knife

Chapter 299 Wolves and dogs can also be traded.
Ke Wuji saw the person who had left him helpless that night once again.

The other person still gave him the same feeling, like an ordinary person who knew nothing.

But if you close your eyes and try to perceive, you will be horrified to find that, in your perception, this person does not exist.

The man sharpening a knife beside him was as clearly visible to Ke Wuji as a torch, possessing the cultivation of the peak of the eighth rank of the Profound Origin Realm. On the other side, Xiao Le, the chubby and prosperous-looking owner of a leather goods shop, possessed the cultivation of the sixth rank of the Qi Control Realm.

It's clear at a glance.

If you close your eyes, there are only three people in the room, including yourself.

But as soon as you open your eyes, that person is sitting there smiling at you.

This is what is innate.

It blends seamlessly into the outside world, making it impossible for you to know anything about it.

Ke Wuji was no stranger to the Innate Realm, but such a young Innate Realm cultivator was rare. He had always believed that, apart from Jiang Qian, there shouldn't be any other Innate Realm cultivators in the world who were this young.

Of course, He Qingqiu is an exception.

In Ke Wuji's heart, He Qingqiu was a god.

Although the goddess has fallen, it does not affect her status in Ke Wuji's heart.

He recounted in detail the deal between He Zudao and Zhang Quanyi.

Fang Xiaomao and Xiao Le were dumbfounded.

Li Dachui, however, was full of praise.

"See, see, even though wolves and dogs fight to the death all the time, sometimes they can still make a deal! So, He Zudao and Zhang Quanyi will join forces to attack Feng Congwen, then He Zudao will get the wealth of Luoyang, and Zhang Quanyi will rescue the Crown Prince and gain military merit for recapturing Luoyang, right?"

Ke Wuji nodded and said, "That's right."

"A win-win situation!" Li Dachui gave a thumbs up: "I knew He Zudao had some skills! This move not only easily amassed a large fortune, but more importantly, it dealt a heavy blow to Linghu Ye, and also damaged the prestige of the Yang family of Hongnong. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! Linghu Ye wanted to reap a quick profit, but that's no longer possible. He might even attack Chang'an in a fit of rage!"

"So what do we do now?" Fang Xiaomao and Xiao Le both looked at Li Dachui.

"Of course we need to pack up and run away to avoid the limelight. Next, He Zudao, Zhang Quanyi, and Feng Congwen's forces will be fighting each other in Luoyang. This once prosperous Luoyang will not fare much better than Taiyuan. Xiao Le, let's all withdraw our people. We'll come back after He Zudao leaves!"

"Yes!" Xiao Le's eyes showed a hint of reluctance.

Having lived in Luoyang for so many years, I have many neighbors, relatives, and friends. I wonder how many of them I will be able to meet again after this calamity.

Li Dachui understood his thoughts and sighed, "This is the inevitable result of chaotic times. Without sufficient strength, one can only adapt to circumstances, first striving to preserve and strengthen oneself, and then talking about saving the world and building a new world. When you don't have enough strength, what you say is just a fart! But when your strength is enough to intimidate everyone, even if you fart, people will carefully analyze how many layers of meaning and how much significance your fart contains!"

"What can I do?" Ke Wuji looked at Li Dachui and asked in a low voice.

“Now that you’re He Zudao’s ally, you’ll naturally follow him!” Li Dachui said. “Or perhaps what you can do is to ask He Zudao to kill fewer people after he enters Luoyang! Especially the ordinary people! Money can be taken, but lives should be taken as little as possible. After all, people aren’t like leeks, which can grow in batches. It takes at least ten or twenty years for a person to grow up!”

"To do good and eliminate evil, only for the sake of light!" The old man, with a solemn expression, interlocked his thumb and forefinger, raised his palm in front of his chest to make a flame shape, and chanted in a low voice.

Feng Congwen stood atop the Qian Yuan Gate tower, with the Mingtang, also known as the Wanxiang Divine Palace, behind him.

He never imagined that he would one day stand here as an occupier, overlooking these magnificent buildings.

As the eastern capital of the Qin Empire, although the emperor did not visit here often, the place still possessed all the necessary grandeur.

He suddenly felt a surge of heat rush from his dantian to his head, and the feeling of a true man should be like this involuntarily welled up in his heart.

After capturing Yingtian Gate and gaining control of this most important area of ​​Luoyang, Feng Congwen did not immediately inform He Zudao.

He had a feeling, deep down, that his chance had come.

With Kou Zhong dead, the division within the city immediately became clear. The forces that Kou Zhong had forcibly united, now free from suppression, immediately began to have their own ideas.

Now, the east and west cities of Luoyang are in the hands of these people.

Meanwhile, the die-hards huddled near Tao Guangyuan. Those imperial guards who had participated in the massacres east and west of the river knew they wouldn't be spared, so they would never surrender.

But once he reaches an agreement with the local forces in the east and west cities, what good will the more than 10,000 imperial guards hiding in the north gate do?
With three sides surrounding them, what could they do besides run away?
If Feng Congwen could drive out Zhang Quanyi, occupy Luoyang, and forcefully resist He Zudao, his name would immediately resound throughout the north.

And they will become highly sought-after by various forces.

After all, whoever controls a pivotal location like Luoyang will gain the upper hand.

In this way, he was no longer the down-and-out scion of a noble family whose entire clan had been wiped out, but Feng Congwen of Hedong.

Even if they still had to go and join Linghuye, the weight and treatment they would receive when joining him with the strategic location of Luoyang would be completely different from when they joined him before.

Yang Jian died unexpectedly.

However, Feng Congwen was secretly pleased.

He disliked this arrogant guy who looked down on everyone else.

I always feel like this guy looks down on people. Families like the Yang family of Hongnong seem to have never really looked up to others.

Even the royal family is nothing special in their eyes.

Dynastic changes are common, but the Yang family of Hongnong has always remained here.

There are only a handful of companies that can be compared to them.

With Yang Jian gone, perhaps the Yang family of Hongnong will also embark on the road to decline.

Feng Congwen now harbors a sense of schadenfreude towards the downfall of any prominent family.

If your own family falls apart, you don't want others to prosper.

"General, they're here!" an officer shouted from below.

Feng Congwen jumped down, and the representatives of the local forces controlling the east and west cities arrived.

If they are willing to come, it means there is a great chance of success in the negotiations.

They knew very well that if they didn't come, they would have no other choice but to let He Zudao into the city, and they knew very well what awaited them once He Zudao entered the city.

They should be very grateful that they were given the opportunity to choose.

Since I've given them this opportunity, I certainly won't be polite during the negotiations.

He strode confidently through the spacious courtyard and headed towards the main hall.

Zhang Quanli paced anxiously back and forth in the room.

The situation is getting increasingly bad.

The messenger sent to find my second brother has not returned yet.

He did not participate in the battle at Yingtian Gate that day.

As a general trusted by Kou Zhong, he was responsible for flanking from the rear that day in order to control the entire city.

However, the news that came his way made him almost unable to believe his ears.

Da Yin, that god-like man, is actually dead.

He initially thought it was a rumor, but the defeat ahead forced him to accept this cruel reality.

The Grand Chancellor's head is hanging on the Five Phoenix Tower, so how could it be fake?

With great effort, he rallied the troops that had retreated from the front, and together with his subordinates, they managed to stabilize their position near Taoguang Gate. There was an armory and provisions there, and more importantly, after controlling Xuanwu Gate in the north, he could both attack and defend.

Many of his men were already panicking and wanted to escape, but his second brother was still fighting He Zudao outside, and more importantly, His Highness the Crown Prince was also outside. If he left without a fight, he was afraid he would have a hard time explaining himself.

Let's stay here and observe the situation first.

If all else fails, then run.

However, after several days, Zhang Quanli began to panic.

Because his troops had begun to desert en masse, and without exception, all of these deserters were trained by the Luoyang Imperial Guard.

Of the initial 12,000 people who retreated here, more than 3,000 have left in just three days.

It was precisely the escape of these people that caused the morale and spirit of the remaining Imperial Guards to plummet.

Inside the city, the eerie silence made one's heart pound.

Those local powers are completely unreliable.

To be honest, Feng Congwen only brought a mere ten thousand men into the city, while the city's inhabitants, working together, had more than enough strength of fifty or sixty thousand. The fact that everyone was keeping silent meant only one thing: they were all waiting for the right price to sell themselves.

But he and his remaining men couldn't be sold.

Because the core members of this unit had participated in the battles between Hedong and Hexi and had blood on their hands, the rest of the troops were all reorganized from the Chang'an Imperial Guards and their families were in Chang'an, so they naturally dared not act rashly.

Although he was still trying his best to maintain the status quo, morale was low. Once those parties reached an agreement, he would still be unable to contact his second brother, and he would really have no choice but to run away.

The hurried footsteps of the soldiers outside made Zhang Quanli even more agitated. After the army's defeat, these guys had become lax and rude, and had almost forgotten even the most basic rules.

"General!" The soldier who entered was overjoyed. "The Great General is back!"

Zhang Quanli suddenly looked up, his face filled with surprise and delight.

Then, he saw Zhang Quanyi's face come into view, followed by more than ten high-ranking generals.

With his pillar of support back, he breathed a long sigh of relief. It felt so good to not have to make any major decisions on his own!
(End of this chapter)