Tri-City Alliance

Dawn City, General's Manor.

Inside the reception hall, the atmosphere seemed lively, yet there was a faint, almost imperceptible tension.

"Commander Yang, on behalf of my commander, I offer you my greetings!"

"Commander Yang, on behalf of my commander, I pay my respects!"

Yang Yufeng sat upright in the seat of honor. A hearty smile piled onto his face as he raised a hand to gesture for them to rise:

"General Fan, General Lu, you must be exhausted from your long journey! There is no need for such formalities, please, take a seat!"

Once the two travel-worn deputy generals sat down as instructed, Deputy General Fan from Double River City spoke impatiently, his tone anxious:

"Commander Yang! On our way to your noble city, our army discovered clear tracks of a large contingent passing along the southern bank of the Luoshui River!"

"Combined with our intelligence, it is almost certain that the demoness's target is exactly my Double River City!"

He leaned forward, his voice urgent. "I believe that the matter of the three-city alliance brooks no delay! We must immediately consolidate our forces and pursue them with all haste to prevent future troubles!"

Yang Yufeng, however, remained unhurried. He stroked the short beard on his chin and smiled:

"General Fan, do not panic. I know you are anxious, but don't be anxious just yet. First, listen to the news I have received on my end."

Deputy General Fan's brows were tightly furrowed, his worry undiminished:

"General Yang, how can I not be anxious? To encircle and kill that demoness, Double River City has sent out all its elites!"

"Now, only forty thousand defenders remain in the city. Yet that demoness has the thirty thousand Golden Feather Guards commanded by Chen Busha! They are all death-sworn soldiers who have survived a hundred battles. The fifty thousand defenders of North River City were slaughtered to the last man by these very people!"

Yang Yufeng acted as if he hadn't heard his anxiety. His gaze shifted to a scholar standing to the side, and he said leisurely:

"Mr. Wei, please share the intelligence we have gathered with the two generals."

Only then did Deputy Generals Fan and Lu notice the silent scholar standing beside Yang Yufeng.

Wei Tingsong stepped forward slowly and bowed to the two deputy generals, a confident smile on his face:

"General Fan, General Lu, according to multiple cross-referenced intelligence reports, the reason the demoness and the Golden Feather Guards were able to shake off pursuit so quickly and march east towards Double River City is..."

He deliberately paused. Seeing the two listening intently, he lowered his voice and revealed the crucial information:

"The Golden Feather Guards are overdrawing their true qi, executing a forced march at any cost!"

"What?!" Deputy General Fan stood up abruptly, his face instantly replaced by immense surprise and relief.

"Is that true?!"

"Absolutely true."

Wei Tingsong's tone was firm.

"If it weren't for such extreme measures, how could they have possibly escaped your pursuit so quickly?"

"So that's how it is! So that's how it is!"

Deputy General Fan paced back and forth excitedly for a couple of steps, slapped his thigh, and said:

"No wonder! After receiving my commander's urgent orders, I immediately changed direction and traveled day and night. In the end, let alone the people, I didn't even catch a glimpse of the Golden Feather Guards' shadows!"

"If they are executing a forced march by overdrawing their true qi, then it makes perfect sense! They are seeking their own doom!"

Seeing this, Yang Yufeng stroked his beard and smiled. "General Fan, are you still anxious now?"

Deputy General Fan laughed loudly and cupped his fists. "Not anxious! Not anxious at all! Commander Yang is truly as steady as Mount Tai, I am in awe! It was my failure to keep my composure that almost ruined a good thing!"

Wei Tingsong took a timely step forward and said seriously:

"Generals, although this move by the Golden Feather Guards is no different from drinking poison to quench their thirst, their self-collapse is only a matter of time."

"However, it is better to be safe than sorry. I believe the three cities must still form an alliance."

"Only with unified command, coordinated defense, and the casting of an inescapable net, can we ensure that the demoness has no chance of escape."

Deputy General Lu, who had been silent all this time, also spoke in a deep voice:

"Mr. Wei is right. If we had formed an alliance earlier, we might have already captured the demoness beneath the walls of Dawn City. It wouldn't have come to this."

Deputy General Fan also nodded repeatedly. "I second that! The three-city alliance is imperative!"

Seeing that the two were in agreement, a sharp gleam flashed in Wei Tingsong's eyes. Striking while the iron was hot, he said:

"Since both generals agree to the alliance, an army cannot be without a supreme commander."

"Whether in terms of seniority, prestige, military rank, or geographical advantage, I believe the Commander of Dawn City is the unparalleled candidate for the supreme commander of this three-city alliance. I wonder... what do you two think?"

Fan and Lu exchanged a glance, both seeing the understanding and helplessness in each other's eyes.

They were both deputy generals, while Yang Yufeng was the only full commander, not to mention they were currently in Dawn City.

There was never any suspense about who would be the supreme commander of the three-city alliance.

The two immediately stood up, cupped their fists, and said in unison: "We are willing to serve Commander Yang as the supreme commander of the alliance!"

Only then did Yang Yufeng burst into loud laughter. He stood up, thoroughly smug and satisfied, and made a gesture to help them up:

"Since the two generals trust me, it would be disrespectful of me to decline!"

"Rest assured, you two. As long as we capture the demoness and purge the rebels, I will definitely claim the highest merit for you before the Second Prince!"

After another round of pleasantries and compliments where both host and guests were delighted, Yang Yufeng's expression suddenly turned solemn. An aura of authority, cultivated from a long time in a high position, emanated from him as he shouted in a deep voice:

"Wei Tingsong."

Wei Tingsong immediately walked briskly to the center of the hall, knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and respectfully replied: "Present!"

"Effective immediately, you are promoted to the military strategist of the three-city alliance to assist me in dispatching the armies!"

"I obey!"

"General Fan! General Lu, hear your orders!"

Fan and Lu dared not be negligent. They also left their seats, knelt on one knee, cupped their fists, and assented: "Present!"

"Your two divisions will serve as the left and right wings of the allied army respectively. You must complete your integration in the shortest time possible and form combat readiness. There must be no mistakes!"

"We accept our orders!"

Yang Yufeng stood with his hands behind his back. His gaze swept over the three of them, his voice booming like a great bell:

"I shall personally lead the elites of Dawn City..."

He paused slightly, seeming to have changed a certain number at the last moment.

"A grand army of fifty thousand! We will serve as the main force of the central army! I will personally oversee the battle and vow to capture that demoness alive to present before the Second Prince!"

Fifty thousand?!

Kneeling below, Wei Tingsong's body stiffened slightly, almost imperceptibly. A trace of astonishment and doubt flashed through his lowered eyes.

According to the prior simulations he had conducted with Yang Yufeng, in order to maintain the balance of the three-city alliance and reserve troops for defending the city,

the troops dispatched by Dawn City this time should at least match the other two cities, while still maintaining a certain advantage.

Therefore, forty-five thousand was the optimal number.

Yet this sudden addition of five thousand...

"Could it be that the General feels the advantage over Fan and Lu is too small to monopolize the credit?"

Although the three-city alliance was currently harmonious on the surface, with Yang Yufeng as the supreme leader,

if they really surrounded the demoness, it wasn't certain whether Fan and Lu would still obey commands when the time came.

With a heaven-shaking merit right before their eyes, naturally, whoever captured her first would be the one to pocket it.

Wei Tingsong's thoughts raced like lightning, instantly seeing through the deeper intentions behind Yang Yufeng's last-minute change.

However, his facial expression quickly returned to normal, concealing that fleeting shock and doubt, not letting Fan and Lu beside him notice a single thing.

As for Deputy Generals Fan and Lu, although they were also surprised by the number fifty thousand,

they merely took it as Yang Yufeng adding more stakes to ensure absolute certainty. They didn't think too deeply about his intention to monopolize the credit, and replied in unison:

"The Supreme Commander is wise! We will do our utmost to cooperate and capture the demoness together!"