61: Chapter 61 Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword

That day, Liu Chengfeng came to his room again.

The two sat opposite each other, silent for a long time.

Liu Chengfeng poured him a cup of tea and slowly spoke: "Brother Du Wei, has your injury fully healed?"

Du Wei nodded, his voice low: "Thank you for your concern, Military Advisor. It is no longer a serious issue."

"Then, what are your plans for the future?" Liu Chengfeng looked straight into his eyes.

Du Wei was silent. What plans could he possibly have?

Dushan Stronghold was gone, the Chief Leader was dead, and he was already a homeless wandering ghost.

Looking at the confusion in his eyes, Liu Chengfeng smiled and said: "Brother Du Wei, do you know why the Stockade Master has kept you here all this time? Why he spared no expense on divine medicine to heal you?"

"With the Stockade Master's methods, as you must have seen, cultivating another Peak Rank fierce general is not a difficult task."

"He keeps you because he respects that rare 'loyalty' and 'integrity' you possessed in Dushan Stronghold."

"He once told me that a force cannot rely solely on intelligence and martial power; it must also have rules and Laws."

"And you, Brother Du Wei, are the person in his heart most suited to uphold the 'Laws'."

Liu Chengfeng's words were like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through the fog in Du Wei's heart.

He suddenly raised his head, and for the first time, a light called 'hope' reignited in his eyes.

The next day, Du Wei put on a clean martial outfit and combed his hair meticulously.

He went to Gao Feng's door alone, tidied his robes, and knelt on one knee.

"Sinner Du Wei pays respects to the Stockade Master!"

His voice was still low, but the resentment was gone, replaced only by a sense of relief and respect.

Gao Feng was in the courtyard, guiding Big Fool in practicing the introductory method of the 'Tiger Venerable Art'.

Big Fool still couldn't learn the intricate breathing technique, so he just copied Gao Feng, using his fists to continuously pound his own terrifying muscles, producing dull 'thumping' sounds.

Hearing the sound, Gao Feng turned around, looked at Du Wei kneeling on the ground, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

He knew that this unruly fierce tiger had finally been tamed by him.

He personally walked forward and helped Du Wei up.

"Chief Du, welcome back to the team."

He didn't say much, just a simple sentence.

Du Wei's eyes grew hot, and he nodded heavily: "I am willing to go through fire and water for the Stockade Master, without hesitation!"

Gao Feng patted his shoulder and immediately announced his appointment.

"From today on, Du Wei, you are the Hall Master of my Panshi Stockade's 'Law Enforcement Hall', and concurrently the Deputy Commander of the 'Tiger Guard Battalion'!"

"The Law Enforcement Hall governs all punishments in the stronghold! From the Military Advisor down to the foot soldiers, anyone who violates the military Law shall be dealt with by you!"

"I grant you the authority to execute first and report later!"

This appointment left Du Wei completely stunned.

He didn't expect that Gao Feng's trust in him would reach such an extent!

This was handing the 'hilt of the blade' of the entire stronghold into his hands!

"Stockade Master... this trust... Du Wei... Du Wei is unworthy..."

He was so excited he became incoherent and was about to kneel again.

Gao Feng held him down, "When I employ people, I only look at ability, not the past."

"Your ability and your character deserve this position."

"Go. Military Advisor Liu has already prepared the personnel and roster for the Law Enforcement Hall. I hope that with your impartial integrity, you can establish ironclad rules and forge ironclad discipline for my Panshi Stockade!"

Du Wei looked into Gao Feng's deep, trusting eyes, said nothing more, and cupped his fists heavily.

"Du Wei, accepts the order!"

He turned and left, his tall, straight back seemingly having found the Soul belonging to the 'Iron-Faced Judge' once again.

Thus, the civil and military framework of the Panshi Stockade was finally basically stabilized.

With the civil side, there was Liu Chengfeng, who set strategies and settled the people.

With the military side, there was Du Wei, who governed the army and enforced the Law.

With the internal side, there was Luo Qin, who managed general affairs.

Gao Feng could finally free himself slightly from the complex daily affairs and use more energy to Cultivate his martial arts, seeking the opportunity to Breakthrough to the Fourth Rank.

The weather was getting colder day by day.

The wind in the valley swirled the withered yellow leaves in the air, carrying a sense of desolation.

The construction of the Panshi Stockade did not stop because of this; instead, because of the sufficient manpower, it became even more vigorous.

However, as the creator of all this, a sense of indescribable irritability lingered in Gao Feng's heart.

This irritability stemmed from the stagnation of his own power.

In the dead of night, he sank his mind again and entered the spirit spring space.

Inside the space, the Spiritual Qi was dense like mist, the spring water rippled, full of the aura of life.

That Dragon Blood Ginseng, on which he placed high hopes, was growing vigorously by the lake, emitting an alluring luster.

But Gao Feng's heart could not calm down.

He sat cross-legged by the lake, circulating the 'Tiger Venerable Art' that he already knew by heart.

The surging Qi and blood, like a rushing river, washed and churned within his body, emitting dull, thunderous sounds.

His Meridians were as tough as ox tendons, his muscles knotted like iron blocks, and his strength and explosive power had long surpassed the limits of ordinary Peak Rank Martial Artists.

But that step, in the end, could not be taken.

No matter how the Qi and blood washed, it seemed to be separated by an invisible, intangible barrier, unable to truly penetrate into the bone marrow and complete that qualitative change of shedding one's mortal body.

It was like a pot of water heated to ninety-nine degrees, always missing that last degree, unable to boil.

He had tried countless times, and every forced impact only caused his Meridians to send waves of tearing pain, but it had no effect on that barrier.

"Cultivation Technique, the Cultivation Technique Rank is still too low."

Gao Feng slowly stopped his cultivation, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and a flash of helplessness passed through his eyes.

He knew better than anyone that the 'Tiger Venerable Art', this Cultivation Technique obtained from the Black Wind Stockade, being able to support his cultivation to the Peak Rank was already its limit.

"Without the guidance of a higher-level technique, forced impact will at best damage the Meridians, and at worst lead to Qi Deviation, destroying the Foundation completely."

"It seems that before finding a new Cultivation Technique, I can only continuously polish my Foundation and look for other methods to improve my actual combat power."

With a decision in his heart, he no longer obsessed over the Breakthrough of his Realm, but instead practiced the 'Bloody Battle Saber Technique'.

This saber technique was fierce and ruthless, with every Move targeting vital points, full of killing intent.

Corroborated with his combat skills from his past life, this set of saber techniques in his hands had long since surpassed the master.

Then, he picked up a long wooden stick, acting as a long spear, and practiced the 'Hegemon Spear Technique'.

The spear thrust out like a Dragon, wide open and closing, every Move filled with the domineering power of sweeping across an army.

At first, he only practiced these two martial arts separately, trying to absorb their respective essences.

The saber technique emphasized agility, hacking, and changes.

The spear technique emphasized fierce strength, thrusting, and sweeping.

The two styles were vastly different and seemed difficult to harmonize.

But in the long time within the spirit spring space, he practiced tirelessly, over and over again.

After practicing both martial arts thousands of times, a strange feeling arose in his heart.

Possessing combat experience from his past life, his understanding of human body force and combat rhythm far surpassed the Martial Artists of this era.

He keenly captured the deep-seated commonalities between the two martial arts.

Whether it was the tricky 'Forcefully Splitting Mount Hua' in the 'Bloody Battle Saber Technique', or the courageous 'Dragon Emerging from the Sea' in the 'Hegemon Spear Technique'.

Their core force-generating techniques, tracing back to the source, were all a method of body axis force generation, twisting the strength of the whole body into one strand and exploding it instantly.

One pursued a small-range 'spiral piercing force'.

One pursued a large-range 'sweeping across the army momentum'.

"If... could I combine these two?"

A bold idea flashed in his mind.

He picked up the wooden stick again, but this time, his movements changed.

He was no longer confined to the fixed Moves of the spear technique, but integrated the hacking, chopping, slicing, and lifting of the saber technique into the use of the long weapon.

The wooden stick in his hand was sometimes like a poisonous Dragon coming out of its cave, thrusting swiftly.

Sometimes it was like rolling wheels, bringing up a domineering sweeping wind.

What was even more wonderful was that he could also use the exquisite wrist changes from the saber technique while wielding the long weapon, making the trajectory of the wooden stick strange and unpredictable.

A brand new combat prototype that combined the fierce dominance of the spear and the agile variability of the saber became clearer and clearer in his mind.

He stopped, his heart surging.

He knew he had found a path that could make his combat power soar again before breaking through to the Fourth Rank!

However, an ordinary saber was too short to bring out the advantage of sweeping.

An ordinary spear lacked the ability for hacking and changing.

He needed a new weapon that could perfectly carry his combat philosophy!

He walked to an open space and, using a piece of burnt charcoal, drew a sketch of a peculiar weapon on the hard mud ground.

The weapon was about nine feet long, with a main body like a spear.

At the front was an extremely sharp spear tip, enough to pierce through any sturdy armor.

Below the spear tip, on both sides, there was a crescent-shaped blade, curving upwards and flashing with cold light, capable of both parrying and hacking and strangling like twin sabers.

At the back was a counterweight iron butt cap, which could be used to smash and strike.

The prototype of this weapon was none other than the legendary three-pointed, double-edged blade!

"This is it!"

Gao Feng looked at the sketch on the ground, his eyes filled with burning intensity; this was the weapon most suitable for him!

One inch longer, one inch stronger.

With it, his combat style would have no more weaknesses!

But he also understood that forging such a divine weapon would not be easy.

Its requirements for material were extremely high.

Ordinary iron could not withstand the complex force of both hacking and thrusting; it would break after just a few uses.

He must use higher quality 'steel'!

And steel, in this era, was a strategic material more precious than gold.

"It seems that technological innovation is already imminent."

This thought instantly elevated his steelmaking plan, which was originally just for development considerations, to the highest priority concerning his own combat power.

...

A few days later, Panshi Stockade.

Inside a brand new, spacious 'Council Hall' built from a mixture of giant stones and cement.

All the core high-level personnel of Panshi Stockade gathered together.

This was the first truly formal military meeting held since the establishment of Panshi Stockade.

Beside the long stone table, Gao Feng sat at the head, his expression serious.

On his left hand side were Liu Chengfeng and Luo Qin, one civil and one strategic, their expressions calm.

On his right hand side were Du Wei and King Tiger, one new and one old, the two great generals of the army, their expressions both carrying a trace of solemnity.

At the lower end sat Old Qiu, Skinny Monkey, Sun Jiu, and others, representing the highest persons in charge of various departments such as logistics, household registration, and engineering.

The atmosphere was solemn and grave.

The meeting began, with Skinny Monkey, the person in charge of the household registration department, speaking first.

"Reporting to the Stockade Master and all the lords. Since Military Advisor Liu returned, after several days of counting by my household registration department, the total population of our Panshi Stockade has reached 3,074."

"Among them, there are 1,520 able-bodied soldiers. The rest are craftsmen, family members, and the old, weak, women, and children."

Skinny Monkey's voice was not loud, but every number made those present feel a sinking heart.

Over three thousand mouths; this was an incredibly huge and incredibly heavy number.

Immediately after, Old Qiu, the person in charge of the storage department, stood up.

His face was even more solemn than Skinny Monkey's.

"Stockade Master, all the lords. The food we seized from Dushan Stronghold totals about 30,000 shi. It sounds like a lot, but according to the current consumption standard per person per day, this batch of grain can only support us for... less than four months."

"That is to say, before the new grain is planted next spring, we will run out of food!"

Old Qiu's words were like a giant rock, smashing into everyone's hearts.

Inside the Council Hall, there was dead silence.

Everyone understood that food was the first sharp sword hanging over the head of Panshi Stockade.

King Tiger was a rough man; he couldn't help but speak: "Then... then what should we do? We can't let everyone go hungry, right? How about we lower the food standard?"

"No!"

Skinny Monkey immediately denied it, "The food standard concerns morale and the hearts of the people, which we have worked hard to build up. Once lowered, it will inevitably lead to turmoil; the loss will outweigh the gain."

"Then what do you say we do?!" King Tiger was a bit anxious.

"Enough."

Gao Feng raised his hand, stopping the argument.

His gaze, calm and sharp, swept over everyone present.

"King Tiger's words make sense, but Skinny Monkey is more correct."

"Cutting expenses is the worst strategy. What we need to do now is not to think about how to save food, but to think about how to seize more food!"

He stood up abruptly and walked to the center of the Council Hall, in front of that huge sand table map made by himself and Liu Chengfeng.

On the sand table, the terrain of the Gui Jian Chou Mountain Range was perfectly replicated.

Rivers, mountains, dense forests, and roads were clear at a glance.

And within a radius of three hundred li of Panshi Stockade, more than a dozen black flags of different sizes, representing various bandit forces, were inserted.

"Everyone, please look."

Gao Feng's hand slammed heavily on the edge of the sand table.

"Our Foundation is here, but our hands and feet cannot just be trapped in this small Panshi Valley!"

"These surrounding forces are scattered like stars. They were our threats before, but now, they are our 'granaries'! They are our 'source of troops'! They are the stepping stones for us to walk out of these mountains!"

His words made everyone's blood boil, and the worry in their eyes was gradually replaced by high-spirited Battle Intent.

Gao Feng's gaze moved slowly across the sand table.

"Today, I announce that the Panshi Stockade 'Ghost Sees Sorrow Cleaning Plan' is officially launched!"