Chapter 236: The Seven Tribes
Chapter 236: The Seven Tribes
September 25, 2017
Lu Hai Kong's letter, written in the morning, reached Wang Jun's hands by the afternoon of the same day.
The letter was a simple update on Lu Hai Kong's situation, ending with an inquiry about Xi Zhong's progress. It suggested that if any issues arose or if Xi Zhong encountered any troubles, he could seek guidance from Li Xiong.
Upon reading this, Wang Jun's mouth hung open, but he couldn't utter a word for a long while.
Why ask about Xi Zhong's progress? It was already perfectly handled! As for seeking guidance from Li Xiong, Xi Zhong had already done that before his departure.
Wang Jun held Xi Zhong in high regard. This person not only possessed exceptional talent but also had a remarkably mild temperament, unlike those who boasted about their abilities.
Wang Jun remembered when Xi Zhong first arrived. After waiting for half a day without meeting Lu Hai Kong, it was Wang Jun who eventually received him. The guard beside Xi Zhong had an impatient look on his face, but Xi Zhong himself remained calm and composed.
Initially, Wang Jun thought Xi Zhong was a deep and calculating person. However, upon closer observation, he noticed that this young man genuinely exuded a natural sense of freedom and ease. Moreover, Xi Zhong conducted himself with remarkable competence. Before leaving, he specifically asked to meet Li Xiong and had an extended conversation with him.
Afterward, Li Xiong informed Wang Jun that Xi Zhong had grasped the information he sought within half an hour of their meeting. Nonetheless, Xi Zhong remained seated, earnestly seeking Li Xiong's guidance on certain matters. It wasn't a superficial request for advice but a genuine pursuit of understanding from a different perspective.
This behavior demonstrated Xi Zhong's profound respect for Li Xiong. In a brief meeting of just 24 hours, Xi Zhong had already won Li Xiong's favor.
Xi Zhong also showcased his abilities during the Qiang Yin incident. His approach to the Qiang Yin clan wasn't one of pure exploitation but aimed to maximize benefits for the mountain fort.
Xi Zhong's pursuit was a state of harmony, and he successfully achieved it. He obtained what the fort deserved from the clan while simultaneously soothing the clan's emotions to the greatest extent. According to Xi Zhong's explanation to Wang Jun,
Xi Zhong's strategy regarding the clan was ultimately to transform them into vassals of the mountain fort. Gradually and without any signs, he aimed to make the clan the most loyal supporters of the fort. However, this process required time.
When Lu Hai Kong mentioned Xi Zhong, Wang Jun felt an urge to rush over and bring Lu Hai Kong back. How could he, as the lord, not properly recruit such a talented individual? Instead, he was wasting his efforts on conquering the Hun tribes. If this talent were to slip away, the loss to Lu Hai Kong would be equivalent to an entire grassland.
Lu Hai Kong was unaware of Wang Jun's complaints. He didn't know the true extent of Xi Zhong's capabilities, a seemingly ordinary and unknown person. At this moment, Lu Hai Kong had only one priority: to restore his strength as quickly as possible.
With Ma Pin's continuous supply of various medicinal herbs, Lu Hai Kong's recovery and cultivation of the "Purple Aura Ascending Dragon Technique" progressed smoothly.
Within three days, Lu Hai Kong's injuries were completely healed, thanks to the "Purple Aura Ascending Dragon Technique" and his robust physique. This technique also saw significant progress, though it was still some distance away from the third level, likely requiring at least one or two more months to break through.
During Lu Hai Kong's recovery period, Qi Qi Ge frequently visited him. Although she was quite attractive, each of her visits stirred an impulse in Lu Hai Kong to punch her.
At the heart of the matter was the woman's unwavering arrogance. Each time she came, she positioned herself in a superior manner, and her dominant attitude was so intense that even Ma Pin, hiding nearby, struggled to contain his killing intent on several occasions.
After Qi Qi Ge left, Ma Pin repeatedly petitioned Lu Hai Kong to eliminate this unruly woman, shouting about protecting the dignity of their lord.
To appease Ma Pin, Lu Hai Kong had no choice but to assign him to gather intelligence on several nearby Hun tribes.
These Hun tribes had previously been scouted by the Flame Battalion, but due to their inadequate infiltration skills, the battalion only gathered a rough understanding of the tribes' basic information. Concerned about alerting the Huns, they didn't delve deeper into the tribes' affairs.
Coincidentally, the Shadow Guard was in the area, and Lu Hai Kong assigned this task to Ma Pin.
The Shadow Guard seemed to possess many talented individuals, and within less than three days, they delivered comprehensive intelligence on all the Hun tribes within a hundred li radius to Lu Hai Kong.
There were seven tribes in the vicinity: Uyun, He Sui, Tie Fu, Fu, Zhi, Feng, and Lan.
The first three tribes had populations exceeding ten thousand, with the Uyun tribe surpassing twenty thousand, and even the smallest, the Tie Fu tribe, numbering over sixteen thousand. Clearly, the populations of these three tribes surpassed the limit of a medium-sized fort, and they should have been within Lu Hai Kong's reach through the use of the 'Dominion Formation Token'. This intelligence left Lu Hai Kong somewhat disappointed.
As for the remaining Fu, Zhi, and Lan tribes, the Fu tribe had a population of around ten thousand, while the smallest, the Lan tribe, still had five to six thousand. These tribes were significantly larger than the Hun tribe Lu Hai Kong had previously defeated. Together, these seven tribes had a population of seventy to eighty thousand, capable of mobilizing twenty to thirty thousand warriors at any moment. This number far exceeded the data provided by the Flame Battalion to Lu Hai Kong.
The reason for this discrepancy was that the Flame Battalion members only scouted the smaller tribes at the back. Due to their geographical distance from the larger tribes, the Flame Battalion members didn't discover the front three major tribes.
Lu Hai Kong was startled upon learning of this situation. He never imagined that these seven or eight Hun tribes would have such a large population.
Lu Hai Kong had always assumed that the Huns numbered only two to three hundred thousand, but now, suddenly, there were nearly eighty thousand more. This realization once again underscored the importance of intelligence for Lu Hai Kong.
This incident infuriated Lu Hai Kong, who immediately wrote a letter to reprimand Wang Yi. However, he didn't overly blame Wang Yi but instead resolved to prioritize intelligence gathering in the future.
This also meant that the Shadow Guard would gain more favor from Lu Hai Kong, although they too had their shortcomings. The Shadow Guard's specialty was infiltration and assassination, and their intelligence skills were not as professional as their infiltration abilities, which simply outperformed the Flame Battalion.
In the future, Lu Hai Kong would likely need to establish a dedicated intelligence unit or reorganize the Shadow Guard, separating those skilled in infiltration and assassination from those adept at intelligence gathering.
(End of Chapter)
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