Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Zhang Zhiwei did not offer much comment on Zhang Jingqing and Lu Xuan's conversation.

As for the alliance they mentioned, as far as he knew, it would eventually come to fruition.

But it won't happen quickly.

The social hierarchy in the world of supernatural beings is more severe than many people imagine. Even this relatively loose alliance takes several years to integrate.

The first real alliance of the Extraordinary People was the Battle of Mianshan a few years later. In that battle, the pure Extraordinary People faced off against the Biheshan Ninjas with a large army. The Extraordinary People of Shenzhou, who rarely had the opportunity to confront a mortal army head-on, suffered a great loss.

However, instead of discouraging it, he encouraged the four major families to do it, since uniting their strength is always a good thing.

Moreover, the Hieiyama ninja clan, which had inflicted heavy losses on this alliance, had been nearly wiped out in several attacks by him a few years ago. Perhaps this alliance will be able to play a role this time.

Having gained the approval of Zhang Jingqing and Zhang Zhiwei, the heads of the four major families began to travel around, attempting to establish an alliance to jointly resist the Japanese pirates.

However, just as Zhang Zhiwei had predicted, the progress of the Extraordinary Alliance was far behind the changing situation.

On a sweltering summer night, gunshots suddenly rang out.

The Japanese pirates falsely claimed that a soldier was missing and brazenly launched an artillery bombardment on the county town.

Thus began a catastrophe that swept across the entire land of China.

The news spread throughout the country at lightning speed via telegram and newspaper, shaking the nation and causing an uproar worldwide.

However, the Japanese pirates' reckless advance met with fierce resistance, and an entire Japanese pirate squadron was annihilated.

Immediately, the Japanese invaders announced that this was just a minor skirmish, that the missing personnel had returned to their unit, that it was a misunderstanding, and that they hoped for a peaceful resolution. They also issued a so-called policy of "not escalating the incident and resolving it on the spot," attempting to lull the authorities into a false sense of security.

Within China, many people believed it.

However, some people saw through the Japanese pirates' tendency to prioritize petty righteousness over greater righteousness, to be concerned with trivial matters over great virtue, to value minor details over integrity, and to fear power over morality, claiming that they were definitely brewing a much bigger conspiracy.

Sure enough, shortly after the Japanese pirates issued their statement, they used the pretext of protecting their overseas Chinese and punishing China to mobilize seven divisions from the Northeast and their homeland and head towards North China.

This move makes their ambitions crystal clear; they clearly intend to press forward step by step, attempting to emulate their actions in Northeast China and seize North China in one fell swoop.

Meanwhile, in Chongqing, the atmosphere in Liu Mang's mansion in Liziba was as heavy as solidified lead.

After this incident, Liu Mang, the warlord who was rampant in Sichuan and was known as Liu the Loser of His Son, sat behind his large desk and remained silent for a long time, a rare occurrence.

Inside the room, his most trusted generals stood ramrod straight, holding their breath, not daring to even breathe loudly. They were all waiting for their commander's decision.

"General..." Fan Pengju finally couldn't help but speak up, "Are we just going to stand by and watch what happens in the north?"

Liu Mang silently finished a whole pack of cigarettes, stubbed them out hard in the ashtray, slowly stood up, walked to the window, put his hands behind his back, and quietly looked out at the beautiful land he had fought half his life to conquer.

The room was deathly silent. Only the pendulum clock on the wall ticked away, as if striking the heart of every person.

A long time, a long time.

Liu Mang slowly turned around, his face filled with a cold and resolute murderous intent.
"Give me the order!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable resolve.

"Electrification throughout the nation!"

"The Japanese pirates have been plotting to invade China for decades. Their ulterior motives are nothing more than to destroy our country and exterminate our race. Now, they are rampaging and arrogant at every pass of the Great Wall. Recently, they have mobilized troops and generals to sweep through Beijing and Tianjin. Their barbaric atrocities are aimed at killing us."

"The nation has reached its final juncture. At this critical moment of survival, there is no time to lose. I, who have been appointed to govern Sichuan, bear the heavy responsibility entrusted to me by the military and the people. At this time of national crisis and peril for the nation, I dare to lead millions of compatriots and more than 200,000 officers and soldiers from the province to march north and fight against foreign aggression."

"Although Sichuan is known as the Land of Abundance, Sichuan will not be at peace as long as the rest of China is not at peace! With the Japanese invasion and the nation facing imminent peril, this is a moment of life and death for our 400 million compatriots!"

"I, Liu Mang, representing the millions of soldiers and civilians of Sichuan, hereby solemnly swear: I am willing to devote the entire strength of Sichuan to sending troops to resist the Japanese pirates! I will not return home until the Japanese pirates are driven out! I will do my utmost to provide the necessary troops, provisions, and supplies!"

"The entire nation must unite immediately and point our guns outward to save ourselves from this crisis. We earnestly hope that all our compatriots will share a common hatred for the enemy and face this national calamity together. This telegram is urgent, and we await your command with utmost urgency!"

The power was generated, and the world was shaken!
No one expected that while the various warlords were still hesitating and observing, Liu Mang, the King of Sichuan in the rear, would gamble the survival of his entire faction by declaring war on the Japanese pirates.

Liu Mang's reputation wasn't very good, but at this moment, regardless of how people viewed him before, or how they called him Liu the Loser, they couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

When Liu Mang, the leader, spoke up, other warlords in Sichuan expressed their willingness to lead troops out of Sichuan to fight against the Japanese pirates. Among them, the general of the 20th Army even said that he would personally lead the troops, even if it meant dying on the battlefield.

The thought that even the warlord in the rear had spoken prompted other warlords to follow suit.

The Guangxi warlords even warned Chiang Kai-shek that this was even more outrageous than the one in the Northeast, and that if he made any further concessions, Beijing and Tianjin would fall, and the area north of the Yellow River would be lost.

When the Chairman saw this situation, he was furious. He had no way to retreat and could no longer tolerate it.

He completely abandoned his illusions and immediately delivered a speech entitled "The Final Moment," clearly stating that "regardless of north or south, young or old, everyone has the responsibility to defend the land and resist the enemy, and everyone should be determined to sacrifice everything."

Then, China began to switch to a wartime system, and the central army continued to march north to reinforce its troops.

At the same time, the entire world of supernatural beings was in an uproar.

If the previous statements were merely verbal pronouncements, now everyone has been pushed to the brink, with no way out.

The Jianghu Inn is a place where people in the world of supernatural beings gather information. Many of them naturally distrust news from newspapers, so they prefer to obtain information from the outside world through the Jianghu Inn.

After this incident, the number of guests at Jianghu Inn surged, but the usual lively conversations and laughter from all over the country were gone, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it seemed like water could drip from it.

On each table, there was the latest newspaper.

The shocking headlines and battle damage figures in the newspapers were like needles piercing everyone's heart.

A burly man suddenly slammed the rough porcelain wine bowl in his hand onto the ground, shattering it into pieces! Wine mixed with shards splashed everywhere, startling those around him.

But he didn't care at all. His eyes were bloodshot, like an enraged bull, and he squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth:

"It's too much to bully others!"

"That's right! Damn it! These Japanese pirates are going too far! Do they really think there's no one left in China?!" A young swordsman stood up, slammed his sword heavily on the table, and roared, "The soldiers at the front are risking their lives to fight, are we, the capable ones, just going to sit here drinking and reading newspapers?!"

"But... but what can we do?" a middle-aged hermit who looked somewhat timid said in a low voice, "That's a battle between armies, thousands of troops. We may have some skills, but on this kind of battlefield, what's the difference between us and sending ourselves to our deaths?"

"Going to your death? Say that again, you son of a bitch!" A man with a missing arm slammed his fist on the table and roared, "The country is no more, how can our families survive?! We, the extraordinary ones, have cultivated these skills just to eke out a living in this chaotic world, watching our ancestral graves be dug up and our land shattered?! If you ask me, I can't do that!"

"I can't do it either!"

"Count me in!" More and more people stood up! They came from all over the country and belonged to different sects, but at this moment, they all had only one goal: to refuse to be slaves of a conquered nation.

"Shopkeeper! Check! I'm not drinking anymore! This is Beisan! Killing one is enough to make a profit, killing two is a bonus!" the man who first smashed the bowl roared.

“I’ll pay the bill too, I’m going too, I want to see if the Japanese pirates’ guns are tougher, or if my Iron Palm Wang Wu’s iron palm is tougher.”

"I want to go too! I'll use my flying locust stones to target the Japanese devils' eyes!"

"And me! I am a disciple of Maoshan, and my talismans are specifically designed to subdue evil spirits! Those so-called 'shikigami' of the Japanese pirates are nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs in front of me!"

"Amitabha! The Buddha is compassionate, but also has a wrathful side! Although I am a layman, I am willing to use this frail body to do my part for the country!"

In an instant, everyone in the Jianghu Inn was settling their bills and leaving.

"No need to settle the bill!" said the innkeeper. Then, looking at the others in the inn, his expression was more solemn than ever before, and he said loudly:
"Today, all heroes who are willing to go north to fight the Japanese pirates will have their drinks waived at my Jianghu Inn!"

……

……

This scene wasn't just happening in this one small inn; the same thing was playing out in many other inns.

Meanwhile, upon learning that Chiang Kai-shek had officially declared his support for the nationwide resistance against Japan, Liu Mang's generals in Chongqing were all eager and excited.

"Commander! The battle is finally about to begin! The brothers have been waiting impatiently!"

"Yes, Commander! Give the order! We Sichuan Army will never be cowards!"

Liu Mang looked at his men, whose fighting spirit was high, and nodded heavily. He was never one to just talk the talk.

"Pass on my orders!" Liu Mang began to deploy his troops, directing his men to organize their forces and supplies, and to formulate a practical plan to march out of Sichuan to fight the Japanese pirates.

Then, he turned his gaze to Fan Pengju and said in a deep voice, "Fan Ha'er, you also hold the position of the head of the Chongqing Brotherhood. There's something I need you to do."

"Please speak, General!" Fan Pengju straightened his chest.

"In your name, the leader of the gang, open the mountain hall, gather the brothers! Tell the brothers that when the country is in trouble, every man has a responsibility! I need men now, I need fearless men! Make them all stand up for me!"

"Alright! We're a brotherhood, we never back down, Commander! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Fan Pengju gave a heavy military salute, then turned and strode away.

On that day, an incense table was set up inside Yizi Hall, the largest secret society in Chongqing.

In the center of the hall, the statue of Guan Yu has a red face and a long beard, holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and glaring angrily.

Before the statue of the deity, sacrificial offerings of three kinds of animals were neatly arranged, and hundreds of red candles illuminated the entire hall as bright as day.

Fan Pengju, dressed in a black long robe with a red silk sash tied around his waist, stood in front of the incense table.

Behind him were the leaders and managers of various factions and branches in Chongqing, all with solemn expressions.

The hall and its surroundings were packed with members of the Gelaohui (a secret society) who had rushed over upon hearing the news. The crowd stretched from inside the hall all the way to the street corner, a massive, impassable mass of people.

"What on earth happened? Why did the helmsman call us all over in such a hurry?"

"I have no idea! Judging by this setup, they're probably about to start a war with some mountain stronghold!"

"What kind of war are we going to start? The Japanese pirates have already invaded, we can't just fight our own people!"

"Don't criticize us yet. The captain called us here, so something big must have happened! Even if the sky falls, we brothers have to hold it up for him!"

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Fan Pengju remained silent. Instead, he picked up three incense sticks, bowed respectfully three times to the statue of Guan Yu, and then inserted the incense into the incense burner.

He turned around, facing the thousands of his fellow members below, and his booming voice resounded throughout the hall:
"Brothers! Today, I've gathered you all here for one thing only!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces, some rugged, some sharp, before his voice suddenly rose:
"The Japanese devils are attacking! So, we must leave Sichuan and fight those Japanese bastards!"

There was an uproar in the audience.

"What?! Fighting Japanese?!"

"Didn't they say negotiations are still ongoing in the north?"

"Talk my ass! It's all in the newspapers! They've already started fighting! Our brothers are dying horribly!"

Fan Pengju ignored their chatter, picked up the first bowl of wine on the table, raised it high, and said loudly:
“I know. Over the years, our brotherhood has fought many battles among ourselves over wrestling docks and territories! If you stab me, I'll stab you, that's a matter between us brothers. Even if our bones are broken, our tendons are still connected!”

He drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp, and then smashed the bowl on the ground!

"But now! Outsiders have come knocking on our door! Those short, black-hearted Japanese bastards are here to seize our land, to desecrate our ancestral graves, and to steal our wives! Can we, the Gelaohui (Brotherhood of Brothers), tolerate this?!"

"This is intolerable!!!"

A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd below the stage, shaking the rooftops and soaring into the sky!
Fan Pengju picked up his second bowl of wine, his voice becoming even more impassioned:
"Good! We, the Gelaohui (Brotherhood of Brothers), will never back down! What do we talk about? It's 'righteousness'! When friends are in trouble, we help! When our country is in trouble, we stand up even higher!"

"Now, the Commander-in-Chief has sent a telegram to the whole country, announcing that our Sichuan Army is to march out of Sichuan to fight those Japanese bastards! But we don't have enough men!"

"Today, in my capacity as the leader of the dragon helm, I ask you this: are there any brothers willing to follow me out of Sichuan to kill those Japanese bastards?!"

"have!!!"

"have!!!"

His response was an even more frenzied roar! Countless arms were raised high, like a forest that stretched as far as the eye could see!
"I regestrated!"

"Count me in! I've wanted to kill those bastards for ages!"

"Hey helmsman! Take me with you! My wife said if I don't go, I'm not a real man!"

The crowd was in an uproar, their blood boiling with excitement!
Fan Pengju, his eyes brimming with tears, looked at the scene before him and raised his hand, shouting once more:

"The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every citizen! We will not become slaves of a conquered country!"

"We will not be slaves to a conquered nation!!"

"We will not be slaves to a conquered nation!!"

The resounding slogans echoed for a long time in the skies above Chongqing. (End of Chapter)