Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1392 - 1385: Overall Strength

Chapter 1392: Chapter 1385: Overall Strength

"Thanks to Zisu telling me about the origins of the three aristocratic families, I thought of a solution," Luo’er answered truthfully.

"Shouldn’t this be your own merit?" Although she said this, Zisu still felt rather pleased and shyly lowered her head.

"Additionally, I have some questions I’d like to ask you." After pausing, Luo’er solemnly said.

"Mhm, ask whatever you want, I’ll answer everything," Zisu nodded incessantly, resembling a little girl, which made Ziyu couldn’t help but sigh softly, then she lowered her head.

"How are the noble families ranked within the Dongsheng Empire, and what exactly is the difference between the giants, the aristocratic families, and the common families?" Luo’er asked earnestly.

"Uh, this..." Zisu was stunned for a moment as Luo’er’s question touched on the limits of her intelligence, and she did not know where to start immediately.

"I’ll explain," seeing her sister’s face red with embarrassment, Zisu sighed again and said.

"I appreciate it, Leader Ziyu," Luo’er turned his head toward her and thanked her respectfully.

"No need to be polite, after all, Mr. Luo’er, you are also considering the Demon Clan," Ziyu said with a smile.

Clearing her throat a bit, Ziyu put on a serious expression and said, "In Kyushu, the noble families are ranked based on an overall ranking that determines who are the giants, who are the aristocratic families, and who are the commoners. The overall ranking is established from a combination of the total martial prowess of these families, their assets, and other criteria. However, generally speaking, the total sum of martial prowess carries the most weight. Giants cannot be without powerful individuals, and common families absolutely have no powerful individuals."

"Can you be more specific?" Luo’er listened intently, nodding his head occasionally.

"The so-called total sum of martial prowess refers to how many cultivators a family has and the sum of their combined combat power, which is very important in the rankings. The powerful individuals are essentially cultivators who have cultivated to near perfection; they are often the family’s last support, continually nurtured by the family to maintain its status," Ziyu explained.

"So, the number of powerful individuals a family has determines whether they can establish and grow in Kyushu?" Luo’er asked.

"That is correct," Ziyu nodded and said, "However, it should be clarified that for a cultivator to become a powerful individual, the required funds are astronomical. Thus, lined up with martial prowess is family assets. Without sufficient assets, a family cannot produce a powerful individual. That’s why I said earlier, common families absolutely have no powerful individuals unless a miracle occurs."

"So, a family needs sufficient assets to support a powerful individual, and once they have one, their status rises a step higher?" Luo’er asked.

"That’s right," Ziyu nodded with satisfaction.

"And do the giant families in each state of Kyushu all have many powerful individuals?" Luo’er continued to ask.

"It can’t be described as many," Ziyu gestured with her index finger, "You must understand, one high-quality powerful individual absolutely has a stronger impact than a group of low-quality cultivators. So those who are recognized as powerful individuals are truly exceptional, capable of defeating thousands without issue."

"I understand," Luo’er nodded, thoughtfully lowering his eyelids.

"This is also why the Dongsheng Imperial Court allows these noble families to form private soldiers, because even if the Imperial Court opposed, they would not be a match for these aristocratic family’s powerful individuals. If these noble families united in opposition, then Kyushu would change its allegiance again," Ziyu said with a smile.

Pausing for a moment, she seemed to think of something, then straightened her expression and said, "However, the Dongsheng Imperial Court is not completely passive. Under the push of the Civil Official group, the Dongsheng Imperial Court issued a rule that if a family reaches ten thousand private soldiers, they must rebel. Hence, all the private soldiers of the noble families do not exceed ten thousand, thus they are called the Nine Thousand Battalion."

"The Civil Official group actually has so much power, daring to make these noble families concede?" Luo’er asked, somewhat amazed.

Upon being reminded by Ziyu, Luo’er realized that he might have underestimated the Civil Official group of the Dongsheng Empire; despite being scholars, they were quite capable—it was unexpected that they could make a wolf spit out the bone.

"Dongsheng Court has been at a disadvantage in its struggle against the aristocratic families for a long time, and the Nine Thousand Battalion is just a minor victory for them. But even though each aristocratic family has only nine thousand members, when they unite, they are still capable of confronting the Imperial Court," Ziyu continued.

Truly the real Leader of the Maoyou Clan, Ziyu’s intelligence about Kyushu was far more extensive than Zisu’s.

"Just as a closed-door allows a mouse to escape through the window, the Dongsheng Court might have limited their numbers, but there are always ways around policies. If they can’t build up numbers, these aristocratic families start to improve quality. There is a saying in Kyushu, ’With a million mediocre soldiers, all are ordinary; with nine thousand elite, unmatched.’"

"The aristocratic families continuously enhance the quality of the troops in the Nine Thousand Battalion, wishing every member were a Cultivator. I mentioned before that quality matters more than quantity, so despite the Nine Thousand Battalion’s fewer numbers, the Dongsheng military might not necessarily overcome them," Ziyu added.

"Does the Dongsheng Court have no measures in place to respond?" Luo’er further inquired.

"Of course, the Dongsheng Court has countermeasures," Ziyu said, "they have a Military Official System specifically for recruiting Cultivators and scholars to serve in the court. This system has two departments: the one recruiting Cultivators is called the Military Armament Department, where a Cultivator becomes a General and thus a court-appointed official. The one recruiting scholars is called the Military Scripture Department, where a scholar becomes a Commander. The Demon Clan’s army has interacted with them often, you should be familiar, right?"

"So it’s like that," Luo’er said with a sudden realization, "Generals come from the Military Armament Department, Commanders from the Military Scripture Department..."

For some reason, Luo’er immediately thought of that Commander named Xuan. Being a Commander, meant that he came from the Military Scripture Department, a scholar, and thus he likely belonged to the Civil Official group.

"Do you find it strange?" Ziyu asked curiously, tilting her head.

"Yes," Luo’er nodded, honestly answering, "in our country, Commanders and Generals are usually the same person, a General doesn’t charge into battle but knows how to lead troops in war. For strategizing and planning, there are people to assist them, known in ancient times as aides-de-camp, now called staff officers."

"That makes sense, doesn’t it? The Demon Clan’s military operates similarly, only the Dongsheng military would have such an unusual system," Ziyu said with a smile.

"Mmm," they were chatting when suddenly Linglan coughed, her expression somewhat pale as she said, "Let’s discuss personal matters later, we’re currently in a meeting, please don’t discuss anything unrelated to the meeting."

"I’m very sorry, Director Linglan," Luo’er bowed his head guiltily, "I accidentally digressed, but I still have some questions that need clarification to reach a conclusion, could I..."

"Ah, try not to discuss irrelevant matters," Linglan sighed, waving her hand.

"Yes," Luo’er nodded and then turned to Ziyu. He dared not look directly into Ziyu’s eyes because they were too enchanting; he could only stare at the captivating mole under the corner of her eye without meeting her gaze.

"I need to understand," Luo’er said, "how the three aristocratic families in West Outer Heaven might unite and convince the Dongsheng Court to deploy troops to West Outer Heaven?"

"They cannot," Ziyu thought for a moment and then decisively replied, "according to our understanding, influencing the policies of the Dongsheng Court requires at least the influence of a provincial magnate-level aristocratic family."

"So you mean, this incursion by the Dongsheng Empire was led by one or several provincial magnates?" Luo’er squinted as he asked.

"What do you want to know?" Ziyu looked at Luo’er, sensing an underlying meaning in his words.

"Among the three aristocratic families occupying West Outer Heaven—the Yichuan, Zixia, and Dangyang—which is most likely to receive support from a Kyushu magnate?" Luo’er continued.

"Um..." Ziyu was stumped by Luo’er’s question, remaining silent for a while before squinting her eyes and definitively saying, "The Yichuan Clan of Jiangzhou. They are a collateral branch of the Yichuan Clan of Yin State, and there are definitely interactions between them, unlike what outsiders claim about them having no dealings."

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