Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1745 - 1782: Bribery

Ruo Zhong knew that what Gao Jian had said earlier was not without reason. In fact, his initial thought was the same; he didn’t want to adopt a hardline approach. The specific reason, Ruo Zhong couldn’t articulate. He believed that with his skill, dealing with these four cultivators in front of him should not be a problem.

Plus, he had thousands of soldiers on his side, so numbers were not a concern. Even if each of those soldiers loosed an arrow, it would still mean thousands of arrows were aimed at the four of them. Ruo Zhong knew that even a cultivator at the Emergence Stage, like himself, could not withstand such an attack.

But as Ruo Zhong looked at the four people opposite him, he couldn’t shake a sense of unease. Especially when Ding Fan suddenly took out so many spirit stones, it made Ruo Zhong’s previously steady heart, as stable as Mount Tai, suddenly feel off balance. For a moment, he struggled to control himself.

At that moment, Ruo Zhong realized he lacked confidence in dealing with these four cultivators, and that was the honest truth.

Weighing the pros and cons, Ruo Zhong finally said to Ding Fan:

"Alright, I agree with you, but I’ll only give you an hour."

"No problem. Once the time is up, those soldiers don’t need to follow my commands and can return to you,"

said Ding Fan, secretly pleased.

Ding Fan hadn’t expected that those spirit stones would actually work on the other side. It was a plan he came up with on the spur of the moment. Ding Fan indeed had many treasures in his possession, including numerous precious spiritual materials and even some priceless martial arts techniques, but after much consideration, Ding Fan decided to use these spirit stones as bait.

After all, members of these soldiers or this deputy were not particularly high in cultivation level. Those valuable spiritual materials or martial arts techniques might not appeal to everyone, so after some thought, Ding Fan decided to use these millions of spirit stones as bait.

It should be noted that the spirit stones Ding Fan poured from that high-level storage bag were just the tip of the iceberg. Inside that storage bag, Ding Fan had not just tens of millions of spirit stones, but several tens of millions. Although he hadn’t counted them exactly, he was sure there were at least fifty to sixty million spirit stones inside.

Ding Fan initially intended to give these to the Great Ocean Sect, but hadn’t foreseen they’d be of use here.

At this moment, Ding Fan was not worried in the slightest about these spirit stones; they were merely bait. Even if the soldiers got them, they’d likely not live to spend them. Now, hearing Ruo Zhong’s agreement, Ding Fan felt even more confident that he could capture these soldiers in one fell swoop, ensuring none would escape.

The three elders from the remote Thirty-Six Caves, hearing Ruo Zhong’s words, couldn’t help but admire Ding Fan. They could naturally deduce Ding Fan’s plan and fully supported it, though initially, they hadn’t thought the others would agree.

Though the three elders had long dwelled on Giant Peak of the Thirty-Six Caves, they had a fair understanding of worldly military matters. They knew that any country’s army was heavily disciplined, and that Ding Fan’s sudden request to borrow half of the soldiers’ power would likely meet resistance from any military leader.

After all, a military’s duty is to defend the homeland; how could they be casually lent out?

But the elders hadn’t expected Ding Fan to produce such a large amount of spirit stones, which created a strong temptation for those soldiers, allowing Ding Fan to succeed. They could understand the deputy and those military advisors whose eyes were now glued to the spirit stones.

This was several million spirit stones. Not only would they be tempting to these worldly people, but even those high-status elders of the Thirty-Six Caves might be tempted, as this was an amount they couldn’t produce. Even the annual yield of a spirit mine of the Thirty-Six Caves would be roughly the same...

Subsequently, Ruo Zhong assigned a few military advisors the task of selecting half of the soldiers. The advisors quickly deployed within the troops and selected nearly 2,500 soldiers. These soldiers had a balanced comprehensive quality and combat ability.

After discussion, the advisors knew that if they dispatched only weak soldiers, the outcome would be unfavorable for their troops, especially if the bandits were powerful while their soldiers were weak. The casualty rate of their troops would obviously be much higher.

Thus, the advisors ultimately apportioned all soldiers evenly, ensuring the strength of those sent out matched those who remained, which seemed the safest strategy.

For the soldiers, however, this was a cherished opportunity. Nearly everyone wanted to go, and some couldn’t resist directly approaching the advisors responsible for deployment, volunteering eagerly. But this was an army, not a labor market.

The advisors calmly dealt with the eager soldiers through military discipline. Their measures effectively calmed most soldiers, discouraging rash actions. Even if they were restless inside, they stood quietly, without complaint.

Some hopeful soldiers stood in especially smart postures, hoping to catch the advisors’ attention and be chosen. Meanwhile, some tried to slyly offer spirit stones to the advisors in the hopes of being picked.

A regular soldier’s entire belongings might only amount to a few dozen gold coins, and those slightly wealthier might have one or two spirit stones. Although these are all their possessions, some daring soldiers choose to put everything on the line to secure a place in the bandit extermination squad.

These soldiers who understand "investment" know that each person going to exterminate bandits will receive fifty spirit stones, which compared to their little bit of gold coins, is a return of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of times.

It’s certainly a very worthwhile deal.

Some military officers still disdain this, prioritizing the bigger picture in their hearts. They confiscate the properties of those soldiers who try to bribe them, and administer fifty whacks. Of course, the strategists responsible for this aren’t just one person, but three in total, with the other two being much more "open-minded."

The soldiers whose assets were confiscated and who were beaten failed to find the right person to send gifts to. The other two strategists were not so strict, clearly seeing it as a money-making opportunity. They obviously didn’t want to miss it. After all, which soldier is chosen doesn’t affect the bigger picture as long as the overall strength is evenly distributed.

As a result, the other two strategists made a fortune during this mission. Although a soldier’s belongings aren’t much, the sheer quantity makes up for it, with each of these two strategists gaining nearly fifty spirit stones, and innumerable gold coins, which can be disregarded in comparison to these spirit stones.

Of course, all of this happened in secret. Both the soldiers and the two strategists were very cautious. After all, Gao Jian had previously been suspended and investigated due to bribery issues, and he almost lost his life; naturally, they wouldn’t want to end up like him, and Ruo Zhong wasn’t too concerned about these matters.

With tens of thousands of spirit stones in front of him, he hardly cared about the spirit stones the strategists received from bribery.

He only wanted to avoid trouble.

Meanwhile, Gao Jian, who had been lingering in the corner, clearly understood the situation with the two strategists taking bribes, which made him feel a certain sinister glee. Previously, each of the strategists wanted him dead, but now he had caught these two by the handle.

How could he not feel pleased, as this was his opportunity for revenge!

Gao Jian was a bit excited, but in the end, he didn’t go directly to the general to expose them; instead, he calmed himself down. He knew that even if he reported the bribery of the two strategists now, it wouldn’t bring him much benefit, given that he was still in a captive stage.

Although Gao Jian was physically free, he was still considered a prisoner, only temporarily let loose due to General Ruo’s kindness; but Gao Jian understood that a single word from the general could still put his life at risk, with the threat of beheading at any time.

Therefore, reporting the two strategists would settle his grudges but wouldn’t help his situation. His circumstances wouldn’t change, and understanding this point, Gao Jian first thought of working to merit recognition. Only then could he redeem himself and avoid the death penalty.

Thinking this through, Gao Jian realized there was indeed an opportunity perfect for him, and he promptly sneaked over to the two strategists, speaking something with an ominous expression. The two strategists soon showed strained smiles on their faces and nodded towards Gao Jian...

At this time, in Ruo Zhong’s tent, Ding Fan and the others were served with good tea, water, and a full table of delicate snacks, showing Ruo Zhong’s regard for Ding Fan and his group. Ruo Zhong intermittently engaged in sycophantic chatter with Ding Fan, sometimes ending with an awkward smile.

Because Ding Fan and his companions weren’t particularly responsive, often letting Ruo Zhong speak at length while they quietly sipped tea, leaving him somewhat embarrassed. But Ruo Zhong dared not say much; Ding Fan and the others were previously deemed intruders, yet now they were regarded as akin to the God of Wealth by Ruo Zhong.

It should be noted that outside, those tens of thousands of spirit stones were guarded by soldiers, as it wasn’t a small amount. Even packing them would take more than a moment, so Ruo Zhong simply deployed guards and waited for the right time to pack them.

After all, for Ruo Zhong, matters promised to them were yet to be fulfilled, and those spirit stones weren’t his yet.

In this regard, Ding Fan had no objections, and the three elders naturally didn’t either. In Ding Fan and his companions’ eyes, the spirit stones would eventually belong to them. It was just a temporary display.

After a while, Ding Fan grew impatient with the delay in arranging soldiers for him. Even after some time, nothing was resolved, prompting Ding Fan to directly address Ruo Zhong:

"Your military haven’t finished yet?"

"Almost done, almost done..."

Ruo Zhong heard Ding Fan’s words and felt a bit embarrassed, quickly agreeing while preparing to explain. At this moment, several strategists responsible for selecting soldiers entered.