Starting as a centurion, he fought his way through the chaos of the world.

Chapter 81 Huge Harvest
"Four million two hundred and ninety thousand points." Looking at the numbers in the system shop, Lu Ming nodded.

This number is already quite large.

That's enough for him to do a lot. If he really becomes the garrison commander, he might be able to renovate Hongdu Prefecture properly.

Moreover, there are still more than 20,000 surrendered soldiers who have not been formally accepted. Once they are incorporated into the army, this number will likely skyrocket.

Then, she stood up and walked outside.

By this time, it was already getting dark; the days in spring are still a bit short.

I just stepped outside.

The maidservant guarding the door came forward and asked, "What are your orders, sir?"

The maid was dressed in a long emerald green dress, with a graceful figure and a pretty face that was endearing. Her watery eyes were filled with admiration when she looked at Lu Ming.

It has to be said that the Baili family really went to great lengths.

"I'm just taking a walk. You go do your own thing," Lu Ming said calmly.

The pretty maidservant looked disappointed, but still carefully retreated.

When Lu Ming was all alone, he continued walking forward.

"Boom!"

Just then, heavy and hurried footsteps sounded.

It is Baili Fei.

"Brother Lu, your brother-in-law is here. He said your mother-in-law invited you home for dinner." As he spoke, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

This spring is unusually hot.

Logically speaking, by this time of year, the crops should have already been planted in the fields, and it should have rained long ago.

But there were absolutely no signs.

From last year until now, there was only one light snowfall in early winter.

Baili Fei disliked this kind of weather the most, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Lu Ming raised an eyebrow.

"It's time to go for a walk."

Regardless of his thoughts, that was Li Xirou's family home, and even for his wife's sake, he should go.

As he spoke, he walked out of the mansion.

Baili Fei quickly called over a follower, who was carrying a large pile of boxes.

"I guessed you were in a hurry, so I picked out some gifts from the storeroom."

"Brother Baili, you're too kind," Lu Ming said, clasping his hands in greeting.

There was no rejection.

At this point, Baili Fei was truly considered a friend in his heart.

"Hey, we're brothers, it's only natural. I'm glad you don't look down on me now." Lu Ming's strength is now arguably the best in Hongdu Prefecture.

Such a person, though lacking the heritage of a prominent family, may only have a fleeting moment of glory.

But as long as they exist, no one dares to underestimate them.

As he spoke, his large, fat hand reached out to grab Lu Ming again.

After the other party subtly evaded them, the two continued walking towards the door.

"Brother-in-law!" As soon as they arrived at the gate, they saw Wang Yue waving happily.

"Good progress, your cultivation has increased quite a bit." Lu Ming patted Wang Yue on the shoulder and said. The last time they met, the other party was still in the Bone Forging Realm, but now he has reached the Blood Transformation Realm.

Such a cultivation speed is indeed quite fast.

"It was all because my father forced me to do this," Wang Yue said with a worried expression.

Then, his gaze fell on Baili Fei, and he quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Young Master."

The Baili family's status in Hongdu Prefecture is beyond question.

Let alone the son of a captain, even the son of a garrison commander would have to greet Baili Fei respectfully.

"Since Brother Wang Yue is General Lu's brother-in-law, then he is my brother. We should get closer in the future. Such formalities are inappropriate."

Baili Fei said with a smile.

At the same time, he took the reins from the servant and placed them in Lu Ming's hands.

"Brother Lu, it's getting late, so I won't keep you any longer."

"Farewell!" Lu Ming clasped his hands in a fist salute and leaped onto his warhorse.

Wang Yue followed behind.

Heading towards the Li family's residence.

Along the way, Wang Yue's face was filled with excitement. "Brother-in-law, you don't know, ever since you came to the prefectural city, the garrison commander has been much kinder to me. Many people are saying that you will become the garrison commander of the prefectural city. Is that true?"

"It depends on what the imperial court decides," Lu Ming said with a smile.

"That's pretty much it." Wang Yue's eyes narrowed into slits.

All the way, he followed Lu Ming around like a little follower, chattering incessantly.

The adoration in their eyes was impossible to hide.

The Baili family's residence was quite a distance from the Li family's residence.

By the time they arrived outside the Li family's house, it was completely dark.

"Over there, the lanterns are hung straight."

"I'm talking to you! Didn't you hear me? Do you know who's coming back today? If you dare to slack off, I'll break your legs."

As soon as Lu Ming reached the door, he heard a shout.

It turned out that Zhang Ming was directing his servants to hang lanterns.

When he heard the sound of horses' hooves, he turned around and saw Lu Ming and Wang Yue.

Her face instantly lit up with a smile as she ran over, took Lu Ming's horse, and said, "My lord is back! Please come inside with me. Your aunt is getting impatient."

“Brother-in-law, you’re family. It’s too polite of you to call me ‘sir’.”

Wang Yue teased.

He was aware of some of Zhang Ming's actions.

Although I was dissatisfied at the time, we were family after all, so I didn't want to embarrass him.

Lu Ming also dismounted and nodded.

He clearly agreed with Wang Yue's words.

Zhang Ming's smile widened. "Brother-in-law, come in quickly. Your aunt has prepared a lot of rare delicacies."

"it is good!"

After responding, Lu Ming walked inside.

At this moment, the entire Li family mansion was brightly lit.

The servants, maids, and guards stood carefully to the side, bowing respectfully.

This was Zhang Ming's idea, to let everyone in the mansion get to know each other.

He knew all too well what Lu Ming's joining the Li family meant for the entire family.

This is the pillar of strength for the entire family.

Lu Ming looked around. The Li family's house, although not as big as the Baili family's, was still quite large.

It was similar to his residence in Fenglei County.

But don't forget, this is the capital city, where every inch of land is incredibly valuable.

It's nothing compared to Fenglei County.

When he arrived at the backyard, he saw his mother-in-law, Zhao, already waiting. Upon seeing Lu Ming, she wiped away her tears and stepped forward, saying, "You child, you've come to the city and haven't even mentioned coming home."

Although there was a hint of complaint in his voice, the joy in his eyes was undeniable.

Pulling Lu Ming along, she said, "Xi Yao, you've already met them. This is Xi Rou's eldest brother, Li Xun, and her third sister, Xi Ling. The rest are still out there and haven't returned yet. There are many people in the family, so take your time to get to know them. There's no rush."

Looking at my mother-in-law's smiling face.

Lu Ming's gaze fell on Li Xun, a rather capable-looking man.

“Brother-in-law, your act of saving Hongdu Prefecture from danger is truly heroic and I admire you greatly. I only regret that I do not have such ability. Let’s have a few more drinks today,” Li Xun said first.

Then, she pulled Lu Ming inside.

In the courtyard, a crowd of people, young and old, had gathered.

But we couldn't recognize them all at once, so we had to start eating first.

We'll get to know each other gradually at the dinner table.

When they arrived at the front hall, they saw Li Ren standing at the door.

Upon seeing Lu Ming, his face didn't show much expression; he simply said somewhat stiffly, "Now that you're back, let's eat!"

They had already gone inside while they were talking.

Li Xun accepted Lu Ming's gift and whispered, "That's just how Father is, please don't take offense."

Lu Ming nodded and said, "How could that be?"

After speaking, he entered the front hall surrounded by the crowd.

After everyone sat down, the atmosphere in the room became much more relaxed.

Many members of the Li family came up to offer a toast, hoping to make an appearance in front of Lu Ming.

He wasn't afraid of such a scene.

After all, he possessed cultivation, so drinking several jars of liquor was no problem for him.

Although his father-in-law, Li Ren, still didn't give him a friendly look, he still observed proper etiquette.

The meal didn't end until midnight.

Lu Ming had almost gotten to know all the members of the Li family.

When the banquet ended, Zhang Ming personally led him to Li Xirou's former courtyard to rest.

The next day, Lu Ming didn't get up until the sun was high in the sky.

After washing up, he led the horse outside.

Currently, there are still a large number of prisoners and supplies outside the city, all of which he needs to inspect.

As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw Wang Yue already waiting.

"Brother-in-law, are you going out of town? I'll go with you!" He went home last night, but his father sent him away early.

Today I'm wearing a full set of black armor.

He had a long sword hanging at his waist.

He exuded an air of authority.

When she looked at Lu Ming, a hint of anticipation appeared in her eyes.

“Let’s go together!” Lu Ming said with a smile.

As he spoke, he leaped onto his horse and galloped towards the city gates ahead.

As soon as he left the city, Lu Ming saw that most of the corpses outside had been cleared away, but the bloodstains still could not be removed in a short time. Many craftsmen on the city wall were busy repairing the damaged areas. "The city guards must have suffered a lot of losses this time?"

Lu Ming asked.

After all, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he really is going to take over Hongdu Prefecture.

The more you know about the situation inside, the better, if possible.

"Brother-in-law, you don't know, in the past, the garrison commander was receiving a salary without working, and there were only more than 8,000 men. After this battle, there are less than 3,000 left, probably around 2,300 or 2,400 men."

Each captain's battalion only had a few hundred subordinates left.

However, those who survived are all quite strong, almost all of them have reached the Body Tempering Realm, and they are also young and vigorous, so they can be used. "Wang Yue quickly explained.

Lu Ming nodded.

He wasn't too disappointed, after all, he knew a bit about the situation in Hongdu Prefecture.

As they were talking, the two arrived outside Zhang Mu's camp.

The Ironclad Cavalry were eating.

When they saw Lu Ming arrive, they all stood up excitedly.

Zhang Mu was the first to run over, "My lord!"

"How are the brothers doing?" Lu Ming asked in a deep voice.

In yesterday's battle, although he was at the forefront, there were quite a few enemies.

He saw that quite a few people were still being knocked off their horses.

“One hundred and two people died, and more than fifty were injured,” Zhang Mu’s deep voice rang out.

In the situation of yesterday's charge, almost anyone who was injured had no hope of survival.

These fifty wounded men were injured while chasing the enemy.

The injury is not serious.

"First, send someone back to the family, and have Zhang Meng withdraw the money from the accounting office to deliver the compensation to the family."

Lu Ming said slowly.

Zhang Mu quickly replied, "Yes, sir!"

Then he continued, "Sir, what about the prisoners?"

"Let's go take a look!" Lu Ming said, and walked forward.

Zhang Mu quickly led the way.

A short while later, they arrived at the place where prisoners were being held.

These people were still tied up together.

Some of them had bruises and swelling on their faces, clearly having been beaten up quite a bit last night.

However, some of the injuries were given simple bandaging.

The whole camp smelled terrible.

Lu Ming even noticed that some people's pants were somewhat yellowed.

Clearly, they eat, drink, and relieve themselves all in the same place.

After all, they had already become prisoners of war, but no one cared about their treatment.

However, it must be said that those who survived were indeed young and strong, just as Zhang Mu said.

They were all strong and powerful.

Moreover, they have all experienced battlefield combat, and with a little training, they can become elites.

The inhumane treatment they endured overnight, coupled with Lu Ming's performance on the battlefield, had completely shattered their psychological defenses.

Upon seeing his arrival.

Immediately, someone cried out, "General, spare my life! I'm willing to submit to you and obey your orders! Spare my life!"

"General, spare your life!"

For a time, cries and screams echoed across the battlefield.

It seemed to have spread, and more people started sobbing.

Lu Ming remained expressionless as he watched all this.

Wang Yue, standing to the side, was deeply moved; this was the first time he had ever witnessed such a scene.

After a moment, Lu Ming turned to Zhang Mu and said, "After detaining them for two more days, we'll begin screening and registration. Divide these people into four groups and teach them the rules first."

"At the same time, send someone to Fenglei Town to bring over the Mo Dao soldiers!"

With less than a thousand Ironclad Cavalry, he worried that releasing these prisoners would make it difficult to maintain order.

Although the probability of this is not high.

However, we must also be wary of such things happening.

As for these people, they must be recruited. Not only is there no one else available in Hongdu City, but they can also be added to the city guard.

Also, this is a huge amount of points.

"Yes, my lord!"

Zhang Mu quickly agreed.

Then, Lu Ming continued walking forward.

Then, a burly figure appeared in front of him.

The man was tall and imposing, bound by thick chains.

His arrogant eyes occasionally swept over the crying and surrendering rebel soldiers around him, a look of disdain on his face.

When Lu Ming's gaze fell on him.

Zhang Mu whispered, "Sir, this person is the expert at the peak of True Essence. When he just regained consciousness, he broke free of the ropes and almost escaped. If it weren't for the Qi Refining expert from the Baili family capturing him, he probably would have already escaped."

When Lu Ming looked over, the data of the person opposite him appeared in his mind.

Name: Su Lie

[Cultivation Level: Peak True Essence]

[Personal Deeds: Before the age of twenty, he had been practicing in the mountains with his master. After descending the mountain, he happened to meet Lin Futong. Because he was naive and ignorant of the ways of the world, he was deceived by him and joined the rebel army. Because of his bravery in battle, he was appointed as a captain in the rebel army.]

He was famous among the rebels for his three feats of being the first to scale the walls.

[Mission: Survive]

[Overall brutality level: 70000 points]

[Killing or recruiting them will grant you 70000 Chaos Points]

Looking at this data, Lu Ming nodded to himself.

It's worth trying to subdue it.

"What's your name?" Lu Ming asked, looking at the bound figure.

"Su Lie!" The other party did not offer much resistance.

He said it in a calm voice.

"Would you be willing to surrender and join the city guard, and I might spare your life?"

"I'm willing!" Su Lie said almost without hesitation.

His decisiveness was something Lu Ming hadn't expected.

A look of surprise appeared on his face.

Perhaps they noticed the surprise on Lu Ming's face.

“There’s nothing surprising. I never wanted to join the rebels. I’ve been fed up with them for a long time. They bully ordinary people to death, and when they see someone strong, they cry and wail like this. I was just tricked by Lin Futong and couldn’t leave for the time being. You seem pretty good and strong, so I’m willing to follow you.”

"Alright, then I'll take you in. From today onwards, you'll follow me," Lu Ming said with a smile.

Then, he gestured to Zhang Mu to unlock the chains for him.

Right now, we still have too few experts under our command, but we can make use of Su Lie.

Zhang Mu did not dare to hesitate after receiving the order.

After all, with Lu Ming around, no matter how strong this person is, he can't cause any trouble.

After the chains were unlocked.

Su Lie stretched his body and then walked forward.

However, Lu Ming waved his hand and said, "Go wash up first, change your clothes, and then come see me."

At this moment, Su Lie also realized that he was indeed quite dirty.

Looking at Lu Ming, he said with a rare bit of embarrassment, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, sir."

Then, she looked at Zhang Mu for help.

After noticing Lu Ming nod, the other person said, "Come with me!"

Then, she took Su Lie to wash up.

Just when Hongdu Prefecture was in dire need of reconstruction.

"Chirp!"

At this moment, within the imperial city, a falcon flapped its wings and hovered outside a mansion.

Finally, it swooped down.

Extremely fast.

As it landed, a servant wearing turbans stepped forward and allowed the falcon to perch on his arm.

The force was so great that it even made him stagger.

Beside him, Li Yan's butler, Uncle Fu, hunched over with his hands tucked into his sleeves, lazily asked, "Where did this news come from?"

"Master Fu, it came from Hongdu Prefecture."

Uncle Fu once received instruction from a mysterious person.

He learned the art of eagle training.

The falcons he trained could fly back on their own, even from thousands of miles away.

It was extremely fast for transmitting messages, and it made great contributions to Li Yan.

Hongdu Prefecture was not high enough to be placed there.

However, because Lu Ming was there, he left one for Qian Yong before leaving.

They are to report on the situation in Hongdu Prefecture at any time, but they generally won't be released unless there's a major incident.

Now the falcon has returned.

Of course, something big has happened.

Knowing Lu Ming's standing in the hearts of the master and mistress, Uncle Fu quickly said, "Quickly, take down the letter."

The servants dared not delay and immediately and carefully removed the letter tied to the falcon's leg.

After taking it, Uncle Fu headed towards the backyard.

Meanwhile, Li Yan was chatting with his wife in the courtyard.

"I don't care, you must send someone to bring Lu Ming and Xi Yue back now."

As Zhang said this, she looked at Li Yan, who was still reading, and tears welled up in her eyes. "How could you be so heartless, old man? If Hongdu Prefecture is destroyed, who knows what will happen to those two children now?"

As he spoke, he suddenly swung the fly swatter at Li Yan.

Zhang was clearly angry.

"Hey, don't do it. This is too sudden. I didn't expect it either. We've already arranged for people to leave today. Can I watch the two children be in danger?" Li Yan said, trying to appear calm and reassuring his wife while concealing the worry in his eyes.

He had no successor and truly treated Lu Ming as his own child.

That's why they went to great lengths to conceal it and protect it.

I never imagined that the other person would be so outstanding that they could bring me honor and glory.

She only hoped that the other party could live a peaceful life, and for Lu Ming's sake, she was repeatedly provoked by He Song.

But who could have imagined that such a thing would happen in Hongdu Prefecture?

It was completely unexpected.

He appears calm on the surface, but he is actually very anxious inside.

"Master, Master, news has arrived from Hongdu Prefecture."

Just then, Uncle Fu's voice rang out.

Li Yan and Zhang Shi stood up instantly.

Their eyes all turned to the letter in the other person's hand.

Here's a 5,000-word chapter. Due to limited time, I only wrote this one. Please take a look, and I'll try my best to write another chapter. I'll probably keep writing during the day. Thank you all for your support!

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(End of this chapter)