Longzang

Chapter 65 One of a Kind

The guard yelled several times, and people gradually emerged from the earthen house, slowly approaching Wei Yuan and forming a group.

"Line up properly! Stand in front, what are you doing hiding in the back? If the immortal sees you clearly, you're asking for a beating!"

In truth, Wei Yuan's heart sank the moment these soldiers emerged from the earthen huts. Standing before him were only about thirty men, a motley crew of varying ages, the few in their prime were emaciated, their eyes devoid of any spirit. These soldiers wore loose armor, their belts unfastened, and only a few carried personal weapons that appeared to be horn-pointed daggers, not the straight swords issued by the Western Jin Dynasty.

With a single glance, Wei Yuan could clearly see the cultivation levels of these people. Only a few had cultivated some muscles and tendons, roughly halfway through their physical training. Moreover, their cultivation methods were mediocre, and the effect of their physical training was barely noticeable.

"Are these all garrison soldiers?" Wei Yuan's face darkened.

"They are! All the soldiers are here."

Seeing that Wei Yuan's expression was not good, the guard said, "The war has been going on for more than half a year. The strong and able-bodied men have long been transferred away. The only ones left in a small place like ours are the ones nobody wants."

Wei Yuan asked, "Where are my two fellow disciples selecting their soldiers?"

The guard said, "My lord, you saw that they paid with celestial silver. With this money, we can temporarily borrow back the soldiers who were originally assigned to other positions. Since it's a loan, of course we have to give the original owner some benefits. Don't you think that makes sense?"

This bodyguard had such a slick and slippery manner that Wei Yuan didn't want to say a word to him. Wei Yuan also knew that there was no point in saying anything to him. Before this trip, Taichu Palace had already said that the Western Jin court was corrupt, but Wei Yuan hadn't expected it to be this serious.

According to the military system of the Western Jin Dynasty, a border county should have 300 local soldiers and 1,000 civilian militia. The civilian militia farmed during peacetime, trained during the off-season, and were conscripted for wartime.

Wei Yuan was familiar with the military systems of various countries, and two of the five people who came with him did not need garrison troops. Even if the first two paid immortal silver to transfer away good soldiers, there should still be more than two hundred garrison troops, but Wei Yuan only saw more than thirty, and they were all old and weak, none of them fully trained. According to military regulations, none of these people were qualified.

Without even thinking, Wei Yuan knew there was something fishy going on. However, Wei Yuan was there to defend the territory, not to enforce military discipline for the Western Jin Dynasty. Since he only had these men to choose from, Wei Yuan pointed and prepared to select twenty decent-looking ones.

The guard hurriedly said, "Too many, too many! Immortal, the county town also needs people to guard it, so you can only find a maximum of ten."

Wei Yuan said coldly, "I have come from afar to resist the Northern Liao, yet you make things difficult for me at every turn! Very well, I will now report your situation to the Master and also write a memorial to the Prefect."

The guard quickly smiled apologetically and said, "Immortal, please calm down! The county's defenses are truly weak. If the barbarians breach the city, I'm afraid not a single one of the tens of thousands of people in the city will survive. The captain's idea is that you should select fewer soldiers from the local militia, and the local militia will fill the gaps. Right now, there are at least three hundred local militia in your defense zone, along with many able-bodied men. And the leader, Mr. Fang, is a highly accomplished cultivator, which is unique among all the defense zones!"

One Dao Foundation cultivator was indeed worth a hundred Xiang soldiers, and Wei Yuan's expression softened slightly. With little time remaining, Wei Yuan casually selected ten Xiang soldiers and left the county town, heading towards the three villages under his jurisdiction.

The village was twenty li from the county seat, and Wei Yuan had no mount, so he had to walk. He was tall and had a long stride. Behind him were ten soldiers, some old and some young. The oldest had half-gray hair, and the youngest looked even younger than Wei Yuan. But Wei Yuan roughly estimated that the average age of these ten soldiers was at least thirty-five or thirty-six.

They jogged the twenty li (approximately 10 kilometers) without any of the ten soldiers falling behind, which surprised Wei Yuan. It was just past noon, the sun was high in the sky, and villages could already be seen in the distance. Wei Yuan went straight to Shayang Village, the largest and foremost of the villages. Shayang Village was surrounded by a wall made of rammed earth and stones, about ten feet high.

Prior to this trip, Taichu Palace had already distributed information stating that Ganzhou was a remote and desolate place with a fierce and unruly populace. Not only did the Northern Liao frequently raid and plunder the area, but countless bandits also roamed the region. Therefore, the residents of this area had to build fortified villages for self-defense, or at least construct earthen walls.

Some marks of battle remained on the earthen wall, and a few arrows were still stuck in the top, indicating that a battle had recently taken place here. At this moment, many people were moving stones and ramming earth on the top of the wall, trying to raise it higher.

The appearance of Wei Yuan and his group quickly attracted the attention of the people working on the wall. A moment later, one of them climbed onto the wall and shouted, "Who goes there!"

The mere ten-foot-long earthen wall was no obstacle for Wei Yuan. He lightly leaped and landed in front of the man, revealing his identity token. He said, "Wei Yuan of Taichu Palace, ordered by my sect to guard this place and resist the invasion of the Liao barbarians."

The man, who had been somewhat nervous, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and exclaimed with delight, "So you are esteemed disciples of the Immortal Sect! We've been waiting for you!"

Wei Yuan carefully examined the man before him. His face was covered in dust and grime, his hair a tangled mess, casually tied in a bun, clearly unwashed for days. His clothes were filthy, a mixture of stains, sweat, and old bloodstains obscuring their original color. Surprisingly, he was wearing a scholar's robe, though the hem had been torn off for ease of movement.

This man was thin and bony, with a short beard and deep-set eyes, looking as if he hadn't slept well for many days. However, his eyes were still bright and clear.

Upon their first meeting, Wei Yuan sensed that this man possessed an extraordinary aura. Using his Qi Observation Technique, he unexpectedly discovered a soft white light between the man's brows—a sign of a successful Foundation Establishment cultivator. It seemed this was indeed the Mr. Fang the guards had mentioned, a Foundation Establishment cultivator after all.

However, in Wei Yuan's eyes, the white light was not bright, its texture was loose and ethereal, and it did not have any divine brilliance. It should be a human-level Dao Foundation.

Wei Yuan bowed again: "You must be Senior Brother Fang. So you are also a person on the path to immortality."

The man laughed and said, "I dare not accept the title of senior brother. I am He Tong, and a gentleman seeks harmony without adhering to differences. I come from a small sect and originally only wanted to study the teachings of sages. It was already a stroke of luck that I was able to cultivate to the Dao Foundation. I cannot compare with immortal sects. This is not the place to talk. Please follow me."

He ordered the gates to be opened and the soldiers to come in. Then he shouted to the people working on the wall, "Everyone, put in a little more effort and try to raise the wall by half a foot today! Every extra foot of wall means fewer deaths!"

The men working on the wall responded with a roar, and their movements quickened.

After descending the city wall, Wei Yuan surveyed the village. The houses were all constructed of rammed earth, thatched with straw, and the doors were mostly woven from branches, with few wooden planks. Many men sat against the walls, basking in the sun, most of them wrapped in bandages and stained with blood. One man, while sitting, suddenly swayed and fell to the side. Two men nearby rushed to his aid, calling his name repeatedly, but he remained unresponsive.

Fang Hetong strode over to the man's side, patted his chest, and sent in a wisp of magic power. The man then woke up and spat out a mouthful of yellowish-green sour water.

"Give him some food and water, but don't rush him," Fang Hetong instructed, then had two men carry the man away for treatment before turning back to call Wei Yuan.

(End of this chapter)