Chapter 131: Peaks Rising Like Forests, the Victory Alliance (Please Subscribe and Vote)

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Wang Cheng followed Uncle Dong Qi toward a corner of the main hall, silently observing everyone along the way. Great men had often said that factions are countless and strange. Before the establishment of the East Sea Nation, the Five Peaks Banner was merely a loose alliance of maritime merchants, naturally divided into many factions.

There was the core, loyal Danmin faction represented by Huang Yuanzhou, Uncle Dong Qi, and Uncle Zhang San; the Blue Peak Banner’s guardian spirit generals, now half-dispersed, led by Dragon Tail Lord; and the Black Peak Banner, commanded by “Black Qilin” Mao Haifeng, rapidly expanding by recruiting outsiders to become the largest faction.

These three factions once formed the backbone of the Five Peaks Banner but had since parted ways, while the remaining two forces were not to be underestimated.

The fourth faction consisted of the various national maritime merchants sheltered under the Five Peaks Banner’s umbrella. They held extensive networks across the East Sea and South Seas, sailing freely under the banner’s protection. If one thought sea merchants were mere sheep, that would be a grave mistake—they were also known as the “Armed Maritime Merchant Groups,” led by the “Thousand Gold Peddler” Xu Weixue.

The fifth faction was a collection of gray forces gathered over the years: reformed “Robber Bandits,” half-merchant, half-pirate Wokou warriors, Westerners who found no footing at home, those with tangled backgrounds known as the Black Gloves, and wanted criminals who had run afoul of the Great Zhao authorities. Many of these pledged allegiance to King Jinghai as their lord but lacked any real hierarchical structure. Their leader was “Debt Collector” Old Peng.

The Great Zhao customs officer, currently being hunted by senior sister Shen Yueye, naturally belonged to this faction.

Of course, within these five great factions were countless smaller groups, overlapping and interwoven. Among the upper echelons, the twenty-four generals and thirty-six fierce warriors were scattered, and even within their own factions, most leaders lacked absolute authority.

In short, though the East Sea Nation had been established, it had yet to form a true kingdom governance system—it remained a makeshift setup, needing a second founding to rise from the ashes.

And that was not even counting the northern South Seas, where more independent ship captains and maritime warlords, beyond the Five Peaks Banner’s control, pursued the elixir of immortality and the official title of Protector of the Realm, all converging on Yingzhou.

The East Sea Nation now was a sprawling vortex, threatening to engulf countless lives.

By now, Wang Cheng had a clear picture:

“My ‘Thunder Listener’ and ‘Rare Commodity’ both see clearly—there is a power vacuum among the Five Peaks’ upper ranks. Aside from Mao Haifeng, every faction wants a share of the pie. Many plan to take a big bite from the banner, then scatter.

“Mao Haifeng aims to rise by swallowing the banner’s juiciest assets: the naval fleet, the actual control of sea routes, the temple army Five Peaks selected troops, and Pinghu Harbor. Others won’t take that lying down.

“No wonder he wants to attack Great Zhao—to kill with a borrowed knife.”

“I must also admit, without a living third-rank ‘Ghost God’ to command, the old order’s collapse is inevitable. The question is whether, like the Great Zhao court arranged, some troops will submit to the throne while others break away; or if a brutal internal and external conflict will ignite, ushering in the East Sea’s full pirate era in one fell swoop.

“Now it depends on whether I can take down that white-eyed traitor and how much strength I can preserve to keep the Five Peaks Banner standing.”

The first step now was to secure the truly loyal Danmin core forces and win over the scattered demons along the Yingzhou coast.

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“Dragon Tail Lord! Uncle Zhang San! Aunt Shui!”

In a small circle curtained off in the corner of the hall.

The tactful “Mirage General” Huang Yuanzhou was there, serving tea, even the clam maiden Shui Rou had emerged from her shell to join them ashore.

When Wang Cheng entered, Zhang San, with a square face, thick brows, and large eyes that exuded reliability, was adjusting a freshly served fish dish on the table.

He squinted, aligning the fish head precisely facing east before nodding in satisfaction.

Wang Cheng recalled Zhang San was from Dengzhou, a fellow townsman of the famous Qi Hu. His official rank was a fifth-grade local officer, “Chef,” skilled in authentic nine-turn intestines and scallion-braised sea cucumber.

“You're here? Sit down quickly.”

Zhang San invited Wang Cheng to sit and got straight to the point:

“You came back too hastily today; most people aren’t at Pinghu Harbor.

“The original seven main cities of the East Sea’s vassal states all need personnel to hold them, and most are our men. Your uncles and elders hold this foundation firmly.

“Cheng, what’s your plan? Are you going to fight for this legacy or not?”

Nearby, storyteller Dong Piao cast a spell to ensure their words remained secret, unread even by lip readers, and interjected:

“Uncle Seven wants to lay it out for you.

“We middle third-rank officers have made great progress in our cultivation. We can inhale qi and dine on clouds, unify with heaven and man, and our combat power far exceeds the lower ranks.

“We can also burn incense, open altars, duel remotely, summon officials, and use ghostly powers to personally train our temple army’s ghost troops.

“In battle, we lead charges, mastering the ten-way assault and ten-way defense. At sea, hardly anyone fights foolishly alone.

“So don’t underestimate us—even with only fifth-grade ranks after a lifetime of cultivation, who below third rank dares to say they can overpower us?

“Including that one.”

He gestured toward Mao Haifeng’s direction, then continued:

“Why is the old shipowner the strongest? Because he commands many troops and guardian spirit generals, always overwhelming enemies with numbers.

“At sea, the ‘Beast Gathering and Bird Taming’ is the top-tier battlefield divine skill.”

The immortal path prized longevity and freedom;

The divine path valued protecting the nation and loyal virtue.

In other words, immortals valued the individual; gods valued the collective.

No matter how strong one was, being surrounded meant death.

Though the Danmin core lacked Mao Haifeng’s fourth-rank officers, they held most of the temple army’s ghost troops, the Five Peaks picks.

That white-eyed traitor had to tread carefully no matter what.

He was a thorn in their side, the first faction Mao Haifeng wanted to purge or co-opt using the government navy—and also Wang Cheng’s greatest leverage.

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Sitting cross-legged on the table, the louse spirit Dragon Tail Lord continued:

“Young master, the Blue Peak Banner’s contracts are broken; our demon brothers and sisters have scattered.

“But after living on the Nine Vassal Islands so long, protecting Pinghu Harbor and the East Sea Nation is still our duty.

“With the deterrence of a second-rank sea god’s believers and the Blue Peak brothers living here, holding the East Sea’s current territory from the chaos of the sixty-six nations should be no problem.

“But beyond that, our strength is insufficient.

“I know you didn’t return just to find a few beautiful Wokou women. Whatever your orders, just say them—I will prepare accordingly.”

These were the old father’s true loyal core, qualified to burn incense and petition gods directly, possessing far greater knowledge than others.

But power struggles weren’t a tea party; people would die.

They were no fools—how could they have missed the recent changes under Mao Haifeng’s Black Peak Banner? His ambitions were obvious.

They just couldn’t confirm whether his bid for succession arose before or after King Jinghai’s assassination, nor find proof.

Wang Cheng noticed all eyes on him; except for Huang Yuanzhou and clam maiden Shui Rou, already convinced during the Moon Harbor incident, the others scrutinized him carefully.

They knew this was their final test before risking everything.

Wang Cheng’s expression grew solemn.

Though he had never seized power personally, he had read a book called The Dictator’s Handbook and studied many advanced cases far beyond this era:

“In an organization, to seize great power, you don’t need majority support—just control the key players.”

He then spoke seriously to the group:

“You all know my situation. This is no longer about whether to fight; it’s about whether I can survive if I don’t.

“In fact, I already have a plan.”

He raised three fingers:

“Though the Five Peaks have many factions, there are only three types of people regarding succession:

“One, the ‘Nominal Electors’—those who appear powerful and whose support seems decisive but are actually useless;

“Two, the ‘Actual Electors’—those who truly decide the throne and must be wooed at a price;

“And three, the core supporters of each contender—the ‘Winning Coalition.’

“And uncles, you are my winning coalition!”

At these words, Zhang San and Dong Piao perked up, even straightening instinctively:

“Please, elaborate!”