knife

Chapter 424 You’re late
When Linghu Zhishu saw Ke Wuji sitting there with one leg propped up on the table, puffing on a cigarette, he was completely dumbfounded.

Of course he knew Ke Wuji.

Elder of the Demonic Cult, and the actual controller of the Ruijin Banner.

He Zudao's ability to travel south is a testament to his great contributions, which is why he now holds a high position in the Eight Southern Towns. Meanwhile, the Demonic Sect's Sharp Gold Banner is now operating in the Eight Southern Towns in a semi-public manner.

He Zudao's power is somewhat weakened now, so he is naturally willing to borrow the power of the Demonic Sect.

You should know that the strength of the Demonic Cult that you see is only the part above the surface, while the majority lies beneath the surface.

In Linghu Zhishu's view, this was probably one of He Zudao's bargaining chips in negotiations with the State of Chu.

The State of Chu was extremely wary of Ke Wuji and his ilk, and with He Zudao's support, they would naturally become even more troublesome.

Therefore, it is entirely conceivable that He Zudao would use it as a bargaining chip at the negotiating table.

However powerful the Demonic Sect may be, Linghu Zhishu didn't really consider them any real opponents.

Because those who do things in the shadows will never achieve great things; in the end, they'll only be playing supporting roles behind the scenes.

But today, in this very setting, he saw Ke Wuji.

Linghu Zhishu could hardly believe his eyes, so he looked up at the plaque above the gate, and then at the soldiers standing solemnly on the left and right.

Both are correct.

Only the person sitting at the very top has changed.

What about Zhang Quanyi?

Ke Wuji laughed loudly, banging his copper pipe on the large table, filling the hall with ash. "General Linghu, you're too late. Zhang Quanyi has reached an agreement with me. Now, he has entrusted his more than 10,000 elite troops and Yiyang to me!"

"Where is he?" Linghu Zhishu didn't believe Ke Wuji would dare kill Zhang Quanyi. If he really dared to do so, the officers and generals in the hall probably wouldn't have agreed. "You locked him up?"

“Even though General Zhang is down on his luck now, his strength is still far greater than this old man’s. How could I possibly have the ability to imprison or kill him!” Ke Wuji laughed. “However, snakes have their ways, and rats have their ways. We also have some abilities that others cannot match, so we made an exchange with General Zhang.”

"And what did Zhang Quanyi get in return from you?"

“A completely new identity!” Ke Wuji said with a smile, “General Zhang no longer has the passion he once had. He just wants to find a place to spend the rest of his life peacefully with his family. We are quite adept at doing this kind of thing, so General Zhang Quanyi no longer exists. Perhaps many years later, you will see a familiar face on the street, but what it will be called is hard to say!”

Ninety percent of what Ke Wuji said was false, but there was one thing that was true.

That means Yiyang and its more than 10,000 elite soldiers all fell into his hands.

Linghu Zhishu looked up at the sky and sighed deeply.

He knew that the Demonic Sect was desperately expanding its power.
In Ning County, they made contact with He Yiming of the Canal Gang, and now the two are deeply in love and making a big fuss about it in Ning County.

Now, with the acquisition of Yiyang, their strength has further increased.

If we take into account their hidden influence, He Zudao will probably have to carefully consider the consequences before he decides to sell them out.

If things go wrong, it could cause a major upheaval.

Because the Ruijin Banner's job is to rebel, they just want to do it openly now.

If this platform disappears, they'll probably start stirring up trouble again.

The lives of ordinary people in the eight southern towns are not very good right now.

The conditions for rebellion exist.

Linghu Zhishu turned around and returned to Huai'an.

"This matter must be related to Li Dachui!" Linghu Zhishu leaned on He Zudao's large table with both hands, quite rudely, but now he was really furious and couldn't care less about such things.

"First, the Cao Gang surrendered to Ke Wuji, and then Zhang Quanyi disappeared without warning. What he left behind benefited Ke Wuji! It's rare to get a bargain once in this world, let alone twice. Do you think it's possible? If Ke Wuji had that ability, would the Ruijin Banner be in its current state?"

He Zudao looked at Linghu Zhishu and said, "General Linghu, Elder Ke Wuji has done me a great favor. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been able to go south. Therefore, if you want to accuse him, you need to provide solid evidence. Now you're just making baseless accusations that he colluded with Li Dachui. How can I convince the public? I'm afraid that others will think you're just trying to create trouble for us in the Eight Towns of the South."

Linghu Zhishu stared in disbelief.

Yes, evidence!
Where can we get evidence?

Currently, Ke Wuji and He Zudao are in cahoots. Ke Wuji acquired Zhang Quanyi's troops without lifting a finger, but it was He Zudao who benefited.

But if you connect everything together, you'll realize something's not right!
After Xiangcheng and Fancheng, it seems like He Zudao was the one who benefited. But if you think about it carefully, was it really a bargain?
Whether it was Ke Wuji swallowing up Zhang Quanyi's subordinates or Feng Kuan recapturing Fancheng in one fell swoop and regaining control of the strategic location of Xiangfan, it seemed that what was destroyed was the potential alliance between He Zudao, Linghu Ye, and the southern Chu Kingdom.

But how do you put it?

Do you tell He Zudao that you don't even have the right to sit at the table and eat, and that you should just obediently take a bowl and eat in the kitchen?
He Zudao would probably slap him across the face right then and there. The stronger He Zudao is, the greater his ambition becomes.

Having been in the South for so long, Linghu Zhishu gradually figured out this person's temperament.

But does this sudden surge of power truly belong entirely to He Zudao?

Will it burst as easily as a pig's bladder?

Regardless of the circumstances, these events are extremely detrimental to the Linghu Group.

Now the Linghu Group will inevitably launch a full-scale attack on Chang'an, but what about Luoyang? Should they leave a large force behind?
If we don't keep him, what if He Zudao suddenly makes trouble?
But if they were kept, the force attacking Chang'an would be weakened.

When Wei Yi saw that Changfengcang could not hold out, he began to withdraw the elite troops from Hedong County and Tongguan, leaving behind the last troops who were swallowed up in one gulp and were of little importance.

The Wei army remains formidable. If they cannot go all out in attacking Chang'an, it could easily turn into a protracted war of attrition.

This is precisely the situation that Linghu Ye least wanted to see.

Because outside the Great Wall, the Beiting Protectorate is still eyeing us covetously!

Sure enough, while Linghu Zhishu was still pondering these questions, He Zudao had already spoken with a smile.

"General Linghu, you've been keeping a close eye on us lately, perhaps you've overlooked the threat from beyond the pass? I've heard from merchants that there's been a large-scale troop movement at Yangguan. Ma Liang, the former garrison commander of Yangguan, has led 10,000 troops out of the pass, while General Gu Xiaoman of Beiting has led 5,000 cavalry to garrison Yangguan. What do you think they're up to? At the speed of the cavalry from beyond the pass, it shouldn't take them long to reach Hexi from Yangguan!"

Linghu Zhishu was startled.

He really didn't know that.

Yangguan had long been under the control of the Beiting Protectorate. Linghu Ye was able to enter the pass smoothly because of his tacit understanding with Li Dachui.

You can leave, I won't stop you.
But the area outside the Great Wall is mine from now on!

Of course, it now seems that Linghuye suffered a great loss.

But back then, who could have imagined that the seemingly invincible Northern Yuan would fall apart in the blink of an eye?

Linghu Ye entered the pass three months later, but the scene was completely different.

But if it's really three months late, can I still enter the country?
I'm afraid that by then, the sun will be locked tight at the door.
Who is Gu Xiaoman?

Li Dachui's direct subordinates.

His attitude, revealed by leading his troops to Yangguan, is already very clear.

This is a threat to Linghu Ye.

Because the Linghu Group is about to attack Chang'an.

Even if Gu Xiaoman's cavalry remains stationary at Yangguan, the Linghu Group will still have to be extremely cautious and on guard.

Because you can't know when your opponent will attack.

Linghu Zhishu had been speculating that Li Dachui was coming to the south to fill another gap in his power base. He couldn't see where Li Dachui's third foothold was, but He Zudao's power was growing stronger.

Perhaps this was Li Dachui's true intention in sneaking into the south?

Yangguan tied down a portion of Linghu Ye's troops, while the increasingly powerful He Zudao was able to tie down another part of Linghu Group's forces, and also guard against Southern Chu.

Everyone was wary of each other and restrained each other, but Li Dachui was the only one who could stay out of trouble outside the pass and focus on dealing with the divided Northern Yuan.

"General, I must take my leave!" Linghu Zhishu clasped his hands in a gesture of respect: "In any case, I still want to thank you for your hospitality these past few days!"

“That’s only right!” He Zudao smiled and said, “Although we may fight each other in the future, it doesn’t prevent us from being friends now!”

Linghu Zhishu nodded: "Finally, I'd like to say something to you: be careful of Li Dachui. You've always been somewhat dismissive of Li Dachui, but now I'm increasingly convinced that he really is Li Jimin and He Qingqiu's son!"

"Didn't you tell me that these are just rumors, and that you fabricated them?"

"I once thought it was a rumor we spread, but now, thinking about it carefully, who can say for sure what's true and what's false? Perhaps the person who set this up is exploiting this very mentality. Otherwise, I really can't understand why the Demonic Sect has such great power." Linghu Zhishu lost his composure: "If Li Dachui is He Qingqiu's son, then he has a great connection with the Demonic Sect. He Qingqiu was once the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect, so the Demonic Sect has reason to accept him! General, beware of the Demonic Sect under your command, beware of Li Dachui!"

Linghu Zhishu bowed, stood up, and strode away.

Behind him, He Zudao's smile slowly faded.

When a person is about to die, their words are kind; when a bird is about to die, its song is mournful.

Linghu Zhishu's current dejected appearance is genuine.

(End of this chapter)