Start with a red name

Both Xuanyou Iron Cavalry units were annihilated on the night of the seventh day of the lunar month.

Just one day later, the bad news had already traveled thousands of miles across the land and reached the decision-making center of Xuanyou and Erzhou.

At the same time, they also gained complete knowledge of the situation in the other six bandit strongholds.

Even the enemy's general whereabouts and approximate size were roughly sketched out.

At dawn on the ninth day, numerous countermeasures were disseminated from this decision-making center, and quickly spread throughout the Xuanyou and Xuanyou states by Xuanyou horses that were rushing at breakneck speed.

As these instructions are rapidly transmitted, the foot that had already stepped towards the Xuan You and Er Zhou states will slowly retract.

We ruthlessly trampled on this insidious and despicable enemy.

This decision-making efficiency is already very fast.

Their determination was exceptionally firm, and they showed no sign of underestimating or belittling anyone.

Logically speaking, Dong Guan and others' response may have been somewhat rough and unsatisfactory in some details.

Overall, there is nothing to criticize.

Unfortunately, they still haven't realized that this time, the enemy cannot be viewed "using common sense".

On the morning of the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, Geng Xuan took Ruan Ruizhe to "Meicun Island".

Not long after, he himself, along with the newly recruited members of the Black Wind Gang, Fan Tao, the former leader of "Mei Village Island" and the island's owner, swam across the sea and headed straight for "Red Sand Island," which was nearly sixty miles away.

Ruan Ruizhe himself, along with the other 68 newly recruited members of the Black Wind Gang on the island, sailed five large ships toward the place where Song Mingzhu and the others were waiting, more than 30 miles away.

Two hours later, Ruan Ruizhe met up with Song Mingzhu and the others.

He left four large ships for Song Mingzhu and his men to use, while he himself took a ship full of his own men with rich experience in ship handling and headed straight for "Red Sand Island" without stopping for a moment.

—Although sand bandits and water bandits are two different professions with different skill trees, there are still many people like Ruan Ruizhe who are proficient in both land and water bandits.

Geng Xuan had already brought all the bandits of Xuanyou and Youzhou under his control, so finding a group of such "talents" from within would be no problem for him.

The four large ships reserved for Song Mingzhu and his group never stopped moving.

When the boat stopped in a suitable depth of water, a simple gangplank extended from the shore to the deck, and figures hurriedly boarded the boat.

Old people, women, children...

The first group to board the ship consisted of the elderly, women, and children from "Wild Wolf Village".

Because these people are generally small in stature, far smaller than adult men.

Some cultivators with slightly larger builds can weigh as much as three or five of them.

For this reason, as the waterline of the four ships gradually lowered to the safety line as people boarded, nearly two thousand people were crammed into the four ships.

From the bottom of the ship's cabins to the wooden stairs leading up and down, the passageways and corridors, to every cabin and even the deck, the entire place was packed with people.

Once everyone reached their designated spot, they sat there obediently, not daring to move an inch.

With the gangplank removed, the four boats slowly moved away from the shore and headed into the deeper waters.

Their destination was a small island less than half a mile in diameter, about ten miles away, which could be vaguely seen from the shore.

Although the number of these first ships was far too small, it still calmed the anxious hearts of many.

To ensure the safety of the journey as much as possible, some members of the Black Wind Gang who were good swimmers jumped into the water to escort the ship along the way.

To ensure that no "water ghosts" could damage the fragile hull of the ship, nearly two thousand relatives and family members of "Wild Wolf Village" were drowned in the Xuanqing Sea.

Song Mingzhu and his group did not stop there; instead, they began to cause even more trouble.

One by one, the Xuanyou cavalry units were dispersed, but not too far away. Their task was simply to prevent enemy cavalry scouts from getting within ten miles, so as to avoid their actions being discovered by the enemy.

The rest of the people were organized and gathered on the shore where they had just boarded the ship.

Although the waters here are more suitable than other places, there are still many drawbacks.

With the concerted efforts of more than 20,000 people, a simple boardwalk paved with stones and extending into the deeper waters was soon completed.

In this way, not only can more ships be docked at once, but it will also be much more convenient and faster to board people, load large numbers of Azure Horses, Dark Nether Horses, and other supplies onto the ships.

……

When Ruan Ruizhe arrived at "Red Sand Island" with a ship full of sailors, it was nearly four hours later.

He was greeted by Fan Tao, an old man from "Meicun Island," a slightly overweight man named Pang Xiude with a fawning smile on his face, and a woman named Yu Qiuhe, whose face was covered with thick makeup, though she was middle-aged, she still had a charming appearance.

Seeing him lead a large group of "his own people" ashore, Fan Tao, sandwiched between the two, visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon meeting, he gave a brief introduction to the situation.

Led by Geng Xuan, they left "Meicun Island" and swam across the sea, arriving at "Hongsha Island" in a very short time.

The situation on "Hongsha Island" is much more complicated than that on "Meicun Island".

Not only are there bandits entrenched here year-round, but there are also some merchants who have gained their trust and are neither entirely legitimate nor illegitimate, who live here.

It would be inappropriate to simply replicate the experience of "Meicun Island".

This was no challenge for Geng Xuan; he simply borrowed some of his experience from conquering "Baihetan" and "Jinyeya".

First, we need to find a breakthrough point and use it as a fulcrum to swallow the entire "Red Sand Island".

Where is the first "breakthrough point"?

Geng Xuan consulted Fan Tao about this issue, and the old man provided the answer.

Yu Qiuhe.

According to him, the woman came to "Red Sand Island" six years ago.

Moreover, she didn't come alone, but a group of women.

These women were not only young, but also beautiful, and each of them possessed some level of spiritual cultivation.

Yu Qiuhe herself has a higher cultivation level than Fan Tao, possessing the cultivation level of the mid-stage of Marrow Refinement.

At first, everyone mistakenly thought they were there to engage in prostitution on "Red Sand Island".

This led to many troubles.

However, this woman, by skillfully navigating between various factions and possessing a combination of softness and firmness in her dealings, gradually established herself on "Red Sand Island."

They made a living by buying jewelry and natural pearls from various river bandits.

But what truly allowed her to settle down on "Red Sand Island" were the more than thirty young and beautiful women she brought with her, all of whom possessed some level of cultivation. In the following years, they successively married and had children with "young talents" from different factions within the "Red Sand Island" bandit circle.

The proportion of female cultivators was already low. In the bandit circles of the sand and water, they were even rarer. If you added the label of "young and beautiful," it would make people drool with envy.

For this reason, Yu Qiuhe, whom all thirty-odd women called "Mama," gradually became a figure on "Red Sand Island" whom no one could afford to offend.

She was like a "mother spider," silently weaving an invisible net on "Red Sand Island" that covered all the bandits.

It wasn't that no one saw her ambition and the danger she posed, but by the time her elaborate web had taken shape, she had become an untouchable force on Red Sand Island.

Otherwise, we would immediately face a situation where we are abandoned by everyone and surrounded by enemies from both inside and outside.

After hearing about the woman's deeds from Fan Tao, Geng Xuan couldn't help but marvel.

He thought it wouldn't be easy to get such a woman to submit.

But as it turns out, he was completely wrong.

Before he could even make a move, the woman immediately knelt down when he simply appeared before her with Fan Tao.

She not only immediately agreed to help him quickly take over "Red Sand Island," but also introduced him to her biggest rival on the island, Pang Xiude, who was also known for his shrewdness and was jokingly called "Lord of Red Sand Island" by all the bandits.

And this fat man, who seemed to have a naturally prosperous and smiling face, knelt down just as quickly as Yu Qiuhe.

With the help of these two "talented individuals," Geng Xuan swallowed the entire "Red Sand Island" in less than two hours. The rest of the people either died or were buried in the ground.

Either live and become a member of the Black Wind Gang.

However, even if all the bandits on "Red Sand Island" were wiped out, neither their numbers nor their quality could compare to those of "Wild Wolf Gorge".

The number of cultivators gathered here is only two or three times larger than that of the Iron Arrow Mountain Villa.

However, that's not what Geng Xuan values.

……

At this moment, after Fan Tao explained the general situation to Ruan Ruizhe, he pointed to the ships crowded at the dock berths and said:
"There are a total of 28 ships of various sizes here, all of which are now under our command... I have inspected them and they are all well maintained and ready for immediate use."

"Aside from those that are too small and not suitable for long voyages, there are seventeen ships that we can use."

As he spoke, he pointed to the largest ship, whose design differed significantly from the others:

"What our commander values ​​most are these three vehicles and boats."

Each ship can carry over a thousand people, and as long as there are enough sailors with sufficient cultivation levels, their speed will be extremely fast.

Ruan Ruizhe surveyed the ships, satisfied, but finally, he asked:

"Although I brought some men with me, it is not enough to take all seventeen ships away."

"...How many people on this island can I use?"

Fan Tao did not answer directly, but looked at Pang Xiude beside him.

Pang Xiude quickly said:

"Including the two of us, there are currently 291 cultivators on the island. As instructed by the captain, they can all serve as sailors for your command."

Before Geng Xuan arrived, there were 375 cultivators and 248 ordinary people on the island.

After he left, the number of ordinary people remained the same, but the number of cultivators decreased by 84.

Of these, 83 were killed, and one more became a new collaborator, following in the footsteps of Ruan Ruizhe and Fan Tao.

When Ruan Ruizhe, along with Fan Tao, Pang Xiude, Yu Qiuhe, and others, reunited with Song Mingzhu and his group with seventeen ships, it was already late at night on the eighth day of the lunar month.

At this moment, the four ships that Ruan Ruizhe had handed over to Song Mingzhu and the others had already made several trips between the shore and the small island a dozen miles away.

They not only transferred more than four thousand ordinary people without cultivation to the island.

Other supplies and the Azure Horse were also transferred up there.

However, compared to the total number of people in the team and the total scale of supplies, the four ships made several round trips to transfer less than one-tenth of the total amount transferred.

Until Ruan Ruizhe and his group arrived with seventeen ships, the transport capacity increased more than tenfold.

Among these seventeen ships, even the smallest ones are of the same size as the four that came from "Meicun Island".

The others are all bigger than them.

Each of those three vehicles and ships had a transport capacity more than ten times that of the others.

When they are neatly arranged on the temporary walkway, they seem to possess a reassuring power.

With the addition of these ships, the people and supplies that had been "stagnant" on the north shore of Xuanqinghai were able to flow towards Xuanqinghai at a faster pace.

Among them, the three vehicles and boats played the most important role.

Not only does it have a much larger carrying capacity than other ships, but it is also faster.

Those Black Wind Gang members who were assigned to "paddle the boat" were having a great time.

For ordinary sailors, this job was like hard labor, but for them it was like a game.

Everyone was even scrambling to get a spot to "step on the boat".

It's not that their awareness suddenly increased.

Instead, everyone who tried it was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually an excellent method of cultivation for them.

This is because all the current members of the Black Wind Gang have experienced one or two rounds, or even more than a dozen rounds, of "good fortune."

While their cultivation and strength improved by leaps and bounds, their foundations became extremely unstable.

In everyday behavior, they might just be unable to control the force they use, occasionally making a fool of themselves and that's it.

But once on the battlefield, these can be fatal.

The only way is to work hard to digest and refine it, with everyone doing their best to digest and absorb it, and truly swallow these "pie-in-the-sky" opportunities.

Then they discovered that practicing on a bicycle boat was just as effective as continuous, high-intensity training.

What everyone regrets most now is that too much time was wasted on the journey, and they couldn't calm down to digest what they had learned.

A job as a pedal boat operator is equivalent to a "training position," how could it not be coveted?

After learning about these benefits, everyone practically fought tooth and nail to get them.

Finally, Song Mingzhu and the others went to great lengths to manage to quell the unrest by taking turns "on duty."

To the regret of all the "boat riders," the journey of a dozen or so miles was simply too short.

It is far from being able to fully utilize the advantages of vehicles and ships.

Driven by them, the slowly accelerating vehicles and boats did not have time to reach their maximum speed before they had to slow down and dock as their destination was in sight.

On the same night, as the 20,000 to 30,000 people "accumulated" on the shore, along with more than 20 boats, all threw themselves into this lively atmosphere, like ants carrying food.

Another group of "ants" joined them.

This group of "ants" was naturally Iron Wolf and his companions who had set off from "Yanlai Peak".

Before they arrived here to join Song Mingzhu and the others, Tie Lang and the others, who had set off from Yanlai Peak, had already met up with Fu Yunfeng and the others, who had set off from Sanya Pass.

With the addition of more than a dozen ships, the "siltation" situation, which had already been greatly alleviated, suddenly became even more serious.

At this point, Song Mingzhu and the others naturally realized that they had been "tricked" by their commander.

There's no such thing as being prepared in advance!
However, things have come to this point, and having come this far step by step, they have no other choice but to do their best to push forward and help it succeed.

A busy night.

When dawn broke on the ninth day, more than twenty boats shuttled back and forth on the water, which stretched for more than ten miles.

Both on the shore and on the island, everything was in complete chaos.

Just then, people on the shore, on the island, and on the ship noticed the anomaly in the sea to the southwest.

At their prompting, everyone else turned to look in that direction as well.

Gradually, everyone came to know what it was.

At first, they could only see a small black dot in that area of ​​water.

As they got closer, they realized it was a boat.

Each black dot represents a ship.

As they got closer, they could see more clearly that it was a fleet of thirty-five ships.

Leaving aside other vessels, there are seven vehicles alone.

Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of people, the thirty-five ships were steadily moored on both sides of the pier.

Geng Xuan himself was standing on the deck of a vehicle or ship.

These are all the achievements he made after leaving "Red Sand Island". (End of Chapter)