In the afternoon, an army of five thousand soldiers from the Great Wilderness Tribe slowly walked out of Coiling Dragon Valley. Everyone was so hungry that their faces were sallow and their bodies emaciated. This was the "advance team" that the old fox Patriarch had sent out. In reality, it was also a team used to test Lin Muyu's loyalty. This advance team would first settle down in the Endless Forest. Only after that would the Great Wilderness God lead the other twenty thousand soldiers out of Coiling Dragon Valley. But before that, Lin Muyu had to be responsible for the food and clothing of all the Wilderness Warriors.
…
A cool breeze blew through the forest, causing the pure white royal cloak to flutter. Lin Muyu rested her hand on the hilt of her sword as she rode alongside Tang Xiaoxi. On the side, Wei Chou and Situ Sen led the 10,000 heavy cavalry of the Longdan Army Camp to protect them. They would be escorting the 5,000 Wilderness Tribe warriors to settle down in the Endless Forest. Furthermore, they would be in the forest's no man's land. They couldn't live too close to the Demon Race, so Lin Muyu arranged for them to settle down in the forest between the Demon Race and the National Army. This place was suitable for planting, and the National Army could see it. If the Wilderness Tribe did anything strange, the National Army could immediately take action.
This war of conquest had nothing to do with justice. It was just a matter of making use of each other. Lin Muyu and the Great Wilderness God knew this very well.
The army of the Demon Suppressing Mountain Pass brought tents and a small amount of food. The first thing they needed to do was to give these Wilderness Tribe warriors a place to rest.
Lin Muyu rode her horse to the clearing. The place was filled with trees that shaded the sky, which could shelter them from the wind and rain. On the other hand, the clearing in the distance was mostly soil with very few rocks, which was suitable for farming.
"We'll set up camp in the forest. Then, we'll gather some potatoes and plant them in the sunny open space on the right. This should help them settle down and reproduce quickly," Lin Muyu said confidently.
Situ Sen smiled. "Commander, this Wilderness Tribe army is made up of men. There aren't any women. It's probably impossible for them to reproduce."
"It doesn't matter. Once they settle down, the Great Wilderness God will naturally arrange for people to migrate the distant Wilderness Tribe and let them come to the Empire to reproduce."
"Yes, this subordinate understands."
"Is Xiaotang's grain transport team here yet?"
"Soon. I'll definitely arrive before dusk."
"Mm, that's great!"
Lin Muyu was deeply worried. Since he came to the Forest of Infinity, his biggest problem was food. His mind was almost filled with food, food, food, and food. He was almost driven crazy by the food. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue could send about two hundred thousand jin of food every day, but it was far from enough to feed the two hundred thousand soldiers. Especially after the Barbarian Tribe decided to surrender, each young and strong Barbarian Tribe warrior could eat as much as three human soldiers. It was so much so that Lin Muyu had to consider the food rations of the nearly three hundred thousand soldiers in the Forest of Infinity. Including the civilians of the Demon Tribe who had lost their source of food, the daily consumption of food was at least seven hundred thousand jin!
At dusk, Wei Chou walked over holding a piece of paper and said, "Young Lady Xiao Tang has sent Yu Yu's letter, the grain transport team from Lanyan City is only ten miles away from here."
"Alright, come with me to welcome them."
"Yes!"
The Forest of Infinity was not peaceful. Although Tang Xiaoxi was the ruler of the Demon Tribe in name, it did not mean that every little demon listened to her orders. Therefore, there were often cases of wild snake people and lizard people sneak attacking the human army's grain transport team. There were a few cases a few days ago.
The cavalry of the Longdan Army Camp galloped forward under the leadership of Lin Muyu. After seven or eight miles, they saw a convoy moving forward with difficulty on the winding forest road. The banners were the banners of the Imperial Purple Flower Chamber of Commerce and they were escorted by the guards of the Temple. There were about fifty of them and one of them looked familiar. It was Zhou Yao, one of the deacons of the Temple!
Zhou Yao rode forward and cupped his fists respectfully, "Great Deacon, this subordinate is here to transport the grain!"
Lin Muyu was overjoyed, "Great Deacon Zhou has worked hard. This time … how much grain has been transported?"
"We used large carts to transport the grain. Each cart weighs two thousand catties. There are a total of three hundred carts, which is a total of six hundred thousand catties of grain. Young Lady Xiao Tang almost put down her business in order to collect the grain. But if this batch of grain can help Great Deacon, then our efforts will not be in vain."
Zhou Yao said sincerely, "Great Deacon, the people of Lanyan City are not having a good time. We really can't collect more grain. Young Lady Xiao Tang said that the first batch today is six hundred thousand catties. In the future … we can only collect around two hundred thousand catties of grain every day. It will take a lot of manpower."
Lin Muyu patted his shoulder and said, "It's really hard on you. Let's go and send the grain to the camp and then distribute it."
Wei Chou happily nodded his head.
Situ Sen frowned and said, "Commander, forgive this subordinate for speaking bluntly. This much grain is still not enough."
"I know. From today on, everyone's rations will be halved. In any case, the battle in the Endless Forest has ended. The intensity of training will be halved. Everyone will eat less and get through this period. "
Situ Sen cupped his hands and said, "Commander, this subordinate actually has another idea."
"Oh, what idea?" Lin Muyu's eyes lit up.
The corner of Situ Sen's mouth rose. "It's just that this method might be a bit extreme. It might even violate the Empire's military laws."
"It's fine, speak."
"This subordinate has eyes and ears in the Lanyan City area and is very well-informed. I know that there are many mountain bandits hidden in the mountains around Demon Subduing Pass. These mountain bandits usually commit all sorts of evil and often rob people from all directions. The amount of grain they have hoarded in the mountains isn't just a star and a half. Hmph … this group of rats has raised themselves to be fat and oily. Now it's time to slaughter them and eat their meat. As long as Commander gives the order, this subordinate will immediately lead the brothers of the second army up the mountain to exterminate the mountain bandits and bring back their grain. Moreover, their mountain strongholds will definitely have a lot of gold coins. With these gold coins, we can buy food in the villages within Demon Subduing Pass to solve our urgent needs."
Situ Sen looked carefully at Lin Muyu and said, "This subordinate knows that Commander is the foster son of the previous emperor and the elder brother of Her Highness Qin Yin. Perhaps you will despise this subordinate for doing such a dirty thing."
"No, there's nothing dirty about this matter."
Lin Muyu was in high spirits as she patted Situ Sen's shoulder. "General Sen, if you can really complete this task, I will give you a great merit. I can also recommend you to join the Imperial Guard and receive the special honor of the Imperial Guard."
Situ Sen was overjoyed. "Really? Commander won't lie to me? "
"When have I ever lied to you? But when exterminating the mountain bandits, try to minimize our own losses. "
"Yes, this subordinate understands. I only ask for the Commander's token to allow this subordinate to mobilize the army."
"Mm."
Lin Muyu took a bronze tiger tally from Deputy Commander Wei Chou and directly handed it to Situ Sen. "I'll grant you 10,000 troops. Go, I'll wait for your good news in the Endless Forest!"
"Don't worry, Commander. Situ Sen will not disappoint you!"
…
In the blink of an eye, five days had passed. The Endless Forest was quiet. Everywhere was the scene of birds chirping and flowers fragrant. The wild beasts that hibernated in the caves and crypts woke up and began a new year in the forest. In particular, the awakening of some herbivores seemed to have added a lot of vitality to the forest.
The Ministry of Revenue's grain was continuously delivered every day. The grain collected by Jin Xiaotang was delivered every two days. Together with the large amount of potatoes dug out in Butterfly Valley, it was barely enough to feed 300,000 troops. The next thing to do was to wait, wait for the potatoes planted by the Longdan Army Camp and the Savages to be harvested early.
Early in the morning, Wei Chou's respectful voice came from outside the tent. "Commander, Prince Huangxi requests an audience."
"Let him come in."
"Yes!"
Wei Chou lifted the curtain and walked in with the burly Prince of the Savages. Huangxi originally only had contempt for humans, but now he could not help but be amazed by their planting skills. After seeing Lin Muyu's ability, he also understood how powerful human cultivators were. Their strength was not something that could be compared with pure brute force.
Lin Muyu, who was in the midst of refining his Star Art, slowly retracted the source of his energy. Rays of blue starlight surrounded his body. He slowly opened his eyes, a pair of clear eyes filled with divine light. He smiled and said, "Prince Huangxi, what's the matter?"
Huangxi smiled. "Commander Yu, the first batch of potatoes we planted has been in the soil for so many days. Why haven't they sprouted yet?"
Lin Muyu could not help but laugh. "Don't be anxious. Just make the soil soft and moist. This kind of potato can be planted throughout the year except for winter. You need to be patient. The plant's growth speed is not as fast as you think."
"Yes."
Huang Xi nodded and said with a smile, "Commander Yu, Father will be leading the rest of the people to settle down here tomorrow. The tents and wooden houses are not enough. Please prepare more tents to shelter the warriors of the Barbarian Tribe from the wind and rain. You also know that although the warriors of the Barbarian Tribe are brave, they are not good at farming and weaving."
"I know. Oh yes, Prince Huangxi."
"Commander Yu, what's the matter?"
"En, according to my agreement with the Great Desolate God, we will help you survive in the Endless Forest. In exchange, you will give me a force of five thousand people. I need the most valiant and ferocious Desolate Tribe warriors. Prince, can you help me choose? If you are willing, I will appoint you as the commander of this troop. "
"Ah?" Huangxi was overjoyed. "Commander Yu … you are willing to let me personally lead the warriors?"
"En, the condition is that you have to choose the strongest five thousand people for me."
"Don't worry, Huangxi will do it!" Prince Huangxi imitated the human army and cupped his fists. Wei Chou could not help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Huangxi stared at him with his round eyes.
Wei Chou waved his hand and held back his laughter. "Nothing. Your highness, do you have anything else? If not, you can leave now."
"Hmph!"
Prince Huangxi turned around and cupped his fists at Lin Muyu. Then, he walked out of the door with his head held high like a proud prince.
… …
"Is there any news from Cangnan Province?" Lin Muyu watched Huang Xi leave before she asked lightly.
Wei Chou's expression was solemn. "Yes, QianFeng is planning to fill up the river. They plan to cut off the flow of the river and create a man-made dam. Then, they will cross the river and attack the steel wall."
"Ah?"
Lin Muyu was stunned. She frowned and didn't say anything.
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