In the following days, a new batch of supplies from the great families and major merchants arrived, accelerating the repair and restructuring work inside the Hall of Heroes.
Qian Ye, based on the flow of origin power during the earth dragon’s breathing, redesigned the internal cabin layout, specifically setting aside channels for respiration and exhaust. With the concerted efforts of thousands of craftsmen, the entire modification was completed within a week.
Each family poured their hearts into the project, contributing both manpower and funds without any hesitation. The chance to visit the interior of the Hall of Heroes was rare, and even for the sake of gathering intelligence, no one dared to miss it. After participating in the renovation, they were truly stunned, realizing the magnitude of this marvel and understanding why the Empire had regarded Qian Ye so highly during the Floating Land battle.
By now, the various families had finally come to terms with the reality. Qian Ye was already immensely powerful, and with the Hall of Heroes at his disposal, he was virtually invincible in the void. Even an entire Imperial flotilla would not be his match. Only if two of the three elite fleets of the Imperial Guard were mobilized might there be a chance of victory.
Qian Ye had now firmly established himself, and with the presence of the Hall of Heroes, he had both land and air supremacy in Yonlu. To defeat him, it would likely require the direct intervention of the Great Princes or the Heavenly Kings themselves.
The families acted swiftly, and once they grasped the reality, they did not hesitate. During this week, countless secret reports were sent back to the Empire through various channels, followed by many more returning.
Qian Ye had a clear stance on these secret reports. He ignored those related to the Empire, investigated those associated with the Evernight faction, and meted out severe punishment for those who dealt privately with Zheng State.
As the secret reports from the Empire began to arrive, the leaders of the family forces in Yonlu delivered new orders to their private army commanders. The allied forces, having fought together for so long, had become close comrades, and thus, some small secrets among them were insignificant.
Upon receiving the new orders, one of the commanders exploded, “What? We are to follow Lord Qian Ye’s instructions without any deviation? And if Lord Qian Ye’s orders conflict with our main family, we should prioritize his commands?”
“Isn’t this just asking us to swear loyalty to Lord Qian Ye?”
Amidst the heated discussions, an experienced general sneered, “Isn’t this obvious? Why such a fuss? Even if others want to pledge allegiance to Lord Qian Ye, they need to see if they are qualified.”
“That makes sense, but does that mean we are no longer considered part of our main families?”
“Come on, if we were of any significant standing, would we have been sent to this godforsaken place in Yonlu? If things were going well, would we still be here?”
The generals all agreed, bursting into laughter. After the initial shock, they gradually calmed down. One of them asked, “Is this really a good thing?”
“Should… be, I guess?”
“What do you mean, ‘should be’? It is! Think about it, why are we chosen to be in the lower continents? Aren’t we all troublemakers? But why are we troublemakers? Isn’t it because we didn’t meet a wise master? Now, we’ve finally found Lord Qian Ye, and such a person worth following is rare.”
“Rare? How many do you think there are? Lord Qian Ye has always been a genius, on par with Zhao Jundu of the Zhao clan. Twenty years ago, apart from King Qingyang, he was unparalleled. Given his unique status, he will definitely become a king in Yonlu, and then, won’t we be the founding ministers?”
A gruff-voiced man said, “I don’t care if I’m a founding minister or not, but I respect Lord Qian Ye! When he made his name in the bloodbath, how old was he? At that age, I was nothing.”
The generals grew more and more excited as they spoke. Midway through, a young-looking general in his thirties approached, and everyone fell silent. His strength was formidable, and his prestige was evident from the way everyone reacted, indicating that he was capable of intimidating even the most fearless warriors.
This man, Kong Su, came from a collateral branch of the Kong family, following Kong Yu. Though he was not recalled to participate in the war on Yue continent, he became the overall commander of the allied forces after the Yin family failed to provide an equivalent figure.
Kong Su was not merely relying on the Kong family’s influence; he had genuine talent. At a young age, he had already reached the 16th level and still had the potential for further advancement. His military prowess was equally impressive, and he had earned the respect of the allied forces through several major victories.
Seeing him, the other generals fell silent. They came from minor families and felt little loyalty to their main clans, often sent to Yonlu due to being marginalized. Kong Su, however, came from the prestigious Kong family, whose collective strength and resources far surpassed Qian Ye’s current situation. The strategic materials provided by the Yin and Kong families, which could arm tens of thousands of soldiers, demonstrated their might.
While the allied generals wanted to change allegiances, Kong Su was not necessarily on the same page.
Seeing their expressions, Kong Su said, “I heard everything you were discussing.”
They exchanged glances, and the atmosphere became awkward. The gruff-voiced man asked, “What does General Kong mean by that?”
Kong Su smiled, “Although the allied forces are called an alliance, each serves their own master. We only formed a unified command to win. Normally, changing allegiances would be seen as disloyal in the Empire.”
Many of the generals grew uneasy, increasing their vigilance.
Ignoring their unease, Kong Su continued, “However, in my opinion, even if you were willing to bear the shame, it wouldn’t be possible now.”
“Why not?”
Kong Su pointed towards the direction of the city of Azure Waves, “Lord Qian Ye’s primary focus is the New World. Yonlu will eventually be under his control. Yet, we are still fighting primitive tribes here, not venturing into the New World. Do you think we are important to Lord Qian Ye?”
The statement, though harsh, was true. These generals did not doubt the combat ability of their men, but they had yet to earn Qian Ye’s trust, which was a form of insignificance.
An impatient general asked, “Then what should we do?”
In such matters, the generals were no match for Kong Su and looked to him for answers.
Kong Su said, “Though our time together has been short, we have fought battles together. The battlefield reveals one’s true nature. Weren’t all of you troublemakers in your main families?”
They chuckled awkwardly.
Kong Su smiled, “I am not a troublemaker, but my situation is worse than yours. Simply put, I am a concubine-born son.”
They understood. In prestigious families, the difference between a concubine-born and a legitimate heir was vast, sometimes even less than a servant’s child.
The main families would support vassals, especially if they produced a genius with potential, like Marshal Wu Yazhi, who rose from a noble family to become a marquis under the Eastern Wei.
However, families were generally reluctant to split, as uncontrolled branches would dilute benefits, weaken unified resources, and even threaten the position of the head. A concubine-born replacing a legitimate heir was not ideal and indicated serious internal strife, as seen in the imperial family’s lineage changes.
Kong Su self-deprecatingly said, “Actually, calling myself concubine-born is already generous. My mother was just a maid.”
This revelation, in a society that valued lineage, was a stark admission. Many generals, surprised, felt a closer bond.
Kong Su continued, “We are not valued in the Empire, but must we also be overlooked by Lord Qian Ye? His lack of attention is not due to our backgrounds, but our trustworthiness and capability! Lord Qian Ye now has 800,000 werewolves, while we have only 20,000. Is this important? No. What matters is performance. To gain his attention, we must prove ourselves, achieving results comparable to 200,000 werewolves. Then, we will be valued, and the New World will be ours!”
The generals were inspired, driven by their frustration at being unrecognized. On the battlefield, they would become nightmares for their enemies.
Seizing the moment, Kong Su said, “How do we show our mettle? Simple. We push forward, disregarding the tacit boundary set by Lord Qian Ye and Duke Galespeed. We advance, and drive out Old Man Ranhuo! That’s how we show our mettle!”
“What if Ranhuo attacks us?”
Another responded, “What’s there to fear? We have Duke Galespeed. If Ranhuo attacks, we might lose some, but are you afraid? If so, step back, and I’ll cover you!”
An enraged general retorted, “When have I ever been afraid? Who has killed more werewolves than me?”
Amidst the bickering, Kong Su assigned the tasks. By nightfall, the allied forces left their defenses and advanced deep into Ranhuo’s territory.
Qian Ye, unaware of this, stood atop the earth dragon’s skull, gazing into the distance. Behind the ship, a two-sacred tree forest smoldered, littered with the corpses of beasts. Thousands of soldiers were cleaning the battlefield and building a base.
This base was small, lacking even a power tower, more of an outpost for a thousand soldiers.
With the Hall of Heroes, Qian Ye had a flying fortress, eliminating the need for costly forward bases. The Hall, with its vast space, could transport 100,000 soldiers easily. Thus, only smaller, watchful bases were needed at each forest edge.
The base size was discussed and confirmed by Qian Ye and Carol, with a thousand soldiers being optimal. This force could maintain firepower, handle average beast armies, and withstand larger ones long enough to send messages.
This allowed Qian Ye to expand quickly, clearing a forest every few days. In no time, he had captured three double-sacred tree forests.
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