"I now have a total of 2,500 men under my command, right? That's two armies and one battalion. With so many men and horses, as well as provisions, supplies, weapons, and so on, I have to count them one by one. I also have to prevent the officers from embezzling the soldiers' pay and the like. The number of things I have to do every day has increased by more than ten times! "
In a barracks on the southwest coast of Jinghai Province, Hong Yi sat on a bearskin armchair. In front of him was a metal table. On the metal table were piles and piles of documents. There were also command talismans, tokens, etc.
Looking through the documents one by one, Hong Yi let out a long sigh and rubbed his forehead, feeling a little anxious.
After coming out of the Pacification Naval Headquarters and returning to the Green Battalion, Hong Yi received a military order from the Marshal's Office. He was appointed as the General of the Fifth Army, commanding two thousand men and horses to be stationed at the southwest defense line of the Pacification Naval Headquarters. He was to strictly control the land and sea within a radius of a hundred miles.
The barracks of the Fifth Army was more than two hundred miles away from the Pacification Naval Headquarters. In other words, Hong Yi was now completely guarding the coastal defense line. Within a radius of a hundred miles, he was the real boss, the local tyrant. He could seize merchant ships at sea and inspect the coastal towns for pirates. Even the local officials had no power to control him.
The Jing Navy had hundreds of thousands of brave soldiers. Other than the thirty to fifty thousand elite soldiers that were stationed in the barracks within a radius of several dozen li around the commander-in-chief's main camp, the majority of the soldiers were led by various generals with several thousand troops and horses. They were distributed along the coastline in order to prevent pirates from coming ashore and harassing them.
The southern coastline of the Da Qian spanned thousands of miles. It was impossible for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Pacification Navy to be gathered in one place.
"Brother Hong, you now have real power! Are you still worried about the provisions and pay of the Green Battalion? "Chi Zhuiyang, who was standing beside Hong Yi, said.
"How can I not be worried? Although that Yan Zhen didn't embezzle my military pay, how much military pay can there be? If I want to train a strong army, I won't even be able to give ten times the salary. In the past, the Green Battalion only had three hundred people. I could still afford it. How many people are there now? Two thousand five hundred! This is going to cost a lot. "
Hong Yi looked up.
"Why is Brother Hong only thinking of using his own money to raise the army? Even the children of nobles don't have this logic. The army is a bottomless pit. No amount of money can fill it! " Chi Zhuiyang said with a smile, "We are now guarding the coastal defense line two hundred miles southwest. Along the way, there are dozens of town officials and county magistrates. All of them have to act according to our wishes. Every year during the new year, they will come to reward the army and give gifts. There are also those merchants who transport tea, salt, porcelain and silk. Those merchant ships and caravans? Who didn't want to send their filial piety? Otherwise, when our ships patrol the sea, we will dare to confiscate their goods! Find fault with them! I asked yesterday. So this is the amount of money that the generals of the Fifth Army stationed at the southwest defense line receive every year? "
Chi Zhuiyang flipped his five fingers and said, "Fifty thousand taels of silver, fifty thousand taels of silver! This is equivalent to the income of ten manors. This is also the personal income of those big merchants. This does not include the income of those big merchants during the New Year, nor the fact that these generals use the excuse of suppressing bandits to rob the merchant ships of other countries. I reckon that these generals only need to find a batch of merchant ships from other countries, find an excuse to slander them as pirates, rob them, and kill them to silence them. Then, they will immediately become rich! Our ancestors did not have to worry about food and clothing. All these years, we, the merchants of Yun Meng, brought slaves, horses, and bows from the sea to sell. Who knows how many people have been secretly cheated! Otherwise, who knows how prosperous the sea trade would be. "
"There is such a thing?" Hong Yi murmured, "I thought that the Pacification Navy is very strict, and Yan Zhen is also quite famous. I didn't expect that his subordinates would also become bandits and rob merchant ships. If this is the case, what's the difference between soldiers and bandits?"
"Soldiers are bandits, bandits are soldiers. Brother Hong, how many books have you read? Don't you understand this logic? Moreover, they rob the merchant ships of other countries and falsely accuse the merchants of other countries as bandits. This does not violate the Da Qian law. When the Ministry of War finds out, they can only turn a blind eye. "Chi Zhuiyang sneered.
"That's true. Some of the big merchants of Yun Meng are merchants in name. After they disembark, they covet the prosperity of the coastal towns and become bandits. After robbing a sum of money, they board the ship and run away. These things cannot be avoided." Hong Yi thought about it and felt that it was really difficult to judge. Even if these things were judged by logic, it would be difficult to figure out that they were innocent.
"The matters of the world have always been muddle-headed. Even the principles of sages can't be measured. The world is big, and the Dao is deep. How can it be measured by a ruler? Hahahaha … Hong Yi, it's good that you are with the light. "
Just as Hong Yi and Chi Zhuiyang were discussing, a loud laugh came from outside the door.
Hong Yi looked and saw that it was actually the first military advisor of the Pacification Navy, the Sect Master of the Spirit Soul Sect, Mister Duan. Behind Mister Duan were nine people wearing Silver Shark Armor. Even their helmets were covered with Silver Shark Leather, revealing only their eyes. They were also wearing Silver Shark Leather Boots. They were all silver-gray.
At a glance, these nine people were like Daoist gods condensed from mercury.
Other than their eyes, the nine people were all wrapped in Silver Shark Armor. They were basically invulnerable. They held sabers in their hands. The style was exactly the same as Hong Yi's rebar saber. Obviously, it was also the highest level weapon in the army.
In addition, each of them was leading a precious yellow horse. On the horse, there was an Ironwood Black Bone Bow and a quiver of arrows. It looked like a light cavalry that was going to attack the enemy's nest.
However, Hong Yi was not surprised by this. What shocked him was that the auras of these nine people were all breathing for a long time! They were all Innate Realm experts! Innate Realm experts covered from head to toe in Silver Shark Armor? Their equipment was worth fifty to sixty thousand taels of silver. In other words, the equipment of these nine people was equivalent to a province's tax for a year!
What kind of concept was this?
"These are the true elites of our Pacification Navy. They are a level higher than the Blood Shark Guards. They are the Whale Slashing Warriors. Whale Slashing, Whale Slashing, means that they have the strength to tear whales in the sea." Mister Duan looked at Hong Yi's surprised eyes and waved his fan with a faint smile.
"Of course, this is just an exaggeration. Whales are the kings of the sea. Only Wu Sheng can compete with them in the sea in terms of strength."
"How many Whale Slashing Warriors are there under the Grand Marshal?" Hong Yi tentatively asked a question that he shouldn't have asked.
"There is nothing to hide. There are eighteen Whale Slashing Warriors under the Grand Marshal. This is the strongest force that the Grand Marshal has cultivated for ten years. It is as famous as the Eighteen Fire God Grand Guardians of the Imperial Army's Godly Arms Battalion in the Jade Capital." Mister Duan looked at Hong Yi and after a while, said a real number.
"The Eighteen Fire God Grand Guardians of the Godly Arms Battalion of the Imperial Army?" Hong Yi's heart skipped a beat. The Godly Arms Battalion of the Imperial Army was Hong Xi's Grand Marshal. Originally, Hong Yi thought that after he had the six Innate Experts, Lélie, Hills, Wen Feiyan, Chi Zhuiyang, Shen Tiezhu, and Mu The Younger, the power around him had expanded. Not to mention anything else, he vaguely had the capital to contend against the Zhao Family and even his father.
It was because of this confidence that he brought his own experts to the Grand Marshal's camp to show off and shock Yan Zhen.
Now, it seemed that he was really a frog at the bottom of a well.
How could the Grand Marshal, who commanded hundreds of thousands of soldiers, not have a strong foundation?
Not to mention the other strengths of the Grand Marshal, Yan Zhen, just this Great Mister Duan and the eighteen Splitting Whale Death Warriors would be enough to wipe out all of his forces!
"Hong Xi has the eighteen Fire God Grand Guardians under him, are they all Innate Experts? But Lélie, Wen Feiyan, and Hills are all Innate Experts with the unity of body and soul. In a one on one fight, they can fight two or even three ordinary Innate Experts. I don't believe that these Splitting Whale Death Warriors and Fire God Grand Guardians are all Innate Experts with the unity of body and soul. It's already difficult enough to step into the Innate Expert realm, and it's even more difficult to achieve the unity of body and soul. Didn't you see that Sunchaser has gone through so many fortuitous encounters with me, but he's still so close to achieving the unity of body and soul? "Hong Yi pondered.
At first, he was startled, but after thinking about it carefully, he regained his nimble mind.
"But if Yan Zhen's foundation is strong, then Governor of Nanzhou Wei Taicang's foundation is probably even stronger, and Daluo's even stronger! Not to mention Marquis Wu Wen's residence … "
"Right, Great Mister Duan, as the first strategist of the Pacification Navy and the head of a sect, has brought such powerful elites like the Splitting Whale Death Warriors to my Fifth Army's camp today?"
Hong Yi thought for a long time and suddenly realized what Great Mister Duan was doing in his quarters.
"Serve the fragrant tea! Invite the nine death warriors to the guest room and serve them the new Five-colored Cloud Mist Tea. This is a tea that has just been picked in early autumn. It has a strong and mellow fragrance. "Hong Yi hurriedly called out.
"Oh? That's not necessary. The Splitting Whale Death Warriors have their own rules. They never drink other people's water, eat other people's food, and never take other people's things. This is a dead rule set by the Grand Marshal. In the past, more than three hundred young men were trained from childhood, and those who violated this rule of the Grand Marshal did not survive. Now there are only eighteen left. Hong Yi, don't make it difficult for them! Just treat them as if they are pieces of wood. "
Although Great Mister Duan's words were not harsh, Hong Yi's heart palpitated with fear. The bloody things contained within were self-evident.
"The new Pentecolor Cloud Tea? This is only produced on the Pentecolor Stone Peak in Yinzhou's Jade Lake and Jade Lotus Mountain. The new tea is used as a tribute to the Imperial Palace. Even the Grand Marshal would find it difficult to enjoy it! "Great Mister Duan sat down and waved his fan, looking at Hong Yi in surprise.
He had just surprised Hong Yi, but now Hong Yi had really surprised him.
Hong Yi smiled but did not say anything. After a while, a person dressed in martial attire, arrow boots, and dressed like a warrior, but without an Adam's apple, obviously a woman, served three cups of fragrant tea.
The three cups of fragrant tea were all filled with crystal cups. The tea leaves were suspended in the middle, neither floating up nor sinking down. The tea reflected the sunlight and actually showed five faint colors of red, blue, green, purple, and yellow, like a rainbow in the sky.
When Great Mister Duan saw this, he quickly put his fan on the table and impatiently picked up the crystal cup. He did not care that it was scalding his hand and directly drank a mouthful. Then, he let out a sigh, as if he was reminiscing.
"Good tea! Good tea! If I can drink this tea every day, even if I have to live ten years less, it's still worth it! " After Great Mister Duan savored the taste, his eyes flashed with intoxication. It was not an act, but from the bottom of his heart.
"In that case, I'll give Great Mister Duan a catty." Hong Yi smiled faintly.
This Five-coloured Cloud Mist Tea only grew in the extremely high crevices of the Five-coloured Stone Mountain on Mount Jade Lotus in Yaochi school. It grew on the cliffs and cliffs, absorbing dew to grow. It was extremely difficult to pick, and the quantity was not less than a thousand-year-old Lingzhi.
When Hong Yi rescued Hua Nongying and Hua Nongyue this time, there were three catties of Five-coloured Cloud Mist Tea in the convoy that were meant for Prince Hefei, and they were all kindly accepted by Hong Yi.
"Is this true?!" Great Mister Duan almost jumped up, his eyes staring at Hong Yi.
"Really! Silvermoon, go get a pot of tea. "Hong Yi ordered, and the Silvermoon Arrow Boots holding the tea went out.
"She's from Yaochi school?" Great Mister Duan's eyes became doubtful again. Naturally, Hong Yi would not answer him.
After a while, Silvermoon came back with a small jade pot and placed it on the table. Hong Yi stretched out his hand: "Great Mister Duan, this is the Five-coloured Cloud Mist Tea."
"It's Five-coloured Cloud Mist Tea! And it's new tea. " Great Mister Duan shivered a little. He opened the lid of the jade pot, looked at it, and smelled it. Then, as if he was afraid it would run away, he held it in his arms like a baby, like a winter roaster.
"I owe you a favor!" After Great Mister Duan kept the tea, his eyes instantly became clear, and he picked up the fan to play with.
"Great Mister Duan still hasn't told me why you've come to my barracks with so many people? Or does the Grand Marshal have any new instructions? "Hong Yi said.
"Neither, it's just that I want to exchange Dao techniques with you, Hong Yi!" Great Mister Duan fanned himself, covering the change in his expression. "Pa!" In a moment, he folded the fan again. "Moreover, you killed Wei Lei, so Wei Taichang will definitely not let it go. I came here to guard against something."
"Well said, I'm afraid … I'm afraid that in addition to this layer of meaning, you also want to monitor me? That Yan Zhen is really not easy to deal with, but exchanging Dao techniques … "After hearing Great Mister Duan's words, Hong Yi instantly guessed a lot of meaning in his heart.
"Exchanging Dao techniques? Just what I want. My cultivation is still shallow, and Great Mister Duan is a Sect Leader with rich experience. I just want to ask Great Mister Duan for some Dao techniques. In the Grand Marshal's mansion, Great Mister Duan used the Soul Capturing Technique to directly extract people's divine souls. It's really amazing. I wonder if you can tell me about it? "Hong Yi said with a smile.
Great Mister Duan grabbed with his hand, and Hong Yi felt as if his own divine soul was about to be grabbed out of his body. This kind of method was really strange. Even the Black Demon Crow Array of Xuantian Hall only suppressed the divine soul, and forcibly extracted the divine soul from the human body. It was really too unimaginable.
Hong Yi's intuition told him that this mystique was a super powerful Dharmic art!
"Soul Capturing Technique? My Qi Soul Sect's Dark Yin Ghost Soul Capturing Technique is a secret technique. Even if it's a disciple, we won't teach it unless it's a legacy. That will have to wait until the test of loyalty. It's my Qi Soul Sect's biggest trump card. " Great Mister Duan looked at Hong Yi as if he was looking at a fool. "I want you to say that your Supreme Dao's Supreme Alchemy Scripture, Nine Flame Dragon Technique, will you explain it?"
"Oh?" Hong Yi opened his mouth, like a fish out of the water. "As long as there are enough benefits, there's nothing impossible. If Great Mister Duan takes the Daizen Temple in the past, present, and future, it's not impossible to exchange it for the Supreme Alchemy Scripture."
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