Passing through the bustling crowd, Oliver Sheng returned to the familiar barracks.
Cameron Guo had already arranged a welcoming banquet.
The five thousand Wei Wu Troops saw Oliver Sheng and each of them shouted with fervent eyes.
“Welcome, General!!”
Oliver Sheng looked at the five thousand spirited Wei Wu Troops and nodded in satisfaction. Each Wei Wu Troop had a solid level of cultivation, with the most ordinary soldiers being at the late stage of Martial Disciple.
Most of the soldiers had already reached the level of Martial Artist.
It seemed Cameron Guo had been diligent in training the troops.
“Soldiers, I am very pleased to see you all. I also thank you for your efforts in guarding River West County. Take your seats; today, I will drink with you to our hearts’ content,” Oliver Sheng said to the five thousand Wei Wu Troops.
“Yes, General!”
The soldiers took their seats one after another, and Oliver Sheng also sat down, followed by Zane Wang, Wang Zhan, Sawyer Shangguan, and others.
“Everyone, feel free to relax,” Oliver Sheng said to the crowd.
As the banquet began, Cameron Guo spoke up after a while.
“General, can someone else guard River West County? I want to follow you into battle.”
Among all the commanders, he was the only one guarding River West County, while everyone else followed Oliver Sheng to fight on the grasslands against the Foreign Tribe. He was getting restless.
“Fighting the Foreign Tribe on the grasslands is mostly cavalry battles. You are a Wei Wu Troop; are you going to lead your soldiers to charge on foot?” Oliver Sheng said, slightly annoyed.
Cameron Guo scratched his head. Guarding River West County was indeed too boring, with no battles to fight.
“Don’t worry. Train the troops well. I’ll provide you with ample resources and provisions. You need to train a truly elite force for me. When the time comes, there will be plenty of battles for you,” Oliver Sheng said.
“Yes, General!”
“Also, recruit five thousand sturdy soldiers and increase the army’s size to ten thousand. After all, you are now an Imperial General, and commanding ten thousand troops is just right. I will instruct the craftsman’s workshop to forge heavy armor for the Wei Wu Troops,” Oliver Sheng said.
Most of the silver earned from the distillery, aside from purchasing pills and supplies, was invested in the craftsman’s workshop to increase weapon production.
With Oliver Sheng’s orders, Cameron Guo was delighted. If he had ten thousand Wei Wu Troops, he wouldn’t fear even if the Huns came with an army of a hundred thousand.
“Zane Wang, go to Peace Pass tomorrow and tell General Calvin Yang to recruit soldiers to full capacity and train them quickly. I will provide them with supplies,” Oliver Sheng said to Zane Wang.
“Alright, General. I’ll head to Peace Pass tomorrow,” Zane Wang nodded.
Now that Oliver Sheng had taken control of Ding Prefecture, Yong Prefecture, and the River West Protectorate, he planned to strengthen the Peace Army to involve them in future battles.
Sawyer Shangguan, seeing this, was delighted. It seemed there would be another war soon.
During the drinking session, Oliver Sheng learned more about Zheng Fang and Qin Lin. Their military capabilities were not outstanding, but their cultivation was barely acceptable.
In his eyes, early-stage Grandmaster cultivation was just so-so.
The hundred thousand troops they brought were not very strong, with many soldiers being ordinary people. Compared to the formidable River West Army, they were far inferior.
Fortunately, the Assistant Generals under them included ten Innate Martial Artists, which strengthened the mid-level forces under Oliver Sheng.
The next day, Sawyer Shangguan bought a house in River West County and arranged for his parents to live there. He also set up some businesses to keep his parents occupied.
Oliver Sheng inspected the craftsman’s workshop and the distillery, and ordered the continued recruitment of craftsmen to increase weapon production.
Soon, his forces would have two hundred thousand troops, requiring a significant amount of weaponry and equipment.
After staying in River West County for a few more days to arrange various affairs, Oliver Sheng led the hundred thousand troops under Zheng Fang and Qin Lin to River West County.
The mighty army arrived at River West County, where Wesley Hu, Harrison Zhou, Lin Jiang, Felix Wu, and others were already waiting.
Seeing Oliver Sheng and his men return, everyone was extremely excited.
“Welcome back, General!”
The entire River West Army shouted to welcome Oliver Sheng.
Qin Lin and Zheng Fang looked at the majestic army in front of them, their expressions changing.
They had thought that the five thousand Wei Wu Troops they saw with Cameron Guo were already elite enough, but they didn’t expect the entire River West Army to be so formidable.
Oliver Sheng was also very happy to return to River West County.
“Everyone, quiet down.”
Oliver Sheng raised his hand, and the forty to fifty thousand troops instantly fell silent.
“His Majesty’s rewards have arrived. The entire River West Army is promoted by one rank, and each soldier is rewarded with ten taels of silver.”
After Oliver Sheng finished speaking, the soldiers erupted in cheers.
“Harrison Zhou, Wesley Hu, Felix Wu, Lin Jiang, step forward to receive your titles,” Oliver Sheng took out the Imperial Edict.
“Yes!”
The four of them stepped forward with eager eyes.
“By His Majesty’s decree, Harrison Zhou is conferred as Viscount of He County and Imperial General of Po Qi!”
“Wesley Hu is conferred as Viscount of Yuan County and Imperial General of Po Rong!”
“Felix Wu is conferred as Viscount of River West County and Imperial General of Po Di!”
“Lin Jiang is conferred as Viscount of Suiyuan County and Imperial General of Po Qiang!”
“We thank His Majesty for his grace!!”
Harrison Zhou, Wesley Hu, Felix Wu, and Lin Jiang were ecstatic upon hearing their titles, dancing with joy.
After years of fighting on the battlefield, they finally received their rewards.
With their spirits high, they couldn’t help but smile broadly.
“Greetings, Marquis. It’s good to see you back,” the prefect, Finn Chen, said with a smile.
“Congratulations, Prefect Chen. From now on, the administration of the River West Protectorate will rely on you,” Oliver Sheng said with a smile, looking at Finn Chen.
“It’s my duty. I will certainly assist the Marquis in governing the River West Protectorate well.”
Oliver Sheng nodded. After returning to the barracks, he held a celebration banquet for Harrison Zhou, Wesley Hu, and others, and introduced Zheng Fang and Qin Lin to everyone.
In the following days, Oliver Sheng began intensive training. He reorganized the hundred thousand troops brought by Zheng Fang and Qin Lin.
Each of them led five regiments of thirty thousand troops, and he had them train in cavalry skills.
The remaining forty thousand soldiers were distributed among the forces of Harrison Zhou, Wesley Hu, and others.
When Prefect Jiang Linhu of Ding Prefecture sent five thousand common people to enlist, Oliver Sheng handed them over to Wesley Hu for rigorous training for a month.
After expanding the army, Oliver Sheng’s forces, including five thousand Barbarian slave troops, totaled two hundred and fifty thousand.
By drawing martial artists from the army, Oliver Sheng supplemented the heavy cavalry to five thousand!
After half a month of training, when the various armies had become familiar with each other, Oliver Sheng planned to mobilize and launch an expedition to the grasslands to attack the Huns!
“Someone, bring Wang Zhan to me!” Oliver Sheng shouted.
“Yes, General!” A personal guard quickly went to inform Wang Zhan.
Soon, Wang Zhan arrived at Oliver Sheng’s tent.
“General, what do you need?” Wang Zhan asked.
“Take your scout team to the Huns’ grasslands to gather information and prepare for our expedition against the Huns,” Oliver Sheng ordered.
“Yes, General!”
Wang Zhan received the order and led his scout team, disappearing into the grasslands.
Oliver Sheng then sent a letter to General Calvin Yang at Peace Pass, instructing him to lead thirty thousand troops to the grasslands to join him.
“Call Felix Wu, Lin Jiang, Sawyer Shangguan, Qin Lin, and Zheng Fang to me,” Oliver Sheng said to Wang Zhan.
“I’ll go right away!” Wang Zhan left the tent to call the others.
Soon, the five of them arrived at Oliver Sheng’s tent.
“Greetings, General!” The five of them saluted Oliver Sheng.
“Mm!”
Oliver Sheng nodded and said, “You five, gather the troops. Tomorrow, we will launch an attack on the Huns.”
“Yes, General!”
Hearing that they were going to attack the Huns, Felix Wu and the others were immediately excited.
Qin Lin and Zheng Fang didn’t expect a battle to come so soon.
With the troops assembled, Felix Wu, Sawyer Shangguan, and Lin Jiang each led thirty thousand troops, while Qin Lin and Zheng Fang each led sixty thousand troops, along with thirty thousand slave troops and three thousand heavy cavalry.
The total combat force was one hundred and twenty-three thousand, with thirty thousand auxiliary and logistics troops.
Oliver Sheng left Harrison Zhou, Xiao Chuyi, and Wesley Hu to lead the remaining troops to guard the River West Protectorate.
Now that the Barbarians were defeated, the River West Protectorate only needed to guard against the Western Regions.
However, with veterans stationed at the River West Protectorate, Oliver Sheng was not worried about an attack from the Western Regions.
The next day!
“Everyone, march out!!”
Oliver Sheng raised his spear high, and the sound of the expedition horn echoed across the grasslands!
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