Urban reconstruction is ongoing. In the areas where demolition is taking place this time, the residents are very cooperative, since they can get a better house after the demolition.
As for the cost, they said they didn't care, since they had already received compensation for the demolition, and buying a new one would just mean adding a few more gold dragons.
In the past, they might not have been able to come up with this money, but now, which household doesn't have a dozen or so Jinlongs in their savings?
The city is rebuilding and hiring is everywhere. Even children can earn three copper coins a day by helping out at the construction site, plus three loaves of bread.
As for adults, their daily wage starts at five copper coins.
Those with skills are even more remarkable; the highest-paid ones earn a golden dragon every day.
Even the less desirable ones would receive two to five silver coins.
With such generous wages, most of the city's residents have devoted themselves to urban development.
The reclamation of land outside the city is also coming to an end, and now some of the slaves have returned to the city to join in the urban construction.
All of this reclaimed land belonged to slaves, who only needed to pay one-tenth of the tax each year.
Some might say that one-tenth is too high.
In fact, in other territories, those lords would take at least four or even five tenths of the taxes. Hao Yun only asked for one tenth, which was already very generous.
Amidst the bustling construction in the city, Hao Yun received bad news.
A few days ago, the envoy from Meereen brought back news that Dragon City refused to change the slave system, which immediately aroused public outrage.
After discussion, they decided to send troops to attack Longcheng.
"Lord of the city, both Meereen and the Abyss have sent troops to attack. Scouts report that the enemy has deployed 50,000 troops, including 10,000 cavalry and 40,000 infantry."
The speaker was Bell, an official whom Hao Yun had selected from among the common people.
Bell is a young man, but he is extremely experienced in handling affairs. He is currently the second-in-command in Longcheng, second only to Hao Yun in status.
"Okay, I understand. Have Wang Shouren come to see me."
The matter of fighting should naturally be left to the professionals. Bell, as the administrative officer, is only responsible for the city's internal affairs; the matter of fighting is none of his concern.
"Yes, Lord City Lord."
After bowing, Bell left, informed Wang Shouren, and then went to handle internal affairs, never to return.
Hao Yun expressed his satisfaction with this, emphasizing that military and political affairs should be kept separate and not confused.
"City Lord."
After bowing, Wang Shouren stood aside without saying a word.
"Are you confident you can take down 50,000 troops?"
Hao Yun teased the baby dragon on the table, asking without looking up.
"have!"
Wang Shouren didn't hesitate at all; with only 50,000 people, the Immaculate Ones could handle it.
"Good that you have confidence. I'm handing the army over to you. It'll be good for those new recruits to see some blood. But you have to control the casualties. If too many people die, that's your responsibility!"
Hao Yun didn't plan to participate in this small-scale event.
"yes!"
"Go back and arrange for the troops to give them a proper welcome outside the city."
Without saying a word, Wang Shouren turned around and left. He returned to the military camp and summoned two generals of the new army.
"The enemy is attacking. Your chance to prove yourself has arrived. If you can't satisfy the city lord, you can all get out!"
The two generals exchanged glances, their hearts hardening. They had both risen through the ranks of slave owners' guards, finally becoming generals, and neither wanted to leave.
"The city lord has instructed that this time you two armies will see some blood, but the casualties must be kept under control."
After Wang Shouren finished speaking, the two generals responded and began to plan how to fight the battle.
Over the past month, Hao Yunke has taught them a lot of lessons, including the Thirty-Six Stratagems and Sun Tzu's Art of War. He taught them everything he could.
Now the opportunity for real combat has arrived. If they don't perform well, Hao Yun could easily strangle them.
Both of these generals were born slaves. They were selected because of their outstanding abilities and fighting skills, which is why they became generals of the light cavalry and heavy cavalry armies.
The two were also given names by Hao Yun; the one who commanded the heavy cavalry was named Lei Hu.
Lei Hu was a tall and muscular man, almost two meters tall, covered in scars and muscles. He had once been a gladiator before being bought by a slave owner to work as a guard.
However, he has a very interesting appearance: the body of a strong man, but the face of a child.
It was precisely because of this that he was often ridiculed in the past, but those who ridiculed him never fared well. After all, one can imagine how formidable a gladiator must be.
Another light cavalry commander, Hao Yun, was named Lei Bao. He was of ordinary appearance and build, but he was extremely skilled in horsemanship and combat, and was an assassin-type person.
He was originally a stable boy for a slave owner. After the slave owner was killed, he infiltrated the guard and was selected for the new army. It was only when Hao Yun was looking for a horse riding instructor that he was able to show his skills.
As for why he was able to become a light cavalry general, it was all because he knew how to conduct himself in society, and everyone supported him.
With the enemy army approaching, the two decided to cooperate and make a good impression on the city lord.
As for Wang Shouren, he simply sat quietly to the side without saying a word. His task was to defend Longcheng. As long as the new army was not completely wiped out, their Immaculate army would not be mobilized.
Currently, the task of maintaining order in Longcheng is being handled by the reserve team. Hao Yun selected 10,000 people from among them, while the remaining 20,000-plus people are still training with the Immaculate Ones.
Those selected for the city guard were the best among the reserves, because they would be the ones tasked with defending the city in the future.
Supporting such a large army costs Hao Yun about 30,000 gold coins every day, which adds up to more than a million a month.
Weapons, armor, warhorses—this was another huge expense. Adding the money spent on city renovations, Hao Yun had already spent a fortune.
Hao Yun even dared to say that there was no city lord on this continent who was richer than him.
Hao Yun is rich because he killed the slave owners and acquired all their assets, plus the money he robbed from the governor's treasury. Combined, Hao Yun has at least a billion dollars.
At this rate of consumption, Hao Yun could still have another twenty or thirty years.
Chapter 155 Young Dragon Flight
"Is that Dragon City up ahead? It doesn't look any different from before. Isn't it a bit of an overreaction to send 50,000 men to attack it?"
The speaker was a young nobleman who rode a pure white horse with no stray hairs, gazing arrogantly at Longcheng.
He was from Meereen City, a member of the Hazaka family. He didn't like playing around; he only liked fighting.
To simulate war, he even bought tens of thousands of slaves and made them fight each other.
Once, when nomadic tribes attacked the city, he led a thousand men and repelled them. It was because of this that he was dispatched to lead an army to attack Longcheng.
"Lord Seri, we cannot be careless in this battle. The enemy city has nearly ten thousand Unsullied, and their fighting strength is very strong."
The general who spoke was quickly ridiculed by the others.
"Hahaha, that was so many years ago! Do you really think the Unsullied are the strongest warriors on the continent?"
Seri sneered. The Unsullied's reputation was indeed impressive. He had been misled and paid a high price to buy a hundred Unsullied. In fact, they were not much better than others.
The Unsullied's past achievements were indeed formidable; three thousand Unsullied repelled an army of one hundred thousand led by a single Khal.
However, it turned out that the hundred Unsullied that Seri bought couldn't even defeat five hundred people, so the idea that three thousand Unsullied could repel an army of one hundred thousand was, in Seri's view, nonsense.
"Retreat ten miles, set up camp and rest, and send someone to deliver the declaration of war."
Seri led his army to the camp they had chosen earlier, intending to rest for the night before attacking the city the next day.
When the attendant standing beside him saw Seri dismount, he quickly brought over a chair.
The 50,000 troops dispersed at this time, each finding a good spot to set up camp and cook.
No one noticed that a kilometer away, a scout was lying on a high place, observing their military camp formation with binoculars.
Inside the Crystal Palace of Dragon City, Hao Yun was trying to make three small dragons fly.
“You’ve all grown up now, and you need to learn to live on your own. Come on, let me take you for a spin.”
In the past month, the baby dragon, well-fed and cared for, has grown from the size of a palm to a meter long.
Logically, they should have been flying around everywhere, but these three baby dragons were unusually quiet, spending their days either eating and drinking or lying down and sleeping.
"Roar~! Roar roar~"
The three baby dragons turned around, facing Hao Yun with their rear ends, and covered their heads with their wings to continue sleeping soundly.
"Hey!"
Their actions annoyed Hao Yun. "Those three bastards dare to throw a tantrum at me!"
Hao Yun grabbed the hind leg of the largest baby dragon and dragged it out.
"Roar~"
The little black dragon cried out, then lay on the ground with a look of utter despair, letting Hao Yun drag it along.
"I'll ask you one more time, are you going to fly or not!"
The little black dragon turned its head, glanced at Hao Yun, and shook its head frantically.
"Fine! Let's see if you'll actually fly then."
With the black dragon tucked under his arm, Hao Yun left the palace and took to the air in a flash.
Standing a hundred meters in the air, Hao Yun glanced at the black dragon under his arm and a cold smile appeared on his lips.
"I'll throw you down in a bit, let's see if you can still fly."
The little black dragon whimpered and clung to Hao Yun's clothes with its tiny claws, refusing to let go no matter what.
Hao Yun was also puzzled as to why the three little dragons couldn't fly. Could it be that they had been led astray by Moonlight and those little wolf cubs?
Hao Yun grabbed the black dragon and held it in front of him, staring at it intently as he spoke.
"You are a dragon, not a wolf; you can fly."
The two, one human and one dragon, locked eyes. Hao Yun smiled slightly and suddenly released his grip.
"roar!"
The black dragon let out a terrified roar and plummeted straight down.