Stranger Danger

Chapter 547: Two Steps To Build A Powerbase

“Hehehe. Interesting! I like it.”

Chen Wuxin understood Ye Qing’s plan immediately and allowed a hint of excitement to appear on his face.

As a troublemaker, it was ingrained in his blood to start trouble.

“Taking control of Chaos Heaven Brigand is just the first step. Once you’ve assumed control, I need you to grow its power and influence as quickly and humanly as possible,” Ye Qing continued his explanation while rapping his knuckles against the table.

Over half of Chen Wuxing’s excitement fizzled out just like that. “I don’t foresee any trouble taking over the Chaos Heaven Brigand, but… rapid development is going to be difficult.”

Mount Qi was a massive mountain range spanning hundreds of kilometers to the southwest of Bei You. It encompassed three commanderies—Xuan Hua, An Ding and Qing Wu—and bordered Yan. Geographically and strategically important, the three commanderies were heavily garrisoned and constantly embroiled in armed conflicts.

A lot of forces built their bases on Mount Qi due to how vast, defensible, and strategic it was. Unfortunately, most of these forces were composed of bandits and brigands.

These brigands relied heavily on the natural stronghold that was Mount Qi to assault civilians and rob merchants. If an opportunity were to present itself, they would even attack the Chu army and rob them of their provisions and siege weapons. Daring and audacious beyond belief, there was no crime they wouldn’t commit.

The worst part was that there was nothing the imperial court could do against them. Qing Wu, Xuan Hua and An Ding might be protected by not one, but three huge armies, but their main responsibility was to defend the borders. The commanderies possessed immense strategic importance, and Yan was constantly probing their defense line for holes. As a result, they were unable to deploy the number of troops to uproot the brigands once and for all.

Of course, every once in a while, there would be a bold commander who had had enough of these bastards and threw caution to the wind. Unfortunately, the brigands would simply scatter like rabbits and retreat into Mount Qi, which was generally enough to foil most extermination attempts.

On the rare occasion a commander actually succeeded in eradicating the brigands, it usually took a couple of years at most before new brigands infested the area. It was literally impossible to end their ilk in a permanent fashion.

The brigands of Mount Qi were, without a doubt, a thorn in the border armies’ sides. Although they weren’t a major threat, they were about as annoying as the shitstain on your shoes. No matter how hard you tried to wipe them on the grass or wash them with water, there would always be a faint stench somewhere. They were disgusting to say the least.

The Chaos Heaven Brigand’s main headquarters was located inside Mount Qi. In fact, the ninth rank Mountain Mover Brigand, the eleventh rank Black Haw Brigand, and the thirteenth rank Green Wolf Brigand were based in Mount Qi as well.

Besides that, dozens other minor and major factions were entrenched within Mount Qi. Some people claimed that Mount Qi boasted one hundred thousand bandits, and it was anything but an exaggeration.

Most of these factions had solidified territories and circles as well. If you challenged one of them, you challenged all of them.

In short, the border army was constantly on the lookout for brigands, and the brigands themselves were on the lookout for each other. Therefore, Ye Qing’s dream of expanding the Chaos Heaven Brigand rapidly could very well be just that—a dream.

“It is difficult, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Ye Qing said calmly and handed the Boundless Mara Buddha to Chen Wuxin. “You can have this. I’m sure your endeavor would be easier with its aid.”

“You’re giving me the Boundless Mara Buddha? Are you sure?” Chen Wuxin accepted the Strange Artifact with astonishment.

As a Half-Step Grandmaster, a Soulstealer-class Strange Artifact was beneath him. However, a sapient Soulstealer-class Strange Artifact was a different story.

Moreover, he had witnessed the Boundless Mara Buddha’s power back at Chaos Heaven Mountain. Not only did it possess incredible offensive and defensive capabilities, its artifact spirit was beyond exceptional. The Fog Demon possessed the ability to bewitch and control minds, extract memories and more. This alone made it impossible to evaluate by its rating.

“I’m not giving it to you. I’m lending it to you. You’re gonna have to give it back when I want it.” Ye Qing raised his eyebrows. Is he half-asleep or something? What did he take me for?

“Stingy bastard.” Chen Wuxin pouted, though he couldn’t deny that the Boundless Mara Buddha and especially the Fog Demon would make it much easier for him to carry out his mission.

Suddenly, Chen Wuxin realized something. “Wait a second. Aren’t you coming with me?”

“No. For now, this is the safest place for me to be.” Ye Qing shook his head. “Besides, I’m sure you can do this without my help, though you may notify me if you run into some trouble that’s truly beyond your capabilities to resolve, of course.”

“How are you so confident that I can do this when I’m not?” Chen Wuxin rolled his eyes before asking, “Do you have a specific plan in mind?”

Ye Qing chuckled. “Do you really need me to teach you how to do this? Just divide and conquer, everyone has a price, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, power is everything, yada yada blah blah. And if all else fails, there’s always fleeing is best of the Thirty-Six Stratagems!”

The Heartless Brain wasn’t just an intelligent Stranger, it was exceptionally intelligent even among intelligent Strangers. Ye Qing was sure the guy could pull off much more professional schemes than he could, at least in terms of toying with human hearts.

Chen Wuxin: “...” That’s a sloppy plan if I ever heard one.

“Don’t worry. I’ve prepared a helper for you.” Ye Qing looked at the disgruntled Chen Wuxin.

“A helper? Who is it?” Chen Wuxin asked while putting away the Boundless Mara Buddha.

“His name is Xue Beikun. He’ll join the Qing Wu garrison as a commandant-in-chief in about a month’s time.” Ye Qing said slowly, “If he is the blade in the light, then you are the knife in the dark. Together, you should be able to surmount most obstacles.”

This was his second step to build his powerbase. A month ago, he sent Xue Beikun a message and ordered him to find a way to transfer himself to Qing Wu, Xuan Hua or An Ding. It was so that he could coordinate with Chen Wuxin.

He thought that it would take Xue Beikun at least months to pull this off, but in reality, it only took him less than three weeks to wrap up everything. Of course, it wasn’t without a cost. He had to drop almost an entire rank just to obtain the position of a commandant-in-chief in the Qing Wu garrison.

Originally, Xue Beikun was the commander of the Black Feather Guards of Luo Shui. In terms of rank, he was the equivalent of a battalion commander of a border army. In ascending order, the military rank of a border army was squad leader, platoon leader, garrison commandant, commandant, commandant-in-chief, battalion commander, general, commander-in-chief and more.

On a related note, five soldiers made a squad, five squads made a platoon, five platoons made a guard, five guards made a company, five companies made a brigade, five brigades made a battalion, and five battalions made an army.

In the border army, a commandant-in-chief wasn’t a lousy post by all means, but it definitely wasn’t high either. It was smack dab at the center of the totem pole. Not only that, Xue Beikun enjoyed a leisurely life while he was a commander defending the heart of Luo Shui, but a border army must brave the elements, face all kinds of danger, and risk their lives almost every day. It wasn’t the most attractive prospect to put it mildly.

But of course, serving in a border army promised many benefits. For starters, one could earn merits and promotions faster than almost anywhere else. As long as you were capable and competent, you could be promoted all the way to the top. Everything was possible.

In fact, the man nicknamed the King of Northern Xinjiang and the commander-in-chief of an army of two hundred thousand was a grassroot.

This was why Ye Qing didn’t think that he was screwing Xue Beikun over even though he was demoted a full rank. In fact, it was a blessing in disguise. With Chen Wuxin working with him, Xue Beikun could earn the military merits he needed to climb up the ranks at a rapid pace, and Chen Wuxin could expand his forces as well.

It was killing two birds with one stone, and he fully expected Xue Beikun to surpass his previous position in just a short time. When the time was right, they would become a major help in his grand plan.

His enemies thought they could fuck with him? Okay. He would play.

“Xue Beikun? Commandant-in-chief? You have connections in the border army?” Chen Wuxin was speechless. Every time he thought he had had a grasp of Ye Qing’s abilities, the young man would strive to surpass it. “Is he reliable?”

“He will never betray me,” Ye Qing replied simply.

“That’s good. With his aid, things should be even easier.” Chen Wuxin didn’t prod deeper as he doubted that Ye Qing would give him a straight answer. “When and how can I contact him?”

Ye Qing replied, “He will contact you in due time. Just bring the Fog Demon, and he will know that you are one of mine and trust you.”

“Got it.” Chen Wuxin nodded.

“Remember. Always be careful, and keep a low profile as best you can,” Ye Qing advised.

“Like I need you to tell me that!” Chen Wuxin shrugged.

Ye Qing nodded and drank his wine. When he looked up and saw that Chen Wuxin was still there, he asked, “Do you have any more questions?”

“No…?” Chen Wuxin replied, puzzled.

“Then what are you waiting for? Get your ass over to Mount Qi already!” Ye Qing ordered.

Chen Wuxin: “...” I ran all the way here without stopping just to meet up with you, and you’re kicking me out before I can even enjoy a cup of wine? Are you even human?

“It’s going to take time for you to muster the Chaos Heaven Brigand and get everything prepared. That is why I need you to depart as soon as possible. This way, you can start as soon as Xue Beikun arrives at Qing Wu.”

As if he could hear Chen Wuxin’s thoughts, Ye Qing poured him a cup of wine and said, “Sorry for the trouble, but I expect great things from you.”

Chen Wuxin accepted the cup of wine and drained it all in one gulp. Then he rose to his feet and declared, “Got it. I’ll be going now.”

“Yeah.”

Ye Qing got up to see him off. When Chen Wuxin was at the exit, Ye Qing suddenly called out to him. “Hey.”

“What is it?” Chen Wuxin turned around with a puzzled look on his face.

“It’s nothing.” Ye Qing raised his cup and saluted him. “Take care. I’ll treat you to a drink when you return.”

“Hahahaha!” Chen Wuxin suddenly burst into a hearty guffaw. “I’ll be waiting.”