knife

Chapter 575 A Powerful Person
Li Bao, naturally, is Li Dachui.

Han Zheng stood up and squinted at the young man in front of him.

The guards around him also nervously gathered around, their faces mostly showing fear.

Because everyone knows that Li Dachui is a master of innate skill.

Their current actions are less about protecting Han Zheng and more about expressing a stance.

If Li Dachui really wanted to harm Han Zheng, even if all of them were tied together, they wouldn't be enough for him to deal with with just one hand.

Han Zheng waved his hand, and the guards, as if granted a pardon, immediately dispersed, intentionally or unintentionally blocking out other people on the road.

These people are quite professional. Their seemingly casual positioning actually blocked everyone's view. Let alone launching an attack, it would be impossible for them to even see the faces of the people in the middle.

"Protector Li?" Han Zheng cupped his hands in greeting.

Li Dachui smiled, rubbed his face for a while, and then casually wiped it away. An unfamiliar face appeared in front of Han Tan, leaving Han Tan stunned.

"Prefect Han, I've long admired your name!" Li Dachui returned the greeting, then turned to Han Tan: "Brother Han, I've concealed many things along the way, please don't take offense!"

Han Tan shook his head: "Don't be offended, don't be offended. If it weren't for you along the way, I probably would have been killed by Yang Lixin's men. In fact, you saved my life!"

"Not at all!" Li Dachui said, "With Jiang Qian here, how could you possibly get into trouble? She's also a master of the Innate Realm! Dealing with those people is a piece of cake for her."

Han Tan felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

I thought to myself, you people are really not human. You all act so convincingly, but I've suffered as a clown.

Han Zheng looked at his son's embarrassed appearance, but could only shake his head with a wry smile.

Actually, my son is quite good, of course, compared to normal people.

Characters like Li Dachui and Jiang Qian, who are almost superhuman,

How can we compare them?

Even someone as shrewd and calculating as myself admits my inferiority in their presence.

"The Protector-General has some impressive methods! If I'm not mistaken, the Protector-General must have been involved in stirring up trouble in Danyang!" Han Zheng said.

Li Dachui smiled and nodded: "It was just a side trip. In fact, the internal conflicts in the Great Chu were quite serious. I only played a small role in the middle."

"Is it really you?" Han Tan involuntarily gripped the hilt of his knife, staring intently at Li Dachui. At that moment, he forgot about the huge difference in martial arts strength between them.

"Brother Han, we are now friends, not enemies!" Li Dachui smiled and looked at Han Tan. "Your Empress Dowager was able to reach Yong'an County only after I escorted her all the way. Moreover, I have already reached an agreement with the Empress Dowager on the intention of cooperation. I came here this time to discuss the next steps of cooperation with the Empress Dowager!"

Han Tan hadn't yet figured out the key to this, but Han Zheng instantly understood the connection between many seemingly unrelated things that had happened recently.

"So, the sudden attack by the Sichuan navy to seize Zigui and Badong, and Feng Kuan's large-scale attack on Yong'an in Xiangfan were all orchestrated by the Protector-General?"

Li Dachui nodded: "Otherwise, how could the Danyang Tiger Army be mobilized? If the Tiger Army doesn't move, how can the Weilang Army enter Danyang? And where would Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi get the opportunity to rebel?"

Han Tan, who was standing to the side, finally recovered a bit: "So you came to Chu to cause endless internal strife?" "That was the initial intention, but now that goal has been revised!" Li Dachui said: "I am no longer satisfied with this. Now I hope that Yong'an, Ruyin and other places will join my Beiting Protectorate and become a part of Beiting."

"You actually want us to surrender to you?" Han Tan's face flushed red.

"It's not surrender, it's an alliance!" Li Dachui laughed. "Of course, it's also necessary to have a primary and secondary leader."

Before Han Tan could speak, Han Zheng glared at his son: "Shut up! How dare you talk about such things?"

Han Tan shut his mouth in a huff.

"Since we've run into each other, why don't we travel together?" Han Zheng invited Li Dachui. "On the way, I happen to have some things I need to ask the Protector for advice on. I've been thinking about this incident a lot, but there are still some questions I can't figure out. I'd appreciate it if the Protector could enlighten me!"

"I'll speak my mind without reservation!" Li Dachui said readily.

Whether it's He Jiong or Han Zheng, they are both outstanding figures in their respective regions, and they can provide great help to the Beiting Protectorate in its future cause of unifying the world. Naturally, Li Dachui should act more modestly.

He Jiong is a member of the Demonic Sect. He is not skilled in martial arts, but he is good at planning and strategizing. He is a strategist. Jiang Qian has come this far, and it can be said that he has played a huge role in it.

Han Zheng was from a prominent local clan in Ruyin. He possessed the cultivation level of the eighth rank of the Xuan Yuan realm, and his literary and martial skills were both top-notch. Here, "martial skills" does not refer to his martial arts cultivation, but rather to his military achievements.

The fact that he has been able to hold his own against the He family for many years speaks volumes about his abilities.

If these two people are enemies, they should be eliminated as soon as possible; but if they are subordinates, they are quite pleasing.

Now, deep down, Li Dachui already considers these two people as his subordinates.

The group walked slowly, and when they saw the city walls of Yong'an County, Han Zheng had a pretty good understanding of the Danyang Incident.

Of course, Li Dachui didn't mention some things that happened in Yunwu Mountain.

If he hadn't witnessed these things firsthand, even if Han Zheng heard them, he might not have believed them.

Han Zheng reined in his horse and turned to look at Li Dachui, saying, "Protector Li, you certainly don't just want to create internal strife in Chu to prevent interference in Qin's upcoming civil war. You also want the Empress Dowager to lead us to your side, to become your allies in your struggle for the world. Well then, I'd like to ask you this!"

"Speaking!"

Han Gai said, "We are indeed in a very unfavorable situation now, but it doesn't mean we're truly at our wits' end. At least, we still have Linghu Ye to choose from. If we extend an invitation to Linghu Ye now, I think, given his discerning eye, he would immediately send a large army to attack us from both sides and take down He Zudao first. In any case, we're just using someone to accomplish our goals, so why should we choose you? In other words, what can you offer us?"

"What does Prefect Han want?"

"The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is in turmoil, all for gain!" Han Zheng said, "I believe that once we succeed, fame, fortune, and glory will naturally follow. But we are ultimately Chu people, and we have unresolved issues with both Protector Li and his subordinates. What can Protector Li guarantee that we will be treated equally under his command? Protector Li, I am a very practical person; empty words won't convince me!"

"What kind of protection does Prefect Han want?"

"I haven't thought of that yet either, so I need to have a good discussion with the Empress Dowager and He Jiong!" Han Gai said calmly. "I'm telling Protector Li this because I want to let him know that this matter isn't guaranteed to succeed; it depends on how we negotiate!"

Li Dachui nodded.

He is indeed a formidable negotiating opponent.

(End of this chapter)