Chapter 1392: Chapter 1392 - 1377: The Surprise Force

"Lord Ye, even if you want to deceive me or scare me, you should come up with a more convincing excuse, right? My Divine Soul is protected by a master!

Not to mention you, even the Wind God General beside you, or any expert stronger than Wind God, it’s absolutely impossible to control my Divine Soul!" In the Commander’s Tent of the West City Camp, the newly awakened Junior Supervisor Ma was full of confidence.

However, beneath the confident expression, there was an inexplicable fear in his eyes, though he believed it was impossible for Ye Zhen to control his Divine Soul.

Yet, when he looked at Ye Zhen, he instinctively felt a fear from the bottom of his heart, especially when Ye Zhen’s gaze swept over, he even felt a sense of trepidation.

This feeling, even his top supervisor, the West Patrol Xio Qiangu, had never given him.

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhen merely smiled, "Don’t believe it? Very well, let’s give it a try!"

As he spoke, Ye Zhen’s Divine Sense slightly moved, and almost simultaneously, Junior Supervisor Ma let out an extremely miserable scream, his eyes showing a look as if he had seen a ghost.

He clearly sensed that the protection of his Divine Soul in his Spirit Palace was intact, but the mysterious pain within his soul was telling him something.

However, there was no time to think much, as the intense pain coming from the depths of his soul made him lose the ability to think.

The scream made the faces of those inside the Commander’s Tent, including County Captain Tang Biao, Military Commander Che Ben, and Zheng Dangshi, turn terribly pale.

From what Ye Zhen just said, they already knew that this Junior Supervisor Ma in front of them had had his Divine Soul secretly controlled by Lord Ye while he was unconscious, but Ma didn’t believe it, so a little punishment was required to make him accept reality.

This was all acceptable, but such a secretive matter was being revealed in front of them, making their hearts beat like a drum, with an ominous feeling pervading.

The entire Commander’s Tent was overlaid with two layers of soundproof barriers, so not a single sound could be transmitted outside, no matter how miserably this Junior Supervisor Ma screamed.

Ye Zhen, with his eyes half-closed, sat in the commander’s seat, his Divine Sense moved slightly, making Junior Supervisor Ma curl up like a cooked prawn, even his face turning bright red.

The level of misery was indescribable, as Junior Supervisor Ma was, under the Divine Soul punishment of Lord Ye, nearly speechless.

When Ye Zhen slightly stopped the Divine Soul punishment of the Soul-locking Technique, the just-relieved Junior Supervisor Ma began to cry out loudly.

"I... I give up, I believe it!"

"Lord Ye, I believe it, I believe it, please stop, I really can’t take it! I admit it, I have already become Lord Ye’s puppet..."

After finishing this sentence, Junior Supervisor Ma collapsed on the ground, gasping for air, the ground where he had rolled was now full of water, with fear written all over his face.

The previous encounter was something he never wanted to experience again in his lifetime if given a choice.

"Believe it?" Ye Zhen smiled.

But this smile of Ye Zhen, in the eyes of Junior Supervisor Ma, was like a demon’s smile, terrifying him to the point of flipping over and kneeling in front of Ye Zhen, "I truly believe, I really do!"

"Give him a glass of water!" Ye Zhen ordered.

After Junior Supervisor Ma gulped down the water, calming his emotions, Ye Zhen slowly spoke, "Junior Supervisor Ma, not hiding anything from you, your life and death are now in my hands. If I want you dead at midnight, you absolutely won’t live until the fifth watch.

However, if I really wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t go through so much trouble.

One thing you should understand, if I let people know that your Divine Soul has been detained by me, what do you think the West Patrol side would do to you?"

After a pause, Ye Zhen continued, "I heard that to gain the trust of Xio Qiangu of the West Patrol, you even moved all your family over earlier? A wife, four concubines, two sons, and a daughter, all living in Qing State where the West Patrol Office is located."

Bringing this up made Junior Supervisor Ma’s hands start to tremble, as a trusted aide of Xio Qiangu, he knew too well the fate of a traitor.

It’s not as simple as clan extermination or execution; there are far scarier things than death in this world.

"I think, Junior Supervisor Ma, you are a smart person, and you should know what to do?"

Before Ye Zhen could finish, Junior Supervisor Ma was already kowtowing, "Rest assured, master, I know what to do! I should continue to return to the West Patrol Office, be the master’s eyes and ears, and report back to you!"

At this point, this was already Junior Supervisor Ma’s only choice.

On Ye Zhen’s side, he could be put to death at any time, and as long as the news of his betrayal was released, the West Patrol side would mercilessly target his family.

Only by cooperating with Ye Zhen, obediently working as an undercover agent in the West Patrol, would he have a chance to survive.

"Just as I thought, a smart person!" Ye Zhen praised with a thumbs up, understanding that those within the Heavenly Patrol Department were all clever people.

"Master, I only have one request, hoping you can agree!" Junior Supervisor Ma suddenly bowed.

"Speak!"

"Master, gaining trust on the West Patrol side is not easy for me. When gathering intelligence, I want to protect myself as much as possible. For some important intelligence, please have mercy on my entire family and do not easily divulge it," said **** Jin.

Ye Zhen nodded, "That is understandable! However, if there’s any intelligence related to life and death matters, you must report it immediately, even if it risks exposing your identity. As for your family, when the time comes, I will arrange for someone to rescue them!"

"Thank you, Master, for your mercy!"

The matter with Junior Supervisor Ma was considered closed. Ye Zhen squinted his eyes and looked at the County Captain Tang Biao, Military Commander Che Ben, and Zheng Dangshi, who had been watching the affair unfold.

"Gentlemen, Junior Supervisor Ma is currently our ace spy. Now that all three of you know, how do you intend to express yourselves?" Ye Zhen asked.

The faces of Tang Biao, Che Ben, and Zheng Dangshi turned pale, unsure what to do with their hands. The usual ways to keep such high-level secrets are limited to two methods.

Death or becoming a Divine Soul Puppet!

Obviously, no one wants to be dead, as long as they’re not fools. However, becoming Ye Zhen’s Divine Soul Puppet was something they were reluctant to accept.

"County Captain Tang, you wouldn’t think that after initially contacting the West Patrol Office to usurp my command, and now pledging your allegiance to me, I would trust you, would you?

I plan to let you continue commanding the Soldiers of North Sea County, but I can’t rest easy. If the West Patrol comes looking for you again, I might be tricked by you once more, would I not?"

"Moreover, you two military commanders have significant influence in the army. Letting you leave here alive would create trouble for me, and reinstating you to your original positions would leave me insecure. What do you propose I do?" Ye Zhen shrugged.

While Military Commander Che Ben and Zheng Dangshi hesitated, County Captain Tang Biao gritted his teeth and knelt before Ye Zhen, saying, "Lord Ye, I am willing to surrender my Innate Divine Soul and pledge allegiance to Lord Ye!"

County Captain Tang Biao had no choice. He had already seen the situation clearly. If he did not surrender his Innate Primordial Divine Soul to be detained by Ye Zhen, he wouldn’t leave this Commander’s Tent alive today.

As County Captain Tang Biao willingly surrendered his Innate Primordial Divine Soul to Ye Zhen, Military Commander Che Ben and Zheng Dangshi had no other options.

Even though they were extremely reluctant, they could only obediently open their divine souls for Ye Zhen to control.

The only consolation was the handsome settlement fee Ye Zhen provided afterward, which offered some comfort.

Besides the Spirit Stones, each received a hundred Mid-grade Thought Spirit Pills, enough for them to cultivate for two to three years.

"County Captain Tang, go bring in all the trusted aides you captured along with Junior Supervisor Ma earlier!" After finishing, Ye Zhen suddenly commanded.

Subsequently, in the presence of **** Jin, Ye Zhen detained the divine souls of Tang Biao’s ten trusted aides one by one, somewhat reassuring Junior Supervisor Ma.

At least, Ye Zhen, as the master, was still considering his safety, which was quite reliable.

Then Ye Zhen dismissed the others and engaged in a confidential conversation with Junior Supervisor Ma for a full two hours, before allowing him to leave the West City Camp quietly.

Once he returned to the West Patrol Office, Junior Supervisor Ma would become a secret weapon under Ye Zhen’s control.

As for whether he would arouse suspicion, **** Jin had already prepared a set of explanations. Considering **** Jin’s status in the West Patrol, it was unlikely he would be easily doubted.

Half a quarter-hour later, Governor Qiao Hong of North Sea County was summoned alone into the Commander’s Tent, and Ye Zhen didn’t bother with pleasantries. He casually placed some evidence collected by the Heavenly Patrol Department in front of Qiao Hong, frightening him out of his wits.

At the level of a prefectural governor, there were indeed very few who were clean, and even if there were those who were truly incorruptible, with the means of the Heavenly Patrol Department, it was not difficult to find some dirt beneath their feet.

In front of Governor Qiao Hong, there were only two paths: family extermination or being controlled by Ye Zhen.

This choice was not difficult for any intelligent person.

Subsequently, Ye Zhen appointed Liu Feng as a Deputy Governor within the inner office of the North Sea County Governor, serving as an assistant officer to aid in administrative affairs.

Thus, within just one day of arriving at North Sea County, Ye Zhen had effectively seized control of the county’s military and political power.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely so.

For example, the North Sea County soldiers consisted of seven armies, each army having between thirty to fifty thousand men. County Captain Tang Biao commanded the personal army of ten thousand, totaling over thirty-one thousand troops.

Currently, the troops directly under Ye Zhen’s control were only those of the First and Third Army, numbering over seventy thousand, while the other armies remained stationed in their respective garrisons.

However, having won over Commander Tang Biao of the North Sea County soldiers, the issue of those military commanders was almost negligible.

In the following days, Ye Zhen rode the Flying Boat, accompanied by County Captain Tang Lvu and his trusted aides, travelling to the other military camps, employing the same methods, first resolving the issue of military pay by distributing plenty of Spirit Stones, boosting Ye Zhen’s reputation significantly.

Then, as a cliché approach, the commanding military commander would reluctantly surrender his divine soul under Ye Zhen’s control.

The only trouble was the different locations of the various military camps, which required time to travel between, but this was not originally an issue.

However, as Ye Zhen had subdued the military commanders of three of the remaining four armies, a military order from the West Patrol Office arrived.