Lord of the Desert

Chapter 528 Opening a Mansion

After obtaining the complete "Blazing Explosion Codex", the path ahead is actually quite clear.

In terms of power, top-down is fast, while bottom-up is stable.

Hong Fan was still young but had ambitious plans, so he tended to favor the latter.

The capital city is a complex place with a high density of powerful martial artists, making it easy to encounter unexpected obstacles when taking action. In contrast, the two northwestern states already have a foundation, and proceeding from one to ten is relatively simpler.

In terms of personal martial prowess, Hong Fan's own talent is insufficient, and he must rely on external forces—in other words, either the Dragon Soul Fruit or his Destiny Star.

Comparing the two, collecting the blood essence of the dragon's offspring is too risky; it would be better to go to the frontier to kill foreign tribes and gain both fame and fortune.

Looking around the nine borders of Dahua, the snake people retreated and the insect swarms hibernated. The two regions with the highest intensity of war were Zhanzhou and Hezhou.

Zhanzhou is humid and rainy, with frequent naval battles, which is not conducive to the development of the Hongfan Shahuo martial arts; Hezhou, although cold, is dry, and Zhenbei Zuowei is adjacent to the northeastern border of Liangzhou, and is closer to the Jinhai Xijing line, making it easier to leverage its strength.

Xiao Ce's appointment met Hong Fan's needs to some extent, and also allowed him to obtain military power in a legitimate way.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid I need to reconsider."

Hong Fan pondered for a moment, then deliberately feigned hesitation.

This is a serious matter, and even three considerations are not enough; he must go back and discuss it with others.

"Don't worry too much. The situation north of Hezhou is complicated and it won't be able to be supported by you alone."

Xiao Ce laughed upon seeing this.

"I can grant you the power to appoint personnel under your jurisdiction."

"Does His Majesty mean I am permitted to establish my own residence?"

Hong Fan was startled upon hearing this.

"Opening a government office" means that an official can set up a government office and appoint subordinates. This is a privilege reserved for top-ranking officials such as governors-general. In the military, it usually requires a high-ranking official. The fifth-rank captain of the Zhenbei Guard, who is stationed in a city on the northern frontier, is far from qualified.

Excluding his special experience as the head of the Imperial Guard, Hong Fan's highest official position was "Master Craftsman" of the Eighth Rank in the Bureau of Weaponry, which was worlds apart from the Governor-General who controlled the civil and military affairs of a prefecture.

"Of course, the imperial court cannot openly grant you the power to establish your own government, but once you take control of Fengsui City, any personnel appointments under your jurisdiction that are reported will be approved by the imperial court."

Xiao Ce replied.

"As for the source of soldiers, some will be transferred from Shannan, Hezhou, and others can be recruited by you. I heard that many members of the Hong family in Jinhai have joined the army. The Hong family members are the backbone of the Jinhai City Defense Command and Shakou Garrison. You can select your personal guards from among them."

This statement likely refers to the Hong family's infiltration of the Jinhai City Defense Command and surrounding garrisons.

Hong Fan had fully felt the sincerity of the offer from the emperor.

At that moment, a thought also flashed through his mind.

If I go to the northern frontier, it will not be for a short period of time, but rather for several years. I am afraid I will not be able to see Xiao Chu and Tang Xingqing again for several years.

His reverie lasted only a moment before being overwhelmed by a heavier image—the overwhelming death on Maoyan City's walls, the desolate silence stretching for miles after the insect plague in Shengzhou—and he realized that there was plenty of time ahead and no need to rush into matters concerning one person or family.

"As you say, this matter is of great importance. You can go back and think about it, and give me your answer no later than after the Dragon Summoning Festival."

Xiao Ce concluded.

······
April 25th.

It is located several dozen miles south of the capital city.

The sky was an old, faded blue, with hardly any clouds.

The wind was fierce on the mountainside, sweeping withered grass and dust into the boundless expanse beyond the cliff; at the foot of the mountain, the great river originating from the Earth Eye Lake shimmered like foil, slicing into the throat of the mountains like a scimitar.

Hong Fan reined in the red flag from a high place and saw Lü Yunshi, Hong She, Gao Junxia, ​​and other old friends riding horses and drawing their bows, shooting down half of the deer herd.

Once a martial artist reaches the state of perfect harmony, they will have the ability to catch flying birds with their hands and chase running beasts with their feet. Hunting in the mountains and chasing herds of beasts would easily become too boring.

But even the easiest things become fun when done with partners.

"The capital is prosperous, but its mountains and rivers are not as wild and magnificent as those of Liangzhou. We have searched several mountains, but we haven't seen a single strange beast."

Hong Lie carried the stag by the head in one hand and rode back.

"This place is too close to the capital, and exotic beasts are valuable, so they must have been captured and driven to extinction long ago."

Hong Fan smiled.

“Second Young Master is right, it’s a matter of one gaining and the other losing,” Gao Junxia chimed in.

“There are fewer and fewer snake people outside the Great Swamp. This year, the three hunting teams organized by my family only brought back seventeen skins in total, barely enough to cover the costs.”

Hong Fan smiled upon hearing this.

Jin Hai's clan has been reporting his situation to him through letters. While the snake people have been shrinking back, they haven't been inactive—a few months ago, five snake people ambushed and killed two squads, stealing more than a dozen guns, probably to study where this iron rod got its great power.

Hong Fan didn't care about this. Although the firing gun looked primitive, it was at least thousands of years ahead of the technology level of the Snake People in the Stone Age.

After hunting seven or eight deer, the group gathered again.

"Second Young Master, now that you've fulfilled your promise to the Headmaster, what are your plans for the future?"

Cui Yutang asked.

"Go back to Liangzhou, or stay in Shenjing to manage the Martial Arts Academy?"

Several stubborn pines hang askew from the cracks in the rocks, their roots twisted like claws, and the wind howls through their needles.

Behind the arrow-like tips of grass in the distance, a huge wild boar, as strong as a calf, revealed its mane.

Hong She and Bai Jiaci exchanged a glance, dismounted barehanded, and walked over quietly, clearly intending to capture him alive.

"I don't plan to stay at the Martial Arts Academy."

Hong Fan watched their movements and replied.

"I've been through a lot these past two years, and I've come to realize the importance of cultivation more and more. I'm quite capable in the Innate Realm now, but it's still far from enough."

He sighed as he spoke.

“You know me inside and out, and you know that before my destiny star took its place, my talent for cultivation was not outstanding. If I want to make further progress in the future, I will have to kill on the battlefield. Speaking of which, I originally wanted to go back to Jinhai to borrow some help from the snake people, but now it seems that these beasts are at least smarter than pigs, so I can’t count on them.”

Everyone laughed arrogantly upon hearing this.

In the distance, the wild boar king had spotted the two approaching figures, but, overconfident in his bravery, he brandished his short tail and attempted to fight.

Jin Hai, which was established in 1933, is no longer what it used to be.

Looking at the city as a whole, there are over thirty cannons and more than 30,000 firearms, not to mention the 400 new firearms added by Kaiming every month.

Without Yuan-Magnet level combat power, the army of six thousand snake people led by Chi Lin would be nothing more than easy prey. Even a weak Six Sacrifices could be completely stopped by the three innate and two earth-divine weapons of Jin Haicheng.

"So, Second Young Master, you want to go and help Sheng Yu's army? The Sea Clan has been at war for the past two years."

Cui Yutang guessed.

Having spent the past ten days or so with Shen Hong and the other servants of the Hong family, he knew a little about Hong Fan and Xiao Chu.

"I'm afraid I won't go to Zhanzhou."

Hong Fan replied, noticing that Tang Xingqing's expression had changed from gloomy to sunny.

"Water is quite effective against sand and fire, so my decision to fight a naval battle is really asking for trouble."

"So we're going to Northern Xinjiang?"

Tang Xingqing took over the conversation.

"It's possible."

Hong Fan nodded.

"The Zhenbeiwei's xenophobia is well-known, and their Ironworks has some business conflicts with us."

It was Hong Fu who spoke.

As a director of Tiannanxing, he has had many entanglements with Rongtiegong over the past two years.

"This is indeed a problem."

Hong Fan has recently been collecting information about Hezhou.

"However, I have a spinning business in Shannan, Hezhou, which is doing well now, and I have connections with several prominent local families; in addition, if I am willing to lead troops, the imperial court will provide some assistance."

(End of this chapter)