The Demonic World I designed-Chapter 664 - 654: The Citizens of the Lower Northern Wasteland.......

Chapter 664: Chapter 654: The Citizens of the Lower Northern Wasteland.......

"Jiangnan is borrowing troops?"

The news of borrowing troops spread quickly among the various tribes of Northern Yan, and the recruitment edict had already been delivered by messengers, causing much chatter among the soldiers.

Most of the countries in the Northern Wasteland, including Great Yan, operated under a tribal system. Apart from Northern Wolf City, Northern Yan did not have other cities in this grassland area; all their herders belonged to constantly moving tribes.

And so-called soldiers, especially those without bloodline, were simply herders from the tribe in peacetime, auxiliary troops in wartime, and no different from ordinary herders in normal periods.

The privileged and middle class lived in warm cities, while common offspring pitched tents on the cold Ice Plains. This was the reality for the people of the Northern Wasteland, and it had been the state of existence for generations of the grassroots population.

Most of those who lived in Northern Wolf City were either of the bloodline houses or Sorcerer Families, or they were the favored literati. Northern Wolf City had the closest trade, offering salt, grain, and cotton clothing. The locals’ cattle and sheep could only be exchanged there—there was hardly any other choice, unless merchants from the Northern Territory bypassed Northern Wolf City and were willing to seek out scattered tribes across the vast Ice Plains.

The bloodline warriors and magicians within Northern Wolf City held absolute military power and controlled the economic advantages of the land. It was almost impossible for the scattered tribes to resist, generation after generation, only herding cattle and sheep on the cold Ice Plains, and occasionally having to deal with unruly Wolf Demons.

And now, word had come down from above that Jiangnan was borrowing troops, planning to draft an elite force of five hundred thousand from the tribal youth to head for the lands of Jiangnan.

This news instantly caused a huge uproar!

"Is this news true? What do you guys think?"

Outside the tent of a small tribe, several young men returning with cattle and sheep gathered together to discuss this shocking tribal affair.

"The messengers have already come, how could it be fake? Didn’t they also announce a while ago that our Northern Yan had become a vassal to Jiangnan?"

Hearing this, they all fell into contemplation. The previous news had been shocking too, but it had little to do with them. According to the older generation, it was common for the countries of the Northern Wasteland to become vassals of the Central Plains from time to time. After all, it was about the upper-class nobility engaging in transactions with the Central Plains, and their interests had little to do with the lower-class herders like them.

But this time...

"This... if it’s true, does that mean we might have a chance to go to Jiangnan?"

The very mention of this made everyone’s hearts skip a beat.

The only good times these years were when Great Yan was flourishing with martial virtue and advanced into the Central Plains, capturing the sixteen cities of Youyun.

Back then, due to the shortage of people, herders were needed to help manage the cities. Many herders finally got to experience the life of a minor noble—living in warm stone houses, sipping tea and listening to operas in their backyards, living a stable life just like people from the Central Plains.

Unfortunately... these good times did not last long, they were soon driven back to the Ice Plains, but as it was in recent years, many middle-aged herders still remembered those days.

And that was still in the dry and cold Northern Territory. They had heard that the Jiangnan Water Town was extremely enchanting, not only was the landscape picturesque, but the level of material abundance was astonishing. Many had heard of Jiangnan, where the grain in the storehouses was abundant to the point of overflowing, every household could ferment fine wine, and Ginseng Blood Wine, highly sought after by the nobles here, was as common as water there!

"Do you want to go?" The eldest and tallest man in the tent glanced at the first person who brought up the topic.

"Brother Chao, don’t you want to go?"

"You all think too simply." The man called Brother Chao shook his head, "No matter how good Jiangnan is, all those good things are not something a commoner can enjoy. Haven’t you seen the true colors of those nobles? They would rather let food rot in the warehouses than spare a single grain of rice to those who are starving to death. Jiangnan’s wealth doesn’t mean common people are wealthy. Life there might not necessarily be better than here, and besides... if you respond to the call, what about your cattle and sheep? Are you leaving them for your brothers at home?"

They were about to reply that they could sell them, thinking that even spending the money in Jiangnan would be better than herding in the godforsaken Northern Wasteland.

But then they remembered the recent prices of cattle and sheep and all sighed again.

This year seemed cursed, as cattle and sheep suddenly turned aggressive enough to eat people. Live cattle and sheep were hardly bought by anyone, and dead livestock were not easy to sell in Northern Wolf City anymore.

The reason was that Pythons from the Northern Territory occasionally delivered Demon Beast meat. Now, every household had accumulated too much Demon Beast meat, which greatly impacted the price of grassland cattle and sheep meat. The price for fresh beef and mutton had now dropped to less than half of what it used to be.

Many herdsmen are reluctant to sell their hard-reared cattle and sheep for money right now, all waiting for the consumption of Wolf Demon meat in Northern Wolf City to finish and the price of cattle and sheep meat to rebound.

But it just so happens that Jiangnan is recruiting soldiers at this moment.

As a few people were sighing, the tribe suddenly announced a gathering.

"It must be the Tribal Elders who want to talk about this issue. All of you, make sure not to stick your necks out, this matter... if you can avoid it, then avoid it, especially you, Han Zi. You’ve earned merit and have consumed the most cattle. With a little more effort, you’ll soon be able to take a wife. Don’t get any funny ideas at this time."

The young man known as Han Zi nodded upon hearing this, but a trace of resentment flickered in his eyes.

He didn’t want to spend his whole life herding sheep here, then marry a woman and continue herding sheep until old age... oh, making it to old age was wishful thinking. People like them could very well be summoned to the frontline the next time the nobility wished to battle, once again becoming cannon fodder for those bloodline nobles...

By the time the few people arrived at the open space outside the largest tent, there were already several hundred young and strong men standing around.

The Elder nodded slightly upon seeing that everyone had arrived and turned to smile at a towering man, "General, everyone is here."

The man nodded slightly, and the Elder quickly said, "This is the General from Jiangnan. He has been permitted by Your Majesty to recruit soldiers. Everyone, stand straight. Those who catch the noble’s eye will be able to go to a great place like Jiangnan."

Many of the youths curiously looked at the towering man. The armor on the man was truly splendid—both dominating and mighty. The Cavalry Masters of the plains liked to disdain the armor from the Central Plains, considering it a turtle’s shell, nothing more than a target in the face of the unparalleled archers on horseback of the plains.

But at this moment, what they saw changed their minds. This dazzling armor looked just like what a soldier should wear.

And him being so majestically tall and grand, he must be a descendant of the Jiangnan bloodline, no?

While they were thinking this, the man spoke up, "I am Han Lin, leader of a ten-man team under the Seventh Army of the Warrior Army in Jiangnan. Today I’ve come to your tribe to select only ten individuals. From then on, they will be my soldiers. Stand ready. This selection isn’t forced; if anyone is unwilling, you can say so right away. I won’t insist, even if no one from your tribe wishes to follow me, I can go to the next tribe, so there’s no need to resist."

His words eased many people’s concerns, as they were afraid of being chosen and forcefully taken away.

However, what still caught their attention was the man’s identity. With such a presence and stature, merely a leader of a ten-man team? Wouldn’t he be considered a Chiliarch in their plains?

Is this a joke?

The Elder also looked curiously at the soldier. Essentially all those who could become a Tribal Elder were descendants of bloodline families, just not of very pure bloodlines. But having lived for so long, they wouldn’t fail to recognize true potential; the man before them was brimming with vigorous vitality. When he had walked over earlier, the snowflakes falling from the sky couldn’t come within three feet of him, and standing by his side was like being next to a moving furnace.

Such a man, just a leader of a ten-man team?

He looked more than capable of being a Chiliarch, didn’t he?

Afterward, the man’s method of selecting people was even more surprising. He reached out and felt around each person meticulously.

Unable to hold back, the Elder asked, "Sir... are you checking their bones?"

"Hmm..." The warrior from the Warrior Army was clearly not a man of many words, answering very succinctly.

"But..." The Elder was puzzled. Bone checking was usually something done only by bloodline families. When their young children couldn’t yet show signs of inheriting the family’s bloodline, bone checking could predict the robustness of the child to a great extent. Those with good bone structure, if cultivated carefully from a young age, would be stronger and more likely able to withstand the strength of the powerful family bloodline.

But is there a need for such a test when selecting regular soldiers?

"This lord..." The man who had cautioned the others not to rashly choose to go to Jiangnan earlier spoke up, "Is bone checking necessary when choosing auxiliary soldiers?"

He was confused. Bone checking was usually done when one was young. The people here had mostly fully grown bones; what was there to check? And what use would it have? Could commoners like them expect to have their bones tempered with high-grade medicinal materials?

Upon hearing this, Han Lin stopped his motions and looked at the man, "Who told you that I was here to choose auxiliary soldiers?" free𝑤ebnovel.com

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