knife

Chapter 752 The Conspiracy
Jiang Chong reached an agreement with the Beiting Protectorate to go beyond the Great Wall. This was arranged by Li Dachui and secretly operated by Zhi Qiuyuan. It was a completely different path, and Zhu Chi was kept in the dark.

This is also a means for Chi Qiuyuan to check and balance Zhu Chi.

The Beiting Protectorate could not possibly place all its bets on Zhu Chi alone. If they did, and Zhu Chi turned his back on them, wouldn't all their previous investments be for naught?
Despite being desperate, Jiang Chong dared to take a huge gamble, quietly investing over a million taels of silver in the area beyond the Great Wall. With this enormous sum, Jiang Chong quickly gained the trust of the Northern Court. After all, the Northern Court Protectorate was truly destitute at the moment.

The powerful families entrenched in Jiangling had deep roots and were themselves innate masters. With the huge investment in the early stages, Jiang Chong was immediately promised a satisfactory position in the future court. Thus, he began to focus on building his power base in Jiangling, preparing to launch a surprise attack at the right time, make new contributions, and lay the foundation for the future glory and wealth of the Jiang family.

Zhu Chi was unaware of all this.

Only after he had weighed the pros and cons for a long time and finally agreed to all of Luo Ying's demands, and began to act according to Jiang Qian and Zhang Qingyun's plan, did Luo Ying confess the matter of Jiang Chong to him.

This greatly alarmed Zhu Chi.

Only after a moment of realization did he understand that if he were to be half-hearted, then Zhi Qiu Yuan would not hesitate to abandon him and turn to cooperate fully with Jiang Chong.

For the Beiting Protectorate, losing him was certainly a pity, but he was just an arm. However, they would definitely launch a fierce attack on him. Not to mention anything else, the maritime trade alone would be enough to bring great misfortune to the Zhu family.

Nowadays, over 90% of the Zhu family's profits come from the sea.

And who is the current overlord of the sea? It is the Beiting Protectorate.

Jiangling County, Jiang Chong's residence.

Zhu Chi arrived in Jiangling under the pretext of raising military funds for the court. He went straight to Jiang Chong's residence. Outsiders naturally couldn't say anything, and had to give him a thumbs up, saying that Minister Zhu was truly willing to sacrifice himself for the country, and that the first person he approached to raise military funds was the most powerful figure in the area.

If Jiang Chong gives the money, the others in Jiangling will have nothing to say and will obediently pay up!
Surprisingly, Luo Ying sat in the main seat in the study, while Jiang Chong and Zhu Chi sat on either side.

Luo Ying started following Zhang Qingyun at the age of sixteen, and by today's age, he is only twenty-one. In terms of martial arts cultivation, he has barely passed the threshold of the seventh rank of Xuan Yuan. Not to mention comparing him with Jiang Chong, even Zhu Chi is much stronger than him. In terms of position, Luo Ying is only a captain in the Action Division under the Zhi Qiu Academy, but because he is here representing the Zhi Qiu Academy, he naturally sat in the main seat.

"This time, the three parties joined forces to besiege the eight towns of Jiangnan. After careful analysis, it is highly likely that this is a scheme by Linghu Ye to deceive everyone!" Luo Ying's words left Jiang Chong and Zhu Chi dumbfounded.

"Linghu Ye wants to use the attack on the eight towns of Jiangnan to cover up his true military objective!" Luo Ying continued, "That is to mobilize his most elite forces to prepare for a decisive battle with the Beiting Protectorate. Whoever wins this battle will essentially determine the fate of the world." "So he deceived Na Wei and Xiang Zhuang into launching an attack on the eight towns of Jiangnan to prevent the Jiangnan army from attacking his rear while he is fighting the Beiting?" Jiang Chong and Zhu Chi were both slow to realize: "So he needs the Chu Kingdom to hold back Jiang Qian for him. If the two sides really fight, the army that Linghu Ye promised will definitely not come, and he doesn't care whether the battle of Jiangnan is won or lost. Because in Linghu Ye's view, as long as he defeats Protector Li, the situation in Jiangnan is just a minor ailment!"

"That's exactly what Linghu Ye is thinking!" Luo Ying said. "Since Linghu Ye is just bluffing, let's play along and go all out to completely eliminate Southern Chu. You two are both seasoned veterans; I don't need to elaborate on the importance of this battle, do I?"

Needless to say.

It is not only crucial to the overall situation of the world, but also crucial to them.

If Li Dachui defeats Linghu Ye in the upcoming decisive battle, their contribution to pacifying Southern Chu will be recognized as a great achievement in the future new empire. When it comes to rewards and honors, they will not be inferior to the group from the Northern Protectorate outside the pass.

If Li Dachui were to lose to Linghu Ye, the importance of their capture of Southern Chu would become even more prominent, and it would become Li Dachui's reliance for re-entering the pass.

Even if Li Dachui is no longer able to enter the pass, they can still live a very comfortable life. Not to mention anything else, just with Jiang Qian's abilities, it's not impossible for them to divide the country along the river again and have another north-south confrontation with Linghu Ye.

"General Fang Xiaomao will lead the left wing to attack from Ruyang, General Lin Yunqi will lead the rear army to attack from Tongan County, and Wang Dao will lead the navy downstream!" Luo Ying said. "Our mission is to launch an attack on Xiang Zhuang after the two frontal attacks have officially begun, and to disrupt the entire rear of Chu!"

"Minister Zhu is now considered a confidant of Na Wei, so Zhu Chi's sudden attack on Xiang Zhuang will make everyone think that Na Wei has betrayed his promise. The chaos in the rear will naturally affect the war at the front!" Luo Ying smiled and said, "Master Jiang is adding fuel to the fire, making it burn even brighter. Na Wei himself lacks legitimacy and sufficient prestige in Chu. Once the world is in chaos, coupled with the military being tied up, he will no longer be able to control Southern Chu, and the entire Chu region will inevitably fall into a state of fragmentation. With the prestige that Empress Dowager Jiang has accumulated in Chu in the past, she might just follow suit."

Jiang Chong nodded slightly: "This plan is excellent in itself, but Zhu Zhen's troops are unlikely to win against Xiang Zhuang's forces. If Zhu Zhen is defeated by Xiang Zhuang in a very short time, it will be of little use."

"Zhi Qiu Yuan has two battalions under his command: the Azure Dragon and the White Tiger! The White Tiger Battalion is based in Jiangnan, and recently, they have infiltrated Chu in batches to follow Jiangmen Zhu's operations. The Azure Dragon Battalion came from the sea and should have landed by now, right? The Azure Dragon Battalion will follow Zhu Zhen's troops and serve as the spearhead for Zhu Zhen's attack on Xiang Zhuang." Luo Ying smiled and said, "By taking advantage of the situation, as long as we win the first battle and establish our momentum, the rest will be much easier."

"Since this is a battle fought with all our might, the entire Zhu family will join in!" Zhu Chi said. "Therefore, this battle will not be commanded by Zhu Zhen, but by myself, Zhu Chi, personally donning armor and taking to the front lines!"

Luo Ying clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "In that case, it will be even more foolproof. Sect Master Jiang, Na Wei will definitely lead the expedition in person. The Divine Witch will stay in Danyang, so you will lead the Jiang Clan elites and the White Tiger Brigade, along with Master Hong Zhan, into Danyang. The Five Tigers Severing Gate Blade will also cooperate with you in Danyang to kill the Divine Witch and control the young emperor! Let Na Wei have no way to return!"

"In this battle, we must strike with lightning speed!"

(End of this chapter)