The Boss, Han Bing, and Wang Ji Got Beaten Up! (6K)

After Fire Dragon Pass was captured, the Divine Might Army, Sea Pacifying Army, and Black Armor Army began to reorganize and expand their forces at the pass.

Actually, there's not much to deal with in the Black Armor Army and the Sea Pacifying Army.

Regarding the Sea Pacifying Army, Lan Hongming managed to secure two naval units to land: Jiang Ming's unit and Li Que's unit.

Turning a naval force into an army is no easy feat. Lan Hongming has already put in a lot of effort to create two auxiliary forces to join the land-based combat zone.

Just look at Jiang Ming and Li Que's previous situation; they both came to Tantai Ming for help in order to find an army unit to cooperate with.

Two armies, totaling over 50,000 men and more than 100 warships, represent the limit of what Lan Hou can deploy.

If there are any more, he can't possibly squeeze any more people in.

Therefore, the Sea Pacifying Army's rest and recuperation was only for repairing warships and replenishing some warship-related equipment; it was impossible to expand the army.

The Black Armor Army led by Xia Jing is indeed capable of expansion.

The commander of the Black Armor Army, Xiang Kui, was also Marquis of Bright Might Mingwei, and he was eager for Xia Jing to have more men.

But Heir Apparent is a picky eater; he doesn't want to join any ordinary camps.

He only wanted to supplement the Black Armor Dragon Cavalry Camp, the Black Armory Camp, and add another Black Mechanism Warship Camp.

Good heavens, he just opened his mouth and mentioned three elite battalions. Marquis of Bright Might couldn't help but shake his head.

If his battalion were to expand, Xia Jing's status would surpass that of a Sixth Rank captain.

No matter how powerful and wealthy the Black Armor Army was, it was impossible for them to agree to Xia Jing's demands.

After some bargaining, Xia Jing's Dragon Rider Camp increased by 1,000, his Black Armory Camp by 800, and he was given five additional Mystic Warships.

Even so, the Heir Apparent privately complained to Zhao Xing, "Old Xiang is too stingy. He only gave us such a small amount. It's like he didn't give us anything at all."

Zhao Xing wanted to punch someone after hearing this. "If you don't like it, how about lending it to your brother for a while?"

Xia Jing chuckled and said, "How could I lend that? The warship is my principal wife, and the Dragon Riders and Xuanbing are my secondary wives. How could I lend you my wife?"

"Heir Apparent Highness is mighty, and your wives number over 18,000. You truly have the physique of Martial Man."

"Hahaha."

Xia Jing actually just wanted to show off in front of his brothers. Zhao Xing also gave him a lot of emotional value, saying that he was mighty was a compliment.

The expansion of the Sea Pacifying Army and the Black Armor Army was just child's play, and their numbers were not large.

But the Divine Might Army made a much bigger commotion.

With a series of victories, not to mention the other detachments, Wen Shaoyang and Liao Rulong's troops made a fortune, with cartloads of spoils being transported back.

Especially after passing through the Fire Dragon Pass, Flame Crystals, Earth Fire Lotus, and various fire-elemental treasures are now among the most valuable items in the Military Realm.

When you have a lot of money, you want to change wives.

Liao Rulong immediately replaced all of his original "wife of humble origins"—a fifth-tier low-grade warship.

The number of Fifth-Tier Premium Dragon Bone Warship has increased to five.

The number of fifth-tier superior-grade Dragon Head Tower Ship has increased to fifteen.

They also acquired thirty mid-grade fifth-tier warships— the Wishful, Black Flood Dragon, Soaring Serpent, and Flood Sparrow— from the Tigron Army.

Liao Rulong's troops originally numbered over 70,000, but only 25,000 were actually in combat, with the rest stationed in the supply city.

Wen Shaoyang's troops were of similar size, but their actual combat force was smaller, less than 20,000.

Yang An and Jia Pu originally wanted to make a big bet, doubling their army size and merging Wen Shaoyang's and Liao Rulong's forces into one, bringing their total combat force to 100,000.

However, due to various reasons, this plan to mass produce troops has been temporarily suspended.

They simply added three thousand and five thousand combat personnel to Liao Rulong's and Wen Shaoyang's units, respectively.

The personnel in the supply city remain unchanged.

The main reason is that the original logistics and supply corps of the Divine Might Army was already very strong, and its supply capacity was completely overflowing.

In addition, some personnel in the Sea Pacifying Army are idle, so there is actually no need to increase the supply personnel of the three armed forces.

"Liao Rulong's battlefield command ability is best suited for around 30,000 troops, and 50,000 is the limit."

"Wen Shaoyang is slightly taller than him, but he only has 70,000. However, his bravery is not as good as Liao Rulong's."

In Xier County, Jia Pu and the one-armed Yang An were looking at a map and intelligence reports, discussing their situation.

"If we expand their army further, it will only become a burden."

Yang An nodded slightly.

Jia Pu hesitated for a moment, then said, "My Marquis, there is actually another option."

"No." Yang An shook his head. "I know what you want to say. But we've only just captured Fire Dragon Pass, and to try and take away Liao Rulong's power would be disheartening."

"What you say is true, Marquis." Jia Pu had originally suggested that Chen Shijie, Long Xiao, Zhao Xing form their own army, separate from Liao Rulong's command.

In this way, Liao Rulong's command pressure was not so great, and the Divine Might Army was able to complete its intention to reinforce troops.

However, while reason is important, reality still requires considering people's thoughts.

Liao Rulong's troops had just won a battle, and now they wanted to dismantle half of his left and right arms and make them independent. What would people think?

"Unless Liao Rulong brings it up himself, we'll leave the current structure as it is for now and let him get used to it. As for the other aspects, we'll try our best to meet the requests made by the two ministries," Yang An said. "Maybe he can even improve."

"Yes." Jia Pu nodded. "Then what should be done with Zhao Xing?"

Zhao Xing possessed a million battle merits, ranking third among the generals of Fire Dragon Pass.

He was second only to Wen Shaoyang and Liao Rulong, but both of them were Sixth Rank military officers.

Zhao Xing's current official Official Rank is still the ninth -Seventh Grade Nine Section Commander, a lower-ranking official.

Jia Pu was quite familiar with the situation at the front. After learning about the infiltration of Fire Dragon Pass and the process of crossing the Flame Mountain, he discovered that Zhao Xing was often the one giving orders.

Furthermore, Zhao Xing possessed strong strategic vision. It was precisely his analysis of the situation in the Fire Demon Tribe Clan's war zone in front of Liao Rulong that solidified Liao Rulong's determination to attack Fire Dragon Pass.

Based on his performance during his training at Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, Jia Pu felt that Zhao Xing had the talent of a commander and could be entrusted with important responsibilities.

"Promote Chen Shijie as the commander of the joint battalion, and let Zhao Xing take charge of a battalion. As for whether it is the Sima Nong Camp or a mixed battalion, let Liao Rulong decide. After all, he knows the situation better."

The appointments of Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie were both internal transfers within the Divine Might Army, meaning that both of them remained at the Seventh Grade, only their scope of authority had expanded.

In short, Liao Rulong is already struggling to manage everything, but he has too few men to attack the heart of the Fire Demon Tribe. This move can help Liao Rulong subordinates share the burden.

This could also pave the way for the later promotions of Chen and Zhao.

As for Long Xiao and Yu Ziqi, they were already in charge of a battalion, and that remains unchanged.

"Yes," Jia Pu replied, then left the room to issue orders.

Fire Dragon Pass, Military Hall.

"Pfft~"

The furnace beneath the statue of Dai Zong seemed to spew out an urgent military order.

Pu Zhong picked up the letter, opened it, and took a look.

"Whose letter?" Liao Rulong walked over.

"It belongs to the Marquis," Pu Zhong said.

"Oh?" Liao Rulong immediately ran over. "What did you say?"

"The Marquis did not agree to merge Wen Shaoyang's troops with ours, nor did he agree to a large-scale expansion of the army. He only added three thousand men to Wen Shaoyang and five thousand men to ours," Pu Zhong said.

"Huh?" Liao Rulong muttered, "Only five thousand?"

The idea of expanding the army was actually proposed by Liao Rulong, and the idea of merging the two departments into one was also Liao Rulong's idea.

After defeating the Wolf God Tribe, they encountered no setbacks.

Now, they have captured a famous and formidable pass in the Southern Barbarians.

The series of victories boosted Liao Rulong's confidence to an unprecedented level.

If I, Liao Rulong, am to lead a hundred thousand men!

Why is Wen Shaoyang, this little brother, still going his own way? He should come and join me, Lao Liao!

This time you'll follow me to fight the Fire Dragon Pass and eat meat; next time you'll follow Lord Liao to fight the Golden Feather Royal Court!

Liao Rulong's current self-perception can be summed up in one sentence: I'm terrifyingly strong right now!

However, on the surface, Liao Rulong remained humble and spoke very tactfully in his letter to Xier County.

They even suggested that Wen Shaoyang could be the commander.

He may seem generous, but he's actually quite cunning.

However, Yang An and Jia Pu did not agree with Liao Rulong's idea.

They added five thousand more people to his team.

"Five thousand is not a small number," Pu Zhong said. "Including the original twenty-five thousand combat personnel, that's thirty thousand in total."

Liao Rulong sighed and said, "Is the Military Advisor still worried that I can't manage the command? Didn't I command the three armies quite well this time? I've already improved! Why can't the Military Advisor see that?"

Pu Zhong comforted him, "Take it slow. Prove it a few more times, and the Military Advisor and the Marquis will believe it."

Liao Rulong nodded. "Yes, what else did the Marquis and the Military Advisor say?"

"The Marquis has made new arrangements for the commanders of each battalion."

"We will promote Chen Shijie to joint battalion commander and Zhao Xing to command a single battalion. We will decide the specific arrangements ourselves."

Liao Rulong had no objection to this.

Chen Shijie was already Sixth Rank official, and it was already a waste of his talents to only be in charge of a battalion before. It was only because he had a good relationship with Liao Rulong that he was willing to come and assist him.

In fact, what Old Chen usually does is beyond the scope of his role as the commander of the Nine Section Battalion.

With this increase in personnel, promotions are to be expected.

As for Zhao Xing, his military achievements have exceeded one million, so it is quite reasonable for him to command a battalion.

Liao Rulong even felt that Zhao Xing could shoulder even greater responsibilities.

"What do you think?" Liao Rulong asked.

Pu Zhong said, "Chen Shijie's authority can be adjusted to include the Nine Section Battalion, the Fire Element Camp, and the Earth Element Camp."

"As for Zhao Xing, let him choose people from each battalion himself. He can fight and fight, so a mixed battalion would be more suitable for him."

"That's what I think too," Liao Rulong chuckled. "To be honest, I feel like he's wasting his talents working under me."

"If it weren't for this kid, how could I have had the chance to experience being a commander-in-chief?"

"Let him choose from each battalion as he sees fit, with a limit of three thousand men. There will be no limit on the logistics and supply personnel. He knows advanced techniques, and the entire army's logistics can be mobilized at his disposal."

With a wave of his hand, Liao Rulong directly promoted Zhao Xing to commander of the reinforced mixed battalion and concurrently appointed him as the "General Logistics Officer of the Entire Army".

Is this excessive? Not at all.

He is the only one here True Self Faction the Agricultural Official of the High-Level Laws of the Primordial School.

Looking across the entire Divine Might Army, among the sixth and seventh-rank Agricultural Official, there are only two who know the advanced techniques of the Primordial True Self Faction, not counting Zhao Xing. They are even rarer than sword cultivators.

From another perspective, Liao Rulong was also undoubtedly a chosen one.

He had Yu Ziqi, Long Xiao, Chen Shijie, and Zhao Xing under his command.

Now he is the de facto leader of the three armies, able to command Xia Jing of the Black Armor Army, as well as Jiang Ming and Li Que of the Sea Pacifying Army (Li Que also joined the cooperation after the Fire Dragon Pass).

Although the army he commanded as a captain was not large, in terms of the support of senior officers, it was definitely a top-notch setup.

Liao Rulong's arrogance stemmed from having such a team under his command.

If things were still the same, he wouldn't dare to even consider expanding the army by 100,000.

"Alright, let's do it that way then." Pu Zhong asked, "Shall we go and call them over now?"

"Let's go together," Liao Rulong laughed. "I have to take good care of this gentleman. If he runs away, this alliance might fall apart."

Last time Xia Jing only held his temper because of Zhao Xing. Otherwise, if Liao Rulong hadn't made that stingy move of sending someone across the mountain beforehand, the Heir Apparent would have parted ways with him.

Liao Rulong and Pu Zhong went out to Nine Section Battalion to look for Zhao Xing, but when they arrived at Nine Section Battalion, they could not find Zhao Xing.

"Where is he?" Liao Rulong asked the guard on duty.

"Reporting to the Commandant, Lord Zhao suddenly left in a rage half an hour ago. We don't know what happened," the patrolling guard replied.

"Hmm?" Liao Rulong frowned. "What's going on?"

"This, I don't know," the guard said. "Lord Zhao didn't tell me."

Liao Rulong said, "Oh no. Has Xia Jing run off with him?"

Pu Zhong shook his head. "It's not that bad. Xia Jing's Dragon Rider Camp is still stationed north of the city gate and hasn't moved yet."

"So what's going on?"

"I don't know, go ask Chen Shijie."

As soon as they arrived at Chen Shijie's tent, Chen Shijie rushed out, clutching a letter in his hand.

"Old Chen, what's wrong? Even you look rushed?"

Upon seeing that it was Liao Rulong who had arrived, Chen Shijie solemnly said, "Captain, please immediately muster your troops and proceed to City 98!"

"What exactly is going on? Are we under attack?"

Chen Shijie said in a deep voice, "He said that the City 98 in the rear was forcibly requisitioned by an army, and some people were injured. He told me to take people there immediately."

"Captain, quickly muster your men! I noticed the young man's tone was quite stern; I'm afraid it might cause trouble if we're too late!"

Chen Shijie only had a vague understanding of the specifics, but he knew that neither Zhao Xing killing someone nor him being beaten was a good thing.

"What?!" Liao Rulong was instantly enraged, roaring, "Such a thing has happened?! All troops assemble!"

Rewind to one hour earlier, to City 98.

Wang Ji, Han Bing, Che Shihai were busy with work in the city.

Since the army had already captured Fire Dragon Pass, the new supply city naturally needed to be moved forward.

The Earth Fire Lotus is still on the list of advanced missions in the Military Realm.

Planting it will still earn you a considerable amount of military merit.

The Divine Might Army's supply capacity is overflowing, so they can naturally spare the time to Earth Fire Lotus.

Why not plant it in the Lava Cavern inside the Fire Dragon Pass?

Because the defensive array of Fire Dragon Pass was broken, the entire fire vein erupted, and this Lava Cavern was also destroyed.

It's true that the Earth Fire Lotus requires a harsh environment. But the Lava Cavern has exceeded its tolerance limit.

Moreover, the Human Race of the Great Zhou does not have such high fire resistance Fire Demon Tribe race.

Even if the cave hadn't been destroyed, it wouldn't have been suitable for the Agricultural Official and the artisans of the Great Zhou to go down there.

Wearing the Fire-Warding Robe makes it difficult to do things, while not wearing it makes one prone to injury.

In addition, the location of City 98 is north of the Flame Mountain Range, with a branch extending to the vicinity of the 'Northern String Territory'.

Establishing a base here will also facilitate the upcoming large-scale military operations.

The proposal to build City 98 near Northern String Territory was finalized by Zhao Xing.

This move may seem like a casual one, but Zhao Xing had ulterior motives.

Therefore, he specifically sent Wang Ji, Han Bing, Che Shihai to do the work.

The three of them worked very hard. After defeating the Fire Dragon Pass, while others were resting, they didn't even have time to catch their breath. They immediately brought people over to work overtime, building the city and planting crops.

But today, a group of uninvited guests suddenly arrived.

A Black Dragon Warship landed City 98.

"What's going on? Where did this army come from?" Wang Ji and Han Bing ran out and looked at the sky outside the city.

"I don't know." Han Bing's expression was solemn. "We've tried several times to get them to reveal their identities, but they only say that they are the Southern Expedition Army of the Pacify Barbarian Legion, and they're being vague."

"They put on airs and made me go to greet them, saying that the army needed to eat in this supply city. I'm afraid they're not someone important and their intentions are not good."

"Why don't you just refuse?" Wang Ji said.

"What's the use of my refusal? Your barrier isn't finished!" Han Bing said. "Besides, that's Black Dragon Warship, how can it possibly stop us?"

"What should we do then? Let's send them some food and get rid of them," Che Shihai, who had just arrived.

"Oh no, they've landed directly." Han Bing's expression changed. "Wang the Engineer and I will deal with them. Che Shihai, you immediately report this to Fire Dragon Pass."

"Okay." Che Shihai nodded and said, "I'll go right away."

More than a thousand people flew down from the warship.

The barrier around City 98 has not yet been completed.

A general in blue armor led his men and landed directly inside the city.

"Who is the commander of this city?" the general in blue armor asked calmly. "Come out and answer me immediately."

"This humble official Han Bing, the Equitable Transport Magistrate of the Divine Might Army's Transportation Division. I wonder what brings you here so suddenly, sir?" Han Bing stalled for time.

"I am Qian Shougang, Tiger Brave Commandant of the Black Dragon Army, Official Sixth Rank, Upper officer, and concurrently Third-Level Inspection Commissioner of the Southeast War Zone."

"The city's supplies have been requisitioned by me. You should go and prepare them immediately," said the blue-clad general.

"The Black Dragon Army?" Han Bing's pupils contracted. "I wonder how much supplies you require, what their purpose is, whether there has been any reporting, and whether you have any mobilization warrants..."

Han Bing tried to stall for time, but Qian Shougang wouldn't have it and snapped, "Enough nonsense! I said this city is being requisitioned, don't you understand?"

"If you don't understand, then I'll send my men to do it myself. You may leave now!"

With a wave of his hand, Qian Shougang immediately dispatched a group of people to the planting area of Earth Fire Lotus, their destination clear.

Wang Ji, known for his fiery temper, immediately became enraged. "You bastards! There wasn't even a proper procedure! You didn't even ask any questions before you started taking it? What's the difference between this and robbery? Stop it!"

"Hmph!" Qian Shougang his hand, and a streak of cyan light struck Wang Ji.

"Thump!" Wang Ji collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Shouting and arguing so rudely," Qian Shougang said coldly. "All of you, stand properly before me!"

Rewind half an hour.

Zhao Xing was cultivating in his tent.

Suddenly, the Earth Mirror trembled.

Then Che Shihai's phantom appeared before our eyes.

"Old Che, what's wrong with you? You look like you can't poop," Zhao Xing asked with a smile.

Che Shihai said, feeling aggrieved, "Boss, City 98 has been forcibly requisitioned. Han Bing and Wang Ji were both injured!"

"What?!" Zhao Xing's expression changed instantly. "Who did this?!"

Che Shihai, "Yes, yes..."

Before he finished speaking, Che Shihai's illusory figure vanished, as if his communication had been interrupted.

"Depend on!"

Upon seeing this, Zhao Xing immediately realized the urgency of the situation.

He immediately took the Mountain Cat and set off with Long Xiao, who was nearby.

Upon hearing this, Long Xiao immediately dispatched five hundred Valiant Cavalry Camp cavalrymen to take off swiftly in the air aboard the Arrowfish Flying Boat.

As for Chen Shijie, Zhao Xing couldn't contact him for a while, so he left two paper cranes to send messages, one to find Chen Shijie and the other to find Xia Jing in the north of the city.

In the clouds, Zhao Xing maneuvered the flying boat, pushing it to its maximum speed.

Long Xiao then asked, "What exactly happened? Do you understand?"

Zhao Xing said with a gloomy face, "I don't know either."

In fact, he had a vague guess that Che Shihai was referring to forced conscription.

Then this must be the army of the Great Zhou.

Moreover, the other party must be a Sixth Rank military officer.

Sixth Rank military officer can temporarily conscript logistics troops of a lower rank than himself, even if they are not from the same army.

However, such regulations generally only apply to emergency situations, such as when a defeated army is being gathered up on the road.

Or if you need supplies, you can stop by another army's supply town and have a meal there.

In the current situation, it is rare for a foreign army to recruit troops from other armies.

Normally, there shouldn't be any conflict.

But Che Shihai mentioned "forced requisition," he meant that the other party had made very unreasonable demands.

What could a Sixth Rank military officer possibly have in City 98 that would be of interest to him?

The answer immediately came to Zhao Xing's mind: Earth Fire Lotus!

After the Divine Might Army captured Fire Dragon Pass, the news that the army possessed a large number of Earth Fire Lotus naturally spread.

For the past ten days or so, several soldiers have been coming to Liao Rulong to borrow seeds. Their troops need the robes made from the Earth Fire Lotus to fight the Fire Demon Tribe.

It's normal for the two armies to exchange supplies, but Liao Rulong didn't lend out much because he didn't need spoils of war to buy things.

Could it be that someone came to forcibly rob us?

"They might be here to steal the Earth Fire Lotus," Zhao Xing guessed.

"What?!" Long Xiao roared in fury. "Which blind bastard came up with this?! We risked our lives to bring it back!"

Zhao Xing remained silent, instead opening the map to check the recent Military Realm movements and changes in the surrounding defense zones.

The Divine Might Army has now made a name for itself, and any Divine Might Army that dares to bully it must also be a powerful one.

Little Karami would certainly not dare to do that.

In this way, the scope can be easily narrowed down.

But Zhao Xing looked at the map again and again, and still couldn't find a suitable match.

"It must be that the war zone map in the Military Realm hasn't been updated yet," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

However, he has no intention of letting this matter go peacefully.

Wang the Engineer and Han Bing were his close friends and capable assistants from the same period.

Damn it, how dare you hit Old Master Zhao's men?

"Long Xiao, if we start fighting later, there's no need to hold back!"

"We've accumulated two million battle merits together, so we're not afraid of losing them!" Zhao Xing said.

"I know!" Long Xiao snorted. "This isn't the first time I've had my battle merits docked. I can earn them back, but I absolutely cannot swallow this anger. A swordsman's sword never allows me to swallow my pride!"

There's one more chapter, it'll be very late, so please don't wait.