250: Chapter 250 The Big Pie

Watching the two elders leave, Xu Chaoyang's expression turned cold.

Soon, General Liang brought Commander-in-Chief Wang Jintang and Division Commander Song Yu in.

Xu Chaoyang was far less polite to these two division commanders of the National Defense Army; he didn't even stand up, merely gesturing casually to the opposite side.

"Sit."

The two exchanged a glance, then sat opposite him.

Xu Chaoyang pointed to the uncollected teacups in front of them. "These two cups of tea were left unfinished by Elder Jiang and Elder Zheng; they are still hot."

Division Commander Song Yu felt insulted and immediately tried to stand up and leave, but was grabbed by Commander-in-Chief Wang Jintang.

Xu Chaoyang looked up at Division Commander Song Yu and asked, "Are you very angry?"

"Forty-two years ago, the four cities of Song City, Feng City, Sangyu, and Dongyu each had a Duke."

"The late Emperor Ye Baihong wanted to weaken the feudal lords and promised my father that if he could help end this situation, he would be made the Governor of Feng City."

"Later, the matter succeeded, but that incompetent ruler issued a single decree, and Ye Baiming became the successor, while my father was reassigned to Song City."

"Song City was fine; although Song City had to face the threats of Nanhe and Chilin directly, my father accepted it."

"But what happened later? You probably all know about it, right?"

"The Huangbei Mining Area should have belonged to Song City, which was my father's fief, but Ye Baiming forcibly occupied it with military force. When my father went to reason with them, he was ambushed and killed."

"Afterward, Ye Baihong personally stepped in to mediate."

"Mediation, hehe, just those two light, airy words, and nothing else."

"I was too young then to remember exactly what he said. But I remember he also gave me a cup of tea, told me to drink it in front of him, and said that once I finished it, the matter would be over."

"Gentlemen, is the tea in front of you any harder to swallow than the one I had back then?"

Commander-in-Chief Wang Jintang remained silent.

But Division Commander Song Yu sneered and retorted, "Governor Xu, can you tell me, who killed President Qi?"

Xu Chaoyang shook his head. "I admit, President Qi was standing in my way, and I argued with him many times because of it."

"But President Qi and I were both teacher and friend; for thirty years, we treated each other with great respect, and the situation was maintained quite well."

"You suspect I killed him, and your reasoning is sound, but where is the evidence?"

"Could it not be someone else plotting schemes?"

"You should be aware of how many things have happened recently; is it just me, Xu Chaoyang, stirring up trouble?"

"If I had done it, would my son have been assassinated at the same time?"

"Don't forget, I, this Governor of Song City, was recommended by the Six Marshals!"

At this moment, Commander-in-Chief Wang Jintang asked, "Governor Xu, you didn't just call us here today to talk about these things, did you?"

Xu Chaoyang nodded. "We are all soldiers, so I will speak plainly."

"If the Six Marshals had been a bit more ruthless back then and sat directly on the throne, I, Xu Chaoyang, would have been the number one royalist."

"But the current Dongyu has reached the brink of national destruction; I cannot watch generation after generation of incompetent rulers continue to mess around like this."

"With President Qi's position vacant, I hope one of you will fill the gap."

"But for the person who fills it, I hope it is one of our own."

Commander-in-Chief Wang Jintang sneered. "Governor Xu, everyone understands what you are trying to do."

"But I still have to pour some cold water on you. Do you think you can change the world with just four or five divisions and a dozen Spirit Map users? That is too naive."

"The ones who truly determine the fate of this country are those few Huagai Realm powerhouses."

"Without crossing that hurdle, everything else is just empty talk."

Xu Chaoyang flipped his hand, and a crystal appeared in his palm.

The crystal emitted a strange light; its light did not travel in straight lines, but instead carved the space it touched into diamond-shaped outlines, which was incredibly magnificent.

The gazes of Commander-in-Chief Wang Jintang and Division Commander Song Yu were involuntarily drawn to it.

"This is..."

"It was obtained from the periphery of a Divine Ruins. Inside the Divine Ruins lies the opportunity to advance to Huagai Realm."

"Elder Zheng and Elder Jiang have just stated that they will support me with supplies and ordnance."

"Three days from now, the Sangyu delegation will arrive in Song City, led by the special Envoy of Gao Gong and Wang Weiyi. I will use this to reach an agreement with them."

"At that time, we will form a joint team of about thirty Spirit Map users to jointly explore this Divine Ruins."

"If you two are willing to join us, there can be a place for you in this team."

"The opportunity is equal. Regardless of which one of us achieves Huagai Realm, the others will honor him as the new sovereign of Dongyu."

Having said this, Xu Chaoyang stood up.

"Gentlemen, you have three days to consider. If the Sangyu delegation arrives and you still haven't given me an answer, I can only assume that you have refused."

Commander-in-Chief Wang Jintang and Division Commander Song Yu exchanged another glance, then stood up and left.

Coming to the outer room, General Liang, Zhang Wei, and four or five of his city guard division commanders immediately surrounded them.

Xu Chaoyang scanned them all. "There is no need to crowd here; supplies and equipment will arrive soon. Go back and do what you need to do. Old Liang, come with me to the The Cathedral to meet those people."

General Liang was greatly shocked. "My lord, we have reached this point; is this still necessary?"

Xu Chaoyang sighed. "Of course it is necessary. The people of this city still need faith."

"I don't ask them to help with anything, but as long as they don't become an obstacle, we can reduce a great number of casualties when the time comes."

"Even if... it is the worst possible outcome, we must know it early."

——————

The scorching sun hung high in the sky.

Yun Zhuoyue stepped off the battle vehicle and looked up at the peak of Dajiao Mountain, her chest heaving slightly.

She originally did not want to get too involved with Tang Long at such a time.

Her Master had once said that the military must remain pure, a principle many generals in the army held as a golden rule.

She believed this too, so she was quite resistant to Tang Long's identity.

However, as soon as she returned to the base, she received news that Commander-in-Chief Wang Jintang and Division Commander Song Yu had gone to see Xu Chaoyang.

Immediately after, she heard that the arrival schedule of the Sangyu delegation had been greatly advanced, and she could no longer remain calm.

No matter how unwilling she was to believe Tang Long, she had to admit that the situation was developing in the direction Tang Long had analyzed.

Once Xu Chaoyang successfully allied with the Sangyu people, war would be imminent in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, she had no choice but to call Tang Long again.

But she did not understand why Tang Long wanted her to come here.

The Hu Xiao battle vehicle could traverse mountains and ridges, but the vehicle body was heavy, and driving it so far, relying entirely on spiritual energy, was not easy for her either.

Having stopped for only a few minutes, players began to run over one after another, circling her like monkeys, chattering and watching.

"Wow! Since when was there an NPC here?"

"What is wrong with the NPCs in this game? Why do they all like wearing masks?"

"Forget the mask, just look at that figure, isn't it top-tier?"

"That's for sure. It looks like a 36E."

"If my wife had legs like that, why would I be playing games every day?"

Although she didn't understand some of the words, Yun Zhuoyue could still feel the lewdness of these players and the obscenity in their speech.

Just as she was about to draw her blade to cut them down, she suddenly felt the aura of a powerful expert rapidly approaching.

It was a Spirit Map user!

She immediately grabbed the hilt of her blade with her backhand, ready to draw it at any moment.

Two seconds later, the person appeared not far in front of her, which made her even more surprised.

Thunder Leopard Xie Jin?

Xie Jin's gaze upon her was also slightly puzzled. "Group Leader Yun? Why are you here?"

Yun Zhuoyue retorted, "I should be asking you that. Song City and Feng City are separated by Dajiao Mountain; this place belongs to the jurisdiction of Song City. Why is Chief Steward Xie so free?"

Xie Jin chuckled. "No need to be so tense. Actually, I wanted to ask, was it Your Excellency Tang Long who asked you to come?"

Yun Zhuoyue was a bit surprised, but also somewhat relieved.

That kid Tang Long really had means; it was not strange for a bishop of The Sect to listen to him, but people like Elder Zheng and Elder Jiang were definitely not easily swayed.

And then there was this Thunder Leopard Xie Jin, the chief steward of the Duke of Fengcheng, a Spirit Map powerhouse who had been famous for decades.

So she nodded slightly. "Since Chief Steward Xie can ask that, then you are also here for him?"

"That's right." Xie Jin nodded with a smile.

Yun Zhuoyue also gave a light laugh. "I am very curious, for a person like Chief Steward Xie, what condition did he use to persuade you? It wouldn't be the Thunder Emperors Eight Scenes Art, would it?"

Xie Jin stroked his goatee and chuckled. "Hasn't Group Leader Yun already guessed it?"

Yun Zhuoyue was greatly shocked. "He, a Qi Manipulation user, is performing Empowerment for a Spirit Map user? Does he not want to live anymore?"

As they spoke, a burst of cheers suddenly erupted from the player camp on the mountaintop.

Xie Jin looked up and smiled. "It should be that Your Excellency Tang Long has arrived. If he is willing to answer, you can get the answer from him."