Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

Chapter 183 Entering Zhongyuan City

Mo Yuming, along with Ah Hao, escorted the bandits and set off. Since they were on foot, it took the three of them over half an hour to reach the vicinity of Black Dragon Village. The area was extremely remote, with no sign of human habitation for miles around. After questioning them along the way, and with Mo Yuming employing some clever tactics, the bandits dared not conceal anything and told him everything they knew.

Upon approaching the mountain stronghold, Mo Yuming did not leave any survivors but killed the bandit. Such a wicked bandit was only a menace to be kept alive and should have died long ago.

Led by Mo Yuming, Ah Hao carefully arrived at a dense forest less than a mile from Black Dragon Village. The tall, dense trees provided the best hiding place. It was morning, and judging by the nearest legion's garrison, the stragglers who had fled from there should still be some distance away. However, this place was off the way to Central Plains City, so those deserters might not necessarily come here to meet up. This was because each legion belonged to a different city lord's army, and their communication with each other was limited. Each legion mainly took direct orders from its own city lord or Wu Ji's general.

However, the Great Xia soldiers who are closely following behind will definitely arrive here as soon as possible under Mo Yuming's guidance, and if necessary, they can even arrive earlier.

Bandits typically choose their hideouts in extremely treacherous locations, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and hidden and hard to find. Without the guidance of the previous bandit, it would indeed be very difficult to find this place. The only way to enter is through a very remote mountain path, and the entrance to Black Dragon Stronghold is also extremely well-hidden, nestled in a valley behind a dense forest. One must pass through a narrow, narrow pass, only three or four feet wide and over a mile long, to reach the stronghold's location. However, the interior is quite spacious, surrounded by mountains on all sides, and very secluded. Originally, it housed nearly three hundred bandits, but now it's garrisoned by ten thousand soldiers, indicating its immense size.

However, Mo Yuming doesn't need to infiltrate the area. He only needs to ascertain its defenses. If it's easy to attack, he can seize the opportunity to take it; if it's difficult, he can leave it until after conquering Zhongyuan City and deal with it slowly. However, he will certainly not allow them to come out again to act as accomplices and harm the people. He only needs to leave an elite force to guard the mountain pass.

Mo Yuming observed the entrance for a long time and found that there were several sentry posts guarding it, making it difficult to enter the mountain stronghold without alerting them. So he led Ahao around the grove of trees and climbed towards the top of the mountain, wanting to see what was going on inside from there. Ahao led the way while climbing, as he could identify the tracks on the ground to determine where wild animals had passed or where it was the territory of magical beasts. Although there were no powerful magical beasts in these mountains, there were still many low-level magical beasts and wild animals. They could easily disturb them if they were not careful. Although these animals did not pose a threat to Mo Yuming and the others, they would make noise and attract the attention of the bandits, thus revealing their whereabouts.

The two men leaped and scrambled, finally reaching the mountaintop. They secretly hid in a large tree, peering through the branches at the bandits' den below.

As expected, the Black Dragon Stronghold hidden here was indeed a vast territory. Surrounded by towering mountains like an iron barrel, its steep cliffs forming a natural barrier, creating a huge basin at the bottom of the valley. This basin was easily several miles in circumference, large enough to garrison tens of thousands of troops. The fact that this army could enter and station here meant that its general must have known or had dealings with the bandit leader before. Otherwise, it would be impossible for soldiers and bandits to mingle harmoniously together.

Mo Yuming observed for a long time but found no other passages in or out of the canyon. Therefore, attacking Black Dragon Stronghold was indeed difficult; a direct assault wouldn't suffice. So, he and Ah Hao retreated down the mountain, relaying the message to Jiang Yuheng on the way. He instructed Jiang to deploy a thousand soldiers to guard the only exit point from Black Dragon Stronghold, cutting off their route and luring them out. If they dared to leave the canyon, they were to be eliminated.

After descending the mountain, the two rode straight towards Zhongyuan City. As for where the other two legions were hiding, Mo Yuming had no need to worry. Those rabble were no match for the Great Xia soldiers, and they would be annihilated as soon as they appeared. Because Wu Ji had deployed soldiers from other cities around the area, and Jiang Yuheng had also sent 10,000 cavalry to cover the rear of the infantry and clear out any stragglers.

The two rode their horses at full speed and arrived outside Zhongyuan City just past noon.

This is one of the ten major cities of the Great Crimson Kingdom, and even in the entire Tianxuan Continent, it is considered a medium-to-large city. Within the region under Wu Ji's jurisdiction, it ranks third, after Zhongdu and Shangjing, which is Zhongyuan City. This is also the first truly large city Mo Yuming has seen since arriving in this world. Its towering city walls, having withstood countless years of wind and rain, still stand majestically. It surpasses even Shangyuan City in size.

Zhongyuan City is built in a hilly area, surrounded by gentle hills for dozens of miles. The Ji River, which originates from the Monster Mountain Range, meanders and turns, and after being joined by several tributaries, it becomes a mighty river when it flows through Zhongyuan City.

The main east gate of Zhongyuan City was built along the river, with the surging Ji River serving as its natural moat. The eastern city wall, stretching for over ten miles, had three large gates, each spanning fifty zhang (approximately 150 meters) across the river via three large bridges, all constructed of massive stone blocks. Countless years of pedestrian and chariot traffic had worn the stone surfaces smooth, and in several places, deep ruts had been carved into the surfaces by vehicles frequently passing over the same spots.

Anyone entering or leaving the city must present identification. First-time visitors must register at a designated location before entering. To avoid attracting attention, someone had already prepared identification for Mo Yuming. His identity was the young manager of the Wushuang Hotel. The Wushuang Hotel had opened in Zhongyuan City a year ago and, due to its unique style and top-notch cuisine, had long become a landmark hotel in Zhongyuan City.

However, just as Mo Yuming was about to enter the city under this identity, a middle-aged man dressed as a wealthy merchant walked over from the side. Upon seeing Mo Yuming, he quickly bowed:

"Is this young master Mo?"

"Who are you?" Mo Yuming didn't recognize the person, nor did he notify his subordinates in the city to come and meet him, so he was certain that the person was not one of his own.

"I am Ji Fa, the manager of the Ji family shop. I am here to wait for you, young master, at the behest of the Third Master, Ji Jiahe," Ji Fa said.

"Oh, so it's Manager Ji. My apologies! Mr. Ji, you're being too kind. I told you before, there's no need for this," Mo Yuming replied.

"Young Master Mo is a great benefactor of our Ji family, so it is only right that we treat him this way! Over there is the carriage we have prepared for you, young master. Please get in." Horses cannot be ridden in the city; one can only walk or travel by carriage.