Start with a red name

Since the topic has come up, Geng Xuan took the opportunity to reorganize and redeploy the existing high-ranking members of the "Black Wind Army".

In military matters, Liu Mu was given full authority.

Logistics, as well as the heavy administrative tasks that would inevitably follow, including contact, communication, and coordination with all the tribes and peoples and sand tribes within the "base area," were all entrusted to Song Mingzhu.

With the prestige and deep roots that Dong Guan has accumulated over decades, the "Black Wind Army" has yet to make a move.

This so-called acceptance cannot be peaceful or achieved overnight.

It's even less likely that a single sentence could solve the problem.

Overt confrontation, covert entanglement, continuous back-and-forth, and the turmoil and wavering of people's hearts...

These are all foreseeable.

The struggle with Dong Guan was a fair and square battle, an open and aboveboard war with a clear distinction between friend and foe.

But this is a completely different kind of battlefield.

Wherever he designated a "base area," the surrounding area, spanning thousands of miles, became a battlefield.

Any inhabitant in this region whose population exceeds ten million is a potential enemy, and could be attacked at any time.

However, they are also potential friends, forming a solid foundation for opposing Dong Guan.

The disputes that occur in each place may not be too big, far less intense than the conflict with Dong Guan's hundreds of thousands of troops.

However, the situation is unpredictable and full of variables and reversals.

To resist it is like walking in the dark and getting trapped in a quagmire.

If a forceful and resolute approach is adopted, and policies are implemented with the principle of "those who obey me prosper, and those who oppose me perish," it may certainly achieve some effect.

However, based on Geng Xuan's experience, the effects achieved by using this method are temporary and superficial.

Moreover, too many people who could have been won over as friends and become pillars of society will lose their lives for this.

This is not what Geng Xuan wanted to see.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Geng Xuan decided to entrust this matter to Tie Lang and Yang Qian.

Interestingly, back in the Dark Night Division, Yang Qian was the superior and Tie Lang was the subordinate.

But now the positions have been reversed, with Tie Lang as the main force and Yang Qian as the secondary force.

The reason Yang Qian was specifically included is because of his former identity as the Director of the Dark Night Division.

Within this vast territory, soon to be incorporated into the "Black Wind Army's" "base," lie hidden among the sand people's settlements, many of the Dark Night Division's secrets.

If we can activate them through Yang Qian and cleverly utilize them for our own purposes, it will greatly benefit the implementation of the entire plan.

These are all arrangements in the general direction.

As for how Liu Mu should specifically deploy his troops and what tactics he should use to deal with Dong Guan.

After shifting his focus, how will Song Mingzhu carry out his specific work?

How Tie Lang and Yang Qian cooperated and used their own methods to quickly and efficiently sort out the situation within the "base".

These are things they will have to do themselves, putting in their own effort.

Of course, Geng Xuan wouldn't truly stand idly by and ignore everything.

What needs to be heard should be heard, and what needs to be said should be said.

After assigning these tasks, Liu Mu and Tie Lang had nothing to say, but Song Mingzhu, after a moment's thought, asked a question.

"How should I deal with those tribes that believe in 'Azure Wolf Heaven'?"

"Impartial and fair, treating everyone equally," Geng Xuan said directly.

He had considered this matter long ago, and this was the answer he came up with after careful consideration.

The support may seem unbiased, but for the oppressed "Children of the Wolf," this is a luxury they could never have dreamed of before!

Upon hearing this, Song Mingzhu paused for a moment before nodding gently.

Liu Mu, who was standing nearby, also realized what was happening and quickly said:

"Currently, the 'Black Wind Army' has more than 110,000 troops."

Among them, half believed in 'Canglangtian'.

Although their cultivation levels are generally low, most of them are currently in the lower to middle ranks of the 'Black Wind Army'.

But in the previous battle, they had already proven their worth, especially their fearless and even willing-to-die spirit!
However, I also observed that they basically form their own circle and are generally xenophobic.

Their sworn allegiance is to you, not to the 'Black Wind Army,' and certainly not to us.

With you personally leading the team in previous operations, they were naturally able to obey orders and were willing to die for their cause.

But if I were to command their operations, I fear they would become resentful, and morale would suffer as a result.

Geng Xuan nodded slightly and said, "I will solve this problem."

As he spoke, he looked at the group and asked, "Any other questions?"

Iron Wolf also quickly took the opportunity to mention that the issues he discussed were similar to those of Song Mingzhu and Liu Mu, all related to the "Children of the Azure Wolf".

After all, this was an unavoidable part of the task Geng Xuan assigned him.

How well this problem is handled will directly determine the speed of the entire mission's progress, and even its success or failure.

Geng Xuan also gave a clear response, stating that he would resolve the issue.

……

After a short rest, the team continued their journey.

Knowing that only a few "tails" were following at a distance, Dong Guan's army would not rush over immediately.

The Black Wind Army's speed decreased slightly, remaining at around 20 kilometers per hour.

Even so, when the caravan set off again, more than 700 Azure Horses had already been turned into fresh horse meat.

—In the battle after the "Black Wind Army" landed on the west coast of Xuanqing Sea, they not only obtained a lot of intact Xuanyou horses, but also a large number of Canglan horses.

This also increased the number of Azure Horses owned by the "Black Wind Army" to over 77,000.

Of course, even more Xuanyou and Canglan horses died, and they were quickly decomposed into edible horse meat and stored by the "Black Wind Army," which was like an ant swarm.

About five hours later, after traveling another two hundred miles, bringing the total distance to five hundred miles, the "Black Wind Army" stopped again.

It wasn't until four hours later that the "Black Wind Army" set off again to continue their westward migration.

If you look eastward at this moment, you will see that the number of "flies" following behind the "Black Wind Army" is increasing.

Each "fly" is a figure riding on the back of a mysterious horse, rushing back and forth quickly.

Further behind these "swarms of flies," Dong Guan, who had gathered all the troops around Xuanqinghai on the west bank, led his massive army, following the direction scouted by the "flies," directly toward the location of the "Black Wind Army."

The size of this team is even more terrifying.

There were over 100,000 Xuanyou horses and over 100,000 Canglan horses, and over 200,000 heads of people.

The supplies accompanying them, transported by large carts and gathered via the Xuanqing Sea, were on a scale that surpassed, if not exceeded, that of the "Black Wind Army." Their overall speed was even slower than that of the "Black Wind Army," which traveled at nearly twenty kilometers per hour.

Both sides, who could have easily traveled at high speed, continued westward at an almost snail's pace during this crucial "escape" and "pursuit".

After confirming the specific situation of the pursuers behind him through scouts and the Xuanqinghai sand eagle, Geng Xuan once again slowed down the westward migration speed, as long as he could ensure that Dong Guan's army did not close the distance.

When the team rested again, the total distance traveled westward on the 21st was lower, and the rest time was longer.

Of course, the team's stop to rest didn't mean they were truly idle and just sleeping.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Geng Xuan instilled the power-manipulation techniques of the "Horse-Riding Throwing Technique" into the bodies of each member of the "Black Wind Army," allowing them to carefully comprehend it.

Considering the possible replacements and expansions in the future, the teaching of this skill is not limited to the "Mysterious Nether Light Cavalry" - in order to distinguish themselves from the "Mysterious Nether Iron Cavalry" in all aspects, the Mysterious Nether Cavalry, which was reorganized with "Horse-riding Throwing Technique" as its core combat tactic, is named "Mysterious Nether Light Cavalry".

Those riders who only had Azure Horses as mounts and whose strength was generally in the middle and lower ranks of the "Black Wind Army" also had the opportunity to comprehend the "Horse-riding Throwing Technique".

If they are fortunate enough to grasp the basics, they can also use "throwing techniques" to enhance their ranged attack capabilities.

The biggest difference between them and the Xuan You Riders is that, due to the limitations of their mounts, the power boost of this "throwing technique" is smaller.

However, it is still effective against enemy cavalry wearing low-quality armor, especially at close range.

Without wearing armor, riding the Azure Mist Horse, and relying only on a few cheap javelins, he could pose a huge threat to riders riding the Dark Nether Horse who were fully armored.

From a certain perspective, the Xuanyou Horse has been partially dethroned.

The gap between ordinary horses and Xuanyou horses has narrowed somewhat.

If Dong Guan knew all this, he would be so horrified that he would immediately abandon the pursuit.

But now, completely unaware of the thunder brewing silently in the shadows, he is still relentlessly pursuing his prey.

Around noon on the 23rd.

After marching for nearly five hours, the "Black Wind Army" stopped again.

Soon, cheers and shouts of joy spread rapidly throughout the army, surging like a tidal wave.

The journey, which had lasted for three or four days, finally came to an end.

At this moment, the distance between the "Black Wind Army" and the western shore of Xuanqing Sea was only 1,200 li.

At the speed of the Xuanyou horse, it would only take less than a day's journey, which is not considered very far.

However, at Geng Xuan's request, the "Black Wind Army" will settle down here and will no longer continue to migrate westward.

And the place where they settled was not a barren wasteland.

Instead, it lies between two places of life.

Twenty miles to the east, there is a settlement of sand people with a population of nearly ten thousand.

More than ten miles behind, there was a foreign tribe.

Their habitat is much smaller than that of the sand people's settlements.

But there is a bottomless pool where the water level never drops, no matter how dry the weather.

In terms of water supply, it seems to have endless potential, with an inexhaustible supply.

This is also why Geng Xuan chose this location as his campsite.

Leading a large army on a three-day forced march, Geng Xuan came to a deeper understanding that in places like Xuanyou and Erzhou, "water" is "life".

If water is scarce, even the strongest army can forget about combat effectiveness—get water first.

If one were to expand one's perspective further, one would discover that within a radius of a hundred miles around Geng Xuan's encampment, there were more than ten habitats of varying sizes, randomly scattered across the land.

The further south you go, the higher the density of habitats.

Similarly, the population density is also higher.

Continue south for about 800 li, and you will reach the north bank of the Hanghe River.

If you go north, about seven or eight hundred miles away, you will reach the place that Geng Xuan visited in a hurry just over a month ago – Sanyakou.

Just as the "Black Wind Army" stopped, to the west, in that place that had once been inhabited by a foreign tribe and had been temporarily vacant for several days,...

A group of dozens of figures were lurking inside a house.

Several other figures rushed in from the east, the direction where the "Black Wind Army" was located, making strange "cooing" bird calls.

Soon, the same bird calls burst forth from the house where dozens of figures were lurking.

Then, the two bumped into each other.

Each of them had a bright smile on their face.

Whether it was the dozens of figures lurking inside the house or the few figures rushing in, they all had similar skin color and faces.

They come from different tribes, but because they all believe in "Canglang Tian", they can integrate together without any barriers.

Now, in addition to "Canglangtian", there is another channel for them to "integrate".

"Have you all seen the Divine Child?" Before they could even exchange greetings, a person rushed out of the house and immediately asked this question.

It's clear that he's really eager to get started!

His eyes held a mixture of curiosity and anticipation.

Fortunately, the person he asked in person did not disappoint him.

The man nodded firmly, his face full of certainty, and said:
“We saw him! We not only saw the Son of God, but we also received his blessing... Then, those who were supposed to die immediately came back to life, perfectly healthy as new people!”
His strength was also increasing rapidly, like a raging river overflowing its banks—unstoppable!

"Really?" The person who asked the question stared wide-eyed, looking utterly incredulous.

"Are you trying to lie to me?... Believe it or not, it's up to you!" The person replied, then shut up and said no more.

Hearing their conversation, the figures that darted out of the houses were filled with excitement, curiosity, and an irresistible urge to join in.

He was practically tearing his hair out.

Another person who had come from the "Black Wind Army" took over the conversation, not continuing the previous topic, but instead glancing at the dozens of people who rushed out of the house, and asked:
"Where is Montau? Why hasn't he come here in person?"

Monto was the one who left "Yellow Reed Island" and the Xuanqing Sea with Hak.

After traveling over a thousand miles further north, they split into two groups.

Hak led a group of people eastward to Xuanzhou.

Meanwhile, Monto led another group westward to Youzhou.

Monto was not as lucky as Hak; he joined the "Black Wind Army" later and did not become one of the "first veterans".

Yet, like Hack, he was able to lead troops independently.

This demonstrates his abilities and the high regard Geng Xuan held for him.

Logically speaking, given the importance of this first "task handover," Montau should have personally intervened.

This not only makes the handover smoother, but also allows one to subtly demonstrate their merits and value.

But, ironically, he was absent. (End of Chapter)