Longzang

Chapter 64 Heading to the Front Lines
Before dawn the next day, urgent bells rang out from the giant ship. Wei Yuan awoke from his meditation, leaped to his feet, and rushed towards the main hall for preparations. The urgent bells were a signal for an emergency assembly; everyone had to reach the main hall within thirty breaths.

The atmosphere in the main hall was tense and solemn. It was filled with supplies, with a mountain of crates on the left and standard armor and weapons on the right.

Master Liu, who was originally dressed in a Taoist robe, had now changed into armor, instantly transforming from a refined and dignified man into someone exuding murderous intent. Once everyone had arrived, Master Liu waved his hand, and a huge map appeared behind him. The map was drawn in great detail, showing nine counties and hundreds of scattered villages.

"Our ship is responsible for defending the western half of Bianning County, which has 500,000 households and 5,000 border troops. These are your assigned defense zones, so remember them well."

The map was filled with dense information, and Wei Yuan immediately located his defense zone, which included three villages arranged in a triangular pattern. Border villages are usually fortified with walls, essentially functioning as fortified villages. Wei Yuan also memorized the defense zones of the others, as they had as well. For cultivators who had achieved mastery of spiritual refinement, such memories were generally unforgettable.

"Now everyone come and collect your supplies. On the left are military supplies; each person can carry three boxes. On the right are armor and weapons; choose as you see fit. Oh, and one more thing: if you're not from a powerful clan, you'd better change your robes for armor! Except for the best quality, lower-quality robes aren't as useful on the battlefield as armor. Besides, do you want to be a sitting duck dressed in fancy clothes on the battlefield?"

Wei Yuan collected his military supplies, armor, and weapons, then returned to his quarters to put them on. Half an hour later, the bell rang again, and Wei Yuan went to the cabin below deck. Several small flying boats were parked side by side there, and the open space was full of young cultivators in armor and backpacks. Several armored Taoist priests shouted loudly, pushing the cultivators into the small boats one by one, and the large cabin was noisy.

Wei Yuan turned around and saw Zhang Sheng standing in the shadows outside the cabin door, quietly watching him. Wei Yuan waved vigorously, picked up the three supply crates tied together on his back, and walked towards his assigned airship.

A burly Taoist priest in armor kept shouting, "Hurry up! Get on the ship! The Liao barbarians won't wait for you to arrive before they attack!"

The cabin door of the small flying boat was half a zhang off the ground. Wei Yuan was about to jump on when he suddenly felt light. It turned out that the armored Taoist had picked him up and stuffed him into the cabin door.

The flying boat was no more than five zhang long and was very cramped inside. Everyone was wearing armor and carrying backpacks, and after more than a dozen people were crammed in, they could hardly move. There was a young man in a magic robe on the boat. He was the only one on the boat who refused to wear armor. As a result, he was jostled around by a bunch of fellow disciples who were dressed like iron cans. His face turned red, but he couldn't show it.

Wei Yuan huddled in a corner, leaning against the bulkhead, and could still bear it. Suddenly, the flying boat jolted violently, throwing everyone towards the stern, followed by another sensation of floating on clouds. The young man in the magic robe tumbled through the air a few times before finally unable to hold it in any longer and vomited. A surge of magical power, seemingly appearing from nowhere, enveloped the vomit and flung it overboard.

The flying boat lurched and bounced through the air like a wild horse, making everyone miserable. Some short-tempered cultivators began to complain, when suddenly a rough voice rang out from inside the cabin: "If I dared to fly in a straight line, we'd be shot down in less than three breaths! Do you think the Liao barbarians' giant bows are just for show? Having a hard time? You'll have to suffer like this! This is a battlefield, not your backyard! Anyone who can't take it, get the hell off here right now!"

Everyone fell silent, and even those who had been complaining stopped talking. The Taichu Palace tradition held that it was extremely taboo to be criticized on the battlefield for being cowardly, afraid of death, or unwilling to endure hardship.

The flying boat finally reached its destination, plummeting almost vertically a hundred feet before crashing to the ground with a thud, marking its landing.

The hatch opened, and Wei Yuan jumped out of the flying boat along with one other cultivator.

The airship landed on a training ground, which appeared to be a military camp. According to the pre-departure plan, Wei Yuan's airship would land at the military camp in Quyang County, carrying eleven people: five to garrison Quyang and six to garrison the neighboring county of Pingyang. As soon as the last person disembarked, the airship shot into the sky as if kicked, disappearing into the distance in an instant, refusing to stop for even a moment.

The six disciples of Taichu Palace who were heading to Lin County discussed the matter briefly. Then, the young man in the monastic robes took out several talismans and tossed them aside. Immediately, several tall horses appeared before them. The six of them mounted the horses and hurriedly rode towards Pingyang.

Wei Yuan and his four companions filed into the central command tent of the military camp. The so-called central command tent was actually several earthen huts, dimly lit despite the presence of tallow candles. Several soldiers stood inside, and a captain with a somewhat fleshy chin sat behind a desk. Upon seeing them enter, he immediately rose, cupped his hands, and said, "Finally, the immortals have arrived! With the immortals of the Primordial Palace overseeing the situation, what trouble can these mere barbarians cause?"

A young cultivator from the Taichu Palace frowned and said, "Enough with the nonsense, we need to get to the defense zone before the deadline! You're Wang De, right?"

"It is indeed your humble servant!"

"Some of my subordinates will be arriving later. Please issue them the necessary travel documents then." Wang De immediately put on a smile: "Don't worry, I will certainly take care of this!"

"Then I'll be going now!" The young man turned and left the tent without lingering.

"Immortal, please wait! There are still soldiers and provisions to be distributed!"

"unnecessary!"

Wang Delu awkwardly returned to his desk and sat down, asking, "Do you immortals also have servants and personal guards?"

One of the disciples of Taichu Palace said, "I have ten personal guards who will arrive tomorrow."

"Yes, I will take care of it."

The disciple from Taichu Palace nodded and left the tent.

The remaining two disciples of Taichu Palace exchanged glances and said, "We have no servants or personal guards, so we would be grateful if General Wang could provide us with some capable soldiers." As they spoke, one of them placed two strands of immortal silver on the table.

Wang Delu remained calm and composed. With a flick of his sleeve, the immortal silver vanished, its shimmering smoothness utterly masterful. He immediately picked up a bronze command arrow and handed it to his personal guard, saying, "Take the two immortals to select soldiers!"

Finally, it was Wei Yuan's turn. Wei Yuan had already seen the two men's subtle actions, but unfortunately, he didn't have a single tael of silver on him, and Zhang Sheng hadn't mentioned it either. Besides, he was here to guard the border for the Western Jin Dynasty, so why should he be given silver?
Wei Yuan approached the table, cupped his hands, and said, "Wei Yuan of Taichu Palace, come to receive the allocation of soldiers."

Wang Delu waited for a while, but didn't see the immortal silver, nor did he see Wei Yuan with his own personal guards and servants. His face turned cold, and his gaze fell on the three boxes on Wei Yuan's back. He drawled, "These boxes of yours, Immortal..."

"Those are military supplies allocated to the palace, intended for the garrison."

Seeing that Wei Yuan showed no intention of putting the box down, Wang Delu's face darkened. He took out a wooden command arrow and handed it to his personal guard, saying, "Take the immortal to select soldiers."

Wei Yuan followed his personal guards to the side camp. According to regulations, Wei Yuan could receive twenty xiang soldiers and one hundred militiamen from the Quyang xiang corps camp as his basic defensive force. According to the laws of the Great Tang Dynasty, xiang soldiers should reach the Muscle/Muscle Realm; if they could cultivate to the Blood Fusion Realm, they could serve as captains and be eligible to join the Nine Armies of the Great Tang. The same rules applied to the enfeoffed states. To become a captain, one needed to condense a Dao Foundation.

Wang De was at the Foundation Establishment stage, but his aura was weak and his physical body was somewhat loose, suggesting that his Foundation Establishment level was not high and that he was somewhat addicted to wine and women, which caused his physical body to degenerate.

The side camp consisted of two rows of low earthen houses, with clothes drying outside. Some weapons and armor were piled up outside. The camp's drill ground was uneven and clearly in disrepair. Two large carts were parked in a corner of the camp, each missing a wheel.

The guard shouted at the top of his lungs, "The Immortal is selecting soldiers! All of you, come out!"

(End of this chapter)