Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

"Fourth Master, you speak." The First Lady's casual words immediately silenced the council chamber, as if an invisible hand had gripped the throats of the many assistant commanders, causing them to come to an abrupt halt and all turn their gazes toward Zhou Qingfeng, who stood at the end of the table.

The future direction of the Sword Tower and the rise and fall of the ancestral foundation are matters that Zhou Qingfeng has no right to discuss. It is only because the First Lady has repeatedly supported him and treated him like her own son, and Zhou Qingfeng has lived up to expectations, that he is not qualified to be on equal footing with them.

Facing the gazes of many powerful figures, Zhou Qingfeng, dressed in a purple official robe, remained calm and composed, showing no signs of restraint. He stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with youthful vigor and agility, yet maintaining a sense of composure.

“Mother.” Zhou Qingfeng bowed respectfully to the First Lady, then took out a prepared report from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: “This is what I saw and heard when I traveled through unclaimed lands. Please take a look.”

Upon hearing this, the First Lady didn't even raise her head, simply waving her hand dismissively.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng understood immediately and handed the report he had written to the assistant commanders for review.

The assistant commanders reviewed the information one by one, nodding frequently. This intelligence was detailed yet concise, accurately analyzing the various problems that Cai Guozhong and the Hell Legion had, as well as the movements of the Vision Cult. They knew a little about it, after all, they were not truly useless, and each of them had their own information channels.

With his hands behind his back, Zhou Qingfeng began to speak eloquently: "In my opinion, there are big problems within the Hell Legion. Commander Cai Guozhong is not ambitious and only wants to amass power and carve out his own territory. He keeps dragging out the war, simply to accumulate capital and preserve his strength."

"The discipline of the front-line corps is lax, and the top-down approach sets a bad example. Officers at all levels are equally unambitious and find ways to exploit their soldiers. The soldiers are so poor that they have to dig up enemy corpses. If they can't find any spoils, they have to take off their uniforms and become bandits, robbing merchants and civilians in the rear. Does such an army really have the strength to fight a decisive battle against the enemy? I'm afraid it can't even hold up a decent battle."

"Moreover, the Vision Sect is also rising in the chaos, using faith to widely bewitch the common people. Its power should not be underestimated. Furthermore, the Vision Sect has reached a secret agreement with Zhao Biting, the Lord of the Four Seas City. The two sides are of one mind and are working together to attack. The four major sects, led by the Incense Sect, will be destroyed sooner or later."

"At that time, Zhao Biting will gather his troops and march south. The situation will change dramatically, and he will most likely not be on our side, because Zhao Biting will not tolerate our Sword Tower controlling unclaimed lands, and the city lords in the north will not tolerate our Sword Tower expanding."

"Without this strategic buffer zone, Zhao Biting and the northern cities will face the threat of our Sword Tower directly. They will do everything in their power to contain us in no man's land. Cai Guozhong's Hell Legion alone will probably be unable to control the situation."

"And our Sword Tower army cannot personally intervene, otherwise more hostile forces will inevitably get involved, and the war will become bigger and fiercer, which will definitely drag us into the quagmire of war and kill us."

The assistant commanders listened quietly, nodding frequently. They shared the same view with Zhou Qingfeng on this point and could all see the problem. However, they had different focuses and opinions on how to solve the problem, so they all wanted to hear Zhou Qingfeng's insights.

If it's well said, then we can still find fault with it. After all, it's not like we came up with the idea ourselves. Anyone can find fault, right?

If you don't speak well, then you can give the young people a good talking-to, telling them not to be so eager to get ahead, and to go back and mature a bit.

Ma Dalang was very supportive, and said with a smile, "Fourth brother, what do you think we should do?"

Zhou Qingfeng responded with a smile: "Cai Guozhong made a mistake and should be punished. He must be given a severe warning and punishment. The distinction between reward and punishment must be clear. He is bad at managing his troops and made a mistake. We can't punish him openly, but this gives us a reason to warn him. We can send a supervisor to monitor him, restrain him, and warn him that if there is a next time, then we will take his head."

"Of course, that's not enough. We should also send someone to bring his wife and son to Jianta as hostages. This man is very sentimental and would do anything for his wife and son. So, as long as we have these two in our hands, Cai Guozhong will definitely do his best."

At this point, the many assistant commanders showed no expression, feeling that what Zhou Qingfeng said was nothing special and unremarkable. However, the suggestion to send a military supervisor did pique their interest, because sending a military supervisor meant that there was something to be gained.

Supervising and controlling Cai Guozhong is tantamount to having the Hell Legion firmly in his grasp. This is genuine military power. What is military power? With military power comes authority, with military power comes the ability to command a large following, with military power comes confidence to speak, and with military power comes the ability to raise one's voice louder than others.

At this moment, none of the assistant commanders said anything bad about Zhou Qingfeng, nor did anyone find fault with him.

The proposal to send in military supervisors and retrieve the hostages aligns with everyone's interests and expectations.

As for recommending someone to serve as military supervisor, the Privy Council would draft a list of suitable candidates.

Most of the assistant commanders present had their own people in the Privy Council, so it would be easy for them to put one or two of their own people on this list. At that time, the assistant commanders would inevitably have a heated debate, each recommending one person from the list, and then waiting for the lady to make her final decision and stamp the document with her red seal.

Although the First Lady appears to be a puppet, living a secluded life in the inner palace and seemingly indifferent to everything, in reality, power is highly concentrated in her hands. Her assistants and generals each form their own factions, and she has countless protégés, former subordinates, and lackeys, making her seem powerful enough to control everything.

However, no one dared to truly disobey or anger the First Lady, much less challenge her authority. Otherwise, if the First Lady showed even the slightest indifference or intention to suppress a faction, people from other factions would naturally jump out to attack her, wishing they could tear her apart and devour her.

Ma Dalang smiled and said, "Fourth Brother is indeed a genius with a brilliant plan. I agree with Fourth Brother's proposal."

Mao Erlang smiled and said, "Fourth brother is exceptionally intelligent, I agree."

Tang Fushuai, Song Fushuai, and Zhu Fushuai said in succession, "Second it, second it, second it."

The three assistant generals, Sun, Moon, and Star, did not express their opinions and directly abstained from the contest, pretending not to hear with their heads down.

Zhou Qingfeng clasped his hands in a salute: "My fellow commanders, I haven't finished speaking yet."

Ma Dalang raised an eyebrow: "Oh, what other brilliant ideas does Fourth Brother have?"

Zhou Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back and smiled faintly: "We Sword Tower cannot put all our eggs in one basket. With the abilities that Cai Guozhong has shown, if I may be so bold, he may not be able to conquer the unclaimed lands even in the next ten years. What should we do if he is defeated?"

"Indeed, he is an important piece that cannot be replaced for the time being, but we should improve this situation."

"Therefore, I think we should diversify our investments and support a new puppet regime, so that we will have more options."