Chapter 145: Welcoming Banquet

Wang Yuanfeng was interrupted by this exclamation and hardly knew what to say. This matter ultimately required his willingness; otherwise, no matter how hard others tried, since he was the primary figure, if he refused to work toward this goal, the efforts of everyone else might come to nothing, and perhaps not even ten percent of these people would survive.

However, based on the information he had gathered, this Southern Prefecture was about to be pacified, and Dongting Lake was already secured. In just a few days, troops could be assembled. Taiyuan Lake had already formed an alliance; although the Great Flood Dragon was absent, the Second Sister and Third Sister were present. As for the Jishan faction, the Water Leopard was among them. While they might not ally, they would not take hostile action either. Judging from the Water Leopard's situation, there were internal issues within Jishan, and it was doubtful whether they could exert their maximum strength when the time came.

As for that central region, although its exact location was unknown, observing its Qi and fortune, it appeared the weakest among the various factions. It was probably just waiting, knowing that the other factions dared not make any rash moves.

Wang Yuanfeng felt a slight headache coming on. This territory would certainly be captured next. Handing over an entire province on a silver platter would indeed be a pity and ran counter to his own interests. Having this province would undoubtedly greatly increase his fortune, allowing several more Star Gods to join the Hunyuan Celestial Globe. It seemed he would have to resort to some tactics.

Hesitating for a moment, Wang Yuanfeng said, "Father, I am exhausted from the journey and would like to retire to rest!"

Seeing Wang Yuanfeng react this way, the Marquis of Wu'an knew he disliked such matters. It looked as though he was probably scheming something again, but it was hard to say anything. Sighing, he said, "Go ahead!"

"Yes, Father!" With that, Wang Yuanfeng walked out of the tent.

Outside, Commander Fu had been waiting for quite a while, pacing back and forth with an anxious expression. The moment Wang Yuanfeng stepped out of the tent, Commander Fu hurried up, bowed respectfully, and said, "Young Master Yuanfeng."

"You've waited long," Wang Yuanfeng replied politely.

"This way, please, Young Master. The other generals and I have prepared wine and food, and we are just waiting for you," Commander Fu said, making a polite gesture of invitation.

Wang Yuanfeng nodded. Hearing that several generals were involved meant there must be some matter at hand. He glanced back at the tent, guessing that this matter likely concerned his father. It would probably be best to go and see what it was all about.

He then said to Commander Fu, "Lead the way!"

"Right this way, Young Master!" Commander Fu's heart leapt with joy, and the two walked away together.

In the distance stood a large tent surrounded by a three-zhang-wide barrier of caltrops, guarded heavily on the outside. Inside, a banquet had already been set up, and nearly twenty generals sat in the tent, discussing something in low voices.

Eventually, having seemingly reached some sort of agreement, they all fell silent, as if waiting for something.

"Young Master Yuanfeng has arrived. Please come in." A moment later, a voice came from outside, causing all the generals in the tent to stand up.

Seeing Commander Fu and Wang Yuanfeng enter, the group bowed with cupped hands and said, "Greetings, Young Master Yuanfeng."

Upon seeing nearly twenty people—he had originally expected only three or five—Wang Yuanfeng realized this matter was not simple. He returned the salute, saying, "Generals, I appreciate your greetings. I thank you all here."

At this moment, the right-wing general, Yang Ben, said, "Please take your seat, Young Master."

Wang Yuanfeng glanced left and right. Surprisingly, the seats on both sides were completely occupied, leaving only the host's seat vacant. He gave the generals a curious look. Since it did no harm to him, he didn't bother to decline and walked straight over to sit in the primary seat.

Commander Fu then spoke up, "Young Master Yuanfeng has just arrived today, and after such a long and tiring journey, a few of us discussed hosting this welcoming banquet for you."

As he spoke, he raised a cup and continued, "Alcohol is forbidden in the camp, so we shall substitute tea for wine and toast Young Master Yuanfeng."

With that, all the generals raised their cups toward Wang Yuanfeng. Wang Yuanfeng chuckled, unconcerned, picked up his own cup, saluted the generals from afar, and drained it in one gulp.

Commander Fu then continued, "I served under Young Master Yuanfeng for three years and am most familiar with him. As the Young Master is new to the camp and unacquainted with the generals, please allow me to introduce them to you."

Wang Yuanfeng considered this. Although he could deduce everyone's military rank from their Qi and fortune, he truly did not know them personally, nor did he know what this was all about. However, since it seemed harmless to him, he nodded to Commander Fu and said, "Then I must trouble you."

Starting from his left hand, Commander Fu introduced them: "This is the Right-Wing General, Yang Ben."

Yang Ben, clad in dark armor, exchanged a courtesy bow with Wang Yuanfeng. Commander Fu continued: "This is Vanguard General Zhang Ping."

...

"This is Li Hu of the Reserve Camp..."

After the introductions were complete, a wave of realization washed over Wang Yuanfeng. Aside from General Niu of the left wing and a few individual generals from the central army who were absent, virtually everyone else was here. These men were either loyal to his father to begin with, or the absolute hard-core loyalists among them. He still had no idea what they were up to.

"Come, come, eat, eat," General Yang of the right wing said politely to Wang Yuanfeng after the introductions.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were darting around, Wang Yuanfeng knew they definitely had something to discuss, yet they were all watching him eat. He picked up his chopsticks and tasted a single bite.

Then, setting his chopsticks down, he said, "I am a newcomer here, and to be treated with such hospitality by all the generals is my utmost honor."

"Haha, it is only right," the crowd chimed in.

Wang Yuanfeng thought for a moment and continued, "I prefer to be straightforward and neat in everything I do. Since you generals clearly have something on your minds, please speak directly."

"Whoosh." This blunt remark caused an awkward silence among the group.

Yang Ben was the first to break the ice. "Very well, Young Master Yuanfeng is indeed straightforward. Then I shall speak plainly."

He exchanged a look with the others, and suddenly, they all stepped forward, fell to their knees, and said, "We beg the Young Master to show us a path out."

Looking at the group, Wang Yuanfeng said, "My father is the commander of this army. You should be asking him, not me."

Yang Ben carefully chose his words. "The Marshal has protected us admirably, for which we are eternally grateful. However, we soldiers are heavily oppressed by the imperial court, and our social status is far inferior to that of ordinary citizens. If not for the Marshal's relief supplies, whether we could even survive would be a question."

Wang Yuanfeng nodded. In recent years, the imperial court had established a new army while suppressing the old units. Aside from knowing how to fight, soldiers emerged with rigid mindsets. To survive in this society, they seemingly had no other skills except continuing to sell their lives for others.

Yet, these words bordered on treasonous. He remarked, "Your intentions are tantamount to rebellion, and you show a lack of faith in my father. Aren't you afraid I'll run you all through with my sword?"

Though Wang Yuanfeng spoke calmly, the overwhelming aura he emitted chilled them to the bone, causing most of them to lower their heads. At this moment, General Yang hardened his heart and pressed on, "The Young Master's martial arts are peerless, and eliminating us would be as easy as turning over a hand. We also heard that the Young Master defies royal authority, which is why we decided to speak the truth, hoping the Young Master can lead us to carve out a path of survival."

Hearing this, Wang Yuanfeng cast a glance at Commander Fu, who was kneeling to the side and stealing glances at him. Noticing the gaze, Commander Fu hurriedly lowered his head.

Wang Yuanfeng guessed that this matter was inseparable from Commander Fu's usual rhetoric. Observing everyone's vital energy and blood, he saw that Commander Fu ranked second, which made sense. Formerly a commander at the peak of External Force, upon returning to the army just three years ago, he had already broken through to Internal Force, and in these few years, his cultivation had reached the peak of Internal Force, mere steps away from becoming a Human Immortal.

Moreover, his current status was not low. Having gone about lobbying people since his arrival, a group of men unwilling to lead mediocre lives would naturally hit it off instantly, eager to achieve great things.

Wang Yuanfeng looked them over. They were all young men—and rightly so, for only the young possessed such sharp ambition.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "Rise, all of you!"

Everyone raised their heads and looked at Wang Yuanfeng.

Then they heard Wang Yuanfeng say, "I agree to this. I guarantee you all a share of fame and fortune."

"Thank you, Young Master!" the crowd chorused as they stood up.