Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Lu Yuan and his men had finished their preparations for leaving the city.

Early on the morning of the third day, when he arrived at the city gate, he saw his subordinates already lined up and waiting. Zhou He was naturally among them, dressed in a set of capable leather armor with iron plates inlaid over his chest. Behind him, he led two pack horses, both still carrying the baskets used for hauling supplies.

Wei Yong, serving as the lead Squad Leader under Lu Yuan, immediately stepped forward and said, "My lord, everyone has assembled."

He was dressed the same as Zhou He, both wearing Squad Leader Armor.

There were over twenty, nearly thirty, such men in the group.

The probability of them being in the Bone Forging Realm was already quite high.

The others were all seasoned veterans, skilled in archery and horsemanship.

At the very least, they had all been on the battlefield and seen blood.

This team was fundamentally different from the ones in the past, and Lu Yuan was quite satisfied.

"Move out!"

Following his order, the team began to move forward slowly.

At this time, the tender grass in the wilderness had already sprouted, showing green leaves.

From a distance, it was quite a sight.

Passing by the Pine Forest, Lu Yuan glanced at it but did not leave any marks.

This meant that Wu Han had not come by during this period.

It was strange; ever since they parted ways last time, there had been no news from that fellow, and he had no idea what he was doing lately.

However, Lu Yuan was not curious. At the very least, with his strength in the wilderness, self-preservation was not an issue.

They passed through the Pine Forest and had traveled less than thirty miles when they discovered a group of Northern Barbarian scouts. Because of the existence of the Iron Sparrowhawks, the forces of the three cities had suffered successive losses, leading to rampant activity among the Northern Barbarian scouts.

Their numbers were significantly higher than in the past.

Often, they would even band together to attack villages. Although every village had garrisoned troops, it was very difficult to fight against these cavalrymen.

They were often plundered quite heavily.

The group of Northern Barbarian scouts in front of them had clearly just made a haul.

Their bodies were bulging with loot, and one of them even had a human head skewered on his spear, shouting and cheering from time to time.

Seeing such a scene, Lu Yuan naturally would show no mercy.

He waved his hand and said, "Charge!"

There were only a dozen or so men on the other side. Facing their team, they had almost no power to resist; a single charge was enough to cut them all down to the ground.

After organizing the heads and the spoils, they continued forward.

Over the next few days, Lu Yuan and his men encountered Northern Barbarian scouts in varying numbers almost every day.

They were all wiped out one by one.

The items they obtained grew more and more numerous.

Warhorses, armor, weapons, as well as silver and jewelry.

In short, the harvest was not small.

Moreover, Lu Yuan's strength was improving rapidly. With these Northern Barbarians to practice on, the amount of proficiency he gained was truly immense.

In short, this trip out of the city had not been a waste of time.

Even without killing the Iron Sparrowhawks, it could be said that the harvest was full.

More than ten days passed in a flash. On the vast plains, it was quite difficult to find a specific team.

Even if both sides wanted to find each other.

On this day, Lu Yuan sat by the campfire roasting a piece of dried meat while drinking with Zhou He.

The latter rubbed his hands and said, "We've been out for more than ten days, and we've killed hundreds of Northern Barbarian scouts, so why haven't the Iron Sparrowhawks appeared yet?"

"What, are you eager to meet them?" Lu Yuan picked up his wineskin, took a sip, and turned his head to ask.

"What are you afraid of with me here? Everyone's gained quite a bit this time; once I head back and trade for some supplies, I should be able to reach the Bone Forging Realm myself. The others might not have enough military merit yet, but as long as we wipe out the Iron Sparrowhawks, that should be enough to bridge the gap."

Their harvest this time was indeed substantial. Many people might not be able to accumulate so much wealth in a year, yet they had obtained it in a mere ten days.

It just goes to show that following Lu Yuan meant having meat to eat.

"They should be looking for us too. Let's look for a few more days. If we can't find them in another ten days, we'll head back."

The time given by the superiors was one month, and in another ten days, it would be about due.

By then, they might not be needed anymore; the superiors would likely dispatch true elites to handle it.

If that were the case, however, both the Helian Clan and the Zhou Family would lose face in a spectacular fashion.

"I'll listen to you." Zhou He now followed Lu Yuan's lead completely.

After all, in his eyes, the man truly possessed real ability.

Just as they were eating, Old Huang, who had been keeping watch on the perimeter, came running back in a hurry.

"My lord, my lord! The Iron Sparrowhawks, the Iron Sparrowhawks are closing in!" His voice was urgent.

After all, this was no ordinary troop.

They were the elite Northern Barbarian cavalry that had struck terror into the hearts of the three fortress cities.

"Are you certain?" Lu Yuan dropped his wineskin and stood up.

"Absolutely certain. There are about a hundred of them, and their warhorses are different from the standard Northern Barbarian mounts—their hoofbeats are heavier. They are only five or six miles away from us now."

"Everyone, mount up and form ranks immediately!"

Lu Yuan's voice rang out.

His men did not dare to delay, quickly dropping their belongings and scrambling onto their horses.

It was midday.

The sun shone on everyone's faces, and each man looked exceptionally solemn.

The formation had just been set when, sure enough, the dark silhouettes of a troop appeared in the distance.

What began as a thin black line gradually transformed into distinct, rhythmic dots.

As they drew closer, faint shouts could be heard.

Weapons were being brandished recklessly.

Lu Yuan could even smell the stench of blood on them.

He was now certain that they were indeed the Iron Sparrowhawks.

Licking his cracked lips, he said in a chilling voice, "Brothers, the chance to seize military merit has arrived. Whether you can enter the ranks upon our return depends on this battle. If we succeed, this unit will become an ace scout troop no weaker than the Night Scouts or the Silent Cavalry. If we fail, I, Lu Yuan, will never retreat; I will live and die with you!"

His words galvanized everyone behind him.

These men knew that while the troops previously sent out by the three cities had been crushed, the commanders had always managed to escape.

It was always the low-ranking soldiers who were sent to their deaths.

This time, Lu Yuan's promise naturally caused the morale of his men to soar.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhou Hongling had been summoned once again to the General's Mansion in Yan Province. Helian Tielin was there today as well, along with his son, Helian Shang, the commandant of Yellow Sand Fortress City.

Zhou Ren sat in the main seat and looked at them. "I have gathered you all here today to discuss the Iron Sparrowhawks again. According to the latest intelligence, the unit that has appeared is not a standard Iron Sparrowhawk troop, but the Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks. Therefore, I suggest we stop sending our elites to their deaths.

Even if I were to recall the Zhou Family's Night Scouts and your Helian Clan's Silent Cavalry, we might not be able to handle them.

I have already reported this to the Marquis. He will send investigators, and once confirmed, specialized forces will be dispatched to annihilate these Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks."

Zhou Ren's expression was bitter as he spoke. If he could, he would naturally want to wipe out this Northern Barbarian unit; it would help his daughter advance further and expand the Zhou Family's influence. But with equal numbers, they simply could not field the necessary elite force.

Unless they stripped away their low-ranking officers, but the cost of that was too high. The Zhou Family did not want to suffer a massive gap in their junior officer ranks because of this incident.

The impact would be too great.

The Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks were an upgraded version of the standard Iron Sparrowhawks. It wasn't that their cultivation was significantly higher, but that every single one of them had survived dozens of bloody battles and possessed extremely rich combat experience.

Under normal circumstances, a Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawk was only qualified for the role if they could defeat two standard Iron Sparrowhawks.

Their strength was self-evident.

Helian Tielin said in a deep voice, "I have also received word that this mission has been abandoned. As for the Marquis's punishment, I am willing to accept it."

As the two men finished speaking, Helian Shang of Yellow Sand Fortress City breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been worried that his father would continue to send men out of the city, and he truly had few elites left at his disposal.

However, Zhou Hongling's face turned pale.

She had assumed that since Lu Yuan had taken so many men out of the city, he would be fine even if he couldn't win and had to retreat. But now, hearing that they were Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks, she suddenly felt that he was in grave danger.

Yet, in the vast Northern Frontier, how could she find him and tell him to return?

She dared not imagine what would happen if they encountered this unit of Iron Sparrowhawks.