Spade watched with a grimace as Han Gai swung the giant sword at a pig carcass, cutting it in half with one clean stroke. The shaman was weak-willed and weak-spirited, but his arm and back muscles definitely weren't weak.

"Fine," Spade snapped. "You're strong. But do you have instincts for battle? Isn't there anything you can do to combine your shaman stuff with your sword stuff that would make you a little more useful?"

"You never tested Kiyoko like this," Joyce pointed out, immediately shrinking back in regret as Spade turned towards her in manual slow-motion. Kiyoko also shot her a miffed look, made all the more intimidating by the dagger in her hands.

"Then maybe I should," he snarled. Spade continued to glare at her until Joyce pouted and slunk back, leaving him to continue critiquing the crybaby she'd dragged in.

The Flying Dragons had gotten the smallest building in the complex of commercial buildings in the newly captured town, but there was plenty of space for Spade to force Han Gai into cutting pork. Han Gai was the type of guy Spade instinctively disliked, even though there really wasn't anything wrong with him other than being timid as hell and a bad shaman.

Kajio had complained that Spade was using Han Gai as a scapegoat for his worries about Joyce's safety, but Spade definitely didn't think that was it. Spade was giving Han Gai a hard time because the young man was about to become Joyce's bodyguard despite his shitty performance prior. That and nothing else.

"I…I've fought a little before, I was recruited for a local militia when I was twelve," Han Gai said timidly. "I ran away and came to Canton." Spade frowned, sensing an unnecessarily dramatic backstory.

"That why you only started shaman training at thirteen?" Joyce asked. Spade silently thanked the spirits that Joyce didn't ask anything more than that.

"Yes," Han Gai replied. "I'm not really good at a lot of things though."

Spade shook his head in disgust. How the hell had they hired this guy for the shaman corps? If Han Gai had been in the non-shaman troops from the start, they wouldn't be having this problem.

"Can you cut through wards?" Spade asked bluntly. Han Gai looked at him in confusion.

"How do I do that?" Han Gai asked back. Joyce chuckled softly, and when the two of them turned to look at her, began full-out cackling.

"Stop that," Spade snapped. "It's creepy." He calmly ignored the halved pig and pools of blood behind him.

Joyce cackled for a few more seconds before stopping. "Oh boy, Han Gai, I'm going to make you go viral."

Spade only shook his head, feeling the utmost pity for himself and everyone else involved.

Jia Xu looked through the reports intently. The Triple Alliance had split their forces and simultaneously attacked the Central Defense Line and the Western Defense Line, with Hengshan taking on the Center with Joyce and Kajio, and the Shaman Council taking on the West with Spade and Mohan.

The plan had been a great success. Enemy morale had been low after the nighttime attack that forced the Eastern Defense Line and a good chunk of the Central Defense Line to retreat to Wu Peifu's base in Wuhan.

After Gu Feng had abandoned Changsha to the Triple Alliance, everything had been going well. First, there had been the literal firewalls, and then something invisible that made people really sick, and then Spade had stabbed Gu Feng from a moving car, and then they had been attacked in the middle of the night by a pyromaniac, Spade, and the Sixth Apostle.

What remained of the Central and Western Defense Lines had retreated to Wuhan, where there were now about 15,000 soldiers and 250 shamans.

The problem now was taking Wuhan. They couldn't simply bypass it and leave that many soldiers to their back, but the city had a lot of weapons and food stockpiled. 'Are we really going to deal with Wu Peifu like this?' Jia Xu gritted her teeth in frustration as she considered her options.

Wuhan had a huge civilian population, they could hardly start bombarding cities this early on. Starving out Wu Peifu would take too long, and they still had to take on Sun Chuanfang in the eastern provinces.

'Isn't there anyone who could deal with him for me?' Jia Xu mulled over her last option. If it went right, the credit would still go to the Alliance, but if it went wrong, they'd have scapegoats ready.

Jia Xu smiled slowly, two candidates already on her mind.

There was Feng Yuxiang, Wu Peifu's right-hand general. General Feng was currently holding the northern border in preparation for any surprise attacks from warlords to their north but was just as prepared to charge south with his 5,000 soldiers and a ridiculous number of tanks.

Wu Peifu trusted General Feng a lot, but he'd also demoted Feng Yuxiang before. Jia Xu was certain that the General had bigger ambitions than serving a regional warlord. If she pushed and prodded a bit, she was certain he would come around, but it would take too much effort.

On the other hand, there was a much better option just a little further south.

Warlord of Guangxi, Li Zongren.

Even though Li Zongren's military strength had weakened with the rise of Canton as a shaman hub, the old man was a shrewd politician who managed to stay in power despite the changing times. He'd even allowed his own soldiers to join the non-shaman troops of the Shaman Council and Hengshan Association, it wasn't too far of a stretch to take him in completely.

All they would have to do was to give him more soldiers and allow him to keep Guangxi. Jia Xu could always strip him of his power or arrange for a conveniently timed accident after Li Zongren was under her control.

The next problem was to get to it before Taeyun did, or if she didn't, at least be more successful.

Jia Xu slowly smiled before calling in her secretary. "Go call the Chief Secretariat," Jia Xu ordered. "I need to speak to Rina."

Taeyun flashed a charming smile towards the man in the video call.

"I'm very much serious, Mr. Li. Or should I say General Li?" Taeyun asked gently.

"Should I be honored?" Li Zongren asked drily, sounding very not-honored. Taeyun only smiled.

"It's your choice. But please consider it properly. You'll still be in charge of Guangxi's army, but also other soldiers as well. This is a great chance to expand your power base while staying on the right side of the scale," Taeyun said.

"Well, I'll need to think about it," Li Zongren said seriously. "But thank you for calling personally."

"Not at all, please let me know as soon as you've decided," Taeyun said. The two exchanged goodbyes and ended the call.

Li Zongren shook his head, waving for the secretary to take away the tablet. From the way things were going, he didn't think that Guangxi would last by itself. He could always ally with the Western provinces, but that would just justify a brutal crackdown later on. Once the shamans had enough power under their belt, all the gloves would come off.

Li Zongren knew the ways power and politics worked, and he knew how to make judgments regarding them. That was how he had survived into his late fifties, doggedly hanging on despite the enemies that came and went around him.

That was why he instinctively knew that the Triple Alliance would succeed, at least for now. Refusing to help them was the same as asking to be smacked into oblivion like Gu Feng, that stupid bastard, and even if the Alliance lost control, later on, Li Zongren could cut his losses and return with a larger army.

The only problem was how to keep them from killing him. He didn't trust Taeyun much, but he didn't trust Jia Xu either. The only one Li Zongren could even consider working with was the young and inexperienced Sixth Apostle, but even she had old-timers like Mohan hanging off her shoulder.

Li Zongren slowly sighed, staring out the window at his city. All of it could slip through his fingers like sand if he wasn't careful.

His secretary knocked and came in, bearing a tablet with an incoming call from Jia Xu. Li Zongren hesitated for a moment and took the call.

"Greetings, Mr. Li," Jia Xu said warmly. Li Zongren exchanged greetings and pleasantries with her for a little longer before Jia Xu abruptly stopped smiling.

"Won't you consider joining me, Mr. Li?" Jia Xu asked gently, with no trace of gentleness on her face.

"I am honored, Chairman, but I have my hands full in Guangxi," Li Zongren replied. Warning bells were going off in his head like someone had set off a fire alarm. After all, this was Jia Ping's daughter. The man had guts of stainless steel and a heart of more-expensive stainless steel.

"So Taeyun's already made you an offer?" Jia Xu asked. "My, how disappointing. I suppose it'll be a great loss."

"What are you talking about, Chairman? I haven't received any such offer before yours," Li Zongren replied. He made to continue, but Jia Xu cut him off.

"It'll be a great loss for Guangxi, and for this country," Jia Xu said. "I'd really hate to lose such a great military commander."

The warning bells in Li Zongren's head nearly deafened him as he numbly went through the rest of the conversation. As soon as he got a chance, he ended the call.

Li Zongren slammed a fist into his desk, glaring angrily into the distance. Hengshan wouldn't kill him if he didn't accept, but the Shaman Council most certainly would. The choice was pretty clear.

"Damn it, I haven't been humiliated like this in quite a while now! Jia Xu, you damn bitch, sit tight and wait. I'll pay you back in kind!" He snarled.

Breaking News: An Unexpected Ally! Guangxi Warlord Li Zongren joins the Shaman Council in Northern Expedition!

Guangxi Warlord Li Zongren has joined the Shaman Council as the General of the 4th Army Group, consisting of the Guangxi Pacification Army under his command and other provincial militia groups that have joined the Northern Expedition. His longtime ally Bai Chongxi has joined as the Chief of Staff of the 4th Army Group. The Shaman Council will hold a press conference tonight at 6 pm to formally announce the news.

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