Great Wilderness Demon Lord

In mid-July, Xiao Yunlan went to the training ground again.

This time, the recruits' formation was much neater. Their movements—turning, marching, and halting—while not yet perfectly precise, at least they no longer bumped into each other. During physical training, their running strides were also more stable than before.

On the Qi Refining side, the number of people with Qi Sensing has increased to over twenty. Some of the more talented ones can already vaguely feel Qi circulating within their bodies; although weak, it is definitely present.

Xiao Yunlan called these people aside and had Xiao Yu explain some advanced techniques to them—how to guide that energy and how to mobilize it when needed.

After he finished speaking, he said to the group, "You few are practicing faster than the others. But remember, this is just the beginning. The path of Qi cultivation is very long, and you haven't even touched the threshold yet. From now on, practice for the duration of an incense stick every day. If you do well, you will be rewarded. If you don't do well, you will have to go back and practice with the others."

The group quickly agreed.

After returning from the training ground, Xiao Yunlan flipped through the book "Secrets of Military Strategy" again in his study. He had already thoroughly memorized the section on Qi cultivation. The subsequent parts weren't in the book. To advance further, he would have to explore on his own or seek them elsewhere.

He remembered that among the books sent by the Xiao family, there were several about cultivation. Although they were also introductory texts, they were more detailed than the fragments of military texts. He asked Xiao Yu to find those books so he could read them at his own pace.

Outside the window, the sky was gradually darkening. The drill ground had quieted down, with only the sound of the river flowing in the distance carried by the evening breeze.

Xiao Yunlan put down the book and rubbed his temples.

The matter of Qi cultivation cannot be rushed. First, train these new recruits. Once they have a foundation, then we can think about the next step. The Great Wilderness has plenty of cultivation resources. As long as we gain a foothold, we can find them slowly.

-----------------

After the start of summer, the weather in Shuofeng Plain grew hotter day by day.

Xiao Yunlan stood atop the northeastern fortress, gazing at the bean field outside the city. The bean vines had grown to waist-high, a lush green expanse that rippled in waves when the wind blew. Old Liu said that this year's rainfall had been even and the sunshine plentiful, and the autumn harvest would yield at least five hundred shi (a unit of dry measure).

But he wasn't thinking about the harvest at that moment.

In the distance, a group of more than thirty people was moving south. It was a mopping-up team led by Zhao Meng, consisting of twenty veterans and more than ten new recruits. Their mission was to patrol the southern part of Shuofeng Plain and clear out bandits and small groups of wandering barbarians who might threaten the trade routes.

This was the first time the new recruits had participated in a real combat mission.

Xiao Yunlan stood on the bastion for about half an hour until the team disappeared from sight before turning around and getting down.

-----------------

Three days later, Zhao Meng led his team back.

Xiao Yunlan met them at Tuoxin Hall. Zhao Meng's face was dusty, but he was in good spirits. Behind him stood more than ten new recruits, all of them tanned, but their eyes were much brighter than before they set off.

"General, this subordinate reports the order." Zhao Meng clasped his hands. "On this expedition, we inspected over three hundred li in the south and encountered two bandit groups, totaling more than fifty people. We defeated them in one battle, beheading twenty-three, capturing twelve, and the rest fled. Our army suffered three minor injuries, but no one was killed in action."

Xiao Yunlan nodded: "Tell me in detail."

Zhao Meng then began to explain in detail.

The first group of bandits was encountered about 120 li east of the city.

There was an abandoned fortified village there, with most of the earthen walls collapsed, leaving only a few relatively intact houses and a dilapidated surrounding wall.

Scout Lao Wu was the first to spot them. He lay on a hillside three miles away and kept watch for half an hour. He came back and reported that there were about thirty people inside, both men and women, who did not look like law-abiding citizens.

Zhao Meng didn't rush to make a move.

He led his troops to hide in a dry ditch five miles away from Tunbao, and sent two clever scouts to get closer and take a closer look.

The scout returned before dark and explained the situation: the group was indeed bandits, and judging from their clothes, most of them were deserters, with a few others looking like vagrants.

They had knives and bows, but no armor and no proper leader. They gathered in the fortified village and spent their days robbing passing caravans.

"General, you don't know," Zhao Meng said, "that place is in a tricky location, right on an old trade route. Although large caravans now take the official road, some small-time peddlers who travel alone still take that road because it's a shortcut."

That gang made a living by robbing these street vendors; over the course of a year, they killed at least a dozen people.

Xiao Yunlan listened without interrupting.

Zhao Meng continued speaking.

That night, he divided the team into three groups. He led one group to sneak up from the front, while the other two groups flanked from the sides. They agreed to be in position before dawn and to attack at the same time when they heard the bugle call.

There was no moon that night, and it was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The troops marched in the dark and managed to get to their positions before dawn.

"Just as dawn was breaking, I ordered the bugle to sound," Zhao Meng said. "We charged in from three sides at the same time. Those men were still asleep when they heard the bugle call. They were stunned and jumped up without even bothering to put on their pants."

Several quick-thinking soldiers tried to grab knives, but our veterans took them down one by one. The rest, realizing they couldn't escape, immediately knelt on the ground.

He paused, then said, "It was over in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Our men only had three minor injuries, all from tripping and falling during the charge; nothing serious. Counting the spoils, we had twenty-three heads and twelve prisoners. Few escaped; they all fled to the wasteland to the north, and I didn't pursue them."

Xiao Yunlan asked, "Are there any important people among the prisoners?"

Zhao Meng said, "A few of them were the leaders of that band of thieves, and a few were his henchmen. I had them interrogated separately, and their testimonies matched. They were all deserters and desperados, with no other background."

Xiao Yunlan nodded: "Those who are cleared up will be assigned to labor camps, and those with murder cases will be dealt with according to the law."

Zhao Meng agreed and continued with the second part.

The second stream was encountered on the return journey, located in the valley of a tributary of the upper reaches of the Shuoshui River.

The group consisted of about twenty jackal soldiers who had escaped from the Langrong tribe. They were old and young, and were so thin that they looked like skin and bones. They didn't look like the kind of people who would rob people.

Zhao Meng sent men to call out to them, asking if they were willing to surrender. The jackals discussed it for a while, and in the end, seven or eight of them agreed to come back with them, while the rest went elsewhere.

Zhao Meng said, "Those few jackals, I had them locked up separately. They said they were willing to serve the general, just like the jackals in the camp now."

Xiao Yunlan said, "Let's investigate thoroughly first. If there are no problems, we'll assign them to the auxiliary troops."

Zhao Meng agreed.

He then called the dozen or so new recruits forward so that Xiao Yunlan could take a look.

Xiao Yunlan looked at them one by one. The recruits stood ramrod straight, but the excitement and nervousness in their eyes were unmistakable. One of them had scratches on his face, from a fall during the chase.

"Are you scared?" Xiao Yunlan asked.

The new recruit hesitated for a moment, then honestly replied, "Yes, General, I am afraid. But once the fighting starts, I won't have time to be afraid."

Xiao Yunlan nodded: "It's good that you came back alive from your first battle and didn't let your comrades down. Go and rest. Training will resume as usual tomorrow."

The recruits responded in unison and withdrew.

After everyone had left, Zhao Meng said, "General, these new recruits are alright. It's their first time seeing blood, and not many of them were weak in the knees. Two of them even managed to cut down someone, although they vomited for a long time afterward, but they've managed to get through this ordeal."

Xiao Yunlan said, "After a few more times, they'll get used to it. From now on, we'll send out small teams every month to clear out bandits and familiarize them with the terrain. Let the new recruits take turns going; everyone will have to see blood."

Zhao Meng clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This subordinate understands."