Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 1539 – Amassing Troops

Everything went smoothly as Qin Yu returned to the mine. The first thing he did after getting a short rest was to gather all the half human barbarians.

In the luxurious hall that had been built in the mine, General Jinwu sat in the center. Hundred Saint sat on his left, and Ironstone sat on his right.

That’s right, it was that general who looked at Qin Yu very unpleasantly back then in the marshal tent.

When Qin Yu decided to return to the mine, this general silently rejoined the team. Although he did not say anything, it was obvious that something happened in the marshal tent from the gloomy expression on his face.

Qin Yu was not very clear on the specific details, but he could roughly guess that it was a dramatic scene that ended up with this general being ruthlessly abandoned.

Whether or not he was loyal was still hard to say, but Qin Yu could use him as an example to show to the world.

In the hall, although no one spoke, the two half human barbarian generals kept looking back and forth between the two of them, and their breathing had evidently become heavier.

Bang –

The first half human barbarian general knelt to the ground, “General, if you really have the means to expel the Barbarian Curse from our bodies, all of us are willing to swear allegiance to you and serve you to our deaths!”

In the next moment, all of the half human barbarians fell to their knees as well.

No one here was foolish. Since General Jinwu called them and brought along Hundred Saint and Ironstone for them to ‘observe’, his intentions were very clear.

Of course, the key takeaway was that they were extremely sure that Hundred Saint and Ironstone have not fallen victim to the Barbarian Curse!

This was hard evidence that could not be faked.

Stationed in the mine, these guards became half human barbarians. Although they were once part of the West Border Army, in actual fact, they had long since been abandoned, becoming like lonely ghosts that no one cared or asked about. They were destined to have a tragic fate and would eventually just die here!

Getting rid of the Barbarian Curse to restore their identity as guards of the West Border Army and as humans was their biggest wish.

And now, the opportunity was right in front of them. They were willing to exchange everything for it!

Qin Yu raised his tea cup, took two sips, and put it down. He looked calmly at the half human barbarians in front of him and said, “Even if I do not help you, I can still suppress this mine. But, I don’t want the soldiers under my command to be unable to raise their heads in front of outsiders, or to be rejected and hated by their families.”

Beside him, Ironstone froze for a moment and his eyes showed sadness.

No one had believed that he was a pure human. No matter how he explained, he was only met with disgust and alienation.

If General Jinwu proved that he could really help these half human barbarians regain their human identity…then he could help restore Ironstone’s identity too.

He wanted those people to know that he was not lying, and that they were the ones who were wrong…completely wrong!

Thinking of this, Ironstone took a deep breath and straightened his back, his eyes shining brightly.

Qin Yu glanced at Ironstone from the corner of his eye, before turning his hand to take out a jade bottle. “In this bottle, there is a type of medicinal pill. Dissolve it in water, drink it, and your human forms will be restored. But remember: what I want is absolute loyalty. Anyone who dares to betray me shall suffer the backlash of the Barbarian Curse and pay ten times or even a hundred times the price!”

On this day, loud cries rang throughout the mine.

But there was no despair or fear in these cries. Instead, they were full of ecstasy and excitement. The soldiers that were stationed here at the mine turned their heads to look towards the West Border Army camp, their faces looking impatient and their hearts feeling restless.

“Come back! All of you, come back!” The general shouted loudly, “Stop looking in that direction. It’s time for us to change shifts; when the next batch of soldiers come, it will be our turn to drink the water.”

“But before that, all of you had better pay attention. If anyone makes a mistake, I will kill them with my whip!”

The cries gradually subsided and the guards were forced to continue on with their duties that felt like they lasted a year. Although they had already received the news that they would be restored to become humans again, no one could guarantee the effect of the pill. Thus, they struggled a lot internally.

Just when they felt like their necks had grown a few inches longer from the waiting, the division that came to take over their shift finally arrived. In the distance, one of the half human barbarians from that division suddenly slammed his spear heavily on the ground with a ‘bang’.

There was a gasp from the side, followed by a loud scolding, “Wang San, you son of a bitch, you broke my foot!”

The general who led the division continued scolding the soldier and his eyes started to redden. This general was a tough guy in the army, and was thrown to the mine after being framed, but he never cried. Today, however, tears the size of beans rolled down his face uncontrollably.

There was a lot of crying though none of them were heartbroken. A group of military men wiping their tears inexplicably touched people’s hearts.

Most of the troops that approached wore armor that did not fit very well. This was because after the Barbarian Curse was lifted, the monstrous symptoms disappeared and their bodies had returned to normal.

“Big Head Wang, stop scolding Wang San, he is your nephew. Scolding him is equivalent to scolding yourself, you brainless idiot!”

The general laughed, his eyes slightly red as he continued, “Stop picking a fight with me. Even if you want to start a fight, do it after your human body is restored. I haven’t told you all along, but your face is now really ugly. Just looking at it makes me want to vomit!”

“Pui! Wang San is my nephew, I can scold him however I like. It’s none of your business!” Big Head Wang spat and waved his hand, “Brothers, let’s go. It’s our turn to drink the water!”

“Let’s go!”

“I’ve almost forgotten how I used to look!”

“When my human body is restored, I must take military leave and go to the brothel at Iron Mountain! Damn, all these years, even those ladies looked down on us!”

Everyone burst out in laughter.

Very quickly, the second wave of wailing and cries sounded.

Today, the mine was occupied by joy.

Qin Yu stood on a high platform that had been built, listening to the wails sent by the wind, and his expression was calm.

In comparison, Hundred Saint’s face flushed with excitement from the respectful and grateful eyes that looked at him.

He bowed and said, “General, your actions today have saved all the troops that were stationed in the mine. This is a supreme merit you have achieved. You are bound to gain the endless loyalty of these troops!”

Qin Yu glanced at him, shook his head, and said nothing.

Back then when the great barbarian shaman disappeared, in order to ensure the safety of the Spirit Embryo, he used the millions of casualties as a sacrifice to release the terrifying curse. It was a great deed that he had done for the Barbarian Clan, and even if he tried to kill Qin Yu in the end, that fact could not be denied.

But for these troops that were stationed in the mine, the years of suffering that they endured was also because of this curse.

As the new Barbarian King, he would not blame the great barbarian shaman for putting the curse on this place. Today, releasing the soldiers from the curse was just a matter of cause and effect.

Of course, what he said before still applied…betrayers would die miserably!

Looking at Qin Yu, who did not show any pride even after achieving a great merit, Hundred Saint was in awe and his gaze became more and more respectful.

At this moment, he suddenly felt like he understood a little more about this General…even though he seemed to be tough and ruthless, he was actually a very noble person.

And thus, General Jinwu was worthy enough for him to follow around and break through hardships together!

Qin Yu’s mouth twitched, resisting his urge to twist Hundred Saint’s head.

This brat’s gaze is getting unbearable.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Yu turned around and left because he was unable to stay any longer. He could not take it anymore.

At this moment, a low roar suddenly sounded behind him, “Subordinate Wang San swears allegiance to the General!”

“Damn it, you think really fast…” The voice became softer, and then it turned into a roar, “Big Head Wang swears allegiance to the General!”

“Xu Wanjun swears allegiance to the General!”

“Jiang Shan swears allegiance to the General!”

“Xu Yuantu swears allegiance to the General!”

……

The names gradually became less intelligible as they converged into one sentence, and the roars rushed to the skies.

“Swear allegiance to the General!”

“Swear allegiance to the General!”

In the peripheral area of the mine, there were some eyes that hid another purpose, and the faces of these people changed greatly at this moment.

Without any hesitation, they left in a hurry to inform their respective masters of what had happened in the mine.

So, not long after, the entire West Border Army camp confirmed one thing – the mine was completely in General Jinwu’s hands now, and it had become his territory.

It was fully under his control!

This would be an army that was endlessly loyal to him and only him.

If Wu Tongtian’s loss helped Qin Yu to gain a firm foothold in the West Border Army, then now, with his own loyal soldiers, he had truly and completely opened the situation for a power struggle.

The rankings of generals in the West Border Army were all for show. Only if they could amass their own troops would they be considered to possess real power!

Not to mention anything else, if someone wanted to make a move on Qin Yu in the future, they would have to consider his troops that were stationed at the mine.

It was previously mentioned that people saw the mine simply as a mine.

In actual fact, the mine occupied a huge area and had large reserves of ore. Over the years, people only went in and none came out. Furthermore, cultivators had a longer lifespan than normal people.

Thus, the actual number of troops that were stationed at the mine was far bigger than what people imagined. Before, they were half human barbarians, destined to be marginalized and ignored by everyone.

But obviously, from now on, the troops stationed at the mine would be a force that could not be underestimated by the West Border Army.

……

In the same study room, the clean and fair middle-aged man behind the desk put down the jade slip and sighed softly. The heavens’ plans could not be calculated. Who would have known that General Jinwu would have such amazing methods?

The Barbarian Curse in the area of the mine was very terrifying. Even when someone at the King realm descended into the mine, they were unable to resolve the curse. Yet, in just a day, General Jinwu had amassed 200,000 soldiers that were loyal to him.

Such power and influence was enough to make what they were doing into a joke. A general in the West Border Army was able to tear all the small tricks used against him to shreds with just a touch of his finger.

He could also easily send them to hell.

“Send my orders down: stop everything that we’re doing. Sort out the account book and a list of personnel; I am going to visit General Jinwu.”

This situation forced him to lower his head.

The middle-aged man looked helpless, but his eyes were calm. He had a deep expression, like an ancient well in the mountains…unfathomable!

Just because he had to lower his head, it did not mean that he had lost.

He was merely retreating to advance in the future, and who knows? It might be a good move.

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