54: Chapter 54 Huge Gains

Just as the bandits were fleeing in all directions and the people of Panshi Stockade were pursuing and harvesting them.

Liu Chengfeng, the Fourth-in-Command of Dushan Stronghold who had been hiding in the corner, stood up.

He straightened his dusty yet still neat robes and walked to the most conspicuous position on the battlefield.

He looked at the young figure leaning on an overlord spear, emanating endless majesty, took a deep breath, and shouted with all his might, raising his arm:

"Liu Chengfeng of Dushan Stronghold, leading the remnants under my command, wishes to surrender!"

"We wish to surrender!!!"

His voice spread throughout the entire valley, clearly falling into the ears of everyone.

Following his shout, those fleeing and kneeling Dushan Stronghold surrendered soldiers seemed to have found their backbone and began to shout along:

"We wish to surrender! We beg the Stockade Master for mercy!"

"We surrender! We surrender!!"

For a time, the sound of begging for mercy arose throughout the valley, and there was no more Battle Intent left.

The people of Panshi Stockade, looking at the dense crowd of surrendered soldiers kneeling below and hearing the "we surrender" shouts echoing through the valley, many were unable to react for a moment.

Won?

Just like that... won?

They had actually defeated the once arrogant and domineering Dushan Stronghold?

After a brief silence.

"Whoa!!!!!!!"

It was unknown who was the first to let out a beast-like roar of excitement!

This roar was like lighting the fuse of a gunpowder keg!

"We won! We won!!!"

"Hahahaha! We defeated Dushan Stronghold!!"

"Bear Overlord is dead! We won!"

"Hahahaha, great! It's simply too great!"

"No more living in fear! Long live the Stockade Master!"

"Long live, long live, long long live the Stockade Master!!!"

The earth-shaking cheers erupted like a volcanic eruption, soaring into the sky and diluting the thick smell of blood in the valley!

Countless Panshi Stockade soldiers could no longer suppress their inner ecstasy and excitement.

They threw away their weapons, hugged their companions with all their might, and vented the joy of victory with the crudest language.

Some people laughed until tears streamed down.

Those were tears of surviving a disaster, tears of seeing hope for the future!

They remembered the arduous training day and night for over a month, remembered the brothers who died in the last great battle, and remembered the humiliation of being bullied by Dushan Stronghold!

And today, all of this was worth it!

All the efforts, at this moment, received the richest reward!

They looked at the figure standing at the highest point, like a Divine Being, their eyes filled with fanatical worship and awe.

It was their Stockade Master! It was this Stockade Master who descended like a Divine Being, leading them to create this miracle they dared not even imagine!

Gao Feng leaned on his overlord spear, listening to the tsunami-like cheers in his ears, and a surge of heroic spirit welled up in his heart.

But he did not immerse himself in the joy of victory; instead, he calmly scanned the entire battlefield and immediately issued orders:

"Everyone, immediately clean up the battlefield! Treating the wounded is the top priority!"

"Bring all our injured brothers together! Fast!"

His voice remained calm and powerful, carrying unquestionable majesty, instantly calming the ecstatic crowd.

"Yes! Stockade Master!"

Everyone immediately took action.

And Gao Feng, at the first moment, rushed towards the massive figure lying under the rock wall.

"Big Fool!"

He knelt down, looking at Big Fool, who was covered in blood, his chest rising and falling slightly, and his breath so weak it was almost undetectable, a surge of lingering fear and anger welled up in his heart.

If it weren't for Big Fool risking his life to stop Bear Overlord, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

He immediately fed Big Fool some spiritual water, and seeing that Big Fool's breathing had stabilized, he felt slightly relieved.

At this time, Liu Chengfeng was already directing several personal soldiers, using a captured tower shield to make a makeshift stretcher, carefully carrying a person over.

Lying on the stretcher was none other than the Third-in-Command Du Wei, who had been sneak-attacked from behind by Second-in-Command Nie Kong, poisoned, and had long since passed out.

"Sinner Liu Chengfeng pays respects to Stockade Master High!"

Liu Chengfeng came before Gao Feng, kneeled on one knee, his posture extremely low.

He pointed at the dying Du Wei on the stretcher and said in a deep voice:

"Stockade Master, this is the Third-in-Command of Dushan Stronghold, Du Wei! He was sneak-attacked from behind by that treacherous Nie Kong, poisoned, and is on the verge of death. Chengfeng daringly brought him here, imploring the Stockade Master to show mercy and save his life!"

Gao Feng's gaze shifted from Big Fool and landed on Liu Chengfeng and Du Wei.

He looked at Liu Chengfeng, feeling a bit of interest in this person who had gathered the remnants and surrendered at the critical moment.

"A living Du Wei is indeed more useful than a dead Du Wei."

Gao Feng said indifferently, seeing through Liu Chengfeng's intentions, and then ordered: "Carry him over, put him with our wounded, and we will treat him later."

Liu Chengfeng was overjoyed upon hearing this; he had bet correctly!

This Stockade Master High really was an ambitious leader with the aspiration to swallow the world!

He understood his overt scheme and accepted it without hesitation!

"Thank you, Stockade Master!"

Liu Chengfeng kowtowed heavily again, his heart now completely surrendered.

He pleaded for Du Wei, which was a test and an overt scheme, and Gao Feng not only saw through it at a glance but also accepted it openly; this breadth of mind and spirit made him completely convinced.

After kowtowing, Liu Chengfeng did not immediately stand up, but instead, taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused here, he spoke again in a deep voice, his tone filled with determination and sincerity:

"Stockade Master! Although Bear Overlord is dead, Dushan Stronghold still exists! There are still large amounts of food, weapons, and people left in the stronghold! If we don't take this opportunity to capture it in one go, I fear complications will arise!"

"Firstly, the fleeing Nie Kong might make a comeback; secondly, some other hill forts will surely be eyeing this with covetousness!"

"Chengfeng dares to beg the Stockade Master to give me a chance to redeem myself! Please, Stockade Master, assign me three hundred surrendered soldiers and lend me Bear Overlord's head to use!"

"Within three days, I will, for the Stockade Master, take down the entire Dushan Stronghold without spilling a drop of blood, and offer all its treasury, weapons, and people to the Stockade Master's command!"

His voice was resonant and powerful, filled with an eagerness to prove himself!

This was his true "pledge of allegiance"!

Gao Feng looked at Liu Chengfeng, who was kneeling on the ground, having staked his life and future on this, and nodded with satisfaction.

What he wanted was this kind of smart person who would actively surrender and dare to issue a military pledge.

"Good!"

Gao Feng's voice carried a hint of approval, "Your idea coincides with mine. This Dushan Stronghold is indeed a piece of fat meat that has come to my mouth; it cannot be allowed to fly away."

He paused, changed his tone, and continued with unquestionable majesty: "I will give you five hundred surrendered soldiers! You can cut off Bear Overlord's head and take it with you whenever you want!"

"Thank you, Stockade Master!"

Liu Chengfeng was overjoyed, stood up excitedly, and turned to carry out the order.

"Wait." Gao Feng called him again.

Liu Chengfeng's heart tightened, thinking Gao Feng had other additional conditions.

But he heard Gao Feng say: "You are also injured, go treat your wounds, change into clean clothes, and eat something first before going. I am not in a hurry."

This plain expression of concern was like a heavy hammer, striking hard at Liu Chengfeng's heart.

This is a wise leader! This is a wise leader truly worthy of his assistance!

Unlike Bear Overlord, who only had himself in his eyes and no one else at all.

He bowed heavily again, said no more, and turned to walk away with large strides.

Watching Liu Chengfeng's energetic back, a trusted captain beside Gao Feng couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"Stockade Master... just let him go like this? He is the Fourth-in-Command of Dushan Stronghold! What if... what if he takes the people and directly occupies Dushan Stronghold, defending it from a dangerous position, wouldn't we..."

Gao Feng heard this and smiled.

He turned his head, looked at this loyal but limited-vision subordinate, and spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but clear enough for everyone around to hear.

"Do not employ those you suspect, and do not suspect those you employ!"

"In this world, there is a type of person who, if you tie him with a rope, will think every day about how to break free. If you untie the rope and give him a piece of sky, he will instead willingly build a higher wall for you."

"I think Liu Chengfeng is this type of person."

His gaze swept over the Panshi Stockade people, who were either excited or confused, and he continued:

"Furthermore, why should I fear him rebelling?"

"Even if he occupies Dushan Stronghold, what can he do? A mere stronghold, a group of remnants, can they stop the next military advance of my Panshi Stockade? He is a smart person and knows what it means to be a mantis trying to block a chariot."

A cold arc curled up on the corner of Gao Feng's mouth.

"Him gathering hearts and taking the stronghold for me this time saves me the trouble. If he dares to rebel, then I can rightfully use his blood to completely purge Dushan Stronghold and solve all those who are unconvinced in one go. No matter how you calculate it, I don't lose."

"What I give him, he can take. What I don't give, he cannot snatch."

These words left everyone present deeply shaken and suddenly enlightened!

The way they looked at Gao Feng was no longer just worship; it was a kind of awe bordering on looking up to a Divine Being!

So, the Stockade Master had already thought so far ahead!

So, the so-called trust was backed by such powerful self-confidence and absolute control!

Only then did they understand how big the gap between them and the Stockade Master really was!

...

In the time that followed, the entire A Thread of Sky valley was plunged into tense and orderly busyness.

Cleaning the battlefield, counting casualties, collecting weapons and armor, guarding surrendered soldiers... various tasks were carried out in an orderly manner.

And Gao Feng placed all his energy into treating the wounded.

The wounded of Panshi Stockade were gathered in a relatively clean open space, with cries of pain rising one after another.

Luo Qin quickly calculated the casualty figures, her voice carrying a hint of suppressed sadness.

"Stockade Master, in this battle, we lost thirty-seven brothers in action, sixty-two were seriously injured, and over one hundred were lightly injured."

Gao Feng's heart sank upon hearing this number.

Behind every number was a fresh, living life.

"Collect the remains of the sacrificed brothers properly, register their names, bring them back to the stronghold, and bury them with honors!"

"Their families will be supported by the stronghold! Compensation will be paid at the highest standard of three times!"

Gao Feng ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes!"

After handling the matters of the fallen, Gao Feng's attention was entirely focused on the wounded.

He first cured Big Fool and all the seriously injured brothers of Panshi Stockade; the magical effect of the spiritual water once again deeply shocked everyone's hearts.

Finally, he walked to the stretcher of Third-in-Command Du Wei.

Du Wei had been pierced through the waist and ribs by Nie Kong's poisoned short blade, the toxin had invaded his heart meridian, and his entire face presented a strange, dark blue-black color.

Gao Feng was expressionless; he pried open his mouth to feed him a few mouthfuls of spiritual water, and then poured the spiritual water onto his wound.

Under the gaze of dozens of Panshi Stockade and Dushan Stronghold surrendered soldiers, the deadly blue-black color faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the hideous wound also began to heal slowly.

Du Wei's weak breathing gradually became steady and powerful, and he was actually pulled back from the gates of hell.

This scene was more persuasive than any words.

Those surrendered soldiers from Dushan Stronghold, seeing that even their Third-in-Command was treated so attentively, felt the last bit of doubt and unease in their hearts vanish, replaced by deep awe and a sense of belonging.

After finishing all this, the sun had completely set.

The work of counting the spoils of war also came to an end.

The captain in charge of this matter ran excitedly to Gao Feng with a booklet, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Stock... Stockade Master! We hit it big! We made a fortune!"

"In this battle, we killed over three hundred enemies and captured four hundred and eighty-seven surrendered soldiers!"

"We seized five hundred and twelve pieces of various weapons, three hundred and twenty sets of complete leather armor, and countless damaged leather armor!"

"The most important thing is!"

He took a deep breath and almost roared, "We captured warhorses! A full one hundred and twenty-three warhorses in excellent condition!"

Horses!

Hearing this word, everyone in Panshi Stockade had red eyes!

In this world, the value of a good horse even exceeds that of ten able-bodied men!

Cavalry is even the trump card that all forces dream of!

And they, overnight, possessed the capital to form a small cavalry unit!

What a huge harvest this was!

Gao Feng's heart was also surging; adding his existing troops, after this battle, the total population of Panshi Stockade would directly exceed one thousand five hundred!

Among them, the number of battle-ready soldiers was close to one thousand!

This force, placed in the Gui Jian Chou Mountain Range, was already the absolute hegemon!

Strength, skyrocketed!

Gao Feng stood at the highest point of the valley, the night wind blowing his blood-stained robes.

He looked down at the dense crowd below, the piled-up weapons and armor, the neighing and restless horses...

In his eyes, there was no trace of intoxication; instead, a more intense flame burned.

Ghost Sees Sorrow was just a novice village.

Dushan Stronghold was just the first stepping stone on his path to hegemony.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the endless night, looking beyond the mountain range, at the vast and cruel, ten thousand miles of territory of the Great Qian Dynasty!

There, there were countless powerful nobles, feudal lords, aristocratic families... and that high and mighty, corrupt Imperial Court!

"This is just the beginning."

He muttered to himself, his voice scattered by the night wind, but carrying a determination that would surely make the whole world tremble.