Chapter 95 - 75: Officially Entering the Sect, Dispatching Troops to Suppress Bandits

Chapter 95: Chapter 75: Officially Entering the Sect, Dispatching Troops to Suppress Bandits

BAM!

Even after taking a palm strike head-on, Zheng Jun remained completely motionless.

Seeing that Zheng Jun was unharmed, Xu Tianfang breathed a sigh of relief, yet he also felt a tinge of sorrow. His full-powered palm strike landed squarely on Captain Zheng, yet it did absolutely nothing. What was this? Had all his years of practicing martial arts been for nothing? He wondered if perhaps only a weapon could actually wound Captain Zheng.

After briefly entertaining this thought, Xu Tianfang immediately reined in his wandering mind. He continued to execute the Mountain-Opening Palm, blasting strike after strike toward Zheng Jun.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Like this, Xu Tianfang lost count of how many palm strikes he had thrown. It was only when his arms felt drained of strength that he finally stopped, panting heavily.

As for Zheng Jun, his body was covered in white palm prints, yet he remained as impregnable as a fortress. His expression hadn’t changed in the slightest.

[Attacked. Iron Sand Demon Suppression Skill repayment progress +69. Current repayment progress: 1724/2500.]

He thought, "Did it add 69 points? The repayment process is indeed a bit more difficult than the Hard Qi Skill. With nearly 70 points a day, plus other training, it should be around 80 points. At this rate, the Iron Sand Demon Suppression Skill will be fully repaid in less than ten days."

After doing the mental calculations, Zheng Jun looked up at Xu Tianfang. He nodded and offered a rare word of praise. "Not bad, Xu Tianfang."

Hearing Zheng Jun’s evaluation, Xu Tianfang felt a surge of joy. Before he could respond, Zheng Jun continued. "For the next ten days, let’s practice like this. In a few days, I will suppress my strength and use some methods to counterattack. This will help you gain more practical combat experience with your Palm Technique."

Hearing this, Xu Tianfang’s expression turned serious, and he immediately nodded in agreement.

The "other methods to counterattack" Zheng Jun mentioned referred to his desire to test the waters. He wanted to see what would happen if he studied the Dragon and Tiger Struggle on his own, without relying on the Great Tao Martial Book. He wanted to test his true comprehension ability.

"Protector Xu, you can go back to your duties now. I still need to head to the Military Department to drill the Military Array with the County Soldiers, so I won’t see you out."

Leaving behind these casual words, Zheng Jun began to tidy himself up, donned a fresh Official Robe, and headed toward the Military Department.

Staring at Zheng Jun’s retreating back, Xu Tianfang was deeply moved. He thought, "Captain Zheng is truly a heaven-chosen genius! Not only is his innate talent and comprehension extremely high, but he also studies so diligently. Even though he has already reached Minor Achievement, he continues his bitter training without pause. He is truly a role model for us martial artists!"

For ten consecutive days, Zheng Jun lived a simple, two-point routine. Every day, he went to the Military Department to train the new recruits and direct their Military Array drills. At home, he cultivated the Broken Jade Skill. And every morning, he had Xu Tianfang attack him to advance the repayment progress of his Iron Sand Demon Suppression Skill.

It was just a pity that, perhaps because Zheng Jun had spent the first two days trying to practice the Dragon and Tiger Struggle on his own, the repayment progress for the Iron Sand Demon Suppression Skill stalled at 2395/2500. It fell just short of being completely repaid within the originally planned ten days.

As for the Broken Jade Skill, thanks to his daily consumption of premium-grade Qi Storage Pills, it had already advanced to 2008/3000.

During his time drilling the soldiers at the Military Department, Zheng Jun had also slowly guided the troops of the Personal Soldier Squad into grasping the application of the Star Array. At the very least, they could now form the formation.

This left Zheng Jun highly satisfied. Once they were in formation, he could enter the array as the Main General and fully unleash this power that did not inherently belong to him.

Today, however, Zheng Jun made a rare appearance in full armor. The morning mist lingered as the young general stood before the tents, clad in Battle Armor, his gaze burning like a torch. Faint glints of cold light reflected off his armor, the plates rising and falling slightly with his breathing. Looking at the surrounding County Soldiers from the Third Squad, the Personal Soldier Squad, and the Cavalry File, Zheng Jun strode boldly up to the high platform.

"Brothers! A few days ago, I received reliable intelligence. Tomorrow, the bandits and outlaws from Black Mountain will descend to pillage Nansha Town!

"For years, these Black Mountain bandits have committed every evil imaginable! Not only do they rob travelers and murder indiscriminately, but they have also claimed the lives of many of our fellow townsfolk. As County Soldiers, it is our rightful duty to protect the peace of our county! I have rallied you all here today to exterminate the bandits around Nansha Town and restore a clear sky over our Black Mountain County!

"To defeat the enemy and suppress the bandits—anyone who takes the head of an ordinary bandit will be rewarded with three taels of silver! Anyone who takes the head of a Blood Refining Bandit will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver!

"If anyone captures the bandit leader, they will be rewarded with three hundred taels of silver and promoted by one rank!

"Furthermore, every soldier who deploys for this battle will receive a reward of five taels of silver and a pound of grain!"

Zheng Jun’s voice boomed like a massive bell. Upon hearing his words, the crowd instantly erupted into an uproar.

Three taels for a single bandit’s head?!

Back when the Qingshui Gang rebelled, capturing or killing a rebel only fetched a reward of five maces of silver. Capturing or killing a Blood Refining Martial Artist like an Incense Master only yielded five taels. Only taking down the three leaders—Zhang Qingyu, Mu Feng, and Ke Zhijian—had offered a reward of a hundred taels and a major merit on record.

This time, it was just a bandit extermination, yet the rewards were so much richer than during the rebellion?!

Driven by Zheng Jun’s promises, everyone couldn’t help but grow incredibly excited. The recruits of the Personal Soldier Squad were a mix of thrilled and nervous, while the veterans of the Third Squad were already eagerly sharpening their blades.

Once upon a time, suppressing bandits had been the Black Mountain Guard’s greatest source of income. They knew all too well the level of competence of the majority of bandits on Black Mountain!

It was only after the previous County Captain led troops into the mountains and got himself killed that they received a new Captain. That Captain Wang was as timid as a mouse and valued money more than his life. Under an incompetent leader, the entire Black Mountain Guard became a den of cowards, and bandit-suppression missions ceased altogether.

Being brought up again today, and with such massive bounties to boot—naturally, everyone was brimming with motivation!

Gazing at the highly spirited army, Zheng Jun felt immensely satisfied. Their morale was perfectly ripe for use.

Spouting grandiose words about doing it for the common people or for the Great Zhou was ultimately too empty and intangible. Only silver was real.

As for why he was giving out so much?

According to the intelligence Zheng Jun received, only a dozen or so bandits were descending the mountain. Even counting the ones back at their lair, there were only about fifty in total. How much could he really be paying out? Moreover, the Court would foot the majority of the bill; he only had to cover a fraction of it himself. It didn’t count as a massive expenditure.

There was another point that Zheng Jun understood most profoundly. No matter what one did, one must never mistreat the soldiers.

The difference between paying a soldier ten taels a month versus embezzling their rations, eating phantom payrolls, and denying them their fair share was stark. The loyalty and feedback a soldier gave you in return would naturally be vastly different.

What Zheng Jun intended to do was use the Court’s money to win over the Black Mountain Guard—a Court army—and bring them entirely under his own control!

Besides, it wasn’t as if the mountain bandits wouldn’t have a single tael’s worth of loot on them, right?

When Zheng Jun killed people like Meng Xian, there had been no loot because normal people didn’t carry their entire life savings on their person. Liang Fan had been an exception, carrying his Saber Technique manual with him to study—and even then, he had recorded it in a way only he could understand.

But mountain bandits were different. They had a lair. If they didn’t carry their entire net worth on them, they would naturally keep it at home. These bounties could also be paid straight out of the plunder!

With this thought in mind, Zheng Jun looked at the military banners fluttering fiercely in the wind before him. He pointed his flag forward and used his True Qi to project his booming voice.

"Move out!"