NOVEL FROG Chapter 138: Sustained Development
Inside the entire camp, there was no joy of victory, but rather an overwhelming grief over the loss of three thousand comrades.
Confucius once said: "Chaos arises when speech acts as a stepping stone. If a ruler is not discreet, he loses his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he loses his life; if affairs are not handled discreetly, harms will arise. Thus, a wise person remains prudent and discreet, never revealing their plans."
The days spent in the library with the girls from the Chinese literature department were certainly not wasted!
Amidst the prevailing sorrowful atmosphere, Ling Yi found his mind becoming even clearer.
It wasn't until the next day that Ling Yi emerged from his tent, and the people in the camp realized that Ling Yi, the military doctor who had been sent to the rear for a secret mission, had returned.
Unfortunately, the main army's battle had been so decisive that there were hardly any casualties. By the time Ling Yi returned, the wounded had already received effective treatment.
Sadly, the three thousand brothers who had been sent to lure the enemy away were all killed in action, their bodies burned beyond recognition, with no chance of saving them.
In the commander's quarters.
"Ah Yi, can this strategy truly deceive everyone?"
Jiang Yuan looked at Ling Yi, his face a mixture of unease and hope.
He could not forget the words he had been prompted to say to his eight thousand comrades at Ling Yi's suggestion.
“All troops, hear my command! Those with parents, wives, or children, step forward!
Those who are only sons or have wives but no offspring, step forward!
Father and son pairings, or brothers both serving in the army, the son or younger brother should step forward!
Those who step forward will stay at the main camp, while those who remain will be assigned a mission with grim odds of survival!”
Jiang Yuan called for each group to step forward with a heavy heart, as he saw the frightened yet resolute eyes of those who didn't step forward.
Fortunately, under Ling Yi's plan, these men weren't truly sent to their deaths, but were instead leaving behind their past identities and starting anew in a completely unfamiliar place.
Still, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but feel uncertain, fearing unforeseen consequences.
The battlefield is undoubtedly one of the easiest places to forge bonds!
As the commander, Jiang Yuan led his troops by example in every battle, treating his soldiers as true brothers, and his soldiers sincerely supported him in return.
It was a mutual devotion.
So, even though he saw Ling Yi's composed expression and believed things were proceeding smoothly, until he heard Ling Yi's definite confirmation, the weight in his heart couldn't be lifted.
Under Jiang Yuan's expectant gaze, Ling Yi nodded and said, "Rest assured, they've all been sent over. With Senior Brother Lou Gao there, arranging mere three thousand ordinary people is no issue at all."
This is the Douluo Continent, a land where people barely manage to live, lacking any census or proper household registration systems, not even comparable to the feudal dynasties of Ling Yi's previous life.
Take this as an example:
A villager from the Shuimu Duchy, if they decide to move into the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire, merely needs a place to stay and a job to sustain themselves, whether it's farming or any other craft. Before long, they can blend in and naturally become a citizen of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Can you believe it?
People hold a deep-seated fear of the unknown lands beyond their borders and are reluctant to step outside their comfort zones.
Only those powerful enough, like spirit masters, can roam freely across various places on Douluo Continent. They eventually settle in places they might have never known about, far from their birthplace.
Therefore, once those three thousand soldiers discard their old identities and make it past the initial battle lines into the peaceful back areas, it won't take much effort for them to integrate, like water merging into a vast river.
Not to mention, there's the local powerhouse, the Blacksmith Association, secretly receiving and supporting them.
Under the vigorous growth led by Lou Gao, the current Blacksmith Association is transforming every day. Although it's still considered a third-rate force within the Xingluo Empire, that's mainly due to a lack of high-level strength.
In terms of its middle and lower-tier members, the number of members in the Blacksmith Association and its influence spread throughout the Xingluo Empire surpass even those first-rate powers!
The Divine Blacksmith is held in reverence by all blacksmiths!
And within the Guild of Blacksmiths, Lou Gao and Tie Futu stand as the two revered Divine Blacksmiths.
More significantly, under Lou Gao's leadership, the Guild's members have experienced positive transformations, reaping economic benefits and advancing their forging skills, with many achieving both simultaneously.
“Rest assured~” Ling Yi comforted once more, “All you need to know is that indeed, in our camp, three thousand soldiers are gone without a trace. Moreover, on the main battlefield earlier, you successfully decimated the Northern Yue Kingdom's army. That's enough—!”
“Neither those from the Northern Yue Kingdom nor the ones in the rear will concern themselves over how those three thousand soldiers vanished…”
Hearing Ling Yi's words, Jiang Yuan nodded with a bitter expression.
Noticing this, Ling Yi continued, “What you need to think about now is whether there will be new battles coming up and how to arrange the remaining five thousand soldiers…”
“You must understand, among those last three thousand, many were close friends, beloved family of the ones remaining. Let’s not have the ones who have been sent away be fine, only for these to end up being thrown into a battlefield akin to a meat grinder.”
“I understand.” Jiang Yuan nodded, his expression solemn and heavy. He said, “Based on my previous experience, after crippling the Northern Yue Kingdom's army, we just need to wait here patiently. On the main battlegrounds of Tian Dou and Xing Luo, high-level duels will determine wins and losses, deciding the priority for resource extraction on the border for the coming years. Then we can return home—”
“As expected!”
Hearing Jiang Yuan's words, Ling Yi shook his head and, seeing Jiang Yuan's somewhat puzzled expression, softly replied:
“The so-called war between the two great empires is essentially just a performance. Besides genuinely fighting for resources and redistribution, it's also about depleting the living forces of the subordinate kingdoms and duchies underneath.”
“How could those in power possibly be content to watch the lower realms develop peacefully, quietly amassing power bit by bit and growing stronger?”
“The Douluo Continent is only so big. If you don't consume a batch of people periodically, how can those scarce resources ever suffice to keep the lords satisfied, and continuously so?”
At this point, Ling Yi no longer looked at Jiang Yuan's face, which had turned blue once again, but continued to recite inwardly:
“This is true among humans and likely between humans and soul beasts as well.
After all, if peaceful development were truly possible, given the abundant spiritual energy of Douluo Continent over so many years, there would've been a population boom long ago. There's no family planning here.
Even if the chance of a Soul Master emerging is minimal, as long as the base population is large enough, how could the number of Soul Masters across Douluo Continent be so limited?
With more Soul Masters, the number of soul beasts, especially those of high maturity, would be far from sufficient to go around!”
(End of Chapter)
