Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

"In the future, Tenglong Guard will also develop sea trade in the East South Sea Domain. Perhaps we will have many areas where we can cooperate!"

Zhu Ming was slightly stunned, then his eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Of course it's true. There's no need for me to deceive you on this matter!" Xue Ping said with a smile.

For Tenglong Guard to enter the trade in the East South Sea Domain was something Yu Tonghai and he had considered for a long time, but they had delayed it until now due to their lack of understanding of the East South Sea Domain.

If the Tenglong Guard could have a good partner in the East South Sea Domain, it would undoubtedly be more beneficial for them to enter into trade there.

Zhu Ming looked at Xue Ping, laughed heartily, and said, "The guest has come, why not have a drink together?"

"Nothing would please me more!" Xue Ping replied.

"Please!" Zhu Ming gestured.

Xue Ping made a signal to his Personal Followers and then followed Zhu Ming towards the courtyard behind the dock.

The cooperation between Tenglong Guard and the East South Sea Domain needs no elaboration. With Yu Tonghai returning in a great victory, the arrival at the Zhao Wu Guard caused quite a stir.

They had captured over a hundred warships, and so many ships arriving imposingly at Zhao Wu Guard made many soldiers feel incredulous.

And this great victory also boosted the morale of soldiers from other guards. Regardless of their combat ability for the moment, at least their morale had certainly improved.

Inside the temporary government office, Yang Zhenshan was also full of surprise upon seeing Yu Tonghai's return.

"So you encountered the Navy of Star Moon Island as soon as you arrived at Dongyang Island?"

Yu Tonghai replied cheerfully, "It was purely coincidental. We didn't expect the other party to arrive at Dongyang Island almost concurrently with us!"

Yang Zhenshan's mouth curled slightly, "It seems even the heavens are helping us!"

"With such a victory, Star Moon Island should not act rashly for a while!"

"Hmm, I'll go and seek rewards for Tenglong Guard immediately. Lord Qian has also contributed to this battle!"

He turned to Qian Manyi, who was extremely delighted, "Thank you, Marquis, for your support!"

Although Qian Manyi and Quanhai Guard did not fight in the battle, the importance of Dongyang Island was proposed by Qian Manyi, so it was only appropriate that he had his share of merit.

Yang Zhenshan smiled and said, "You all must train diligently and be ready to fight soon. As long as you have merit, I will certainly not let your efforts go unrewarded!"

"Yes!"

Wu Kai, Zhang Man, and Zhang Manyi responded with laughter.

"You first go and make arrangements, for the time being, place the captives in the camp and keep them under guard. Have Wang Mingjian and Li Chengzhang escorted here; I'll meet them myself later!"

"As for the captured warships, conduct a thorough examination. If they are still serviceable, then assign them to the other guards. If not, find a place to store them for the time being."

Yang Zhenshan made these brief arrangements and then returned to his study to write the report seeking rewards.

About half a two hours later, Yu Tonghai brought Wang Mingjian and Li Chengzhang over.

At this moment, Wang Mingjian and Li Chengzhang were full of anxiety. They knew of Yang Zhenshan; after all, the formation of the Four Seas Navy by Da Rong Court was no secret to them, and Yang Zhenshan, as the Four Seas Naval Commander, was naturally within their attention.

"The convicts Wang Mingjian (Li Chengzhang) pay respects to Marquis Jing'an!" The two approached the study and saw Yang Zhenshan, bowing respectfully.

Yang Zhenshan stood up with a gentle expression, "It's still too early to conclude if you are criminals. If you are willing, you could become meritorious subjects at any time!"

Both were relieved to see Yang Zhenshan's friendly demeanor.

"Please, take a seat!"

Yang Zhenshan invited them to sit down and then started making idle chat with them.

He didn't interrogate them about the Star Moon Sect, but casually chatted about mundane affairs.

These two were still useful. Yang Zhenshan planned to use them to set an example of trust.

However, there was no rush for this matter. He had to wait for Luo Jingsong's progress first.

Just as Yu Tonghai returned in triumph, Luo Jingsong had infiltrated Star Moon Island.

Luo Jingsong grew up on Star Moon Island and was naturally very familiar with it. After infiltrating the island, he did not act hastily, but instead chose to lay low on Star Moon Island for some time.

During the day, he gathered intelligence on the docks and in the town of Star Moon Island, inquiring about the changes that had occurred within the Star Moon Sect over the years. At night, he hid in the forests on the east side of the island to sleep.

The residents of Star Moon Island, although members of the Upper Three, Middle Four, and Lower Eight Families, total some fifty thousand people. The sudden appearance of a stranger wouldn't draw any special attention.

Moreover, he was quite familiar with everything on the island, so during his stay of four or five days, no one took notice of this outsider.

After some inquiring, he learned about the current situation on Star Moon Island.

In fact, Star Moon Island hadn't changed much since he left. The Upper Three Families were still in power, as were the Middle Four Families. With the upper structure remaining the same, the lower levels likely hadn't changed much either.

Having understood the situation, Luo Jingsong began to take action.

Following Yang Zhenshan's instructions, he first delivered letters to Yue Hongyi, Nan Haiyan, and Qu Fusheng, among others. There was no need for him to personally hand the letters to these individuals; it sufficed to deliver them to their residences.

Luo Jingsong was quite casual about it, simply tossing the letters inside the gates of their estates without any face-to-face encounters.

After dispatching the letters, Luo Jingsong then hid himself in the forest, going three whole days without showing himself.

...

Inside the main hall of the Star Moon Sect's grand chapter, the Sect's high-ranking members once again convened.

Yue Hongyi looked at the people in the hall with a gloomy expression.

"The New Moon Army and the Crescent Army have been annihilated!" he said in a chilling voice.

The news of the battle at Dongyang Island only reached Star Moon Island today, and such an outcome weighed heavily on everyone.

There was a silence among the gathered.

The total annihilation of the New Moon and Crescent Armies was an unexpected shock.

They knew Da Rong was powerful, but they had never imagined that Da Rong could be this formidable.

The Star Moon Sect's Four Flag Army was no mere band of pirates, but a genuine naval force. In the entire East South Sea Domain, the Four Flag Army was a mighty force.

Yet now, they had been so easily defeated by the Navy of Da Rong, which was hard for them to accept.

In fact, they were mistaken; the New Moon and Crescent Armies were not defeated by the Da Rong Navy, but by the Tenglong Advanced Guard.

Had the New Moon and Crescent Armies encountered the Hai State Left Guard, the Jin Hai Guard, the Quanhai Guard, or the like, the outcome of the battle at Dongyang Island would have been the opposite.

Even had they faced the navies of two such guards, they would still have had a fighting chance.

Alas, they met the Tenglong Advanced Guard.

"What do we do next?" Yue Hongyi asked, turning to Qu Fusheng.

It was Qu Fusheng's idea to send the New Moon and Crescent Armies to plunder Songhe Prefecture, but now that they had perished before achieving success, should Qu Fusheng bear the responsibility?

In the past, Yue Hongyi would have used this opportunity to suppress Qu Fusheng, but now, he had no such mood.

With a formidable enemy before them, internal conflicts could temporarily be set aside.

Qu Fusheng was even more frustrated within. He had thought his strategy was sound, but reality had harshly slapped his face.

It was distressing!

With a desire to remain silent, Qu Fusheng closed his eyes, saying nothing.

Si Yulou hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sect Leader, I think we should prepare for battle next. The Da Rong Navy has already blockaded the sea route to Dongyang Island. Approaching the coasts of Da Rong is nearly impossible now. What we can do is ready ourselves for the upcoming battle!"

Yue Hongyi looked at Si Yulou, a flicker of something unusual in his eyes.

"So, we just sit and wait for death?"

Si Yulou was taken aback, "How is this sitting and waiting for death? We are preparing for battle!"

Yue Hongyi stared at him, "Prepare for battle, and how do you propose we do that?"

His tone was icy, seemingly expressing dissatisfaction with Si Yulou.

The others detected his dissatisfaction from his tone and were somewhat surprised as they looked towards Yue Hongyi.