Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

The four army leaders of the Four Flag Army all nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

With only these twenty thousand Navy troops of the Four Flag Army, if the Four Flag Army were defeated, then the Star Moon Sect would have no soldiers to use.

As for those pirates they controlled, they were just a disorganized rabble, utterly unreliable.

Yan Wushang's face was sullen, "If we do not fight with all we have, should we just wait for execution? Since Da Rong has already assembled their forces, there's no room for reconciliation. Now we can only fight them. If we can defeat them, then our Star Moon Sect will have no rivals in the East South Sea Domain!"

"But what if we lose?" Si Yulou said gravely, "Once we are defeated, our Star Moon Sect will have no place in the Ten Thousand Miles Sea Domain!"

The two of them argued back and forth.

Other people in the hall also started interjecting, and the atmosphere suddenly became noisy.

Some wanted to meet the battle, some wanted to avoid it, some thought it was a good opportunity to fight Da Rong and boost the prestige of the Star Moon Sect, while others believed they should avoid Da Rong's sharpness and wait it out.

In just a moment, people in the hall were arguing with each other.

Yue Hongyi was getting a bit impatient with the noise, "Enough, is there any point in quarreling now? All of you, shut up!"

There was a moment of silence, then Yue Hongyi spoke again, "Now, it's not up to us to decide whether to fight or not, it's Da Rong's decision."

"The situation has reached this point, even if we want to avoid battle, it's not possible. Da Rong will definitely not rest."

"What we need to consider is whether to take the initiative to attack or to wait at ease!"

Yue Hongyi's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Qu Fusheng, "Fusheng, what are your thoughts?"

Qu Fusheng said indifferently, "Sect Leader is right, what we need to consider now is whether to take the initiative to attack or to wait at ease!"

"Launching an attack in haste, it's hard for us to gain an advantage, as for waiting at ease?"

He paused briefly, "Da Rong's Navy is still assembling and deploying troops. By the time they finish gathering, they will probably still need to train, so they won't attack us shortly!"

"And we can take this time to gather more forces!"

It was easier said than done to launch an initiative.

It's not that they couldn't launch an attack, but they couldn't afford to gamble.

They couldn't afford to lose.

"Gather more forces?" Yue Hongyi looked thoughtful as he gazed at Qu Fusheng.

Qu Fusheng, his pallid face wearing a faint smile, said, "Sect Leader, why don't we drag Divine Wood Island and Earth Fire Island into this? Not just them, we can also gather more pirates!"

"Based on the information we've received, this time Da Rong has only assembled fifty thousand Navy troops. If we can drag various forces into this, amassing an army of a hundred thousand would not be a problem!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

Many forces in the East South Sea Domain feared Da Rong, but at the same time, they coveted Da Rong's wealth.

They dared not offend Da Rong lightly, but if there was a chance for them to plunder Da Rong's wealth, certainly, many forces would be willing to participate.

"Da Rong wants to exterminate us, so we will muddy the waters, dragging all forces of the East South Sea Domain into this!"

Qu Fusheng said with a cold smile, "Attack merchant ships, penetrate Da Rong's interior, we could even attack Da Rong's Jiangnan! Move into the heart of Da Rong along the rivers!"

"If we can accomplish this, we can create turmoil within Da Rong!"

"By then, Da Rong will probably be too preoccupied to hunt us down!"

Yue Hongyi pondered, "What do you mean?"

Qu Fusheng explained, "We need to initiate an attack, but not against the Four Seas Navy, but against the Songhe Prefecture in Jiangnan. Plunder Songhe Prefecture, set an example to attract other forces to join us, and also tempt other forces to attack Da Rong's coastlines on their own initiative."

His plan was not difficult to understand – set an example for the pirates of the East South Sea Domain by attacking Songhe Prefecture first, looting a great deal of wealth from there, and then using it to lure those who coveted Da Rong's wealth.

With someone taking the lead, certainly, daring and ferocious villains would follow; with the first, there would be a second, with the second, a whole host of forces would be unable to resist the temptation.

Use the promise of wealth to motivate many pirates of the East South Sea Domain, and as the situation escalates, even Divine Wood Island and Earth Fire Island would be unable to refrain from getting involved.

And once Divine Wood Island and Earth Fire Island were involved, it would no longer be a matter just for the Star Moon Sect, but a confrontation between all forces of the East South Sea Domain and Da Rong.

"It won't be easy to get them to participate!" Yue Hongyi said.

Da Rong's influence is still very strong; under normal circumstances, forces in the East South Sea Domain would not dare to provoke Da Rong.

Qu Fusheng said, "This matter is not difficult, we cannot mobilize other forces, but if it's just a few pirate groups, we can still command them!"

"We just need to serve as a catalyst, as for what follows! Perhaps we won't need to do much!"

Yue Hongyi nodded slightly, and the others also felt that this plan was very good, chiming in agreement: "This plan is feasible!"

"Besides, even if it fails, it doesn't matter, it can't be worse than the current situation!" Qu Fusheng added.

Yue Hongyi agreed with his plan and didn't hesitate further, directly commanding: "Then proceed according to your plan, you'll be in charge of this matter!"

...

While the Star Moon Sect was planning to attack Songhe Prefecture, Yang Zhenshan was also planning how to cause some internal trouble for the Star Moon Sect.

In the study room of the Four Seas government office, Yang Zhenshan summoned Luo Jingsong and asked, "Can you infiltrate Star Moon Island?"

Luo Jingsong immediately said, "Yes!"

"Will there be danger?" Yang Zhenshan asked.

"Of course, there will be danger, but I am confident I won't be discovered!" Luo Jingsong said.

There were tens of thousands of people living on Star Moon Island, and the appearance of a stranger would not be noticed, but to safely infiltrate Star Moon Island, someone familiar with the island was needed, and Luo Jingsong was undoubtedly the most suitable person under Yang Zhenshan's command.

Yang Zhenshan nodded, "Two tasks, first, find a way to deliver these letters to their hands!"

He took out a thick stack of letters and handed them to Luo Jingsong, who looked at the stack with a surprised expression.

"So many?"

Yang Zhenshan's mouth curved slightly, "That's right, that many!"

"Including Yue Hongyi, there's one for each high-ranking member of the Star Moon Sect. Not only does it have the official seal of the Four Seas Navy, but it also has my private seal!"

"But among these, there are two different ones, one is for Si Yulou; others are only offered the title of Earl, but the one for Si Yulou comes with the title of Marquis!"

"The other is for Cheng Wuji, also with the title of Marquis!"

"This letter is for Cheng Wuji, but this one must not be given to Si Yulou, it has to be 'carelessly' leaked to others."

The letters are for solicitation, but it's not a genuine effort to win them over.

A scheme of discord!

How to create discord?

Yang Zhenshan didn't have a solid plan, so he thought of throwing a curveball with chaotic strikes.

A letter of solicitation for everyone, but two are different; the letters to the others seem like a first-time contact, while the ones to Si Yulou and Cheng Wuji appear to be the result of multiple communications, with better conditions and higher treatment.

After listening to the plan, Luo Jingsong pondered for a while and seemed to understand Yang Zhenshan's intentions, saying, "I understand, I'll get on it!"

"Hold on, there's one more thing!" Yang Zhenshan quickly held him back.

Luo Jingsong became a bit impatient.

Yang Zhenshan took out another letter, "This letter is for Deng Yuehe, you said she's most likely to be swayed. If possible, try to meet with her!"

The other letters are decoys; Deng Yuehe is Yang Zhenshan's real target.

"Meeting Deng Yuehe could be dangerous; first, find out the specifics before taking action. If you think Deng Yuehe is worth soliciting, then arrange a meeting with her. If not, then give up."

"After all, once you're on Star Moon Island, you should act according to the actual situation. But whether or not you succeed, prioritize your own safety above all!"

Yang Zhenshan didn't want to lose Luo Jingsong and emphasized with a multitude of admonitions.

Luo Jingsong felt warm from Yang Zhenshan's concern and assured him, "Marquis, rest assured, I will tread carefully!"

"Mhm, go on, and be careful!"

Yang Zhenshan gave another word of caution, and only then did Luo Jingsong depart.