knife

Chapter 658 The Cunning Rabbit's Last Burrow

"Atai, are you feeling any better today?"

Xiang Zhuang walked up to a dejected-looking man and asked in a low voice.

The man raised his head, forcing a smile: "Brother, it's alright, I can still manage!"

Xiang Zhuang nodded: "At most three more days, we will reach Yuezhou. Once we get there, we will be safe!"

"That bastard Zhu Chi will pay for this one day. I won't be able to get rid of the hatred in my heart until I kill the entire Zhu family!" Another man walked over carrying a pot of water and said angrily.

"What's the use of talking tough? We need to survive first before we talk about revenge!" Xiang Zhuang took the water bottle, took a sip himself, and handed it to the wounded man named Atai.

“Brother, we’ve shaken off their main force. Those who want to scatter are no match for us!” The man who came later sat down on the ground. “Our Xiang clan isn’t so easily defeated. We were just caught off guard a while ago.”

Xiang Zhuang remained silent. This time, the Xiang clan's defeat was not simply a matter of being caught off guard; it was a scheme that had been planned from beginning to end.

A perfect collaboration between the two major forces of Li Dachui, Jiang Qian, and Na Wei.

Or perhaps these plans were already in the works from the moment Li Dachui and Jiang Qian arrived in Yong'an and Ruyin.

Thinking about what had happened these past few days, Xiang Zhuang felt a chill run down his spine.

A three-pronged attack on Ruyin and Yong'an

The navy was defeated.

Na Wei withdrew his troops from Ruyin.
Li Dachui and Jiang Qian joined forces to besiege Yong'an County.

Na Wei returned to Danyang to seize power.

Li Dachui intercepted Xiang Ying halfway and severely injured him.
Xiang Ying was intercepted by a shaman on his escape route.
Xiang Ying died in battle.

Na Wei and Zhu Chi began a swift and decisive purge of the Xiang clan.
Each and every step was so tightly connected and so seamlessly coordinated.

The Xiang family's strongest forces were basically concentrated in Danyang and its surrounding areas, but they no longer exist. However, like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, the Xiang family has naturally been secretly operating several other bases, some real and some fake, some strong and some weak. Yuezhou is the Xiang family's last trump card.

And no more than ten members of the entire Xiang clan would know this.

Although the people who control Yuezhou are not surnamed Xiang, they are genuine members of the Xiang clan. Every year, the Xiang clan injects sufficient funds into Yuezhou through various means, transports the best weapons and armor, and stores weapons there enough to arm tens of thousands of people.

These measures were originally prepared by the Xiang family in preparation for a potential falling out with the Xiong family.

Over the past few hundred years, it has grown from nothing to something, from small to large, and from weak to strong.

Later, the Xiong clan gradually weakened while the Xiang clan gradually strengthened, but this preparation became a habit that never stopped.

Xiang Zhuang originally thought this place would never be needed.

Unexpectedly, it has now become Xiang's lifeline.

Xiang Zhuang silently clenched his fist. Once he arrived in Yuezhou, he would be able to reorganize his army. During this period, although many members of the Xiang clan scattered throughout the country had been arrested or killed, there were still many members and subordinates who had either fled or gone into hiding. As long as the banner of Yuezhou was raised, these bewildered people would have a backbone, and would have centripetal force and cohesion.

At that time, I will let Na Wei and Zhu Chi and the others know what the foundation of a thousand-year-old clan is!

Is Xiong willing to be manipulated by Na Wei and become a puppet?

Are the other powerful and influential families in the Great Chu willing to bow down and act subservient to Na Wei?
Of course not.

"Let's go. Wang Fang has already gone ahead. Yuezhou will send experts to meet us. The closer we get to Yuezhou, the safer we'll be!" Xiang Zhuang reached around his neck and pulled out the jade talisman Xiang Ying had given him, clutching it tightly in his hand. The group mounted their horses and galloped towards Yuezhou.

Jiang Chong sat in a roadside shed, drinking a large bowl of tea that cost one coin.

The shed was extremely simple, consisting of a few wooden stakes stuck into the ground, a straw mat surrounding it, a bundle of wild thatch tied up on top, and some clay pasted on top, which was enough to keep out the wind and rain.

The tea leaves were broken into small pieces, and the brewed tea was, needless to say, of a poor color and extremely bitter. However, for an ordinary traveler, in this kind of weather, a bowl of hot water was enough to soothe the stomach and spleen.

This year, the Great Chu has experienced a series of dramatic changes, so there are even fewer travelers. Jiang Chong has been sitting here for half a day and has only seen three or five people. Now, he is the only one left in the tent.

He paid a lot of money, so the old man selling tea was extremely attentive and made sure the fire was burning very brightly, making the whole shed warm and cozy.

Take a sip of tea, cough twice, pause for a moment, then take another sip of tea.

The injuries on my body are troublesome.

If I hadn't made a decisive move during the last Battle of Red Cliffs, I probably wouldn't have made it back.

Jiang Qian is extremely cunning.

He pretended to fall into a trap, but instead had two innate masters lying in ambush within the fleet to assassinate him.

Jiang Chong sighed.
If you don't kill a snake, it will eventually bite you back.
Thinking of Jiang Qian's ruthlessness and Li Dachui's cunning, Jiang Chong felt that his future was bleak.

But I had no way out.
During the Danyang coup, too many of Jiang Qian's confidants died at Jiang Chong's hands, especially He Han. Others may not know about He Han's relationship with Jiang Qian, but Jiang Chong knew it very well.

Even if he were to kneel before Jiang Qian now and beg for forgiveness, that vixen would never let him go.

Only by struggling forward and protecting the Great Chu can the Jiang family be protected.

Now that Xiang Ying is dead and the Xiang clan has collapsed, the only way to save the Great Chu is to fully support Na Wei.

Zhu Chi is right. As long as the Great Chu doesn't collapse, the Jiang family can continue.

If we want the Great Chu to not collapse, we must first kill Xiang Zhuang and his people. Otherwise, if Xiang Zhuang launches his revenge against Na Wei, the entire Great Chu will be dragged into it. The Great Chu can only take tonics now, and absolutely cannot take laxatives anymore!
There is no second option.

"My lord, you've been coughing a lot. I happen to have a folk remedy here!" The old tea seller walked over, holding a steamed bun in his hand.

"Oh, what kind of folk remedy?" Jiang Chong asked with a smile.

"Put the steamed bun on a fire and slowly roast it until it turns into charcoal, then crush it and take it with water. That might work!" the old man said. "I sometimes cough too, but medicine is too expensive. Someone told me about this remedy, and it really works. If other medicines don't help, you might as well give it a try!"

"Alright, let's give it a try today!" Jiang Chong smiled as he took the steamed bun and casually handed the old man a silver coin.

The old man waved his hands repeatedly: "Sir, you have already given me more than enough. If you give me any more, I won't feel at ease taking it! Contentment brings happiness!"

Jiang Chong looked at the old man with some surprise. The old man was rubbing his hands, looking very uneasy.

"That's right, contentment brings happiness!" Jiang Chong said, seemingly enlightened. "That's the best way, but some people want to be content but can't achieve it!"

The sound of horses' hooves came from outside. The old man walked to the edge of the shed, lifted the straw mat curtain, and looked outside.

A horse-drawn carriage was parked outside.

Upon seeing the man driving the car, Jiang Chong's expression immediately changed.

(End of this chapter)