Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 408 The Beggars' Sect's Decline, Jin Jiu's Plan

War is coming!
This has gradually become a consensus.

Those in high positions can gather intelligence on their own.

Ordinary people can generally tell the price of grain by simply looking at the market prices.

Spring and summer have just passed, and it's the height of summer. Despite neither drought nor flooding, grain prices are steadily rising.

Anyone with a little experience would generally understand that something had happened.

For a moment, the entire martial arts world fell silent.

War is a matter that affects the entire country.

Various martial arts sects were outraged and wanted to go north to provide support.

Some are greedy and want to take the opportunity to make a fortune.

Some didn't think about anything, only that war was coming and it was dangerous outside, so they simply went back to the mountains and sealed the gates.

In contrast, the State of Song was in turmoil.

Almost all martial arts practitioners in the Song Dynasty knew one thing: the Song Dynasty was weak and could not possibly withstand the iron cavalry of the Jin and Liao Dynasties in the north.

Therefore, countless martial arts practitioners spontaneously went north to resist foreign enemies.

This includes Yi Jifeng, the young master of Mingjian Manor.

Previously, the Beggars' Sect, which had always been known as the number one sect in the world and frequently appeared in the north to resist foreign tribes, was now completely silent.

This is naturally because the Beggars' Sect had a minor incident this year.

That was during the Xingzilin Incident, which had already spread throughout the martial arts world, when Xiao Feng, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, was revealed to be a Khitan, and was subsequently driven out of the Beggars' Sect.

Without Xiao Feng's leadership, the Beggars' Sect was in complete disarray.

In particular, after Zhou Ming learned the news, he specially sent Yi Jifeng to rescue many high-ranking members of the Beggars' Sect who had fallen into the hands of the Western Xia Yipintang.

This was to ensure that these greedy, foolish, and self-serving leaders, who were completely unable to distinguish the big picture, could continue to live and lead the Beggars' Sect.

As Zhou Ming had predicted, the Beggars' Clan not only engaged in power struggles and internal strife, but also, without Qiao Feng's restraint, its members became increasingly audacious and corrupt.

After conquering Suzhou and Hangzhou and eliminating the Murong family, the Sun Moon Cult also began to expand outwards.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, they launched repeated attacks on the Beggars' Sect, frantically devouring its power.

The Beggars' Sect was initially preoccupied with internal strife and paid no attention to the matter, but later suffered too many losses and had no choice but to reunite and fight against the Sun Moon Sect.

However, without Qiao Feng as their leader and strongest member, no one in the Beggars' Sect could defeat Dongfang Bubai.

The first war ended in a crushing defeat.

The Beggars' Sect, which had finally managed to come together, split up again due to this crushing defeat, and the split was even more severe, with each faction shifting blame onto the other.

The northern barbarians are sharpening their swords, ready to wage war once more.

Logically speaking, as the largest gang in the world, the Beggars' Sect should have gathered its members and headed to the north to resist the foreign invaders.

But where do today's high-ranking members of the Beggars' Sect have such magnanimity?

He repeatedly declined.

Soon, some people couldn't stand it anymore.

After all, it was the Beggars' Sect led by Qiao Feng.

The Beggars' Sect, which defended the northern lands against foreign tribes and killed countless alien races, was revered as the number one sect in the world. Among its members, there must be those whose blood was still hot.

They may have been misled before, but as long as their passion remains, they will eventually stand up and head north.

In addition, the performance of the Beggars' Sect's higher-ups during this period has been extremely disappointing.

Soon, some people made up their minds, abandoned the Beggars' Sect leaders, gathered a group of brothers, and headed north on their own.

When someone sets an example, more and more people will follow suit.

Although the Beggars' Sect leaders were furious, they dared not say a word.

As war loomed, various schools and sects in the Song state dispatched their best warriors to the north.

If the upper echelons of the Beggars' Sect are unwilling to go themselves, and yet still try to stop the lower-level Beggars' Sect disciples, then they will likely become objects of universal scorn in an instant.

They may be stupid and wicked, but they're not brainless.

This is something you absolutely mustn't do.

With no one stopping them, more and more people left.

Some even took this opportunity to pretend to go to the north to provide support, but in reality, they used it as a way to break away from the Beggars' Sect.

The Beggars' Sect's power also declined rapidly under these circumstances.

Many of the Beggars' Sect's high-ranking members suddenly realized that after all their efforts to drive away Qiao Feng, they now had to find ways to compete for power with other high-ranking members of the Beggars' Sect.

As the fighting went on, the Beggars' Sect was on the verge of collapse, and their power dwindled with each battle.

Previously, each leader and elder could command thousands of Beggars' Sect disciples with a wave of their hand.

Nowadays, being able to command hundreds of Beggar Clan disciples is considered a sign of their great prestige.

Some elders with lower prestige are considered to be doing well if they have a dozen or so people under their command.

The person behind all of this, Mrs. Ma Kangmin, felt it most deeply.

In the past, she wore the finest silks and used rouge that cost a hundred taels a box.

Nowadays, the total price of all my clothes doesn't even exceed one hundred taels.

Even buying a box of rouge weighing ten ounces requires careful consideration.

Severe downgrade in consumption!

Kang Min really couldn't understand why life was getting harder and harder after she had driven Qiao Feng away.
However, although Kang Min is rotten to the core and has a venomous heart, she has one great advantage.

That means absolutely no internal strife!
If anything goes wrong, it's always someone else's fault, and it has nothing to do with me!

So Kang Min started complaining about the many high-ranking members of the Beggars' Sect right there in bed.

Many of the Beggars' Sect's high-ranking members were both angry and annoyed.

Oh, you think you're so great?
With the substantial legacy left by Ma Dayuan, plus the gifts they received over the years, Kang Min is probably even richer than they are now.

Your clothes cost over a hundred taels?

Are we even worth ten coins?

That box of rouge you have costs ten taels of silver?
We might not even have that much money for food this whole month!

To put it bluntly, Kang Min was used to a life of luxury, and even though she was poor now, she was unwilling to make do and spent money extravagantly, which is why she couldn't make ends meet.

Everyone already had a lot of opinions about Kang Min.

After all, it was Kang Min's idea to drive Qiao Feng away.

If they had seized power in the Beggars' Sect after driving away Qiao Feng and their lives had gotten better and better, then naturally everyone would have praised Madam Ma's wisdom.

But now the Beggars' Sect is rapidly declining, and everyone's power and wealth have shrunk significantly.

Kang Min is a despicable woman! A wicked person! A poisonous woman!
It was her words that misled us into making that wrong decision, leading us to this state!
That's right, it's because of her!

Otherwise, could it be because of us?

And to be honest, Kang Min's looks are just so-so (pulling up her pants).

Therefore, Kang Min's complaints not only failed to gain the support of the Beggars' Sect's higher-ups, but also aroused public anger, causing her status to plummet.

Some of those who were really broke even started stealing.

"The Beggars' Sect has fallen to its current state... haha, it really is all its own doing!"

Qingxi County.

Jin Jiu, holding a copy of the latest intelligence report, chuckled. Dongfang Bubai was speechless: "Yes, it's all their own doing. You neither destroyed their source of income nor secretly sent people to preach among the Beggars' Sect disciples, luring them to leave the Beggars' Sect and head to the North."

"What do you know? The Beggars' Sect's sources of income are all illegal. I'm doing this to uphold the laws of the Great Song Dynasty! As for those Beggars' Sect disciples, that's their own choice, and it has nothing to do with me!"

"I can't breathe," Jin Jiu said righteously.

Dongfang Bubai was speechless.

"By the way, why have you been so free lately? You come to see me every day."

Jin Jiu said, "Yeah, I'm too bored..."

Actually not.

In order to complete the War God Temple project, the dismantling of Jingyan Palace in the Loulan base is in full swing.

Although Zhou Ming didn't personally take charge, he was still quite busy.

However, no matter how busy Zhou Ming is, he will always find some fun to relax.

Right now, however, the Ming Dynasty is at peace.

All the major and minor powers withdrew their wings at this time, obediently waiting for the war to break out.

It's so boring.

On the other hand, things were chaotic and lively in the Song Kingdom.

This actually reflects the power dynamic between the Ming and Song dynasties' imperial court and the martial arts world.

In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court was strong while the martial arts world was weak. Many ambitious figures in the martial arts world could only resort to underhanded schemes, and none of them dared to play openly.

At this critical juncture, with war looming and turmoil about to erupt, the Ming court has always adhered to the policy of using severe measures in times of chaos.

Any troublemaking martial arts forces that dare to show their faces at this time will surely face a severe blow from the imperial court.

They became the target of a fuss.

Moreover, this principle was followed even during wartime, nipping any potential for unrest in the bud.

Therefore, whenever a war was about to break out, the Ming Dynasty was in a state of peace.

In contrast, in the Song Dynasty, the imperial court was completely unable to suppress the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world), and various Jianghu forces were the actual rulers of their respective regions.

They often viewed war as a great opportunity.

Therefore, before a war breaks out, all forces naturally need to prepare for it.

For a time, it was naturally incredibly lively.

"Leaving aside the Jianghu forces, just looking at the rebellious forces among the people, besides you, there are probably seventeen other groups that are already preparing to raise their flags and rebel as soon as the war begins."

"So many?"

"More than that. Once the war really starts, the Song Kingdom will definitely try every means to plunder resources to support the battlefield. At that time, there will be many people who can't make a living, and there will probably be even more people who want to rebel. Not to mention, there are also some fools who will act rashly and start fighting."

A vibrant and flourishing world, where all things thrive, is about to unfold in the Kingdom of Song!

Dongfang Bubai snorted coldly and said, "They are all just pioneers for the king. The ultimate victor will surely be me!"

"Good, very energetic! Now, I'm going to give you a new task."

"what?"

"Destroy the Beggars' Sect!"

"Huh? At this time?"

"Not bad!"

Jin Jiu looked out the window: "The reason I had Yi Jifeng save the Beggars' Sect before was to let those idiots continue to hold power in the Beggars' Sect so that the Sun Moon Cult could expand."

And they did indeed accomplish this task perfectly. Now, with the northern war about to begin, many masters have gone north, which means the Beggars' Sect has lost its support, not to mention that a large number of the Beggars' Sect's disciples have already left.

The Beggars' Sect, though touted as the largest sect in the land, is actually reduced to a handful of weaklings. This is the perfect opportunity to eliminate them!

"That being said, they are still the number one gang in the world. If we were to eliminate them, especially at such a special time, wouldn't that be too conspicuous?"

"It was the Sun Moon Cult that made the move, not your Ming Cult. What's the big deal about being a little more conspicuous? Besides, wasn't our original plan to have the Sun Moon Cult take the lead and draw all the firepower? Being more conspicuous is actually a good thing for your Ming Cult!"

Jin Jiu said with a smile, "When the time comes, a group of experts will go to the north to provide support, and another group will go to fight the Sun Moon Cult. No one will care about your Ming Cult anymore."

Dongfang Bubai nodded: "That's true."

But then he frowned: "However, attacking the Beggars' Sect at this time would probably require the Ming Cult to use its manpower."

As the time for the uprising drew near, Dongfang Bubai had already thoroughly divided the Ming Cult and the Sun Moon Cult.

Many members of the Sun Moon Cult have changed their identities and been incorporated into the Ming Cult.

The Sun Moon Cult is now practically an empty shell.

It's obvious that an empty shell like this can't defeat the Beggars' Sect.

However, if the Ming Cult is used, although it can eliminate the Beggars' Sect, at such a critical moment, a careless mistake could expose the relationship between the Ming Cult and the Sun Moon Cult.

Instead, the gain outweighs the loss.

"I told you I would help you."

Jin Jiu presented his pre-prepared plan to Dongfang Bubai.

"An organized fleet? Are you planning to invite Grandmaster Chang Le to help me?"

"You're dreaming! They're just some of his men!"

The ocean exploration fleet, built by Chang Le Shaojiu, is rapidly growing with the help of the ever-evolving mechanical technology at the Loulan base.

They had already explored the vicinity of the Song Kingdom's sea area.

They also established many outposts at sea.

Gin's current plan is to turn one of its offshore outposts into a Sun Moon Cult base.

Then, they sent men from the fleet, using their identities as members of the Sun Moon Sect, to wipe out the Beggars' Sect!

"The Beggars' Sect is, after all, the largest sect in the world. Even though it has declined to an unbelievable degree, in a practical sense, the Beggars' Sect has only dispersed. Most of its members have gone to the north, so it has not been completely destroyed."

The Sun Moon Cult has done such a thing, the Beggars' Sect will definitely retaliate.

The numerous martial arts sects of the Song Kingdom would inevitably take action against the Sun Moon Sect. However, the Sun Moon Sect retreated while fighting, revealing that its stronghold was located at sea.

If those experts want to destroy the Sun Moon Cult, they naturally need to head out to sea. The ocean is boundless; they can easily delay them for a while.

Dongfang Bubai nodded: "A good plan. It makes full use of the Sun Moon Sect's capabilities."

Jin Jiu said, "Of course it's a good plan. While these experts are distracted, your Ming Cult should expand rapidly during this time."

The organization won't help you forever; ultimately, you'll need to develop enough power yourself to defend against those martial arts sects.

"Of course I know that."

Dongfang Bubai nodded heavily.

"By the way, since the Sun Moon Cult is going to be destroyed, what should be the final fate of 'Invincible East'? Should he flee in disarray, or be simply killed?"

Gin suddenly asked.

Dongfang Bubai was speechless again.

Although she knew that this referred to her false identity in the Sun Moon Cult.

After all, the name of Dongfang Bubai, the leader of the Sun Moon Cult, was well-known in both the Ming and Song dynasties.

As long as Dongfang Bubai lives, the Sun Moon Cult will not be destroyed.

But it still feels a bit strange to be told that to someone's face.

(End of this chapter)