The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Jia Huan asked directly, "Tell me, let me think about it for you. Two heads are better than one!"

He was very satisfied. Jia Cong had grown into a qualified general. At least what he said made a lot of sense, and it was indeed the most troublesome place in the southwest.

The ability to clearly see these things and find ways to avoid or solve them is a significant characteristic of a mature or famous general.

Clearly, Jia Cong is on the right track and has not become arrogant or complacent because of his previous victories and the praise he has received.

"There's not much we can do!"

Jia Cong smiled wryly and said, "Since we're unfamiliar with the area, the best way is to find local experts and get help from the local government. At the very least, we need a reliable guide and a pharmacist to accompany us!"

"So you're saying the local government isn't cooperating?"

Jia Huan frowned and said in a deep voice, "What happened? Tell me!"

"What you've encountered, I might also encounter. Don't hide anything. Now is not the time to worry about saving face. It concerns the lives of our men and the future battle plans. We can't be careless!"

"The local government is very proactive, but their influence is limited!"

Jia Cong said with a wry smile, "The so-called 'imperial power does not extend to the county level' situation is particularly serious here!"

"The local government offices cannot completely control the county seat; they have to unite with local powerful families to truly control the situation!"

"Once you leave the county town, apart from the villages within five miles of the town, the rest of the area has been divided up by local powerful families and other forces. The government offices are no longer effective!"

"But the local government can't even conscript hunters and herb gatherers who have the ability to move freely in and out of the mountains and forests and are very familiar with the surrounding environment, or the mountain people of the chieftain's tribe!"

“Brother Huan, you know that I’ve been leading troops all the way here to wipe out bandits and mountain thieves. This place is no exception. We’ve offended far too many local powerful families!”

At this point, Jia Cong couldn't help but smile wryly, "The local powerful families are unwilling to cooperate. I can't just go to their door and arrest them, can I? I don't even know who would be suitable."

"Otherwise, I would have already led my men to the heart of the southwest. Why would I still be here?"

He had a very clear understanding of his own position: to serve as the vanguard under Jia Huan.

Its function is simple: to help scout the way ahead and clear the entire marching route, so that Jia Huan's troops would not have to waste unnecessary time on the road.

It's just a pity that the local powerful families didn't cooperate, leaving him feeling helpless!

Of course, it was impossible for him to bow down and compromise with local powerful figures.

At this moment, he was filled with murderous intent, waiting only for Jia Huan's support to launch a ruthless purge against local powerful figures. Did he really think he was a nice guy?

Anyway, the situation in the southwest is chaotic, so even if he wipes out the local powerful families, there's nowhere to seek justice.

In Jia Cong's view, some people just can't see the situation clearly and always try to apply the rules of peacetime to a chaotic situation. Is that appropriate?

Do you know what terrible consequences will occur when the knife handle gets angry?

After listening to Jia Cong's account, Jia Huan's expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn't taken Jia Cong's worries to heart at all, and that was indeed the case.

After Jia Cong finished speaking, he could even clearly sense the chilling murderous intent that Jia Cong couldn't hide in his tone when he mentioned the local powerful figures, and he couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Aren't there already defeated soldiers here after the collapse of the Southwest Army? I thought that gathering them together and retraining them could be quite useful, since they are very familiar with the Southwest!"

Just a casual remark was enough to make Jia Cong suddenly realize the truth and feel immense regret.

He slapped his thigh and said in frustration, "How could I have overlooked these guys?"

At this point, he smiled wryly at Jia Huan and said, "Brother Huan, I misunderstood!"

"Previously, I looked down on these defeated soldiers, thinking they were shameful, cowardly, and useless. I never imagined they could play such a significant role!"

"Another concern is that gathering the defeated soldiers might affect the morale of my men. I'm not just making this up; there really is such a problem!"

"I understand, I know that much!"

Jia Huan chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "No need for that. We're brothers, aren't we? Just be more careful in the future, and try to make the most of all available resources!"

Jia Cong nodded repeatedly to show that he understood; he was indeed lacking in this area!

Chapter 354 Abundant Martial Virtue (Please Subscribe)

Actually, there was one more thing Jia Huan didn't say.

The most suitable guides, besides defeated soldiers, are the local martial arts sects in the southwest.

As the main force of martial arts among the people of Southwest China, the martial arts sects here are quite active, with their influence spreading to all aspects of life in the Southwest, especially their astonishing power in the gray areas.

Located on the southwestern border, it borders several vassal states of the Great Qian Dynasty, as well as smaller southwestern states.

Despite the complex terrain making it unsuitable for large-scale travel, it couldn't stop the booming border trade business.

The caravans in the southwest region are gangs with considerable fighting power.

You could even say they were mercenaries from the mountains and forests of Southwest China!

These guys know the roads in the dense forests of the southwest like the back of their hand. If they were willing to cooperate, not only would it be no problem to counterattack against the Qianxiang Kingdom's army, but they could even invade Qianxiang Kingdom's territory again.

The martial arts factions in a low-level martial arts world are still much stronger than those in a completely Dharma-ending world!

For example, the Five Poisons Sect in the world of "The Sword Stained with Royal Blood" was a true hegemon in the southwest, which had continued from the world of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" to that time, with hundreds of years of heritage. They must have been quite familiar with the situation in the mountains and forests of the southwest.

When Jia Huan arrived, he also made a point of inquiring about the gangs and factions in the southwest!

Although there is no sect like the Five Poisons Sect, there are still martial arts sects that are one or two levels lower.

Even major sects like Emei and Qingcheng from the Sichuan Basin have considerable influence and direct or indirect interests in the southwestern mountains and forests.

Furthermore, because the competition among gangs in the southwestern region is not very intense, gangs with a well-established lineage often have a history of at least a hundred years and are deeply rooted in the local area.

If Jia Huan could get help from local gangs in the southwest, his operations there would be much easier and simpler; that's for sure.

Before he came, he had already instructed his gang members to secretly contact gangs in the southwest region.

Putting everything else aside, they all have a common enemy right now: the invading army of Qianxiang Kingdom!

The reason I didn't tell Jia Cong these things was mainly because I didn't want to disturb his mind!

In Jia Huan's opinion, Jia Cong was more suited to be a pure military general!

His own personality made him not very proactive in dealing with people from the martial arts world, which was quite evident when he was at the martial arts school in the capital.

Otherwise, Xue Pan, a scoundrel, would have made a name for himself in the Zhili underworld and gained considerable fame.

Apart from the people at the martial arts school, no one outside of Jia Cong knew of his existence.

If he wanted to become famous, he would have plenty of opportunities, and the platforms available would be very supportive.

Three days after their conversation with Jia Cong, Jia Huan and Jia Cong's combined forces, except for leaving a few hundred men to guard the temporary camp as a logistical base and transit point, set off in a grand procession to the southwestern hinterland.

There is already clear news that the army from the Kingdom of Qianxiang has entered the southwestern hinterland!

Meanwhile, news from the capital was also pouring in!

The Dowager Princess of Nan'an has persuaded the current emperor through various means to rescue the defeated and captured Prince of Nan'an by sending a princess to marry him!

No matter how many sordid details there are, once this is confirmed, Jia Huan will have little room to maneuver. He must catch the Qianxiang Kingdom off guard before they can react.

After all, communication between the two countries takes time!

Given the nature of the invading army from Qianxiang Kingdom, they would certainly have engaged in burning, killing, and looting of the southwestern cities during this period.

It's funny, the southwest region is considered one of the poorest areas in the Great Qian Dynasty, but compared to Qianxiang Kingdom, it is still a rich and prosperous place!

Jia Huan naturally wanted to take the opportunity to inflict sufficient casualties on the invading army of Qianxiang Kingdom, and also to quickly occupy enough territory and resources, otherwise wouldn't his trip have been in vain?

In fact, good news has already come from the brothers in the church!

Many martial arts sects in the southwest region are willing to cooperate with Jia Huan.

This didn't surprise Jia Huan too much; it was a perfectly normal thing.

As long as information wasn't kept out of reach, people would know about Jia Huan's amazing achievements on the Northwest battlefield.

In order to boost the morale of the army and the people, the imperial court did a good job of promoting it.

Jia Huan's name spread far and wide, and he was promoted as a famous general.

People in the martial arts world admire strength the most. The Ningrong Street branch was already quite powerful, and with Jia Huan's reputation, they felt that cooperation would bring many benefits in the future!

Of course, things won't go so smoothly at the beginning.

As martial arts sects naturally engage in sparring and competition!

If the martial arts masters sent by the Ningrong Street gang are not strong enough, even if they are able to achieve their goal in the end, the other party will probably have many ulterior motives.

After all, being proactive and being passive are two different concepts when it comes to cooperation!

Fortunately, the martial arts instructors sent out by the gang were strong enough!

Although it doesn't yet have the strength to sweep away many gangs in the Southwest, it's enough to make a group of heroes in the Southwest's martial arts world submit to it wholeheartedly. If your fists aren't strong enough, you can't argue with them.

With the help of these brave local heroes from the southwest, the army's march and exploration of the unfamiliar surroundings became much easier and simpler.

More than six thousand people, stretching for more than ten miles in a mighty procession!

The road conditions in the southwest are truly indescribable!

Fortunately, the guide was quite capable. Although many soldiers fell ill due to the change in environment, it did not cause any major problems. Jia Huan's medical skills were not to be underestimated.

The affiliated clinic on Ningrong Street has trained many traditional Chinese medicine doctors over the years.

They have a good ability to treat certain underlying conditions, but their overall skill level is somewhat lacking and they are not yet at the level of a resident doctor!

They can accompany the troops, and after a short period of training, they can still play a significant role.