"Don't let a single one escape!"
"The Commander will lead the team, conduct a dragnet search."
"Take inventory of the supplies, and don't release the captured villagers yet."
"General Zhao, I need you to make another trip. Take some men and raid the mountain stronghold where they keep their livestock!"
General Zhou methodically arranged the tasks.
Countless torches lit up the night sky, illuminating the mountain hollow brightly.
The main force moved in, conducting a carpet search for any escapees.
This hidden mountain hollow where Peach Blossom Village was located, from the inside out, was completely under the control of Flame Camp.
By the time the sky began to lighten with the first rays of dawn.
Everything had settled.
In the largest bamboo house of Peach Blossom Village, several Commanders, two Generals, and the Queen gathered together.
General Zhao first reported on the battle situation.
The Slave Hunter Gang, from the Chief down to the stable boys, numbered thirty-eight in total.
Ten were killed or injured by Tang Wen in the lakeside forest, and the remaining twenty-eight were all captured.
As for Flame Camp, except for two unlucky hunting squad leaders who were slightly injured due to being too close to the Queen's battlefield and being affected by her aura, everyone else was unharmed.
This battle, a strong force against a weak one, could be described as a crushing victory.
All members of the Slave Hunter Gang were captured.
Their years of accumulated wealth became the spoils of Flame Camp.
After General Zhao finished his brief report, everyone unanimously looked towards the head of the table.
The Queen, with her delicate jade-like hands, was holding a silver-white cube, turning it over and over.
Noticing everyone's gaze, she tossed the cube to General Zhou, who caught it and looked at her with confusion.
The Queen said, "Just now, while I was bored, I interrogated their Chief. He confessed that it was because of this silver cube that they offended a powerful figure in Mountain Chasing City called the 'Mountain Lord.' They had no choice but to flee here."
General Zhou examined the item in his hand repeatedly but couldn't make sense of it, so he passed it to Zhou Bing.
At the same time, he asked, "This thing seems very hard. What makes it so valuable?"
Zhou Bing couldn't figure it out either and handed it to Tang Wen.
The Queen spread her hands, "In Mountain Chasing City, many factions know it's valuable, but no one knows why."
"Could they have been tricked?"
The Queen shook her head, "Unlikely. I just tried squeezing it with all my strength, and it didn't show any damage. It must be a treasure."
Everyone nodded slightly. In the Queen's hands, even steel plates would be as fragile as paper airplanes in a child's hands.
The silver cube wasn't large, about the size of a small Rubik's cube.
It felt cool to the touch, seemingly made of some kind of metal, but it was very light.
He tried squeezing it with force, and indeed, it left no mark.
Tossing it back to General Zhao, Tang Wen casually remarked, "It doesn't even seem to retain fingerprints. It must be a good item."
After everyone had a look, they lost interest, and General Zhou kept it for safekeeping.
"There's one more thing. This place, Peach Blossom Village, we can't abandon it."
Peach Blossom Village had thousands of acres of flat, fertile farmland.
It was these lands that had sustained generations of villagers in Peach Blossom Village.
"Where do they get the water for irrigation? From wells?" Tang Wen asked keenly.
General Zhao looked at him with appreciation, "From wells, but I went to check. They might be connected to an underground river."
"So, even in a severe drought, the wells would still have water?"
"Exactly. According to the old farmers here, even during droughts, their wells are always full of water."
"Great! Although a few thousand acres of land is a bit small, it's still a harvest."
"This time, we really hit the jackpot. I went to check the granary, and it's completely full. Enough to feed a thousand people for three years."
The commanders were all sharing good news.
Tang Wen then spoke up: "That Old Crow who raised the Blood Ravens surrendered on his own. We searched his house and found many potions and some books. It's confirmed that besides being a Beast Tamer, he's also a skilled pharmacist."
A pharmacist?
The Flame Camp is remote, and most people have no concept of what a pharmacist is.
Tang Wen continued: "If we can hunt down Martial Master-level Mutated Beasts, he said he can use their marrow and internal organs to refine potions. These potions can strengthen the body, increase strength, and have many other effects."
"Really?" Everyone's eyes changed.
"Whether it's true or not, we'll have to try it out," Tang Wen said, as this was the first time he had heard of such a thing.
General Zhou frowned: "Pharmacists are usually esteemed guests of major powers. How did this Old Crow, who is both a Beast Tamer and a pharmacist, end up associating with the Slave Hunter Gang? Keep a close eye on him! There's something fishy about this!"
Tang Wen nodded: "I suggest that all the items we seized from the Slave Hunter Gang should not be circulated."
"Agreed," General Zhao added, "Except for gold and silver."
Everyone burst into laughter.
The Slave Hunter Gang had killed and plundered, trafficked people, and accumulated a lot of wealth over the years.
Now, it all belonged to them.
From this seizure, every commander and captain who participated in the battle would receive a small share.
In the morning.
General Zhou released all the imprisoned villagers and, in front of them and the captured members of the Slave Hunter Gang, hanged the gang's Chief!
"Thank you, Queen! Thank you, General!"
The Old Village Chief of Peach Blossom Village led the villagers in kneeling, tears of gratitude streaming down their faces.
After the Slave Hunter Gang's Chief had breathed his last.
General Zhao personally helped the Old Village Chief to his feet and said kindly, "From now on, your Peach Blossom Village is part of our Flame Camp."
The villagers of Peach Blossom Village fell silent.
The Old Village Chief nodded repeatedly, "As it should be, as it should be."
General Zhao continued, "You can continue to live here or move to the camp. The Queen and the army will protect you."
The Old Village Chief, having some insight, confirmed that these people were different from the previous bandits.
He cautiously asked, "If we farm in the future, will we have to pay grain?"
General Zhao slightly turned his head, avoiding eye contact, "Thirty percent."
The Old Village Chief breathed a sigh of relief: Good, good, it's not too much.
"Someone's running away!"
Coincidentally, a Martial Practitioner from the Slave Hunter Gang suddenly broke free from his bonds.
He sprinted towards the cliff wall, seemingly trying to climb up and escape.
"Tang Wen! Kill him," General Zhao ordered.
Tang Wen raised an eyebrow, glanced at the villagers, and immediately acted.
The sound of a sonic boom echoed.
The villagers' legs trembled.
Bang!
The escaping Martial Practitioner's head exploded like a watermelon.
Thud.
A group of villagers' knees went weak, and they fell to the ground.
To the villagers, whose strongest was only a Martial Apprentice.
Tang Wen's move was like a miracle!
General Zhao spoke in a voice that every villager could hear, "If you want to farm for a living in the future, the camp will provide you with farming tools. If you live in the outer city of the camp, you'll never have to pay rent. Oh, and seventy percent of the harvested grain must be handed over to the camp."
The Old Village Chief, who had just stood up, swayed on his legs, almost kneeling again.
Fortunately, General Zhao gently supported him.
The Old Village Chief forgot to express his gratitude, his eyes vacant, his mind echoing: seventy percent, seventy percent, seventy percent belongs to them!
The women and children turned their heads to look at Tang Wen, their eyes filled with awe and respect.
Seeing that the Old Village Chief hadn't recovered for a while, General Zhao had no choice but to say, "The one who just acted was Commander Tang. After you join the camp, you can learn martial arts, and in time, you might become as strong as Commander Tang Wen!"
"Huh? Really? Your Majesty, do we need to pay grain to learn martial arts?"
Hearing the old man's address, General Zhao's mouth twitched, but he didn't correct him. He said, "Your village's situation is special. For this batch of children, there's no need to pay grain; they can learn for free for three years."
After all, they had taken over the village, so Flame Camp had to offer some compensation.
The Old Village Chief thought for a moment and asked softly, "I wonder, how many years did that gentleman who just acted study?"
General Zhao's expression suddenly became peculiar: "Tang Wen, well, he hasn't studied for long. Less than three years, just less than three years!"
Hearing such a confident answer, the Old Village Chief felt greatly comforted.
There were still many children left in his village, at least a hundred. In three years, or maybe a few more, they could all become as strong as that young man just now. That would be wonderful!
By then, perhaps they wouldn't have to hand over seventy percent of their harvest for farming, right?
(End of chapter)