Upon hearing this, Huang Shiyao revealed a half-smile and said, "That would be best. We will remain inactive within the territory of Fortress No. 21. Recently, the alien species in the pit zone have been active frequently. We cannot retreat even a step. The only thing we can do is to complete our duties."

Qin Guan said, "This was originally a sure-fire deal, General Huang. I hope we can cooperate happily."

"Hehe, it's a pleasure to do business with you."

Huang Shiyao shook hands with Qin Guan.

Qin Guan said, "Please do me the honor of joining me tonight. His Excellency the Governor has arranged a family banquet at his residence."

Huang Shiyao put on his officer's cap and said, "I will go."

After he left, the smile on Qin Guan's face gradually faded. His secretary, Li Chengfeng, walked in from the door and asked, "Master, Fortress No. 21 still refuses to send troops."

Qin Guan nodded: "They just fought a battle with the alien species, and it can be said that both sides suffered losses. I don't know what happened in the pit zone, but their activities have indeed been quite frequent in recent years. I can understand why Huang Shiyao doesn't want to get involved in the civil war."

“In that case, our forces are probably still far from sufficient,” Li Chengfeng said.

“I know.” Qin Guan sighed. “I will personally go to major cities to lobby. Now that Huang Shiyao has been persuaded, he only needs to remain neutral after the war starts. Although the governor has repeatedly instructed me, I still believe that the border troops should not act rashly. If a foreign species invades, the original plan will definitely change, which is something we do not want to see.”

Li Chengfeng: "What does the master intend to do?"

Qin Guan said, “The United Government has the largest area of ​​oasis and farmland in the north. If it is managed properly, those ruling factions will obediently stand on our side. No one wants to be a master while starving. Moreover, the governor has a well-trained elite force under his command. If reasoning fails, we will solve it with sticks.”

Li Chengfeng nodded.

The governor of the Green Union was himself the largest warlord in the northern desert.

As long as he has the grain, and raises his arm to call out, how could the northern desert not listen to him?

"In other words, the most troublesome thing is the position of Fortress 21," Li Chengfeng said.

“That’s right. We negotiated with them many times beforehand, but Huang Shiyao was always wavering. This time, he didn’t send his deputy but came in person. This shows that Huang Shiyao has already made up his mind. Tonight’s family banquet is very important. I will work with the governor to persuade him. If we can bring in tens of thousands of border troops, the war will be resolved much faster.”

Li Chengfeng exclaimed excitedly, "If we exchange it for a sun and a moon, once the allied army breaches the walls of Lingbi City and the governor takes the chief seat, I will be the ruler of the northern desert!"

Qin Guan smiled slightly, turned his back to look at the emerald lake, and muttered to himself, "Old Yuan, you watch closely down there. I will definitely avenge this."

...

Duan Wujiu was sitting in a black car, on his way to Wall No. 10.

Walking north along the wall, towering city walls reach into the clouds, and occasionally, vehicles and caravans can be seen passing by on the straight road.

Duan Wujiu couldn't laugh.

He had a piece of intelligence that had only recently been compiled and delivered to him.

There are roughly three aspects to this information—

First, Li Jiuyuan, this newly risen tycoon, possesses his own massive caravan. With the backing of the Sandcastle Pavilion, and utilizing synthetic starch and military weaponry, Sandcastle has quietly connected the eastern desert into one unified entity. Now, he has even established an organization called the 'Shennong Chamber of Commerce' in the eastern desert, attracting powerful figures, politicians, and military officers from various factions, as well as merchants and adventurers scattered throughout the region, building factories, mining, and recruiting workers everywhere…

Second, Sha Qingsui entered Xibao and officially took office as its leader. He reorganized the army, reduced personnel, built warehouses, and wiped out the local forces in Xibao, including associations, gangs, mercenaries, etc. He successfully took over the bulk of goods in Shabao. It has now been found that the warehouses were filled with mountains of starch bags and weapon boxes. At the same time, the soldiers in Xibao were completely transformed, well-trained, and had clear division of power.

Third, Qin Che himself is currently in the Southwest Old City. He first wiped out the core members of the Scorpion Party, then helped He Gan in the Old City to consolidate power and reorganize the factions. With the Fu Party secretly supporting him behind the scenes, he has successfully completed the reform of the industrial and livestock industry by delaying the council of elders. The meat and grain exported from the Old City will no longer be controlled by the council elders of the Yin Party and the Su Party, or the financial magnates of the Dong Party. Instead, it will be completely controlled by this extraordinary being.

All of this points to one thing.

The killing of Yuan Lin and Deng Xian were both closely related to Qin Che.

Meanwhile, with Fu Dang backing him up and providing full support, Qin Che became unstoppable. Not long after the new weapons policy was put on the agenda, the three major violent organizations of Wall One placed large-scale import orders with Sand Castle.

There are a total of 50,000 Crocodile-10s!

In addition, other models of firearms, combat equipment, and ammunition of various calibers from the Crocodile Gun family have all been added to the standing weapons resource library of Wall One.

The matter is settled!

Duan Wujiu was merely a shareholder of the Forest Group, and no one in the elders' council spoke up for him. Moreover, with the Fu faction now aggressively gaining influence within the Forest Group, he had no choice but to seek help from a powerful patron, hoping to obtain some advice and support from them.

In fact, after the deaths of Deng Xian, Jiang Cheng and others, Duan Wujiu constantly felt that faint sense of danger. He couldn't sleep soundly, fearing that someone would strangle him in his sleep. He almost scared himself to death, and several times he was even awakened by nightmares.

As the high wall of Number Ten drew ever closer, the number '10' on it stood out conspicuously.

With a sigh, Duan Wujiu wearily massaged the acupoints around his eyes. He heard his secretary, Zhang Yao, in the passenger seat say softly, "Master, we're almost there."

"Um."

Compared to Wall No. 1, Wall No. 10 appears extremely dilapidated, as if it has not been repaired for many years. Cracks and traces of wind and sand erosion are everywhere. Compared to the bustling Wall No. 1, Wall No. 10 looks desolate.

But once inside the walls, a sight suddenly appeared before their eyes. In the open space, there was a unique semi-circular glass dome, towering and enveloping the entire city. Inside the walls, only a wide road, wide enough for eight cars to drive side by side, stretched straight into the dome. Sunlight reflected off the glass, making it impossible to see anything from the outside. The large amount of reflected light was extremely dazzling. Outside the glass dome, however, lay the ruins of an old world city, deserted and neglected. Unlike the old city, these ruins were like ants moving house, having been dismantled over many years, leaving only some scattered fragments of walls and rubble.

—The dome.

This is another name for Wall No. 10.

It is also a sacred site for the Lingbi royal family, with a history of over two hundred years.