Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

The next morning, as soon as Mo Yuming got out of bed, before he could even have breakfast, Huang Xiaoxiao rushed over like a gust of wind, bringing him two pieces of news, one good and one bad.

The good news is that the adjutant of Yingdong Town led nearly half of his soldiers to surrender, and General Jiang of Yuxi Town also came to submit.

The soldiers' families from Xiyu Town did not accompany the army, so Jiang Yuheng only brought a few close confidants, while the rest of them were sent back to Yan Kingdom.

The bad news is that, due to this sudden change, the timid merchants all fled like startled birds.

Even some business owners in these two towns scattered like birds and beasts, closing down and leaving.

Despite Huang Xiaoxiao's sincere efforts to explain the situation, she was still unable to dispel the concerns of some timid shop owners, and nearly half of them chose to leave.

"Approximately how many people are left now?"

Mo Yuming asked.

"Including the soldiers, there are probably less than a thousand people. These two towns are small in size, with a normal resident population of only about two thousand, most of whom are merchants coming and going."

Huang Xiaoxiao said.

"It's alright, let them go. Before long, they'll regret it! Miss, call Commander Jiang and that adjutant in later. I have something to say to them."

In addition, you should immediately send your servants Huang Ping and Huang Fu, each with several soldiers, to post several public notices in the streets and alleys of the two towns and in prominent places.

In essence, I have decided to waive all past taxes and fees in order to thank everyone for their trust in me, and I promise that I will not levy any taxes on them in the future.

They must also be guaranteed freedom and safety, and be free to leave whenever they wish, without being forced to stay.

Mo Yuming didn't care at all about the departure of those small vendors; in fact, he wished they would all leave so that he could unleash his full potential more recklessly.

However, some superficial efforts are still necessary to prevent anyone from harboring resentment and spreading rumors behind their backs.

"Ok!"

After receiving the order, Huang Xiaoxiao rushed out like a whirlwind to give instructions to others.

A moment later, Jiang Yuheng and his adjutant walked in.

After greeting the two, Mo Yuming asked:

"Please have a seat, both of you! I have a question for you."

“Please speak, sir! We can stand here.”

Jiang Yuheng refused to sit down no matter what. The adjutant was even more afraid to sit.

Mo Yuming didn't insist. He leisurely walked to the window, admired the scenery outside for a while, and then sat down on a nearby chair.

"Logically speaking, Yingdong Town and Xiyu Town should be strategic border passes, so why are they only garrisoned with such a small number of troops?"

"Hehe, young master, you may not know this, but although these two towns are in very important locations, they are far from the mainland and are located in the heart of the Monster Forest, so there is very limited space for development and they cannot grow and expand."

These two towns are like two ancient pearls, existing for nearly a thousand years. All exploitable areas have been fully utilized. Yet, they remain unchanged!

Jiang Yuheng smiled slightly at Mo Yuming, and then said:

"More than a hundred years ago, the previous ruler of the former Yan Kingdom was like an ambitious wolf, eyeing the Long Kingdom covetously. He secretly amassed hundreds of thousands of troops in Gu'an Town, a key border town."

On the eve of launching the war, he first sent out a specially trained advance team to launch a surprise attack on the garrison in Yingdong Town like ghosts in the dark. More than 2,000 soldiers were killed without exception. This sneak attack was flawless.

The main force that followed quickly occupied Yingdong Town like a whirlwind.

In order to seize the initiative, the vanguard troops pressed on without stopping, advancing into the western inland area overnight. The light cavalry leading the vanguard approached Jian'an Town like lightning through the mountain roads in the early hours of the morning.

While the garrison in Jian'an Town was completely unprepared, they quickly breached several outposts and checkpoints in Jian'an Town.

However, the attack on Jian'an Town resulted in a Waterloo, with thousands of light cavalrymen dying under a hail of arrows fired from within the town.

Even the cavalry general, who was at the eighth level of the Earth Rank, could not escape his fate. He was pierced through the chest by several demon-slaying arrows and died instantly.

The main force that arrived later deployed heavily armored siege troops, but they failed to break through the city gate in one fell swoop. Instead, they were smashed to pieces by logs and boulders thrown down from the cliff and were routed.

After the failed siege, the hundreds of thousands of troops had no choice but to camp on a mountain path that was only two or three zhang wide, stretching for hundreds of miles.

The soldiers in Jian'an City also only defended and did not attack.

The war has reached a stalemate.

After holding out for a month, due to difficulties in supplying provisions to the logistics troops, they had no choice but to abandon the siege and retreat back to Yan.

The Long Kingdom, whose military strength was slightly weaker, did not press its advantage and only sent troops to recapture Yingdong Town before giving up.

The war ultimately ended with the Yan Kingdom abandoning the war.

Later, the new ruler of Yan and the Kingdom of Long made peace through the mediation of the Yu Royal Palace, thus forming the current situation.

Is Jian'an Town really that difficult to attack?

Mo Yuming was puzzled.

"The original garrison in Jian'an Town numbered only tens of thousands. In theory, with ten times the number of troops and a surprise attack, it should have been easy to take it down."

However, the city gate of Jian'an Town was built against the mountain. The city wall, which was dozens of feet high, was built between two cliffs. The distance between the two cliffs was only about twenty feet. The Long Kingdom also dug two hidden trenches on the rock walls of the two cliffs, extending outwards for more than ten feet along the cliff walls, and built war fortifications and stationed soldiers in them.

The two trenches and the city wall together formed a three-sided encirclement of the front line.

The open space in front of the city gate, which was only about 20 feet wide, combined with the mountain road that was only 2 or 3 feet wide for more than 100 miles, caused hundreds of thousands of troops to crowd together.

They were unable to deploy their formations or launch an effective attack; their numerical advantage became a liability.

"So, if I build a city here, although the Yan Kingdom and the Long Kingdom will be shocked when they find out, and they will definitely send troops to stop me, as long as I defend properly, even a thousand troops can't do anything to me, right?"

Mo Yuming looked at Jiang Yuheng and said.

"What you say is quite right, young master, but the fortifications in Yingdong Town and Xiyu Town are very rudimentary..."

Lieutenant Zhang replied meekly.

"Hehe, I know what you want to say. Actually, I sent people to Gu'an Town to recruit craftsmen and buy materials as early as the day before yesterday. If there are no unexpected events, they should be able to return before Yan Kingdom reacts."

However, construction takes time, so two temporary defensive fortifications need to be built during this period, located in the middle of the Deadly Slope and at the end of the Returning Dragon Path in front of the Sacrifice Cliff.

I estimate that it will take at least three days for the two countries to send troops. We have a total of over 600 soldiers, with 300 men in each fortification, which should be enough time.

The reason I called you two here today is for this matter. I'll have to trouble you two with this; of course, I won't let anyone who works for me suffer a loss. Consider these two top-grade low-level magic crystals your reward.”

After speaking, Mo Yuming took out two primary magic crystals from his storage bag, giving the fire-attribute one to Jiang Yuheng and the metal-attribute one to Zhang the adjutant.

The two took a look and found that it was indeed an extremely pure, edible primary magic crystal. They would have a hard time buying such a magic crystal even if they were willing to spend half a year's worth of military pay.

The energy contained in the magic crystal can help them improve their skills for at least three years.

Although three years' worth of skill is not much, for martial arts enthusiasts like them who lack resources and are extremely eager to improve rapidly, the temptation of being able to improve their skill by three years' worth in a single day is still very strong.

Therefore, both of them were extremely excited after obtaining the magic crystal and unanimously declared their undying loyalty to Mo Yuming.

"I will not mistreat anyone who is loyal to me, and the same goes for the soldiers. During this period, as long as they are loyal, in addition to receiving double pay as usual, they will also receive an extra half month's pay every year as a reward!"

"On behalf of my brothers in the army, I thank you, young master!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuheng quickly gave Mo Yuming a military salute.

Deputy Zhang then bowed to Mo Yuming.

After accepting their salutes with composure, Mo Yuming then addressed Jiang Yuheng and the other man:

"I have decided to name this city 'Chu-Han Peerless City' after it is built, or simply 'Peerless City'. It doesn't matter if you want to call it 'Chu-Han City'."

Since you two have pledged your allegiance to me, Commander Jiang will temporarily serve as the general guarding Chu-Han City. All the city's guards will be under General Jiang's command, and the city's defenses will also be arranged by General Jiang.

"The position of Commander-in-Chief will be held by Lieutenant Zhang, who will also be responsible for the recruitment, training, and organization of the city's guards! What do you two think?"

Mo Yuming glanced at the two of them and said.

"We two are of dull and incompetent, and we are afraid we are not up to the task! Young Master has many wise and talented people under his command, so please find someone more capable!"

Deputy Zhang feigned reluctance.

"Hehe, you mean those old men, right? Although their cultivation in profound arts is quite good, they are all free spirits and can barely control themselves."

"How can you two possibly undertake military duties? Please don't refuse! However, I will send them to assist you."

Mo Yuming said with a smile.

"In that case, we shall respectfully comply. Thank you for your trust, young master. We swear to serve you to the death!"

Jiang Yuheng didn't say much. The moment he decided to surrender, he had no second thoughts.

If it weren't for being suppressed, with his cultivation level and battle record, he would never have been placed in this godforsaken corner as a minor commander.

Now that the town has been occupied, if he abandons the city and goes back, he will definitely be taken advantage of and suppressed even more severely, and his life may even be in danger.

It would be better to surrender now; perhaps that would lead to a more comfortable life. There's no way to return to Yan Kingdom now; being forced into this situation is a last resort.

"Alright, from now on, Chu Han City will be in your hands. Time is a bit tight, so you should split up and take action. Also, I'll send Master Long, Master Hu, Master Leopard, and Master Xi to help General Jiang's position."

Send Master Fu, Master Shun, Master Xing, and Master Da to help Steward Zhang with his work. If you have any problems, just call on them!

Mo Yuming gave the instructions.

"That's not a good idea. They are all highly skilled and experienced people. How can we assign them tasks?"

Lieutenant Zhang said with some difficulty.

"It's alright, they're bored anyway, so it's better to get them to do something and contribute to the construction of the new city!"

Don't worry about this. When they arrive, just command them like ordinary soldiers. They won't have any objections.

Mo Yuming said, completely unconcerned.

"In that case, this humble servant will take his leave!"

……

“I am standing right in the center of Nanying Bridge. Ninth Master, walk five hundred steps east from my position and then set up a stake there.”

Tenth Master, you should do the same as Ninth Master, walk five hundred steps due west and then set up a stake there.

Wind and Rain, you two go to the opposite corner of the North Bridge and erect piles at each end of the center line of the North Corner Bridge, about 500 steps apart.

Then the four foundation piles were connected, and the area within the piles was used to build the castle.

Mo Yuming did not delay at all. While Jiang Yuheng and Zhang, the adjutant, were leading soldiers to build temporary defensive fortifications, he and several old men began to plan the construction of Wushuang City.

"Master Mu, you and Master Tu, walk three hundred steps outward from the foundation piles on both sides, and mark the spot as the base point for building the inner city wall."

After arranging the matters, Mo Yuming and Huang Xiaoxiao and others came to Nanying Bridge. This place is located in the center of the two towns, with a wide open space, and can take in the surrounding terrain.

After looking around, Mo Yuming had a rough plan in mind.

Building a castle is a huge undertaking, requiring not only a large investment of manpower and resources, but also a meticulous design.

This was the first major thing Mo Yuming did after transmigrating. In order to commemorate his grandfather who adopted him in his previous life and to give him the name 'Yuming', Mo Yuming used all the brain cells in his brain to conceive and design the castle, and seriously took on the role of designer.

To obtain more specific data, he personally led Huang Xiaoxiao and others to conduct on-site investigations and measurements.

Although building a castle is a very important matter, this is only the visible part of the project. The real focus is to secretly construct a passage within the castle leading to the underground palace of the Fire Cloud Cave.

This allows for the construction of a massive underground palace using the vast space of the underground palace, and also provides direct access to and from the Valley of Heartbreak.

After careful discussion, research, and calculation with the old men, everyone agreed that the closest point to the underground palace was to carve a passage two hundred steps from the north end of the bridge.

For safety reasons, Yubei Bridge must be closed to traffic.

After careful consideration, in order to avoid suspicion, Mo Yuming decided to include the Nanying Bridge in the construction of the castle.

Ten zhang north of the inner city wall, which is about a hundred zhang away from the North Bridge, another bridge was built for passage.

Within a hundred paces of the inner city wall, land was designated for the construction of military camps and official residences.

It's located right in the barracks area, making it easy to manage.

Sending troops to guard the bridgehead is essentially adding another sentry to the underground passage, and it won't arouse the enemy's suspicion, so it's a win-win situation.

Between Nanying Bridge and Beiyu Bridge is the closest point between the two continents, which is only about three zhang wide. To the south, after passing Nanying Bridge for about ten zhang, the distance begins to widen, and beyond fifty zhang, it becomes as if cut by a knife, and the distance suddenly increases.

After crossing the North Corner Bridge to the north, the distance between the two continents gradually widened, and by the time they reached the place where Mo Yuming was preparing to build another bridge, they were already about ten zhang apart.

Although the threshold has been widened considerably, most martial artists with a cultivation level of at least the initial Earth Rank can still overcome it.

After this point, the distance between the two banks widens abruptly, just like to the south.

Recently, it has also been above 100 zhang (approximately 60 meters).

To leap from this width to the land on the other side, one's Xuan Gong cultivation must be at least at the early stage of the Heaven Rank.

A cultivator at the peak of the Earth Rank can typically jump a maximum of about fifty zhang (approximately 33 meters) at a time.

Only after breaking through to the Heavenly Realm can one leap further.

Only after reaching the early stage of the Heavenly Rank can a cultivator of profound arts possess the ability to fly at low altitudes, but this is not true flight; in reality, it simply means leaping further.

At this moment, the martial artist is like a light, floating leaf, able to continue flying with just a slight push when leaping through the air.

For example, in a vertical leap, before the force completely dissipates and the person lands, if one can lightly touch a green leaf or a blade of grass, one can use the momentum to leap again without touching the ground.

Through the continuous improvement and development by countless generations of predecessors, this characteristic was utilized to gradually evolve into many kinds of flying martial arts techniques.

For example, the sword control technique is a classic flying martial art.

Once a martial artist's profound skill reaches a certain level, they can use their natal sword to summon it, keeping it floating in mid-air and moving with them.

In this way, when one is about to exhaust oneself during a leap, one can use one's natal sword as a leverage point to continue flying forward.

In this way, from the perspective of an outsider, it appears as if the person is flying continuously.