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Geng Xuan found Song Mingzhu and Tie Lang and informed them of his discovery.

Both of them were somewhat surprised, but not too nervous.

Song Mingzhu immediately stated:
"I'll send someone to investigate right away."

Geng Xuan shook his head and said, "No need."

Song Mingzhu looked at him with some confusion.

Geng Xuan said, "Let them come over on their own."

Song Mingzhu suddenly realized, thought for a moment, and said, "Then I'll have everyone be prepared to take action at any time."

Geng Xuan raised his hand to stop Song Mingzhu, thought carefully for a moment, and said:
"Preparation is necessary, but it's best to do it discreetly."

"...In addition, find some people who have been operating and hanging around Wild Wolf Gorge for years, and let them continue their old ways of making a living."

Upon hearing this arrangement, Song Mingzhu seemed to realize something, but wasn't entirely sure, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"To restore Wild Wolf Gorge to its former state as it was yesterday... I think they came from afar and don't know what exactly happened here."

As long as they don't discover anything obvious, they'll never imagine that the entire Wild Wolf Gorge now belongs to our Black Wind Gang.

"...What do you think will happen then?"

“They will definitely enter Wild Wolf Gorge,” Song Mingzhu said softly.

Regardless of the origins or purposes of those horse caravans, it was essential for them to enter Wild Wolf Gorge to replenish supplies and water after their long journey.

As long as Wild Wolf Gorge can superficially return to its former appearance, no one would suspect that in just one night, Wild Wolf Gorge has been firmly controlled by a certain force.

Everyone inside, as long as they were alive, became part of this force.

The thought of the other person entering Wild Wolf Gorge so uninhibitedly and openly made Song Mingzhu put himself in their shoes and felt a chill run down his spine.

However, he felt inexplicably more excited.

He hurriedly cupped his hands to Geng Xuan and said, "Commander, I know what to do."

“Go ahead.” Geng Xuan nodded.

Song Mingzhu accepted the order and hurriedly left.

Iron Wolf was also preparing to leave. He had a vague feeling that if he didn't try to perform well, his influence in the Black Wind Gang would be quickly overtaken by the "Wild Wolf Clique" led by Song Mingzhu.

This trend will become even more pronounced after Xiang Jinxiu, the former second-in-command of the Wild Wolf Stronghold, advances to the peak of Marrow Refinement.

Before he could leave, Geng Xuan stopped him, saying, "Let him handle this. You can talk to me."

“…Yes.” Iron Wolf paused for a moment, then quickly replied.

Before long, the two were seated in a teahouse with a wide view.

From this location, the entrance passages on the east and south sides of Wild Wolf Gorge are easily visible.

“Tell me about the other seven bandit trading hubs,” Geng Xuan said to Tie Lang.

Iron Wolf was left alone, still somewhat confused.

After hearing Geng Xuan's words, he paused for a moment before quickly nodding and saying, "Okay..."

Just as Geng Xuan led Tie Lang to the teahouse to hear him describe the situation at the other seven "cesspools," Wild Wolf Gorge was also rapidly "awakening."

Originally, only a few small teams of the Black Wind Gang led sand wolves in and out of the houses.

As Song Mingzhu's arrangements were passed down through layers of people, spreading to every corner of Wild Wolf Gorge, small teams emerged from the various resting houses.

Those who were already operating in Wild Wolf Gorge led the rest of the team and quickly returned to their original shops and houses.

Businesses that are supposed to open will open, and businesses that are supposed to operate will operate.

Those who came to Wild Wolf Gorge for business, to sell stolen goods, or to seek refuge here after being driven out from other trade routes, all integrated into various parts of Wild Wolf Gorge in ways that best suited them.

Whether it's checking into a hotel, finding a place to eat, going in and out of shops, or strolling around the streets...

At first, everyone was probably not in the right mood, and their every move seemed a bit affected and awkward.

But as everyone gradually found the right "way to play", they all entered a state of natural performance.

They've practically reached the level where everyone's an Oscar winner.

There were also those who simply didn't have the talent in this area. After the teams conducted their own checks and mutual reviews, they were all kicked out of the front-line "stages" such as streets, shops, restaurants, and teahouses, and sent to stay in rooms where no one could see them.

Wait for further instructions.

That's not a problem. Under normal circumstances, it's impossible for everyone to be outside.

Under normal circumstances, if one or two thousand people are wandering around Wild Wolf Gorge, which has a population of three or four thousand, it is already quite lively.

It would be unreasonable if everything appeared outside.

Listening to Tie Lang's narration and watching Wild Wolf Gorge rapidly "awaken" and transform into a vivid stage at a visible speed, Geng Xuan also found it interesting.

Even if he nitpicks with a critical eye, it will be difficult to spot any obvious flaws once everyone has fully adapted to their roles.

Geng Xuan felt that if he didn't have the perfected Mind-Reading Technique and the ability to directly observe the "ripples" emanating from the human body, he would have had a hard time seeing through the strangeness of this place without knowing that all of this was fake.

Just then, the once quiet and empty teahouse became lively again.

The first floor was already occupied by a few people sitting in twos and threes. The owner of the teahouse was sitting behind the counter, while several servants at the Skin Refining Realm carried teapots and moved back and forth in the shop.

At the entrance to the second floor of the teahouse, a few people were still standing there, hesitant to move forward.

They saw Geng Xuan and Tie Lang, and were caught between a dilemma: they wanted to advance but dared not, and wanted to retreat but could not.

Seeing this, Geng Xuan said directly to them, "Don't worry about us, just treat us like ordinary guests."

The tense group immediately relaxed and quickly went to find other seats by the window.

Some were alone, some were in twos and threes, and they all seemed very casual.

Shortly after they sat down, several servants followed them, carrying cups, saucers, and teapots.

The teahouse owner, who possessed early-stage Marrow Refinement cultivation, personally brought a pot of tea to the spot where Geng Xuan and Tie Lang were, and respectfully poured them hot tea.

Seeing his extremely respectful demeanor, Geng Xuan couldn't help but say:

"You're asking me to give up this stable foundation and join the Black Wind Gang, where you might ultimately lose your life. Aren't you a little resentful?"

The teahouse owner paused for a moment, and his hand, which was refilling the cup with water, trembled slightly, causing a noticeable ripple in the smooth water stream.

But he recovered quickly and said gratefully:
"How could that be? With my potential, the early stage of Marrow Refinement was already the limit I could reach, and there was no possibility of further progress."

...If we can continue to make progress, who would want such a stable life?
It's nothing more than a mediocre existence born of having no other way forward.

I thought my life was pretty much over, but the commander gave me new hope. I'm so grateful to you, how could I possibly feel resentful?!

Looking at the earnest teahouse owner, Geng Xuan blinked, realizing he himself was becoming somewhat uncertain.

Even in his eyes, there was no trace of falsehood.

These words seem to come from the bottom of his heart.

From his outward speech to his emotional changes to the frequency of his "ripples," there was no flaw whatsoever.

Geng Xuan couldn't help but wonder if this person truly felt this way after such a radical change.

Under the pressure of life and death, this person underwent a complete self-correction on a spiritual level in just one night, completely transforming into the kind of person that Black Wind Commander, who could look people in the eye, hoped for.

"Perhaps it's a combination of both," Geng Xuan concluded in the end.

After the tea was brewed, the teahouse owner gave a slight bow and then carried the teapot back downstairs.

Iron Wolf continued his story.

Having already gained a general understanding of the other seven "cesspools," Geng Xuan signaled to Tie Lang to pause.

He said, "Mark their approximate locations for me."

"Yes."

Iron Wolf responded, dipped his finger in the tea in his cup, and drew two irregularly shaped squares next to each other on the table.

He drew while explaining.

"...Xuanzhou is more than four thousand li from east to west and from north to south... With Xuanqinghai as the boundary, Youzhou to the west is larger than Xuanzhou, more than five thousand li from east to west, and its north-south boundary is also far beyond Xuanzhou."

Compared to the other states, Xuanyou and Xuanyou are known for being barren.

Within these two specific states, some obvious patterns also emerge.

The further north you go, the colder the climate becomes; the further west you go, the more water-scarce it becomes.

Therefore, despite the vast size of these two states, the areas with the largest populations are relatively concentrated.

Whether it's Dong Guan or the bandits, they ultimately depend on these people for food.

"...Whether it is Xuanzhou or Youzhou, the area within a thousand miles to the north, with the Hang River as the boundary, is the most populous and densely populated, and Dong Guan's power is also the strongest within this area."

Every sand tribe settlement, alien tribe, and trade route node within this area is under his direct control.

Most of them had outposts for the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, allowing them to obtain food and provide surveillance nearby.

Even in special trade route nodes like Dicui Beach, where there are no direct Xuanyou Iron Cavalry garrisons, he can mobilize forces from the surrounding area to completely control the area within half a day.

Within this area, it's one thing for small groups of bandits to engage in petty theft, but if a bandit group the size of Wild Wolf Stronghold dares to launch large-scale attacks and plunder within this area, it will surely be met with Dong Guan's iron fist of suppression.

The reason why the bandits in the two prefectures and Dong Guan have been able to maintain this relatively stable situation over the past ten years or so is that all the bandits have adhered to this bottom line.

No one dared to provoke Dong Guan. ... Thousands of miles north of the Hanghe River, further north, the land for habitation became even smaller and the population even smaller. Sand people settlements gradually decreased, while foreign tribes gradually increased.

The Xuanyou Iron Cavalry no longer had as many outposts as in the south, and some even had none at all.

...For these reasons, the area within a thousand to two thousand li north of the Hanghe River is the region where bandit activity is most concentrated.

Further north, the journey was too long and the profits too meager. Not only did Dong Guan relinquish direct control, but even the bandits rarely operated there anymore; only individual tribes of other ethnicities struggled to survive in those areas.

Iron Wolf did not directly point out the locations of the other seven "cesspools," but instead drew three horizontal lines on two adjacent, irregular squares.

The bottom horizontal line represents the Hang River.

The horizontal line in the middle represents the boundary a thousand miles north of the Hang River.

Within the area encompassed by these two lines, Xuanyou and Erzhou are the most prosperous and densely populated regions, and also the areas that Dong Guan values ​​most, devotes the most effort to, and where the ruling order is most firmly established.

The uppermost line marks the boundary two thousand miles north of the Hang River.

The area between the border of a thousand miles and the border of the two states is the "transition zone" between Xuanyou and Xuanyou, and it is also the area where the sand bandits are most active.

Furthermore, the further north one goes, the less and weaker Dong Guan's direct forces become, while the more and stronger the activities of the sand bandits become.

Above the third line, in the area two thousand miles north of the Hang River, the land was too barren for Dong Guan to visit, and even the bandits didn't like to go there. Only foreign tribes lived there peacefully.

Because neither Dong Guan nor the bandits considered it a good place, the Xuanyou and You prefectures, being the most barren and cold places in terms of natural conditions, became a paradise for foreign tribes.

Tie Lang dipped his finger in tea and, in just a few words, clearly outlined the situation in Xuanyou and Erzhou for Geng Xuan.

Previously, Geng Xuan had heard Zhaluo tell many "stories" about Xuanyou and Youzhou, but because Zhaluo himself lacked the ability to summarize and generalize, his summary was not as precise and clear as Tielang's few words.

After drawing three long lines running east-west through the two states, Iron Wolf paused and dipped his hand in some tea.

On the east side of the irregular square on the table that represents Xuanzhou, a vertical line running north-south was drawn.

“Xuanzhou borders Minzhou to the east. Since Dong Guan took charge of the two prefectures, there has been no large-scale conflict with Minzhou.”

However, in order to prevent the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry from becoming complacent and their blades from rusting, and also to raid Minzhou for supplies, small-scale clashes and skirmishes occurred frequently throughout the year.

Although most of the time, Minzhou was on the defensive, it would occasionally launch an offensive into Xuanzhou.

Moreover, sometimes, in order to obtain sufficient supplies, the Xuan You Iron Cavalry disregards both inside and outside the territory, even plundering within Xuanzhou itself.

"Even a large group like Wild Wolf Stronghold, if it accidentally wanders into the sight of the Xuan You Iron Cavalry, can neither outrun them nor fight them, and can only wait to die."

Even after death, they would not find peace, and would most likely be pickled and used as emergency military rations.

...For these reasons, the area within a thousand miles of the eastern border of Xuanzhou is a tacitly recognized forbidden zone by the bandits.

As he spoke, Tie Lang drew a vertical line running north to south in the western part of Youzhou with his finger.

While explaining, he said, "...Although Youzhou is larger than Xuanzhou, it is also more barren than Xuanzhou."

If we take the Xuanqing Sea as the eastern boundary, then about three thousand miles to the west is the limit of all kinds of human activities.

Further west lies the infamous Death Desert.

Its area is so vast that it may be larger than the entire Yuanzhou province, and there is no trace of human habitation there.

In this way, with a few seemingly casual strokes of Iron Wolf's fingers, the bandit group that originally seemed to be spread across the Xuanyou and You provinces was "constrained" into a narrow and long area.

It stretches a thousand miles from north to south and five or six thousand miles from east to west.

Due to the unique nature of places like Wild Wolf Gorge, they can only exist within this region.

And it won't be too far north or too far south.

The area within a thousand miles of the eastern border of Xuanzhou is a forbidden zone for bandits, so such a place would only be even further away.

The same principle applies to the western side of Youzhou.

Iron Wolf dipped his finger in the water again, first placing a small drop of water on the western edge of Xuanzhou, and said, "This is Wild Wolf Gorge."

"About 700 li to the east and south is the 'Rapid Flow Cave', and more than 900 li further east is the 'Golden Leaf Cliff'."

Nearly 800 li further east lies 'White Crane Beach,' the easternmost gathering place for bandits in Xuanzhou.

As he spoke, Tie Lang dipped his finger into the cup again, preparing to point out the four locations within Youzhou.

Geng Xuan spoke up, "Wait a minute."

Iron Wolf stopped pointing and looked at Geng Xuan.

Geng Xuan looked at the small water spot on the far east side and said, "This 'White Crane Beach' is more than two thousand...four hundred li away from Wild Wolf Gorge, right?"

Iron Wolf shook his head slightly and said, "If we skip 'Rapid Stream Cave' and 'Golden Leaf Cliff' and go straight to 'White Crane Beach', we will avoid the north-south twists and turns and travel three or four hundred miles less."

Geng Xuan nodded, his eyes fixed on the drop of water that represented "Baihetan," and then on the water spot that was about two thousand miles away in a straight line.

Then his gaze shifted to the direction of Youzhou, and he asked, "What about this side?"

As Tie Lang continued his introduction, he pointed out the four bandit gathering places within Youzhou.

"...This is 'Fish Scale Dock,' which is also the westernmost gathering place for bandits in Youzhou."

After Tie Lang finished explaining everything, Geng Xuan asked the same question.

"How far is it from Wild Wolf Gorge?"

"About two thousand six hundred li."

Geng Xuan nodded slightly, looking at the lines and drops of water on the table, lost in thought.

After a while, he said softly:

"According to your prediction, Dong Guan's Xuanyou Iron Cavalry will appear in eight locations between the fifth and eighth day of the first lunar month, right?"

"Yes."

"Then where do you think these Xuanyou Iron Cavalry came from?" Geng Xuan asked again.

Geng Xuan already knew that Dong Guan's Xuanyou Iron Cavalry were spread throughout the Xuanyou and Xuanyou states, shouldering the important task of controlling the "neural network" of the two states.

However, if you use a "magnifying glass" to magnify and subdivide the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, you can distinguish even more differences.

First, there are the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, who are stationed in key locations such as Canglan Mountain and Chizu Plain, which are also where Dong Guan's palace is located.

This is the most elite force, the most loyal to Dong Guan, and also the one he trusts the most.

Or rather, only those Xuanyou Iron Cavalry who meet these conditions can receive such an honor.

Secondly, there were the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, who were drawn from various parts of Xuanyou and Xuanzhou, selected, and rotated year-round to the eastern border of Xuanzhou to confront Minzhou.

Although there have been no large-scale wars, small-scale conflicts have never ceased.

They have a wealth of practical experience.

Moreover, their constant hunting and cannibalism meant that, in a sense, they were the most ferocious force under Dong Guan's command.

Then there are the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry along the coast of Xuanqinghai, and those who serve as springboards for information exchange at various trade route nodes.

Finally, they dispersed and settled near various settlements and tribes, foraging for food nearby.

In terms of sheer numbers, these Xuanyou Iron Cavalry are the most numerous.

However, among all the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry under Dong Guan's command, their individual qualities were the most mediocre.

In other words, those who are not mediocre have long been transferred away from these places.

Only those who are mediocre in all aspects will be given the "important task" of living as neighbors with various settlements and tribes year after year and supporting themselves by exploiting them.

Faced with Geng Xuan's question, Tie Lang thought for a moment, then pointed with his water-dipped finger to the area south of each bandit gathering place on the table, and said:
"Although I don't know how the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry is actually mobilized, I dare not inquire about it."

But I dare say that these Xuanyou Iron Cavalry were all gathered from the settlements and outposts surrounding those villages and tribes, south of various distribution centers.

Although Geng Xuan was already inclined to agree with this deduction, he still argued:

"Couldn't they have been drawn from places like Canglan Mountain or Chizu Plain, or from the front lines near Minzhou?"

Iron Wolf shook his head and said:
"Impossible, because the Xuan You Iron Cavalry has suffered too much damage, and it concerns Dong Guan's foundation in the Xuan You and Xuan You states."

Every transfer is handled with great care.

These Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, scattered across various outposts, naturally had a need to regroup.

Furthermore, they were closest to the bandits' hideouts, making them the most suitable force to be sent to carry out this task.

“If we were to draw Xuanyou Iron Cavalry from elsewhere to do this, not only would the journey be longer and the time spent be greater, but it would also cause enormous losses that could have been avoided.”

"Right now, Dong Guan would rather break every Xuan You Pill in half to use it, how could he possibly allow such a thing to happen?"

"...And another thing, these Xuanyou Iron Cavalry were gathered from various garrisons."

Among all the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, they not only had the worst individual qualities, but also lacked experience in large-scale actual combat.

Taking advantage of this last opportunity, using these sand bandits as hypothetical enemies to hone our skills a little will also be beneficial.

Geng Xuan nodded slightly, acknowledging Tie Lang's analysis.

He looked at Iron Wolf and finally revealed his plan.

"The situation here has basically stabilized. I plan to repeat the operations I did in Wild Wolf Gorge in a few other places... I'll take you with me."

Iron Wolf was shaken when his suspicions finally came true.

Before he could respond, and before Geng Xuan could continue the topic, both of them looked toward the east passage of Wild Wolf Gorge.

"They're here, they're here!" someone whispered excitedly at a nearby table. (End of Chapter)