Dragon Tamer

“Could it be that they saw my extraordinary demeanor and feared that I was a Heavenly Being, so they drew their swords and committed suicide to atone for their sins?” Zhu Minglang responded irritably.

“The others are from Dragon Horse Camp, one of the biggest scourges of Runyu City. They have even greater forces behind them…” Yao Junshi with the tufted beard said.

“Hmph, since we plan to take back this city, it doesn’t matter what’s behind them. If they dare to come to our turf to commit violence, not one of them will leave here alive!” Hu Bailing snorted coldly.

Having said that, Hu Bailing led a large group of Dragon Shepherds, rolling over in the direction of Dragon Horse Camp.

Zhu Minglang was not idle either, and simply located some military bandits’ strongholds, wiping them out in one fell swoop.

All night, Runyu City was essentially in a state of battle, and those sizable orthodox armies were apparently still observing. They were also uncertain whether the new rulers had the capability to expel the entire armed force of Runyu City.

However, as Dragon Horse Camp was annihilated, those armies from the tea-colored ground began to feel a bit uneasy as well.

By dawn, bodies and dragon beast bones could be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys of Runyu City, and some leaders who had dominated Runyu City were even dragged to the market and beheaded as a public warning.

Clothed in heavy battle armor, Hu Chongming stood at the highest point of the city wall and proclaimed loudly, “The City Lord’s decree has been issued. I hope everyone will conduct themselves with dignity. We give you time to leave during the day, and at night, we will continue to execute the rebels according to the law!”

Bodies were everywhere, many of them still in official military uniform, especially those from Dragon Horse Camp.

The vast majority of Runyu City knew about Dragon Horse Camp, and if even the people from Dragon Horse Camp were killed off without a trace, then this purge was not just all talk and no action!

In the morning, small military groups began to leave Runyu City one after another. There were not many towns nearby Runyu City, so it wasn’t realistic for them to camp in the wilderness; essentially, they were withdrawing completely from this land.

But still, some armed forces were unwilling to leave. Some tried to negotiate with the new City Lord’s faction to continue their garrison here, but both Zhu Minglang and Li Yunzi were firm in their stance.

Any armed forces not under their control would absolutely not be allowed to remain in the city, not even if they offered to pay for a concession.

These people were all unstable elements, likely to turn their coats for the money of some consortium. It was unnecessary to keep these dangerous elements in the city for the sake of some gold.

Of course, there were also forces that were completely unmoved. On the northernmost side of Runyu City, a detachment belonging to the Slaughter Country was stationed within a well-preserved cluster of buildings.

They had occupied this area not long ago and declared it as the territory of Slaughter Country. This army was fearless, for even if Zhu Minglang was appointed the City Lord here, it was still the territory of Slaughter Country, and the Brown Gun Army had the right to be stationed here.

“The leader of Dragon Horse Camp, Xu Tong, has taken refuge in their military camp,” Hu Bailing said angrily, pointing at the Brown Gun Army occupying Yang Beicheng District.

“The one with the Mysterious Iron Bow?” Zhu Minglang asked.

“Yes, this fellow has some fame in the tea-colored ground, but mostly for committing murder and arson. Because he established some military achievements during the political upheaval in Slaughter Country, he relied on the Slaughter Country Army to cause trouble and often committed acts of city plundering and looting under the guise of expanding territory,” Hu Bailing explained.

“Slaughter Country…” Zhu Minglang recalled someone, the refined gentleman that he had met at Princess Manor of Miao Kingdom, who seemed to be the current Monarch of Slaughter Country.

Tu Wenhe!

The Hunter Dragon Shepherd.

It was still unclear whether Dragon Horse Camp and Brown Gun Army were linked with this man.

“What do we do, just let them occupy Yang Beicheng District like this?” Hu Chongming furrowed his brow tightly.

After yesterday’s purge, there were still three stubborn forces remaining in Runyu City.

The first force is the Brown Gun Army, with a troop strength exceeding fifty thousand people. They have essentially treated the entire Yang Beicheng District as their military base and are clearly preparing for national warfare.

The second armed force is the Dark Army, the Azure Wolf Cavalry. Nearly every bandit on the Tea-colored Ground must pay them half of their taxes.

The Azure Wolf Cavalry doesn’t involve themselves in looting or robbery; they have their own legitimate affiliations. However, they are crazily accumulating wealth and provide protection for robbers and bandit soldiers, ensuring that they aren’t eradicated by the authorities.

The third armed force belongs to a large gentry family who are in the jewelry business on the Tea-colored Ground. They have vast financial resources to support themselves and also maintain a private army with the intent of completely swallowing Runyu City to turn it into a jewelry trading hub. This private army consists of many powerful Ancient Dragon Shepherds.

No matter which one, all are extremely difficult to deal with!

The Brown Gun Army is affiliated with Slaughter Country, and commands issued against them do not work. They are equivalent to the most regular military force and are difficult to expel, not to mention the entanglement with national interests.

The Azure Wolf Cavalry is a typical local power on the Tea-colored Ground, straddling regularity and darkness, entangled with the interests of residents, merchants, bandits, and soldiers, and they are also very strong.

The Di Clan is a true financial consortium, controlling this Runyu City with enormous funds, and they also have their own armed forces, not to be taken lightly.

It can be said that Li Yunzi’s approach has indeed clarified the situation in Runyu City, but the difficulty of eliminating these three armed forces is extremely high!

“We can basically confirm that the Dragon Horse Camp is directed by the Brown Gun Army,” Zhu Minglang said.

“And by eliminating the vast majority of the bandits and robbers, we have effectively infringed upon the interests of the Azure Wolf Cavalry. They will likely not spare us either,” he added.

“As for the Di Clan, we can try to align with them. At least we can promise that if we take control of this city, the entire jewelry business will be in their hands. The jewelry produced from the Tea-colored Ground every year, when sold to other countries, brings nearly two million gold in profits. If the order here is stabilized, they won’t have to spend so much money maintaining their family army,” Yao Junshi suggested.

“Think Tank, you’re too optimistic. The Di Clan is ambitious; they actually have the same plans as us. They want the whole Runyu City, to collect tolls and make fortune from national wars. The jewelry business is just their facade,” Hu Chongming shook his head.

Allying with the Di Clan is unrealistic.

Doing so would be akin to inviting wolves into the house.

These three cancers must not be allowed to remain in Runyu City.

“Change our national allegiance first,” Li Yunzi proposed.

“What??” Hu Bailing thought she had heard wrong.

National allegiance can be changed?

They would have to seize a kingdom first, right?

“Indeed, we can consider this approach. Runyu City could seek asylum with one of the other three countries, and then the Brown Gun Army from Slaughter Country that wants us gone the most will have to leave,” Yao Junshi said.

“But which country should we seek asylum with? We don’t have any firm relations with those countries,” Zhu Minglang pondered.

“Li Chuan Kingdom. I am the State Preceptor,” Li Yunzi stated.

They have a kingdom of their own.

Why seek asylum on someone else’s land?

Runyu City belongs to the Imperial Dynasty, not to any of the four great kingdoms nearby. Since Zhu Minglang is the City Lord and holds the Imperial Dynasty Charter, he naturally has the authority to steer the city towards any kingdom.