Looking Back?

They gathered slaves to fight, conquering all along the way.

A month and a half ago...

"Brother Ran, is Qiu Yan really the top scholar in the Imperial Examinations?" Shi Jin and Ran Lian talked during a break from chopping wood.

This group of slaves from various tribes was governed by numerous disciplines and military regulations established by Qiu Yan. One of these regulations was that they took turns chopping wood and cooking. Even the fire chief and squad leader could not be exempted from this duty. Ran Lian and Shi Jin were chopping wood and preparing firewood here.

There were many other people busy around the two of them.

Ran Lian shook his head and said, "I'm not too sure about that either. I heard it from others. I was stationed at the outpost before, so I was out of touch with the news. Later, I went north with the army, and after a fierce battle, I was captured. I didn't even have time to return to the Central Lands. How would I know these things? However, many people say that he was the top scholar, so it should be true."

"Could it be the martial arts champion?" Shi Jin said again, noticing Ran Lian's surprised expression, and immediately guessed the reason, "Brother Ran, although I grew up on the Grasslands, I still have Central Plains blood flowing through my veins. When I was a child, my mother told me a lot about the Central Plains, and this martial arts champion was one of them."

"I see," Ran Lian nodded. "But why do you have this idea?" As he asked, Ran Lian keenly noticed a subtle change in the attitude of his friend in the face of adversity toward the Central Plains.

Shi Jin was also a slave. He met Ran Lian in the slave camp, so Ran Lian knew him quite well. He knew that although this half-Han and half-Hu had Central Plains blood, he usually disliked him and rarely mentioned his mother. Unexpectedly, he brought it up today.

While Ran Lian was pondering, Shi Jin said, "I used to hear that people from the Central Plains were weak and timid, but my opinion changed after meeting you. Now that I've met Qiu Yan, I realize that there are some inaccuracies in the stories about officials from the Central Plains."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Ran Lian asked with a smile.

Shi Jin then said, "Everyone says that the officials in the Central Plains are utterly corrupt, often committing evil deeds, and are all fat, pot-bellied pigs, utterly useless. But this Qiu Yan is also an official of the court, yet he is physically strong, highly skilled in martial arts, always leading the charge with unstoppable momentum, and his military tactics are divine. The tribes that have been conquered often cannot harm a single one of us. After more than half a month of fighting, we have not seen a single wounded. This is simply unbelievable in my tribe!"

"A general is the Soldier's Courage. As the saying goes, an incompetent general can bring ruin to the entire army. Conversely, if the general is brave, even a flock of sheep can be conquered!" Ran Lian replied. He knew that the reasoning behind this was not so simple. It involved grasping the situation and timing, as well as strategic planning and tactics. Even deciding which tribe to attack first and calculating the movements of other tribes was also part of the strategy.

However, Shi Jin had never received military training. He was a master at fighting and killing enemies, but when it came to these kinds of things, he was completely clueless. So why bring it up?

Sure enough, this was undoubtedly the explanation Shi Jin could accept the most, and he nodded. Then he raised his arm and brought it down sharply!

Snap!

With a shovel, a piece of wood was split open, leaving a smooth cut!

"These iron tools are really convenient. If I can establish a tribe in the future, I will definitely learn how to smelt and forge." After saying this, he carefully put away his wood-chopping knife, packed the chopped firewood into a rough basket, and carried it back home.

Ran Lian did the same thing as usual, but didn't say anything to remind him.

In fact, everyone knows that iron tools are useful, but due to the deliberate blockade by the Central Plains dynasties, not to mention iron smelting technology, even ordinary iron tools were rarely allowed to enter the Grasslands, and many were listed as contraband.

At present, Qiu Yan can provide a small amount of iron tools, Ran Lian is also very curious about their origin and smelting source. However, with days of continuous warfare, he only has the mind to think about these things during such leisure time. At other times, he is mostly focused and has no time to think about such things, so he soon puts them out of his mind.

The two then entered a campsite, where tents stretched out in a continuous line and people came and went, yet everything was in good order.

The escaped slaves joined Qiu Yan's army, and in the past half month, they conquered many tribes and freed their slaves. Under Qiu Yan's guidance, and with the testimonies of other Slave Army, more and more people were willing to join the ranks. The army quickly grew and expanded, and now it has more than a thousand people.

As night fell and the You Di attacked, the army, under Qiu Yan's command, calmly and methodically responded.

Time passed...

One month ago...

It was time to chop wood again, and it was still Shi Jin and Ran Lian. Compared to half a month ago, Shi Jin's spirit and energy had changed considerably.

"It's unbelievable that we not only won in that situation, but we didn't even lose a single person! Brother Ran, did you see the expressions on the faces of those soldiers when Xiuzhuan broke through to the banners of the seven allied forces all by himself? They were truly admirable! Xiuzhuan is a true warrior!"

Sijin was the title of the tribal leader, often bestowed by the Khan or Chanyu.

Shi Jin was recounting a story from a few days prior.

After half a month of wind and rain, the thin boy has become much stronger and taller, and his face is full of vitality.

This is because he can eat his fill every day. Qiu Yan's diet in the army is a way to infuse his body with a faint Qi and Blood, which is a method to enhance physical fitness. Shi Jin is at the age of growth. In the past, as a slave, he inevitably suffered from malnutrition. Now that his circumstances have changed, his flesh and blood immediately seized the opportunity to devour and replenish his body.

"You're right, but this victory was not only due to the bravery of the compiler, but also to his decision-making and leadership skills, and the fact that the entire army fought with their lives on the line," Ran Lian said.

"Brother Ran, I know what you mean," Shi Jin smiled. "The strategist planned the troops and anticipated the enemy's deployment, luring them into a trap and launching an ambush. Even so, to win without losing a single person is remarkable! Besides, we were just slaves who only wanted to survive. In our Central Plains terms, we were a rabble. If it weren't for the strategist's training and discipline, how could we have achieved such a victory?"

"I didn't expect you to see things so clearly now. It's a world of difference compared to before." Ran Lian was slightly taken aback, then slowly nodded.

Half a month ago, even if Ran Lian explained it to him step by step, let alone Shi Jin saying it himself, he might not have been able to understand. But now he has analyzed it himself, and in his tone, he clearly refers to himself as a person from the Central Plains, ignoring his Grasslands bloodline.

In fact, this is also the prevailing custom within the "tribe" led by Qiu Yan.

After more than a month of fighting, the number of troops has greatly increased. Now they number several thousand, making them a force to be reckoned with on the Grasslands, comparable to many tribes.

Since most of the members were born slaves, there were not many elderly, weak, women and children, because such people would find it difficult to survive in a slave camp, and even those who did were usually physically strong.

In this way, the fighting strength and mobility of the troops were maintained without being hindered. As their power grew, more herders came to join them, and even slaves from other tribes heard the news and took the lead in rebellion, killing their way out and joining them directly. However, this also caused a chain reaction, making the Grasslands increasingly chaotic.

Of course, Ran Lian, Shi Jin, and the others couldn't perceive the major changes, but with Qiu Yan's military success and the near absence of casualties, his prestige within the team grew, leading to a transformation in this hastily assembled group.

As the team developed, its structure and hierarchy gradually emerged, leading to factionalism. Qiu Yan failed to curb this, resulting in the formation of numerous factions, each with its own complex and ever-changing dynamics. An individual often belonged to multiple factions, with two being the most prominent—

The two factions are divided based on their place of origin: the Central Plains and the Grasslands faction.

Shi Jin was one of the leaders of the Grasslands faction, while Ran Lian was one of the leaders of the Central Plains Faction.

However, due to Qiu Yan's influence, the Grasslands Faction had long wanted to submit, but they were hindered by the exclusion and high self-esteem of the Central Plains Faction and found it difficult to integrate. They formed a separate faction and banded together to support each other.

As a mixed-race individual, Shi Jin displayed extraordinary martial prowess and courage during the past month of conquest. He also befriended Ran Lian, Fu Yong, and others, gaining a significant position within the Grasslands Faction. Furthermore, he gradually showed signs of assimilation, beginning to take pride in his Central Plains bloodline due to his connection with Qiu Yan.

These events did not affect the relationship between Shi Jin and Ran Lian. When they had nothing to do, they would still chat and try to strengthen the ties between their two factions.

As he spoke, Shi Jin raised his arm and then brought it down suddenly!

Snap!

With a shovel, a piece of wood was split open, leaving a smooth cut!

"This iron tool is really convenient..."

After praising them, the two finished their work. Although their status was different from before, they still had to take turns cooking as Qiu Yan had instructed. Moreover, for some reason, a ritual to worship the Kitchen God had begun to take place in the group. Cooking was an opportunity to express their respect for this god, so no one complained about taking turns cooking.

On the way back, Shi Jin said a few words, then remembered something and said, "Tonight, in my dream, I must die in battle again to demonstrate my martial prowess!"

During this period, they ate meat to strengthen their bodies, and at night Qiu Yan took them to the Sand Battlefield. Because it was just a wisp of consciousness, it was like a peaceful sleep, which could replenish their energy. On the Sand Battlefield and on the General-Selecting Platform, the Military School strategist who had regained his Original Spirit led his troops to attack and fight, challenging Qiu Yan. Every battle was a hard one. Military Contest here was not like the Grasslands where one could move like the wind, and there was no Order Military Momentum to protect them. It was very difficult, and they would die in battle from time to time. Fortunately, it was just the return of consciousness, and they could recuperate for a few days. There was no real danger to their lives.

Even so, the moment of death is still terrifying, accompanied by indescribable pain, and few people besides Shi Jin would willingly accept it.

Ran Lian had tried to advise him to prevent him from confusing reality with dreams, but to little avail.

By now, they understood that the so-called dream was also created by Qiu Yan as part of a training exercise. They were already familiar with Qiu Yan's Divine Ability, so they weren't too surprised. They always felt that everything Qiu Yan did was right, and that with Qiu Yan leading the army, they would be invincible!

And indeed, in the subsequent battles, although the various tribes were prepared, Qiu Yan always anticipated their moves and was invincible, seemingly able to sweep through the entire land. However, it wasn't long before the battle formation became less straightforward, as the cultivators from the Central Plains intervened...

Two weeks have passed. (To be continued...)

P. S.: Thank you to "Simple Happiness", "Dark Night ~ Crow!", "Wounded Emperor of the Mortal Realm", "Man Beyond the Heavens", "Mosquito Prince", "Xuan Ming", "Frost-Autumn Maple Leaf", "wiler", "Aiding the Wicked", "Great Idler, Little Fool", "Distant Time", "Old Angel", "Shenma Caogen Youjiang", "Celebrated Son of Heaven", and "dennislo" for their monthly votes!