About an hour later, they lit a bonfire. It was already afternoon.
Zhou He came over, drenched in sweat. "This time, we really hit the jackpot. We've packed up all thirty-two heads you took. They were all wearing fine bronze armor, and each had plenty of silver on them—2,200 taels in total.
"We put it all in baskets for you. Tomorrow, we'll haul it all back together.
"And that's not counting the prisoners we captured alive.
"All told, these men's military merits add up to four or five hundred. You're well on your way to becoming a chiliarch."
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After he finished speaking, he gave Lu Yuan a thumbs-up.
"Let's hope you're right. If I really become a chiliarch, I'll transfer you straight under my command."
"That'd be wonderful. I couldn't be happier to serve under you," Zhou He said at once.
After these few outings, Lu Yuan had realized that Zhou He was genuinely talented. Aside from the commander's ability, logistics were what mattered most in a battle.
During their time in the field, Zhou He had arranged everything for the men down to the last detail.
Lu Yuan was just short of men like him.
Just then, Old Huang came over too. "Sir, I've checked around. There aren't any Northern Barbarians nearby. We should have a peaceful night."
"Old Huang, did you get anything this time?" Lu Yuan asked, looking up.
The other man grinned. "Thanks to you, I killed a wounded man."
"Good. If you can reach the Entry Realm, give it a try when you get back. Then, when we head out again, you'll be safer, even if you don't earn much military merit." As Lu Yuan spoke,
he pulled over a basket and tossed Old Huang a few ingots of silver, about a hundred taels or so.
No one was jealous. After all, they had to admit they'd spent years traveling outside the city, but none of them had Old Huang's knack for finding his way.
Zhou He also urged him, "That's right, Old Huang. We're all counting on you to keep leading us. Reaching the Entry Realm will make you stronger, too."
"Yeah, I'll give it a try once we get back," Old Huang said, grinning.
"We lost quite a few men this time. We set out with over a hundred, and now there are only a little more than sixty left in the group—and that includes Zhou He's men. So we need to improve our strength as soon as possible if we want to stay alive."
After reminding them again, Lu Yuan said no more.
He simply drank with the two of them.
Meanwhile, in Yellow Sand City, Zhang Zhe was drinking with Bai Hong in the reception hall of the manor.
The former took a sip and said, "Mister, orders came down from above. The Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks are heading to our Three Cities Fortress. The Helian Clan has already reported it, so this matter no longer concerns us."
"That's good. A letter came from the Lineage saying they'll recruit some skilled Entry Realm fighters for you to bolster your presence. Starting tomorrow, focus on studying military formations. It'll be of tremendous help when you lead troops in the future.
"Once you've mastered the Five Tigers Mysterious Gate Formation, leaving the city will be much safer. It's a true first-rank military formation, nothing like the Arrowhead Formation."
Military formations, like cultivation techniques, were divided into nine ranks, from low to high. The first rank was the lowest, and the ninth was the highest.
The higher the rank of a technique or formation, the greater the strength it could unleash.
The Arrowhead Formation was an unranked military formation.
The Five Tigers Mysterious Gate Formation, on the other hand, was a formation Bai Hong knew well.
"Understood. I'll listen to you, Mister. But you said no one within the Three Cities would really manage to wipe out the Iron Sparrowhawks during this time, right? I heard there's still a force out in the field from Ice Plain City.
"Their commander is the one who wiped out the Iron Sparrowhawks last time." Zhang Zhe sounded uncertain.
If nobody could defeat this Iron Sparrowhawks force, that was one thing.
But if the Zhou Family really pulled it off, the Helian Clan would surely take out its anger on him.
"Don't worry. Even the Helian Clan's Silent Cavalry can't defeat the Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks."
Bai Hong gently reassured his disciple.
Zhang Zhe wasn't exactly a prodigy, but he was still above average. More importantly, he had a powerful family backing him.
Bai Hong knew that Zhang Hong, the family head, was a man who kept his true strength hidden.
He might seem unremarkable, never showing off, but who knew when he might take another step forward and become a provincial governor?
When that happened, as long as Zhang Zhe followed the family's arrangements,
he'd at least become a general.
"That's good. In the military, comparisons are what people fear most."
After Zhang Zhe said this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
In his heart, Bai Hong was quite capable. If Bai Hong judged it impossible, then it surely was.
Meanwhile, in Yan City, inside the Grand Governor's residence, Hong Cheng sat in his main hall. Behind him hung a huge painting of a fierce tiger descending the mountain. The snarling tiger had its forepaw braced against a boulder, as if it might leap to life at any moment.
A middle-aged man stood before Hong Cheng.
He looked very deferential.
He was the commander of the Fortress Guard Army, an elite force under the Marquis of Nine Fortresses.
Hong Cheng had formed the Fortress Guard Army long ago. Its members were all sons of men from his hometown, each one someone he could trust with his life.
They had followed him for years, earning countless merits.
"Hong Luo, how long would it take to bring back a hundred-man unit from among your men?"
Hong Cheng's voice was low, and his eyes burned with barely restrained fury.
The Zhou and Helian families had both disappointed him this time.
"At least half a month, if we hurry," Hong Luo replied.
"Good. Tell them to return. I'll leave for Ice Plain City first thing tomorrow morning and wait for them there," Hong Cheng said coldly.
This time, he would personally inspect the frontline fortress and put those military families in their place.
"Yes, sir!" Hong Luo answered, then withdrew.
Meanwhile, in Ice Plain City, Zhou Hongling was growing increasingly anxious. She had just returned to the manor overnight and immediately sent several groups out of the city, hoping they could find Lu Yuan and his men.
She wanted them back as soon as possible. The Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks were no joke.
Her father had told her himself that even the family's Night Scouts might not be a match for them.
The men Lu Yuan had taken out were strong, but they still fell short of the Iron Sparrowhawks, let alone the Silver-Armed Iron Sparrowhawks.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Lu Yuan. The main problem was that his men were far outmatched.
While all sides were keeping an eye on the Iron Sparrowhawks,
Lu Yuan's group had a quiet night. After a good sleep and breakfast, he ordered the men to head back.
They were about a hundred miles from Ice Plain City, but if they hurried, they should make it back before nightfall.
A short while later, the group set off.
All the prisoners were bound and laid sideways across the horses' backs.
That way, they didn't slow down.
The men ate on horseback along the way, too.
As dusk fell, Li the Bearded, who was on gate duty in Ice Plain City that day, was about to order the gates shut when he spotted a group approaching the city from far away.
"Clip-clop!"
Then a rider rushed ahead of the others. It was Zhou He. He reined in his horse and called out, "Old Li, don't shut the gates yet. Lu Yuan and the others are almost back."
Li the Bearded glanced at the sky. "All right. Tell them to hurry. There's an important person in the city today, so I have to close the gates on time. I can wait at most the time it takes to burn a stick of incense."
"Got it!" Zhou He answered, then rode back to hurry them along.