Start with a red name

The bandit groups, which were originally scattered throughout the Xuanyou and You provinces and seemed to move around randomly, were transformed into a unified force.

Through this method of "scare away flies by shoving dung," coupled with the spies of the Dark Night Division and figures like Iron Wolf, guidance is provided either openly or covertly.

This encourages them to "spontaneously" gather in places like Wild Wolf Gorge.

Every place like Wild Wolf Village is a special "treasure land" born from a combination of factors.

There are only eight places in total in the two states of Xuanyou.

Xuanzhou is in four places, and Youzhou is in four places.

From Dong Guan's perspective, this could be seen as a "cesspool" in the Xuanyou and You prefectures. With his power, it would have been easy to destroy it, but after learning a few lessons at the beginning of his rule, Dong Guan abandoned the idea of ​​directly blowing up the "cesspool".

Because of his tacit approval, the order in these eight "cesspools" became more and more stable, and as a result, the entire bandit group gradually became more controllable.

Now, Dong Guan, with a perspective and strategy far surpassing that of the bandit group, has forced them from various parts of Xuanyou Prefecture into these eight "cesspools".

Their aim, however, was not to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

As the saying goes, a cornered dog will jump over the wall, and a cornered rabbit will bite.

If truly driven to the brink, the bandit group is not lacking in the determination and courage to turn the tables on Dong Guan.

Dong Guan wanted to take this opportunity to eliminate the threat posed by the bandit group.

They didn't want their precious strength to be wasted in the battle against the bandit group.

Even if the loss isn't significant, he still wouldn't accept it.

So how should Dong Guan solve this problem?

After Tie Lang revealed Dong Guan's plans for targeting the bandit group, Geng Xuan had to admit that he admired Dong Guan's "grand vision".

According to Tie Lang, once all the bandits had gathered in these eight "cesspools," Xuan You Iron Cavalry would immediately appear outside these "cesspools," ready to leave them nowhere to escape and wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

At first, the bandit groups from dozens, or even hundreds, would inevitably be in chaos, trying every possible way to survive.

Just then, someone jumped out, raised his arm, and shouted, "Let's fight him!"

Such a thing does not exist.

Even if such a person truly existed, the other bandits would secretly curse him as an idiot.

They would treat it as someone who was unwell and avoid it.

The correct approach is that, while the bandits are in a state of chaos and desperately trying to find a way to survive, brokers like Tie Lang, who have extensive connections within the bandit group and engage in significant financial transactions with Dong Guan's subordinates, will quickly launch proactive and "effective" activities.

This seemed quite reasonable to the other bandits.

After all, these bandit brokers made their living and fortune by working with the bandits.

If the bandits are gone, then they'll be left with nothing but dust.

But what they didn't know was that there were never any real bandit brokers in the Xuan You and Xuan You states.

Soon, the plot will move into the next stage, and the bandits will soon realize that the work of these well-connected, shrewd, and influential bandit brokers is highly effective.

They finally learned why Dong Guan had suddenly attacked them.

Because Dong Guan is going to wage war against other states, he will be transferring a large number of Xuanyou Iron Cavalry out of Xuanyou and Xuanyou states, and he himself will not pay much attention to the two states.

Dong Guan was worried that the bandit gang would take this opportunity to cause trouble for him and ruin his foundation in Xuanyou Prefecture.

So he had no choice but to grit his teeth and risk getting covered in filth, and resolve the internal problems before officially deploying troops to other states.

Knowing the reason for their impending doom, the bandits looked at each other in bewilderment.

At this point, pre-arranged characters such as "Big Smart" and "King of Ideas" will gradually emerge.

They kept "breathing the word" to the entire bandit group.

"Hey, so it turns out Dong Guan wasn't really determined to kill us after all!"
"We're saved, brothers! We're saved!"

“Think about it, since Dong Guan is worried about his hometown being robbed, can’t we just make sure he doesn’t have that worry?”
What he wants most right now is to use troops in other states; his intention to attack us is not actually that firm.

If we can dispel his doubts, wouldn't that solve everything?

"...How do we dissuade him? Should we assure Dong Guan that we will stay put and not cause him any trouble?"

Do you think I'm stupid, or do you think Dong Guan is stupid? Do you even believe this kind of nonsense?

Is there any point in using such petty tricks?

"...You ask me what to do? It's simple, we just won't stay in Xuan You and Er Zhou!"

"...How can I make a living if I don't stay in Xuanyou and Erzhou?"
With our limited manpower, we simply don't have enough to establish a foothold and plant our flag in other states.

You're incredibly stupid. Are Dong Guan's Xuanyou Iron Cavalry just for show?
"We just need to follow them, wherever they go, we go, isn't that enough!"

"You're asking me if Dong Guan will allow us to take advantage of this?"
But I have a feeling that Dong Guan actually wants us to be like this.
If we follow his army to another state...

Firstly, this relieved his worries.

Secondly, we've known each other for many years.

The Xuanyou Iron Cavalry is undoubtedly an unparalleled weapon for attacking cities and capturing strongholds, crushing enemies and destroying fortified positions.

But the territory they conquered still needs to be guarded, right?

Those scattered and fleeing soldiers must be pursued and annihilated, right?
If we still let the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry do these things, wouldn't that be like using a hammer to smash an egg, a huge waste of talent?
Surely those territories he conquered in other states wouldn't immediately pledge their allegiance to him?

...Comparatively speaking, we at least know him well.

"If you were Dong Guan, wouldn't you trust us more than those newly recruited from other states, whose true intentions are hard to discern?"

"If we do a good job, we might even be able to become military commanders."

I think that if you seize the opportunity well, this path is much better than being a bandit.

Even if things get really bad, we can just go back to our old ways... As far as I know, the two states of Xuanyou are the poorest in the world.

Every state outside is richer than ours.

Even if it's a risk-free business, going to another state is more promising than staying in Xuanyou and Erzhou!

After this series of operations...

If Geng Xuan were in the bandit's shoes, he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation.

Either they'll be facing immediate annihilation.

Either follow Dong Guan's troops to other states to seek a better future and wealth.

With this choice presented, Dong Guan's plan to target the bandits of Xuanyou and Erzhou was now completely finalized.

"That's a brilliant plan, killing two birds with one stone!"

After listening to Tie Lang's revelations and pondering for a while, Geng Xuan couldn't help but think this.

Iron Wolf's visit to Song Mingzhu was preemptive, as he had come beforehand.

According to him, in the following days, many more bandits would gather from Dicui Beach and other areas.

In order to gather as many bandits as possible and allow them to "peace of mind" wait for the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry to appear and close in, the first thing to solve is their supplies for the next few days.

If Wild Wolf Gorge did not have sufficient supplies, the bandits gathered there would not wait on an empty stomach and would disperse to find food elsewhere.

This is something that Iron Wolf and others, who are specifically responsible for implementing and promoting this plan, cannot tolerate.

For ease of management, resources are never plentiful in places like Wild Wolf Gorge, which are often considered "cesspools".

This is also a crucial step in Dong Guan's efforts to contain these regions and prevent them from growing unchecked.

As the number of bandits increases dramatically, food supplies will quickly run out.

They could "just happen" to transport supplies from afar to fill the gap.

However, this would expose more flaws in the trap they had painstakingly woven for the bandits.

Furthermore, with such a crucial matter looming, how could Dong Guan possibly be willing to give away vital supplies to the bandits at this critical juncture?

Therefore, they naturally set their sights on Wild Wolf Village, a major bandit stronghold.

Iron Wolf's solution was to temporarily divert some funds from the Wild Wolf Stronghold's inventory, and later he would send people to transfer the funds back from various villas, including the Iron Arrow Mountain Villa.

At most, it will take a month to break even on the inventory of Wild Wolf Village.

They will also give you some extra interest.

Iron Wolf has performed similar maneuvers more than once.

Iron Wolf, a broker for the bandits, was able to maintain close ties with the large bandit groups not because of personal feelings, but because of a similar cooperative and trusting relationship.

For example, a certain bandit gang pulled off a big heist in Youzhou, but unexpectedly had to transport all the loot back to Xuanzhou, carrying large and small packages all the way.

The simplest and safest approach is to find a long-term partner who is a bandit broker, give him the spoils directly, and return to Xuanzhou empty-handed.

Then, through the octopus-like operations of the bandit brokers, their spoils in Youzhou would return to them in a different guise.

Of course, these gains will be reduced or discounted.

But for the bandit gangs, this meant they didn't suffer any hardship either.

If we really let them do it themselves, let alone a discount, they won't even have any money left.

Because of this foundation of mutual trust, and with Tie Lang offering a rare promise of high interest, Song Mingzhu has already agreed to Tie Lang's request.

This is why Xiang Jinxiu reacted so strongly after learning that her team had looted the Iron Arrow Mountain Villa on their return journey, and immediately sent someone back to inform Song Mingzhu.

While the two bosses were still happily discussing cooperation, some of their unruly underlings ransacked the other company's property, not only looting supplies but also possibly killing people. How could they not be nervous?
……

Geng Xuan repeatedly reviewed the information reported by Tie Lang in his mind, and the situation in Xuanyou and Erzhou became clearer and clearer in his mind.

We have gained a more intuitive understanding of Dong Guan's authority, power, and execution capabilities.

Dong Guan’s different strategies for the sand people’s settlements and foreign tribes, and the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry outposts where they foraged for food nearby.

The war machine that had been silently assembled in the waters surrounding Huangwei Island;

The looting of key trade routes such as Dicui Beach;

The Dark Night Division has infiltrated its network of informants and spies, employing a constant stream of tricks and schemes.

"Recycling" the bandit gang;
...The various sights and experiences I've had along the way since entering Xuanzhou.

At this moment, it transformed into a clear and concrete feeling.

Geng Xuan felt as if he were watching a clockwork-like "mechanism" slowly starting up, with each component working in unison. While not yet perfectly ingenious, it was still quite impressive.

This is related to the strength of an individual, but not entirely.

This is the power of organization and system.

Geng Xuan also realized more and more clearly what Yuanzhou had lost in the past one or two hundred years of self-abandoning its martial arts.

In comparison, Yuanzhou is like a paralyzed shell, a body without a soul.

……

After reviewing the current situation in Xuanyou and Erzhou, Geng Xuan re-examined his plans.

After a while, he looked at Iron Wolf and asked:
"When will the Xuan You Iron Cavalry appear? Approximately how many will come?"

Iron Wolf shook his head and said:
"The Xuanyou Iron Cavalry's independent actions, both in terms of timing and scale, are beyond my knowledge."

They only pass on information to me when they need my cooperation just before they reach their destination.

Geng Xuan nodded.

He continued, "Shouldn't you have some of your own judgment?"

Iron Wolf nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and said:

"Based on my speculation, the most likely time for them to appear is between the fifth and seventh day of the first lunar month next year."

"why?"

"Because it takes time for the bandits to gather."

Judging from the results, the more bandits gathered, the better.

The vastness of Xuanyou and Youzhou, the habits of the sand bandits, and the locations of these eight places were all taken into consideration.

Based on my assessment, as long as the supply of materials is not lacking, the number of bandits in these areas will continue to increase until the fifth day of the first lunar month.

...As more bandits gathered and exchanged ideas, they would realize that Dong Guan's actions were far more extensive and far-reaching than what they had personally experienced.

In such circumstances, bandits would be more inclined to stick together in groups.

"But once the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry appears nearby, this spontaneous gathering trend will immediately stop."

Therefore, in order to maximize the benefits of the operation, the Xuan You Iron Cavalry cannot appear too early.

Their appearance basically signals the time to close the net. "I only received one order regarding the timing."

That means all plans regarding the bandits must be completed before the end of the tenth day of the first lunar month next month.

Starting on the eleventh day of the first lunar month, these Xuanyou Iron Cavalry will escort all these sand bandits south.

Upon hearing this, Geng Xuan's eyes lit up, and he suddenly said:

"How far is it from Wild Wolf Gorge south to the banks of the Hang River? How long does it take?"

Iron Wolf said:
"About two hundred miles west of Wild Wolf Gorge lies the northernmost edge of Xuanqing Sea."

The Xuanqing Sea stretches for 1,500 li from north to south, and the Wild Wolf Gorge is about the same distance from the Hang River.

Given the speed of the Xuanyou horse, it would take about a day if it didn't overexert itself.

If we travel at full speed without regard to speed, eight hours should be enough.

However, if they were to use the Azure Horse for transportation, and considering the necessary supplies, it would take approximately two to three days.

—This time, Geng Xuan led the Canglan cavalry to travel more than 600 li in about five hours, or ten hours, and one important reason was that he used the "horse judging technique" at the perfection level.

This is no longer just overdrawing the horse's strength, but burning the lifeblood of these Azure Horses.

"In other words, if these bandits set off on the eleventh day of the first lunar month, they would likely arrive at the north bank of the Hanghe River around the thirteenth or fourteenth day of the first lunar month?" Geng Xuan asked.

Iron Wolf nodded and said, "Yes."

"What about the other seven places?" Geng Xuan asked again.

Iron Wolf said, "They are some far from the Hang River and some are near. If they all set off on the eleventh day of the first lunar month..."

Those who live nearby can reach the north bank of the Hanghe River on the evening of the twelfth day of the first lunar month.

Those from distant places can arrive around the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

It's the fifteenth day of the first lunar month again.

This corroborates other information that Geng Xuan knew.

Iron Wolf's judgment on the timing of the Xuan You Iron Cavalry's appearance thus gained greater credibility.

Geng Xuan even felt that the fifth day of the first lunar month was a bit too early.

It would be more reasonable for it to appear between the sixth and eighth days of the first lunar month.

Two to three days is enough time to "intimidate and co-opt" the bandits.

Having reached this point, Geng Xuan was about to conclude the conversation.

Suddenly, he froze in place, his foot about to step out.

He looked at Iron Wolf and asked, "Just heading south, without any supplies being gathered?"

Iron Wolf nodded and said, "They only headed south and did not regroup... Only the Xuan You Iron Cavalry knows the specific route and final destination, but the general idea should be correct."

Eight locations, such as Wild Wolf Gorge, are located in Xuanzhou and Youzhou, four of which are in Xuanzhou and four in Youzhou.

Their distribution in the Xuanyou and Youzhou states is not absolutely uniform, but they are not closely adjacent to each other either.

On a large scale, the distances are at least hundreds of miles, or even thousands of miles.

Therefore, if the eight bandit gangs and the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry "escorting" them each head south, when they reach the banks of the Hang River, they will form eight "points" from Youzhou to Xuanzhou, with distances ranging from hundreds to thousands of miles between them.

"So that's it, so that's it, this is Dong Guan's true strategy!" Geng Xuan murmured to himself.

South of Xuanzhou is Yuanzhou, and south of Youzhou is Haozhou.

Dong Guan's target this time is not only Yuanzhou, but also Haozhou.

Not only did he set his sights on both states simultaneously, but even within those two states, he had no intention of concentrating his forces in one place. Instead, he continued to disperse them, advancing in multiple directions like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

Only in this way can the efficiency of his Xuanyou Iron Cavalry be maximized!

What's the difference between 100,000 Xuanyou Iron Cavalry attacking a city and 10,000 Xuanyou Iron Cavalry attacking a city?

No.

Given this, how would Dong Guan, who commands 100,000 Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, choose between conquering one city at a time and conquering ten cities at a time?

The answer is self-evident.

Of course, there may be fewer than ten specific attack points, or there may be more than ten; that's the specific tactics and strategies.

At the strategic level, Geng Xuan had already roughly discerned Dong Guan's intentions through information obtained from various channels.

By this time, Geng Xuan had a more intuitive understanding of the strategic value of the "Ochre-Red Eye" basin and the tunnel that was about to be dug but which he had sealed off and hidden, and which could directly connect to Haozhou.

"Perhaps, this grand strategy will finally take shape after the discovery of the 'Ochre-Red Eye' basin!"

Thinking of this, Geng Xuan felt a sudden tightness in his heart.

Not nervous.

Rather, he truly felt the harm that "Su Ruiliang" had caused to Dong Guan, and just how deep Dong Guan's hatred for "Su Ruiliang" and the Giant Bear Gang really was.

He was almost certain that once Dong Guan's forces crossed the Hang River on a large scale...

There will inevitably be multiple groups of Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, carrying an unshakable will, abandoning everything else, heading straight for the Giant Bear Gang, where the super project is now located.

It wasn't just about venting anger.

Furthermore, it was to reclaim the "Ochre-Red Eye" basin as soon as possible, so that Haozhou and Yuanzhou could be directly connected.

Only in this way can Dong Guan's seemingly all-in "scattering flowers" be safe and secure.

Thinking of this, Geng Xuan's resolve became even stronger.

If Dong Guan's plan succeeds, not only "Su Ruiliang," but also the Giant Bear Gang and everything related to them will suffer.

Yuanzhou and Haozhou will both suffer immense devastation.

By examining Dong Guan's plans for these bandits, one can discern his attitude towards the Xuan and You prefectures.

As long as you don't wreak havoc in Xuanyou and Youzhou, Yuanzhou and Haozhou will be your granaries!
Loot and slaughter them mercilessly!
The slaughter left corpses strewn across the fields, and the enemy's strength was severely depleted...

The more he kills, and the more ruthlessly he kills, the better it is for Dong Guan!
The other five states could not remain uninvolved either.

This is the true catastrophe of the Nine Provinces.

"So, we can't give you the chance to cross the Hang River!"

"The best ending for the world is to suffocate you in the Xuan You two states!"

……

"Let's go back."

Geng Xuan didn't say anything more to Tie Lang, and led him to meet with Cao Ao, Song Mingzhu and others again.

He said directly to Cao Ao:
"Let's gather everyone together first, and I'll settle everyone's credit for this."

Song Mingzhu, Tielang, and the others were somewhat confused and bewildered.

Cao Ao and several other veteran members of the Black Wind Gang were overjoyed and immediately scattered.

Soon, the members who were originally scattered in various places quickly came to Geng Xuan's side.

This time, the battle against Wild Wolf Stronghold was, in terms of outcome, an easy victory.

However, a total of 216 people died on both sides, which alone brought Geng Xuan 6816 points of good fortune.

Later, another twenty "impurities" were executed, and they contributed another 700 points of good fortune to Geng Xuan.

Including the more than two thousand points of good fortune that were previously accumulated.

Under the Black Wind Gang's accounts alone, Hongyun had 9917 points.

Originally, Geng Xuan did not want to be too generous with the reward for his merits this time.

It wasn't that they were stingy, but rather that the Black Wind Gang's performance in capturing Wild Wolf Stronghold was only mediocre.

They even made quite a few mistakes; otherwise, their side, which had such a significant advantage, wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses.

Now, Geng Xuan has decided to be more generous.

Of the 971 members of the Black Wind Gang, fewer than 150 were killed. If the reward system of Qingyuan Village were applied to their achievements, most of them wouldn't even have been able to get a proper drink.

But because of Geng Xuan's decision, even those who were just there to make a show of things and were just there for show all managed to get some benefits.

Ultimately, 909 of the original members survived.

Eight people received 32 points of good fortune.

30 people received 24 points of good fortune.

70 people received 16 points of good fortune.

120 people received 8 points of good fortune.

The remaining 681 people also each received 4 points of good fortune.

A total of 5780 points of good fortune were consumed from these 909 people, and the effects were extremely significant.

Many people made breakthroughs in the face of battle.

That's not all; Geng Xuan, one of the 1128 newly joined members, was also included.

Because Song Mingzhu and Tie Lang are too strong, the luck they receive is too little, resulting in minimal improvement and making it difficult to have a significant impact.

Furthermore, they are indeed of great value to the current Black Wind Gang.

In order to win over the two and put their minds at ease, Geng Xuan decided to take this opportunity to let them fully understand the power of "blessing".

Geng Xuan also gave each of them 32 points of good luck.

In addition, Xiang Jinxiu and Gong Mu, the second and third leaders of Wild Wolf Stronghold, also received 24 points of good fortune.

He was only 8 points behind Tong Hui, the fourth leader who had surrendered earlier.

The remaining 17 new members, who possessed combat strength at the mid-stage and early-stage of Marrow Refinement, also received 16 points of good fortune.

146 people who underwent bone refinement received 8 points of good fortune.

293 people who refined their blood received 4 points of good luck.

The remaining 385 meat refiners and 283 skin refiners also received 2 points of good luck, and their mouths were slightly stained with sugar water.

This blessing consumed another 4137 points of good fortune.

When the blessing ended, the Black Wind Gang had accumulated nearly 10,000 points of good fortune at its peak, but now he had squandered it all down to only 77 points.

The effects of such extravagant spending are also extremely significant.

If organizational cohesion and morale could be quantified, then the difference between before and after this blessing would be exceptionally significant.

Without even needing Geng Xuan's reminder, Song Mingzhu had already taken the initiative to contribute all the cultivation resources that Wild Wolf Stronghold had little stockpiled, to meet the urgent needs of the Black Wind Gang.

With nearly ten thousand points of good fortune scattered, quite a few people broke through their cultivation levels on the spot.

Even those who did not break through to a higher realm still experienced improvements, some more significant than others.

Even if you only get two points of good luck, at least you've learned a new skill.

Some can even master two skills, or improve a skill they have already mastered to a certain level.

This is a significant improvement for someone who has only mastered the skills of refining flesh or even skin, but it also puts a considerable strain on their body.

Even if Song Mingzhu contributed all the cultivation resources stored in Wild Wolf Village, it still wouldn't be enough to satisfy the hunger of more than two thousand people.

Iron Wolf said:
“I have a safe house in Wild Wolf Gorge with a lot of resources stored inside. I’ll arrange for someone to go and get them right away.”

Geng Xuan nodded, but his idea was to be even bolder.

"I want to take this opportunity to devour the entire Wild Wolf Gorge."

All the supplies inside were taken over by the Black Wind Gang.

All the bandits will be incorporated into the Black Wind Gang. What do you think?

Upon hearing his "bold" idea, Tie Lang, Song Mingzhu, Xiang Jinxiu, and the others all began to seriously consider it.

Song Mingzhu spoke first, saying, "We still have one late-stage Marrow Refinement cultivator and over a hundred elite soldiers stationed in Wild Wolf Gorge. I can replace them with members of the Black Wind Gang."

He paused here, then continued:

"With their help from within and without, the operation should go more smoothly, but... it will certainly be more difficult than if you took over Wild Wolf Stronghold. And more people will inevitably die."

"More difficult, more deaths? That's great," Geng Xuan thought to himself. (End of Chapter)