Xie Xuan'an had assumed that Zhang Rang had arranged the martial contest and let Zhao Tong win several rounds in succession to establish his authority and bring all the families' forces under his command in one stroke.
Unwilling to clash openly with Zhang Rang at this point, he had simply sent his men out to go through the motions.
Yet who would have thought Zhang Rang would hand over the alliance leadership without a fight?
"Grandpa Zhang, what is the meaning of this?"
Smiling broadly, Zhang Rang cupped his hands in a salute and said earnestly, "Please don't misunderstand, Secretary Xie. I am merely the military supervisor His Majesty sent to oversee and coordinate the campaign. I could never presume to lead this alliance.
"My earlier remark about 'deciding the alliance leader through a martial contest' was only a jest.
"Your cultivation is the highest of anyone present, Secretary Xie. No one could be better suited to lead the alliance."
Xie Xuan'an stared at him for a moment without speaking.
Seated at the very end of the hall, Chen Ye narrowed his eyes slightly as he began to grasp what was going on.
From the very beginning, Zhang Rang had never truly intended to take the alliance leadership.
His real goal had been to establish his authority.
Zhang Rang was a newcomer. Though he was a trusted attendant of the emperor, heaven was high and the emperor far away. Which of these aristocratic clans did not have its eyes perched above its head?
If he issued orders with nothing but empty words to back them up, few would likely obey him sincerely.
Thus, he needed a martial contest to show the families the strength of his subordinates and make everyone understand that he was no soft persimmon they could squeeze