soon as possible.
TAP, TAP!
Just then, the sound of crisp footsteps rang out.
It was the Marquis Mansion’s steward, who had just reached the entrance when he called out to Hong Cheng, "My Lord, a message just arrived by carrier pigeon from Icefield Pass."
As he spoke, he held up a slip of paper with both hands.