Castle of Black Iron

Before sunset, the huge airboat had landed at an airport in Huanzhou Province near the foot of Helan Mountain Range.

This airport was very large. It was one of the largest airports in the east of Helan Mountain Range and an important logistics base in the theater of operations. Being 300-350 miles long and over 200 miles wide, the base was even larger than a class A city. Having a bird’s-eye view from the sky, the entire airport was absolutely a small plain in the east of Helan Mountain Range. Being barren and plain, it was covered with sandstone within 600 square miles. There were only some short bushes and thorns on the ground.

After the vanguard of demons invaded Taixia Country, a professional army corps of 500,000 engineers only spent 2 months in renovating this place into a huge logistic base for aircraft based on its topography.

Over 3 million people of 7 field corps within over 60 square miles were depending on this logistic base.

After Zhang Tie’s airboat landed there, those huge transport airships also started to land there by batches with the guidance of ground light signal, together with batches of airplanes which landed in the surrounding airports…

Before the hatch door was opened, a strong wind had arrived, causing banners and sands flying. As a result, everything was covered by the shallow sand in the blink of an eye…

After passing by the open land around the airboat, the fine sands hit the steel helmets and armors of those officers, which was aggressive and metallic like that when saber and sword slid over the surface of hone.

Being influenced by the strong wind, some nearby airships slightly deviated due to the unstable center of gravity. As a result, those ground logistics personnel soon rushed into the windy sands while an officer’s hoarse voice sounded, “Hurry…No. 3 berth…start steam capstan to fasten the mooring lines of the airboat…”

In the strong wind and sands, the hatch door of the airboat was opened while Zhang Tie walked out in white.

“General!”

At the sight of Zhang Tie, all the armored marshals cupped their hands, causing clatters between pieces of metal armor.

“Marshals, take it easy!” Zhang Tie bowed towards them too. After that, he looked around and watched the sands in the strong wind as he sighed with feeling, “This place is a wind gap of Helan Mountain Range. It’s wise to select the airport here. We could put this base in use as fast as possible. However, the garrisons have to suffer from such bad weather…”

“As soldiers of Taixia Country, it’s normal for us to fight to death on the battlefields. By contrast, such weather is nothing serious!” Fang Hui grinned as he watched Zhang Tie, “As long as the general brings us some good weaponry for killing demons, our soldiers would feel worth staying here…”

Besides Fang Hui and Peng Yulin whom Zhang Tie had long acquainted with in Xiangshan City, there were 5 more black iron knights in armors of corps leaders standing in front of the team. All the leaders of the surrounding 7 field corps had arrived.

Followed by the 7 corps leaders were senior officers of each corps. In total, there were over 100 people, making it an armored team of officers.

Fang Hui and Peng Yulin were old friends that Zhang Tie made in Xiangshan City who killed demons together with Zhang Tie. Later on, they escorted the Wuzhou Provincial Army to return from Xiangshan City together while all the dangers on the way back had been cleared by Zhang Tie.

Fang Hui then introduced the other 5 corps leaders to Zhang Tie. Zhang Tie also introduced Lu Yanyu and some officers of the agricultural administration to the 7 corps leaders. They then became familiar with each other.

Zhang Tie came here with the first batch of Fiery Oil weapons that had been produced in the rear end. On the way here, Zhang Tie inspected the construction of airports, airplanes and training of pilots in each province and prefecture. He was very satisfied with the result. Over the past half a year, the bumper harvest of grains could cater to the production of Fiery Oil. Production of Fiery Oil airplanes and weapons, training of pilots and the construction of airports which Zhang Tie treasured most had been on track and gained pleasant achievements.

“Old Fang, we’re friends. No need to be so constrained in front of me. As you’re all here, I will cut the crap. I will find a proper place to show the latest weapons and their usage to you. After that, you, corps leaders, could have people take away your own weaponry. The earlier troops are matched with such weaponry, the more confident would our soldiers be when facing demons…”

“Haha, frank guy…” Fang Hui burst out into laughter as he threw a glance at the other 6 corps leaders and asked, “What do you think?”

“Hahaha, we would benefit from the association with Old Fang and Yulin this time. In the past half a year, I’ve heard that Fiery Oil weapons were especially powerful. However, it’s said that only a small part of frontline troops and special forces of the top 4 armies are matched with some weaponry. They all treat weaponry as treasures. Whereas, most of the troops in the theater of operations have no chance to get such equipment. Many people have not even seen them before. I’ve long been desiring for them!” A knight with whiskers said straightforwardly.

As Zhang Tie’s words satisfied these corps leaders’ tastes very much, their attention was aroused at once.

“Well, there’s a training ground not far from here, which is used for training garrisons of the base in normal days. How about showing us the power of these Fiery Oil weaponry over there?” Another corps leader suggested while all the others nodded. Therefore, they came to a training ground near the place where Zhang Tie’s airboat had landed. Although those marshals didn’t have a chance to chime in just now, they all went there to take a look at the power of Fiery Oil weaponry.

The training ground was right on a small undulating hillside which covered a few square miles. As there were some mountain slopes and ravines over there, airships couldn’t land there. To fill and level up that place, it meant a great quantity of work. Therefore, they kept it as a training ground for the garrisons of the airport. Usually, it was used for training fighters in the base. Taking a broad view, Zhang Tie found a lot of training facilities on the training ground such as obstacles, trenches, water pools, marshy land and high slopes which were indeed convenient for training.

When they arrived there, the strong wind gradually stopped. As a result, the visibility grew increasingly greater. Many Hua fighters were rolling, crawling and fighting on the training ground while the air was filled with their hoarse roars. Right on the hillside, 5,000-6,000 people with red strips of cloth on their arms were fighting another 5,000-6,000 people with blue strips of cloth on their arms at their full efforts, bared to their waists. The fierce scene looked like that they were really having a fight at the risk of their lives. While rolling and wrestling on the ground, those fighters’ sweat, blood and mud combined into bizarre muddy strips and mottled regions on their skin…

Zhang Tie was moved by such a tough training as he felt the same qi of Hua fighters in Iron-Blood Camp from them. They were really training at the risk of losing their lives. Many people were severely beaten that even their faces were covered with blood; whereas, they still roared and rushed towards the opponents; instead of moving a step backward…

“Where does the garrison corps of this base come from?” Zhang Tie asked those marshals on his sides.

“This garrison corps is rearranged from the original Wuzhou provincial army!” A corps leader said in a muffled voice, “Many relatives of these people have been killed by demons or collapsed in the areas occupied by demons. Therefore, they all want to avenge demons. They all know that their opponents are at least LV 9 fighters in demons corps. Most of the people among them are below LV 6. Although they’re clear that they might not be able to kill those demon b*stards, they still strengthen their training and expect to kill one demon so as to not live in vain…”

“Not only them, those fighters of corps in the theater of operations even brothers of top four armies of Taixia Country think that they would not live in vain by killing one demon and win by killing two…” Fang Hui also sighed with emotions, “We’re afraid that it’d be useless even if they sacrificed themselves. That would be really despairing…”

After watching the training on the training ground for a couple of seconds, Zhang Tie said, “Gather them, they should see what I’ve brought for them to fight demons…”

After Zhang Tie’s words, the mort had reverberated around the training ground. After hearing the mort, all the Hua fighters stopped their training immediately as they gathered up in terms of 1,000 people matrix on both sides of the hillside beside the training ground solemnly…

Almost the moment those fighters gathered up, Zhang Tie’s subordinates had already carried crates to the graining ground. At the sight of the items inside those crates, all the corps leaders’ and officers’ eyes lit up like bulbs…