Start with a red name

After dealing with the laborers' affairs, he went to Jinxiu to finalize the arrangements.

As Geng Xuan slowly made his way towards the central camp area, he mentally reviewed the situation, considering what other matters on "Huangwei Island" he needed to handle.

Just then, noticing the unusual movement beside him, Geng Xuan turned his head to look.

Then they saw that Liu Mu and his three companions, who had been "wandering" around the island, had actually mingled with Yang Qian, the Chief of the Dark Night Division.

They were surrounded by several "guards" who provided them with strict protection.

Judging from their posture, they wanted to get closer to me.

Moreover, judging from their craning necks and eager expressions, they seemed very impatient.

However, the "guards" who followed them closely were probably trying to prevent them from interrupting his thoughts, thus temporarily stopping them from getting any closer.

Geng Xuan waved to them.

After the group quickly approached him, he asked:
"Is there something you want to tell me?"

The group nodded hurriedly.

After observing the entire process up close, Liu Mu and his group, who were initially not very confident in the "Black Wind Army," had already sentenced Dong Guan to death.

He deeply regretted his previous choice, which he thought was clever and allowed him to advance or retreat at any time.

When Geng Xuan showed a conciliatory attitude, they should have boarded the ship without hesitation!

Now, Geng Xuan no longer mentions the matter, but in their hearts, it feels like a hundred claws are scratching at their hearts.

In less than half a day, their mindset underwent such a drastic change.

Having spent more time in close proximity to the "Black Wind Army," Yang Qian felt even more eager.

Even before heading south, he had already made it clear that "I can talk" and "I can join."

However, Geng Xuan used the excuse that he had not truly corrected his attitude to terminate that "negotiation".

Because what Geng Xuan wanted was not negotiation, but unconditional submission.

At that moment, Yang Qian felt a great sense of frustration and panic.

Now, the Battle of Huangweidao has ended.

As he had predicted, the Black Wind Army's strength had become even greater after this ordeal.

In comparison, the Dong Guan faction, which appeared bloated and sluggish, lost 20,000 to 30,000 of its most elite troops before it could even react.

This result also served as a wake-up call for Yang Qian.

He understood that after this "Battle of Huangweidao," his value had been significantly depreciated.

But at least he still has some special and irreplaceable value.

If he can't even seize this opportunity, he will go from "depreciating significantly" to "worthless".

This outcome was something Yang Qian could not tolerate under any circumstances.

Therefore, the moment Geng Xuan asked the question, he immediately stated his purpose.

"I would like to join the 'Black Wind Army' and hope to receive your permission!"

Geng Xuan stared at him intently for a while before saying:
"And then? Don't you have any other thoughts?"

Yang Qian quickly shook his head and said:
"No, I want to join you right now and become a member of the 'Black Wind Army'."

"Well... you must have some requests regarding the arrangements after joining the 'Black Wind Army,' right?"

Yang Qian shook his head, his attitude firm:

"I have no demands, I only firmly obey your arrangements!"

Using the "Art of Reading Minds," Geng Xuan observed Yang Qian's emotional changes and was surprised to find that he was actually sincere when he said those words.

This is really rare.

It seems that this experience of heading south to Huangwei Island has indeed given Yang Qian a huge shock.

This forced him to begin a process of self-reconstruction on a spiritual level.

Now, everyone in the Black Wind Army understands a basic fact: in addition to possessing godlike skills in "healing" and "blessing," Geng Xuan, the army leader, also has the ability to see through people's hearts and distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Any presumptuous behavior or even thought that tries to deceive him is just being clever for its own good and courting disaster.

Yang Qian clearly understood this as well.

He has reflected deeply on the previous failed communication.

It was because of this reflection that Yang Qian forced himself to "turn over a new leaf".

That's why he presents himself to Geng Xuan with an almost completely new mental outlook.

Is this considered deception?

If so, Geng Xuan would accept it.

Thinking this to himself, Geng Xuan didn't immediately respond. Instead, he looked at Liu Mu and the three people beside him and asked:

"what about you?"

Liu Mu paused for a moment before saying:

"I also want to do more things."

As he said this, Liu Mu still had a somewhat embarrassed look on his face.

After all, he had just reached an agreement with Geng Xuan not long ago, but now that the momentum of the "Black Wind Army" is far stronger and more ferocious than they imagined, he changed his mind again and wanted to "take on greater responsibility".

That's far too much of a snobbish mentality.

But Liu Mu knew even better that if he missed this opportunity, the situation would only get worse in the future, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and reveal his latest stance.

The other three people beside him quickly echoed him, repeating Liu Mu's attitude over and over again like yes-men.

To be honest, the three of them weren't always like this.

One person achieved the third stage of Body Tempering perfection, and two people achieved the second stage of Body Tempering perfection.

Even when Liu Mu is in person, while maintaining basic respect, he will also talk back when necessary, and he will never hold back his opinions.

But now the three of them seem to be Liu Mu's "accessories," completely following him wherever he goes, without missing a single step.

To Liu Mu's astonishment and absurdity, this was actually the period during which they had the fewest disagreements and the most obedience to him since they started working together.

The attitudes of these people changed so drastically in such a short time.

Geng Xuan was somewhat surprised, but not entirely unexpected.

His gaze swept over the group before settling back on Yang Qian, and he said:

"I've agreed to your request... So, do you have any suggestions on how to settle you down?"

"Uh……"

Yang Qian never expected that the ball would eventually end up in his own hands.

He paused for a moment before saying:

"To be honest, I haven't thought about this question. However, if you really want my opinion, I think it should be considered from the perspective of 'how to make things more advantageous for the Black Wind Army'."

Geng Xuan nodded slightly, no longer making things difficult for Yang Qian, and instead began to ponder the matter on his own.

Yang Qian was perhaps not entirely satisfied with his own reply, as he hadn't been able to maximize his value.

He thought for a moment, then said:

"The Black Wind Army's next goal should be to bring the entire Xuanqing Sea under their control, right?"

Geng Xuan said:
"It would be best to be able to do that, but the key is whether or not we can do it."

...Now, Dong Guan should already know that we have all escaped into the Xuanqing Sea.

As for the loss of 'Huangwei Island', Dong Guan will know about it sooner or later, either today or tomorrow.

And then there's the time it took him to command, assemble, and mobilize the army.

All things considered, the 'Black Wind Army' can only have three to four days of peace at most.

I'm not sure what I can do with Xuan Qinghai in such a short time.

Yang Qian quickly replied, "I should be able to offer some assistance."

"Oh, tell me about it." Yang Qian's reply piqued Geng Xuan's interest.

"Dong Guan attached great importance to trade routes and shipping lanes where large amounts of gold, silver, and goods flowed at all times."

His requirement was that no matter how remote or secretive a trade route or shipping route existed within the territory of Xuanyou and Erzhou, it could not escape his sight.

One of the important purposes of the Dark Night Division was to keep an eye on these trade routes and shipping lanes for him.

Because this area involves such significant interests, I have always been personally in charge of it.

Geng Xuan nodded in realization: "Xuan Qinghai also has spies from the Dark Night Division?"

Yang Qian nodded and said:

"Not only do they exist, but there are quite a few of them."

Some mingled with pirates, while others were managers of key shipping routes or high-ranking members of merchant guilds. Still others remained infiltrated on islands for extended periods, living alongside the islanders, or were even islanders themselves who were recruited into the Dark Night Division.

...Although the area of ​​Xuanqinghai is not as large as the area where the sand bandits operate, due to its special geographical location, it is the hub between Xuanyou and Xuanzhou. The number of spies that the Dark Night Division has planted in Xuanqinghai is more than the number of spies in the entire sand bandit group.

Given the unique nature of naval operations, and with the covert assistance of the Dark Night Division, these spies, regardless of their strength or status, could generally quickly take control of one or even multiple ships for sea operations.

As Geng Xuan listened to Yang Qian's story, his eyes widened and grew brighter.

Yang Qian paused here before continuing:

"Because I am directly in charge of this area, I am basically familiar with the situation of these spies."

I've always preferred to work alone, and I never inform anyone in advance of my plans.

In addition, during this period, everyone's focus has been on the strategic arrangements after moving south.

Therefore, I am quite certain that Dong Guan would not have known that I had already lost contact before the news of the complete annihilation of the two Xuanyou Iron Cavalry forces, 'Wild Wolf Gorge' and 'Swallow Peak', was sent back.

When he realized this, there were even more important and urgent matters waiting for him to deal with.

In addition, the spies were too scattered, and their individual value was too low.

At this critical moment, Dong Guan had neither the energy nor the manpower to deal with them.

Therefore, I conclude that these spies scattered throughout the Xuanqing Sea are completely unaware of everything that happened these past few days.

"General Liu is a high-ranking officer in the military and is currently the supreme commander of the Iron Cavalry stationed in Xuanqinghai."

Previously, spies operating in the Xuanqing Sea had all contributed to procuring ships, transporting personnel and supplies to Huangwei Island.

At this point, Yang Qian first looked at Liu Mu, and then at Geng Xuan, saying:

"Now, I will first give them a false secret order to cooperate with General Liu's actions."

Then, by having the 'Black Wind Army' disguise themselves as the 'Yellow Reed Island' garrison still under General Liu's command, a large number of troops could easily defect.

In this way, the Black Wind Army will be able to absorb more and faster power within the Xuanqing Sea area.

Geng Xuan was overjoyed upon hearing this.

If this can be achieved, the process of the "Black Wind Army" sweeping across Xuanqinghai will be smoother and faster.

As for the cost, after taking this step, Yang Qian, Liu Mu, and others will be completely cut off from any possibility of returning to Dong Guan's camp.

Therefore, Geng Xuan also looked at Liu Mu.

Liu Mu, who also understood this point, remained silent for a moment before decisively nodding and saying:

"Director Yang's plan is good... however, I think it can be improved further."

"Oh, I wonder what insights General Liu has?" Yang Qian asked, seemingly seeking advice sincerely.

Liu Mu ignored him and instead looked at Geng Xuan, asking:

"How many men does the 'Black Wind Army' have now?"

Geng Xuan glanced at him, made no attempt to hide anything, and told the truth:
"With the more than 10,000 people on the island, the 'Black Wind Army' has just over 40,000 members."

Liu Mu nodded slightly and then asked, "How strong are you?"

As Geng Xuan recalled, he murmured:

"Not counting you guys, there's one person at the second realm perfection and three at the first realm perfection."

"There are also 22 people at the peak of Marrow Refinement, nearly 100 people at the late stage of Marrow Refinement, more than 270 people at the middle stage, and more than 1,400 people at the early stage."

"Nearly 8,200 bones have been refined, and more than 7,600 blood have been refined."

There are also over 12,000 people at the Flesh Refining stage, and nearly 10,000 at the Skin Refining stage.

Upon hearing the data Geng Xuan presented, Liu Mu's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

Especially when Geng Xuan said that "there are more than 1,400 people in the early stage of marrow refining", his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Geng Xuan, worried that Liu Mu might misjudge the situation, emphasized this point at the end:
"Because everyone's cultivation level has increased too much in a short period of time, most of them have unstable foundations."

Compared to other cultivators at the same level, most cannot unleash their full potential, only managing to utilize 80-90%, or even 70-80%, of their strength.

Liu Mu nodded, indicating that he understood.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before saying:
"Given the size and strength of the 'Black Wind Army,' it would be a waste to use it all to gather up the scattered forces within the Xuanqing Sea."

Moreover, it would be unwise to waste such precious time on this.

Geng Xuan bowed to Liu Mu and asked for his advice, "General Liu, what suggestions do you have?"

Not only was their attitude sincere, but they even changed their form of address to "you" (formal).

Feeling somewhat relieved, Liu Mu returned the gesture with a cupped-fist salute, replying as follows:
"Five hundred li south of here is the confluence of Xuanqing Sea and Hanghe River."

The waters at the confluence are only about thirty li (approximately 15 kilometers) wide at their narrowest point, but less than forty li (approximately 20 kilometers).

Apart from this stretch of water, the land is flat as far as the eye can see.

"Whether it is Xuanzhou to the east of the waterway or Youzhou to the west of the waterway, they are the most prosperous and populous regions in Xuanzhou and Youzhou, and also the regions with the largest number of troops, because they are adjacent to the Hang River."

"That is also the only waterway that is directly managed by Dong Guan's people, regardless of the involvement of other forces."

Whether it was messenger delivery, troop movements, supply transport, or official transfers… more than 80% of all travel between the two states involved this narrow waterway.

"That section of waterway is as vital to the Xuanyou and Youzhou states as the heart and blood vessels."

While a complete disruption to transportation between the two states would not sever all communication, it would significantly delay troop movements and information exchange.

The news of this change hasn't yet reached that place.

If the Black Wind Army can seize control of that stretch of water before the other side becomes alert, they will gain more initiative and put Dong Guan at a greater disadvantage.

Geng Xuan understood what Liu Mu meant.

Originally, Geng Xuan, who was still somewhat hesitant about his next move after taking over Huangwei Island, had his interest completely piqued by Liu Mu's words.

He hurriedly asked:
"That waterway is so important, it must be heavily guarded, right?"

Liu Mu nodded and said:

"It is heavily guarded, but compared to the size of the 'Black Wind Army,' it's not that heavy."

"Because that waterway was too important, Dong Guan specially set up a 'Water Gate Army' to guard it for a long time, led by a 'Water Gate Captain'."

At its peak, the "Water Gate Army" numbered 18,000.

But ever since Dong Guan unified the two prefectures, there has never been any problem with that area of ​​water.

The number of 'Watergate Army' members has been decreasing.

In order to squeeze out as many troops as possible to go south, the 'Water Gate Army' was reduced to 8,000 men.

Moreover, those who were withdrawn were mostly the elite, while those who remained were mostly mediocre.

In addition, that section of waterway is a top-tier golden waterway in the Xuanyou and Erzhou states, so there's no need to think of any way to squeeze out a lot of profit.

The "Watergate Army" has long used patrols as a pretext for smuggling.

They had long lost the will to fight to the death against the enemy.

"This 'Water Gate Captain' is also a mediocre talent."

Approaching sixty years old, he had achieved the perfect cultivation of the second stage of Body Tempering.

Liu Mu explained the situation earnestly, but Yang Qian couldn't help but glance at him, thinking to himself, "Is this Liu guy hiding something in his words?"
Because he was also at the peak of the second stage of Body Tempering, he was at the same level of strength as the "mediocre talent" Liu Mu mentioned.

Although Yang Qian was younger, the two were not much different in age.

"From top to bottom, they never imagined that one day a naval army would march from the direction of Xuanqing Sea."

"As long as we act decisively before they can react, we will definitely catch them off guard."

Liu Mu paused for a moment, then continued to explain in detail, further exposing his side's advantages to Geng Xuan.

"As is customary, the 'Watergate Army' is always divided into two groups, stationed near the docks on both sides of the waterway."

The current 'Water Gate Army' numbers eight thousand, with four thousand stationed at the Xuanzhou wharf to the east and another four thousand stationed at the Youzhou wharf, more than thirty miles to the west.

"As is customary, the high-ranking officers of the Water Gate Army, led by the 'Water Gate Captain,' will be stationed in the direction where Dong Guan and others are staying, so that they can receive the messages from the imperial palace as quickly as possible."

"In other words, high-ranking military officers such as the 'Water Gate Captain' are now stationed on the Xuanzhou side."

The docks on the Youzhou side are much weaker than those on the east side.

"...Now, Dong Guan and his core team are all in Chizhu Plain in Xuanzhou, which is too far away."

As far as I know, when the messenger who came to the island yesterday morning to deliver his dictated 'secret order' set off, Dong Guan and his men had no intention of moving westward.

Even if they set off westward immediately after the messenger left, given the sheer size of the palace, it would take at least two or three days to reach the vicinity of Xuanqing Sea.

"Therefore, as long as we launch a surprise attack before then, we don't need to worry about too many variables."

...Of course, the sooner the better.

Geng Xuan was completely smitten.

Finally, he suppressed his emotions and asked the question that concerned him most.

"Do you have the Xuan You Iron Cavalry?" (End of Chapter)