Shushan: Extinction

Chapter 227 Struggle for power and profit
The man at the top said:
"Humph, Chen Feidi is just a pawn."

"Our real goal is to intensify the internal strife in the Marquis' Mansion and significantly weaken its strength again. As long as Chen Feidi sends out his troops, regardless of success or failure, we will take advantage of the situation and launch another attack, and the Marquis' Mansion will fall into chaos."

"but."

The other man frowned, with a hint of fear in his tone:

"The seventh old man in the Marquis' Mansion is a bit tricky. The people we deployed earlier were almost caught by his people."

"That Seventh Young Master?"

A man sneered:
"He's just a bastard. No matter how much he tries, he won't be able to make any waves."

"Don't be careless."

The leading man said in a deep voice:
"Although this old man is young, he has extraordinary means. He was able to escape unscathed from the internal strife in the Marquis' Mansion and even started from scratch outside. It is clear that there must be a master behind him."

"so what?"

The man sneered:

"No matter how powerful he is, he is just a bastard. He can't interfere in the power struggle in the Marquis' Mansion."

"not necessarily."

The leading man had a deep gaze:
"Although the Seventh Elder has made it clear that he will not interfere with the position of the Crown Prince, his power is growing day by day, and the other branches of the Marquisate have already felt threatened. We might as well give him another push and involve him in this fight."

"How to push?" asked a man, who was obviously the executor.

"Simple."

The leader didn't say anything, but someone next to him interrupted:

"As long as Chen Feidi knows that this Old Seven is also secretly plotting and wants to take advantage of the opportunity to rise to the top, Chen Feidi will definitely take action against this Old Seven whom he despises, given his extreme personality."

Suddenly, a crow came flying in from outside and stood on the table. The leader caught the crow, took off the bamboo tube from its foot and took a look. His expression suddenly changed:
"What! Cui's Warehouse is closing down? City Guard Cui Zicheng is taking a sick leave for ten days?"

"The informant in the Marquis' Mansion also sent a report, saying that the seventh son of the Marquis' Mansion left the mansion in the middle of the night, saying that he had a headache that was difficult to cure and went out to seek medical treatment!"

After seeing these two messages, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. After a few seconds, someone murmured:
"Could it be that this person has noticed something? Wouldn't our plan be in danger?"

The leader said coldly:

"The sons of the Marquis' Mansion are quarreling endlessly. What good will it do this Seventh Master to expose our plan?"

"According to our information, this Seventh Master has been bullied a lot in the Marquis' Mansion."

Suddenly, a man who had been silent all the time said:
"I heard that the disciple of the national teacher will arrive here the day after tomorrow. He is famous for caring more about money than people. Maybe we can ask him to help remove the thorn?"

The leader's eyes lit up and he said:

"You mean? Li Tao?"

The man nodded and said:
"The seventh disciple of the Imperial Master, Taowu, seems to be active nearby recently. One thousand taels of gold is enough for him to take action once."

The leader gritted his teeth:

"Although one thousand taels of gold is a bit expensive, if we can kill Li Tao at this critical moment, then it will be worth it."

Another man's eyes lit up and he added:

"If we can kill Li Tao, the city will be in chaos. Currently, six big families in Sansheng City have secretly attached themselves to me, and I can also mobilize 500 people from the cattle and horse trade outside the city."

"In this case, if we can make an agreement with the Tianyong Army's western patrol, then we will have a chance to capture the city."

The others also thought it made sense:

"Then proceed as planned. Let the Marquis's Mansion fight among themselves, weaken their strength, and pave the way for our grand plan for Che Ming Country!"

"Take over Sansheng City!! You won't have to worry about wealth and glory in this life."

"A God-sent opportunity!"

Several people smiled at each other, their eyes full of sinisterness and complacency. The light of the oil lamp cast shadows on their faces, as if foreshadowing the coming bloody storm.

***
For Governor Li Tao, he has been extremely busy in recent days. He feels that he has had a bad luck this year and wants to find a powerful person to change his luck and get rid of his bad luck.

At the moment, what Li Tao is most concerned about is, of course, the independent march of Chen Feidi, the eldest son of the Marquis's Mansion.

Li Tao is optimistic about this. After all, the Chen family has been operating here for decades and has become a powerful family that cannot be eliminated.

Both himself and the king hope that the power of the Chen family will continue to weaken, which is in the interests of the entire Langshan Kingdom.

But Chen Feidi's departure was just the beginning. On the fourth day after his departure, a large number of rumors began to spread in the city:

Some people said that the Marquis's dispatch of troops was an act of rebellion and had not been approved by the king.

Others said that a large number of ambushes had already been deployed on the grassland, and Chen Feidi had already been defeated and killed at this time.

There are even more exaggerated ones, saying that after Chen Feidi was defeated, he tried to survive and defected to the Naiman tribe in order to survive, and wanted to seize the city.

These statements are really bizarre and make people panic. Li Tao is no mediocre person and he has already felt that there is an undercurrent with bad intentions surging.

So he mobilized his men to find the hidden rats, but this would take time.

But at this time Li Tao never expected that he had little time left.

In the afternoon, Li Tao finished the work at hand and sat in the study with a frown on his face. The teacup in his hand had been cold for a long time.

The trusted lawyer Zhao pushed the door open and came in, holding a roll of account book in his hand and with a serious look on his face.

"Sir, are you looking for me?"

Master Zhao asked softly and closed the door.

Li Tao raised his head and pointed at the chair opposite:

"Please sit down. I have something to discuss with you."

Master Zhao sat down, put the account book on the table, and asked in a low voice:

"My Lord, are you worried about the recent chaos in the city?"

Li Tao nodded and sighed:

"That's right. Ever since Chen Feidi took action, many villains in the city have spread rumors and incited people. Various rumors have emerged. If we don't deal with them, I'm afraid the situation will become increasingly out of control."

Master Zhao pondered for a moment and said slowly:

"Your Excellency is right. However, it may be difficult for us to completely eliminate these hidden dangers with our own strength. After all, there may be a bigger force backing these people."

There was a sharp flash in Li Tao's eyes:
"You mean, we need to use the opponent's strength to fight against him?" Master Zhao nodded:
"That's right. The Zhenbei Marquisate is deeply rooted in Sansheng City. If we can join forces with them, this matter will be twice as easy to accomplish."

Li Tao frowned, his tone a little hesitant:
"You know, my important duty is to monitor the Marquis's every move. The relationship between the two sides is not harmonious, of course, it can't be harmonious! In addition, the Marquis of Zhenbei, who knows the general situation, is not in the city, so I am afraid this matter will be..."

Master Zhao smiled slightly and whispered:
"Sir, the Marquis' Mansion also does not want to see chaos in the city. A stable Sansheng City is also related to their interests."

"What's more, after the Marquis left, the person he entrusted to take charge was his strategist Xie Desheng. He is a man of foresight and may agree."

Li Tao thought for a moment and nodded:

"You have a point. However, the Marquis's Mansion is not a monolithic entity. Madam Wang and I have an old grudge, and I'm afraid she will interfere."

Master Zhao sighed:
"Mrs. Wang is indeed a trouble. However, as long as we show enough sincerity, we may be able to convince her."

Li Tao smiled bitterly:

"Sincerity? Ahem. Her brother committed evil deeds back then, and I tricked him into falling into my trap. He almost went to jail for his crimes. She has always remembered this."

Master Zhao pondered and said:

"Sir, maybe we can start with Xie Desheng. As long as he nods, even if Madam Wang objects, it will be difficult for her to act arbitrarily."

A hint of determination flashed across Li Tao's eyes:
"Okay, let's give it a try. We will go to the Marquis' Mansion tomorrow to see if we can convince them."

Master Zhao nodded:
"Your Excellency is wise. However, we must proceed with caution on this trip to avoid exacerbating the conflict."

Li Tao nodded and said:

"Go and test the attitude of the Marquis' Mansion first. Go talk to Xie Desheng first."

Master Zhao bowed and said:

"Since the owner is interested, I will go there tomorrow."

***
While things were turbulent in Sansheng City, Gong Tianwu, who had left early, was sitting quietly in the distance.

At this time, he was at the temporary camp in Zamen Mountain, sixty miles away.

This place is called a mountain, but in fact it is just a hill of about 50 to 60 meters in height. It is just because the nearby terrain is flat that it looks winding and majestic, and the vegetation is also lush and abundant.

This temporary camp was originally occupied by a large group of horse thieves, but Hasar was called by Gong Tianwu to test new weapons when he had nothing to do. In addition, he also paid great attention to actual combat, so the horse thieves here had long been wiped out, and the remaining camp became a temporary stronghold.

At this time, there were about three hundred people following Gong Tianwu, among whom more than a hundred had been taught the Immortal Body, and their strength had improved greatly.

According to Hasar's assessment, if he led these 300 people to charge, the ordinary soldiers on the grassland would be easily defeated even if there were more than a thousand of them.

Soon, a gray sparrow flew over from a distance. It was a tool used to replace carrier pigeons for communication. Then, someone quickly passed on the message.

Gong Tianwu opened the note and his expression suddenly changed:
"What? He actually succeeded?"

It turned out that Gong Tianwu's intelligence network had long been expanded through his business, and he could also obtain first-hand information at this time.

The note clearly stated: Yan Shi died in battle, Shibi Khan was seriously injured by an arrow through the chest, and Chen Feidi led the elite troops to break out to the east.

Gong Tianwu then passed the note to them for them to read. Hasar frowned and pondered for a few seconds, then said decisively:
"There are also people on the grassland who want Shibi Khan to die! Otherwise, Chen Feidi will not be able to catch Khan's route forward. This is killing someone with a borrowed knife."

After hearing this, Tazan immediately said:
"I think so, too."

Gong Tianwu said meaningfully:
"I heard that every Khan has his own Qiexue warriors who follow him to conquer the world. Once the Khan is stabbed or killed, the Qiexue warriors will die unless they can avenge him."

Tazan said:
"That's right, Lord."

Gong Tianwu said meaningfully:
"It seems that the boss's mother's clan has taken out all the good stuff from the bottom of the box this time. How can Chen Feidi still be alive? Can he break through?"

Then Gong Tianwu looked at Hasar:
"You take eighty people to patrol near the Vera Pass and collect relevant intelligence. If there is a messenger with news, bring him to see me."

Having said this, Gong Tianwu paused for a moment, then said calmly:

"If the messenger runs away when he sees you, then he is fake. Kill him immediately."

Hasar knew that Vera Pass must be the only way for Chen Feidi to escape back to Sansheng City. He nodded, pounded his chest hard, then blew a sharp wooden whistle, mounted his horse and galloped out.

Immediately afterwards, eighty knights mounted their horses and followed, each riding three horses, and quickly disappeared on the grassland.

To Gong Tianwu's surprise, less than an hour after Hasar's departure, he sent a dozen people back, bringing with them two knights covered in blood.

The two knights were wearing special black battle armor. They were members of the Xuanjiadu, the famous sect on which the Marquis' Mansion was founded and which was renowned throughout the world.

As soon as they saw Gong Tianwu, they immediately said anxiously:
"Great, you actually have so many people. Come with me quickly. The prince is currently trapped in the Hunya Valley!"

Another person said excitedly:
"The prince said that anyone who dares to go will be given wealth and splendor, and any precious woman he chooses!"

Another person suddenly shouted anxiously:

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

The scene was quiet,
It was dead quiet. The knights around Gong Tianwu didn't move a muscle, as if they hadn't heard their words at all. The only sound was the swishing of horses' tails and the occasional snorting of horses.

The two men felt something was wrong at this moment. The leader looked at Gong Tianwu and said with a gloomy face:

"Seventh Master, what do you mean by this?"

Gong Tianwu said calmly:
"Your name is Li Fang, your name is Xu Lin, and you have been with father for twenty years, right?"

Li Fang said proudly:
"My family has been following the Marquis for twenty-seven years."

Gong Tianwu said casually:
"So that's why you yelled in front of me?"

Li Fang shouted angrily:
"What do you know, little brat? The military situation is urgent, saving lives is like putting out a fire. If your reinforcements had arrived a little earlier, maybe one person could have been saved!"

"These are all good brothers who have followed you in battles across the country and fought through life and death! Isn't your wealth and glory today all thanks to their swords and guns?"

Gong Tianwu sighed and said:
"What does it have to do with me? The people around me now didn't spend a penny from the Marquis' Mansion, and I didn't ask the Marquis' Mansion for anyone."

"What's more, you guys are risking your lives just to get the position of the boss. What does it have to do with me?"

At this time, Xu Lin already felt something was wrong, and he pulled Li Fang and said:

"Since the Seventh Young Master has something else to do, we won't bother you anymore. Goodbye."

Li Fang raised his head and looked at Gong Tianwu, his eyes were about to spit fire, and he gritted his teeth and said:
"Okay! Master Seventh, you didn't save me today. Let's go to the Marquis some other day and have a good talk."

After he finished speaking, he turned his horse and was about to leave.

Gong Tianwu smiled gently:
"Okay, I'll wait for you."

Then he gestured to Tazan next to him, who yelled "Kill!" and rushed towards the two people in front of him.

(End of this chapter)