Chapter 1916: Unclear Reason

Not to mention anything else, just the Situ family alone has so many enterprises closely tied to Yangshan!

Just thinking about having to sever ties with national welfare and people's livelihood gives him a headache—what's the difference between that and carving out flesh?

Huo Jia, that bastard, usually calls him brother, but at critical moments he's caused him serious trouble!

General Piyun also spoke up: "Huo Jia's Hometown Association isn't anything good either—I suggest we arrest them all."

Tong Wuhan gave a hollow smile: "I'm also from the Hometown Association—do you want to arrest me first?"

"Why not!" General Piyun stood up, drawing his sword with a clang.

Hearing the commotion, dozens of guards rushed in immediately, blades facing each other.

The room instantly became tense with drawn swords and nocked bows.

"Alright, being angry like this benefits nothing in the big picture." Situ He stepped in to mediate, meanwhile setting the tone: "The Black Armor Army hasn't invaded allied territory, Yangshan Chamber of Commerce has deep ties with us, our war with Bixia isn't over yet—now we should observe more and act less, wait and see, avoid unnecessary conflict!"

He paused: "As for whether to cut ties with Yangshan Chamber of Commerce, each of you decide for yourselves—I won't make it a hard requirement."

Prince Biliu followed up: "And what about the Situ family?"

Situ He didn't answer, just pretended not to hear: "Meeting dismissed—go back and convey your opinions."

Prince Biliu flicked his sleeve and rose, chuckling: "My royal father already predicted this would be the outcome!"

Having said that, he strode away proudly.

The meeting ended here, in discord.

Watching everyone leave, Situ He finally let out a long sigh—so weary.

The allied forces have fought until now, but they're only united in name, not in heart.

It was only then that Tong Wuhan stood up: "Marshal Situ, don't listen to these fools' nonsense—you should just hold your position."

Situ He asked casually: "Oh, why?"

"Biliu Kingdom has its own agenda—today they're just using the Black Armor Army to provoke you; other powers are fearful of the Black Armor Army and don't know how to respond." Tong Wuhan said, "Actually, no one can come up with a countermeasure for this."

"The allied forces are still at war with Bixia—now, offending Yangshan and the Black Armor Army further, what good would that do?" Tong Wuhan said word by word, "If the allied forces can't defeat Bixia, do they even have a reason to exist?"

That last sentence startled Situ He deeply.

Is he able to inherit his father's legacy and continue leading this allied forces merely because all seven factions share a common enemy—Bixia?

He turned to study Tong Wuhan's eyes closely, then sighed: "The Hometown Association really has produced quite a few talents."

He remembered—Tong Wuhan was originally just a minor son of a fallen noble family in Luoyu Kingdom, listless and unfulfilled when he first joined the Hometown Association—who would have thought that in just two years he'd become Luoyu's envoy, speaking like a blade?

Tong Wuhan laughed: "Aren't you also from the Hometown Association?"

After saying that, he bowed and left the residence to return to his country.

Once the room was empty, Situ He paced back and forth several times, his gaze falling again on the sand table.

On it were marked the regions already occupied by the Black Armor Army.

He really wanted to know: how exactly does the Black Armor Army choose its targets and plan its routes? Why does it advance like a bamboo shoot splitting—ever more smoothly?

With so many cities and so many garrisons, it's impossible they're all useless—could the Black Armor Army really just slice through them like melons and vegetables all the way?

That doesn't make sense.

Situ He, after all, has led troops in battle—combining intelligence, he himself drew two routes on the sand table, suspected to be the movement tracks of two Black Armor Army units.

With these lines drawn, the question arose: "If the Black Armor Army is in such a hurry to move forward, why not go north along the Feng River? That would be the shortest route."

Looking at the other unit's track, it even made a "Z"-shaped detour in the middle—at least avoiding two strategic strongholds.

What's special about these places? Why didn't the Black Armor Army take them?

Coincidentally, just then a new letter arrived—it was the key intelligence he had specially requested. He picked it up and read: "Oh, as expected—Die City still stands, and the Black Armor Army bypassed it without attacking."

Situ He still doesn't know why the Black Armor Army abandoned other places, but he understands Die City.

Die City and its five subordinate townships are ruled by the tyrant Dong Pei—this bastard is strong in soldiers and horses, not inferior to the man-eating demon Zhao Guangzhi of old, just lacking that cannibalistic taste, so his fame isn't as great.

The Black Armor Army bypassing him without attacking shows they don't want to bite hard bones—at least not for now.

In the following days, further intelligence came in, also indirectly confirming his view: the Black Armor Army may appear mighty and omnipresent, but in fact they follow specific routes and rhythms, taking over territories that are either not strong or lack firm resistance will.

Seeing this, Situ He felt slightly relieved—after all, the allied forces are stronger than Dong Pei; if the Black Armor Army avoids Dong Pei, they shouldn't come after the allied forces either.

As if to confirm his view, in the eight days after, the Black Armor Army remained like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds—intensifying, causing panic wherever they passed on the Jinjin Plains—but they indeed bypassed allied territory without the slightest encroachment.

Intelligence about the Black Armor Army and Yangshan has also become increasingly complete. One particularly notable point: the Black Armor Army actually openly recruits heroes and righteous men in over a dozen free ports and trade zones—such as the Ghost Market of Floating Isle at Julu Port, and the Zigzag Tower in Ye City of the allied forces—not only with huge red notices posted, but even with dedicated offices stationed nearby.

Not a single word missed, not a single line omitted—read it all!

People near and far, hearing the news, came rushing to join in an endless stream.

The fame of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor and the Black Armor Army has spread far and wide—they've long won favor in Jinjin; the proclamations on the notices, every word and sentence, including the stipend amounts, make people's blood boil—many didn't even finish reading before turning around to sign up.

The recruitment offices are constantly packed to the brim.

However, the Dragon God doesn't take just anyone—those too frail are rejected, only sons are rejected, those who've never seen blood on a blade are rejected—unless they have some special talent.

The undercover agent sent by Situ He passed the review smoothly, signed the contract, and proudly joined the Dragon God's great army.

Only after entering did he know: they weren't assigned to the Black Armor Army, and must undergo thirteen days of intense training—content includes combat drills, signal commands, discipline and taboos, etc. —before they can go to the battlefield.

Moreover, the combat objective is unclear—before departure, they're only told how many days' rations to bring; soldiers don't know where they're being sent, they just follow along.

Also, the food is excellent—rice, meat dishes, fruits, and marching rations are supplied abundantly.

The weapons and gear issued may not be brand new, but they're undamaged, rust-free, and well-maintained.

Considering these details, how much manpower and resources must be spent? Situ He grows more alarmed the more he looks.

If this continues, the Dragon God's great army will be like a rolling snowball—growing ever larger.

Because of this, Ye City bears enormous pressure—City Guard Kang Lang says whatever it takes, he refuses to close the Zigzag Tower, even to the point of father and son turning against each other.

The King of Biliu angrily scolded his sixth son, and his exact words even reached Situ He's ears: "What exactly did Huo Jia and the Hometown Association pour into you, making you so dead-set on opposing your father!"

But Situ He understands Kang Lang's stance—because compared to other regions of Biliu Kingdom, Ye City's economy and livelihood depend even more heavily on the operations of the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce.

In his fury, the King of Biliu didn't bother with discussion—he just wanted to shut down all Yangshan branches domestically—but somehow, the process wasn't smooth. Situ He heard he dragged his feet on closing a few, and then the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce headquarters sent an inquiry, expressing serious concern over this move—on the letter, even the Dragon God's seal was added, the threatening intent obvious without need for explanation.

The war of the Dragon God burned ever brighter, and all the great and small powers on the Flash Gold Plains trembled in fear, while the divisions within the Allied Forces grew ever wider.

This great upheaval was drawing everyone in, and not long after, another earth-shattering thunderclap exploded in the northeast of the Flash Gold Plains.

When Boss Situ received the news, his hand trembled.