Tyrant Sky Martial Soul

”How could the common people possibly have combat strength?”

General Ji Ning truly loved his people like his own children and was reluctant to let ordinary citizens participate in the war.

However, Ling Xiao shook his head and said, ”The citizens of the Phoenix God Empire are also martial artists. It is said that in the rise and fall of a nation, every man has a responsibility! Now we’re not asking them to go to the frontline to kill enemy soldiers; if they serve as logistics troops, responsible for transporting supplies—that alone would solve a big problem.

Moreover, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. They should understand this principle. Once the city falls, their fate can only be death, with absolutely no second chance at life, not even a possibility to flee.

Where the Black Crow Empire’s army has passed, not even chickens or dogs are spared.”

”Alright, I’ll try my best to arrange it. It’s just a pity that Si Kong Zun doesn’t get along with me. Otherwise, the more than eighty thousand people he brought could have been put to great use.”

Ji Ning sighed.

”Hmph, if Si Kong Zun doesn’t want to cooperate, then dispose of him. I am the military supervisor; I still have that much authority. We just need to choose a good time to do it, otherwise, it’s likely to cause resentment within the Expedition Army.”

Ling Xiao snorted coldly.

Hearing this, Ji Ning was surprised.

Ling Xiao’s thoughts were so meticulous, even considering this—the strategist surpassed that of his former master, Ji Fulin, by a fair margin.

”Good, I’ll follow your arrangements when the time comes!”

If they were to dispose of Si Kong Zun, both Ji Ning and Feng Qingyan must take action. Otherwise, there really wasn’t another person here who could control Si Kong Zun.

The two walked around the city walls, where everything was organized and in order. Even though the camp was filled with injured soldiers, General Ji Ning wasn’t in vain; he still managed to maintain as much of Northern Desert City’s fighting strength as possible under the circumstances.

”Great General, why don’t I see Qin Huo and the others?”

Ling Xiao asked curiously.

”It’s easy if you want to see them. I can simply have someone call them over.”

Ji Ning smiled and then ordered, ”Go, bring Qin Huo, Meng Tong, and Xin over here—say their great benefactor has arrived.”

”At once!”

Not long after the soldier left, Qin Huo and the other two arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion.

The City Lord’s Mansion of Northern Desert City was where Ji Ning lived and also where he issued commands.

”Subordinate Qin Huo!”

”Subordinate Meng Tong!”

”Subordinate Xin!”

”Greetings, Great General. We’ve seen the young master!”

All three simultaneously knelt on one knee, clasping their fists in salute.

”Hahaha, stand up everyone. Ling Xiao, you catch up with them here. I’m going to arrange for the citizens to participate in the defense of the city.”

Ji Ning stood up, saying with a smile.

”Take care, General!”

Ling Xiao called out to Ji Ning, and directly took out a Storage Ring, ”Here are twenty thousand Rejuvenation Pills and twenty thousand Revival Spirit Pills. They are good medicines for healing wounds. Although it’s not a lot, it can alleviate the most urgent needs. The former can treat injuries, the latter can restore strength and inner strength.”

”This can’t be done!”

Although Ji Ning really wanted them, he felt somewhat embarrassed to accept.

”Take them, Great General. Can these be considered part of my military merits?”

Ling Xiao said with a smile.

”Well, since you put it that way, I’ll accept them. This is like timely rain! On behalf of all the officers and soldiers, I thank you.”

Ji Ning excitedly left with the Storage Ring.

What his soldiers needed most at the moment were these pills. Ling Xiao’s arrival was like timely rain, giving him a glimpse of hope for victory.

”Farewell, General!”

Watching Ji Ning leave, Ling Xiao turned to Qin Huo and the other two with a smile, ”How is it, have you adapted to being here? Any issues with acclimatization?”

”Don’t worry, young master, we’ve all adapted very well, and not only that, General Ji Ning trusts us a great deal,” said Qin Huo with emotion. ”This time, when the Black Crow Empire attacked Northern Desert City, our Iron-faced Army made great contributions, so the general took the opportunity to appoint me as the Captain of the Heavenly Wolf Knights, with Meng Tong and Xin as my Deputies. As for the three hundred Iron Guards, basically all of them have become Commanders of a Thousand Soldiers, Centurions, Guard Captains, and squad leaders.”

In the military, the ranks are squad leader, Guard Captain, Centurion, Commander of a Thousand Soldiers, Deputy Commander, followed by Commander. A squad leader commands ten soldiers.

A Guard Captain leads ten squad leaders and their subordinate soldiers;

A Centurion leads ten Guard Captains and their soldiers, but the number generally doesn’t exceed one thousand;

A Commander of a Thousand Soldiers leads ten Centurions and their soldiers, but the number usually doesn’t exceed ten thousand;

A Deputy Commander, also known as Wan Fu Zhang, has jurisdiction over ten Commanders of a Thousand Soldiers and their subordinate soldiers;

A Commander is the rank just below the army’s Commander-in-Chief, and in normal circumstances, commands at least three Deputy Commanders. In some cases, there may be ten or even dozens.

Currently, Qin Huo is the Captain of the Heavenly Wolf Knights, equivalent to a Commander.

Meng Tong and Xin are both Deputy Commanders, subordinate to Qin Huo.

However, due to the shortage of soldiers, Qin Huo’s command as a Commander only includes around ten thousand men, which, by standard ranking, is actually not sufficient and is only equivalent to a Deputy Commander.

”Wow, looks like you’ve done quite well for yourselves. I’m just a Centurion, after all, no casualties, right?”

Ling Xiao asked.

Although casualties are a normal part of battle, Ling Xiao truly hoped that no one from the Iron-faced Army had died in combat.

Such a wish might be overly optimistic, but it was indeed his sincere hope.

”There were no deaths, but injuries were unavoidable, of course. Thankfully, our people are all combat veterans. In terms of experience, they are in no way inferior to the forces of the general.”

Qin Huo replied.

”That’s good to hear. I wanted you to gain experience, but I also wanted you to stay alive,” Ling Xiao said, nodding with satisfaction.

The four of them talked for a long time.

Through them, Ling Xiao also learned many rules of the military camp, including the method to attain these ranks.

In a nutshell, there are two requirements: strength and military achievement.

Without strength, no matter how many military achievements one has, it’s all in vain, for your subordinates won’t respect you. This is a world where martial artists are paramount, and strength is critical.

Of course, having strength without military achievements is also problematic. Si Kong Zun is a good example.

He had strength but no military achievements; thus, the soldiers under him did not respect him. If it weren’t for the fear of the Emperor’s decree, no one would pay attention to Si Kong Zun.

As previously mentioned, on the Divine Phoenix Continent, in any regular army, the weakest soldier is a Transcendent Realm Martial Artist.

To become a squad leader, one must be an outstanding soldier, at the very least a Transcendent Realm Ninth Layer Martial Artist;

A Guard Captain must be at least a Half-step Celestial;

A Centurion must be at least a Sky Human Realm - One Thread Heaven Martial Artist;

A Commander of a Thousand Soldiers should at least reach the Five Elements Sky Cultivation Level;

A Wan Fu Zhang, or Deputy Commander, should possess at a minimum Seven-Star Heaven Cultivation;

And as for a Commander, one must at least possess Ten Directions Heaven Cultivation – of course, Cave Heaven Realm is optimal.

Currently, Meng Tong has reached the Eight Desolations Early Heavenly Stage and is certainly qualified to be a Deputy Commander;

Xin’s cultivation level is slightly inferior but is still at the beginning stage of Seven Star Sky, just enough to qualify.

Qin Huo is even more formidable, a first Layer expert of the Cave Heaven Realm. As a Commander, he is more than sufficient.

Furthermore, during the previous battle, all three of them accumulated enough military achievements. Even if Ji Ning was impartial, they were absolutely qualified for their current positions.