Chapter 47 Initial Control and Mission Restart

"A massive upheaval?" Hearing this, Li Yang’s expression shifted slightly, though confusion predominated.

"Does Father know of the Yellow Turban Cult?" Seeing that his father already understood his objective, Li Xiang realized he had to reveal certain matters to secure his full support.

"You mean that Yellow Turban Cult which uses talismans to heal the sick? But what does that have to do with the upheaval you speak of?" Li Yang was clearly perplexed.

"Does Father know that while the Yellow Turban Cult openly heals with talismans, in secret they are gathering followers? Does Father know that their membership now numbers in the millions? And does Father remember the affair of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang at the end of the Qin dynasty?" Li Xiang pressed on with a series of questions.

Li Yang fell into deep contemplation, his brows furrowed tightly as if wrestling with a fierce internal struggle. Seeing this, Li Xiang merely stood quietly to one side without disturbing him.

After a long while, as though he had finally resolved something, Li Yang asked, "If that is the case, what do you need me to do for you?"

Outwardly, Li Xiang remained calm, but inside, he was overjoyed.

It seemed his father intended to back him. With Li Yang's support, he could openly execute many plans and accelerate his preparations.

Suppressing his elation, Li Xiang said to his father, "Father must truly secure control over the various commanderies of Bingzhou as soon as possible. Furthermore, since Bingzhou is barren, Father must vigorously develop internal governance over the next few years—build high walls, store grain abundantly, and attract refugees from all over the Central Plains to enrich Bingzhou's population."

Then, hesitating slightly, Li Xiang added, "If possible, I need to obtain a certain degree of military authority in Bingzhou."

Li Xiang had assumed his father might not readily agree to this condition, but the outcome exceeded his expectations.

"As for military authority, take it all if you wish. Yet you are still young and might struggle to command obedience. I will recall the veteran General Meng Wu; with him around, you will be able to take charge of the various armies much faster," Li Yang said calmly.

Deeply moved, Li Xiang had known his father would support him, but he had never expected him to go this far. It now appeared his father was staking everything on him.

Li Xiang wanted to say something, but before he could utter a sound, Li Yang waved a hand and said, "It is late. You should go and rest."

Li Xiang had no choice but to withdraw.

However, just as he was about to step out of the room, he finally spoke up, "May I ask why Father is willing to support me to this extent? Does Father truly believe so deeply that I can succeed?"

Pondering this for a moment, Li Yang replied, "I cannot say for certain. Perhaps it is because peerless talents of transcendent caliber like Mister Wang Meng have chosen you that I dare to make such a resolve."

***

The subsequent events proceeded quite smoothly. With Meng Wu, father of Meng Tian, making a special trip back from Yanmen Pass to assist Li Xiang, and with nearly seventy percent of the Bingzhou armies having participated alongside Li Xiang in the great battle at Yanmen Pass, the process of Li Xiang taking command of the military was not overly difficult.

Pity that Ding Yuan had taken Lu Bu with him when he left. Otherwise, even though Li Xiang disliked Lu Bu, he would surely have fully utilized the remaining value of this fierce tiger of Jiuyuan.

Worth mentioning over the past few days was that, apart from Meng Tian who remained far away at Yanmen Pass, the various generals summoned by Li Xiang had now all pledged their allegiance, officially establishing a master-servant relationship with him.

It happened like this: during a military council meeting that day, Wei Xiaokuan abruptly interrupted the discussion with a sudden address of "Lord."

One must understand that whether it was Wang Meng or Wei Xiaokuan, they had only ever addressed Li Xiang as "Lord" in private; in public settings, they still addressed him as "General," just like the rest of the officers.

At that moment, Wang Meng suddenly wore a look of understanding. Stepping out from the ranks and walking into the center of the grand hall, he bowed to Li Xiang and said respectfully, "Greetings, Lord."

Following that, Xue Rengui snapped out of his daze and, imitating Wang Meng, cried out, "Greetings, Lord."

Making the exact same move at the same time as Xue Rengui were Xiong Kuohai, Xingtian, and Dian Wei.

Xiong Kuohai and Xingtian had both started out as Li Xiang's personal guards, and Xingtian had grown up with Li Xiang since childhood, as close as brothers. One could say that although they had not formally recognized Li Xiang as their master before, a master-servant dynamic had long existed in practice. Naturally, it was only fitting for these two to make this choice after Wei Xiaokuan broke the ice regarding his relationship with Li Xiang.

As for Xue Rengui, his cry of "Lord" was the result of deep deliberation. On one hand, Xue Rengui felt indebted to Li Xiang for recognizing his talent; the very moment Xue Rengui joined the army, Li Xiang had directly appointed him as a commandant and repeatedly entrusted him with heavy responsibilities in subsequent major battles.

On the other hand, the current Inspector of Bingzhou, Li Yang, had been an official for many years, and his subordinates were already a well-established faction. As a newcomer, had he pledged allegiance to Li Yang, it would likely have been difficult for him to ever stand out.

Li Xiang, however, was different. Li Xiang was just beginning to build his faction and was severely lacking in personnel; throwing his lot in with Li Xiang at this moment meant he would surely be heavily relied upon.

Moreover, Li Xiang's background was extraordinary—not only was he the legitimate eldest son of Bingzhou Inspector Li Yang, but he was also the young master of the Li family, one of the prominent clans of Bingzhou. With Li Xiang's status, his future prospects were guaranteed, and as one of the very first veterans to follow Li Xiang from the beginning, how could Li Xiang possibly treat him unfairly?

As for Dian Wei, it was even simpler—or rather, Dian Wei was a simple man by nature. His reason for pledging allegiance was straightforward: Li Xiang had frequently visited him when he was recovering from injuries sustained in the Battle of Yanmen Pass, and upon learning that his weapons had been ruined, Li Xiang had gifted him a pair of divine weapons, the Tiger-Slaying Halberds.

Speaking of these Tiger-Slaying Halberds, Dian Wei's acquisition of them was pure serendipity.

During the mission to assassinate the emperor, Li Xiang had slain Wanyan宗望 (Wanyan Zongwang) and obtained a random summon card and a divine weapon card.

He had originally intended to use the divine weapon card for himself, but it had yielded a pair of heavy halberds.

Since Li Xiang vastly preferred using a spear, he had naturally been unwilling to use these massive halberds. Coincidentally, knowing that Dian Wei's weapon was merely forged from ordinary refined iron and scarcely superior in quality to the arms of common soldiers...

...Li Xiang had bestowed the Tiger-Slaying Halberds upon Dian Wei to win his loyalty. Afterwards, Li Xiang even promoted Dian Wei to commander of his personal guards, replacing Xiong Kuohai and Xingtian, who had already been promoted to commandants.

Once Xue Rengui, Xingtian, and the other four made their choice, only Qin Qiong, Lin Chong, Liu Yang, Zhang Liao, and Gao Shun remained in the great hall.

Exchanging glances, after a prolonged silence, Gao Shun took the lead, and the others stepped forward in unison to pledge their allegiance to Li Xiang.

From that moment on, as the troubled times began to stir, Li Xiang finally succeeded in building his very first civilian and military faction.

At this, Li Xiang could not help but marvel. True to his reputation for mastering the art of alienation, Wei Xiaokuan's grasp of human psychology was truly astonishing.

Merely days after pledging his allegiance, Wei Xiaokuan had resolved a major trouble for him and rendered a monumental service.

"Ding! Detected that the host has taken initial control. Main quest: Hegemony activated."
"The host has gained initial practical control. Reward: One super-tier talent summon card."
"When the host subsequently gains practical control over a full commandery, reward: One peerless talent summon card."
"When the host gains practical control over a full province, reward: One divine-tier talent summon card, one historical beauty summon card."
"For every province subsequently controlled, reward: One divine-tier talent summon card, one historical beauty summon card."
"Current reward acquired by the host: One super-tier talent summon card."
"Note: Must be personally and practically controlled by the host."