Because Qingfeng Stronghold lacked a deputy leader, none of the resources within its territory had been mined, and its functional buildings were deserted and desolate. The once-prosperous stronghold had become cold and lonely.
However, the stronghold still possessed a solemn, blood-rich, and murderous aura! That was the presence of the 3,000 elites under Lin Mu's command.
Lin Mu gazed at this group of fierce soldiers with great satisfaction.
The aura of these 3,000 elites converged into a single, sky-piercing killing intent that permeated the surroundings, striking fear into the hearts of men!
Through Feng Zhong's heaven-defying training and cultivation, 500 of these 3,000 elites had already reached the early stages of Tier 5 (Level 50), 1,300 were at the peak of Tier 4 (Level 49), and the rest were soldiers ranging from the peak of Tier 3 to Tier 4 (approximately Level 39 to 45). With their profound potential and level suppression, their martial prowess would overwhelm any enemy; their combat strength was invincible!
The soldiers possessed vigorous blood energy, steady strides, strict discipline, and organized movements—they were the fierce warriors of a nation!
With these 3,000 warriors, capturing the current Azure Dragon Stronghold would be as easy as picking fruit!
Originally, Feng Zhong wanted to launch the assault on Azure Dragon Stronghold immediately after handling the affairs in Qingfeng Town. However, after some deliberation, Lin Mu wanted to ensure absolute certainty; he did not wish to take unnecessary risks. According to Feng Zhong, 2,000 soldiers could have a 70% chance of completely taking Azure Dragon Stronghold, but there would be casualties. Lin Mu felt that a 30% chance of unexpected failure was too high. Furthermore, Fan Shun's scout camp was only for external intelligence; there might be hidden forces within Azure Dragon Stronghold that he was unaware of. Even with information on terrain and military deployment, the enemy's daily routines and training habits were merely surface-level details.
It is quite easy for high-ranking military officials to hide their trump cards.
Lin Mu decided to wait until the 1,000 soldiers escorting the people of Qingfeng Town returned before launching the attack!
After ten days of intensive preparations, the soldiers transporting the residents back to the village returned, bringing with them strategic supplies, including things Lin Mu had been anticipating.
The march of war was drawing near!
On April 29, Year 180, Lin Mu, Feng Zhong, and Zhang Xiaohu led their troops to advance upon Azure Dragon Stronghold!
This was the third campaign of Lin Mu's territory. The first was defending the territory and eliminating the Moon-Howling Wolf pack; the second was subjugating Qingfeng Stronghold!
Compared to the previous two, the soldiers this time were of a higher level, possessed stronger combat power, and had superior discipline! How could they possibly fail? Lin Mu couldn't even find a reason for failure, hehe...
There were still no banners, no signals, and no war drums. The group moved low-profile through the jungle, advancing cautiously along the rugged mountain paths while eliminating any beasts that blocked their way.
A troop with such abundant blood energy was a massive attraction to the beasts in the mountains, shining as brightly and attractively as stars in the dark night! *If I can just wipe out these humans brimming with blood energy, perhaps I can grow into the overlord of these mountains,* many beasts thought.
Humans eat beasts and treat them as objects; beasts do the same to humans!
Admittedly, marching an army through a jungle teeming with beasts was a major military taboo, as it would attract countless beast attacks and perhaps even draw out incredibly powerful ancient entities!
However, Lin Mu had no choice. 3,000 people shouldn't be too many; perhaps they would only attract some nearby beast lords. Compared to massive armies with sky-covering, blood-rich auras of hundreds of thousands or millions, powerful entities would likely look down on this "snack-sized" amount of food!
Lin Mu's current situation was far more dangerous than when Qingfeng Stronghold was transporting supplies to Azure Dragon Stronghold. The clever boy leading the way had a panicked, pale face!
There were so many beast attacks! Just thinking about that massive Blue-Eyed Black Tiger suddenly lunging from the jungle with its huge, glowing copper-bell eyes and a bloody maw capable of swallowing heaven and earth made him tremble. The beast's momentum was fierce and terrifying. However, to his relief, the elite soldiers remained unfazed whether they encountered packs of mountain wolves or giant demon tigers; they acted with discipline and neutralized every threat!
Meanwhile, that leisurely Lord was constantly following behind, smiling and laughing as he collected furs and meat!
Occasionally, he would mutter: "This tiger meat is quite good. When we get back, I can have an expert chef prepare a feast that provides permanent boosts to basic physical attributes! Hmm, there's also tiger bone and tiger whip. Tiger bone for alchemy and medicine, tiger whip, hehe...! And tiger blood is good too—a great material for inscription masters to engrave runes! Collect it!"
"Wow, these mountain wolf pelts are quite nice. They are smooth and have a great texture. When we return, I'll have the beauties in the tailor shop make some fine wolf-skin clothes for the soldiers!"
"Eh, this Python-Ox beast is quite good. It's a low-tier demon beast, not much different from the green cattle in the territory. I wonder if they travel in herds. Training them as mounts could work, or even for farming and land reclamation. It's a pity the village beast tamer can't come here yet!"
"Xiaohu, be careful. Don't cut the fur of that Deep Forest Purple Sable. Its fur is very rare. When we get back, I can have Chen Hui make a fur coat for Gouwa!"
...
*As expected of the Lord; he can be so relaxed and carefree even while walking through these perilous mountains!* the young guide, Li Jia, thought to himself. He was essentially acting as Lin Mu's navigator within the army.
After four days of traveling through dust and blood, Lin Mu and his group arrived at a massive canyon.
This canyon was similar to Lin Mu's Yinglong Valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing the sea on one. However, the south of Azure Dragon Stronghold did not face the sea, but a large river—the Yinglong River.
This meant that one could travel upstream via boats. If one ignored the aquatic beasts and demon monsters in certain sections of the Yinglong River, as long as the "Sailor" profession appeared, they could pilot ships upstream to explore the river!
The river was over a thousand meters wide, the current was not turbulent but slow, and the water was clear and rich in fish, providing both drinking water and food. Furthermore, the Yinglong River was wide and deep enough for ships. Unfortunately, Lin Mu's territory currently lacked a training camp for Sailors, so they could only operate fishing boats. Although some warships had been manufactured, they were still docked by the banks of the Yinglong River.
When Lin Mu arrived at this canyon, he checked the system map, which indicated: 【Azure Dragon Canyon】.
Much of the previously pitch-black map had been lit up, appearing as scattered, ancient, and weathered dots, much like an ancient topographical map, possessing a profound mystery.
In *Mythical Three Kingdoms*, early-game players had a system map, but it started completely black. Players had to physically travel through areas, or have their soldiers do so, to light up the map. Players could then gain rough information from the map. Just like Lin Mu, upon arriving at Azure Dragon Canyon, the map displayed the name of the region.
Lin Mu only had three lit areas on his map: first, the Yinglong Valley and Yinglong Peak; second, the region of Qingfeng Stronghold; and finally, the Azure Dragon Canyon. Between them were only narrow paths—the forest trails Lin Mu had traveled—while the surrounding areas remained pitch black!
"My Lord, the valley ahead is the main base of Azure Dragon Stronghold! There is a training ground inside that can accommodate 200,000 soldiers! However, the soldiers are not all gathered in the training ground; they are stationed in various camps around the stronghold. According to previous layouts, there is a camp to the east, north, and west, each with 20,000 men. The total population of Azure Dragon Stronghold is about 90,000, with about 30,000 being military logistics personnel," Li Jia said in detail upon reaching the canyon, hoping this information would help.
In truth, Lin Mu already knew all of this; he had interrogated Fan Shun and obtained even more detailed information. However, for a young boy to obtain so much intelligence within a heavily guarded military camp was no easy feat, and it likely involved much hardship!
Lin Mu patted his shoulder and nodded.