Chapter 109: Black Mysterious Iron Mountain

After finishing their midday meal, Du Long led the group to the military camp just outside the city. The private army originally established to guard his territory had now transformed overnight into a formally structured Cavalry Corps, thanks to Du Long's appointment as Cavalry Commander.

This also meant that Du Long could apply to the imperial court for provisions sufficient to support a force of ten thousand troops. As the reigning Prince Consort, the emperor’s trust in him and Princess Huofeng was unquestionable, and there would be no withholding of necessary supplies.

Gazing at the fluttering banners emblazoned with the words “Cavalry” and some even bearing the character “Du,” Du Long felt a surge of emotion as he stepped into the camp that would soon be home to his loyal, elite troops.

On the parade ground, a large formation had already been arranged in precise order. According to Sun Lin, who was in charge of the Cavalry Corps, after several days of effort, they had gathered a force of six to seven thousand men—soon to reach the full ten-thousand standard.

Standing tall and spirited atop the command platform, Du Long’s piercing gaze swept across countless fervent eyes below. He could clearly feel the soldiers’ deep affection and respect for him.

This corps, formed from the locals of Fengli Commandery, would, for a long time to come, follow him faithfully into battle, sharing life and death on the battlefield.

“To the valiant sons of the Cavalry Corps! I am Du Long, appointed by the emperor himself as your Cavalry Commander, and the Lord of Fengli Commandery!” His voice resonated deeply from his dantian, not overly loud yet crystal clear to every soldier present.

“The Cavalry Corps is mighty! Long live the Cavalry Commander! Long live the Prince Consort Lord!” Thousands of voices roared in unison, shaking the surroundings.

The tremendous roar even reached the ears of the townsfolk within Fengli Commandery. One by one, they looked toward the camp with eyes filled with profound reverence and the joy of Fengli’s revitalization.

“Brave sons! Thank you for joining the Cavalry Corps! Thank you for placing your trust in me, Du Long! Because of your trust, you have entrusted your lives to this corps. As your Cavalry Commander, I make this solemn promise:

First, your rations will be more than double those of any other corps. Second, merit will be rewarded, and mistakes punished—myself included, no exceptions. Third, wherever we fight, I will lead from the front; I, Du Long, will always be the first to charge!” He continued, delivering an impassioned speech inspired by the teachings of Lady Jieling.

“The Cavalry Corps is mighty! Long live the Cavalry Commander! Long live the Prince Consort Lord!” The soldiers repeated the chant once more, this time louder and more heartfelt than before.

“Excellent! To ensure we all return alive from future battles and to slay more enemies on the field, you must undergo rigorous and disciplined military training! Remember this well: sweat in training, bleed less in battle!” Du Long bellowed, echoing Lady Jieling’s advice.

Amidst the resounding cheers of thousands of soldiers and under the admiring gazes of Princess Huofeng, Xia Qinglian, and others, Du Long turned to Sun Lin and quietly instructed, “Sun Lin, as planned, swiftly lead a thousand men to set out with me.”

“Yes, Junior General!” Sun Lin responded respectfully. He had served in the Du family’s private army before and, with Du Long’s new rank, it was only proper to address him as Junior General now.

Soon, Sun Lin assembled a thousand troops and, under the envious eyes of the remaining six thousand-plus soldiers, marched out grandly behind Du Long, heading toward the Monster Forest.

“Sun Lin! Our newly formed Cavalry Corps must avoid expanding too quickly and allowing ill-intentioned individuals to infiltrate. Therefore, I have a request,” Du Long whispered, following Lady Jieling’s counsel.

“Please, Junior General, just give your orders!” Sun Lin replied with respect.

“First, we need to verify the identities of everyone in the Cavalry Corps. Each soldier must have a personal file. We must understand their backgrounds and heritage, even investigating their families and neighbors to comprehend their character,” Du Long stated solemnly, conveying Lady Jieling’s instructions.

“Well…” Sun Lin’s expression faltered slightly. “Junior General, is this really necessary? The workload would be enormous.”

“We should also establish our own intelligence unit. I propose you lead this unit, which will report solely to me. No one else will have authority over your operations, but you will have free rein to investigate all departments within Fengli Commandery,” Du Long continued.

Sun Lin’s brow twitched, immediately recognizing the nature of such a department. In fact, he had done similar work under Old Ma’s command before. The elder Du had sent him to assist Du Long partly to help gather intelligence for his grandson.

However, Du Long’s rapid rise in Fengli Commandery and insufficient manpower had placed Sun Lin as the commander of the private army. Honestly, while Sun Lin’s abilities were sufficient for managing a few thousand ordinary troops, building a powerful corps required more—and his personal martial cultivation was somewhat lacking.

This was why the elder Du had promised to send a team of elite officers to assist Du Long’s territory. That team was probably already en route to Fengli Commandery.

“Old General had already intended for me to handle this before we even arrived here. So, if you decide, Junior General, I am willing to take on this task. But I won’t be able to manage the Cavalry Corps simultaneously,” Sun Lin pondered.

“Don’t worry. Grandpa has dispatched an elite officer team who will take over all affairs of the Cavalry Corps,” Du Long smiled reassuringly.

“Then there’s no problem,” Sun Lin said, relieved.

“Good! Sun Lin, remember this: from the loyal native soldiers of Fengli Commandery, select five hundred to serve directly under your command. Ideally, these men should come from all nine towns and thirty-seven villages across the commandery. This arrangement will allow us to verify the true identities and backgrounds of the thousands of troops in the Cavalry Corps more efficiently,” Du Long instructed.

“Understood!” Sun Lin promptly acknowledged.

“Also, those who have joined the Cavalry Corps but are not natives of Fengli or whose backgrounds are unclear should be transferred to the city defense forces. Those who remain must be one hundred percent trustworthy. Can you accomplish this?” Du Long asked with a serious expression.

“No problem! I will complete this mission,” Sun Lin responded solemnly.

“Excellent! Haha, Sun Lin, in the near future, you will understand why I am doing this,” Du Long laughed heartily.

Leading the large force, they rested overnight along the way and by noon the next day arrived at the mining region that the Wu brothers had mentioned. No beasts dared to harass this human troop, largely thanks to Du Long’s mighty lion mount—a spirit-tier creature of the fifth rank. Ordinary beasts trembled at its aura and dared not approach.

Facing the towering peak, over a thousand meters high, its slopes exposed countless dark ores, Du Long exclaimed with astonishment, “Could this be a mountain of Black Obsidian Iron? If so, the ore alone from this single peak would be enough to supply metal for an army of a million!”

Beside him, Ou Yezi shook his head. “That depends on whether this Black Obsidian Iron deposit is rich or poor. If it’s a poor deposit, even a mountain this size wouldn’t be enough to outfit a corps of one hundred thousand.”

“No way!” Du Long was incredulous. “A mountain this large still wouldn’t suffice for a hundred-thousand-man corps?”

“Yes. Black Obsidian Iron is rare and contains much less metal than ordinary steel ore,” Ou Yezi explained. “However, from my observations, this seems to be a rich deposit, which should greatly improve the efficiency of refining the ore.”

“Ha! That’s good news! So, what’s the plan?” Du Long asked excitedly.

“I’ll send men to survey the mineral veins in detail. Meanwhile, you arrange for troops to set up camp and provide security. For secrecy’s sake, I suggest establishing a weapons factory right here. We can mine, refine, and forge weapons simultaneously. It would be best to designate a ten-mile radius around the mountain as a restricted zone, barring outsiders,” Ou Yezi advised.

“Agreed! Perfect,” Du Long said without hesitation, turning to Sun Lin. “Sun Lin, immediately arrange for the camp to be set up. Our primary task for the foreseeable future is to mark the ten-mile zone around this mountain as off-limits.”

“Understood!” Sun Lin responded and promptly set about his duties. Meanwhile, Ou Yezi and his top disciples began meticulously investigating the Black Obsidian Iron veins.

Du Long rode his great lion leisurely around the area, but in truth, he was marking the territory with the lion’s unique aura. This would warn lesser beasts that the area belonged to a spirit-tier creature, deterring any foolish invaders.

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