knife

Chapter 660 There's a way: use money to smash it.

The wind and snow are getting heavier.

The sky was gradually darkening.

The tense atmosphere in the shed, which had been on the verge of conflict, actually eased up.

"Zhang Li, bring the wine from the car!" Jiang Chong put down his teacup and suddenly said to Zhang Li, who was standing to the side.

Zhang Li looked at Hu Tianying in astonishment.

Hu Tianying laughed and scolded, "Do you still need to ask me this? It's rare that Patriarch Jiang wants to drink a cup of our wine, so just bring it! But Patriarch Jiang, you are currently injured, do you really want to drink?"

Jiang Chong sighed: "You've been sickly for half your life and have always been a heavy drinker, but that doesn't mean you'll drink yourself to death!"

"I'm tough!" Hu Tianying laughed.

In a short while, Zhang Li had brought down a large jar of wine from the car, along with several oil paper packages. He dragged over a bench, placed the oil paper packages on it, and opened them, revealing some broad beans, dried meat, braised tofu, and other such items.

Once the jar lid is opened and the teacup is filled, the entire shed is immediately filled with the aroma of wine.

"Take a bowl to the owner!" Hu Tianying pointed to the old tea seller huddled in the corner and said, "If it weren't for us, the owner would have already packed up and gone home!"

Zhang Li smiled and poured a bowl of wine for the old tea seller, along with a piece of silver, saying, "Old man, after you drink this bowl of wine, why don't you go home? We'll close the door for you when we leave, okay?"

This piece of silver is more than enough to buy this shed, not to mention that bowl of fine wine that smells like something I can't normally afford.
The old man selling wine nodded repeatedly, tucking the loose silver into his pocket. He carefully carried the wine out the door, seemingly reluctant to drink it all by himself. Who was he going to share it with? Probably family!
Jiang Chong tilted his head back and downed the wine in his teacup in one gulp, staring straight at Hu Tianying: "Where does the road lead?"

"The path is naturally beneath your feet!"

"It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering!" Jiang Chong shook his head and laughed. "Old Hu, tell me, how did I end up like this?"

Hu Tianying took a sip of wine and said, "Lack of perseverance, constant back and forth, always wanting to choose an easier path, but the easier the path, the greater the price you have to pay."

"At that time, did I have a choice?" Jiang Chong shook his head. "Especially when I found out that Li Dachui and Xiang Ying were colluding to deal with Jiang Qian, could I still put all my eggs in one basket with Jiang Qian?"

Hu Tianying picked up the wine jar and filled it for Jiang.

In fact, Jiang Chong was right. It was all a matter of timing and fate. If they were in each other's shoes, he might not have been able to do any better than Jiang Chong.

“Li Dachui is a devil. He manipulates everyone. Jiang Qian and Xiang Ying are both considered the pride of heaven, but they both fell into his hands. Compared to them, my current situation is nothing. I just feel a little aggrieved!”

"Do you think that Wei can accomplish great things?"

Jiang Chong gave a bitter laugh: "Did I have a choice? No matter what, Na Wei still has tens of thousands of elite troops. No, another 50,000 will be transferred from the southwest soon. Although Na Wei is only of average appearance and has no chance against Li Dachui and the others, I can only follow him and live a life of precarious survival. This is also why I want to kill Xiang Zhuang. If Xiang Zhuang doesn't die, he will surely gather the remnants of the Xiang clan to take revenge. The Xiang clan's power is deeply entrenched. Once they raise the banner of rebellion, the Great Chu will inevitably be thrown into chaos. But if the Great Chu is in chaos now, it will only benefit Jiang Qian. Do you think I had a choice?"

Looking at Hu Tianying, Jiang Chong said quietly, "But I never expected that you, Hu Tianying, had already joined Li Dachui. Why is that?"

“Li Dachui has a godfather named Zhou Zhi!” Hu Tianying said, “This Zhou Zhi has another name, Zhou Xingxing! He was one of the guys who was expelled from the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Sect back then!” Jiang Chong laughed heartily, “I see!”

“Actually, you’re not without options!” Hu Tianying said. “Judging from your tone, you really admire Li Dachui. Why don’t you go and join him?”

“Li Dachui is now in cahoots with Jiang Qian. If I go and join Li Dachui, do you think Jiang Qian will let me off easy?” Jiang Chong said.

Hu Tianying shook his head and said, "Jiang Qian is currently in the Eight Towns of Jiangnan. She can't possibly go to the area outside the Great Wall! That area outside the Great Wall is Xiao Changche's territory."

Jiang Chong's pupils contracted slightly: "You mean you want me to go beyond the Great Wall?"

“It’s not you going to the border region yourself, but your people and your money!” Hu Tianying said, “The Northern Protectorate just destroyed the Northern Yuan this year, and its momentum has greatly increased. But at the same time, it has also taken on the heavy burden of the Northern Yuan. Tens of thousands of miles of territory, millions of people! They all need to eat and drink. If they don’t have food and drink, they will rebel!”

"So, it seems the Northern Protectorate isn't doing so well either!" Jiang Chong couldn't help but gloat.

"Therefore, what the Beiting Protectorate needs most right now is for capable people to invest heavily in the area outside the Great Wall, investing manpower and financial resources to help the Beiting Protectorate develop this barren land. You can't stay in Jiangnan anymore; Jiang Qian will definitely target you. So go outside the Great Wall and seek refuge with Xiao Changche!"

“Xiao Changche is Li Dachui’s woman, would she pay any attention to me?” Jiang Chong shook his head.

Hu Tianying laughed, and Zhang Li, who was standing to the side, also lowered his head, but the corners of his mouth turned up, clearly wanting to laugh as well.

Jiang Chong was a shrewd man; he quickly realized what was going on by observing their expressions.

"You mean Jiang Qian has also become Li Dachui's woman?"

"Let's drink! Let's drink!" Hu Tianying raised his bowl.

Jiang Chong, however, became excited: "If this is true, then I think what you're talking about has a lot of potential!"

"The important thing is that you need to invest real money in the area outside the Great Wall!" Hu Tianying laughed. "Your Jiang family is a century-old clan. Investing a few million taels of silver in the area outside the Great Wall is just a piece of cake. Just throw money at it, and I guarantee the Northern Protectorate will treat you like an honored guest. Coupled with your special status in the Chu Kingdom, they will be even more protective of you. Even Jiang Qian will probably be helpless against you!"

"I can't come up with several million taels right now, but I can still scrape together a million taels!" Jiang Chong calculated in his mind: "Manpower is easy to deal with. Sending a few hundred people to fight outside the Great Wall is not a problem. The only question is how to get them there? Land routes are out of the question. As for the water routes, Zhu Chi is currently in control. He is a very cunning and scheming man. I'm afraid he won't be willing to let me go!"

"As long as you're willing to go, I'll arrange this for you!" Hu Tian replied. "Zhu Chi wouldn't dare make things difficult for you. Once you get to the border, with my letter, Zhou Xingxing will definitely take good care of you!"

Jiang Chong stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "If this matter succeeds, then my Jiang family has indeed found a way out. Sect Leader Hu, I owe you a favor, and I will repay you in the future!"

Hu Tianying laughed loudly: "It's all for the sake of ending this chaotic world as soon as possible, so that people can live a peaceful and good life sooner. Patriarch Jiang, here, this is for you!"

Seeing a pill in Hu Tianying's outstretched palm, Jiang Chong asked curiously, "What's this?"

"The pills that Li Dachui brought me were personally refined by Fu Qingzhu. I ate five of them, so I'll give you the last one. It should be extremely beneficial to your internal injuries!" Hu Tianying said. "Right now, Li Dachui is probably going back to the border. You can go see him and have a good talk with him! He's a man of great vision and ambition. He doesn't care about immediate gains or losses, but values ​​long-term interests and the well-being of the people. Although you have a grudge against Jiang Qian, you have no grudge against the border. Li Dachui won't turn away someone like you because of a woman's likes or dislikes."

(End of this chapter)