Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Lv Xinghe glanced around and whispered, "Mom, follow me!"

He then led Deng Yuehe towards the family shrine in the backyard.

Deng Yuehe frowned slightly, feeling a premonition that something bad was about to happen, but she did not say much and merely followed Lv Xinghe into the shrine.

Inside the shrine were the ancestral tablets of the Lv family, and in the incense burner, three sticks of incense were still smoldering.

"What's the matter?" Deng Yuehe asked at this time.

Just as her words fell, a figure emerged from behind the curtains in the shrine.

"Ms. Deng, long time no see!" Luo Jingsong greeted with a slight bow, speaking softly.

"It's you! How come you are here?"

Deng Yuehe's expression turned chilly once she recognized Luo Jingsong.

Naturally, she knew who Luo Jingsong was. After all, he was previously the Hall Master of the Yuheng Star Hall. Although the status of Hall Masters within the Star Moon Sect was not high, they at least governed an entire Star Hall and were regarded as significant figures.

"I am here to persuade you to surrender!" Luo Jingsong declared.

"You have some nerve!" Deng Yuehe uttered coldly.

Luo Jingsong smirked, "It's not that I am bold, but I know that Ms. Deng would surely be willing to defect to Da Rong!"

Deng Yuehe responded, "You are thinking too much; I will not defect to Da Rong!"

"No, you will because you must secure a way out for your Lv brothers! Not just the Lv brothers, but also your precious grandsons!"

Luo Jingsong appeared very relaxed, but his heart was not as at ease as he seemed on the surface.

Even though he was confident in persuading Deng Yuehe, nothing was absolute.

Deng Yuehe's gaze dropped slightly. She was not alone; she had sons and grandchildren, both grandsons and granddaughters. For more than thirty years, her Star Moon Sect had been living cautiously, striving only to provide a stable home for her offspring.

However, now that the Star Moon Sect was at odds with Da Rong, it was uncertain whether the sect could survive this disaster, let alone her and her descendants.

Deng Yuehe stared intently at Luo Jingsong, who looked back at her with a calm demeanor.

Lv Xinghe, standing beside them, couldn't help but interject, "Mom, the Star Moon Sect is definitely no match for Da Rong!"

"Shut up!" Deng Yuehe scolded.

Luo Jingsong said, "Ms. Deng, this is a rare opportunity. If you miss this chance, you may have to flee again. You know full well how unbearable the life of a fugitive is!"

Deng Yuehe replied, "That's not necessarily true. Who says Da Rong is bound to win?"

Luo Jingsong chuckled lightly, "Hehe, let's not indulge in such self-deception. How can the Star Moon Sect defeat Da Rong? With those tens of thousands of pirates, or just Yue Hongyi and the others?"

"My lord is the esteemed Marquis Jing'an of Da Rong, and I don't need to say more. You should understand that as long as my lord is willing to aid you, you can certainly find refuge in Da Rong!"

Deng Yuehe fell silent.

Defect to Da Rong?

Or follow the Star Moon Sect to the bitter end?

"Mom, you know how the Star Moon Sect has treated us. Instead of continuing to put up with their treatment, it's better to defect to Da Rong!" Lv Xinghe couldn't resist urging her once more.

He had had enough of staying on Star Moon Island. The Star Moon Sect didn't treat them as their own, so why should they die alongside the sect?

Deng Yuehe looked at her son, then back at Luo Jingsong, "What can you offer us?"

"What would Ms. Deng want?" Luo Jingsong inquired.

"That letter!" Deng Yuehe said softly.

Luo Jingsong grinned, "That letter is fake, none of the terms written in it can be held accountable!"

When Yang Zhenshan wrote those letters, he was merely making them up on the spot, promising titles of marquis and earl. But he wasn't Emperor Yanping; he couldn't decide on matters of bestowing titles.

Deng Yuehe's brow furrowed, "Then what can you offer us?"

"High-ranking positions and salaries. I dare not promise more, but securing an official post for the Lv brothers is still very feasible!" Luo Jingsong stated.

"How can I trust you?" Deng Yuehe asked.

Conditions and such truly do not matter to her; what she needs is a sanctuary, a place where her descendants can lead a peaceful life.

As for glory, wealth, and honor, they do not hold immense importance in her heart.

Luo Jingsong said, "I can take Brother Lv to meet our Marquis!"

Deng Yuehe pondered for a moment, then looked towards Lv Xinghe.

Lv Xinghe nodded slightly, "Mom, let me go!"

Deng Yuehe took a deep breath, "Alright!"

Upon her agreement, Luo Jingsong also breathed a sigh of relief.

...

Time swiftly moved on to October 18th; the Jiujiang Navy finally arrived at Zhao Wu Guard.

As Yang Zhenshan stood on the temporary dock of the Zhao Wu Guard, watching the mighty Jiujiang Navy approaching, his emotions couldn't help but surge.

The previous Five Guards Navy, coupled with the newly arrived Jiujiang Navy, totaled ten nautical guards with over a thousand warships of varying sizes and over fifty thousand soldiers and officers.

In terms of military strength alone, this does not count as a large force, but the sight of a thousand ships together is indeed awe-inspiring.

The temporary dock wasn't finished yet, and the Jiujiang Navy could not dock, so they temporarily hovered in the nearby sea. However, the main officials of the Jiujiang Navy came ashore first on a medium-sized Hai Cang Ship.

More than a dozen Military Officers in official robes disembarked from the Hai Cang Ship one after the other, led by a man in his forties, over eight feet tall, with a majestic physique, and a stern face that seldom smiled.

"Jiujiang Central Army Commander Bai Yuanxi pays respects to the Marquis!"

"Pays respects to the Marquis!"

Everyone bowed in unison.

"Gentlemen, you are too kind, haha, Mr. Bai, I've been waiting for you for a long time!" Yang Zhenshan said with a smile looking at Bai Yuanxi.

Bai Yuanxi was not only the Commander of Jiujiang Central Army, but he was also the Earl of Changning in Da Rong.

And the Jiujiang Five Guards are five independent garrisons, yet also interconnected.

They are different from other garrisons, directly subordinate to the Central Army Commander's Mansion, like the current Tenglong Four Guards, they do not fall under the jurisdiction of the provincial Governor's Offices but are directly subordinate to the Central Army Commander's Mansion.

The five garrisons are spread out in the rivers and waterways of southern Da Rong, tasked with patrolling and capturing pirates.

And among the Jiujiang Five Guards, the strongest is undoubtedly the Jiujiang Central Army, which is evident from its battleships.

"The journey was long, causing some delay; please forgive me, Marquis!" said Bai Yuanxi.

Yang Zhenshan chuckled and said, "Your arrival is timely. Let's go, we'll talk in the government office!"

He then led the group back to the temporary government office of the Zhao Wu Guard.

The arrival of the Jiujiang Five Guards meant that the gathering of the Four Seas Navy was complete. After the full training, they would be ready to go out to sea for battle.

Firstly, Yang Zhenshan inquired about the situation of the Jiujiang Five Guards, then he arranged training for them.

The conditions of the Jiujiang Five Guards were not great, with the Jiujiang Central Army being somewhat better off, with no shortage of soldiers and warships; although they lacked Da Fu Ships, their mid-sized and smaller warships were fully manned.

The condition of the other four guards was similar to that of Quanhai Guard, Hai State Left Guard, and Leizhou Guard.

Ideally, ten guards should have over fifty-six thousand soldiers, but in reality, the Four Seas Navy plus the Zhao Wu Guard barely had forty-three thousand.

Fortunately, Yang Zhenshan was mentally prepared and did not feel angry this time, knowing that anger would be pointless.

After arranging training for the Jiujiang Five Guards, Yang Zhenshan waited two more days until An Yuxing arrived at Zhao Wu Guard with five Innate Martial Artists from the offering institute.

It was the first time the offering institute had recruited Innate Martial Artists, and Yang Zhenshan didn't know what rewards Emperor Yanping had offered, but he was certain they were substantial because these five Innate Martial Artists from the offering institute were all well-known figures.

An Yuxing, leading the group, with the highest cultivation among them being Daoist Xuanzhen, followed by four others: Mingshan Elder Lu Jin, Yanggu Granny Zhou Qing, Liang Shengze, the grandfather of Marquis Liang Chu of Changping, and Marquis Li Chao of Hai Ning.

Apart from Marquis Li Chao of Hai Ning, the other three were contemporaries of An Yuxing, with cultivation and strength not much different from his.

The arrival of six Innate Martial Artists, in addition to Yang Zhenshan, totaled seven Innate Martial Artists.

Such an assembly, one wonders if the Star Moon Sect would feel honored.