I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 482 - 267: Conscription, Fallen Dragon, Lingering Calamity

Chapter 482: Chapter 267: Conscription, Fallen Dragon, Lingering Calamity

Seven days later, the conscription order came as Gu Shanhai had expected.

Apart from Li Yu and his hundred Xihuo Dao Soldiers and eight hundred ordinary soldiers, all others were conscripted. The inspection that day clearly recorded the numbers and strength.

The enemy did not recklessly send everyone to battle; there had to be some reserves. If not, feelings of mutiny and rebellion would arise, as anyone who had seen the Dragon Tooth Daoist Soldiers knew their strength.

Of course, it was not just the local militia who were conscripted; Daoist Soldiers from various prefecture cities were also taken. Whether they were led by the prefecture lords themselves or belonged to the great families, almost nine out of ten were drafted, leaving just a minimal force behind. This truly stirred up a lot of upset, but after the uproar, everyone obediently packed up their rations and hit the road.

The power of a Provincial Governor was far superior to that of a prefecture city.

Moreover, with righteousness on their side, a single official document was enough; should you refuse to comply, your official status would be stripped right there and then.

Without official status, one would be awaiting reckoning after autumn. According to the law, a household without official status cannot privately maintain more than ten Daoist Soldiers. Usually, this law was overlooked, but if someone took account after autumn and you had no official status, during such special times, they could directly accuse you of rebellion and annihilate your entire family.

For the noble families who already held official status, this was an undeserved disaster.

On the other hand, for Jiang Lu, it was a blessing. With this document in hand, his position as garrison cavalry captain was secured; previously, this was only granted by Xingsu City where he was a resident, but he had indeed reported back to the imperial court, somewhat like a nomination but enjoying the privileges first.

After the arrival of the official document, he was formally affirmed, implying that as long as he came forward, his position would shift from nominal to substantive.

Certainly, no soldiers could be provided, as the imperial court had none. However, there would be provisions and silver.

Such rewards meant almost nothing for the noble families’ officers, as they received them every year. For people like Jiang Lu, however, it was a definite formal procedure.

His previous nominal position was of a temporary nature. After suppressing the rebellion, he could perhaps only become a County Magistrate, but now with the official affirmation, as long as he performed outstandingly, he would at a minimum secure a position as a prefecture lord.

Even though holding the position of a prefecture lord was challenging nowadays, it was still much better in terms of authority compared to a County Magistrate.

It was barely a good opportunity to break through social classes, though termed "barely" because many people simply had access to this opportunity.

Had it been the former Jiang Lu, he would never have qualified. Entry standards demanded at least some Daoist Soldiers. Without the support of Gu Shanhai, the only manpower he could gather would be ordinary soldiers.

Wasn’t the support of Li Yu due to Gu Shanhai’s behind-the-scenes maneuvers? Without his platform, even if Jiang Lu showed off his prestigious royal kinship, he would not have gathered so many Daoist Soldiers.

"I just don’t know if I can fish in troubled waters," Gu Shanhai speculated, dealing with the rebellion would definitely require dual tactics, the lower and mid-tiers clearing out the Dragon Tooth Daoist Soldiers, while the high-tiers would exterminate the rebellion leaders.

Gu Shanhai cast a spell and received a very ominous divination, causing him to abandon the idea of fishing in troubled waters.

This situation was extremely dangerous; possibly only the true Child of Destiny could benefit from it.

As to where the battle would unfold, Gu Shanhai was also unclear. This was classified information, perhaps even the Provincial Governor of their own province was not aware of the details.

"Roar~"

Suddenly, a sound like a dragon’s roar faintly transmitted, Gu Shanhai heard it unclearly. From his judgment, it was not a sound, but more like a sort of spiritual or soulful wail, one needed specific conditions to hear this sound.

"Dragon Tooth Military Technique???"

Gu Shanhai sensed the dragon’s roar transforming into a slightly distorted rune in his mind, which then became a military technique.

"This is like trying to spite the imperial court with their dying breath..."

This military technique was not only obtained by Gu Shanhai; everyone who heard the dragon’s roar received the same content.

"Something’s wrong here," Gu Shanhai realized as his Heart Demon substitutes and Heart Demon safeguarding Divine Skills frantically activated, with a great amount of Spirit Plant inside him acting to protect Gu Shanhai from some kind of contamination.

Crack...

A sudden crack appeared on his Magic Domain, obviously due to it being unable to withstand some kind of impact.

"The conditions are soul and strength; one must possess a soul superior to ordinary people, essentially a genius-type, and the strength must not be too strong, rather it is the medium to lower types who can hear this."

"It is transmitted to those who are talented but lack power."

"In this world, the people who possess the qualifications but lack strength are only of two sorts: either they are poor or they are suppressed. Regardless of which, this Dragon Tooth Military Technique could be the key for them to turn their fortunes around."

Gu Shanhai quickly understood why no one could resist the allure of the Dragon Tooth Military Technique, especially a group of talented but underestimated individuals who could use it to overcome their disadvantages.

"So, it seems that many of the reasons for warlords’ territorial control stem from this dying gift of Dragon Tooth Military Technique."

Watching the waning impacts, a large number of Evil Demons arose, roaming around in the Spiritual Vein·Longevity Mountain as protectors.

The runes brought not only a military technique but also a transformation in personality.

These people’s personalities would evolve towards being extremely ambitious, even if they had originally been gentle or deeply concerned about their country. This was a form of corruption, though this corruption only altered their moral character and temperament, affecting no other factors.