Chapter 49: The Fall of Qingfeng Village

After his battle with the Xiaoyue Silver Wolf King, Feng Zhong's strength had undergone a massive and comprehensive improvement once his injuries healed, making Lin Mu feel much more confident about this operation.

A King-level Xiaoyue Silver Wolf King leading its kin should, under normal circumstances, be capable of wiping out Qinglong Village; moreover, Feng Zhong was now stronger, and the soldiers under his command had also improved.

With fine equipment, strict discipline, and high spirits, the high-aptitude soldiers finally began to demonstrate their ferocious prowess.

Overall, this force was a level above the Xiaoyue wolves when they previously besieged the village. Facing the wolf packs and wolf cavalry now, they should be able to eliminate them without suffering casualties.

However, Feng Zhong did not go to the Xiaoyue wolf camp to pick a fight with the Silver Wolf King. Lin Mu had instructed him to recover from his wounds and conserve his energy for the assault on Qinglong Village, an operation that required absolute perfection as it was vital to the development of the territory.

Lin Mu set out accompanied by his two great generals, Feng Zhong and Xiao Hu, followed by 2,900 soldiers. Lin Mu carried 100 soldiers within his rune space. Without banners, flags, or war drums, the group moved low-profile, trekking through the Yinglong Valley and across the fields before heading into the vast and mysterious Qilian Mountains.

Because the territory lacked horses—even wild ones—there were no cavalrymen. Previously, Lin Mu and the expert beast tamer Jiang Yuan had attempted to tame the Xiaoyue wolves at their camp, but whether due to system limitations or other reasons, they had returned empty-handed and frustrated. Perhaps the wolves were too wild to be subdued, or perhaps they were merely a collection of data.

Lin Mu had also considered using green oxen to transport supplies and grain, but after opposition from Chang Yin, he had sheepishly abandoned the idea. The oxen were desperately needed within the territory; with only 3,000 men, they didn't need much grain—just enough to suffice.

Lin Mu understood the principle of "using good steel only on the cutting edge."

Thus, they had to rely on their own two legs, carrying the grain on their shoulders.

While Feng Zhong was frantically training the troops, he had also dispatched soldiers to clear the rugged mountain path leading to Qingfeng Village and to scout the surrounding area, gathering some intelligence.

Even with the path cleared, it still took two days for Lin Mu and his men to arrive at Qingfeng Village, weary and covered in dust.

Due to the large number of people and the surging aura of their vitality, they easily attracted attacks from wild beasts. This was one of the dangers of the mountains; large armies found it difficult to travel through forests, and their combat effectiveness was often restricted. However, these elite soldiers had no trouble dealing with ordinary wolf packs or even tigers; it merely slowed their marching speed.

The wilderness in *Mythical World* was extremely dangerous. Fierce beasts were common, the howling of wolves echoed incessantly through the night, and the cries of apes and roars of tigers filled the air, their predatory presence dominating the mountains. Coupled with the abundant spiritual energy, precious treasures, and thriving spiritual veins of this world, the wilderness was fraught with danger. Consequently, most indigenous inhabitants would not wander into the perilous wilds unless necessary.

Only those with high martial prowess, skilled hunters, or those driven to the brink of life and death would venture out.

While the wilderness was rich in resources and heavenly treasures, it came with the constant threat of losing one's life.

Of course, where there is danger, there is safety. Perhaps due to the efforts of countless generations of development, numerous settlements had formed, which were the origins of the various villages.

...

It had been nearly two months since Lin Mu accepted the territory mission. He had not yet subdued a single soldier or civilian from a mountain village, which was a complete failure. However, Lin Mu kept the principle "to conquer an enemy, one must first sharpen one's tools" firmly in mind.

Fortunately, the mission had no time limit. Otherwise, failing a territory mission after so many days when no sign of life had been seen in those villages would have been problematic. Lin Mu suspected these large villages were quite special, though he couldn't quite say how. Otherwise, under conventional territory rules, if they were merely bandit camps, his territory would surely have been attacked by now.

Leading the way was the clever youth Lin Mu had obtained from Qingfeng Village, a boy named Li Jia.

Li Jia was very familiar with the path between Qingfeng Village and Qinglong Village, as he often accompanied the transport teams from Qingfeng Village to deliver supplies to Qinglong Village.

...

In the Qilian Mountains, the air along the cleared mountain path carried the scent of an ancient jungle, filled with green pines, cypress, wildflowers, bees, old vines, and ancient trees. In the real world, aside from primordial jungles and desolate, dangerous areas, most places would have been developed into tourist attractions or transformed into villas and clubs for the wealthy. Humans were constantly developing the Earth...

In contrast to the quiet and leisurely environment, the soldiers all wore solemn expressions, their weapons gripped tightly. In the jungle, danger was everywhere—this was the warning their instructor had given them.

...

After trekking through mountains and crossing waters along the familiar path, Lin Mu and his men arrived at a mountain opposite Qingfeng Village.

Perhaps due to a premonition, Lin Mu did not lead his troops directly into Qingfeng Village but instead sent scouts to investigate.

As expected, after more than two months, Qinglong Village had made its move. According to the scouts, they had already gained preliminary control over Qingfeng Village.

The outskirts of Qingfeng Village were now guarded by well-equipped soldiers in uniform, and the relaxed atmosphere of the past was entirely gone.

Farmers returning from the fields looked panicked and lost, their faces devoid of the joy and laughter they once possessed.

Furthermore, archers were patrolling from the watchtowers at the village gates. It appeared these troops were Xu Zhao's Qinglong Army—the official soldiers of the government. However, they were his private troops, raised using the resources of the imperial court. This "empty-handed" scheme of using state resources to build a private army was a common practice among many generals and officials of the Great Han Dynasty.

Lin Mu figured the system wouldn't punish him for killing these people; in fact, it would likely reward him with merit and prestige.

During the future chaos of Xu Zhao in Huiji Commandery, players who killed the Qinglong Army could obtain massive amounts of prestige and merit, along with significant wealth. However, the lion's share went to the indigenous NPCs and the officials of the Great Han government.

Lin Mu arranged for several scouts to investigate the situation in Qingfeng Village, and they soon returned to report.

"Reporting to the Lord, we have scouted the basic situation of Qingfeng Village opposite us. Qingfeng Village is now under the control of Qinglong Village, though it seems to have happened recently. Many people from Qingfeng Village are still maintaining order, and much of the production continues. Most of the Qinglong Village forces are soldiers. Based on my visual estimation, there are approximately 5,000 Qinglong soldiers. They are all wearing sets of cyan battle armor. Judging by their movements, their combat discipline and strength do not seem high, but their equipment is standardized and should not be weaker than ours," a scout reported. As a scout, one needed to understand these basics.

"Only 5,000 troops? So few, yet they managed to control Qingfeng Village. It seems the soldiers in Qingfeng Village must be even fewer!" Feng Zhong spoke up upon hearing this, his eyes flashing with brilliance despite his calm and relaxed expression.

"Ah! Those bandits... they really are going to take over our village! I wonder how my family is doing? They won't start a massacre, will they? Lord, I beg you, please help our village!" Hearing the scout's report, Li Jia became extremely nervous. Not knowing the fate of his relatives, he immediately knelt and pleaded with Lin Mu.

Li Jia knew how fierce those soldiers were. Although he hadn't seen them slaughter humans, the bloodthirsty brutality they displayed when hunting fierce beasts like wood wolves, fire bulls, green roe deer, and black wind tigers was unforgettable!

"Get up first. Since I promised your village chief that I would help, I will certainly not let anything happen to your family. Rest assured!" Lin Mu helped Li Jia up, then turned to consult with Feng Zhong. "Since there are only 5,000 troops, we will launch a surprise attack under the cover of tonight's darkness. We will strike them when they are unprepared to take the village. However, our goal is not to kill them, but to knock them unconscious and take them prisoner so we can slowly subdue them. Population is a very scarce resource for the territory!" Lin Mu's eyes also flashed with determination. With 5,000 ordinary soldiers against his own 3,000 elite troops, he was confident he could take them without much effort.

"Haha, alright! As you command, Lord! Given the aptitude and strength of these fodder soldiers, it won't be a problem at all!" Feng Zhong was extremely confident in the strength of his subordinates.

Everyone moved in an orderly fashion to hide. Soon, night fell. Lin Mu had the soldiers eat some dry rations and coarse cakes to stave off hunger, but he did not light any fires for cooking. They would wait until they had subdued the soldiers and entered the village to enjoy a hot meal. Heh heh~~!

Lin Mu gripped his fine steel spear tightly, gazing at the brightly lit village, his eyes revealing a sense of majesty and confidence. *My spear is already famished!*