Hearing the noise, the three of them looked up and were overjoyed to see Ning Zhuo coming back.

"Military advisor, military advisor is here!" Liu Er immediately ran down and welcomed Ning Zhuo with open arms.

Zhang Hei laughed loudly and pushed the account book to the center of the table: "Everything is handled by the military advisor. My eyes are dazzled!"

Guan Hong was even more straightforward and stood up directly: "I'm going to train the soldiers."

Liu Er enthusiastically pulled Ning Zhuo and put him in the position of commander.

Ning Zhuo quickly humbly said, "How can a boy like me take the position of the commander?"

Liu Erze said: "These account books all depend on the military advisor. If the military advisor can complete them, it will be a great achievement. Even if I let you become the chief general, what's the harm?"

Although Liu Er only spoke nice words and polite remarks, he also revealed some of his true feelings.

Ning Zhuo sat on the chair and bowed reluctantly, indicating that he would do his best.

Liu and Zhang left Ning Zhuo in the big tent and followed Guan Hong.

Ning Zhuo was very good at calculating accounts. In the past ten years in Huoshi Xiancheng, he was not well-received and needed to be very careful with his cultivation resources.

Even though he acted as a young man and made a lot of money by selling the Ruyisuo to the outside world, he also spent a lot of money on purchasing mechanical devices. It can be said that he made a lot and spent a lot.

Moreover, he has been the head of his own household since he was young. Only after becoming the head of the household did he realize how expensive oil, salt, firewood and rice are.

Ning Zhuo was quite confident about this, but when he really started to calculate the accounts of the three generals' camps, he also felt a headache.

He immediately understood the pain that the three generals Liu, Guan and Zhang had suffered before.

On the one hand, the accounts were quite complicated; on the other hand, the expenses were so huge that even Ning Zhuo felt terrified.

The bulk of military spending comes in salaries.

Currently, there are more than 300 cultivators gathered in the military camp, including about 50 to 60 cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage, and the remaining 200 or so are Qi Refining cultivators.

For Qi-refining monks, the monthly salary ranges from three thousand to eight thousand low-grade spirit stones, depending on their specific cultivation level and combat power.

For cultivators at the foundation-building stage, the monthly salary is between 30,000 and 80,000 low-grade spirit stones.

This means that the monthly salary of a Qi Refining cultivator alone would require at least 1.3 million low-grade spirit stones.

Although there are few foundation-building cultivators, their salary is as high as more than three million low-grade spirit stones.

The monthly salary expenditure alone would cost at least 4.3 million low-grade spirit stones.

This salary standard is still considered low. The three general camps distributed the largest share of the spoils to attract these monks.

Among all the current armies in Canglin Fairy City, the salary of the Three Generals Battalion is the second lowest, and the first is the Red Flower Battalion.

Next, we need to purchase ritual instruments in a unified manner.

Cultivators in the Qi Refining and Foundation Building stages generally use magical instruments.

According to the market price, the price of a magic weapon used for attack ranges from 1,000 to 100,000 low-grade spirit stones. The price of a military magic weapon used for defense ranges from 200 to 4,000 low-grade spirit stones.

Ning Zhuo carefully studied the market in Canglin Immortal City. According to the two offensive and defensive magic weapons selected by the three generals, the total purchase cost was about six million spirit stones.

Next, there are talismans, elixirs (bigu pills) and so on for daily use.

Talismans include commonly used talismans such as speed talismans, protection talismans, sharp blade talismans, etc. These can be purchased from the military channels of the two countries. The price is about one and a half to three low-grade spirit stones each.

Ning Zhuo calculated according to the smallest plan. Each cultivator would consume about twenty talismans per month, and various elixirs, costing an average of one hundred to two hundred low-grade spirit stones per person per month.

In this case, the expenditure for this part is also 57,000 low-grade spirit stones.

"Instead of distributing pills, it would be better to purchase medicine pools."

"Calculate the cost. If the army can be sustained for more than three months, it would be more cost-effective to purchase a medicine pool."

"Similarly, it would be best to purchase a mana pool."

If these two important military weapons are purchased according to the smallest specifications, each one will require four million low-grade spirit stones, for a total of eight million low-grade spirit stones.

Then, there are the maintenance of magical instruments, unexpected losses, establishment of military camps, sudden accidents, etc., and a budget must be set aside for this part.

Based on the normal standard of 10% of the total expenditure, it would be nearly 500,000 low-grade spirit stones.

“But that’s not enough.”

"It also requires a battle flag, and preferably a mount."

The battle flag is very important.

The battle flag is often the carrier of military spirit and the core of the battle formation, which brings qualitative improvement to the combat of the entire army.

We must make purchases in this area, but we can't rush it for now - it depends on what kind of battle formations Liu Er, Guan Hong and Zhang Hei can develop during training.

It is most appropriate to choose a battle flag through the battle formation.

Mounts may not seem like a necessity, but they are not.

The cultivators in the Qi Refining Stage cannot fly with swords. Although the cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage can fly with swords, they can only fly for short distances and not for long distances and for long periods of time.

On the battlefield, an army must consider the whole.

This means that an army without mounts has very weak mobility and will often be evaded and attacked by the enemy, putting them in an extremely passive and disadvantageous situation.

Many war examples in the past have warned future generations that the mobility of an army is extremely important.

Sometimes, the army that arrives at the battlefield first, occupies a favorable terrain and forms a battle formation in advance will often have a huge advantage.

Because of this, in the art of war, the magic of "speed is the essence of war" is always given priority.

This is recognized by many military strategies.

"The monthly salary is more than 4.3 million."

"The total cost of equipping the entire army with offensive and defensive magic weapons is about six million."

"The consumption of talismans and elixirs is 57,000. This is the minimum standard, but in practice, it will often exceed a lot."

"Purchasing a medicine pool and a magic pool requires an investment of eight million."

"Five hundred thousand should be set aside for repairs of magical instruments, unexpected losses, etc."

All in all, military expenditure will reach 18.9 million low-grade spirit stones.

"That hasn't even taken into account the purchase of battle flags and mounts in the future."

After thinking about this, Ning Zhuo felt dry-mouthed and uneasy.

When he really calculated the expenses, he found that the military expenditure was higher than he expected. However, these were purchased according to the lowest standards, adhering to the principle of saving as much as possible.

"It would be great if it was a great war in ancient times."

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but miss the past.

At that time, the cultivation arts were not well developed, and it was far from being a flourishing. When there were major battles in the cultivation world, they were all organized and conducted in the form of hiring.

Each monk is self-sufficient and accepts military missions. After completing them, he receives rewards, either in the form of material or military merit.

Such a battle requires the individual cultivation and combat power of the cultivators.

However, as the formations became more sophisticated and unified instruments were formulated, the spiritual energy became increasingly rich, and the vigorous development of military tactics and official skills led to increasingly sophisticated use of luck and national power.

The previous form of mercenaries became increasingly backward and was gradually swept into the corner of history.

Not to mention now, in the late period of the Blood Slaughter Dynasty, the warfare form of the monk army had already appeared on the stage of history.

After two subsequent dynasties, multiple empires, and countless dynasties, the wars among monks became very professional, paying attention to every aspect.

We must have unified offensive and defensive weapons to take advantage of numbers!

It is necessary to have military tactics in order to better integrate forces and create practical effects of cross-level operations!

If they really want to be elite soldiers, every cultivator in the army must practice the same technique! For example, the Golden Halberd Army is made up of good families that were searched across the country by the two countries and trained from the beginning of their practice. The weapons, armor, mounts, etc. they are equipped with are all uniform and excellent.

Once such an army goes to war, it will explode with terrifying power. A fledgling army like the Three Generals Camp cannot withstand a single round and will inevitably collapse at the slightest touch! "Buying money, forming an army means burning money all the time!"

After Ning Zhuo finished calculating everything, a thin layer of sweat appeared on his back.

Ning Zhuo wished that the army could be dispatched to the front line right now. With more than 300 people, the daily consumption would make it difficult for people to breathe.

But he knew very well in his heart: they must practice diligently and their training must reach a certain standard before they can go to the battlefield.

Otherwise, they will be cannon fodder! And if we train our troops diligently, the daily expenditure will increase again.

"If it really doesn't work, I'll be the only one to fill in." Ning Zhuo walked out of the tent and watched the three generals Liu, Guan and Zhang training their troops from afar.

Ning Zhuo's knowledge is limited, after all, he just started traveling this year, but his knowledge is still solid, at least the basics are quite comprehensive.

He looked at it for a moment and recognized that it was a triangular arrow formation.

If you look down from the sky, this formation is an equilateral triangle.

Three Jindan-level generals were stationed at three corners. The one at the front was Liu Er, the one on the left was Guan Hong, and the one on the right was Zhang Hei.

This triangular arrow formation is the most classic assault formation. The three corners are occupied by the strongest monks in the entire army, the middle is filled with a large number of Qi Refining monks, and the two front side lines are filled with Foundation Establishment monks.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

The formation is divided into dynamic formation and static formation.

The history of static formations is much longer than that of dynamic formations. The most classic static formation is the spirit gathering formation, which allows cultivators to condense the surrounding spiritual energy for use in their own practice and increase the efficiency of cultivators in absorbing spiritual energy.

The history of dynamic formations is probably less than half that of static formations, but once it developed, it was extremely prosperous, especially on the battlefield, and the speed of improvement was extremely fast.

The triangular arrow formation is a typical dynamic formation.

Ning Zhuo watched for a moment and couldn't help but worry secretly: "It's difficult to practice the dynamic formation. How long will it take to reach the minimum formation standard? It costs money every day!"

The practice of each dynamic formation requires a lot of time, material resources and manpower.

Ning Zhuo felt more and more that forming an army was like a gamble.

The three generals Liu, Guan, and Zhang have staked their entire fortunes! Ning Zhuo wants to get his mother's relics from the Liudong Sect, such as the mechanical carriage, etc. Using the power of the two states and the three generals Liu, Guan, and Zhang is undoubtedly the most labor-saving approach.

"If the funds are not enough, I might have to help out a bit."

Ning Zhuo must seize the time and follow closely.

When the war breaks out, his mother's mechanical carriage and other items may disappear in the war. He needs to participate in person, go to the scene, and respond flexibly to seize the target items.

If he missed this battle, it would be countless times more difficult for him to find these things again.

Ning Zhuo returned to the machinery and counted his assets.

He has a lot of spirit stones.

The last time he was in Wuyin Mountain, the mountain god gave him 10,000 medium-grade spirit stones, which would be equivalent to one million low-grade spirit stones.

He also has many precious materials.

For example, Misty Orchid, Heavy Thunder Beetle, Sky Dew, Floating Clouds, Walnut Mountain Spirit, Haze Stone and Ghost Shadow Bamboo, etc.

If this is sold, it will also bring a considerable amount of spirit stones.

Among all the precious materials, the most valuable one is undoubtedly the Nascent Soul-level precious material produced by the old monster in the stone.

But these precious materials all have hidden dangers.

Ning Zhuo had taken out quite a few pieces before. Now, if he wanted to use the principles to practice, he could not give away these precious materials at will.

It is worth mentioning that every time Wanli Youlong travels through the void, the starting price is 500,000 low-grade spirit stones.

These assets are more than enough to satisfy the spiritual practice of Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo.

But on the battlefield, it immediately becomes much more inadequate for maintaining an army.

Ning Zhuo came to the training cabin and knocked on the fetal breathing spirit boat.

Sun Lingtong, who was cultivating inside, opened his eyes and walked out of the spiritual boat: "Xiaozhuo, what's the matter?"

Unless there is something, Ning Zhuo will not interrupt his practice.

Ning Zhuo then told Sun Lingtong the details: "I plan to increase revenue and reduce expenditure."

"On the one hand, I will contact the Wanyao Sect and purchase large quantities of basic elixirs such as the Bigu Pill from them. Based on my relationship with them, I can get a low price."

"On the other hand, I can order the Ning family to refine the Jade-Rich Black Steel. Boss, do you still remember the battle at the Mist Hidden Mountain?"

"At that time, Meng Zizhong's soldiers were wearing heavy jade steel armor and were quite effective in dealing with those demon cultivators and demon beasts."

"If I can sell these armors to the Three Generals Camp, maybe I can open up a new market for my family."

"Alas... the time is still too short."

"I really hope that the poisonous flame chrysanthemum can be harvested right now."

"I wonder if the ancestor has returned to Huoshi Mountain now."

Sun Lingtong pondered for a moment and said, "Even if we can do this, it's like distant water cannot quench nearby thirst, and the extent to which it can quench thirst is also quite limited."

Ning Zhuo nodded: "So I thought about the old monster in the stone again. If we steal him back, we will become rich overnight, and the current financial gap is not worth mentioning at all!"

Speaking of this, Sun Lingtong's eyes suddenly lit up: "Yes, yes, Xiaozhuo, your idea is very good."

"To tell you the truth, I've been thinking about this these days!"

"Now that we can treat the wound, the stone ball is a real treasure."

"This needs to be done as soon as possible."

"Once others find out that the old monster in the stone is dead, then everything will be over."

Ning Zhuo pondered and said, "If we want to enter the Thousand Peaks Forest again, we must first repair the Wanli Wandering Dragon and remove the blood shadow on the dragon's body. At the same time, we must have more fire essence reserves."

Because I have been there before, there are precise signposts in the mechanical dragon, so I can go through it in one go and reach my destination directly.

Very convenient.

Sun Lingtong frowned, feeling embarrassed: "The Blood Shadow Cave Master is at the Nascent Soul level. It will be very difficult for us to eliminate the means he has planted."

"If only there were a kind of water that could wash these away."

"It's hard for us to achieve this on our own. We need help from outside."

Ning Zhuo: "How is Zhang Zhongyi?"

Sun Lingtong thought for a moment and said, "His medical skills are very strong. He can even cure Dao injuries. After all, he was once a cultivator at the Nascent Soul level. Blood Shadow spells probably won't be difficult for him."

"But if we do this, we will expose the existence of Wanli Youlong."

“Is this appropriate?”

"In other words, can Zhang Chongyi be trusted?"

Ning Zhuo thought for a moment and said, "Zhang Zhongyi upholds the righteous path. Like me, he has a righteous heart."

"Whether he was convicted in the past or joined the army this time to help General Mulan, it can be seen that he has a life philosophy of repaying kindness."

"We were able to cure the disease this time thanks to his help. It wouldn't have been possible without him."

"I still trust him more."

"Alas..." Ning Zhuo sighed deeply when he reached this point, "I don't want to treat a good man like this, but for our safety, I decided to use the life-saving thread and my Buddha Heart Demon Seal on him!"

Sun Lingtong patted Ning Zhuo's arm: "Xiao Zhuo, I know you have a kind heart, but don't feel any burden."

"We're not going to murder him."

"It's just that we have to be on guard against others."

"Just go talk to him!"

Ning Zhuo nodded. He didn’t know at this moment that Zhang Chongyi also wanted to talk to him.

(End of this chapter)