Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

After dinner, Jiang Yuheng told Mo Yuming that the bandits of Black Dragon Village had been wiped out, and a lot of grain and wealth looted by the bandits had been seized and were now being transported to Zhongyuan City.

Su Ce also told Mo Yuming about the situation. After the surrendered soldiers were reorganized, some of them were dismissed because their cultivation level was too low to meet the minimum recruitment standards of the Great Xia Empire. Some were assigned to ranches and mines, and others were formed into a construction team according to Mo Yuming's instructions.

They are currently being held in the military camp awaiting orders. Those who have reached the level of National Security Officer and ordinary soldiers have been transferred to Wohugang Fortress for training. The captured soldiers are being held in the military camp for the time being and have not yet been dealt with. As for Wu Heng and other major criminals, they have been handed over to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation.

Although the Wohugang Fortress and the Wild Wolf Valley Military Base can house a million troops, they are now located in the center of the country's territory. They are suitable for protecting the security of the Shangyuan City area, but too remote for garrisoning Zhongyuan City. Therefore, Mo Yuming and Jiang Yuheng discussed the need to build a military base in Zhongyuan City.

Mo Yuming had secretly observed Black Dragon Village and found the basin to be quite unique, a military stronghold that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. If the geographical location was favorable, it could be used to build another military fortress.

So they asked for a map. After checking the map of Zhongyuan City, they found that Heilongzhai was located less than 100 li from the border of Zhenglan Kingdom. 150 li to the west was the border of Xijing City, a neighboring city of Zhongyuan City. Building a military base here could defend against military threats from two places at the same time, making it a very good location.

However, Heilongzhai only has one narrow path in and out, which greatly limits its usability. If it is to be used as a military fortress, the several-mile-long gorge entrance must be expanded.

Since the incorporation campaign was still ongoing, Jiang Yuheng needed to stay in Zhongyuan City to command. Early the next morning, Mo Yuming took Ah Hao alone to scout out Black Dragon Village. The two rode fast horses and arrived at Black Dragon Village around noon. By then, Black Dragon Village was deserted, with only a hundred soldiers stationed at the entrance of the valley.

When Mo Yuming and his companion arrived at the fortress, they happened to be changing shifts and having lunch. So Mo Yuming went into the mess hall to eat with the soldiers. The soldiers present were extremely excited and puzzled when they saw that their mysterious young master wanted to eat with them.

The cook rushed over to add more dishes for Mo Yuming, even preparing a separate meal for him, but Mo Yuming stopped him. Mo Yuming, along with Ah Hao, used the soldiers' utensils to serve themselves, sat down beside them, and invited everyone to eat. All the soldiers cheered loudly, shouting "Long live the young master!" Mo Yuming hadn't expected such a commotion over a simple meal and quickly gestured to everyone that it wasn't necessary.

After the meal, led by Yu Tuanwei, the leader of the garrison, Mo Yuming first viewed the buildings left behind by the bandits, and then went to other places in the valley to look at them.

The bandits of Black Dragon Stronghold had been entrenched in this canyon basin for over twenty years, numbering nearly a thousand. They had eighteen leaders among them. Of the twenty who were wiped out by Mo Yuming that day, seventeen were these leaders. That day, apart from their leader who remained at camp with the legion commander, the other eighteen leaders of Black Dragon Stronghold went to Ji Family Village. Their original goal was to kill the entire Ji family, using this as a warning to others and force the local wealthy to hand over their riches.

The soldiers now live in a mountain stronghold built by bandits. Apart from the largest Juyi Hall, the rest are scattered wooden houses, totaling several hundred. These wooden houses are all built near the entrance. The basin, which stretches for more than ten miles, has not been developed much. Only some simple tents and barracks have been set up in the central area, which were left behind by the army sent by Xijing.

In the center of the basin lies a small lake, about one to two miles wide. The lake is fed by a stream, the source of which is a waterfall. The waterfall cascades down a high cliff, forming a magnificent ribbon of water, a truly beautiful sight. Downstream from the lake, a stream about two zhang wide crosses the valley floor, flowing towards a stone cave at the foot of a distant cliff. The cave is over ten zhang high, deep and dark, its interior obscured. The stream is shallow, less than a foot deep, and flows slowly.

Mo Yuming took out fluorite and gave one to each of Ahao and Yu Tuanwei. The three of them then entered the stone cave using the fluorescent light. After extending for more than ten zhang, the stone cave turned a corner and headed in another direction of the mountain. After about thirty zhang, the stone cave suddenly opened up, and what appeared in front of the three of them was a large karst cave that was more than ten zhang high and several tens of zhang wide. The ceiling of the cave was covered with stalactites of various shapes.

The bottom of the cave is relatively flat with little undulation. After flowing here, the stream becomes a deep ditch only about five feet wide. The stream flows faster in the ditch, splashing high waves due to the obstruction of the rocks on both sides.

The three continued walking along the stream. The further they went, the larger the cave became. They walked for more than an hour without reaching the end. Although the cave had some undulations, the changes were not significant. After walking for more than two hours, the cave changed. The stream dropped sharply here, and the cave began to extend downwards, with the entrance narrowing.

After the three continued traveling for nearly half an hour, the cave began to branch out. One cave, only a little over ten feet high and three feet wide, extended forward, while another cave, still three feet wide, turned a corner and continued downstream along the stream.

The three had been walking in the cave for over three hours, covering at least a hundred miles, and were probably quite far from the valley. Since they were underground and hadn't prepared any directional artifacts, none of them knew their location. Fortunately, the cave had no side passages, so they wouldn't get lost.

After some consideration, Mo Yuming decided to first explore the small cave extending forward to see if they could find another exit. This small cave, which was only a little over three feet wide, was winding and twisting, and after walking for about an hour, the cave began to rise upwards. After climbing for more than fifty feet, they appeared in a large sinkhole.

The bottom of this sinkhole was fifty or sixty zhang wide, while the exit was only a few zhang wide, shaped like a giant inverted funnel. The bottom of the sinkhole was covered with various plants, and the entrance was also covered with various vines. Of the three, only Ah Hao's cultivation level was relatively low, but he had grown up in the mountains and was now a young man of eighteen or nineteen, so he was still quite strong. With the help of the vines, the three of them quickly climbed out of the sinkhole, which was estimated to be more than twenty zhang deep.

Mo Yuming and the others walked in the cave for nearly five hours. It was now midnight. When the three of them climbed out of the sinkhole, they saw a night sky full of stars.