If Ye Longlin were to leave, it would be truly troublesome.
They all knew clearly why Ye Longlin had been summoned back this time. If he was truly preparing to leave, then there would be no point in calling him back.
If Ye Longlin were to step down, it would mean that all subsequent events would have nothing to do with him.
Furthermore, if Ye Longlin left, who would take over the Dragon Pavilion?
Given his temperament, he would definitely hand it over to someone from his own faction, that was beyond question.
And if he handed it over to his own people, they would still have no say. This wasn't what they wanted to see, but it wasn't necessarily the case either. After all, if he left, anything could happen, and perhaps the deadlock could be broken.
Some wished for him to leave, and some did not. At least for now, they did not wish for Ye Longlin to leave.
"If you really leave, what happens to the Dragon Pavilion? The vast Dragon Pavilion cannot just go on strike, can it? You should know the importance of the Dragon Pavilion. If the Dragon Pavilion is without a leader, what will happen then?
Also, you previously said that the war criminals would be apprehended within about three months. It's only about ten days until the three months are up, and the war criminals are still not all captured. What do you have to say about this matter?"
The Fourth Elder snorted coldly. He really wanted Ye Longlin to vacate his position, but under the current circumstances, he couldn't let Ye Longlin leave. He wasn't a fool. If Ye Longlin left under these conditions, who on earth would fight?
Would they, these old men, have to go to the battlefield?
Ye Longlin glanced at the Fourth Elder and sneered, "If Elder Four thinks the other party will willingly let you capture them, you can go and try to capture one. If you can capture even one within a month, I, Ye Longlin, will hand over the Dragon Pavilion to you."
With this statement, he completely cornered the Fourth Elder.
Everyone knew that those war criminals were not to be trifled with. Asking him to capture them was no different from sending sheep to the slaughter.
"You... Hmph, as expected of a brute," the Fourth Elder could only retort with this.
Ye Longlin surveyed the room and said, "Even if I wasn't asked to report back this time, I would have returned to the capital after the Jinling matter was resolved. I have already decided about stepping down. As for how many subsequent events will occur, it has nothing to do with me.
In this world, the Earth will continue to turn regardless of whether any single person is present or not. So, it's the same whether I'm here or not. Moreover, you all have people under you waiting to move up. I've been occupying two positions for a long time, which must have made many people unhappy, right?
This is for the best. At least you can strategize and increase your own influence."
He never gave them any face. They always spoke in ways that made others ponder their true intentions, but when it came to Ye Longlin, not only did he not give them face, but he would also directly mock them, speaking out their innermost thoughts.
This statement struck a chord with them. Indeed, they wanted to increase their influence. This was a fact, and many knew it, but none would say it directly like he did.
"Heh."
Ye Longlin chuckled and remained silent.
"After I leave, the position of Heavenly King can be given to Commander Qin. Commander Qin has handled many matters for me over the years, matters that I should have handled, but he has always managed them, and he is very skilled in these affairs."
Qin Hanlie, as an elder general and a powerful figure from the previous era, would have no problem taking over this position. Furthermore, many military affairs over the years had been handled by Qin Hanlie, with only documents requiring his signature being faxed to him.
He and Qin Hanlie didn't exchange many words, but their camaraderie had far surpassed that of ordinary people. They were pure comrades.
"Excuse me, I'm late."
At this moment, Qin Hanlie entered from outside, holding a USB drive. After entering, he saluted everyone before looking at Ye Longlin.
"Commander Qin Hanlie greets the Heavenly King!"
Ye Longlin smiled and said, "Commander Qin, there's no need to be so polite. Let's begin."
Although he didn't know why they were waiting for Qin Hanlie, they likely knew something.
Qin Hanlie nodded, plugged the USB drive into the projector, and the projector automatically rose, projecting the screen from the military department.
"Heavenly King Ye, the Dark Hall has recently amassed troops along the Hetu river course. According to our current knowledge, they have stationed one hundred thousand troops and have recently begun drills. With a large army pressing down, it's unclear whether the Dark Hall is preparing to restart the Battle of Hetu.
And the personnel we can mobilize from various regions currently total only three hundred thousand, most of whom are ordinary soldiers. The Martial Arts Association has gone too far in recent years, to the extent that most of our forces are ordinary people unable to step onto the path of martial arts.
Furthermore, Xuan Niao allowed the Red Lotus Demoness to escape. It's unclear if this is related to this matter. If there is a connection between these two... do you have any new plans?"
Qin Hanlie was unaware that Ye Longlin didn't know Xuan Niao had been captured and had let the Red Lotus Demoness go. His final question was to ascertain if Ye Longlin had any new arrangements.
However, upon hearing his words, Ye Longlin's brow immediately furrowed.
"What do you mean, Xuan Niao let the Red Lotus Demoness go? Commander Qin, that's impossible. I trust my people."
This implied that Ye Longlin was unaware of this matter.
Then, it could only be that Xuan Niao acted on her own accord. But why?
"Xuan Niao came to the capital some time ago and met with the other party. No one knows what they discussed. The guards of the entire capital prison were knocked out by her. By the time we checked the surveillance, the surveillance in the interrogation room had also been tampered with, but this is a fact. Some even suspect Xuan Niao of treason."
Ye Longlin immediately shook his head, "Xuan Niao would never betray the country, nor is she capable of such a thing. Therefore, there must be a reason for this matter."
The Fourth Elder seemed to have found an opportunity to speak and said sarcastically, "Who knows? You can't even manage your own subordinates. Heh heh heh, it's truly laughable. The human heart is the most difficult to fathom. If even Xuan Niao is capable of this, then letting Yuan Gang take over the Dragon Pavilion... it would be better to just hand over the Dragon Pavilion to foreign powers, wouldn't it? After all, it sounds better."
Ye Longlin frowned, his eyes scanning the entire room. He instantly understood.
He lit a cigarette, completely disregarding the occasion.
He placed his hands on the table, then stood up and walked behind the Fourth Elder. He placed a hand on his shoulder and said coldly, "Since that's the case, I will visit Elder Four's home today. I wonder if Elder Four's home has a battle saber that I can borrow?"