Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 929 Taking the Overall Situation and Formulating Strategies

Jian Changhe shook his head slightly, "Baiyun Immortal City will not step in now unless we can demonstrate the strength to rival Youyu Sect!"

Baiyun Immortal City's attitude is very clear: it does not want too much turmoil to occur around the Yunxiao Mountains.

However, they cannot forcefully suppress the Netherworld Sect. As long as the Netherworld Sect can take over the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty in a short time and not cause long-term turmoil in the Cloud Mountain Range, they do not mind if the Netherworld Sect annexes the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

Yang Zhengshan looked up at Jian Changhe, whose gaze swept over him, but he didn't say anything more.

Yang Zhengshan was somewhat taken aback!
If Baiyun Immortal City won't step in, what about Cangyu Mountain?

Jian Changhe only mentioned Baiyun Immortal City, but not Cangyu Mountain. What does that mean?
What is the relationship between Hidden Sword Mountain, White Cloud Immortal City, and Azure Feather Mountain?
Heavenly Sword True Lord, White Cloud True Lord, and the Demon Lord of Cangyu Mountain can be considered figures of the same era. All three forces are located in the Cloud Sky Mountain Range, which is only about 10,000 miles apart, so they must have had many interactions in the past.

They may be enemies or allies.

The possibility of hostility is unlikely. After all, the Heavenly Sword True Monarch has been gone for hundreds of years, and neither White Cloud Immortal City nor Azure Feather Mountain has attacked Hidden Sword Mountain. This indicates that there should be a tacit understanding among the three forces.

"Are there any other solutions?" Jian Changhe asked again.

Yunxiao replied, "In that case, we have no choice but to have a great battle!"

Jian Changhe leaned forward, "Then how should we fight this battle?"

Clearly, what he wanted was a major battle with the Netherworld Sect.

"Just like last time, block the enemy east of Yushan Town!" Yunxiao said.

Jian Changhe was not satisfied with this answer, and turned to Yang Zhengshan, "Elder Yang, what is your opinion?"

Yang Zhengshan stood up and said softly, "It would be best to fight this battle in Wuxiang City!"

"Why?"

"We can rely on the city's defenses," Yang Zhengshan replied.

In fact, he had long thought about how the Lingxiu Sea should fight against the Youyu Gate. If they continued to fight the Youyu Gate east of Yushan Town according to Yunxiao's idea, then without a doubt, the Lingxiu Sea would be defeated with its current strength.

As for why we should fight in Wuxiang City, the reason is simple: Wuxiang City has strong walls that can be used to defend the city.

City walls are not very useful for innate martial artists, but this is only true for individual or small-scale battles. However, in large-scale wars, city walls can still play a role.

Moreover, the city walls can be used to set up formations to block the enemy.

Although setting up an array takes time, Hidden Sword Mountain should have skilled array masters.

There is a second reason: the Land of Spiritual Origin is better at large-scale warfare, while neither the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty nor the Netherworld Gate actually has a regular army, or rather, they do not have a large-scale army.

For example, the Sword Peak of the Xuanqing Sect has three hundred sword-wielding disciples. These three hundred sword-wielding disciples are definitely the elite of the elite, and can also be called an army. However, the Xuanqing Sect only has three hundred sword-wielding disciples.

That's how sects are; they have small elite units, but no large, organized armies.

The Land of Spiritual Origin is home to the Jade Capital Three Guards, a true army trained according to military standards and trained for various types of combat.

Whether it was open field battles or siege warfare, they were all conducted in a military manner.

For other forces, Wuxiang City is not a fortified city and there is no need to defend it.

However, for the Spirit Source Land, Wuxiang City is a very good stronghold.

Therefore, Yang Zhengshan's initial idea was to defend the city.

"The city, Wuxiang City, seems to have no protective formation!" Jian Changhe was unaware of Yang Zhengshan's thoughts and felt that defending Wuxiang City was not very meaningful.

"We can temporarily set up an array. It doesn't need to be too strong; just some defensive power will suffice!" Yang Zhengshan said.

Jian Changhe seemed to be deep in thought, then he looked at Jian Guyun and asked, "Uncle-Master, what do you think?"

Uncle-Master!

Jian Guyun is actually Jian Changhe's uncle?

Yang Zhengshan looked at Jian Guyun in surprise.

Jian Guyun stroked his sparse beard and smiled kindly, "This old man is not good at military affairs. Since Elder Yang has already made a plan, then why don't we ask Elder Yang to take charge of all military affairs in this battle!"

Jian Changhe nodded slightly. "That's right. None of us are good at military affairs, so it's really not appropriate for us to give unsolicited advice."

"Elder Yang, how about letting the Guest Elders Hall take charge of the overall battle?"

Yang Zhengshan was a little confused and didn't react for a moment.

Why was he suddenly put in charge of the overall situation?

Is he suitable?

Yang Zhengshan thought about it carefully and realized that he was really suitable, more suitable than anyone else.

There aren't many people who can currently oversee the entire Lingxiu Sea. Jian Changhe, Yunxiao, Su Zheng, and Yueqing all seem capable, but none of them seem suitable.

Although everyone has now accepted the fact that the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty is dominated by Hidden Sword Mountain, this matter has only just been agreed upon, and people don't actually have much trust in Hidden Sword Mountain.

If Jian Changhe were to lead the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, everyone would inevitably have doubts, fearing that Jian Changhe would use them as cannon fodder.

As for Su Zheng and Yue Qing, they are the sect leaders of their respective sects and can oversee the overall situation, but they are martial artists, not immortal cultivators, and they do not understand matters related to immortal cultivation.

Yunxiao has high cultivation and prestige, and he also comes from the Xuanqing Sect. If he were to step forward, he would be enough to win everyone's heartfelt respect.

But here's the problem: can Hidden Sword Mountain really trust Yunxiao to lead the army of the Sea of ​​Spirits?

If Yunxiao truly leads the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty to defeat the Netherworld Prison, his prestige will reach a new height. At that time, if the Xuanqing Sect were to rally its forces again, it might just drive the Hidden Sword Mountain out of the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty once more.

Therefore, after careful consideration, only Yang Zhengshan is suitable to lead the overall situation.

The Yang family was a prominent family in the Lingxiu Sea, and had good relations with the two sects and other prominent families. Of course, they also had some grudges with a few prominent families, but that did not affect them.

With the current strength of the Yang family, they are qualified to lead the two clans and other aristocratic families.

However, the Yang family did not have the same prestige in the Lingxiu Sea as the Xuanqing Sect.

Moreover, there are some old grudges between Hidden Sword Mountain and Xuanqing Sect and Huanyue Sect, and there must be some estrangement between them.

In contrast, Hidden Sword Mountain and the Yang family had no past grievances or estrangement.

Therefore, Jian Changhe valued Yang Zhengshan more and was more willing to support the Yang family.

"I am very grateful for your high regard, Mountain Lord!" Yang Zhengshan thought for a moment and decided to accept the task.

The Yang family has no way to withdraw from this battle. Since they cannot withdraw, they should actively fight back.

Rather than handing over command to someone else, it's better to take control ourselves, which can also prevent situations that are detrimental to the Yang family.

"However, I have a request!"

"any request?"

Yang Zhengshan looked directly at Jian Changhe and said, "Since the Mountain Lord trusts me so much, I will do my best, but I also hope that the Mountain Lord will not interfere with my command!"

To be frank, he didn't want to be just a shield pushed out by Jian Changhe.

"Oh!" Jian Changhe stared at Yang Zhengshan, and seeing that Yang Zhengshan did not back down, he nodded slightly. "But, not only will you command all the sects and families in the Lingxiu Sea, but I and the elders will also obey your command!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhengshan smiled confidently, "The Mountain Lord is wise!"

"In that case, we'll leave everything to Elder Yang from now on. Does anyone have any other opinions?" Jian Changhe then looked at the crowd. "No!"

Everyone shook their heads, indicating that they had no objections.

With the matter settled, the next step was to prepare for the impending war.

The Netherworld Sect has almost completed its army assembly, and in less than half a month, they will be at the gates of Wuxiang City.

Lingxiu Sea had neither prepared supplies nor assembled a large army.

Yang Zhengshan walked up to the crowd and turned to look at them.

"Everyone, this battle concerns your very survival. To put it bluntly, if the Netherworld Sect conquers the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, none of you will escape unscathed!"

"At best, it will lead to the destruction of the family and death; at worst, it will result in the extermination of the entire clan!"

"To put it bluntly, whether it's the Xuanqing Sect, the Huanyue Sect, or any of your many aristocratic families, none of them can escape this calamity. But if my Yang family wants to leave, no one can stop us!"

At this point, Yang Zhengshan smiled slightly and, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, continued, "So this battle is not for my Yang family, nor for Hidden Sword Mountain, but for yourselves!"

"Don't expect the Netherworld Sect to accept you. The Netherworld Sect might tolerate you continuing to stay in the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, but the aristocratic families under its command will not tolerate you occupying this vast blessed land!"

"You had better prepare for a fight to the death. If you can hold Wuxiang City, your sects and families can continue to exist. If you can't, you'll be worse than stray dogs!"

"In short, you can't afford to lose! You'd rather die than lose!"

Everyone was a little stunned by these words.

These words weren't just unpleasant to hear, they were downright awful, utterly unbearable to listen to, but they had no choice but to admit that what Yang Zhengshan said was true.

They can't afford to lose; they'd rather die fighting than lose!
Rather than prolonging our lives in vain, we should fight a glorious and desperate battle.

Preserving the family bloodline does not guarantee that the family will have a chance to rise again.

Family lineage is important, but resources are even more important.

Without resources, no amount of bloodline is of any use.

The Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty is their root, the foundation of their heritage. Without the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, they would lose everything.

Everyone understood this point and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Ignoring their lamentations, Yang Zhengshan continued, "I don't need to say anything more about the rest. As for people, contribute as many as you can. As for supplies, send as many as you can."

"Alright, everyone can go back and get ready now!"

"If there is anything else, I will send someone to inform you!"

After saying this, Yang Zhengshan looked at Jian Changhe, who nodded slightly, said nothing, and got up to leave the main hall.

The crowd dispersed to prepare for the impending war.

After everyone had left, Jian Changhe and Yang Zhenghe strolled casually under the Three Saints Pagoda.

"Why not force them to conscript martial artists?" Jian Changhe asked.

“Time is of the essence, and we cannot waste our energy on this. Rather than forcing them, we should let them take the initiative!” Yang Zhengshan said.

Jian Changhe nodded. "Can you tell me about your plan?"

"A plan!" Yang Zhengshan's lips curled slightly. "There's no plan yet!"

"What do you mean?" Jian Changhe frowned slightly.

Yang Zhengshan shrugged. "Mountain Lord, you just put me in charge of the overall situation, and now you want me to come up with a plan? That's asking too much."

Jian Changhe fell silent. Well, he had indeed been asking too much of him.

"You must have some ideas, right?"

Yang Zhengshan smiled and said, "I have an idea, but the art of war is not something that can be accomplished simply by having an idea! Please wait a moment, my idea will be here soon!"

Jian Changhe looked at him, puzzled, not understanding what he meant.

Just then, Song Dashan walked over quickly, but he didn't say anything when he got close. He just stood quietly to the side.

Yang Zhengshan looked at him and smiled, "Speak, there's no need to hide it from the Mountain Lord!"

"Yes, the elders of the Martial Hall and the Secret Martial Guards have arrived and are waiting for you in the Four Directions Hall!" Song Dashan said.

"Mountain Lord, let's go take a look together!" Yang Zhengshan invited.

"Okay, let's go take a look!" Jian Changhe was very curious about what Yang Zhengshan was up to.

The two returned to the Four Directions Hall, but the hall had changed its appearance. The previous tables had all been removed and replaced with a long table that was three zhang long.

On the long table was a huge sand table, which showed the entire terrain between the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty and the Gate of the Netherworld.

At this moment, more than ten people gathered in the hall, including Qu Changkong, Yang Mingzhi, Yang Minghao, Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, Yang Mingzhen, Yang Chengxu, Yang Chengche, Yang Qinwu, Chen Zhongshu, and Lü Hua.

These people have one thing in common: they were all generals who led troops.

"Greetings, Mountain Lord! Greetings, Your Excellency!" the crowd bowed.

Jian Changhe looked at Yang Zhengshan, who stroked his beard. The title "Master" seemed somewhat inappropriate.

But you'll get used to it. This title didn't come out of nowhere; it's a custom among cultivators.

For example, some families of immortal cultivators like to use titles such as "Master" or "Second Master".

Some Foundation Establishment cultivators' associates also refer to their Foundation Establishment True Persons in this way.

Yang Zhengshan looked at everyone and nodded slightly.

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin!"

"Let's start with the reorganization of the army!"

"Here!"

Everyone responded.

Then Qu Changkong stepped forward and said, "Our own army does not need to be reorganized, but the martial artists from other sects and families need to be divided into different units. Due to time constraints, we cannot conduct reorganization and training for them, so they can only be used as auxiliary troops!"

"How about we reorganize three detachments first? One from the Xuanqing Sect, one from the Huanyue Sect, and one from the remaining aristocratic families!"

“The Xuanqing Sect and Huanyue Sect are easy to handle, but the situation with the aristocratic families is probably a bit chaotic!” Yang Mingwu said.

"The chaos is unavoidable; just don't assign them important tasks!" Yang Chengze said.

"I suggest we don't let them into the city; their entry might affect our soldiers!" Yang Mingzhen said.

"That's right!"

The group discussed and decided to first determine the organizational structure of their own side's army.

Three detachments were established. The Xuanqing Sect and Huanyue Sect were led by themselves, while the detachment of the aristocratic families was led by a general and two deputy generals. The general was the old and prudent Shi Yuqian, and the deputy generals were Lu Fusheng and Nong Yutian.

The three detachments were temporarily stationed within a hundred miles to the west of Wuxiang City, forming a pincer movement as a reserve force for Wuxiang City.

(End of this chapter)