knife

Chapter 788 The Grassroots

Kou Wenhai clenched his fist and pulled his arm back. The long sword, which was several feet away, flew back with a whoosh and hovered above his head. In the blink of an eye, the long sword flew out again like lightning, circling a large tree several times, and the tree was then shaped into a standard pagoda shape.

Nodding in satisfaction, Kou Wenhai waved his hand, and the longsword flew back, obediently landing in the sword box on the stone table behind him.

"Father's cultivation has improved again!" Kou Liang quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it to Kou Wenhai, also offering a timely compliment.

"What's the use?" Kou Wenhai took the tea, took a sip, and sighed, "Without reaching the Innate Realm, one can only be controlled by others, only become a dish on the menu, whether delicious or ordinary, but never the one who orders it. Since your grandfather's unfortunate passing, our Kou family has become the dish. Heh, heh heh, this world is just that realistic!"

Kou Liang reached out and took the teacup from his father, saying, "Grandpa is gone, and our Kou family has lost its Xiantian (a powerful force), but we still have you, Father! The Qin family of Donghai tried to bully us, but under your strategic planning, didn't you wipe them out in the blink of an eye? Now their elite troops have all scattered and are living in Chang'an. I've heard that the Qin family's eldest son is now just a court attendant, serving as a guard for that puppet emperor! Everyone knows that Linghu Ye is the one in charge of Chang'an now. What future does serving the little emperor have?"

Kou Wenhai sat down and sighed, "What talk of strategizing and planning is nothing but drinking poison to quench thirst. At the time, I had no choice but to bring in the forces of Chu. Although it saved our Kou family, it also cut us off from Qin."

"Whether it's Qin or Chu, we'll serve whoever makes us comfortable!" Kou Liang sneered. "Anyway, in Pengcheng, the Kou family calls the shots."

"With the world in chaos, we thought that while Qin was in turmoil, Chu would remain stable, and that our defection to Chu would be a brilliant move. But who would have thought that Chu would also fall into chaos in the blink of an eye, and even more so than Qin!" Kou Wenhai was far from optimistic: "What is Pengcheng in the face of the overall situation? Don't be fooled by our current peace; I'm afraid we won't be able to relax like this any longer."

“The Prefect of Pengcheng was sent by Empress Dowager Jiang, and the generals stationed in Pengcheng by Tianluo were personally selected by Lin Yunqi back then!” Kou Liang said, “These days, they have been quite active. Father, many people are in close contact with them. We can’t wait any longer!”

Kou Wenhai nodded: "We haven't made a move against them yet. Originally, we wanted to keep them around to negotiate with Na Wei. Now Na Wei is no longer capable, while Jiang Qian and Lin Yunqi have made a comeback. Originally, this was something we could have done to curry favor with them, but unfortunately, we can never work together."

Kou Liang looked somewhat dejected.

He knew what his father meant.

Why was Jiang Qian able to turn her life around? It's because she got involved with Li Dachui.

Li Dachui was the posthumous son of Li Zemin and He Qingqiu.

The deaths of He Qingqiu and Li Zemin were inextricably linked to the Kou family.

The Kou and Wei families were the masterminds behind this affair.

Just look at how Li Dachui dealt with the Wei clan to know what would happen if the Kou clan fell into his hands.

"But Father, it seems that Wei Bing's defeat is a foregone conclusion. What should we do next?" Kou Liang asked with some worry.

"The fate of our family depends on this battle between Linghu Ye and Li Dachui. If Linghu Ye loses, then the annihilation of our Kou family will be a matter of course!" Kou Wenhai said.

"Father, we have to do something!"

"Of course!" Kou Wenhai chuckled. "Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, let alone a person? Let alone our Kou family with its long and distinguished lineage? I'm just waiting for an opportunity!" "An opportunity?"

Rapid footsteps sounded behind him, and a person came running up like the wind, shouting, "Uncle, Uncle, something terrible has happened!"

Kou Wenhai turned around, looked at his nephew who was running towards him, and said calmly, "What major thing could have happened? It's not like the sky is falling, is it?"

Kou Yu nodded and said, "Uncle, Chang Lei, the governor of Dongdu and Duke of Wei, led his army to launch a surprise attack on Huaiyang County. Along the way, many followed suit. Five thousand men left Dongdu and arrived in Huaiyang County. By then, tens of thousands had already gathered. Sun Zhu, the governor of Huaiyang County, surrendered without a fight."

Kou Wenhai turned to look at his son, then burst into laughter: "Look, isn't this the opportunity?"

Kou Yu, who had just arrived, looked bewildered: "Opportunity? What opportunity? Uncle, Chang Lei is nominally the Eastern Capital Garrison Commander of the Great Qin and the Duke of Wei, while we betrayed the Great Qin back then."

Kou Wenhai laughed and said, "Great Qin? Great Qin is nothing now! Xiao Liang, Xiao Yu, you two, according to our previous plan, take action immediately and capture all the people Chu has planted in our Pengcheng."

"Uncle, are we going to raise an army in response to the Duke of Wei?" Kou Liang asked in a low voice.

"Of course, back then we were forced by the Qin family to seek refuge in the Chu state in order to protect ourselves. Now that Linghu is in charge of restoring order and revitalizing the court, my Kou family has been a pillar of the Qin state for hundreds of years. It is only right that we return to assist Linghu in unifying the world." Kou Wenhai said with his hands behind his back and his head held high.

Kou Liang and Kou Yu both nodded emphatically, then turned and flew away.

A bloody storm suddenly erupted in Pengcheng.

The troops of Pengcheng County, controlled by the Kou clan, launched attacks from all sides. Officials and spies planted by the Chu state after it took over the area, as well as local powerful families that they had won over in the past two years, all fell from power. A massacre plunged the entire Pengcheng County into a bloody terror.

"Patriarch Kou is truly ruthless and decisive, and his thinking is far-reaching. I admire him greatly!" When Yan Su arrived in Pengcheng, Kou Wenhai had already completed the purge of the entire city. "Brother Kou today has quite the imposing presence and strategic brilliance of Lord Kou in his prime. To be able to accomplish this so cleanly and efficiently, Brother Kou must have been planning this for a long time!"

Kou Wenhai chuckled self-deprecatingly, "There's nothing I can do. Since my father passed away, the Kou family has lost its pillar and its shield. We've had to sway back and forth, trying to survive in the cracks. I was quite worried that Linghu Fuzheng wouldn't accept people like us, but now it seems I was overthinking it."

"Indeed, you've overthought it!" he said with a serious smile. "Linghu Fuzheng's heart is as vast as the sun and moon. Brother Kou has now abandoned darkness for light; we're more than happy to welcome him!"

"Brother Yan, I heard that those people from the Qin family are now working in Chang'an and living quite comfortably?" Kou Wenhai asked casually.

“Brother Kou, killing is just a matter of beheading!” Yan Su shook his head and said, “They are now just empty shells, but you, Brother Kou, are bound to be given an important position. If Commander Linghu is willing to give you an important position, he must also tolerate them. I, Yan, plead for the Qin family here, let this matter end here!”

Kou Wenhai laughed heartily: "Since Brother Yan has spoken, and Linghu Fuzheng also has this intention, what else can I say? Naturally, everything will be based on Linghu Fuzheng's wishes. Brother Yan, I wonder where the Duke of Wei's next target is? Time is very precious now. While Jiang Qian's main force is tied up in Liyang, once this vixen catches her breath, we won't be as relaxed as we are now!"

"This is natural!"

(End of this chapter)