The Wang Consortium’s sudden war on the Zhou Consortium shocked the entire Alliance of Strongholds.
The 1st Field Division of the Wang Consortium’s military corps crossed Luoyang City at lightning speed and arrived at the Zhou Consortium’s northern defensive line. Although the Zhou Consortium was already prepared for this, their defenses were currently lax, and even their military discipline was slipshod. As a result, they were forced to retreat in defeat within the first week of the war.
The Zhou Consortium, led by Zhou Qingyang, started leaving Stronghold 73 and migrated southwards to the Zhou Consortium’s political center.
This cowardly attitude demoralized the Zhou Consortium’s soldiers. Many people said the glory days of the Zhou Consortium had already passed, with Zhou Shiji and Zhou Shoushi’s era over.
Amid the commotion, no one noticed an off-road vehicle was driving from Stronghold 144 towards the even more solitary Fortress 178.
Now that the Northwest had opened up the trade routes, it had become bustling and prosperous.
The dozen or so strongholds that originally belonged to the Zong Consortium in the Northwest looked like a huge array with Stronghold 144 as its center, and building and development works were being carried out nonstop day and night.
There was only Fortress 178 standing farther in the Northwest, a mottled but magnificent presence.
Currently, the merchants did not really like going to Fortress 178. Because there were more of the Northwest Army’s troops there, the margins of doing business in Fortress 178 were always far lower than in the other strongholds.
Moreover, the other strongholds in the Northwest were only about a 100 to 200 kilometers apart from each other. But if they wanted to go to Fortress 178, they could only set off from Stronghold 141, which was nearest to it and travel through nearly 400 kilometers of deserted land to get there.
There was no place to top up for gas or get food along the way. Everything was just very desolate.
As there were very few vehicles traveling in between the two strongholds, the dust storms caused by the nearby soil erosion often covered the roads with a layer of yellow sand.
Ren Xiaosu drove the off-road vehicle alone as it sped along the highway. A huge dust cloud was kicked up under the wheels, and it looked just like a comet shooting across the sky with a tail of exhaust.
He had set off from Stronghold 144 in the morning. By the time he arrived at Fortress 178, it was already evening.
Ren Xiaosu had been here before, but when he saw the towering fortress again, he was still awed.
This was a fortress completely different from the other strongholds. Everything here was built for the sake of war. There were firing points densely spaced apart on the walls, and even cannon embrasures were laid out in honeycomb patterns in them.
From the outside, this fortress gave off an extremely oppressive sense of intimidation. Upon entering it, one would see the complex structure of the fortress walls.
Different paths led to different parts of the fortress walls. There were wide railways for transporting artillery, and “bridle paths” for soldiers to pass through.
Ren Xiaosu could even imagine how intense it would get on the fortress walls when war broke out again.
Xu Xianchu was already waiting outside the gate of Fortress 178. When he saw Ren Xiaosu, he got out of the vehicle and gave him a warm hug. “Long time no see. Come on, the commander is waiting for you.”
Ren Xiaosu smiled and said, “Long time no see, Old Xu.”
Xu Xianchu suddenly felt that when Ren Xiaosu called him “Old Xu,” he said it in such an extremely familiar and endearing manner. It was as though they had never parted ways before. This made Xu Xianchu feel that Ren Xiaosu absolutely treated him as a friend!
As the two of them walked into the fortress, Ren Xiaosu wanted to take the car when Xu Xianchu stopped him with a smile. “The commander has specifically instructed that you have to walk from here.”
Ren Xiaosu was surprised. “I thought I’d only need to go on foot when I visit the outposts? Why has it started already? Is there such a rule?”
“Oh, it’s not a rule.” Xu Xianchu said with a smile, “It’s just that Commander Zhang wants everyone in the fortress to see what their future commander looks like so there won’t be any awkwardness in the future.”
Ren Xiaosu was slightly taken aback. At this moment, he realized that people were starting to rush over from both sides of the road. They were not doing this for anything other than to get a glimpse of their future commander.
Everyone had a kind smile on their face. The buildings by the roadside were filled with the fortress residents watching as well.
Xu Xianchu explained with a smile, “The people of Fortress 178 take pride in getting enlisted in the military to protect their homeland. If any family members get selected to join the Northwest Army, it’s a glorious achievement for the whole family. They even have to treat their neighbors to a meal. Everyone loves and respects those of us serving in the military, so it’s only natural that they’re curious about what our future commander looks like.”
Ren Xiaosu could not help but laugh. “That sounds a little exaggerated.”
Xu Xianchu had a look at a group of young ladies who had gathered nearby. Then he said with a laugh, “If everyone didn’t know you and Ms. Xiaojin are so close, there’d be a lot of matchmakers stopping you on the road. Speaking of which, it’s really quite nostalgic. When we left Stronghold 113 together back then, you were still a refugee while I was a down-and-out private army officer. But times have changed. You’re the future commander of our Northwest!”
At this moment, an elder on the sidewalk said with a smile, “Comrade Little Xu, you don’t have to belittle yourself. You are our Northwest’s King of Cauldrons! I heard that your usage of the black cauldron has become rather godly. You can even blot out the sky!”
Xu Xianchu said reservedly, “You flatter me, sir!”
Ren Xiaosu was speechless.
He did not even know Xu Xianchu had gained the nickname “King of Cauldrons.”
And what the hell was this black cauldron that blotted out the sky? Just how big had Xu Xianchu’s black cauldron become?!
“About that…” Ren Xiaosu asked nonchalantly,” How big is that black cauldron of yours?”
Xu Xianchu said with a laugh, “Blotting out the sky was just an exaggeration. It’s only a few dozen meters in diameter.”
“That’s already very big!” Ren Xiaosu sighed.
At this moment, a few veterans were standing on the sidewalk in their military uniforms. Their hair had already grayed, and their bodies were hunched over. However, the military medals on their chests were still glistening brightly.
To everyone, the arrival of the future commander in the city was just like a ceremony. From today onwards, the authority over the Northwest would gradually start shifting. It would only end when Zhang Jinglin finally handed all of his authority over to Ren Xiaosu.
When one of the veterans saw Ren Xiaosu walking down the long boulevard, he muttered, “I heard that this future commander is extremely good at combat. I wonder if he’ll empathize with the recruits like how the old commander and Commander Zhang did.”
Another veteran joked, “Does a matter like this need a frail old man like you to worry over it? Just who do you think you are?!”
These veterans were very old. When Zhang Jinglin became the fortress commander, they had already retired from the military. When Zhang Jinglin walked into the city as the future commander, they had also stood on the streets and watched him from afar.
The “old commander” they were referring to was not Zhang Jinglin, but Zhang Jinglin’s predecessor.
Someone nearby said with a smile, “In the previous war with the Zong Consortium, the Razor Sharp Company achieved successive military achievements under his leadership. However, not a single person died in the process. So he’ll definitely protect this place just like the old fortress commanders did. Everyone, please don’t worry.”
The veterans turned around and were surprised to see that Zhang Jinglin had gotten next to them at some point. Ren Xiaosu also noticed Zhang Jinglin’s presence, so he greeted him with a smile, “Mr. Zhang.”
Zhang Jinglin walked out of the crowd and said, “Are you ready? Once you’ve made this decision, you’re not allowed to turn back.”
