Chapter 84 Troop Training

The barbarian village that came into Li Chou's view consisted of about five or six hundred people—an extremely small scale. Those who dared to venture and seek a living in a region so close to the Northern Sea must have been the losers of some barbarian tribal war. Looking at the vast expanse of pit dwellings constructed from tree branches, animal skins, stones, and moss piled against tree trunks, a sense of familiarity welled up spontaneously within Li Chou, though it was by no means a pleasant one.

It reminded him of his past days of desperate survival at Stony Ridge.

In Li Chou's memories, everything associated with those years could hardly be considered pleasant; weakness was the original sin. It wasn't until he later joined Ghost Valley that he felt a shred of warmth. Although Ghost Valley was also permeated with an atmosphere of perpetual peril and the agony of a desperate struggle for survival, at that moment, Li Chou had already touched the edges of hope.

It was only after joining the Tianshan Escape that Li Chou experienced civilization for the first time, perceiving the tremendous changes brought to this world by rules and laws. Although beneath the stern hierarchical system and power structures, strength remained the theme that dominated everything, the existence of various arbitration methods and regulations meant that combat and slaughter were no longer the sole ways to solve problems. The surface, though churning with undercurrents, was always covered by a faint sheen of radiance.

As a demon, to survive in this world, one had to change. Not only must he and the demons around him change, but the entire demon world must change as well; otherwise, the annihilation of the demon race was merely a matter of time. Since they already stood on the opposite side of the human race, then let that opposing side become as powerful as possible!

This was the solution Li Chou had pondered throughout his entire trek. The problem he sought to solve was survival, and when contemplating all of this, he had cast aside all emotions, weighing only the pros and cons through rational analysis, ultimately arriving at this conclusion.

This would be the path to walk in the future... When Li Chou made this decision, a momentary awkwardness arose in his heart, but it lasted only for an instant. As he looked at the fur covering his body and his ferocious visage, this final hesitation vanished.

There was no earth-shattering battle, no heart-wrenching brush with life and death. Simply, naturally, and imperceptibly, Li Chou had completely completed the transformation from a human into a demon. Prior to this, he had always retained a sense of so-called ideals and hope in his heart, but after this, he had thoroughly and completely adapted to his identity as a demon.

The memories of his past life were nothing more than memories!

Leading Xiong Shan and over a hundred minor demons who had transformed into human shapes, Li Chou arrived at the clearing outside the barbarian village. Their arrival immediately startled the villagers. Barbarians wrapped in animal skins, leaves, and vines walked out of the village, casting wolf-like gazes upon the group. They gripped bone and stone-crafted spears and axes tightly, baring their teeth as saliva began to drip from the corners of their mouths.

Seeing the armor and weapons worn by Li Chou and his men, one should have realized that these people possessed weaponry and standards far beyond what a barbarian village could compare to. To put it bluntly, there was a chasm-like technological gap between the two sides. Yet, the people here still displayed intense aggression and greed, either having starved to the extreme or possessing absolute, blind confidence in their own tribe's combat prowess, completely ignoring the massive disparity brought by this technological level.

Standing in the clearing for just a moment, a large crowd of savages had already gathered, numbering over three hundred, with others still rushing out from the village. Shiniu and Yinhu, dispatched by Li Chou, had already begun encircling the barbarian village from other directions. Li Chou did not want anyone to escape alive and let others know of his arrival, so he still needed a little time to ensure the other two squads reached their designated positions.

However, matters of this sort often depended on luck, and today Li Chou's luck was not particularly good.

Just as more and more barbarians rushed toward the village entrance, a few exceptionally tall barbarians finally appeared. They stepped out from the gaps cleared by the other barbarians and came before Li Chou and his group. Accompanied by heavy bad breath, they hoisted thick beast bones high in their hands and let out hoarse, roaring battle cries toward Li Chou.

This was a pre-battle provocation, primarily intended to show off martial prowess and instill terror in the enemy...

So Li Chou thought, but he had no leisure to delve deeply into it. He suddenly leaped into mid-air, and the next moment, his iron rod came crashing down from the sky with a sharp swish, landing heavily upon the head of the braggart.

A dull, echoing thud resonated, and the savage's head abruptly burst open like a watermelon. Red and white matter splattered everywhere, spraying across the ground. The savage's corpse remained rigid for a fleeting moment before crashing heavily to the ground, its limbs twitching unconsciously as gouts of fresh blood poured from the severed half of its head and neck.

Without waiting for Li Chou to speak, Xiong Shan let out a tiger-like roar and lunged forward fiercely, his heavy broadsword hacking down indiscriminately. At this exact moment, the other minor demons also sprang into action, plunging into the crowd and fighting the barbarians with the ferocity of wolves and tigers.

Li Chou's execution of the barbarian had been clean, neat, and effortless, but upon truly engaging in combat with the barbarians, Xiong Shan discovered that their actual strength was not low. The martial prowess of able-bodied barbarian men was equivalent to fourth or fifth-rank minor demons, while women, children, and the elderly possessed the strength of first-rank minor demons. This standard already surpassed that of many Great Zhou armies; even the elite border troops of the Western and Eastern Marches were only around the third rank. If such savages existed in numbers of tens of thousands, they would indeed have had what it takes to carve out a living space in the cracks between two warring nations.

It was a pity that the number of able-bodied men in this barbarian village was not large, numbering less than a hundred in total, and today they had encountered not humans, but the demon race.

"Use some sorcery!"

Following Li Chou's calm command, the minor demons led by Xiong Shan suddenly snapped to their senses. Various distinct innate demonic arts immediately manifested: blinding mists, flying sand and moving stones, pitch-black winds reeking of foul odors... They instantly blanketed the entire battlefield, and the tide of battle shifted in a very short span of time. The transition from the barbarians holding the upper hand to being thoroughly suppressed took mere words.

As the sounds of battle erupted from the rear of the village, the barbarians' fierce murderous intent and greed from moments ago completely vanished. They began scattering in all directions. Xiong Shan led his minor demons in an excited, chaotic chase, devoid of any tactical formation—charging wherever they saw movement, creating a messy melee.

Amidst the slaughter, minor demons would occasionally reveal their true forms, pouncing upon enemies to tear at them. Their bodies and limbs were stained with fresh blood everywhere, though not yet fatal...

Li Chou sighed, grabbed two minor drill-sergeants, and pointed out a direction for them to pursue. He then named a leopard-demon drill-sergeant to notify the second-line forces left behind in the rear, before dashing back himself to assess the battle results in the back.

The situation in the rear was almost identical to the front. After all the able-bodied men gathered at the front, there was virtually no decent resistance on the flanks and rear of the village, and the rout and flight were even faster. Yinhu's troop management was cut from the same cloth as Xiong Shan's—chaotic pursuit and chaotic killing—with only Shiniu showing slight differences.

Although the minor demons under his command were also in disarray, under his direction, several minor drill-sergeants led minor demons toward different directions. Facing the enemy with the most direct and effective methods, they would simply hack them down with a single blade. Even when encountering formidable barbarians, two or three minor demons would reveal their true forms, lunging forward to clamp their jaws directly around the throat to kill them before immediately pursuing the next target.

Li Chou observed closely; these minor drill-sergeants must have been the ones who initially followed Shiniu outside on scouting missions. Having followed him for slightly longer, distinct differences had already begun to show.

This discovery brought a wave of joy to Li Chou's heart. He had never expected Shiniu to possess such a talent for military command. Though usually unremarkable during troop training, he immediately exhibited it upon encountering actual combat.

The battle did not last long. Although the combat effectiveness of the barbarians was not low, their number of able-bodied men was truly too small. It concluded in less than two quarters of an hour, with hundreds of people entirely turned into corpses. Moreover, according to Li Chou's observation, there were no fish that slipped through the net; the entire barbarian village was slaughtered without a single survivor.

Soon, the minor demons began clearing the battlefield, ripping open the chests and abdomens of the corpses and washing them clean using the village's water source, while Shiniu led men to search the village and unearth the food stored by the barbarians.

"Is this all of it?"

Before long, the entire village had been thoroughly searched. Looking at the small pile of dark, fire-dried jerky stacked before him, Li Chou took a small bite and immediately tasted distinct flavors. Some were from hunted wolves and wild boars, but a few strips distinctly carried the taste of the human race.

Shiniu rubbed his hands together with a chuckle and said to Li Chou, "Great King, the meat is all here, but there is also some millet and the like. The little ones don't eat it; should we bring it?"

"Bring some for me to see."

Soon, some millet and dried fruits wrapped in animal skins were delivered to Li Chou. Upon closer inspection, most were wild fruits, but one item caught Li Chou slightly off guard. He picked it up to inspect it closely, and a term suddenly leaped out from his memory, filling his heart with wild elation.

"Sweet potatoes."

According to historical records, sweet potatoes were originally introduced to China from Luzon by the Portuguese. This crop was hardy, heat-loving, thrived in droughts with extremely high yields per mu, and was rich in starch. The vines could even be used as fodder. From an agricultural perspective, this crop far surpassed the crop yields of the Great Zhou dynasty.

If they were to survive in Western Province, there was no doubt that feeding the numerous minor demons under his command was Li Chou's top priority. Relying solely on hunting was unfeasible, and human growth cycles were far too long; from a breeding standpoint, humans could absolute not compare to pigs or sheep. Furthermore, to establish a long-term, stable base, the food source had to be resolved.

The appearance of sweet potatoes undoubtedly allowed Li Chou to glimpse a ray of dawn.

Soon, after handling everything and setting a great fire to the place, Li Chou led the minor demons to continue on their march. They did not continue heading south; instead, following the clues extracted from soul-searching, they proceeded to advance toward another barbarian village.

That barbarian village was slightly further away and could not be reached today. After moving a safe distance away from the current village, Li Chou selected a wind-sheltered spot to pitch camp and rest for the night.

After a long trek followed by food shortages, the physical stamina of the minor demons had plummeted rapidly. Coupled with today's battle, while Li Chou, Xiong Shan, and the others were unbothered, the minor demons were somewhat restless. If they wished to arrive safely, pacification was indispensable.

Campfires were lit, and countless strips of meat were hung over the fire to be roasted into jerky, though many were also roasted thoroughly to be eaten that night. Li Chou had already strictly forbidden his subordinate demons from eating raw meat; although it met with slight resistance, the transition went relatively smoothly.

The greatest credit for this went to the salt added during the roasting and boiling of the food.

Soon, the minor demons began to frolic and eat. Though somewhat noisy, they had already divided themselves into groups according to military formation, abandoning the chaotic brawling and snatching of whatever they could grab. Under the orders of Li Chou and the vigorous rectification by the three demons—Xiong Shan, Shiniu, and others—discipline gradually took root as the distance of their march extended.

Throughout the entire march, Li Chou's imprint slowly and gradually began to be etched upon these minor demons...