Nightfall.
Chu Tianxiao and three others were roasting food in front of the campfire while discussing their next move.
"First of all, this time, we will not compete with the eldest prince for credit."
Xue Yan and Feng Luo'er were both surprised when these words fell. They had been hiding all the way, and they had heard Chu Tianxiao's general account of what had happened during this period on the way. They also had some understanding of the current situation, but the more they heard this, the more surprised they were...
"Young Master, according to your plan, you came to the Barbarian Land to perform great deeds. If you don't compete with the Crown Prince for merit, then won't your next plan be unsustainable?"
Xue Yan was the first to raise the question, and Feng Luoer also said: "Yes, yes, young master, you can't just let your grudge go unrevenged, that would be too aggrieved!"
Hearing this, Chu Tianxiao smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry... just listen to me."
As he spoke, he stood up, sprinkled some seasoning on the barbecue, looked up at the sky, and said leisurely: "Xueyan, do you think that by participating in the extermination of the barbarians, you can get the unprecedented top spot in the Great Autumn Examination granted by His Majesty?"
Hearing this, Xue Yan was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "If it was a few years ago, Young Master's annihilation of the barbarians would have been a great achievement, but now... the barbarians have already declined. Unless Young Master takes all the credit, otherwise... I'm afraid it will still be difficult to stop the gossips... But according to what Young Master said, the eldest prince will not let Young Master take all the credit, so... this matter is difficult."
"Well! If you're not careful, people might even say that you got lucky..." Feng Luoer also nodded.
"That's right..." Chu Tianxiao smiled faintly, sat down again, and said, "So, destroying the barbarians doesn't satisfy my appetite, and it's also full of difficulties... I naturally can't put all my mind and energy there... This is one reason."
"Secondly... you are so surprised, but Lu Xianhui would never have thought that after I escaped, I would not go to various places to recruit soldiers and compete with him for credit. In this way, all his arrangements will be in vain, and we will have a lot more room for maneuver. This is a surprise..."
When Chu Tianxiao said this, both lackeys nodded, but soon, Feng Luoer showed an angry expression again: "But young master, that eldest prince has ulterior motives towards you and wants to win over Brother Xueyan. He is simply a toad wanting to eat swan meat! Are we not going to avenge this grudge?"
"Oh... How could I not report it!" Chu Tianxiao said slowly, "But I want to change my approach. Going straight in and openly trying to take credit is really boring..."
Speaking of this, Chu Tianxiao's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a gleam of light.
"I have a better idea."
Hearing this, Feng Luoer's eyes lit up, with an expression of "watching the fun and not minding the trouble": "Young Master, what the hell do you have... ah no, a good idea?"
Hearing this, Chu Tianxiao didn't mind and smiled faintly, "Xueyan, Luo'er, you say... When someone works hard for years to complete a big task, but finds that everyone's attention is focused elsewhere... In front of a greater achievement, everything that someone has done is completely reduced to a foil, the light is covered, the limelight is stolen, and in comparison, it seems much weaker..."
After a pause, Chu Tianxiao's smile gradually turned into a joke: "If these things really happened, then how would that arrogant 'someone' feel?"
"Does this count as revenge?"
After these words were spoken, Xue Yan and Feng Luoer suddenly understood the meaning!
"Hehe, if that day really comes, that 'someone' will be so angry that he will die! Young Master, you really know how to have fun! Hehe..."
"Young Master is very brave." Xue Yan said, "But Young Master, if you do nothing to destroy the barbarians, I'm afraid the other side will tarnish your name... We have to be on guard."
"Yeah, I thought of that, too. So, we still need a... show."
Chu Tianxiao spread out a topographic map, pointed at it for a while, and then told his plan. Xue Yan and Feng Luoer exclaimed in amazement, sighing at Chu Tianxiao's wild thinking. Of course, they didn't just sigh during this period, but listened carefully and put forward their own opinions from time to time...
"Young Master, according to your plan, you must recruit soldiers... Do you want to do this in the Savage River Basin?"
“Yes… Although the Savage River Basin can be said to be one of the most chaotic places in the vast land of China, there are many elite warriors, especially the ‘Black Swamp’ deep in the Savage River Basin! The source of soldiers there can even be said to be the best in the world!” Chu Tianxiao’s eyes were firm, and he said slowly, “If nothing unexpected happens, the soldiers there and in other parts of the Savage River Basin will be the main source of soldiers for my unprecedented ‘army’!”
Hearing this, Xue Yan was silent for a moment, and then said, "I understand the young master's idea, but firstly, although the people in the Savage River Basin are brave, most of them are savages and wild warriors. It takes years of training to form an army, and we don't have that much time... Secondly, the 'Black Swamp Elites' in the 'Black Swamp Land' are all in the hands of the Black Swamp Old Man, and that Black Swamp Old Man has profound cultivation and a perverse temperament. Relying on the terrifying terrain there, no one dares to provoke him... Even the great general Ying Luxian back then had to go through a lot of trouble and spent a huge price to get 300 Black Swamp Elites! Only then did he form the predecessor of the Great Zhou's strongest army, the Luxian Army... And according to the young master's meaning, it is obvious that more than 300 are needed, so it will definitely be more difficult..."
"About this... First, the time issue, I already have a solution, so don't worry about it. As for the second point..." Chu Tianxiao tapped his fingers lightly, paused, and said, "Xueyan, how many people do you have?"
"Young Master, the number of people who can actually be used is about 2,200, not counting the miscellaneous soldiers."
"Well... to realize the plan, the number of this army must not be less than three thousand... Let me think, if I further select the elite under your command, Xueyan, I can probably get more than eight hundred people, and then recruit from all over the Savage River Basin, I should be able to gather a total of about two thousand five hundred..." Chu Tianxiao knocked and murmured, "In other words... to gather my three thousand cities... uh, elites, I still need to get nearly five hundred people from the Black Swamp?"
"Hmm... It's really difficult... But if it succeeds, the rewards will be great..."
Chu Tianxiao thought so, his mind racing, and suddenly, he realized a mistake he had made, that is, the Black Swamp was a piece of fat meat, and he was planning to
, others couldn't just sit there and watch, especially after carefully thinking about the current situation, Chu Tianxiao gradually narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance, as if he had deep thoughts.
"... Heh, it seems like this trip to the barbarian land will definitely not be simple. I think not only Lu Xianhui, but also the neighboring Great Zhao will come to get involved? Who knows... there might be some blind prince who will come running over to join in the fun? Hey, the forces from all sides are mixed together, quite interesting..."
With this thought in mind, not only was there no sign of retreat in Chu Tianxiao's eyes, but instead there seemed to be a fire of war ignited!
It seemed that the more difficult the situation was, the more motivated he became... Before long, he had decided on a "plan to enter the barbarians and ruin the family" that was shocking enough to be spoken out...
His mind turned back to the past, and he waved his hand: "Well, it's almost done, now..."
Hearing the voice, Xue Yan and Feng Luo'er's eyes suddenly fixed, waiting for Chu Tianxiao to say the word "departure".
However…
They didn't wait for those two words. After Chu Tianxiao said the word "now", he suddenly picked up a skewer of barbecue, took a bite, and then said seriously: "Eat!"
After these words fell, Xue Yan's face twitched, and Feng Luo'er burst out laughing, thinking that this young master was really a wonderful person...
"What are you laughing at? How can you work without eating and drinking enough... Don't just stand there, we're about to reach the Savage River Basin, hurry up! If you don't eat, I'll finish it all by myself!" Chu Tianxiao said, but his hands were not vague at all. He scooped up a lot of food in a short time and finished a lot of food! This scene made Feng Luoer very anxious, and she quickly reached out to grab it. Even Xue Yan silently took a bunch...
You know, these barbecued beasts were all freshly caught, and before they were slaughtered, Chu Tianxiao had specially given them Tianling water to wash their stomachs—that’s right! He used the extremely precious Tianling water to wash their stomachs!
If other people saw this scene, they would definitely accuse Chu Tianxiao of being extravagant. No, this is simply insane! But Xue Yan, who had followed Chu Tianxiao earlier, knew very well that this was probably just the beginning...
The Savage River Basin is bound to become the next "disaster area" for Chu Tianxiaoyang's reputation as a spendthrift!
With this thought in mind, Xue Yan enjoyed this wasteful dinner while also looking forward to it...
…
…
A night passed.
The next morning, after passing through the natural barrier outside the Savage River Basin—the Black Storm, Chu Tianxiao and his party looked up and saw the town that was clearly separated from the black plain! I just don’t know if it’s because most of the buildings are dark, or for some other reason... From a distance, this place is actually gray, as mysterious as mist...
This is the outer city of the Savage River Basin!
"Young Master, we're here!" Xueyan took a step forward and lit a sound transmission talisman. Soon, several excited voices came from far away!
"Boss! You're back! Huh?!"