83: Chapter 83 Twenty Years of Preparation: The Black Swamp Legion Takes Shape

In the fifth year, something went wrong in the Black Swamp simulation area.

An experimental Puppet modified from the remains of a bone spider suddenly went out of control in the poisonous swamp, rushing toward the test team with its corrosive bone claws.

The tow rope entangled three soldiers, dragging them deep into the mud.

Nearby veterans immediately rushed forward.

But the mud was too deep, and they sank further as they struggled.

Wang Shan jumped in on the spot.

The black mud submerged his waist, and the venom corroded his armor, emitting a harsh hissing sound.

He grabbed the tow rope and pulled them out one by one.

The first person was pulled out.

The second person was dragged back.

The third person had already sunk to their chest. Although half of Wang Shan's armor had been eaten away by the corrosive liquid, he still dragged the person out.

When Wang Mu arrived, his expression sank.

"You are the Commander, not an ordinary rescue soldier."

Wang Shan wiped the black mud off his Face, his temper flaring up.

"This is something that will definitely happen on the front line in the future. If we don't test it now, people will die on the battlefield."

The two stared at each other for a long time, neither backing down.

Finally, Wang Mu spoke first: "Equip one rescue rope for every ten men."

Wang Shan added: "Equip one Floating Board Shield Vehicle for every hundred men."

Wang Mu added: "The rescue team must be equipped with double portions of anti-poison Medicinal Pill and Clearing Miasma Talisman."

Wang Shan nodded: "Write it into the military regulations. Whoever dares to cut corners, I'll smash them first."

Wang Pingan stood in the sky, watching this scene quietly.

Wang Shan was not just reckless.

He valued the lives of his soldiers very highly.

From the eighth to the tenth year, the legion's modifications targeting the Black Swamp Scale Nest were finally completed.

The third version of the anti-poison Medicinal Pill from the Alchemy Pavilion was released. After taking it, Foundation Establishment Cultivation Citizens and Blood Condensation Martial Dao Citizens could fight continuously in the poisonous miasma for three days. Although their combat power decreased slightly, it was within an acceptable range.

Wang Mu didn't give it any fancy name; only four characters were engraved on the pill bottle: Military Anti-Poison.

The Clearing Miasma Talisman was also stabilized. A single Talisman could open up a ten-zhang radius channel of clean air. It didn't last long, but it was enough for the legion to pass through dangerous areas.

The anti-poison Formation Plate and Spiritual Qi filtration Formation patterns from the Formation Hall were finalized simultaneously. They could provide short-term protection around the camp, which was essential for setting up camp, rescue, and emergency repairs of Psionic Heavy Cannon.

On Wang Shan's side, the Floating Board Shield Vehicle was officially finalized. The bottom of the vehicle was made of a composite of floating gold wood and bone spider carapace, so carrying ten heavy-armored soldiers across deep swamps was no problem.

The sides of the vehicle were hung with shields, the front was equipped with tow hooks, and the rear was equipped with a winch. Once someone fell into the mud, three soldiers could pull them back by turning the winch.

The swamp marching armor also reached its third version. It was not as thick as standard heavy armor, but the protection for vital areas was not reduced at all.

The leg armor added mud scrapers, the soles of the feet were widened, and small buoyant bone plates were hung on the back.

The heavy Cavalry equipment was significantly lightened. Wang Shan personally cut the Cavalry charge plan in half, changing it to short-range assaults, segmented infiltration, and rigging retreats.

This made him very uncomfortable.

But he accepted it. The Black Swamp Scale Nest was not a flat battlefield. If the Cavalry still wanted to charge through the enemy Formation in one go, they would eventually just end up as a pile of tin cans.

The Artillery Battalion's modification was the most troublesome. The Psionic Heavy Cannon was too heavy. Once the cannon body sank into the mud, turning, charging, and repairing it would all be impossible.

The Formation Hall and the Ordnance Institute joined forces to add moisture-proof Formation patterns and detachable high-frame gun mounts to each heavy cannon. After unfolding, the heavy cannon could be raised three feet off the mud to prevent corrosive water from eroding the cannon body, at the cost of longer deployment time.

Wang Mu specifically set a new rule for the Artillery Battalion: before confirming the ground's load-bearing capacity, the Artillery Battalion must not blindly deploy cannons.

The veterans of the Artillery Battalion were not used to it at first. Back when they fought the Blood Moon Wreckage, they were used to the routine of opening with heavy artillery suppression and firepower carpet bombing.

But after simulating it a few times, no one complained anymore. In the Black Swamp simulation area, if the heavy cannon landed in the wrong position, the black mud would swallow the base entirely within a quarter of an hour.

The Sword Qi Battalion also changed their tactics. In the past, they mostly used linear slashes and firepower chain follow-up attacks. Now, they split off a swamp exploration team specifically to practice low-altitude sweeping Sword Qi.

Cutting across the mud surface could force out targets lurking at the bottom of the swamp. It consumed a lot, but it was effective against the Black-scaled Swamp Lizard.

At the end of the tenth year, Wang Pingan finished reviewing the achievements and came to a judgment in his heart.

This was not just a temporary patch, but a complete battlefield adaptation upgrade. From now on, the Immortal Martial Legion would no longer only know how to advance on flat plains. Poisonous swamps, corrosive water, miasma, and mud were all incorporated into the war system.

In the twelfth year, the army expanded.

Among the reserve troops trained after the Battle of Blood Moon Wreckage, two thousand people passed the screening. One thousand five hundred were assigned to the auxiliary combat sequence, not for frontal charges, but specifically for towing, escorting, clearing miasma, transporting, building bridges, dragging cannons, and rescue.

The remaining five hundred were assigned to the Medicinal Pill, Talisman, and Formation maintenance teams. Their cultivation level might not be the highest, but they had steady hands, clear minds, and could execute complex instructions on a chaotic battlefield.

The three thousand main forces were not blindly expanded into five thousand frontal troops.

Wang Pingan knew clearly that more soldiers did not mean stronger combat power. On a battlefield like the Black Swamp Scale Nest, the more people there were, the harder it was to command, and the easier it was for things to get chaotic when stuck in the mud.

The oracle descended.

"Three thousand main combat troops, two thousand auxiliary, ten thousand militia reserves."

"The Black Swamp Scale Nest is not about who charges faster, but about who makes the first mistake."

Wang Mu and Wang Shan took the order simultaneously. This sentence was engraved into the pre-war military regulations of the Northern Military Camp. All citizens participating in the Black Swamp adaptation training had to recite it on the first day of entering the camp.

In the fifteenth year, the legion fought its first complete Black Swamp simulation battle.

Wang Shan led the heavy armor legion to advance. The first half was very steady: Floating Board Shield Vehicle paved the way, the swamp exploration team swept the area, the Artillery Battalion deployed on high racks, and the rescue team followed behind.

But when entering the second deep swamp, Wang Shan committed his old mistake.

The simulated Black-scaled Swamp Lizard was forced out of the mud by the Sword Qi Battalion. Seeing the opportunity, he immediately ordered the vanguard to press forward.

The advance was too fast. The vanguard team stepped into three gravity mud pits in a row, and seven heavy-armored soldiers sank to their chests on the spot. To save people, the Floating Board Shield Vehicle was forced to move sideways, and the firepower chain of the Artillery Battalion in the rear paused for a quarter of an hour, allowing the simulated swamp lizards to take the opportunity to attack the Formation maintenance team.

Although they were eventually saved by the reserve team, the loss score of the entire deduction was very ugly.

At the military meeting, Wang Mu didn't save Face for Wang Shan.

"If this were a real battlefield, the Artillery Battalion pausing for a quarter of an hour would be enough for the enemy demigods to launch a black tide. You had a good time charging, but the rear has to pay with their lives to make up for your loopholes."

No one spoke in the military tent.

Wang Shan frowned tightly. In the past, he would have roared back.

But this time, he didn't retort.

He picked up the military order board and cut his own advance pace by thirty percent.

"This time, we can't push hard like we did at the Blood Moon Wreckage. I admit it."

Wang Mu looked at him and nodded slightly without further reprimand.

Wang Pingan sat in the main seat, a bit more satisfaction appearing between his brows. Wang Shan was starting to learn to make concessions for the battlefield environment, which was more important than killing a few more enemies.

From the sixteenth to the seventeenth year, the legion continued to drill.

The value of the rescue team became increasingly obvious. Many times, they didn't kill a single enemy, but they kept the front line from collapsing.

Tow ropes, Floating Board Shield Vehicle, Clearing Miasma Talisman, Medicinal Pill boxes, and temporary Formation Plate all pulled people back from the mud and poisonous fog time and time again.

Wang Shan also began to personally inspect the rescue team's equipment. He used to care most about blades, shields, and heavy armor, but now he would pull the tow ropes one by one, checking if the winch was stuck and if the floating board was leaking.

Once, a new recruit muttered: "The Commander is really meticulous now."

Wang Shan heard it and kicked him.

"Is being meticulous bad? If you fall into the mud, I'll have to fish you out."

Everyone laughed for a while, but the training became even more serious.

In the eighteenth year, Wang Mu developed a key item.

Clearing Pulse Anti-Miasma Pill.

This pill could simultaneously alleviate the interference of poisonous miasma, corrosive water, and hot and humid environments on the Spiritual Qi link. After taking it, the Spiritual Qi circulation of Cultivation Citizens would not be suppressed too hard, and the Qi and blood of Martial Dao Citizens could also maintain stability. For dealing with the Black Swamp Scale Nest, this item was too critical.

Trouble followed immediately. The yield of the last medicinal ingredient was insufficient. Even with the Spirit Planting Department going all out to urge its growth, it still couldn't cover the entire army.

Wang Mu provided a plan: "Prioritize the three thousand main force. The rescue team will make up for it with the third version of the anti-poison Medicinal Pill and Clearing Miasma Talisman."

Wang Shan opposed it on the spot.

"The rescue team is the one most likely to die in the miasma. They have to go into the messiest places to drag people out. If you don't give them the Medicinal Pill, are you just waiting to watch them fall one by one?"

Wang Mu's tone turned cold: "If the main force falls, the whole front line will collapse."

Wang Shan stood up abruptly: "If the rescue team falls, the main force can't be saved either!"

When the argument ended, two plans were placed in front of Wang Pingan.

One was biased towards output, and one was biased towards the lifeline.

Wang Pingan didn't state his position immediately. He looked at the two allocation plans, and after a moment, he spoke.

"Compress a portion of the main force's Medicinal Pill quota and prioritize ensuring the rescue team, medical cultivators, and Formation maintenance team."

Wang Mu looked up, and Wang Shan also looked towards the sky.

"In the Black Swamp Scale Nest, a living rescue team is more important than an extra round of charges."

Wang Mu was silent for a moment, bowed, and took the order. Wang Shan also cupped his hands and agreed.

The army soon adjusted the allocation. When the rescue team received the first batch of Clearing Pulse Anti-Miasma Pill, many people's eyes turned red.

They knew they were not the strongest, but the God Lord had placed them in the position of the lifeline.

In the nineteenth year, all systems began to be compressed and integrated.

Medicinal Pill allocation tables, Talisman consumption tables, Floating Board Shield Vehicle Formation, Artillery Battalion deployment time, and the rotation order of the swamp exploration team were all written into the battlefield manual.

Wang Mu personally reviewed it three times. Wang Shan also put the Armor Battalion through a lot of trouble. Before every set of swamp marching armor left the warehouse, it had to be tested in the pool. Whoever dared to cut corners would have to walk twenty laps in the shallow swamp wearing the defective armor.

This trick worked, and the quality of the Armor Battalion continued to improve.

Before the twentieth-year evolution ended, Wang Pingan personally reviewed the Black Swamp adaptation legion.

On the Northern Military Camp drill ground, three thousand main forces were lined up, all having completed moisture-proof, anti-poison, and anti-trap modifications.

The heavy armor was darker than before, covered with anti-corrosion Formation patterns, mud scrapers were hung on the outside of the leg armor, and tow hooks were hung behind the waist.

Two thousand auxiliary troops carried tow ropes, Medicinal Pill boxes, Clearing Miasma Talisman, and Formation Plate. The Floating Board Shield Vehicle were lined up in a row, with Qi and blood patterns and anti-poison Talisman patterns engraved on the wide shield surfaces.

The heavy cannons of the Artillery Battalion were all mounted on detachable high racks. Beside each cannon, there were Formation maintenance citizens on standby, with toolboxes lined up.

The swamp exploration team split from the Sword Qi Battalion stood in front of the Formation. Their blades were lighter, their Sword Qi was closer to the ground, and their attack angles were much trickier than before.

The Formation Hall carried temporary purification Formation Plate with the army, which could open up safe areas in a short time.

The Blood Tiger Army Soul hovered over the drill ground, its ferocity restrained. Wang Mu had trained it with a Clearing Miasma Formation to avoid losing control due to the guidance of alien Laws after entering the poisonous miasma.

Wang Shan stood in front of the Formation, not shouting charges or killing. He squatted on the ground, checking the tow ropes one by one.

Wang Mu stood at the rear, not just staring at the Artillery Battalion, but personally verifying the Medicinal Pill quota for the rescue team.

Wang Pingan overlooked the army and issued an oracle.

"This battle, do not seek speed, seek stability."

"Do not seek for it to look good, seek total annihilation."

The five thousand combat-ready troops received the order in unison.

The sound was not as roaring as the expedition to the Blood Moon Wreckage, but it was deeper, steadier, with the Killing Intent suppressed under the armor and the Battle Intent pressed into the military orders.

This legion had changed.

They were no longer just a group of hot-blooded elites, but a mature war machine.

Wang Pingan turned off the Master of Time.

In the secret room of the Wang Family Mansion in Galaxy City, the Formation light slowly subsided. Less than seven days had passed in the outside world.

Wang Pingan opened his eyes and opened the Divine Kingdom panel. The area was still four thousand square kilometers, but the population, military system, Hundred Arts, and battlefield adaptability had improved again.

The feedback from the citizens surged into the Divine Core, the demigod divine fire became more solid, and the Divine Kingdom's carrying capacity for complex environments was also stronger by a notch.

This was very important for annexing a complete demigod Divine Kingdom.

The Black Swamp Scale Nest was not the Blood Moon Wreckage; it was complete, dangerous, and insidious. Precisely because of this, its Origin was more valuable.

Wang Pingan stood up and walked out of the secret room.

Outside the door, Wang Cang had been waiting for a long time with supplementary intelligence.