Page 767

Chapter 767: 757 Chapter: Calculations Before the Great War (Part 1)

"Good morning, Old Meng."

At the foot of the Observing Stars Tower, as soon as Meng Sheng stepped down, he saw two familiar faces at the breakfast stall at the entrance. The weather in Jiangnan during March wasn’t really cold, but at this moment Meng Sheng felt a chill throughout his body.

Meng Sheng didn’t speak, but silently took a seat and ordered a bowl of the sweet tofu pudding and fried dough that he often ate.

It was just dawn, and there weren’t many people on the street.

Lyuzhou City was lively at night, especially around the Observing Stars Tower.

Many of them were military households who had idle days and gradually developed nocturnal habits.

Many wouldn’t wake up till noon, so those up at this hour were only the Gate God’s Guards changing shifts.

Meng Sheng knew that a few old acquaintances were watching something, planning a rebellion. Taking advantage of the changing of the guard would make the task much easier.

"You’re getting more and more used to the food here," said the middle-aged man sitting beside him as he casually took a sip of Meng Sheng’s tofu pudding, then shook his head in disgust, "You can stomach such sweet stuff..."

"Don’t you get used to it after staying for a while?" Meng Sheng said with a smile, not minding the other man’s usage of his bowl and continued to drink from it.

"You’re used to it here, but do you still feel accustomed to the past?" the other big man asked straightforwardly.

Meng Sheng’s hand holding the bowl stiffened slightly, knowing that he ultimately had to face it.

The two men who came to find him were Tian Yunhu and Zhou Tengbin, both longstanding veterans of the Tian Family, known for their ruthless methods. Those brothers who had grown close to the King of Qin’s army back in the day had been dealt with by them.

The intentions of these two men coming to find him were very clear.

"Do we really have to do this?" Meng Sheng helplessly put down the bowl, "I think life’s pretty good as it is now."

"Old Meng!" Tian Yunhu had a grim face and didn’t speak, while Zhou Tengbin hurriedly said, "There’s no such thing as permanent stability in this world. Do you think by guarding what little you have, you can maintain this kind of life forever? Times are always changing."

Zhou Tengbin glanced at the comings and goings of the Gate God’s Guards and whispered, "If things never changed, our Tian Family line would’ve perished who knows how many times.

Take the incident with the King of Qin for instance.

If we hadn’t switched sides to the Siao Family in time back then, what do you think our fate would’ve been? "

"And take the earlier instance, if we remained blindly loyal to Lumings, what end did he meet? Aren’t your good days these past few years because the boss had the foresight, allowing our brothers to catch this wave?"

"Yes, Jiangnan is nice, but it won’t always be this way. Times are changing and once the opportunity is missed, it’ll be beyond redemption. Do you understand?"

"Has the boss found a new opportunity?" Meng Sheng frowned, "What is it? I don’t see anywhere that’s worth switching to more than Jiangnan right now."

He didn’t believe the boss was thinking of proclaiming himself king. Without external support, rebelling would be suicidal for his boss!

"You don’t have to worry about that; it’s not your concern," sighed Zhou Tengbin, "Who among our brothers doesn’t know each other? You’ve always been a drifter; none of us expect you to be much help. As long as you stand with us, that’s good enough. Is that okay, Old Meng?"

"Fine..." Meng Sheng replied without hesitation.

Zhou Tengbin immediately broke into a grin, "I knew Old Meng wouldn’t be the one to stray."

Weren’t all who strayed killed by you?

Meng Sheng smiled, feeling absolutely no warmth inside.

Looking at how things were, the boss was probably ready for action.

If he dared to refuse, he feared he might be killed on the spot today.

His own death didn’t matter much, but what about his loyal wife and their two children – could they escape harm?

"We need you to do something." Tian Yunhu, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

Meng Sheng looked at him. Tian Yunhu was Tian Heng’s cousin and most loyal deputy.

Rumor had it that he used to do the dirty work for the Tian Family and, after gaining Tian Heng’s attention, had been promoted to one of the deputy positions.

However, the hidden dirty work was still often assigned to him.

If Zhou Tengbin might hesitate to kill his whole family, this guy definitely wouldn’t even blink.

"Speak," Meng Sheng said.

"The South Gate God is the first Gate General, and the quality of his Gate God’s Guard is not low. We need all the intelligence on the Gate God’s Guard, as well as your cooperation."

Meng Sheng sighed. He knew all too well that there was no way they wouldn’t put him to work.

If he were truly of no great help, he wouldn’t have been invited to the banquet yesterday at all.

He had already seen through the old tactics of these brothers-in-arms, who intentionally let him notice their moves, so he would make a stand.

Wasn’t it all because he actually had a role to play?

"Intelligence gathering is easy to discuss. The South Gate God was previously a demon of the Celestial Wolf tribe. He has now been promoted to a Seventh Rank Gate God, one rank below Lord Xu Hu. His strength should not be underestimated. As a Gate God, he possesses special talents when it comes to defending the city. To be honest, even if the boss himself made a move, it might not be enough to break through his defenses. As for the Gate God’s Guards, although the Gate God’s faith is far from rivalling that of the War Gods, he commands fewer troops.

All his First Rank Gate Generals have already attained Extraordinary Level.

There are three of them, each taking turns on a daily basis, and each has a squad of twenty Super First Rank Gate Guards under their command. "

"These men, in terms of brute strength, definitely cannot compare to the battle-hardened Western Sea Army. Even the Extraordinary-level Gate Generals are certainly no match for the few of us brothers, but it is a different story within the range of the Gate God’s powers.

I have seen their drills, and at that time, Murong Yunji was restricted by three Gate Generals and sixty Super First Rank Gate Guards, and she couldn’t even get half a step through the South Gate.

You should be aware that she is Murong Yunji. .."

With these words, the other two fell silent.

Could it be that Jiangnan has grown so strong without us noticing?

Even a minor deity responsible for guarding a gate is that hard to deal with...

"So we need your help."

"What help can I offer?" Meng Sheng frowned.

"We know you have a very good relationship with the Gate God of Lyuzhou, often drinking together."

Meng Sheng: "...."

"The Gate God’s power can only be fully exerted at the city gates.

If he were to leave the divine area of his duty, he would be just an ordinary Wolf Demon.

Even if he possesses Extraordinary Power, we have plenty of means to deal with him.

Have him meet you at Daqing Mountain for a drink, and then. .."

Hearing this, Meng Sheng stared blankly at the other person, his mind inadvertently recalling a scene from decades ago, which he least wanted to remember.

It seemed that back then, it was these two people who had made him promise to lure that good friend from King Qin’s army out...

It felt like an eternity ago. He hadn’t expected to encounter such a disheartening situation a second time.

Thinking of the Old Wolf who, after a drink, would boastfully reminisce about his glorious days on the Frost Wolf Plains, Meng Sheng’s hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

-----------------------------------------

"Second Brother, will Tian Heng truly rebel?"

Shen Eleven looked curiously between his heavily furrowed second and third brothers in the room.

"It is highly likely..." said Second Elder Shen, "Although I don’t know what the Tian family is relying on, the intelligence we’ve gathered so far is unlikely to be wrong. The Yundu Heavenly Master Mansion... It’s really unexpected, such a major move."

"How did things get connected to Yundu?" Shen Eleven was stunned.

"Do you really think the Heavenly Master’s election this time is a coincidence?

" Second Elder Shen patiently instructed his younger brother, who as the youngest ruler of the Yin Department in the Shen Family, had great potential for growth.

No amount of patient guidance for him was considered too much.

"But Yundu is so far away, how can they support Tian Heng’s rebellion? Surely they’re not just relying on the Western Sea Army?"

"That’s what I want to know too," Second Elder Shen frowned. "Tian Heng’s Western Sea Army is robust, but taking down Lyuzhou City won’t be easy.

The formation protecting the city was developed by the Heaven Academy Disciples over several years, and coupled with the Old Wolf at the gates, even if Tian Heng were to deploy all of his four hundred thousand elite soldiers, they wouldn’t be able to breach the city quickly. "

"If they can’t take the city within three days, once the Warrior Army returns to reinforce it, it would be total annihilation for Tian Heng’s forces, not to mention that his Western Sea Army might not entirely obey his commands."

Shen Lao San nodded as well; it was true that the core of the Western Sea Army was the Tian Family Direct Line, and the army’s notorious exclusiveness was also one of the reasons why the people of Jiangnan preferred to join the Warrior Army.

Yet, with the enormous size of the Western Sea Army, the Tian Family Army alone couldn’t support it all, and a large portion of the soldiers were still ordinary citizens loyal to Jiangnan.

Should Tian Heng rebel, these soldiers of the Western Sea Army wouldn’t hesitate to turn against him. Therefore, the actual force Tian Heng could use to lay siege was only those ten thousand elite troops!

"And there’s also the West Sea Aquatic Tribe.

.." Third Elder Shen murmured lowly, "The followers of Ao Zhen listen only to him. If Wei Gongcheng can win them over, the frontal battlefield presence wouldn’t be inferior to Tian Heng’s forces in the slightest. Tian Heng plans to take Jiangnan by force? He must have another trump card!"