Chapter 153: The Flame Battalion
Chapter 153: The Flame Battalion
September 25, 2017
Many thanks to 'justforlhq' for the generous support!
It seems like many readers have a touch of OCD, leaving those two attribute points untouched.
...
The Iron Stronghold, a large mountain camp located about twenty kilometers from Lu Hai Kong's camp, is nestled deep in the mountains, not far from the direction of the Black Wind Fort.
The fact that this camp is situated deep in the mountains is a telltale sign of a system-generated camp, a high-level monster spawn point.
Up until now, Lu Hai Kong has yet to encounter such a high-level monster spawn point. The exact nature of the camp's production and the quality of items it might yield are still unknown to him. However, if all goes well, he will soon find out, as Lu Hai Kong is currently leading his troops to eradicate the Iron Stronghold.
This time, Lu Hai Kong has brought a relatively small force. He only brought half of the Third Battalion's bandits, and in addition to them, he has a special squad.
This squad is exceptionally well-equipped. Each member wears armor that appears to be extremely expensive, and their weapons are all top-tier. Each of the thirty-four members requires at least one to two thousand gold for their equipment alone.
This squad is comprised of the thirty-four most powerful bandit chiefs from Lu Hai Kong's personally trained general-level team.
Lu Hai Kong had realized some time ago that while his camp seemed to be brimming with talent, aside from this team, there were very few true leaders. In the past three months, the number of near-general-level individuals has grown to nearly a hundred, with over ten of them possessing a strength of 60 or higher. However, there are actually very few generals who can stand on their own.
For this reason, Lu Hai Kong initiated a general training program some time ago. The program involves training far more bandits than just the thirty-four present, with an initial target of three hundred.
Each of them was equipped with various martial arts skills from the start. Lu Hai Kong has already introduced the simplified version of the Wild Wolf Body Tempering Fist, obtained from the Hu Yin Tribe, to his entire army. These three hundred bandits began their training with the authentic Wild Wolf Body Tempering Fist as their foundation, and Lu Hai Kong spared no expense in providing them with additional martial arts skills.
Lu Hai Kong spends at least two hours every day with this squad, and he knows each of the three hundred bandits personally. He has personally laid the foundation for their martial arts skills.
To ensure their comprehensive development, Lu Hai Kong even purchased all available military books through Li Xiong at a hefty price. He personally provided them with military training, which also contributed to his rapid increase in command ability, rising by 15 points in just three months.
This squad is no stranger to intense battles. In fact, they have seen more combat than any other unit in Lu Hai Kong's camp over the past three months.
On average, they spend at least ten days each month outside, clearing out mountain camps, refugee camps, and other monster spawn points. They have eliminated almost all nearby camps, acting solely on Lu Hai Kong's orders without his direct involvement or hidden protection. Lu Hai Kong often assigns them challenging tasks.
This strategy inevitably led to significant casualties for the unit in its early stages. I recall their first mission; despite having thirty-four quasi-commanders, the force of three hundred was reduced to barely two hundred and fifty upon their return. This was the most severe casualty count for the group, even surpassing the total casualties from their subsequent two months of missions.
Despite these circumstances, the unit rapidly grew stronger within a few short months. Although the group currently has only thirty-four bandit chiefs, nearly all of them have unlocked their strength attribute, with most possessing a strength value above 40. Each of these thirty-four bandit chiefs has a strength of over 50, and several have even exceeded 60.
One could say that this unit's strength is now on par with Lu Hai Kong's three battalions. They are one of Lu Hai Kong's greatest achievements over the past three months.
Lu Hai Kong named this unit the 'Flame Battalion,' symbolizing hope and the future. Once Lu Hai Kong's mountain camp is promoted to a large-scale camp, and he increases the number of bandit chiefs under his command, the Flame Battalion's strength will increase significantly. With every member's strength surpassing 50, they will become the most powerful force under Lu Hai Kong's command.
However, the Flame Battalion is not a permanent legion but a temporary force that will eventually be disbanded.
This is not because Lu Hai Kong doesn't need them; rather, having them as a formal legion is far less beneficial to Lu Hai Kong than having them as officers within his military forces.
From the start, Lu Hai Kong cultivated them to become officers, and the effort and resources he invested in each member of the Flame Battalion were immense. There was even a period when Lu Hai Kong nearly exhausted all his resources to train them. It was only after the Flame Battalion began raiding mountain camps, generating profits for the camp, and the gold mine's progress eased Lu Hai Kong's financial strain that he avoided a collapse.
With such a significant investment in the unit, Lu Hai Kong is reluctant to deploy them as a combat force. Moreover, with just over two-hundred-person unit, they can handle bandits, but facing a government army's encirclement and suppression, this force would not be of much use. After all, they are not a genuine legion.
In reality, not only is the Flame Battalion not a legitimate legion, but none of Lu Hai Kong's legions are officially recognized by the system. They are merely Lu Hai Kong's self-organized units for his convenience in command. In the system, all of Lu Hai Kong's three legions are considered mobs, lacking even a basic legion structure.
Only large-scale mountain camps and above can establish genuine legions, and even then, they require specific items to do so.
A genuine legion has significant advantages in battle against mobs, whether in terms of cohesion or combat power enhancement. However, Lu Hai Kong is currently unaware of this, believing his strength is sufficient to dominate Qiangyin County and even the entire Yanmen Prefecture. Once he encounters a well-organized army, he will realize his notions were overly naive.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
