Chapter 11: Empire Black Tiger_1

Chapter 11

"My boy is an admirer of famous generals. He reads military strategy books diligently, but his talent in that regard..." Han Huju laughed heartily: "However, we've already attacked Frog Ridge once. Where would they find three hundred mountain bandits? That's just Huang Sanyuan's fear talking nonsense. Since Xuanzhi dreams of leading troops, let him indulge a bit."

"City Lord has sharp eyes, I am reassured." Commented Xue Banchuan.

"Counselor Xue need not worry, no big incident will occur." Han Huju slapped the table: "I am tired, let's go back to sleep. Flower, Grass, help me up."

A pair of bright, identical twins helped Han Huju to stand. Xue Banchuan added, "The young lord is preparing to deploy troops, there are many arrangements to be made, won't the city lord be concerned?"

"No, I don't want to deal with it right now. All I can think about is getting closer to the young girls. Counselor Xue, I just don't understand, why don't you touch women? Do you want me to let Flower and Grass accompany you for a night, to let you taste their flavor?"

Xue Banchuan blushed, "I dare not, I dare not."

"Ha ha ha, even if you dared, I would not let you." Han Huju patted his shoulder: "Who wouldn't want a young girl's silky skin pressed against their wrinkled body, smelling their youthful scent? But, not everyone can have such a rewarding experience. If Counselor Xue could taste this, you would realize that there is nothing else in the world worth caring about."

Xue Banchuan bowed very low, Han Huju hummed a tune and went to the back hall, Flower, and Grass helped him on either side. Their innocent looks were like freshly rained on oilseed rape flowers.

…

"…You mean, Black Stone City does not have a standing army?"

In the hut of Frog Fort, Cheng Dalei was puzzling over this eyebrow-raising fact. He had naturally asked Su Ying for information about Black Stone City. However, some things truly differed from his expectations.

"A standing army? Black Stone City has more than twenty thousand households, how could they support an army of five thousand men?"

"Then where would the soldiers come from during a war? If someone attacks the city, what would they do without an army?" Cheng Dalei grew more puzzled.

"When deploying troops, we can draft from the military households, if a major siege occurs, all able-bodied men within the city must join the battle."

In fact, this world generally adopts the military household system, with descendants inheriting military positions and being temporarily drafted when war breaks out. As for whether this person knows how to fight is not anyone's concern. Black Stone City, with a population of about one hundred thousand, simply cannot afford an army of five thousand. Within the city, there are just a few hundred guards responsible for the security and law and order of the city lord's mansion.

"Such a backward system indeed." Cheng Dalei sighed deeply.

"Backward?" Su Ying frowned slightly, "Do you mean to say that you know of a more advanced system?"

"No, no."

Cheng Dalei waved his hands. Although he was a liberal arts student, he knew that the relationship of production is determined by the level of productivity, and with the existing grain yield of 200-300 kg per mu (Chinese unit of area), it was impossible to maintain a standing army. 200-300kg was the yield in a bumper year, while unexpected weather prevailing for too long could mean no grain at all from the farmland.

So even though he knew many systems were more advanced, he knew they might not fit this world.

"Actually, Xue Banchuan of Black Stone City once planned to train a standing army, but the costs were too high, so the idea was abandoned." Su Ying added.

"Xue Banchuan?" Cheng Dalei asked.

"He is Han Huju's Think Tank, with Han Huju indulging in pleasures, all major issues in the city are managed by Xue Banchuan, he... he is a truly remarkable man." she added.

Cheng Dalei nodded and quickly memorized the statement. Seeing the seriousness on his face as he furrowed his eyebrows, Su Ying felt a little dazed. He really didn't seem like a bandit.

"You should run. There will be at least a hundred or two hundred soldiers coming from Black Stone City, and you are only four people."

"No, it's five. Lin Shaoyu has woken up." Cheng Dalei stood up, "My plan is to block five hundred men."

He had just begun to feel a sense of belonging to Frog Fort and wouldn't allow anyone to destroy it. He hadn't had a good rest these few days, always considering how to handle this crisis. During this period, Xu Shenji provided a lot of help to Cheng Dalei.

Each time he came up with a defense plan after much thought, he asked Xu Shenji: "Think Tank, what do you think of this plan?"

If Xu Shenji said that the plan had a 70% chance of success, Cheng Dalei knew it only had a 30% chance. If Xu Shenji said the plan was certain to succeed, Cheng Dalei would have to redo the plan no matter how reluctantly. Later, he began to develop a psychological shadow, and he dared not ask Xu Shenji about the ideas he had painstakingly come up with.

Cheng Dalei stepped out of the clay hut, and saw Lin Shaoyu standing in the yard. His face had a fleeting look as if he wanted to say something but couldn't figure out the right words.

Cheng Dalei checked Lin Shaoyu's information once again, and suddenly discovered that after this incident, Lin Shaoyu had actually leveled up.

Name: Lin Shaoyu ("Promising Newcomer" Ranger)

Age: 20

Skills: Raging Wave Spear Technique

Hidden Attribute: Young man determined to become a great hero.

It really was a case of a blessing in disguise. Cheng Dalei chuckled and walked over. Seeing Cheng Dalei approaching, Lin Shaoyu turned even more awkward, stuttering, "Bi... Big…"

Cheng Dalei extended his hand to him: "For our ideals!"

Lin Shaoyu's pupils dilated. He became so excited that he clenched his fists, "For our ideals!"

Feeling awkward, Cheng Dalei retracted his hand and also clenched his fist in return. Then he said to the people around him: "From now on, Young Hero Lin will join us at Frog Fort. We shall call each other brothers. Think Tank Xu, bring the map, let's discuss it together."

Xu Shenji held the map, spreading it out on a wooden table in the courtyard and laughed, "Bandit leader, do you have any other plans you'd like this old man to review your again?"

Cheng Dalei gave him a helpless look and his gaze fell on the map of Mount Qingniu. Of all the gains this time, besides the gunpowder, it was this topographic map of Mount Qingniu. With it, he would no longer be in the dark about the surroundings of Mount Qingniu. However, he wasn't very confident about the accuracy of this world's maps. He would have to see some important places with his own eyes to be certain.

Every time he spread out the map, he would inevitably marvel. The map covered a swath of fifty miles around Mount Qingniu, which was infested with dozens of groups of bandits, as many as 50 to 60, the largest group having more than 300 members. The smallest... was Frog Fort, with only five people, which was incomparable to any other group.

Indeed, it was an era rife with banditry.

Cheng Dalei sighed and asked Xu Shenji, "Think Tank, presently there is a task for you. It is a matter of great importance and your actions will determine the safety of our whole gang."

"This is so important..." Xu Shenji blinked his eyes, "Would you like to switch to someone else?"

"You are the only one suitable for this job. Go to the Flying Tiger Village." Cheng Dalei pointed to a place on the map, "Find Gao Feihu."

"Flying Tiger Village!" Xu Shenji's vision went black, and he nearly passed out.