Chapter 1789 - 1774: Deploying Troops to Dongxi

South of Qing State in the Great Zhou Dynasty is Ping State, under which there is a county called Changshi County, and Changshi County governs eight sub-counties, but the most famous is Dongxi County.

Dongxi County is backed by Da Chang Mountain, with a vast plain in front, and in the center of the plain, there is a large lake covering an area of three hundred li.

With suitable climate, Dongxi County is considered a land of fish and rice, quite prosperous.

And the Da Chang Mountain behind it abounds in various ores, with more than thirty official mining veins alone, and it is said that over a hundred mining veins are being developed secretly.

Mining requires a large labor force, resulting in a huge population in Dongxi County.

Counting slaves and ordinary laborers, the population of Dongxi County exceeds ten million.

This population number is already more than that of a lower-grade county in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

For example, the North Sea County which Ye Zhen initially took over did not have a population of ten million.

Yet this small Dongxi County has a population exceeding ten million, and merchants come and go continuously, aside from the trading of daily necessities and slaves, the ore business is extremely booming.

It can indeed be regarded as the ore capital of Ping State and even its surroundings.

Such thriving commerce and agriculture have led to Dongxi County being very large in scale, so much that the county city is larger than Changshi County.

Even the city walls are one-third taller than those of Changshi County City.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, this is considered a violation of regulations, as the Law of Great Zhou has limits on the height of the state, county, and city walls; exceeding this limit is a transgression.

However, Dongxi County has exceeded the regulations with no consequence.

Not to mention the prefectural governor of Changshi County, even the governor of Ping State doesn’t dare to mention this matter.

The reason is simple.

Because the Xio Family of Dongxi County is a branch of the Xio Family under Xio Qiangu of the West Patrol.

Basically, every long-standing family expands over time.

After five generations, they divide branches for management and development of the family.

Branching situations vary; some seek independence, some lack status within the main family, and some are rejected by the main family.

But most of the branches are for family management and strength, especially when the main family is extremely strong, these branches, after branching, remain dependent on the main family, following their orders.

Dongxi Clan is a branch of the Xio Family of the West Patrol, and remains reliant on the Xio Family to this day, being one of the most valued branches.

According to the information Ye Zhen obtained from Director Ma Yuanjin of the Inner Affairs Bureau, within the West Patrol, those most trusted by Xio Qiangu are family members.

So, even though Ma Yuanjin holds a high position within the West Patrol Office, there are still matters he cannot be involved in.

Moreover, the most elite subordinates and death soldiers under the West Patrol come from the Xio Family’s various branches and subordinate clans under these branches.

Additionally, over half of the wealth of the Xio Family under the West Patrol comes from contributions of various branches.

Like the Dongxi County City before Ye Zhen, it provides massive wealth to Xio Qiangu of the West Patrol every year.

It is said that the production and trade income of Dongxi County exceeds the annual tax revenue of the entire Ping State.

As for the governor of Ping State, he dares not manage Dongxi County, let alone levy high taxes on it.

If he dares, Xio Qiangu of the West Patrol would immediately teach him a lesson.

In other words, the Dongxi County City before Ye Zhen is an extremely important base under Xio Qiangu’s command.

Not only is it a source of manpower, but also of wealth.

And Ye Zhen is now wandering underground in Dongxi County City, examining the distribution of its treasure vaults.

The reason Ye Zhen is here is that his revenge target is here.

Ye Zhen is not like Xio Qiangu, who stops at nothing to achieve his goals, disregarding the lives of civilians.

Such acts of murdering large numbers of civilians are something Ye Zhen cannot do and will not do.

But the Xio Clan branch behind Xio Qiangu’s Xio Family is beyond Ye Zhen’s concern.

If Ye Zhen doesn’t give Xio Qiangu a lesson this time, Xio Qiangu will keep pushing Ye Zhen to his limits.

This time, Ye Zhen wants to pain Xio Qiangu to his core.

To make it unforgettable!

Dongxi County City is a commercial city, and the nightlife is vibrant, gradually quieting down only after midnight.

Ye Zhen silently appears on a main street a kilometer away from the Xio Mansion in Dongxi County.

The Xio Mansion in Dongxi County is thirty-li long and twenty-five-li wide, occupying one-third of the entire county city.

And the Xio Mansion is also a vital place of the Xio Family in Dongxi County.

Most commercial transactions are done within the mansion, where vast amounts of ore, spirit stones, and various trading resources are stored in warehouses.

Additionally, the Xio Mansion in Dongxi County is also a secret training base for Xio Qiangu of the West Patrol.

Over ten thousand elite disciples of the Dongxi Clan are trained in the Xio Mansion.

After five to twenty years of rigorous training and cultivation, they are sent to serve under Xio Qiangu of the West Patrol.

Each year, at least one hundred qualified Heavenly Patrol Divine Hunters, five hundred Ghost Scouts, and over a thousand late-stage Divine Communication Martial Artists are replenished for Xio Qiangu of the West Patrol.

Every time a batch left, new members of the Xio Clan and their vassal families, as well as the children of the family’s house slaves, were sent in for replenishment training.

The Heavenly Patrol Divine Hunters and Martial Artists under Xi Qiangu of the West Patrol Xio Family mostly came from such branches.

"The destruction of the Dongxi Clan branch, I wonder if Xio Qiangu will feel the pain?"

With a cold gaze, Ye Zhen looked at the dark Xio Mansion that resembled a castle and disappeared into thin air with a shift of his Divine Sense.

Ye Zhen then appeared in a warehouse built underground.

This warehouse spanned an area of a mile, but with the arrangement of a brilliantly stacked spatial formation, the underground warehouse had turned into a massive space measuring fifteen miles long, fifteen miles wide, and one mile high.

Inside, there were vast amounts of ore awaiting refinement.

Because they were just raw ores, the defense here was not strict. Coupled with Ye Zhen’s Innate Five Elements Divine Escape, which allowed him to come and go freely even in Luoyi, entering this enormous underground warehouse was so seamless it went unnoticed like a spirit.

Ye Zhen moved like a butterfly through flowers, and the ores in the raw material warehouse rapidly vanished, disappearing in an instant by more than half.

However, Ye Zhen’s purpose was not to steal these ores, which were not highly valuable.

Ye Zhen did this only because he needed space.

After a round of gathering, Ye Zhen stopped when he felt there was enough space.

The moment he stopped, Ye Zhen’s Divine Sense moved, and a general standing over two meters tall, with an aura that could suffocate, wearing a High Grade Demon Suppression Device, appeared boldly.

But Ye Zhen frowned.

"Conceal your aura."

"Yes, sir!" Instantly, the intense Evil Qi emanating from Hei Jiu vanished.

Not only Hei Jiu, but the endless Demon Soul Soldiers emerging from behind also desperately concealed their auras.

Yes, it was Hei Jiu.

To take revenge on Xio Qiangu, Ye Zhen could not use the people under him who were known to the public.

The Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy wasn’t weak either. The Heavenly Patrol Divine General Feng Jiumo and Spirit Scout Niu Er had discovered someone secretly surveilling them.

No need to think, it was obvious who sent them.

Therefore, Ye Zhen’s public forces, even the three hundred Sacrificial Guards, could not be used for this revenge.

Ye Zhen’s plan for revenge was simple: an eye for an eye.

Make Xio Qiangu experience being forced into a desperate situation.

When Ye Zhen claimed to be in retreat, he actually returned to the Demon Soul Realm with the War Soul Blood Flag.

This time, in the Demon Soul Realm, Ye Zhen did only one thing.

He brought Hei Jiu, one of the three Corps Leaders, out, along with an elite force selected from troops of the three Demon Soul Legions.

If you’re going to play, play big!

Make things so difficult for Xio Qiangu that he has no time to attend to other matters for years.

As Ye Zhen’s Divine Sense turned, fifty thousand Demon Soul Soldiers with cultivation in the Middle Late Stage of Divine Communication, arranged themselves neatly in formation inside this underground warehouse.

Among them were two thousand Dark Palace Realm Demon Soul Officers and twenty Realm King Realm Demon Soul Legion Ten Thousand Man Generals, all charged with Killing Qi.

This was half of the elite forces of the Demon Soul Realm.

"Where do we attack, please give the order, Grand Marshal!" Seeing this formation, Hei Jiu knew Ye Zhen was about to launch an attack and said eagerly.

"After I leave for fifteen minutes, invade the Xio Mansion opposite. Except for women, children, and infants, kill all the men, and anyone who dares attack you is also to be killed!

At the same time, seize the Spirit Stone warehouse and various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures from this mansion, take as much as you can!"

As he spoke, Ye Zhen released three thousand storage rings, which were all he had in stock.

Ranging in size from ten square meters to a kilometer square.

Unfortunately, the limitation of storage rings is precisely here; the larger the storage space, the rarer and harder it is to acquire.

Normally, Ye Zhen had the Mirage Dragon Pearl, granting him an immensely large storage space.

But in Ye Zhen’s absence, it was slightly troublesome.

However, in this battle, for Ye Zhen, ransacking was only secondary.

"Yes, we will follow the Grand Marshal’s command!" Hei Jiu answered.

As Ye Zhen nodded, his figure flickered, and the Demon Marshal’s Avatar, holding the War Soul Blood Flag, abruptly appeared. Ye Zhen pointed to the Demon Marshal’s Avatar and said, "My Avatar will accompany you in the assault on Xio Mansion. If my Avatar orders you to retreat, you are to do so without hesitation; that is a military order!" Ye Zhen gave careful instructions.

"Understood, we will obey." Hei Jiu saluted again.

Ye Zhen slowly nodded, "Then, start counting from now, begin the operation in fifteen minutes!"

"Yes!"

At the moment Hei Jiu responded, Ye Zhen’s figure abruptly disappeared into thin air from the raw material warehouse.

A few breaths later, as a gigantic shadow appeared south of Dongxi County City, this shadow, radiating a monstrous and fierce aura, surged towards Dongxi County like a tidal wave in an instant.

Suddenly, Dongxi County seemed to awaken, with numerous horned horses, dragon horses, and carrying beasts letting out terrified cries echoing throughout.

At the same instant, an immense Dao Realm aura shot up from the Xio Mansion within Dongxi County.