Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Mr. Yu Tonghai and Xue Ping saw the two men and immediately revealed looks of delighted surprise.

"It's you guys, haha~~" Mr. Yu looked at the familiar faces and burst out laughing.

Most of the Yang family's guards have stayed in Tenglong Advanced Guard, especially those from Yang Zhenshan's former Personal Guard Camp, who have also served in Tenglong Advanced Guard.

"Two lords, this is a letter from the Marquis!" the guard said cheerily as he handed the letter to Mr. Yu.

After Mr. Yu read the letter, his previously uneasy heart calmed down instantly, and he even felt somewhat joyful.

Yang Zhenshan didn't go into details in the letter, he just asked them to bring all the elite forces and head to Jin Hai Guard first. There, Yang Zhenshan would meet with them and then head down south to Zhao Wu Guard together.

"What is this Four Seas Navy all about?" Mr. Yu asked the guard.

The guard replied, "We are not very clear about it either, we only know that the Marquis has been appointed as the Commander of the Four Seas Navy. We don't know much else!"

Mr. Yu was completely reassured. Since Yang Zhenshan is the commander of the Four Seas Navy, as his deputy, he had nothing to worry about.

"You two brothers, go and rest first, I'll host a banquet for you two tonight!"

Mr. Yu had someone take the two guards to rest, then he began discussing with Xue Ping.

"The Marquis asked us to bring all the elite forces, how many soldiers should we bring?" Xue Ping asked.

Mr. Yu thought for a moment, "Let's bring all the regular troops first. As for the reserves, if the Marquis needs them, it should still be possible to send them later!"

Tenglong Advanced Guard should have five thousand six hundred soldiers, but in reality, it now has a full ten thousand Navy soldiers.

Five thousand six hundred regular soldiers, and nearly five thousand reserves.

Though the reserves are not as strong as the regular troops, their ships and equipment are no worse than those of the regular troops.

It can be said that Tenglong Advanced Guard's reserves can all be counted as Elite Navy.

After agreeing on the details, the two immediately started preparing for deployment.

Both Mr. Yu and Xue Ping will definitely lead the troops, but they can't neglect the myriad affairs of Tenglong Advanced Guard.

Fortunately, they don't need to worry that Tenglong Advanced Guard will fall into disorder. Even in Mr. Yu's absence, there are people like Han Cheng and Wu Chongzhe there. The Four Guards of Tenglong were originally one unit, even though they have now split into four, they still maintain consistency.

...

Yang Jinhe, Sun Yunfeng, and Xue Chang'an left the Capital City on September 18, while Yu Tonghai and Xue Ping entered on September 23.

At Marquis Jing'an Mansion, Mr. Yu and Xue Ping were led through the gates by a gatekeeper. Seeing the lavish Marquis Mansion, Mr. Yu's eyes shone.

"The Marquis' mansion is indeed majestic. I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to live in such a residence in my lifetime," Mr. Yu said enviously.

Xue Ping laughed, "That will be hard. This mansion used to be the Duke Mansion, after the Marquis burned down the one hundred thousand Wuliang army, the former emperor greatly trusted the Marquis and bestowed this mansion to him!"

"If Mr. Yu desires such a mansion, I'm afraid only a few Duke Mansions in the Capital City can satisfy you."

Mr. Yu laughed heartily, "I cannot compare to the Marquis, if I could earn a title as a lord through my military merits, that alone would bring glory to my ancestors!"

He was merely expressing envy; he didn't believe he could match Yang Zhenshan. These years, his peaceful life in Tenglong Advanced Guard was all thanks to Yang Zhenshan's protection.

Without Yang Zhenshan's protection, given how rich Tenglong Advanced Guard was, it probably would have been targeted long ago.

Upon entering the main hall, when the two saw Yang Zhenshan seated in the main seat, they quickly bowed, "Your subordinates pay respect to the Marquis!"

Yang Zhenshan smiled warmly at them, "It's been a few years, you both seem to have prospered quite a bit. How about it? Can you still wield a sword?"

"The Marquis underestimates me, I haven't neglected my cultivation these years!" Mr. Yu said with a smile.

"Oh! What level of cultivation have you reached now?" Yang Zhenshan asked.

"Postnatal Ninth Layer!" Mr. Yu said proudly.

He had every right to be proud; when he first joined Tenglong Advanced Guard, his cultivation level was only at the Postnatal Fifth Layer, while Yang Zhenshan reached the Postnatal Seventh Layer when he left Tenglong Advanced Guard. Now, six years later, his cultivation had reached the Postnatal Ninth Layer, an impressive achievement.

Of course, much of this was thanks to the nourishment from the Spiritual Spring Water.

Without the Spiritual Spring Water, Mr. Yu probably wouldn't have reached the Postnatal Seventh Layer in his lifetime.

Yang Zhenshan nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Xue Ping, "And you, my dear nephew?"

Upon hearing the honorific 'my dear nephew,' Xue Ping was ecstatic, "Your nephew is not very talented, but my cultivation has just reached the Postnatal Eighth Layer!"

Xue Ping was more than a decade younger than Mr. Yu. Xue Ping was only thirty-five years old, while Mr. Yu was nearing fifty.

"Not bad!" Yang Zhenshan stood up, patted their shoulders, "This time we will fight side by side! You both can put in more effort in this battle!"

"Marquis, just give the order, and we will do our utmost!" Yu Tonghai said.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, "Please sit down and talk."

The three of them sat down, and tea was served.

Yang Zhenshan asked again, "How many warships have you brought this time?"

Yu Tonghai replied, "Two large blessing ships, thirty-two medium-sized patrol ships and Hai Cang ships, and over a hundred small-speed boats, bird boats, and eagle ships!"

"There are more than five hundred crossbows on the ships, and more than five thousand six hundred soldiers!"

At this point, he paused slightly, then added, "If the Marquis needs, the Tenglong Advanced Guard can also deploy more than five thousand soldiers for battle."

Such an arrangement was clearly beyond what a single naval force should have. Two large blessing ships were the normal number, but thirty-two medium-sized patrol ships and Hai Cang ships far exceeded what a single naval force should possess.

In theory, a single naval force would have at most a dozen medium-sized warships, and this was nearly double that.

"It seems you have accumulated quite a wealth!" Yang Zhenshan said with a smile.

He knew that the Tenglong Advanced Guard had built a shipyard capable of manufacturing medium and small warships.

Yu Tonghai grinned, "If the Marquis needs, I can also mobilize merchant ships, and although they are not warships, they also have crossbows, and the sailors on them are capable of fighting!"

Yang Zhenshan waved his hand, "No need, having you is enough. No matter how much wealth you have, you cannot reveal it all at once. Some of it is better hidden!"

He was well aware of how many forces the Tenglong Guard had. When he left Tenglong Guard, it could muster more than twenty thousand soldiers, and this wasn't including the surplus.

Now, the Tenglong Four Guards had twenty-two thousand regular soldiers, and the surplus was estimated to be around eighteen thousand, plus over ten thousand ship crew and merchant guards.

If the forces of all four Tenglong Guards were gathered, they could muster at least fifty thousand soldiers, with about fifteen thousand in the Navy.

However, the registered soldiers of the Tenglong Four Guards were twenty-two thousand regular soldiers; the rest appeared more like private troops.

Since this was a war for the court, there was no need to be too conspicuous; mobilizing regular soldiers would suffice.

"Yes!" Yu Tonghai and Xue Ping responded.

Yang Zhenshan said, "You both rest in the mansion tonight, and tomorrow morning we will head to Jin Hai Guard and take the ship south."

After arranging accommodations for the two, Yang Zhenshan went to the back hall.

In the back hall, Yang Mingcheng, Luo Jingsong, Yang Chengye, Yang Chengmao, and others were already waiting.

"Dad!"

"Grandpa!"

Seeing Yang Zhenshan coming, several people called out.

Yang Zhenshan's gaze swept over them, "Jingsong, tomorrow you will take a hundred guards with me to the campaign!"

"Yes!" Luo Jingsong happily complied.

He was familiar with the Star Moon Sect; Yang Zhenshan needed his help to attack the Star Moon Sect.

As for the guards, there was actually no need to bring too many. Yang Zhenshan had twenty personal followers who had been with him for over a decade. With them, Yang Zhenshan didn't need others to intervene.

However, since they were going on a campaign, it naturally made sense to show some presence by bringing a hundred guards.

Yang Zhenshan continued, "Chengye, Chengmao, Mingzhe, Chenhui, you come with me too, it's good to gain some experience!"

The younger generations of the Yang family had grown up; it was time for them to see the world and experience the battlefield.

Although they might not necessarily become officials or generals in the future, gaining some experience was still beneficial.

Among these five, Yang Chengye had the highest cultivation, having reached the Postnatal Third Layer. The one with the lowest cultivation was Wang Mingzhe, who had just recently broken through to the Postnatal Realm.

An Chenhui was specifically called by Yang Zhenshan to have him experience the battlefield.

As for his marriage with Miao'er, Miao'er was still young, and it would be another two years before they could marry. The process of their marriage did not require An Chenhui's involvement.

"Yes!" the four responded.

Yang Zhenshan then turned to Yang Mingcheng, "I leave the matters at home to you."

"Dad, rest assured, I will help mother manage the household affairs!" Yang Mingcheng said.

Yang Zhenshan gave a few instructions, then went to the main courtyard to talk with Yu Qingyi.