Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 994: Chapter 698: That’s Because We Have the Confidence to Be Arrogant!

Anxi Town, General Mansion.

Yang Jizu, the order officer of Zhou Lan, was led by a soldier to the front hall.

Sitting in the main seat inside the hall was an elderly man with white hair. Behind him stood a middle-aged man in his forties.

This white-haired old man was Sun Yunbo, and the middle-aged man behind him was Sun Anyang.

Speaking of Sun Anyang, he still had some old grudges with Yang Zhenshan.

Sun Anyang was the spoiled son who had replaced Bao Lang at the Martial Arts Pavilion back then. After Yang Zhenshan returned to the capital, he caused a commotion over Sun Anyang, forcing the Sun family to hand over two hundred thousand silver, and even made a scene at the Ministry of Personnel.

At that time, Sun Anyang was only in his twenties, and now he was over forty.

Yang Jizu paid no attention to Sun Anyang. Once he entered the hall, his attention was entirely focused on Sun Yunbo.

Sun Yunbo appeared to be in his sixties, with white hair and beard, yet he had a ruddy complexion, a tall and straight posture, sharp eyes, and an extraordinary presence.

Sun Yunbo and Zhang Luan were contemporaries and were both nearly a century old, both having led armies and fought wars.

However, Zhang Luan became an Innate Martial Artist earlier than Sun Yunbo. After becoming an Innate, Zhang Luan retired, whereas Sun Yunbo, despite expressing his desire to resign, stayed in Anxi Town for over a decade, never leaving.

Eventually, although Sun Yunbo resigned from all official positions, he still remained in Anxi Town. Officially, he was overseeing Anxi Town, but in reality, he couldn’t let go of the power there.

To put it simply, Sun Yunbo had a strong desire for power.

However, his abilities weren’t particularly strong.

All things considered, he had been in Anxi Town for over fifty years, yet he still couldn’t control Anxi Town.

In comparison, Guo Ying was able to firmly control Zhongyunling Town, which was a strength over Sun Yunbo.

”Yang Jizu, Commander of the Fenwu Camp of the Imperial Guard, greets Senior Sun!” Yang Jizu cupped his fist in salute and bowed.

Yang Jizu, the eldest son of Yang Chengze, was thirty-six years old this year. He was formerly the Guerrilla General of the Front Camp in Beiyuan Town and is now the Commander of the Fenwu Camp of the Da’an New Dynasty’s Imperial Guard.

After Zhou Lan was appointed as the Grand General of the Northern Expedition, her original Five Camps under Beiyuan Town were reorganized into the Imperial Guard.

According to Yang Zhenshan’s conception of Da’an’s military system, Da’an’s future military would be divided into five types. The first type was the border army, which would retain the original organization of the Camp, Rescue Camp, and Garrison Camp, but the structure would be reduced. For example, Chongshan Town might only retain four Rescue Camps in the future, with the original Eastern Route, Southern Route, and Central Route Rescue Camps being abolished. Naturally, all relevant official positions would also be abolished, including the Assistant General.

This was because the Eastern Route, Southern Route, and Central Route of Chongshan Town were no longer considered borderlands. The northern border of Chongshan Town was now on the edge of the snowy plains, almost a thousand li away from Chongshan Pass. So not only would the Eastern Route, Southern Route, and Central Route be abolished, but even Chongshan Pass might be as well.

In the future, Da’an’s border army would maintain a force of around 600,000, not like the previous Da Rong’s million border troops.

The second type of military was the garrison forces, with each province having 20,000 to 30,000 troops responsible for maintaining internal stability.

The third type was the garrison army, primarily responsible for urban defense, replacing the previous responsibilities of garrison troops, but no longer engaging in land cultivation. They would focus solely on urban defense tasks.

The fourth type was the Imperial Guard, which in the future would not be limited to the Capital City but stationed throughout Da’an as needed.

The border army would handle border defenses, the garrison forces would ensure regional stability, the garrison army would manage urban defense and security, while the Imperial Guard would be the court’s mobile force. Part of it would protect the Capital City, while another part would garrison important checkpoints.

For instance, Jizhou would certainly have an Imperial Guard garrison in the future.

The fifth type was the Emperor’s personal army, also known as the Imperial Guard, primarily responsible for the safety of the Imperial City and guarding important locations such as Sanshan Valley and Cui Xia Valley, still garrisoned by the Emperor’s personal army.

The Navy also belonged to the border army sequence, stationed along Da’an’s maritime borders.

In the future, the border army would have only a General, with no governors or commanders, as border towns would also be abolished, making future border armies purely military without being border towns.

The original border towns would be established as provinces and counties, meaning Chongshan Town would become Chongshan Province in the future.

The garrison forces and garrison army would still be under the Governor’s Office, but the garrison army would also be under the dual jurisdiction of the Governor’s Office and the county government.

This meant that the county government would hold a part of military power, albeit minimal, enabling them to mobilize the garrison army.

Of course, the oversight of the county government would increase as well. The Da’an New Dynasty would strengthen the power of the Inspector General and establish a supervisory institution within the Six Armies Commander’s Office specifically to oversee military discipline and law among the various armies.

Yang Jizu, as the Commander of the Fenwu Camp, was essentially equivalent to the former Fenwu Camp’s Commander, in charge of one camp with ten thousand soldiers under his command.

This time, Zhou Lan sent him to Anxi Town partly due to his strong ability and partly due to his special status.

”Yang Jizu, are you a descendant of the Liaodong Yang clan?”

Sun Yunbo first evaluated Yang Jizu from head to toe, then asked in a calm voice.

Yang Jizu smiled, ”That’s correct, my ancestor is Yang Minghui, the Clan Leader of the Liaodong Yang clan!”

Upon hearing this, Sun Yunbo’s sharp eyes slightly shifted, and a strange look also flashed in Sun Anyang’s eyes behind him.

The Liaodong Yang clan was now renowned throughout the world, and even though Sun Yunbo was secluded in one corner and lacked current news, he knew of the Liaodong Yang clan’s power.

And he had heard of some important figures from the Liaodong Yang clan.

First was Yang Zhenshan; the Yang family also belonged to the Liaodong Yang clan. Although the Yang family had now become independent and even surpassed the Liaodong Yang clan, it couldn’t be denied that they were part of the Liaodong Yang clan.

Next was Yang Minghui, the Clan Leader of the Liaodong Yang clan. Although his cultivation wasn’t impressive and he rarely left Anning County, his reputation surpassed that of Yang Mingwu, Yang Mingzhen, and Yang Chengze.

Because as the Clan Leader, he was the spokesperson for the Liaodong Yang clan.

”Oh! I didn’t expect you to be the grandson of Yang Minghui?” Sun Yunbo said with some surprise.

However, he was only momentarily surprised before getting to the point, ”Tell me the purpose of your visit!”

Yang Jizu smiled and said, ”I have come under the orders of Grand General of the Northern Expedition Zhou Lan to deliver an order. The General commands you to dispatch troops to attack the Da Yue Dynasty within a month. If not, you will be dealt with according to military law!”

Sun Yunbo narrowed his eyes, ”Military law? What military law?”

Yang Jizu’s expression turned serious, and he spoke sternly, ”Those who defy orders will be executed, those who disobey will be killed, and those who rebel will have their clans exterminated!”

As these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became heavy with a cold and solemn pressure like a mountain.

However, Yang Jizu remained unmoved, his expression calm as he looked at Sun Yunbo.

The two stared at each other, Sun Yunbo’s eyes were exceptionally sharp, while Yang Jizu’s gaze was calm and serene.

”You’re not afraid of death?” Sun Yunbo asked coldly.

Transmission of an order?

What kind of order is being transmitted?

Neither Zhou Lan, nor the Da’an New Dynasty have the right to command him.

Only Chen Hengchang slightly has the authority, because Sun Yunbo is still nominally a subject of Da Rong, and Chen Hengchang is of the Da Rong royal family.

”Afraid of death?” Yang Jizu sneered disdainfully, ”If I were afraid of death, I wouldn’t be here, nor would I have enlisted in the army!”

”My grandfather is Yang Minghui, my father is Yang Chengze, and I am the eldest grandson of the Yang clan in Liaodong!”

To say one is not afraid of death is impossible. Fear of death is only human, even for Innate Martial Artists, who are all extremely cautious about their lives, yet fear of death does not equate to a lack of courage.

When courage can overpower the fear of death, that is the spirit of being unafraid of death.

Yang Jizu has his pride. His name was given by Yang Zhengxiang. In his heart, Yang Zhengshan is his idol, and Yang Zhengxiang is the person he admires most.

In fact, within the Yang family of Liaodong, Yang Zhengxiang holds a status comparable to Yang Zhengshan.

Perhaps Yang Zhengshan’s power is greater, his stature higher, and his story more legendary, yet the reverence within the Yang family towards Yang Zhengxiang is no less than that towards Yang Zhengshan.

It is Yang Zhengxiang who truly led the rise of the Yang clan as its clan leader.

Yang Zhengshan has not returned to the Yang Family Village for a long time, and many young members of the Yang family have not seen Yang Zhengshan. Of course, they have not seen Yang Zhengxiang either, but growing up in Yang Family Village, they have always heard and seen how the village flourished under Yang Zhengxiang’s leadership.

Yang Jizu mentioned all this not to showcase his identity, but to make Sun Yunbo understand his importance.

Killing him is easy, but the consequences of killing him are absolutely beyond what the Sun family can bear.

The identity of being the eldest grandson of the Yang lineage in Liaodong is far from simple.

This identity is even more intimidating than the top ministers of the Da’an New Dynasty.

Sun Yunbo’s mouth twitched slightly. Indeed, he did not dare take action against this man.

He could imagine the consequences if he harmed Yang Jizu.

The Yang family in Liaodong would definitely not let him off, nor would they spare the Sun family.

Destruction of the family would be mild; at the very least, it would be annihilation of the clan.

He had already given up the idea of attacking Yang Jizu.

”What can Da’an offer me?”

”It depends on your performance!” Yang Jizu replied.

”Ha, your arrogance really knows no bounds!” Sun Yunbo laughed in exasperation.

Yang Jizu calmly said, ”That’s because we have the confidence to be arrogant!”

”To put it bluntly, you are not qualified to negotiate terms with us anymore. You’ve already missed the opportunity to negotiate!”

Sun Yunbo lowered his head slightly. Yes, they had already missed the opportunity to negotiate.

In truth, Sun Yunbo also felt a deep sense of regret.

He regretted his initial hesitation, which has now placed him in an extremely awkward situation.

At this moment, Sun Yunbo was still deeply conflicted. He didn’t know whether he should pledge allegiance to Da’an or continue to hold his forces and watch the situation change.

If he joined Da’an, he had no right to negotiate terms and would only follow the arrangements made for him.

But if he didn’t join Da’an, what else could he do?

Should he wait for Chen Hengchang to seize the world?

Forget it, he now had no faith in Chen Hengchang at all.

Moreover, Zhou Lan had given him a final ultimatum: missing this opportunity meant losing the last chance to choose.

After a long silence, Sun Yunbo finally raised his head. ”I will dispatch troops to fight the Da Yue Dynasty!”

Yang Jizu was not surprised, only nodded calmly, saying, ”Senior should understand that how much Da’an can offer you all depends on how much effort you put in this time!”

Sun Yunbo ultimately made a somewhat wise decision. Although his vision was limited, and his capability not particularly strong, he understood that he had no better choice at present.

In fact, even if Yang Jizu had not come, he would have made such a decision. Yang Jizu’s arrival only forced him to make his decision early.

Before the war against the Wuliang Royal Court had even begun, Anxi Town had already embarked on a battle against the Da Yue Dynasty.

The Da Yue Dynasty, once to the west of Da Rong, bordered Suzhou Town, Tingzhou Town, and Anxi Town, though the border with Anxi Town was quite short, only less than a hundred miles.

Anxi Town, though not exceptionally strong, still had an army of over a hundred thousand.

After Sun Yunbo announced his allegiance to the Da’an New Dynasty, those previously erratic generals also calmed down.

With Anxi Town joining, the Da Yue Dynasty found itself in a passive position.

The Da Yue Dynasty initially intended to seize Suzhou Town and Tingzhou Town first, so they concentrated their main forces on attacking those towns, not stationing much military power outside Anxi Town.

Now that Sun Yunbo had suddenly deployed his troops, the Da Yue Dynasty immediately began suffering defeats.

Since Sun Yunbo had made his decision, he naturally had to give it his all. He still wanted to make a name for himself on the battlefield, seeking higher status and attention in the Da’an New Dynasty.

So he seized every opportunity to mobilize all available forces to campaign against the Da Yue Dynasty.

With this development, Zhou Lan no longer had any worries and could focus fully on confronting the Wuliang Royal Court.