Chapter 275: Clear Proof

After crossing out more than half the roster, only eighty people remained for this round of Foundation Establishment attempts.

When Ji Weiwei Yuan arrived at the drill ground, several thousand people were already seated around the perimeter; almost all the captives were present.

Originally, only those who had achieved Great Success in Body Forging and Bone Tempering were invited to observe the ceremony, but after word spread, even those who had already established their Dao Foundations rushed over. They had found their own Foundation Establishment to be a journey fraught with difficulties, yet here in Qingming, the Dao Foundation seemed to be within easy reach—they had to come and see for themselves.

Among the ten people on the drill ground, several were widely recognized as having dull aptitude and being incapable of establishing a Dao Foundation; no one knew why they had been selected. If these people could succeed, then there would be no one left who couldn't.

Seeing that almost all the surrendered soldiers were present, Ji Weiwei Yuan changed his mind on the spot. He walked before them and said in a deep voice, "Up to this moment, I have not received a single letter to ransom anyone. This means that you are all useless dregs, waste—no one even intends to ransom you! If you were truly of any use, you wouldn't be sitting here."

Some in the crowd looked blank, some ashamed, but others glared with murderous intent.

Ji Weiwei Yuan took in everyone's reaction and then said, "But in Qingming, your past is not important. Whether you are mediocre or waste, you all have a chance to improve in Qingming. Those ten people were lucky to be chosen directly, and your luck is not so good. But that doesn't matter; what luck lacks can be made up for with merit. Just watch!"

The time had arrived. Ji Weiwei Yuan activated 'Momentary Sentience' twice to warm everyone up, and then the formal Dao Foundation establishment began.

The cultivators patrolling the drill ground were now very familiar with the process; Cui Yu, Wang Yu, and Xu Yi were all on the field. During the two 'Momentary Sentience' sessions, the potential Dao Foundations each person might form had already manifested, so they had a good idea of what to expect.

As the Dao Foundation establishment began, Heaven and Earth spiritual energy appeared one after another after a short while. Some found it easy to condense their Dao Foundation, but for most, it was extremely difficult. The three of them—Cui Yu and the others—would intervene from time to time, pulling those who had gone astray back onto the right path. Doing this actually affected the quality of the final Dao Foundation, but the people on the field had no hope of advancing to the Dao Foundation realm anyway, so there was no room for the quality to drop further; they could act without restraint.

With people watching over them and the added power of the 'Jia Wood Life Profound' force, more than ten out of the eighty-plus people successfully established their Dao Foundations in the end—seven out of the ten captives had condensed their foundations!

Seeing so many people establish their Dao Foundations, all the captives were in an uproar.

Ji Weiwei Yuan came before them again and said, "In Qingming, what you receive is not just poison, but also traces of immortality. You need not be anxious; as long as you have merit, you can have a Dao Foundation."

A few days later, the captives' merit was arranged: the military fortress in the south of the domain.

This fortress was garrisoned by two thousand men and was the gateway to Quliu Town; the garrison commander, Li Shuangchen, was naturally a trusted aide of Yuan Qingyan.

The Maofei Zhan Tian Gang mobilized once more. This time, the original imperial troops and the Xu family's private army disguised themselves as horse bandits, sweeping south in a grand force and directly surrounding the fortress. As a die-hard aide of Yuan Qingyan, Li Shuangchen was quite spirited; he would rather die in battle than surrender.

In the end, Wang Yu went out to challenge him to a duel. Under Wang Yu's 'Heavenly Eye' divine ability, Li Shuangchen fought with his hands tied, all his intentions seen through, and he was ultimately defeated and killed in a calm and predictable manner.

With the main commander dead, the morale of the fortress plummeted by more than half, but there were still many who resisted to the death. Although the Western Jin government was corrupt, it had accumulated several hundred years of foundation after all, and it had not yet reached the point of boiling public resentment; there were often capable soldiers in the army.

Ji Weiwei Yuan stood immediately below the fortress and said, "My Maofei Zhan Tian Gang's mission this time is directed only at the national traitor Yuan Qingyan; those uninvolved should not seek their own deaths. As long as you put down your blades and spears, we will take the grain and leave. Now I will count to three; those who do not put down their weapons will be killed without mercy!"

His voice echoed above the entire fortress, allowing everyone to hear it clearly.

At this moment, the fortress was surrounded by thousands of people, with hundreds of masked knights sitting in the outer perimeter. And the opponent had casually sent a knight over to kill Li Shuangchen in a fair one-on-one duel. Many soldiers in the fortress began to waver; after all, not everyone was willing to sell their lives for Yuan Qingyan.

Or to look at it from another angle, Yuan Qingyan had nothing worth selling one's life for.

"One, two..." Ji Weiwei Yuan's calm voice echoed above the fortress, and then, one after another, the soldiers put down their blades and spears.

A captain suddenly revealed a ferocious expression and shouted, "You are surrendering to the enemy before the battle! By law, you should be beheaded!" He swung his broadsword, cutting down several soldiers who had dropped their weapons in one go.

At this moment, two knights outside the fortress waved their hands and released immortal swords. The sword light circled the captain a few times, and his four limbs were severed. The grand army arrayed outside the fortress finally moved, rushing onto the ramparts like a pack of wolves, and a moment later, they killed every soldier who was still resisting.

The captain was still wailing and cursing on the side when suddenly a boot stepped on his head. Then, a somewhat condescending voice came from above: "What kind of thing is that Yuan Qingyan, that he is worth you risking your lives to follow?"

The captain spat and said, "Yuan my lord may have a thousand faults, but he is of commoner origin, having fought his way up from the bottom just like us. I, your father, only respect such a man! As for you lot, what immortal sects, what noble families—what are you without those?"

The voice above said, "Not much, but I can still crush you, this ant."

That foot stepped down heavily, and blood and brains splattered everywhere.

Below the fortress, Ji Weiwei Yuan frowned slightly, not quite understanding why Cui Yu had suddenly acted with such ruthlessness; killing him would have been enough, there seemed to be no need to make it like this. Cui Yu had felt wrong these past few days, appearing somewhat irritable and anxious.

At this point, everyone who dared to resist had been slaughtered. Several masked knights drove the surrendered soldiers out of the fortress and lined them up in the open space, and then thousands of troops flooded into the fortress, carrying away everything useful like locusts.

Afterwards, a knight came before the surrendered soldiers and said, "Those willing to join the Maofei Zhan Tian Gang, step forward. Joining us means a bright future, and your immortal path can be continued! It doesn't matter if you don't want to join; just stand here and don't move."

There were still fifteen or sixteen hundred surviving soldiers, and in the end, only a dozen or so stepped forward. These people looked like the usual punching bags who had been bullied in the army.

A moment later, the fortress was emptied, and the army began to move slowly north. Ji Weiwei Yuan came before the surrendered soldiers and said, "You are very sensible, so you have saved your lives this time. Remember to tell those around you when you go back: whoever follows Yuan Qingyan, we will send them to the West, without any mercy. I want to see how many dog lives Yuan my lord can buy."

——

In Dingbian City, Ningxi Prefecture, Yuan Qingyan walked hurriedly into Chen Dao's study and bowed, saying, "I do not know why the Provincial Governor has urgently summoned this subordinate?"

!.

Chen Dao raised an eyebrow and said unhurriedly, "I summoned Yuan my lord here to ask how your strategy of cutting off the grain is being implemented."

Yuan Qingyan said, "It has already taken effect; the thieves will run out of grain in these few days. Perhaps they are already trading children to eat."

Chen Dao placed an official document before Yuan Qingyan and said, "I heard that a military fortress under Yuan my lord's jurisdiction was raided by horse bandits, suffering heavy losses. Why is there no report?"

Yuan Qingyan did not change his expression and said, "I am currently taking stock of the losses; I will report it all together after investigating clearly. Actually, the losses are not great, merely four hundred soldiers and several days' worth of military grain in the camp."

Chen Dao narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "Merely four hundred soldiers... human life is not very valuable in your eyes, Yuan my lord!"

Yuan Qingyan said indifferently, "They joined the army; dying on the battlefield is their duty. As long as they die for a worthy cause, let alone four hundred, even four thousand or forty thousand is as it should be. But the horse bandits are rampant, daring to openly attack a military fortress and kill officers; this is no different from rebellion. I have repeatedly reported and requested troops to suppress them; I do not know why the Provincial Governor is sitting idly by?"

"Don't you have a channel that reaches the ears of Heaven? Why don't you send it there? Why must it pass through my hands?" Chen Dao contained a hint of sarcasm.

Yuan Qingyan frowned slightly and said, "Reporting layer by layer when encountering matters is the proper path. Only if I discover acts of disloyalty will I find a way to reach the ears of Heaven."

The threat in these words was very obvious. The corners of Chen Dao's eyes twitched slightly, but he was a man of deep cunning and suppressed his temper deep within his heart, saying, "I only meant to remind Magistrate Yuan that your plan to cut off their food supply might have variables."

Yuan Qingyan said decisively, "There won't be! The thieves are arrogant, attacking the fortress, but afterwards they swept the military grain clean and, contrary to their usual behavior, did not take any captives. This is clearly clear proof that they have already run out of grain!"

"I hope so." Chen Dao did not want to say more and picked up his teacup.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 276 =====