With the Spirit Gathering Array upgraded, disciples could now achieve rapid breakthroughs.

Next, the task was to recruit members to full capacity, triggering genuine sect missions to enhance construction.

“But…” Jun Changxiao murmured, “With recent frequent recruitment, finding youths with decent aptitude in Qingyang Prefecture will be extremely difficult.”

The system said, “Doesn’t Host enjoy challenges? Just recruit all the lowest aptitude candidates, and you’ll definitely fill up quickly.”

“Get lost.” Jun Changxiao replied.

In the past, he had enjoyed the challenge of cultivating low-tier youths into talents.

But the key point was that back then, he couldn’t recruit anyone at all, so he could only choose low aptitude candidates.

Now things were different.

The sect had sufficient prestige, and its rank had risen from seventh-rate to sixth-rate.

Moreover, disciples like Li Fei and Tian Qi had been successfully cultivated, fully proving his ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

So for subsequent disciples, there definitely needed to be firm requirements regarding spiritual roots.

Developing a sect wasn’t the same as running a welfare institution. High-aptitude martial cultivators would naturally be faster to train than low-aptitude ones.

The system said, “Host, you’re now as conceited as Jiang Hu Zai Jian.”

“Conceited, my ass.”

Jun Changxiao cursed, then rested his chin on his hand, saying, “We can go to other prefectures to recruit.”

The system said, “It’s fine for martial artists from other prefectures to join the Iron Bones Sect, but if Host crosses prefecture boundaries to recruit, you’ll definitely attract plenty of trouble.”

Jun Changxiao fell silent.

The Star Meteorite Continent had many people, but only so much talent.

Going to someone else’s territory to recruit disciples was indeed no different from going there to wreck the place.

“Damn it.”

Jun Changxiao broke down, “So do I really have to just recruit lower-aptitude youths and rely on various resources to slowly improve them?”

“Sect Master.”

Just then, Li Qingyang entered the great hall, saying, “City Lord Xie has come to visit.”

“Please show him in,” Jun Changxiao said.

……

Inside the great hall.

Xie Guangkun sat down, his face full of worry as he said, “Sect Master Jun, the thing I’ve been constantly worried about has finally come to pass!”

“What is it?” Jun Changxiao asked.

Xie Guangkun took out a letter, saying, “This is a surrender demand delivered yesterday by the Prefectural Governor of Zhenyang Prefecture.”

“Oh?”

Jun Changxiao took it and opened the envelope to read.

The content was rather literary, but the general meaning was that Qingyang City should surrender. Otherwise, before long, armies would march upon the city.

“Heh heh.”

Jun Changxiao said, “So brazen?”

Xie Guangkun sighed, “According to my intelligence, Zhenyang Prefecture has dispatched two hundred thousand troops, divided into two routes attacking Huayang Prefecture and Heyang Prefecture.”

“If those two prefectures are conquered, won’t our Qingyang Prefecture be flanked?” Jun Changxiao asked.

“Exactly,” Xie Guangkun said.

Jun Changxiao rested his chin on his hand, saying, “This Zhenyang Prefectural Governor is truly an ambitious overlord.”

Xie Guangkun said, “The two hundred thousand troops Zhenyang Prefecture dispatched this time are commanded by General Bai Ruihu’s White Tiger Legion. Not only are their cultivations high, but their equipment is also excellent. They’re truly the elite among elites. If they come here, our Qingyang Prefecture will be in danger.”

“About how long until they can reach us?” Jun Changxiao asked.

Xie Guangkun said, “If Huayang Prefecture and Heyang Prefecture choose to resist, we’ll probably have a year and a half. If they choose to surrender, Zhenyang Prefecture’s army will advance unopposed and could reach Qingyang Prefecture in as little as a month.”

“One month, then.”

Jun Changxiao said, “City Lord Xie, how many troops does Qingyang City have?”

“Fifty thousand,” Xie Guangkun said.

Qingyang City had a population of three million six hundred thousand, but those who truly met battlefield standards needed to have at least Wutu cultivation, so the numbers wouldn’t be too high.

Moreover, what Zhenyang Prefecture was sending was an elite army. Ordinary first or second rank Wutu on the battlefield would be the same as sending them to their deaths.

Jun Changxiao frowned, “That’s a bit too few.”

He wasn’t professional in matters of military campaigns, so he summoned Xue Rengui and explained the situation, asking, “Hall Master Xue, what do you think?”

Xue Rengui frowned, “This Bai Ruihu of Zhenyang Prefecture seems to be one of the ten famous generals of Southwest Yang Province.”

“That’s correct,” Xie Guangkun said.

Jun Changxiao was speechless.

First an elite army, then one of the ten famous generals.

Zhenyang Prefecture’s invasion this time was truly determined to succeed.

Xue Rengui said, “Based on the current situation, we can only choose to defend to the death. As for how long we can hold, it depends on when they choose to launch a full assault.”

Very pessimistic.

But there was no choice.

With such disparate troop numbers and strength, it was truly too difficult to contend with Zhenyang Prefecture’s elite army.

“Alas.”

Xie Guangkun let out a long sigh, his eyes gleaming with determination, “Even if I must exhaust every last soldier, I will defend Qingyang City to the death!”

Homeland shall not be violated!

Surrender? That was something only cowards would do!

……

Xie Guangkun departed. He had to prepare for the coming war and had already resolved to live and die with Qingyang City.

“Hall Master Xue.”

Jun Changxiao said, “Is there no better solution?”

Xue Rengui shook his head, “Sect Master, Qingyang Prefecture is ultimately only ninth-rank. If targeted by a major prefecture, the only outcome is annihilation.”

Big fish eat small fish—an eternal truth.

Jun Changxiao sat in his chair, hands supporting his chin, his eyes determined, “My Iron Bones Sect is located within Qingyang City’s territory, so naturally we cannot stand idly by.”

Xue Rengui said, “Sect Master, we are a power sect, so we don’t need to participate in warfare.”

“My Iron Bones Sect’s disciples are mostly people from Qingyang City. This is their homeland, and their relatives are here. How can they watch it be violated by foreign enemies!”

The former Huaxia had endured a hundred years of humiliation, and countless sons had shed their blood for their homeland. Though Jun Changxiao was born in a prosperous era, he still understood the principle that when the nation is in danger, every man bears responsibility.

Now, having transmigrated to another world, he was not only a person of Qingyang but also possessed the soul of Huaxia. When his homeland was invaded, he would share in its hardships rather than choose to survive meekly.

“Understood.”

Xue Rengui said gravely, “If Sect Master wishes to defend Qingyang City, your subordinate believes we can expand the Wolf Cavalry Hall’s membership and form a cavalry regiment capable of catching enemies unprepared and striking unexpectedly.”

Going to face Zhenyang Prefecture’s army head-on was absolutely impossible, so they could only leverage their own strengths.

The Wolf Cavalry Hall equipped with Hurricane Wolves was undoubtedly the Iron Bones Sect’s strength and most suitable for battlefield combat. With perfect coordination, let alone one against ten, even one against a hundred wouldn’t be a problem.

In the cold weapon era, the strongest military force was definitely none other than cavalry.

Commanding powerful cavalry meant being invincible.

Back in the day, the Mongol Empire had nearly conquered Europe relying on cavalry.

During the Song period, though economically strong, because they had lost the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, they had no suitable horse-breeding grounds and thus could never form a powerful cavalry regiment, getting beaten by Liao, Western Xia, Jin, and the Mongols.

Of course, that cavalry was primarily horse-based.

Jun Changxiao’s Wolf Cavalry Hall was primarily Hurricane Wolf-based—the two were not on the same level at all.

Xue Rengui was confident that as long as they were equipped with a certain number of members and underwent rigorous training, they could definitely forge a powerful cavalry regiment.

Jun Changxiao said, “There are only about a thousand Hurricane Wolves. This master can only allocate another five hundred disciples to the Wolf Cavalry Hall.”

Bringing the Hurricane Wolf pack back from the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range to the sect had been preparing for a rainy day. Now that war had arrived and they were put to use, it was within reason.

Xue Rengui considered briefly, then said, “A thousand-man cavalry regiment, as long as training is adequate, can contend with tens of thousands of troops without problem.”

“What if we add excellent equipment?” Jun Changxiao asked.

Xue Rengui said, “Then it would be like adding wings to a tiger!”

“This master will summon the disciples, and you select five hundred.”

Jun Changxiao added, “However, time is very limited. You must train them within one month.”

Xue Rengui said confidently, “Our sect’s disciples have strong physiques and good foundations. Training them will definitely be faster than ordinary conscripts. Let alone one month—half a month will do!”