The Method of Refining Troops

Boom!

Zhou Yi flicked his finger.

"Find someone else to question."

Zhou Yi said coldly, "Next one, you do it."

Li Zhu kept retching: "Master, I-I-I've never killed anyone."

"You will today. And you'll kill plenty!"

The Patrol Office soldiers knew their place. They dragged over another chiliarch—already mid-level in the army. As for the high-ranking Imperial Guard officers, they were all dead.

"Spare me, sir! I had nothing to do with it! The court withheld our pay—the brothers had to eat!"

The chiliarch was terrified by the headless corpse on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly: "The generals came up with this idea—grab some commoners, sell them for army funds."

"How many did you grab?"

"This one doesn't know."

"How many years?"

"Doesn't know either..."

Zhou Yi gave him a cold look, then asked, "Why only able-bodied men?"

The chiliarch trembled: "Able-bodied men are easy to keep. Old folks aren't worth much, and raising kids is too much trouble—usually dealt with early..."

Zhou Yi couldn't be bothered to continue: "Crown Prince, your turn."

Li Zhu, listening in fury, gritted his teeth and drew his sword.

The Crown Prince's ceremonial sword was still a rare blade, sharp enough to cut iron like mud.

But Li Zhu's first kill lacked strength—the blade cut halfway through the neck and stuck in the spine.

As the chiliarch wailed, Li Zhu hacked twice more until he was dead.

"Within three days, recruit five thousand new troops. The Imperial Guard... not a single one stays."

"Master, what does 'not a single one stays' mean?"

"Exactly what you think it means."

"But there were accomplices—they don't deserve execution..."

"When an avalanche comes, no snowflake is innocent."

Recruiting new soldiers was simple.

In this chaotic age, there was never a shortage of people. Give them a meal, and countless would work like oxen or horses.

From Prince Guangyang's Mansion, they seized five million taels of silver, two hundred thousand taels of gold, and countless gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and paintings.

Half went to Emperor Li Yu; the other half became the Imperial Guard's war chest.

Five thousand soldiers, all able-bodied men between twenty and thirty, each got five taels as family settlement—they'd sell their lives for that.

The first order for the new troops was beheading. Every soldier had to chop off at least three or four heads.

Eighteen thousand heads. The beheading lasted three days and three nights.

Zhou Yi ordered Crown Prince Li Zhu to personally kill ten Imperial Guard generals each day and supervise the executions for three days and nights straight.

After three days, the once-bookish Li Zhu had gained a killing aura.

Then came training. Crown Prince Li Zhu ate and slept with the five thousand troops.

Inside the Imperial Guard camp tent.

Zhou Yi held a scroll—a thunder method written by a Daoist master from a former dynasty.

"Inspiration True Person Expounds the Profound Thunder Demon-Subduing Sutra."

Inspiration Daoist was skilled in earth-element Profound Thunder Method, and many of its thunder-controlling hand seals opened Zhou Yi's eyes.

Zhou Yi could max out the Profound Thunder Method with Origin Points, but many techniques weren't just about casting experience.

For example, one variation: Inspiration Daoist refined Profound Thunder into earth-attributed ores, then scattered them when needed, turning them into a sky full of lightning.

Besides, he lacked Origin Points now. To improve his casting experience, he'd have to study the Profound Thunder Method himself.

Zhou Yi browsed Great Jing's collected texts. Among them were seven Qi-refining methods of graded rank, twenty-three spells, and three alchemy recipes.

The Profound Thunder Method was the only earth-element spell, the best match for Zhou Yi's spiritual root.

The three pills were the Lesser Restoration Pill, the Body Tempering Pill, and the only graded one—the Yellow Sprout Pill.

Too bad Zhou Yi knew nothing of alchemy, or he could dump money into pill-making to rapidly boost his True Essence.

A report came from outside the tent: "Reporting, Commander! Deputy Commander Li Zhu requests an audience!"

"Enter."

Li Zhu entered the tent and saluted according to military protocol: "General, the eighteen thousand army corpses have all been buried in five corpse pits as ordered."

"Good."

Zhou Yi took out a completed Military Training Manual: "Train the troops according to this manual. This general has important matters to attend to."

Li Zhu took the manual and flipped through it. It contained no military formations—just simple drills for marching and physical conditioning. No battle arrays, no secret tactics.

"This is the way to build a strong army?"

Li Zhu found it hard to believe. Did standing in neat rows and marching in step really make soldiers fight better?

"Elsewhere, it would be enough. But the Great Jing is different. That's why I had the army corpses buried in the five directions of the camp—to channel and activate the malevolent energy!"

Zhou Yi said coldly: "Sha Qi Tempering. Within a few months, the soldiers' physiques will greatly improve. Bearing killing intent, they'll fear nothing. With orderly ranks and strict discipline, they'll naturally become a strong army."

Li Zhu hesitated, then asked in a low voice: "Master, does the Sha Qi have any drawbacks..."

"There are some. The new troops' lifespan... won't exceed ten years."

Zhou Yi shrugged and said: "Perhaps they'll be more prone to corpse mutation after death. That works perfectly for the Heavenly Corpse Sect—let them refine a legion of zombie soldiers. Sweeping the world will be effortless."

"Master, I've been training alongside the troops and made a few good friends. They're good people..."

Li Zhu's voice grew softer. Over the past few days, Zhou Yi had been constantly drilling into him that to save the Great Jing, he had to be ruthless—ruthless to others, ruthless to himself.

It wasn't just words. Zhou Yi made him act: wiping out families, overseeing executions, killing...

Li Zhu didn't dare resist. He endured it all. Only now, summoning great courage, did he plead for a few friends.

"You've done well. A ruler must wield the blade of judgment, but also keep a shred of benevolence."

Zhou Yi waved his hand: "Dismissed. From now on, you're the commander of this army. Train them strictly according to what's written. As for activating the Corpse Malevolence Great Array, set it for half a month from now."

Li Zhu left with a face full of joy, never expecting his master would allow him to make friends.

A flash of profound yellow thunder flickered in Zhou Yi's eyes. The Profound Thunder Method had only just begun—he couldn't yet perfectly control his techniques.

"Yang Bai."

"Ancestor, your orders?"

Yang Bai emerged from the shadows. A simple soul-manipulation trick, enough to fool mortals.

"Investigate those who've befriended Li Zhu. Then deal with them."

"Ancestor, won't that create a rift with the Crown Prince?"

"Pu Du Ci Hang is the only enemy. The corpse army cannot have any problems! Besides, killing a few people isn't cruelty. Only when his heart grows cold will he become a worthy emperor."

"As you command."

Yang Bai vanished without a sound.

Zhou Yi closed his eyes in thought. Finding no omissions, he resumed contemplating the Profound Thunder Demon-Subduing Sutra as taught by Inspiration True Person.

External tools were never a long-term solution. Only one's own strength brought true freedom.

Pu Du Ci Hang understood this. Even knowing Li Yu was recruiting Zhou Yi to oppose them, they remained fearless, confident in their invincibility, steadily devouring the court officials as planned.

Several days passed.

Zhou Yi supervised the Heavenly Corpse Sect disciples at five positions around the imperial guard camp, channeling Profound Yin Qi to nourish the Sha Qi.

The eighteen thousand imperial guard corpses had little combat power in life, but their deaths by mass execution had accumulated a sky-high tide of resentment.

When several imperial guard generals learned of Prince Guangyang's family annihilation, they led their troops in revolt.

Zhou Yi single-handedly killed the ringleader generals and promised that anyone who surrendered would be released from military servitude and sent back to their hometowns—though they would never serve in the army again.

In the Great Jing Court, military servitude was a lowly status. With such a generous offer, seventy percent of the imperial guards immediately chose to surrender.

Seeing the tide had turned, the rest obediently laid down their arms.

Zhou Yi then made them denounce each other, exposing their crimes.

Based on the severity of their offenses, only two thousand soldiers with lighter sins were released. The rest, guilty of grave crimes, became the execution fodder for five thousand new recruits.

The surrendered troops were buried alive. Their dying resentment was immense, naturally condensing Yin and gathering Sha.

The five corpse pits were also specially arranged burial grounds by the Heavenly Corpse Sect disciples.

White Tiger Extinction Ground: nurtures Gold Corpses.

Ghost Forest: nurtures Wood Corpses.

Yin Cold Pool: nurtures Water Corpses.

Sun-Charging Fiend Tomb: nurtures Fire Corpses.

Nether Soil: nurtures Earth Corpses.

Combined with the Heavenly Corpse Sect disciples channeling Profound Yin Qi to nourish them, the five burial grounds were wreathed in Ghostly Wind. By day, ghostly wails could be heard; by night, spectral troops marched past.

"Five Elements Spirit Corpses are rare enough. But with eighteen thousand Vengeful Corpses, a few are bound to emerge!"