Start with a red name

It is located just two or three miles west of the main hall on the mountaintop, nestled among cliffs.

Several figures were descending rapidly between cliffs with drops of tens of meters.

The figure at the very front moved with such agility and nimbleness that he was in no way inferior to Song Mingzhu, who possessed the strength of the peak of the Marrow Refinement stage.

The figures following closely behind him were quickly putting distance between them as he moved rapidly.

As he watched the steep and rugged mountains being quickly left behind and the flat sandy plains coming into view, the man in the brocade robe, exuding an air of wealth and nobility, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, a voice, like a deadly chain, struck him squarely in the heart.

"Hey, is this Iron Wolf?"

As soon as the sound reached his ears, the man's heart skipped a beat uncontrollably.

His previously fluid energy suddenly became disordered, his steps became erratic, and his body, which was rapidly descending between cliffs, staggered and lost control, almost falling off the cliff beside him.

With great difficulty, he regained control of his body by virtue of his powerful cultivation, bringing his body back under control after it almost went out of control. A hand was already on his shoulder.

In an instant, a force as dense as steel wire entered his body, shattering the man's originally unified internal energy and forcibly confining it to various corners of his body, making it impossible for him to control it at will.

……

Carrying the restrained Iron Wolf, Geng Xuan leaped all the way back to the mountaintop.

There was no need for the other party to actually answer; the moment the question was asked, Geng Xuan already knew the answer.

Geng Xuan ignored the figures who had fled with Tie Lang, were easily subdued by him, and collapsed along the way, intending to leave them to Cao Ao and the others to deal with later.

After returning to the mountaintop, Geng Xuan tossed the Iron Wolf aside, stood in a "heaven and earth stance," and waited quietly.

He had no intention of participating in the subsequent battles.

If the Black Wind Gang still can't take down Wild Wolf Stronghold after weakening it to this extent, then he will have to question the necessity of everything he's doing.

Through the wondrous effects of the Grandmaster-level "Earth Listening Technique," he could basically grasp the movements occurring throughout Wild Wolf Village, starting from the mountain gate.

Whether it's the rapid deployment, assembly, and transfer of personnel on both sides, or the selfless fighting during battle, it will all be transformed into tremors in the earth, which he will then detect.

However, there is still a significant difference between this detection and the clarity and accuracy of what the eyes see.

He could only deduce the evolution of the situation in various parts of the mountain stronghold by observing the changes in the tremors in different areas.

But that's enough.

The fighting at the mountain gate has ceased.

Instead, he heard the rhythmic sounds of horses' hooves and wheels rolling on the ground from a distance, along with the clatter of footsteps.

Based on what he already knew, Geng Xuan immediately made a judgment.

This means that Cao Ao and his men had completely taken control of the Wild Wolf Stronghold's gate and even had time to arrange for people to gather up the more than 1,300 Azure Blue Horses scattered outside the gate.

Other high-ranking members of the stronghold, such as the chief chief Song Mingzhu and the second-in-command Xiang Jinxiu, who were stuffed into the carriage, were also brought back under control after the capture of the mountain gate.

Ascending from the mountain gate, with the mountain path as the main route and the densely packed buildings and settlements along the way as branch lines, sporadic battles spread and unfolded in various places.

Although the battle covered a wide area, the duration of the battles in each specific location was not long and the fighting was not intense.

There was little to no desperate resistance; it was a fierce back-and-forth exchange of blows.

Tong Hui, Song Yang, and other elites from Wild Wolf Village were scattered and assigned to different squads and companies during the reorganization.

According to the operational principles, the squad is the smallest operational and combat unit of the Black Wind Gang.

When faced with a slightly tough challenge, the strategy is to advance in units of squadrons.

In other words, in every battlefield where the resistance of Wild Wolf Village was faced, there would be at least one, and at most several, or even a dozen, people who also came from Wild Wolf Village.

Having already been caught off guard, how resolute could the Wild Wolf Stronghold's resistance be when faced with these companions who had appeared to persuade them to surrender?

The battles that were spreading throughout Wild Wolf Village were less battles and more armed surrenders.

Time passed slowly amidst the chaos throughout the village, except for a serene atmosphere surrounding Geng Xuan.

More and more teams completed the entire course and arrived at the summit, panting heavily.

When they saw Geng Xuan standing still, their hearts, which had been pounding wildly, suddenly calmed down a lot.

Some gathered around Geng Xuan, waiting for the battle elsewhere to end.

Some turned back to provide support elsewhere.

More than an hour later.

All fighting in Wild Wolf Stronghold has ceased.

Geng Xuan finally ended this brief period of training that he had squeezed in whenever he had a spare moment.

Although the time was short, the results were quite good.

Not only did the fatigue from the journey and battles take its toll, but this opportunity allowed him to fully recover.

"Heart-Shaking Roar," who was originally at the Great Completion stage, took this opportunity to advance another step forward and enter the Master level.

Previously, the effect of "Heart-Shattering Roar" was only significant for those below the late stage of Marrow Refinement, and was somewhat unsatisfactory for those at the peak of Marrow Refinement.

The only way is to catch the opponent off guard and disrupt their internal energy for a moment.

Now that "Heart-Shattering Roar" has reached the Master level, Geng Xuan is certain that its effect on peak Marrow Refinement cultivators will become even more significant.

As for those below the late stage of Marrow Refinement, the effects will become even more astonishing, whether it's single-target damage or area-of-effect attacks.

Within the entire cultivation community, he could be considered a "strong" individual at the mid-to-high level, specifically in the early stages of bone and marrow refining.

If he wanted, Geng Xuan could even "talk" someone to death with his words.

Incorporating such a "heart-shaking roar" into ordinary conversations can increase the persuasiveness and prestige of his words, as well as the awe and respect he commands from the Black Wind Gang.

There's no way around it; even the most ordinary words, when they come out of his mouth, possess absolute "persuasiveness" in a physical sense, and have the effect of "touching people's hearts."

Faced with such power, those who still dare to stubbornly refuse to bow their heads are truly obstinate and courting death.

……

"Is everything resolved?" Geng Xuan asked Cao Ao.

"Yes, Commander."

Cao Ao replied in this way, and then added:

"However, the place here is too small. The surrendered villagers have been gathered and settled in an open area halfway up the mountain, where most of our people are also located."

Geng Xuan added:

“There are still some people paralyzed on the west cliff edge. Please arrange for someone to bring them back.”

"Yes."

"Let's go down and take a look."

As they spoke, Geng Xuan led the way, followed closely by Cao Ao, Tong Hui, Song Yang, and others, and they quickly left the mountaintop.

Iron Wolf, who was lying on the ground, was picked up by Tong Hui.

When he was first captured, Iron Wolf's eyes were filled with terror and his emotions were filled with despair.

He was dragged all the way back here and left there like a chick; his eyes were vacant and his emotions were stifled.

Now, as he was being held in the hands of Tong Hui, the fourth leader of the Wild Wolf Stronghold, his eyes were lively and his emotions were surging.

Tong Hui endured Tie Lang's scrutinizing gaze as he carried him and followed behind Geng Xuan, all the way to the mountainside.

As soon as Iron Wolf was thrown back to the ground, he was immediately drawn to three other pairs of eyes.

However, it turned out that the three leaders of Wild Wolf Stronghold—Song Mingzhu, the chief, Xiang Jinxiu, the second-in-command, and Gong Mu—were lying on the ground opposite him.

Not long ago, the same group of people were chatting and drinking together in a hall. Now, they are all meeting on the ground in a different form.

……

The group had just arrived at an open platform near a large settlement halfway up the mountain when several people came to report to Cao Ao.

After a quick exchange with these people, Cao Ao summarized the information they reported and shared it with Geng Xuan.

"Commander, the preliminary statistics are in."

"Talk about it."

"There are 410 elite soldiers in this stronghold."

After we stormed in, their resistance was the most resolute, and they inflicted the greatest losses on us.

After we successively killed 85 of them, the remaining 325 all surrendered.

There were also 860 ordinary guards protecting the village. Their resistance was weaker, but because they were scattered in many places, a battle was inevitable before each attempt to persuade them to surrender. In the end, 796 surrendered, and 64 died.

"In addition, apart from the few strongest members of the stronghold who were personally subdued by you, the other combatants at the Marrow Refinement level resisted fiercely and were too destructive. In order to subdue them as soon as possible, we had to go all out."

In the end, we killed five of them: one in the mid-stage of Marrow Refinement and four in the early stage of Marrow Refinement.

The rest were all captured, including one at the peak of Marrow Refinement, two at the late stage of Marrow Refinement, five at the middle stage of Marrow Refinement, and eleven at the early stage of Marrow Refinement.

He paused, glanced at the iron wolf lying on the ground not far away, and then said:

"If we include the few people you captured after you reached the top of the mountain, Commander."

We not only captured another peak-stage Marrow Refinement cultivator, but also one mid-stage Marrow Refinement cultivator, two early-stage Marrow Refinement cultivators, and four Bone Refinement cultivators.

"In addition to these, there are more than 3,600 ordinary villagers, many of whom are family members and relatives of the elite villagers."

There were also some craftsmen, such as carpenters, stonemasons, and tailors, who were recruited or captured from other places.

Due to time constraints, only these statistics have been compiled so far.

I will arrange for someone to conduct a more detailed inventory later.

Geng Xuan nodded and asked, "How badly were we damaged?"

Although he already knew the answer, this question was still very necessary.

Cao Ao said, "Sixty-two people died, and fifty-six were seriously injured or disabled."

At this point, his tone became somewhat heavy.

As he spoke, he also offered his self-criticism:

"In this battle, the commander has already laid so many advantages for us."

It can be said that this is a battle that is bound to be won.

Such heavy losses are a problem for those of us in command who were carrying out the specific tactics.

Seeing his reaction, Geng Xuan tried to comfort him:
"This is already very good."

None of you have ever commanded a battle of this scale before, so oversights are inevitable.

You'll get used to it after a few more times.

Cao Ao nodded.

Geng Xuan asked again, "Has anyone escaped?"

Cao Ao shook his head and said, "After we captured the mountain gate, we specifically arranged for two squadrons to patrol the area, and not a single person escaped."

This indicates that news of the change of ownership of Wild Wolf Village has not yet spread to Wild Wolf Gorge.

Geng Xuan nodded, then said to Cao Ao, "The same old rule applies. I'll give you an hour to try your best to persuade these people to join the Black Wind Gang."

"Yes," Cao Ao replied decisively.

For them, this was already a familiar task.

After explaining the matter, Geng Xuan went to a temporary area that was set up not far away.

Inside, Baima, Tao Bin, and others, along with another thirty newly recruited assistants, had basically completed the "material preparation" work.

Geng Xuan only needs to complete the "Fracturing Technique," "Life-Gathering Technique," and some overly precise and delicate operations that he must do himself; the rest can all be packaged up and handed over to them.

Once this "first aid team" becomes more skilled, he will only need to perform the "dissection technique" and "life-harvesting technique" on each patient individually.

Everything else can be left to the "emergency medical team".

Although the number of patients had increased compared to the last time, as Bai Ma, Tao Bin, and others became more skilled, and as the "first aid team" expanded, the number of things that required his personal involvement actually decreased significantly.

In less than an hour, Geng Xuan finished cooking this piece and walked out of the blood-smelling "surgical area" alone.

After observing Cao Ao and the others' "persuasion" from afar, he went to get some food and water, and then continued to cultivate the "Heaven and Earth Stance" on the side.

As the Black Wind Gang expanded rapidly, Cao Ao and his associates also accumulated more and more cards in their hands.

The methods of persuasion have also become increasingly diverse.

Not only has physical persuasion become more complex and diverse, but psychological persuasion is also constantly evolving.

Would Tong Hui, Song Yang, and the other elite members of Wild Wolf Village who had already joined the Black Wind Gang be allowed to hide away and live a quiet life just because they were "ashamed to see old friends"?
Of course, it doesn't exist.

On the contrary, they were the main force behind this persuasion effort.

When Geng Xuan withdrew from the "Heaven and Earth Stance" training once again, he had just spent 24 points of good luck to advance the "Crane Control Hand" from the Great Completion stage to the Master stage.

Cao Ao then came to report the good news.

From Song Mingzhu, the chieftain at the peak of the Marrow Refining stage, to ordinary villagers who had just entered the Skin Refining stage, everyone clearly agreed to join the Black Wind Gang.

In addition, Iron Wolf, the big fish who was not part of the plan, along with his subordinates who came with him, all agreed to join the Black Wind Gang.

After reporting this good news, Cao Ao paused for a moment and said:
"However, Song Mingzhu would like to see you first."

“…Then let’s go see him.” Geng Xuan nodded and started walking forward.

Soon, he met the eyes of the chief of Wild Wolf Village.

Upon seeing him, Song Mingzhu remained silent, simply staring at him blankly.

"What do you want to say to me?"

It wasn't until Geng Xuan said those words that Song Mingzhu, who had been lost in thought, was brought back to reality.

Song Mingzhu stared at his face again before asking, "Who exactly are you?"

“Batu Dorje,” Geng Xuan said.

Song Mingzhu shook his head and said:

"I asked for your real name... I don't believe that under Dong Guan's ruthless methods, if you were truly as you are now... it would be impossible for you to achieve such success so quietly!"

Those who didn't even reach the peak of the Marrow Refinement stage couldn't discern anything about Geng Xuan in his current state, except for the fact that he was "unpredictable and mysterious."

Although Song Mingzhu, who was at the peak of the Marrow Refinement stage, was also powerless against Geng Xuan and was easily captured, he could at least sense the level of power that Geng Xuan possessed.

This makes it easier for him to see through certain illusions than others.

For example, right now, he directly questioned Geng Xuan's mixed-race appearance.

Geng Xuan was slightly surprised by his keen insight and the fact that his first question hit the nail on the head.

But he would not be swayed by his words.

Geng Xuan said calmly:

Whether you believe it or not is your business, and it won't affect the facts at all.

Song Mingzhu's eyelids twitched. He took a deep breath and said again:
Where will you lead Wild Wolf Stronghold?

“You’ll see soon enough,” Geng Xuan replied.

Song Mingzhu clenched his jaw little by little and said:

"You're going to use the Black Wind Gang to provoke Dong Guan, right?"

Geng Xuan seemed a little surprised and asked curiously, "Why would you think that?"

Song Mingzhu clenched his jaw even tighter and said:
"Isn't this obvious?"

Someone like you, spending so much time and energy on this Black Wind Gang, can't just be playing around, right?

After much thought, besides Dong Guan, what other being in these two states of Xuan and You is worthy of your elaborate schemes?

Geng Xuan nodded slightly, and after a while, asked:
"So what do you mean now? You don't want Wild Wolf Stronghold to join the Black Wind Gang?"

Song Mingzhu smiled wryly and said:
"Is this something I can decide?"

"No." Geng Xuan's answer was simple, straightforward, and ruthless.

Song Mingzhu gave another bitter smile.

He paused for a moment before speaking softly:
"I just hope that you can leave some vitality for Wild Wolf Village, more or less."

...And everyone's relatives and family members, they are all ordinary people without any cultivation.

It won't benefit you in any way; their presence or absence makes no difference to you. I hope your plans will, as far as possible, avoid impacting them.

Geng Xuan stared at Song Mingzhu for several moments before saying, "The situation is not as dire as you think."

"……hope so."

Song Mingzhu opened his mouth as if to say something else, but in the end, considering his own situation, he just mumbled something indifferently and said nothing more.

Geng Xuan waited for a while, and seeing that he didn't speak again, asked, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

Song Mingzhu thought for a moment and said:

"Before everyone officially joins the Black Wind Gang, could I say a few words to them first?"

"Oh?" Geng Xuan raised an eyebrow.

Song Mingzhu, seemingly afraid that he might become suspicious, quickly explained:

"I've heard that you have keen eyesight and can see into people's hearts. Those who are insincere and only pay lip service don't have a good ending."

"...Having been the chieftain for so many years, I haven't done anything for them. I want to take this opportunity to do my part one last time."

"Go."

Geng Xuan agreed to Song Mingzhu's request and gestured to Cao Ao.

Soon, Cao Ao led Song Mingzhu to meet the other prisoners from Wild Wolf Stronghold.

The first two people Song Mingzhu saw were the second-in-command Xiang Jinxiu and the third-in-command Gong Mu.

He spent the most time near these two people, but it only took him about half an hour to walk the whole circle.

"Let's begin," Geng Xuan said to Cao Ao.

At this moment, he was standing on a high platform, surrounded by members of the Black Wind Gang.

In front of Geng Xuan, on a wide open space, a total of 1148 people stood respectfully.

They will all officially join the Black Wind Gang.

Two of them possessed the cultivation level of the peak of Marrow Refinement.

This is an achievement that the Bear Gang has never accomplished before.

—Among the official members of the Giant Bear Gang, the highest cultivation level is only at the late stage of Marrow Refinement. People like Xue Zhiheng and the two elders of the Xu family, who are at the peak of Marrow Refinement, are all temporary members and have no official status.

Standing on one side of the platform, Cao Ao shouted, "The newlyweds greet each other!"

Feeling that the inconsistent kneeling had affected the overall impression, Cao Ao and others suggested making everyone's kneeling more uniform.

Geng Xuan naturally had no objection to this.

It can be said that, apart from some basic frameworks, everything within the Black Wind Gang is now spontaneously formed through the interaction and exchange between high-ranking members like Cao Ao and an increasing number of official members.

At Cao Ao's shout, more than a thousand people immediately knelt down.

"Captain!"

More than a thousand people shouted at the same time, creating quite a stir.

In the nearby settlement that housed more than two thousand people, many were secretly peeking at this side through the doors and windows.

[Gained 95 points of White Luck.]

Geng Xuan's gaze swept quickly over the heads of the kneeling figures.

It has been proven that such a large group cannot be 100% pure and free of impurities.

There are always some people who, due to wishful thinking or other unavoidable reasons, cannot become "one of us".

Moreover, a bandit force of the size and scale of Wild Wolf Stronghold was a key focus for Dong Guan.

The reason why Wild Wolf Village has been able to exist to this day is because it occupies a special ecological niche, which is more beneficial than harmful to Dong Guan.

Only in this way would he allow the existence of such a bandit gang.

Allowing it to exist is one thing, but close monitoring is also a necessary measure.

Even small and medium-sized bandit gangs often had spies from Dong Guan's command, so it goes without saying that Wild Wolf Village was no exception.

Geng Xuan didn't say much, and directly used "Crane Control Hand" to pick out those "impurities" one by one from the crowd.

When he pulled the last person out of the crowd, there were already twenty people he had singled out and set aside.

The "impurities" content is less than two percent, which is already a very high level of purity.

What surprised Geng Xuan the most was that three of these twenty "impurities" came from the Iron Wolf's eight-person group.

In other words, excluding the visiting Iron Wolf team, the "impurity" content of the Wild Wolf Village captive group would be even lower.

In contrast, the Iron Wolves' eight-man team has nearly 50% "impurities" in their composition!
That's rather strange.

Geng Xuan looked at Tie Lang, who, like Song Mingzhu, had successfully become "one of their own" with a somewhat strange gaze.

Geng Xuan had no interest in trying to persuade these twenty people.

Compared to the benefits of them becoming "one of us," the intense red names above their heads were more appealing to him.

Geng Xuan then gestured to Cao Ao, instructing him to deal with the twenty men.

Soon, a group of Black Wind Gang members scattered, grabbing the twenty people and dragging them away.

Others were either ashen-faced, trembling, or struggling desperately.

However, this was naturally in vain.

Among the struggling group, one happened to be from Iron Wolf's group of eight.

Seeing that his struggles were futile, he was unwilling to let his life be disposed of so carelessly.

So he shouted:
"I refuse to accept this! I refuse to accept this! If you're going to arrest me, why aren't you arresting Iron Wolf?"
I'm just a nobody in the Dark Night Division, while he's the deputy director of the Dark Night Division!

All the spies in the bandit circle were planted at his behest.

Only he knows the list of those informants!

He is the culprit behind all this, why don't you arrest him?

Arrest him too! Arrest him too!

Before his death, this employee of the Dark Night Division confessed that he had dragged his superior into the mess.

Unsurprisingly, his revelation stunned everyone present.

The Black Wind Gang members who were dragging him away stopped and looked in Geng Xuan's direction.

The others also stopped walking away.

Some looked at Geng Xuan, while most looked at Tie Lang, who was kneeling at the front of the crowd.

Not only did everyone in the Black Wind Gang focus their attention on Iron Wolf, but even Song Mingzhu, who was standing next to Iron Wolf, couldn't help but stare at him.

It seems unexpected that this guy, known in the bandit circle for being shrewd and having many friends, was actually a venomous snake.

Even more terrifying, the venomous snake was coiled around them.

He can bite off a prey at any time and inject venom into it, if he so chooses.

Under the spotlight, Iron Wolf could no longer maintain his composure.

His emotions became tense, and his expression stiffened.

Geng Xuan was also looking at him, and after a while, he asked:
"Is what he said true?"

“...It’s true,” Iron Wolf said.

"You actually dare to admit it?" Geng Xuan raised an eyebrow and asked with interest.

Iron Wolf lowered his head and said, "Commander, your eyes are sharp. I dare not hold back in front of you."

"Then I'm even more curious. Along the way north, I've uncovered quite a few spies planted by the Dark Night Division."

Their status is probably the lowest in the Dark Night Division, right?
No matter what reasoning they gave, they were all hesitant and worried about this and that, and simply refused to genuinely join the Black Wind Gang.

As the deputy director of the Dark Night Division, your power and status far surpass those of these people. How could you betray them so easily?

It would be good if you could hold on a little longer!

This seemingly inquiring question contains a subtle hint of teasing.

Iron Wolf could only rack his brains to try and give a convincing answer.

"Commander, you are wise. Under Dong Guan's command, there are naturally many loyal men who would die for him."

But more often than not, it was due to the prevailing circumstances in Xuanyou and Erzhou that they had no choice but to serve him.

The Dark Night Division has a terrible reputation, not only outside of itself.

Within the Dong Guan system, his reputation is even worse.

Many of those who also worked under Dong Guan wished we were all dead, that we would be completely wiped out.

The spies planted by the Dark Night Division often die mysteriously.

The reasons mostly come from within, not from the outside.

...For these reasons, not many people genuinely join the Dark Night Division; most are forced into it.

Not only were the officers and spies below me like this, but I was no exception.

The spies from the Dark Night Division that you previously captured did not genuinely pledge allegiance to you, nor was it out of loyalty to Dong Guan.

Rather, it's their family members, relatives, or other vulnerabilities that Dong Guan holds in his hands.

"And what about you? Don't you have any weaknesses that Dong Guan holds over you?"

“…Of course I’m no exception,” Iron Wolf said.

"Then why are you so decisive?"

Iron Wolf said:
"Because I know that only if I live, they have a chance of survival."

If I die, for whatever reason, given all the dirty work I've done for Dong Guan over the years, they won't have a chance of survival.

Geng Xuan, who had been staring at him, suddenly smiled and said:
"You're still being sneaky."

"Commander, everything I said is true!" Iron Wolf, who was kneeling on the ground, straightened up and tried his best to prove his sincerity.

“Every word you said is true, but you deliberately concealed some of it,” Geng Xuan said.

"..." Iron Wolf paused for a moment before whispering:

"Commander, you have sharp eyes. There are indeed some things I haven't told you."

Because of my identity, I can move freely throughout the Xuan You and Er Zhou states, often disappearing from the surveillance of all my informants.

Taking advantage of this, I established a home, got married, and had children under a different identity.

At this point, Iron Wolf stopped talking.

Geng Xuan understood.

He's keeping a "backup" for himself in advance.

In this situation, the weakness he left in Dong Guan's hands did not seem so "soft".

This also shows that Iron Wolf himself is actually very cold-hearted.

He even believed that even if he didn't have a new "backup" outside, at this critical moment of life and death, he could still unhesitatingly abandon his concerns for his family and make the same choice decisively.

Therefore, whether or not there is a "backup" is not the key point.

The real point is that he didn't take the "weak point" that Dong Guan held in his hands too seriously.

Geng Xuan understood this point, but did not delve deeper into it. Instead, he asked:

"Why are you here to see Song Mingzhu at this time? ...Do you have some ulterior motive?"

Iron Wolf did not answer immediately, but looked around and said, "Commander, may I report to you privately?"

Geng Xuan nodded, signaling Cao Ao to deal with the twenty people and not to delay any longer.

He then said to Song Mingzhu:

"You know the affairs of the village best, so I'll leave it to you to take charge."

However, you need to cooperate with Cao Ao and his men to thoroughly investigate everything within the stronghold as soon as possible.

The next moment, Song Mingzhu felt the shackles in his body disappear, and the surging power returned to his body.

“…Yes.” Song Mingzhu responded, then stood up and continued to sort out the affairs of the stronghold with Cao Ao and the others.

After making the arrangements, Geng Xuan called Tie Lang aside and said, "Speak."

“That’s how it is…” Iron Wolf began his narration.

After a moment, Iron Wolf said, "...This is the part I was involved in."

"that's it?"

"that's it."

"Hmm." Geng Xuan nodded slightly, lost in thought.

……

Previously, Cao Ao had analyzed the actions of Dong Guan's subordinates at Dicui Beach.

Dong Guan intentionally gave them a break, not intending to directly attack the bandits and drive them into a corner.

After all, a cornered dog will jump over a wall, and a cornered rabbit will bite.

The bandits of Xuanyou and Erzhou were certainly no match for Dong Guan.

But if pushed too far, it has the ability to bite him hard before it dies.

Geng Xuan also agreed with Cao Ao's analysis.

But now, after hearing Tie Lang's explanation, Geng Xuan realized that he had been thinking too superficially.

In Dong Guan's plan, he will soon launch a major operation targeting other states.

The Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, which made him famous and held sway over two states internally and intimidated heroes externally, will also be making their first large-scale outflow from the two states of Xuanyou.

Dong Guan, and the entire system centered around him, will also devote most of their energy to other states.

At that time, the two states of Xuanyou will become unprecedentedly empty.

Moreover, at that time, the "official" authorities, led by Dong Guan, could not spare much attention to the developments and changes within the two states.

Under such circumstances, would the bandit group, who had always only been able to eat scraps under Dong Guan's high pressure, obediently hide in various corners and not cause trouble for Dong Guan's grand ambitions?

Wouldn't they take advantage of the emptiness of Xuanyou and the unprecedented favorable situation to make a fortune?
That's absolutely certain!

As for whether this will provoke a backlash from Dong Guan?
Eat first!

The bandit group is extremely pragmatic, so much so that most of them don't even think about tomorrow and only want to make the most of today—a very short-sighted approach.

Dong Guan had anticipated this and had made arrangements accordingly.

Through Tie Lang's explanation, Geng Xuan finally realized that Dong Guan's actions targeting key trade route nodes like Dicui Beach were a multi-pronged approach.

It was not only to acquire more supplies, but also a strategic move targeting the bandit group.

The focus was not on killing, but on driving them away.

Dong Guan's actions were not aimed at Dicui Beach alone, but at all the "dung heaps" in Xuanyou and You prefectures that provided similar services to the bandit groups.

Once these "dung heaps" are destroyed, the flies that have gathered inside will naturally flee.

These frantic escapees, like flies that don't know where to go, can be guided in the slightest and immediately flock to new places with a clear objective.

—There are many informants from the Dark Night Division within the bandit circle, so it's very easy for them to create this seemingly reasonable guidance.

These new clusters are places like Wild Wolf Gorge.

From the perspective of the bandits, they could only see themselves and everything happening around them, and they were completely unable to see the big picture.

For example, the bandits in the surrounding sand dunes only knew about Dicui Beach and Wild Wolf Gorge, unaware that similar dramas were unfolding further away in Xuanzhou, and even in Youzhou.

Only Iron Wolf, who is within Dong Guan's system, can see the big picture.

This was a joint operation spanning the entire Xuanyou and You states.

Through such actions, at least 70-80% of the bandit groups that were originally scattered throughout the Xuanyou and You provinces and seemed to move erratically will gather in places like Wild Wolf Gorge in a short period of time.

And these places, throughout the entire Xuanyou Continent, number no more than eight in total. (End of Chapter)