Chapter 593: Chapter 593. The Situation Back Ho
"We captured two more last night," Xin Wuming reported to Amon. They were eting inside Surly Gate Town’s town hall.
What Xin Wuming referred to was two citizens who were caught by their soldiers as they attempted to sabotage one of the supply warehouses.
"That is expected," Amon said. "Once we lift the curfew, disillusioned people who think themselves patriotic will try to do sothing. We must set an example to dissuade the rest. Have those captives executed in public and hang their corpses where everyone can see. Announce it to the whole town. Let everyone be aware that this is the price if they try to be this nation’s hero."
Xin Wuming bowed in acknowledgent before leaving. He and Amon were not the only ones there. The First Demon Army’s other regint leaders were also there.
It was Xu Bao’s turn to report. "Our efforts to establish the supply route have proceeded smoothly. We have cleared the nearest border of all Faxien Radars. Any puppet sentries and elental mines left intact when we crossed the border have since been eliminated. Two soldiers are stationed at the border wall and on Echos’ side to act as guides. Outfitted with Zhong Yuan’s compasses, they will assist groups from both ends in navigating the illusory desert."
Amon nodded. "What about Yi Chaisan’s work?"
"She led several formation sages to unravel the formation that creates the illusion," Xu Bao answered. "But they will probably require several more weeks. Even after she succeeds, it will only remove the illusion in a small area where we pass through. We can’t remove the illusion from the entire border."
"As long as we can travel back and forth to Echos freely, that is enough. Have you sent a ssage to Fort Fresh Maw?"
Xu Bao nodded. "The King has agreed to provide supplies. The new recruits in Fort Fresh Maw will bring these supplies with them."
"Good. Once we have a stable supply line, we can proceed deeper into the enemy’s territory," Amon said. He turned to Wu Di and asked. "What about the effort to secure the area around the Eastern side of the Surly Mountain Range?"
"We have placed sentries at multiple key locations. We have also planted the Faxien Radars that Zhong Yuan repurposed for our use. We built several towers equipped with the devices to receive the Faxien Radar’s signals. Every sentry placed there possessed a ssage talisman. If any large force cos for us from the Eastern side of the mountain range, we will know. As an additional report, our people have engaged a few Khode Soldiers, all at the Beginning Mystic Stage, when we secured that area."
"Those must be the scouts who can fly above the mountain range. They were sent to monitor our actions on the Eastern side. Eliminate any enemy that cos into that area. Unless the enemy is bigger than a battalion, you are free to mobilize your regint if you receive a report of a large force entering the area."
Amon turned to Yong Baili last. He asked, "Any problem with the running of this city?"
"The city officials, whom we didn’t sack, appear cooperative enough. If they are genuine, we should have no problem operating this city."
"They are just faking it, but fakeness can beco real if they practice it long enough," Amon said. "Treat them fairly and compensate them well, but punish them severely if they disobey. As for the citizens, the previous administration prioritized the use of worker puppets. This created dissent in the community. We are doing the opposite. We sent all those worker puppets to the factory to be repurposed for war. With jobs available for the common folks, this should entice them into thinking we treat them better than their own governnt."
Yong Baili nodded. "We also distribute the food from the city storehouses for the citizens. With the supply line from Echos established, we no longer need to rely on this city’s supplies. That should keep them pacified from rebelling against us."
"How about the food production from the farms within the city walls?" Amon asked.
"Ah Bin and that new girl, Lin Li, are overseeing them. Khode had multiple thods and devices that boosted the soil and made it fertile, but their understanding of Plants Keeping is still behind us. With Ah Bin and Lin Li’s guidance, the food production from those farms will further increase as ti passes."
"Good. The previous administration was unable to keep the population well-fed. We can. This will show them that we are better for them. Nevertheless, opposition will still exist. We are outsiders, after all. Help them flourish, but punish them sternly when they resist. If we maintain this carrot-and-stick thod, we should have no problem retaining control of this town."
"Forgive , General, but I must ask," Xu Bao said.
"Go ahead," Amon replied.
"It has been five weeks since we occupied this town. If I’m not wrong, our ultimate target is the capital. Will we repeat this procedure on every settlent we occupy? If we will, it will be years before we reach our target."
"Well, no and yes," Amon answered.
He chuckled when he saw the confusion on his followers’ faces. He explained. "We are spending much ti on this city because we need to not only conquer the town but also its population. This is because this town is the anchor to our force. It is our lifeblood. It is from here that we will advance, and it is this place we will retreat to if things go south. This is the one place we can’t afford to lose while we make our advance. Hence, we must truly conquer every facet of this place."
His three followers nodded in understanding.
"That said," Amon continued. "I’m prepared to spend years in this campaign. We don’t have the required force to truly overtake a nation. We must preserve our force and even grow it using every possible avenue. That’s why we can’t rush our advance. We will continue taking the slow but safe route until we reach the capital. That’s when we may take so risks."
"Is there any news about the situation back ho?" Wu Di asked.
"If you an the invasion of Farghous. They are still holding the Cinder Ash Town," Amon answered.
"For real? Didn’t Jiang Tong head over to help Princess Huang Er after we left? Their two armies combined still fail to retake the town?"
"Unfortunately, Farghous was even more serious about invading Echos than we originally thought," Amon said. "An additional army was sent from Farghous, and it took another settlent neighbouring Cinder Ash Town. Ginger Mild City is now also in their hands. The report also ntioned Farghous used barrier rods to protect those settlents they had occupied."
"Barrier rods? Aren’t they..."
"From the description, they were the sa as the ones Khode uses," Amon answered before Wu Di completed his sentence. "It is most likely that those barrier rods were given to Farghous to aid them in the invasion, which further reinforced my theory about them working together."
The three were silent after receiving the news. They didn’t know that while they were invading Khode, their kingdom was in trouble.
"Our position here is important," Amon told them as if reading their minds. "It is because of us that Echos can concentrate on Farghous. If we leave, Echos will have to worry about their rear. We do our part. We will leave the matter of Farghous to the others still in the kingdom."
"Why hasn’t the king, I an, the previous king, acted yet?" Wu Di asked. "He has already retired. He should have more freedom leaving the capital, shouldn’t he?"
"He is the only Lord Stage cultivator we have," Yong Baili explained. "Even if he is no longer the king, if we lose him, we will no longer have any deterrence against other countries’ Lord Stage cultivators."
"Actually, he has gone to the front line," Amon inford.
"He did?" His three followers asked together.
"Unfortunately, his movents were noticed. Because of that, the young king of Farghous, Dim Loog, also ca to the battlefield."
"Do you an... they have fought one another?" Xu Bao asked.
Amon nodded in confirmation. "Their fight occurred three days ago."
"Uh... How did it go?" Wu Di asked.
"In a stalemate," Amon answered. "They are both at the Beginning Lord Stage. King Huang Ti has more experience, but he is near his age limit. He is not at his pri. Dim Loog has less experience, but he is young and passionate. Their fight lasted almost a full day. They decimated the landscape around them and slew any bystanders who happened to enter their scope. By the end of the day, they agreed to end the fight because both had almost depleted their energy. Since then, they were content to stand behind their army. They might only act again if the other side moves."
"Damn! I want to witness the battle between two Lord Stage Cultivators," Wu Di stated.
Yong Baili and Xu Bao had the sa sentint but concealed their eagerness. Amon didn’t bla them. The Lord Stage was the pinnacle of cultivation on this surface world. Everyone who progressed past it ascended to the upper world for so reason. Witnessing a rare occurrence such as their battle would provide insight for cultivators to attain the sa level.
"Don’t worry yourself about the situation back ho. We have our own job to do," Amon reminded them. "If the Khode Army outside continues to idle. We will make our move three weeks from now."
"Three weeks...? Do you an the supply train that brings the supplies to the Khode Army outside?" Xu Bao asked.
Amon nodded and grinned. "We will see how long they can last if they lose their shipnt of supplies."
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