Full Harvest

About an hour later, the campfires were lit; it was already afternoon.

Zhou He walked over, drenched in sweat. "We really hit the jackpot this time. I've packed up all thirty-two heads. They were all wearing fine copper armor and carrying quite a bit of silver—two thousand two hundred taels in total. I've put it all in baskets for us to haul back tomorrow. If you add in the ones we captured alive, the total military merit comes to four or five hundred. You're well on your way to the rank of Thousand-Man Commander."

After saying this, he gave Lu Yuan a thumbs-up.

"I'll take your word for it. If I really do become a Thousand-Man Commander, I'll have you transferred directly under my command."

"That would be fantastic. I'd be more than happy to serve under you," Zhou He replied immediately.

During these few outings, Lu Yuan had discovered that the man was truly a talent. In battle, aside from the skill of the commander, logistics were everything. Throughout their time out here, Zhou He had managed the men with perfect clarity. Lu Yuan was currently in need of someone exactly like him.

Just then, Old Huang walked over. "My lord, I've checked the perimeter. There are no Northern Barbarians nearby. We should have a peaceful night."

"Old Huang, did you manage to secure any spoils this time?" Lu Yuan asked, looking up.

The man chuckled. "Thanks to your blessing, I managed to kill one who was already wounded."

"Good. If you can reach the Entry Realm, you should try to break through once you return. That way, even if you don't earn much merit in the future, you'll at least be safer when we're out here." As Lu Yuan spoke, he pulled over a basket and tossed a few ingots of silver—about a hundred taels—to Old Huang.

No one felt jealous; to be fair, they were all men who spent their lives running outside the city walls, but none of them possessed Old Huang's talent for navigation.

Zhou He also chimed in, "That's right, Old Huang. We're all counting on you to keep leading the way. You'll be much sturdier once you reach the Entry Realm."

"Aye, I'll give it a shot once we get back," Old Huang grinned.

"We lost quite a few men this time. We started with over a hundred, and now there are only sixty-some left, and that's counting Zhou He's men. We must improve our strength as quickly as possible to ensure our own survival." After offering this final reminder, Lu Yuan said no more, simply drinking with the two men.

Meanwhile, in Yellow Sand City, Zhang Zhe sat in the parlor of his mansion, drinking with Bai Hong.

The former took a sip and said, "Sir, the orders have come down from above. The Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks are coming to our three-city fortress. The Helian Clan has already reported it, so this matter is no longer our concern."

"That is good. The family sent word that they will recruit some experts who have reached the Entry Realm to help you hold your ground. Starting tomorrow, you must diligently study military formations; it will be of great benefit to your future command. Once you achieve minor success with the Five Tigers Mysterious Gate Formation, it will be much safer to venture outside the city. This is a true Tier 1 formation, far beyond what the Arrowhead Formation can compare to."

Military formations, like martial arts techniques, were divided into nine tiers, from low to high, with Tier 1 being the lowest and Tier 9 the highest. The higher the tier of the technique or formation, the greater the power it could unleash. The Arrowhead Formation was considered an unranked formation, whereas the Five Tigers Mysterious Gate Formation was the one Bai Hong had mastered.

"I will heed your advice, sir. But do you think anyone within the three cities could actually wipe out the Iron Sparrowhawks during this time? I heard that a unit from Ice Plain City is still out there, led by the person who defeated the Iron Sparrowhawks last time," Zhang Zhe said, sounding uncertain. If everyone failed to defeat the Iron Sparrowhawks, that would be one thing, but if the Zhou Family actually succeeded, the Helian Clan would surely vent their frustration on him.

"Rest assured, even the Helian Clan's Silent Cavalry couldn't defeat the Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks." Bai Hong spoke softly to soothe his disciple. Although Zhang Zhe was not exceptionally brilliant, he was of above-average talent, and more importantly, he had a family backing him. Bai Hong knew that the clan head, Zhang Hong, was a man who hid his true depth. He might appear unremarkable, but at any moment, he could take a step forward and become a Provincial Governor. If that happened, Zhang Zhe only needed to follow the family's arrangements to end up as a general at the very least.

"That's a relief. In the military, comparisons are the most feared thing." After saying this, Zhang Zhe secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In his heart, he held Bai Hong in high regard; since his teacher deemed it impossible, then it must truly be impossible.

At the same time, in the Grand Governor's mansion in Yan Province, Hong Cheng sat in his great hall. Behind him hung a massive painting of a Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain; the ferocious beast in the image, its front paws pressed against a boulder, looked as if it might come to life at any moment. Standing below Hong Cheng was a middle-aged man who appeared very respectful. He was the commander of the Fortress Guard Army, the elite force under the Marquis of Nine Fortresses. The Fortress Guard Army had been established by Hong Cheng long ago, composed entirely of men from his hometown—every one of them was someone to whom he could entrust his life.

Over these years, he had lost count of how many meritorious deeds he had performed while following him.

"Hong Luo, if you were to recall a hundred-man unit from your subordinates now, how long would it take?"

Hong Cheng's voice was low, his eyes burning with an irrepressible rage.

The Zhou Family and the Helian Clan had disappointed him greatly this time.

"Half a month at the fastest," Hong Luo replied hurriedly.

"Good. Notify them to return. I will head to Ice Plain City early tomorrow morning and wait for them there," Hong Cheng said coldly.

This time, he would personally inspect the frontline fortress and knock some sense into these military families under his command.

"Understood!" After acknowledging the order, Hong Luo withdrew.

Meanwhile, inside Ice Plain City, Zhou Hongling appeared anxious. She had just returned to the residence overnight and immediately dispatched several teams out of the city, hoping to find traces of Lu Yuan and his men.

She needed them back as soon as possible; the Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks were no joke.

Her own father had said that even the family's Night Scouts were likely no match for them.

Although the men Lu Yuan led out were not weak, they were still inferior compared to the Iron Sparrowhawks, let alone the Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks.

It was not that she lacked trust in Lu Yuan, but the gap between their subordinates was simply too vast.

While all parties were focused on this unit of Iron Sparrowhawks, Lu Yuan's side spent the night in silence. After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, he ordered his men to return.

The distance to Ice Plain City was roughly a hundred miles, but if they maintained a swift pace, they could likely return before nightfall.

A short while later, the unit set off.

All the captives were bound and slung horizontally across the horses' backs.

Because of this, their speed remained undiminished.

The group even ate their meals while on horseback.

As the sky grew dim, Li the Bearded, who was in charge of guarding the gates of Ice Plain City that day, was preparing to order the gates closed when he saw a unit approaching the city from afar.

"Clatter!"

A rider galloped ahead, and it turned out to be Zhou He. He pulled his horse to a stop and shouted, "Old Li, don't close the gates yet! Lu Yuan and his men are coming back soon."

Li the Bearded glanced at the sky. "Fine. Tell them to hurry. There's a big shot in the city today, so the gates must be closed on time. I can wait for a stick of incense at most."

"Deal!" Zhou He replied before turning back to urge the others on.