knife

Chapter 253 Candid Talk
The two were locked in a fierce fight when Li Dachui suddenly retreated and left. An Xuan felt a chill run down his spine; the gap between them was widening, and Li Dachui was clearly just toying with him.

This guy is probably going to play cat and mouse again.

He had acted in a fit of rage, displaying immense power and momentum.

But now, as the game progresses, that fighting spirit is gone.

After all, An Xuan is not a lone wolf; he has far too many people to worry about.

If he had a chance to survive, he naturally wouldn't want to give it up.

Li Dachui retreated without saying a word, then turned and left.

If you can escape for a while, then escape for a while.

Maybe things will turn around in the next moment!

As they turned around, they saw an old man standing between two large trees, smiling at them.

Unfortunately, this person blocked his own escape route.

Without a second thought, An Xuan began to swing his stick.

"Go away!"

The next moment, with a loud bang, An Xuan was tossed high into the air like a ball, the two sticks flying off somewhere. When he landed, his limbs were weak and he felt powerless. The old man, who looked like a little chick, kicked him and threw him towards Li Dachui.

He reached out and caught An Xuan, channeling his true energy throughout An Xuan's body and sealing all of An Xuan's meridians. Then he circulated his energy throughout An Xuan's body and found that Chang Jian's seemingly fierce two consecutive attacks had not caused much damage to An Xuan at all.

It was like two ordinary people had just had a fight.

Li Dachui casually tossed the stiff-bodied An Xuan aside, but stared warily at Chang Jian, cupping his hands and saying, "Congratulations on reaching the Innate Realm, Master Chang!"

"I'm ashamed, my hair and beard have all turned white, and I only managed to get through this ordeal by sheer luck. I have to thank Protector Li, otherwise I'm afraid I would have had no hope in this lifetime!" Chang Jian said with a smile.

"What are you talking about?" Li Dachui waved his hands repeatedly. This guy had just advanced to the Innate Realm and abandoned the army to look for him. Could it be that he wanted to find his fault?

To be honest, I was quite rude to him some time ago, especially when I teamed up with Xiao Changche and Li Kaixin to give Chang Jian a serious threat. This old man doesn't seem like a magnanimous person at all.

Glancing at An Xuan, Li Dachui took a step back.

Is he already this powerful as soon as he enters the Innate Realm?
Of course I can defeat An Xuan, but it will definitely be a hard-fought battle. Can this guy really capture a Xuan Yuan Ninth Rank cultivator with just a few moves?

However, thinking back to how easily Duanmu Miaomiao and I were dealt with by that woman back then, one can imagine the difference between the two.

“Governor Li, this fellow was careless, and besides, you are far superior to him!” Chang Jian laughed. “Furthermore, I have no ill intentions towards you, Governor Li, but I have some doubts and would like to ask for your guidance. Also, I would like to ask you some questions about the future!”

Seeing that Li Dachui still looked wary, Chang Jian continued, "The main force of the Chang family is being led by my son Chang Xin and is heading towards Cheng County according to plan. We would never dare to delay the Protector-General's important matter!"

Hearing this, Li Dachui finally felt a little relieved.

So, in that case, we're still allies!
Another innate talent has emerged from our allies, which is good news for our side.

However, this ally was not as devoted to him as Zhou Zhi was; instead, he was also keeping in touch with Linghu Ye.

Moreover, Li Dachui was certain that the other party's relationship with Linghu Ye was definitely stronger than his own. "I see. I wonder what Master Chang wishes to ask? I, Li, will answer to the best of my knowledge!" Li Dachui sheathed the Minghong Blade, then kicked An Xuan under a tree before walking over himself.

The two found a tree stump and sat down. Chang Jian looked at Li Dachui and asked, "Protector Li, did you plan the events in Yandu?"

"Master Chang's information network is very good!" Li Dachui nodded and said, "That's right. Killing Yingzhuo in advance and igniting the struggle between Tiele and Akdun, all of these were planned by me."

"Ying Zhuo was a great ruler, how did you kill him?" Chang Jian asked with great interest.

“Of course, it’s about taking advantage of the situation!” Li Dachui said. “Yingzhuo’s destiny has come to an end, and Akdun is ambitious. Once he finds out that Yingzhuo’s choice is not him, he will definitely act desperately. I’m just taking advantage of that.”

"So it is said that Aktun killed Yingzhuo, and you played a small role in it!" Chang Jian said.

"Here's the thing!" Li Dachui sighed and said, "More than ten years ago, I laid out a plan in Yandu. I buried thousands of spies in Yandu. This time, in order to complete this project, I lost most of them. It's really heartbreaking."

"More than a decade ago, you were already plotting to deal with the Yuan Dynasty?" Chang Jian was greatly surprised: "Back then, you were just a bandit, having just gained a foothold outside the Great Wall and made a little bit of a name for yourself!"

Li Dachui chuckled and said, "Everything is accomplished through preparation, and failure is inevitable without it. Back then, I had some resources, but I had nothing to do all day. Robbing and being a bandit didn't require much skill, so it didn't satisfy me. That's why I started tinkering with this. You know, Old Man Zhou really spoils me. He always supports whatever I want to do. So this project started, but at the time, I didn't expect to do this. It's just that it's gradually come to where it is today!"

"The loss of a thousand or so people has brought about internal strife in the Yuan Dynasty. It will last for a few years, or even a dozen or twenty years, or even forever. The Yuan Dynasty will no longer be able to threaten the area outside the Great Wall. Governor Li, I admire you! Such foresight and planning ability make me feel like I've wasted my life."

"Master Chang is too modest. Just look at how the family has been brought to its current state under your guidance; that shows that Chang Se's strategic planning ability is quite remarkable!" Li Dachui praised him.

Chang Jian waved his hand and said, "My plan is small-scale, yours is grand. Compared to your schemes, my little schemes are truly insignificant. You are plotting for the world, while I am plotting for my own family. I am ashamed!"

"You flatter me, Lord Chang!" Li Dachui thought to himself with pride, but his face remained impassive. "This time, the two princes of Yandu were fighting amongst themselves, and the three of us here joined forces to defeat Zhebie. However, I don't intend to kill Zhebie. Instead, I plan to severely dampen his spirits before letting him return to his country. Why fight between two? Why not fight between three? Perhaps in the future, the three of them can form a delicate balance! We'll keep an eye on whoever is weaker and about to be destroyed, and then we'll lend a hand. In short, we need to make them fight to the death. Lord Chang, you just said that they won't have a chance to threaten us for several years or even a decade. Actually, in my opinion, whether the Yuan Kingdom will still exist in a few years or a decade is another matter!"

Chang Jian looked at Li Dachui in shock: "So your ultimate goal is to destroy the Yuan Kingdom?"

“Of course, how can we allow others to sleep soundly beside our bed!” Li Dachui raised his eyebrows and said, “How can we look towards the Central Plains without completely defeating the Yuan Kingdom?”

"Are you also going to enter the pass to compete for that position?"

"I'm not like Linghu Ye!" Li Dachui laughed. "If after I destroy the Yuan Kingdom, the interior is still in turmoil, then I might have to go and pacify the land. When the Qin Dynasty replaced Yong, there were sixty years of war! I don't want us, the sons of Qin, to go through another sixty years!"

“Alright, then I’d like to ask, what will Governor Li’s attitude be toward our family in the future?” Chang Jian asked. “From what I’ve observed under your rule, it seems you are very wary of large families. In fact, the policies you are currently implementing simply do not allow large families like ours to exist. Governor Li, let’s get this straight from the start. I don’t want us to clash again when that time comes!”

Li Dachui nodded. "Master Chang, why has the Great Qin Dynasty fallen to this state? The powerful and wealthy families bear a heavy responsibility. I have never denied the contributions these families have made to the development of society, but they are also a cancer on the world. From an inconspicuous little pimple, they slowly developed into a huge abscess that harms the body. Human greed is insatiable!"

"So, you won't tolerate the existence of large families?"

“It depends on what kind of powerful family it is!” Li Dachui said with a smile. “Master Chang, for a family like yours, I suggest you divide it up. Chang Xin is good, but Chang Lei is also a dragon among men. I’ve dealt with Chang Sen before; he’s a master at business. The Chang family has too many outstanding talents like this. Wouldn’t it be better to let them go out and spread their branches?”

"It's easy to separate, but hard to come together!" Chang Jian exhaled a breath of stale air: "If we don't separate, everyone has to contribute to this big family. Once we separate, everyone will have their own little worries, and everyone will want to live better than others. Even the clan leader's influence will diminish over time, and eventually become almost non-existent. Keep your thoughts to yourselves. This is an open attempt to divide and disintegrate our big family!"

"I call it the Decree of Grace!" Li Dachui said. "Of course, this is something I will only implement after I have complete control over the area outside the Great Wall. But since Lord Chang asked today, I will inform him first. In the future, the Chang family will have countless riches, and as long as there are talented people in the clan, there will be no restrictions on becoming officials, and they can own land. In fact, after the family splits up, the land that the family can own will also decrease, and under the progressive tax system, the more land you own, the more taxes you pay. Owning too much land is no longer a worthwhile thing. You can learn about these things from Mao Daxian and the others. As for private armies, there will be no more of them. The Fubing system will be fully implemented!"

"Understood!" Chang Jian nodded and said, "In other words, the rule of the Guanzhong Protectorate will be consistent and extend to the grassroots level from now on. The era of imperial power not reaching the countryside will be over forever!"

"Master Chang is wise!" Li Dachui said, "If we don't do this, the calamities of powerful families will repeat themselves every few years. I don't know how much I can change, but as long as I can change a little, that would be good!"

(End of this chapter)