With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

On this day, the autumn sky was clear and the air was crisp. An army of over a thousand men stood in neat formation on the drill ground, their armor gleaming and their robes uniform, their banners fluttering in the cool autumn breeze.

The soldiers stood still, showing no sign of panic despite it being their first campaign.

On the high platform, Lin Ye and Liu Zhenghua stood side by side, looking at the team they had personally assembled.

Liu Zhenghua took the initiative to accompany Lin Ye on this expedition. Firstly, the expedition was to deal with spies and bandits from the Northern Xiongnu, and the enemy might be hiding a first-rate martial artist. He was worried about Lin Ye venturing into dangerous territory alone.

Secondly, more than a year had passed since he first arrived in Xiang County, and the guards of the Sword Sect had just been rotated. The original true disciples, including Wang Qing, had all been summoned back to the sect, and Lin Ye was not familiar with the new true disciples.

He worried that if an unexpected situation arose, the other party might not do their best.

Moreover, Liu Zhenghua's Dao soldiers, the Sword-Winged Mantises, are perfectly suited for this kind of battlefield.

The original agreement stipulated that the Sword Sect would only serve as a guardian, out of concern for the imperial court's apprehension and to avoid participating in conflicts between the territory and external forces.

However, the war against the Northern Xiongnu was different. In this war, they could fight freely, since they were facing a foreign tribe, which the court was happy to see.

Beside Lin Ye was a Qingfeng Rider, which he had obtained by exchanging his newly bred Rotten Soil Ant Servant with the Sword Sect.

Now that he has broken through to the second-rate martial artist level, he can contract second-rate Dao soldiers. The mobility and reconnaissance capabilities of the Qingfeng Cavalry will play a remarkable role in marching and combat.

Lin Ye surveyed the well-organized army before him. After several days of rigorous selection, they had finally assembled a force of over a thousand men. While they could not be described as a battle-hardened army, they were by no means a rabble.

As for cooperation and tacit understanding between them, they could only be gradually developed during the march.

He took a deep breath and gave the order.

The army marched out in turn, like a slowly unfolding torrent.

The vanguard consisted of three hundred cavalrymen, who, thanks to the restoration of the Lin family's horse farm and the support of the specialized livestock town, finally managed to gather this batch of warhorses.

Given that the main opponents on this mission were bandits and the light cavalry of the Northern Xiongnu, the cavalry were positioned at the front of the column to deal with high-speed charges and flanking attacks.

Next came the archer formation, longbows on their backs, quivers full, followed by shield bearers and swordsmen.

Finally, there were over three hundred laborers and logistics soldiers who drove wagons loaded with grain and armor to ensure the army's continuous supply.

It is worth mentioning that Shitie Town has resumed production for a year, and most of the armor for this expedition is locally made. Iron armor has been distributed to half of the soldiers, and because it is heavy, it is first put on horse-drawn carts.

Everyone in the army was equipped with leather armor, which was lightweight and flexible, so they all wore it while marching.

With the land routes now fully open and in much better condition than before, the marching speed was significantly faster than the last trip to Yun County.

In just two days, the army successfully entered Yun County.

As soon as they entered Yun County, the Chen family's men were waiting at the road entrance.

Under their guidance, the army passed through the area smoothly without causing any disturbance. The column, like a silent dragon, marched straight towards the county town.

When passing through the town from back then, Lin Ye couldn't help but rein in his horse and stop.

As people from Xiang County have gradually moved back to their hometowns, the town, which was only built last year, is now showing signs of desolation, and the scene of smoke rising from chimneys in the past is no more.

The accompanying Chen family members whispered that the former manager, Brother Li Liang, had also left the town and returned to his family in the county seat to take up a post.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye's heart sank. In truth, he had let down his senior brother Li Liang, who had personally built the new town and now left it in ruins, even losing his job as the manager.

If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely try to make up for it.

The army continued its march, and the closer they got to the county town, the wider their field of vision became.

From afar, one could see an army already encamped outside the city, with banners waving, clearly having been waiting there for some time.

Those were troops from Yun County. They had obviously received advance notice and were there specifically to welcome the troops from Xiang County.

Lin Ye and Liu Zhenghua spurred their horses forward, and from a distance, they heard a hearty laugh coming from the opposing formation:

"My dear brother, it has been many days since we last met, and I miss you dearly!"

His voice was deep and powerful, carrying a familiar cheerfulness and confidence; it was Chen Cheng.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye did not answer immediately, but instead focused intently on Chen Cheng who was approaching.

He sat upright on the back of a leopard-shaped Taoist soldier, his whole being seemingly fused with the soldier.

The leopard was slender and agile, nearly twelve feet long and about six feet tall at the shoulder. Its body was well-proportioned and full of a sense of power ready to be unleashed.

Its fur features streamlined patterns of dark gold and jet black, gleaming with a faint metallic sheen in the sunlight, as if every inch of it is imbued with spiritual patterns.

Its four legs are thick and strong, with claws that are as black as iron, slightly curved and sharp, shaped like carefully forged short blades.

The tail is long, thin, and strong, with a bony protrusion at the tip. Its dark color complements the streamlined body.

The skull has smooth lines, erect ears with faint, fine sensory patterns visible on the inner side of the earlobes, calm and sharp amber-colored vertical pupils, and a short, powerful nose.

There is a natural saddle-shaped spiritual pattern area in the middle of his back, slightly raised, darker in color than the surrounding fur, with fine golden spiritual patterns flowing on the surface. Chen Cheng is sitting here.

The outer sides of the limbs are also engraved with flowing golden patterns, resembling the veins of burning dark flames, exuding inner power even when still.

Liu Zhenghua whispered a reminder from the side: "These are second-rate Daoist soldiers, the Chasing Wind Leopard Guards. They can be ridden and are extremely fast. They are Daoist soldiers from an outer prefecture."

Lin Ye snapped out of his reverie, a smirk playing on his lips, and teased, "I think Big Brother isn't missing me, he's missing the rotting ant servants, isn't he?"

"Same here, I miss both my worthy brother and my ant servants." Chen Cheng smiled, already urging the Wind Chasing Leopard Guards to slowly approach. The leopards landed lightly and steadily, stirring up a gentle breeze.

"I promise that I will hand over the Dao soldiers that will be conceived next month to you, elder brother. After all, we have only conceived three, and the spiritual plants in our territory are not enough. We also need to supply the Sword Sect."

"That's settled then, you have to give it to me next month, hahaha!" Chen Cheng laughed heartily.

"Did Big Brother also personally participate in the recruitment this time?" Lin Ye asked curiously.

"When I was last conscripted, I was not yet a lord. I led troops to the border to fight against the Northern Xiongnu."

But ever since he became a lord, he has had to guard the nest bound by the family contract, and he has no choice in his own life. He has never been able to go on any of the summons.

I didn't really want to go this time, but when I heard that you were going, how could I be the one to back down?

Moreover, this was merely a campaign to eliminate bandits and spies, posing little danger, so the older members of the family reluctantly agreed.

"This time I'm going to take the opportunity to kill as many Northern Xiongnu spies as possible. Your brother was quite famous on the battlefield back then, and I killed quite a few Northern Xiongnu people."

The Northern Xiongnu, upon hearing the name of my Bloodthirsty Leopard, would retreat in terror, hahaha!

Looking at Chen Cheng's smug expression, Lin Ye chuckled inwardly, "What the hell is this Bloodthirsty Leopard? You're actually backing down? Any top-tier shaman could easily beat you to a pulp."

However, it's possible that he does have a reputation, after all, he is a second-rate martial artist, and with this second-rate Dao soldier, Chasing Wind Leopard Guard, who is good at speed, he could kill through a hundred-man squad by himself if there were no powerful martial artists to stop him.

If guerrilla tactics are used, two or three hundred men are no problem.

He looked back at his Qingfeng cavalry; it was fast, but unfortunately, he couldn't ride it.

I was quite proud of myself at the time, but now that I've compared them, I realize they're worthless.