The carriage wheels were wrapped in thick cotton cloth, making almost no sound as they rolled over the stone road. The carriages were tightly sealed, with the gaps stuffed shut with black cloth.
Using her agility, Yu Linglong secretly climbed onto the roof of the carriage and heard faint sobs and the sound of chains rattling coming from inside.
Following the clues, Yu Linglong infiltrated the underground warehouses of these chambers of commerce.
When she carefully pried open the hidden door of the warehouse, a pungent smell of mildew and blood hit her.
Under the dim light of an oil lamp, dozens of thin figures huddled in a corner, their bodies covered in wounds and heavy iron chains around their necks. Yu Linglong suppressed her anger, used a special potion to leave a mark on the wall, and then disappeared into the night like a gust of wind.
She presented the evidence to Yu Tianheng overnight. The unfolded scroll not only marked the locations of each den in detail, but also depicted the complete chain of the slave trade.
Looking at these horrifying scenes, Yu Tianheng's face was terribly grim. "The two great empires have long since explicitly prohibited the buying and selling of human slaves, yet they dare to be so brazen!"
"Looks like we need to teach them a lesson!"
At dawn the following day, with a command given, Yu Tianheng's army moved out like a tidal wave.
Yu Linglong took the lead, easily smashing the locked gate with her longsword and capturing everyone. She encountered strong resistance, including powerful Soul Master, but they were no match for Yu Linglong, who had the cultivation of the Innate Realm and strength comparable to Seven-Ring Soul Sage. She was easily killed.
Those nobles and wealthy merchants who usually acted arrogantly and domineeringly watched in horror as the army loaded boxes of account books and indentures onto carts. As they were shackled and taken away, they still tried in vain to plead for mercy.
But Yu Tianheng's move was meant to make an example of them, so he wouldn't let them off the hook.
What awaits them next is the confiscation of their property.
The slaves who had regained their freedom looked at Yu Tianheng and Yu Linglong with tears of gratitude in their eyes. Yu Tianheng ordered that they be properly settled, and those who still had families were to be sent back to their families.
After ransacking the mansions of several nobles and wealthy merchants, Yu Tian acquired a large amount of Gold Soul Coin, jewelry, land deeds, and other treasures, totaling 18 million soul coins.
Looking at the list presented to him, Yu Tianheng couldn't help but curse inwardly: These damned nobles are so rich, they're even richer than me, Earl. If I ever run out of money, it seems I'll have to borrow from them again.
The following day, Yu Tianheng, in the name of the Earl, once again summoned the nobles of all ranks in Suotuo City, as well as the presidents of various merchant guilds, to begin the meeting that had not been completed in the previous one.
Inside the council hall, the remaining thirty-odd nobles and wealthy merchants were on tenterhooks. The scene of Yu Linglong, under Yu Tianheng's command, leading the Divine Martial Army to raid their homes half a month ago was still vivid in their minds—three powerful noble families and two well-connected merchant guilds were all ruthlessly raided, and anyone who dared to resist was killed without exception. Now, the six empty carved chairs in the hall seemed to serve as a silent deterrent.
"Gentlemen," Yu Tianheng's voice was as cold as iron, "Let's return to the previous topic. Suotuo City is in imminent danger; a strong army is needed to ensure its safety."
Yu Tianheng raised his hand and unfolded the yellowed city defense map. The candlelight made the dense red dots on it particularly glaring. "But now the city guards are short of food and weapons. What we got from the last raid was just a drop in the bucket."
Therefore, I hope you will all be generous in your donations.
A fat nobleman's Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke in a trembling voice, " Earl Excellency, it's not that we don't want to give it, but..." Before he could finish speaking, Yu Tianheng clapped his hands, and behind him, Yu Linglong slowly emerged from the darkness. The sword at her waist still bore traces of dark red blood that had not been wiped clean, making her look quite terrifying.
Upon seeing this, the obese nobleman immediately shut up and, without saying a word, took out one million Gold Soul Coin.
Money is good, but nothing is more important than your own life.
This caused a huge stir. Nobles and wealthy merchants alike rushed to contribute money in order to save their lives.
Yu Tianheng stared at the mountain of Gold Soul Coin and contracts, a smile playing on his lips.
This time he made a fortune, obtaining 18 million Gold Soul Coin from the ransacked property. With the donations from these people, the total exceeded 30 million Gold Soul Coin. Indeed, robbery is a quick way to make money!
With this money, he could at least guarantee that his 5,000 Divine Martial Army wouldn't have to worry about paying their salaries for at least ten years.
Therefore, it is time to provide them with weapons and equipment.
Previously, due to insufficient funds, only a small portion of the Divine Martial Army possessed weapons and equipment, while the vast majority of the others were unarmed. Although they had cultivated Martial Dao and could easily defeat most armies and chariot soldiers even unarmed, having weapons and equipment undoubtedly added a significant amount of combat power.
This money can't be saved; it needs to be spent.
Thinking of this, Yu Tianheng immediately issued an order:
"Pass down the order: summon the blacksmiths of Suotuo City tomorrow and have them begin preparing to forge weapons and armor." Yu Tianheng turned to look at Yu Linglong.
"Send men to Gengxin City to purchase large quantities of refined iron and rare metals for me to use in crafting."
"Yes!" Yu Linglong accepted the order.
As the first rays of dawn pierced the clouds, the shouts of new recruits training echoed through the morning mist of Suotuo City. The thirty million Gold Soul Coin bought not only armor and weapons, but also the ever-burning flame of ambition in Yu Tianheng's eyes—this city would eventually become the fulcrum for him to move the entire continent.
A month later, a large number of weapons, equipment and armor were manufactured, and Yu Tianheng distributed them to the Divine Martial Army's taxi soldiers.
They will also conduct more rigorous military training.
Six months later, under Yu Tianheng's tireless training, all the soldiers of the Divine Martial Army reached the Flesh Refining Realm in Martial Dao arts.
Some taxi drivers are even more talented, like Zhao Hu, who has even reached the Sinew Refining Realm.
He was given special attention and training by Yu Tianheng.
On the training ground of the northwest camp of Suotuo City, Yu Tianheng's silver armor and cloak fluttered in the wind as his spear flashed with fierce patterns.
The five thousand Divine Martial Army stood in neat formation, their long spears like a forest, changing formation with each of his commands.
Since receiving the order to form this new army, he has led his soldiers to begin training in the morning mist at dawn every day, honing their close combat skills under the scorching sun, and studying tactical simulations late into the night.
"The surface of the continent may appear calm, but undercurrents are surging." Yu Tianheng gazed at the distant, rolling mountains and said to his deputy, Zhao Hu, "Only real, hard-fought battles can forge them into a truly formidable force."
Therefore, every half month, the Divine Martial Army would venture deep into the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt down Hundred-Year Soul Beast and even Thousand-Year Soul Beast to hone their skills.
The slain Soul Beast were not easily discarded; they were all brought back to serve as meat rations for the soldiers.
The sounds of clashing metal and roaring Soul Beast echoed through the forest. As the soldiers fought against the Gale Demon Wolf and Ironback Rhinoceros, they gradually shed their inexperience and became increasingly formidable.