Chapter 519: So-called

According to the military orders issued by Du Tiechuan, even if the Red Flower Battalion bought out their entire quota, the heavy armor obtained would not be enough to cover all the soldiers of the Red Flower Battalion.

Because the great decisive battle was approaching, all the armies had been conducting recruitment and frequent military drills these past few days.

This plunged Unlike Ning Zhuo into a dilemma.

Should he choose Mu Lan, or choose Liu Er?

The more Unlike Ning Zhuo thought about it, the harder it was to decide.

Both of them were Jin Dan stage cultivators.

In terms of combat power, Mu Lan was clearly superior.

Once she unleashed her divine ability, the Red Heart Swan Arrow, paired with her weapon, the Red Phoenix Bow, and the Heart-Burning Arrow, her combat power would soar to an exaggerated degree—reaching a level rivaling the peak of the Nascent Soul stage!

As for Liu Er's combat power, it was also quite considerable, placing him in the top tier of the Jin Dan level.

In terms of status, Mu Lan was the sole heir to the Mansion of Grand General Mu of the Liangzhu Kingdom, firmly among the high command of the Liangzhu Kingdom. However, the entire Mansion of Grand General Mu was in a precarious situation, coveted by the imperial court. Even the monarch of the Liangzhu Kingdom had attempted to abolish it.

Liu Er also had status, and his background was even greater—he was a royal clansman of the Blood Slaughter Dynasty. However, while this status would have been supreme within the Blood Slaughter Dynasty, in the present day, it was not highly valued; it was merely a title.

Furthermore, Liu Er's own identity as a human-demon hybrid was not well-received by the mainstream of the current cultivation world.

In terms of financial resources.

Mu Lan was very poor, and Liu Er was even poorer.

In terms of relationships.

Even though Mu Lan and the Mansion of Grand General Mu were in a precarious situation, they still had certain connections within the imperial court of the Liangzhu Kingdom.

Liu Er was very weak in this regard, but from the Yin-Yang Qi Pot, Unlike Ning Zhuo could vaguely sense that Liu Er's background was not as simple and superficial as it appeared on the surface.

Mu Lan and Unlike Ning Zhuo were in a marriage relationship, but in essence, it was a layer of interest-based alliance.

The interest-based alliance between Liu Er and Unlike Ning Zhuo was actually closer and more solid than that between Mu Lan and Unlike Ning Zhuo. Because a long time ago, Unlike Ning Zhuo had begun investing in the Three Generals.

Up to now, Unlike Ning Zhuo has also consistently been the Three Generals Camp's biggest financier!

Unlike Ning Zhuo pondered in silence for a moment, subconsciously stroking the mechanical ring on his finger.

Unfortunately, under these circumstances, it did not involve his own personal safety, so the mechanical ring remained motionless, without any reaction.

Unlike Ning Zhuo smiled slightly: "Two Generals, I have an immature idea."

"Have the two of you ever thought about... merging into one army?"

Unlike Ning Zhuo glanced at Mu Lan, then looked at Liu Er: "Our heavy armor is limited and can only cover a little over half of the soldiers."

"Under these circumstances, the Three Generals Battalion could cull some soldiers and merge into the Red Flower Battalion."

"After this great battle ends, we can separate and reorganize; that is also feasible."

Mu Lan's eyes lit up: "This method is quite good."

"If it were normal times, my Red Flower Battalion would never accept so many outsiders. It is mainly because the Red Flower Battle Formation requires experienced hands and years of training."

"For us, it is definitely not the case that the more soldiers added, the better."

"But this grand battle is meant to carry out Commander Du's military strategy, 'Iron Torrent Leveling the Plains.' Therefore, the Red Flower Battle Formation cannot be formed, and it is even possible to win in a single battle. Thus, it is not unacceptable to add many outsiders."

Liu Er, on the other hand, looked troubled: "General Mu Lan, Military Advisor, please allow me to go back and consider it."

Mu Lan snorted coldly: "Then you must decide as soon as possible."

She no longer looked at Liu Er, but turned her gaze to Unlike Ning Zhuo: "Husband, let's not talk about other things first; let's go to the quartermaster together and buy our full quota."

Unlike Ning Zhuo bowed and smiled bitterly: "General Mu Lan, it is better to just address me by my name or military rank. Our relationship is also a twist of fate and cannot be taken seriously."

Mu Lan waved her hand: "I am the daughter of a military family and have never cared about such trivial matters as titles."

"War is dangerous; compared to life, what is mere reputation?"

"Life and death are the important things!"

"Let's go quickly."

Mu Lan urged him repeatedly, so Unlike Ning Zhuo had no choice but to apologize to Liu Er and leave with Mu Lan.

Liu Er looked unhappy and walked back to the Three Generals Battalion with a heavy heart.

"I bear the King's command, and I have also aspired since childhood to establish a kingdom for demon cultivators."

"Master has looked after me, and it is best to maintain a state of standing on my own."

"If I cannot lead an army alone, it will be difficult for the credit to be assigned to me. After all, I am just a human-demon hybrid."

"Sigh, Master, where are you? What should I do?"

Liu Er estimated that the best situation would be for Unlike Ning Zhuo to favor the Three Generals Battalion and give all the heavy armor on hand to the Three Generals Battalion to use.

But Liu Er put himself in their shoes and felt that this possibility was slim.

"Unlike Ning Zhuo and Mu Lan are, after all, a married couple. And Mu Lan's status is noble, and her background is far superior to mine."

"Although Unlike Ning Zhuo is a young man with a hot heart, he comes from a great clan, and his ability to weigh pros and cons is sufficient."

"If he ultimately chooses to favor the Red Flower Battalion, I would not be surprised at all, and I would understand it exceptionally well."

"What should I do?"

Unlike Ning Zhuo had provided too much funding to the Three Generals Battalion, and Liu Er realized at this moment that he had no qualifications to persuade Unlike Ning Zhuo at all.

Liu Er then thought of the Yin-Yang Qi Pot.

"If I were to gift this item, would it make Unlike Ning Zhuo favor us more?"

He shook his head and smiled bitterly.

When he was about to reach the gate of the Three Generals Battalion's camp, Liu Er had a new idea.

He thought of someone.

"Perhaps, I can ask him for help?"

Bai Yu Battalion.

Seeing Shuang Jing stood in front of the main general's tent, smiling, welcoming Unlike Ning Zhuo's arrival.

"Little friend Unlike Ning Zhuo, please come in." Seeing Shuang Jing gestured with his hand.

Unlike Ning Zhuo immediately bowed, expressing that he was flattered to receive such courtesy from Lord Seeing Shuang Jing.

Although he had once vehemently refused Seeing Shuang Jing's recruitment, after the Mu Lan incident, he hosted a banquet for all the parties involved and, through his own methods, actually greatly eased the relationship between himself and all sides.

Among them was his relationship with Seeing Shuang Jing.

Seeing Shuang Jing looked at the young man in white before him and sighed in his heart at Unlike Ning Zhuo's fortuitous encounters. Before this, he would never have expected that this sixteen-year-old little Foundation Establishment cultivator could become Mu Lan's husband and the son-in-law of the Mansion of Grand General Mu!

The reason he stood in front of the tent to welcome him was naturally not because of Unlike Ning Zhuo himself, but because of this status he held in the Mansion of Grand General Mu.

Unlike Ning Zhuo was led into the tent and quickly explained his purpose.

It turned out that although the Bai Yu Battalion had a quota for heavy armor, they had not used a single one.

This was not because the Bai Yu Battalion did not have the money to buy them, but because they were too wealthy, their military equipment was sufficient, and they had even better heavy armor themselves, which meant they did not need to purchase any from outside.

After the ambush, the Bai Yu Battalion suffered heavy casualties, and because the old monster Daoist Shi Zhong was plundering everywhere, they lost most of their military supplies.

But after returning to Canglin Immortal City to rest, Seeing Shuang Jing rebuilt the Bai Yu Battalion on a large scale.

His financial resources were indeed not as abundant as before, but the forces behind him were all exerting their strength, bringing him new support, one after another providing money and people.

And his aunt, Shuang Ling, was a signature figure at the Nascent Soul level within the Liangzhu Kingdom's royal family, who was wealthy herself and could leverage the resources of the family and allies better than Seeing Shuang Jing.

Shuang Ling's arrival brought a huge investment to the Bai Yu Battalion.

The Three Generals Battalion, the Red Flower Battalion, the Savage Demon Battalion, and the Golden Halberd Army had all entered the Thousand Peaks Forest under the new military orders.

While they were fighting fiercely and conquering along the way, the Bai Yu Battalion had been resting in Wood Wheel Town, training troops frantically, and their momentum was growing day by day.

Hearing Unlike Ning Zhuo's request, Seeing Shuang Jing took a sip of tea and did not agree immediately, but he did not refuse immediately either.

He was thinking about what kind of conditions would be appropriate to propose.

Just then, the military seal in his bosom moved slightly, secretly conveying the latest intelligence to him.

"Oh? Liu Er is also coming to visit me?"

"Interesting..."

Seeing Shuang Jing looked at Unlike Ning Zhuo, and a plan immediately came to his mind.

He smiled slightly and said to Unlike Ning Zhuo: "Little friend Unlike Ning Zhuo, please go to the inner room and wait for a while. I have another guest here that I need to deal with."

Even though Unlike Ning Zhuo and Liu Er had a close relationship, he did not inform Unlike Ning Zhuo of the visitor's identity.

Unlike Ning Zhuo smiled and immediately stood up: "The guest follows the host's convenience."

He then followed Seeing Shuang Jing's guidance, entered the inner room, and sat down.

Seeing Shuang Jing pointed to the bookshelf on the side: "I have some leisure books here, little friend Unlike Ning Zhuo, why don't you read a few to pass the time. I will quickly deal with the visitor, and then we will continue our talk."

Liu Er followed a Jin Dan level deputy general and shuttled through the camp of the Bai Yu Battalion.

Tall white jade stone walls surrounded the camp. The anti-cavalry obstacles were all carved from white jade, and talismans were layered upon layers.

The watchtowers were all built-up towers, standing tall and straight, with vast space at the top of the towers, and each tower was equipped with mechanical bed crossbows.

Bai Yu military flags fluttered on the flagpoles. In the dragon-shaped patterns depicted with silver thread, the dragon eyes flickered, as if they could spread their wings and fly at any time.

The soldiers were training in the wide field, each riding a mountain goat, galloping and jumping all around.

This made Liu Er exceptionally envious, because so far, the Three Generals Battalion had not been equipped with mounts.

Compared to the Bai Yu Battalion, even though the Three Generals Battalion had received Unlike Ning Zhuo's funding, it still appeared shabby and poor.

Liu Er stood in front of the main general's tent and asked to see him in a loud voice.

Unlike Ning Zhuo in the inner room heard the familiar voice and was about to stand up.

Seeing Shuang Jing immediately activated the power of the tent, placing Unlike Ning Zhuo under house arrest in the inner room. Although he could move freely in the inner room, no movement could be conveyed out.

Seeing Shuang Jing smiled, sipped his tea leisurely, and then spoke: "Come in."

Liu Er hung his head and bent his waist, lifted a corner of the curtain door a little, and then, with a respectful look, lowered his body and shrank into the tent.

Incense was lit in the tent, and a quiet and secluded atmosphere permeated the air.

Seeing Shuang Jing sat upright above, his bearing graceful, his eyes deep, and every move revealed a noble arrogance.

"Liu Er, what is your purpose for coming?" Seeing Shuang Jing asked directly, his tone flat, and he did not invite Liu Er to take a seat; his attitude was not polite.

Liu Er cupped his hands and bowed: "Lord Seeing Shuang Jing, the reason I came this time is that I heard you still have a quota for heavy armor, so I wanted to ask for some."

"During the previous ambush, my Three Generals Battalion helped the Red Flower Battalion get rid of Ma Feitui's entanglement. The Red Flower Battalion came to reinforce your army, and my Three Generals Battalion can be considered to have indirectly contributed."

"I hope you can take this matter into account and accommodate us a little."

Seeing Shuang Jing remained silent for a long time.

Liu Er felt disappointed and strange, so he slowly raised his head, just in time to see Seeing Shuang Jing drinking tea leisurely, watching him quietly. That face, like a sculpture, was full of arrogance and aloofness, and his gaze also carried a heavy sense of looking down.

"Liu Er."

Seeing Shuang Jing spoke: "You seem to have underestimated the difficulty of this matter."

"Admittedly, I could use the quota to purchase heavy armor from the quartermaster and then pass it on to you."

"But this, in fact, is not what Commander Du wants to see."

Liu Er was slightly stunned.

Seeing Shuang Jing continued: "Commander Du, this person, seems fair and just, but in reality, he has his own thoughts."

"Do you think that this heavy armor quota was just the quartermaster distributing it evenly according to the number of heavy armors?"

"Heh, don't be naive."

"This was originally Commander Du's deliberate arrangement!"

"He wants the heavy armor quota to be less than the total number of your armies, inducing you to merge and cut down on personnel."

"Ultimately, through the standard line of the Iron Flow Flat River, he will eliminate unqualified armies."

"The eliminated armies will no longer share in the battle merits, and it will save a large amount of military supplies."

"Do you know how much he invested in building the reviewing stand this time?"

Seeing Shuang Jing held up three fingers: "Conservatively estimated, at least three million top-grade spirit stones!"

"Therefore, he wants to sell heavy armor at a high price."

"He also wants to eliminate a large number of your personnel and streamline the entire army."

"After this great decisive battle, the remaining friendly armies will almost certainly all have been blessed by the military strategy Iron Flow Flat River. Therefore, they will all owe him a favor, feel grateful to him, and even be loyal to him."

"This is Commander Du's method. Even if you know it, you are forced to act according to his orders."

"So, it seems like I did you a small favor, but in reality, it ruined Commander Du's plan."

"The invisible price I have to pay is much greater than you imagine, and even difficult to measure. Do you understand now?"

Liu Er's expression was dull, frozen in place, speechless for a moment.

The Liangzhu Kingdom was short of troops, and the several main armies had their own defensive lines to guard. One move affects the whole situation, so neither of the Liangzhu Kingdom's monarchs had mobilized them.

He had collected them from various aspects this time, and even issued a recruitment order, recruiting many new troops.

Didn't the three of Liu, Guan, and Zhang form the Three Generals Battalion through the recruitment order and then investing their own money?

High-clan descendants like Seeing Shuang Jing were also not from orthodox military backgrounds. This time, he and the family behind him also saw this opportunity, so they chose to invest in forming an army to participate in this great conquest.

This meant that most of the army commanded by Du Tiechuan was a new army, each with its own origins and background.

Except for the Vanguard Army.

The Vanguard Army was a regular army of the Liangzhu Kingdom, but unfortunately, it was currently wrapped in poisonous miasma, and the inside story was unknown.

Du Tiechuan was worthy of being one of the Grand Generals. After the failure of the plan for the Mechanical Princess Shuang Ling's Mountain-Stepping Wheel mechanism, he immediately switched to the second plan.

Before dealing with the enemy troops in the Thousand Peaks Forest, the great strategy of Iron Flow Flat River first integrated internally, unified the pace, and made everyone more closely united around him, Du Tiechuan, than before!

Seeing Shuang Jing tapped the table with his fingers and exclaimed: "I have to say, Commander Du's methods are quite brilliant."

"It was clearly eliminating dissidents, but the result was so grand that people couldn't pick out any faults."

"Moreover, he also used both soft and hard tactics, not just being tough."

"Do you think the so-called Iron Skin Meat Armor Technique was just released by his deputy general personally?"

Seeing Shuang Jing sneered: "This must have been authorized by Du Tiechuan!" ===== CHAPTER 520 =====