Chapter 788: Respectful Order

Upon the arrival of the merchant team from Changle Prefecture at the market trading area, the other friendly prefectures were completely dumbfounded by the sight.

"My goodness, am I seeing things? I can't believe I just witnessed a group of bandits escorting a merchant caravan. This is truly incredible!"

"It seems the rumors about Changle Prefecture are true; that fellow, A-Yang, has genuinely transformed the original structure of the prefecture. It won't be long before our entire alliance undergoes a complete upheaval due to the rise of this young man!"

As a leader, Xu Yang adhered to a fundamental principle: no matter his own development, he must never encroach upon the interests of the common people.

To pursue personal gain at the expense of public well-being, leading to widespread grievances, would be a transgression against the natural order.

Conversely, by appeasing the will of the people, one could gain universal support and endorsement, even if it meant allying with bandits.

"Hey, do you know? This time, our leader A-Yang not only personally escorted us, but also conquered the largest bandit force in the vicinity. On top of that, he completely waived the protection fees that our more than two thousand merchants were supposed to pay!

A leader like him is truly a godsend!"

"Good heavens, hearing you say that makes me consider joining Changle Prefecture!"

"Haha, there's no need for envy. With our leader A-Yang's immense talent and grand vision, I believe it won't be long before he commands the respect of the entire alliance!

By then, as his influence expands, more and more people will rally behind him, and his territory is bound to grow. We've been neighbors for many years, so I imagine it won't be long before we become one family!"

Thanks to Xu Yang's extraordinary actions and arrangements, this five-prefecture trade fair achieved unprecedented success!

Consequently, A-Yang's name began to spread throughout the entire alliance.

Changle Prefecture, previously a suppressed entity, successfully rose to prominence overnight. This, in turn, gradually spread the increasingly resonant name of the Sacred Flame Sect further and further.

The trade fair concluded perfectly.

Xu Yang personally led his team back through the forest. Under the guidance of the second-in-command, the Five Heavenly Kings led over a hundred elite disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall up the mountain to redistribute all the stored supplies.

Unneeded supplies were transported directly to Changle Prefecture. For any lacking resources, Xu Yang promptly ordered provisions for the bandit brothers. Furthermore, under Elder Tan's personal arrangement, a new round of infiltration began near several prefectures within the alliance that were hostile to Changle Prefecture.

"All right, we are returning to the prefecture city. Let's part ways here. Remember what I told you: from this moment forward, you are disciples of the Sacred Flame Sect.

However, when operating externally, no one is permitted to act unilaterally in the name of the Sacred Flame Sect without my authorization. Of course, if you choose to continue your former practices, I will not interfere. The amount of resources you can acquire from those prefectures will depend entirely on your own capabilities."

"Haha, Sect Master, rest assured. Those prefectures have always been hostile to Changle Prefecture. We will certainly not hold back and will make them pay dearly!"

***

However, to Xu Yang and his companions' surprise, five days later, during the bandits' first operation under the Sacred Flame Sect, over half of their two-thousand-strong force was lost.

The reason was the second-in-command's excessive recklessness. Believing Xu Yang's backing allowed them to act with impunity, he led his men directly into Sanchaguan Pass.

Sanchaguan Pass, located northwest of Changle Prefecture, serves as the intersection point for three major prefectures: Anshou, Buzhou, and Zhanmeng.

These three prefectures have historically maintained extremely hostile relations with Changle Prefecture, effectively standing as the three most antagonistic forces within the unified alliance concerning Changle.

Embarrassingly, these three forces also ranked among the top five in overall capability within the entire alliance.

Ordinarily, apart from maintaining friendly relations with Anping Prefecture, the seat of the Alliance Leader, these three prefectures disregarded all other prefectures within the alliance, constantly seeking to plunder and dominate them.

The formidable strength of these three prefectures was evident from their direct attacks on the bandits. Their complete lack of fear towards the bandit forces, and even their ability to launch proactive offensives, demonstrated their astonishing foundational power and combat prowess.

"Sect Master, this is a plea for help from the bandits' second-in-command. We still have over four hundred bandit brothers trapped in Sanchaguan Pass. They are reportedly surrounded by over three thousand allied troops from the three Sanchaguan prefectures. The leader there claims that if the bandit brothers don't hand over five million taels of silver, they won't release them."

Xu Yang smiled nonchalantly. "Have we sent anyone to negotiate with them? Do they know that these men are under the banner of our Sacred Flame Sect?"

Elder Tan nodded awkwardly. "We sent three brothers as envoys to communicate, but news quickly returned that they had simply beheaded our emissaries."

Without another word, Xu Yang calmly rose to his feet.

"Since they're so unappreciative, we should prepare a significant surprise for them. Moreover, we'll use this battle to ensure the entire alliance forever remembers the name of our Sacred Flame Sect."

Seeing Xu Yang's resolve for battle, Elder Tan's interest in combat immediately intensified. The Five Heavenly Kings also raised their hands again without delay.

"Haha, Sect Master, our advance into Sanchakou will be a tough fight! Brothers, we've been waiting a long time to achieve great deeds!"

Xu Yang gently shook his head. "No, this is merely a trial. Many more major and challenging battles await us in the future. A small internal dispute within the alliance is insignificant.

This time, I intend to bring some relatively weaker newcomers with me to battle! Each of your five factions should select thirty new recruits, and I will personally lead them to Sanchaguan Pass."

"Understood!"

Soon, a fully equipped team of two hundred set off.

Xu Yang rode the Fire Kirin that had been presented as tribute from the mountain bandit headquarters. The long spear in his hand was a century-old divine weapon Xu Yang had found by chance.

Although its power couldn't compare to his Jade Bone Divine Artifact or even Tu Tian, in small-scale battles of this caliber, it was more than sufficient for Xu Yang to dominate.

At Sanchaguan Pass, the three thousand warriors from the three major prefectures gathered there were already prepared, forming a battle array to directly confront the two hundred men Xu Yang brought.

"Hahaha, I wondered how formidable this Sacred Flame Sect was. Turns out it's nothing but rubbish! After all that fuss, they only send two hundred useless individuals to fight. I really don't want to bully you all, but this is a good opportunity to crush your arrogance. It will make attacking Changle Prefecture much easier in the future."