Chapter 106: Enormous Wealth
Chapter 106: Enormous Wealth
September 25, 2017
Special thanks to 'Yin Yaya' for their generous rewards and support!
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Lu HaiKong had initially attempted this on a whim, not expecting much, but to his surprise, the process unfolded unexpectedly smoothly.
Wang Ti effortlessly assumed the role of Chief Bandit of Blackwind Fort, and with that, the fort automatically became a subordinate stronghold under Lu HaiKong's command, similar in nature to the previous auxiliary forts of Blackwind.
This was a significant boon for Lu HaiKong, who had been worrying about how to transfer resources. Now, with Blackwind Fort in his possession, he no longer had that concern.
However, inheriting Blackwind Fort wasn't without drawbacks. Since it had become Lu HaiKong's auxiliary fort, the moment Wang Ti took over as Chief Bandit, the once-grand Blackwind Fort was instantly downgraded to a small fort.
The various high-level facilities that the fort had painstakingly developed over a decade or more, including the level 20 camp barracks and assembly hall, were instantly reduced to level 1. It was common knowledge that upgrading a camp barracks to level 20 required an enormous amount of wealth—tens of thousands of gold coins—all of which were now gone in an instant.
Fortunately, Lu HaiKong was unaware of this, or perhaps these resources were never his to begin with, so he didn't feel the loss.
Despite the fort's downgrade, its supplies remained intact. Upon taking control of Blackwind Fort, Lu HaiKong's first order of business was to secure the fort's warehouse and barracks.
As soon as Wang Ti became Chief Bandit, Lu HaiKong immediately invested 30,000 gold coins to upgrade all the fort's structures to level 10. He then placed the Elite Bandit Recruitment Order he had obtained from Li Hu into the camp barracks.
With the order in place, the camp barracks gained an additional recruitable unit: the Elite Bandits.
The regular bandits were similar to those Lu HaiKong had encountered before, with attributes comparable to a bandit leader. Recruiting one cost 1 gold coin, and they could recruit 20 of them daily, not including horses.
The newly added Elite Bandits, on the other hand, were of a different caliber. With a strength of 20, proficient in Horse Riding at level 10, Basic Gun Technique at level 10, and Basic Archery at level 10, they required 50 gold coins to recruit, also excluding horses, and only 5 could be recruited daily.
Lu HaiKong was satisfied with the attributes of the Elite Bandits but dissatisfied with the speed of recruitment in the camp barracks. With this rate, they could only recruit 25 Elite Bandits in a day, a few hundred in ten days or more, which was insufficient, especially with the approaching winter. Even the immediate task of managing the aftermath with the current 25 bandits seemed challenging.
Fortunately, when Wang Ti became Chief Bandit, he also inherited the remaining bandits from Blackwind Fort, including a nearly intact auxiliary fort with around 100-200 bandits and about 500 regular bandits left in the main fort. As for near-general-level bandits, there was only one in the auxiliary fort, while all those in the main fort had been taken away by Li Hu, leaving Lu HaiKong to deal with them.
These bandits, unlike the regular ones, seemed to be NPCs with high intelligence. After Lu HaiKong occupied the fort, these bandits were anxious, and some even attempted to escape.
Fortunately, Lu HaiKong acted decisively and immediately put Li Xiong, the former second-in-command of Blackwind Fort, into action. With Li Xiong's help, the situation was quickly stabilized, and the operation to annihilate Blackwind Fort officially entered its final stage.
This phase of the operation, when described, sounds simple—merely a matter of consolidating the resources from Blackwind Fort's auxiliary forts and either returning them to Lu HaiKong's Flame Yellow Fort or his main fort.
It's a straightforward task in theory, but in practice, it's quite challenging due to the sheer volume of work involved. Blackwind Fort had accumulated an abundance of resources, presenting Lu HaiKong with a delightful yet daunting task.
This wrap-up process began immediately after Lu HaiKong seized control of Blackwind Fort, and it took a full seven days to complete the initial phase.
After seven days of tallying, Lu HaiKong's campaign against Blackwind Fort yielded impressive results: two forts (including Blackwind Fort and one auxiliary fort), 200,000 gold, 1,000 tons of grain, 1,000 horses, and an additional batch of tea, wine, weapons, and winter supplies like cotton-padded clothes and charcoal, estimated by Li Xiong to be worth 30,000 gold, intended for trade with the Xianbei Tribe.
As Lu HaiKong reviewed this data, he finally realized the extent of his newfound wealth.
Just a week ago, Lu HaiKong had been struggling with financial and food concerns, but now he found himself with seemingly endless wealth and more grain than he could ever consume.
And these were just the material gains; more importantly, by taking over Blackwind Fort, Lu HaiKong gained control of a force of around 700 bandits. This force would allow him to rescue more civilians from the hands of foreign tribes during the harsh winter, laying the foundation for the rapid development of his own fort.
The weather in Qiang Yin County had been getting colder over the past few days. When Lu HaiKong attacked Blackwind Fort, the temperature was around minus ten degrees, but it had dropped to just a few degrees within a few days. Even Lu HaiKong would feel cold without an extra layer, let alone the ordinary bandits.
"Winter is approaching, and there's so much to do. We need to send another batch of gold and grain to Wang Fat, get some more winter clothing, prepare the rewards we planned, and properly handle the trade goods for the Xianbei Tribe..."
Lu HaiKong silently calculated the tasks ahead, feeling overwhelmed but also fulfilled by the busyness of it all.
In this world without smartphones or computers, Lu HaiKong, once a slacker, now embraced the responsibilities of leading an entire fort, gradually transforming into a more diligent individual.
"It's decided. Everyone's gathered at Blackwind Fort. Let's get the rewards sorted first."
Lu HaiKong stood up, ready to prepare for the upcoming loot distribution meeting, when Li Xiong burst in, his face filled with urgency.
"My lord, something's wrong! A man has barged in, specifically asking to see you by name. He's too strong; we can't stop him!"
Lu HaiKong's mind immediately went to the summoning talisman he had used just seven days ago...
(End of Chapter)
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