Chapter 399: The panic of the Jiangnan family, the plan of killing someone with a borrowed knife
Jinling City, Duke Wei’s Mansion.
The current leaders of the ten great families in Jiangnan gathered in the meeting hall of the Duke's Mansion, each with a solemn expression on their face.
"Everyone, it has been confirmed that the Ye family of the Donglin Party leader Ye Xianggao, including all the core members of the Ye family, have been killed by a large fleet led by Li Dingguo himself in a long-distance raid."
The contemporary Duke of Wei, Xu Hongji, sat in the main seat with a gloomy look. He glanced around at the representatives of various families in front of him and said, "Li Dingguo, who suddenly led a large army into the pass this year, has undoubtedly become a major threat to us aristocratic families!"
"Now, Li Dingguo's Fuxing Army is not only stirring up trouble in Qin and northern Jin, wantonly attacking cities and exterminating families, but it is also rapidly rising in Deng and Lai states."
"The Fuxing Army founded by Li Dingguo has become so powerful that it is difficult to control after defeating the million-strong Tartar armies led by Huang Taiji and Yuetuo respectively!"
"He even had some spare time to personally lead a fleet southward to attack Fuqing City from a distance and wipe out the Ye family in one fell swoop!"
"Now he can destroy the Fuqing Ye family, and in the future he will be able to destroy the families of all of you present here. This is not alarmist talk, but a fact!"
The Duke of Wei's Mansion can be said to be the most powerful military family in the world today, and the top family in Jiangnan. The Xu family can be found in all walks of life.
Although the military force of the Duke of Wei's Mansion is not top-notch, it can still be ranked among the top five among the many Jiangnan families.
Since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the Duke of Wei's Mansion has continued for ten generations and has enjoyed all the splendor and wealth. But in essence, it has become a wealthy merchant family.
Four years ago, after the large fleet led by Cai Yihu, the chief treasurer in charge of Weiguo Mansion's business in the three northwestern provinces, was wiped out by Li Dingguo, Weiguo Mansion, upon learning of this, had already formed a life-and-death feud with Li Dingguo.
"Father, since Li Dingguo is so arrogant, why don't we unite and quickly form an alliance army to go to Deng and Lai states to destroy this Fuxing Army and Li Dingguo?"
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince Xu Yunjue, who was sitting in the first position, interrupted with disdain, "No matter how powerful the Fuxing Army is, it has only been established for a mere four years. It lacks the foundation, so how can it be a match for the combined forces of us Jiangnan families?"
The eldest son of the Duke of Wei's mansion has lived in a honeypot since birth. He is neither good at literature nor martial arts. He can be said to be a real useless person and a big fool.
He didn't even think about it. How could the Fuxing Army and Li Dingguo, who were able to easily defeat two million-strong Tartar armies, be so easy to deal with?
However, his father, Xu Hongji, Duke of Wei, was not much stronger than Xu Yunjue.
Xu Hongji, who has always been greedy and pampered, is a representative figure who is afraid of death and rarely leaves his house.
Amassing huge wealth has become Xu Hongji's obsession, and the wealth owned by the Duke of Wei's Mansion today has reached the peak of all the Duke of Wei's Mansions in history.
Precisely because he was afraid of death, when he heard that the Ye family of Fuqing was exterminated by Li Dingguo, he immediately panicked and quickly summoned representatives of the ten major families in Jiangnan to come to the Duke of Wei's mansion to discuss matters.
There is only one core topic: how to deal with the rapidly rising Li Dingguo and the Fuxing Army.
There is no way. If any other force, including the Later Jin Tartars, replaced the now corrupt Ming Dynasty, these aristocratic families, wealthy merchants and tycoons would still have a way to survive, but not the Fuxing Army.
So far, the actions of Li Dingguo's Fuxing Army have not allowed these corrupt officials and aristocratic families any chance to survive.
In all the territories that the Fuxing Army has captured, without exception, a thorough purge has been carried out, and all corrupt officials and unscrupulous wealthy families have had their properties confiscated and their families exterminated!
This frightened Xu Hongji, the Duke of Wei, who was extremely afraid of death, and he could no longer sit still.
"My Lord, the Crown Prince."
Xie Yiqing, head of the Xie family, the richest family in Jiangnan, stood up, bowed, frowned and said, "According to the intelligence we have collected from all aspects, Li Dingguo's Fuxing Army is not so easy to deal with."
"It has been confirmed that Li Dingguo himself has broken through to the sixth level, and his sister Wan'er is also a sixth-level expert."
"Moreover, there is reliable information that confirms that Li Dingguo and Wan'er both have their own divine weapons to protect them. Assassination tactics are useless against them."
Since Li Dingguo led his army into the pass, he has used his natal magic weapon so many times. He could hide it from others, but he could not hide it from these truly powerful families who have all-powerful hands and eyes.
Especially the Xie family, which is the richest and the first family in the Ming Dynasty. It has been passed down since the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and its hidden background is very terrifying.
Ever since the first-rank academician Xie Qian led the Xie family to the top again during the Zhengde period, the family has never declined and has always sat firmly on the throne of the number one family in Jiangnan.
There are three tigers in the Xie family today: Xie Youming, Xie Liming and Xie Xiangming.
These three direct descendants are all geniuses who appear once in a hundred years. With the help of the family's endless heritage, they have now reached the peak of level five, making the Xie family's foundation more solid than ever.
What’s even more amazing is that the Xie family has an inherited innate magical artifact, which has been passed down since the ancestor Xie Jin obtained it.
This inherited artifact was obtained by Xie Jin in the secret realm of Kunlun Mountain. It is called Kunlun Mirror and is one of the ten innate artifacts of ancient times. It has extremely magical power.
Logically speaking, the Xie family, which has always been as stable as a rock, would not take Li Dingguo, a little thief, seriously.
Even four years ago, when Qian Deli, the Xie family's general manager in charge of the northwest business, and Cai Yihu, the manager of the three northwestern provinces of the Duke of Wei's mansion, led a large fleet that was wiped out by Li Dingguo, the Xie family did not take Li Dingguo seriously and just regarded him as a clown who was not worthy of being on the stage.
Who would have thought that a moment of neglect would cause such a huge hidden danger?
The speed at which Li Dingguo and the Fuxing Army he founded rose was so fast and so fierce that it was unbelievable.
In just four short years, he has become an extremely powerful bandit!
Once Li Dingguo leads the Restoration Army to replace the Ming Dynasty, the Xie family will not be able to remain aloof and unaffected.
This is also the reason why Xie Yiqing decided to come and participate in the alliance of the ten major southern families.
"Brother Yiqing, what do you think we should do?"
"We can't just sit there and watch the Fuxing Army led by Li Dingguo capture the two states of Deng and Lai and then easily capture the entire Qi and Lu land, right?"
"As a result, the Grand Canal, the largest wealth channel between Jiangnan and the north, has been cut off in the middle by the Restoration Army. The losses in the future will be huge!"
Duke of Wei Xu Hongji did not dare to neglect the Xie family, the most powerful family in Jiangnan, and asked in a gentle voice.
When it comes to real foundation, his Duke Wei's Mansion cannot compare to the Xie family in any aspect.
"My lord!"
Xie Yiqing bowed and said calmly, "The Northern court is already busy with its own affairs and cannot take care of us in the Jiangnan region."
"If we mobilize a large army, it will be easy for the court to misunderstand us and bring unnecessary punishment." "For now, the best strategy is to drive the tiger to devour the wolf."
He made his proposal, "The Zheng family entrenched in Yuegang, Fuzhou, is now very powerful. The three brothers headed by them, Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Zhihu, and Zheng Zhibao, are trying every means to seek official positions in order to legally plunder the coastal areas and dominate the foreign trade routes in the south of the Yangtze River."
"The Zheng family is a real ungrateful family. After being helped up by our noble families, they gradually became disobedient and developed huge ambitions."
"Why don't we jointly nominate Zheng Zhilong as the general of Shandong, and Zheng Zhihu and Zheng Zhibao as lieutenant generals, and let them fight against Li Dingguo. It would be best if both sides were defeated, which would be in the interests of all of us."
"Let's not talk about anything else. The Zheng family, which has gathered millions of warriors and thousands of large treasure ships of various levels, can be said to be the largest maritime force along the coast of our Ming Dynasty. It is enough to pose a fatal threat to Li Dingguo and the Fuxing Army."
"In recent years, the three brothers of the Zheng family have made rapid progress in their cultivation. Now they are all level five peak warriors. They have hundreds of Qi Refining Realm generals under their command. They should not be underestimated."
"No matter which of the Zheng family and the Fuxing Army wins in the end, we can get rid of a major threat. It will be a hundred benefits with no harm."
It has to be said that as expected of a great family that has existed for more than ten thousand years, Xie Yiqing's move was a vicious plan, and it was a plan of killing someone with a borrowed knife that the Zheng family had to accept.
There is no other way. If they can legitimately control the military power of the entire Qi and Lu land, it will be a huge temptation that the three brothers of the Zheng family cannot refuse no matter what.
Once Li Dingguo and his Fuxing Army are defeated, the Zheng family's future rise will be unstoppable.
"I think it works!"
"Yes, yes! Patriarch Xie's suggestion is very good, I agree with it!"
"As expected of Patriarch Xie, this plan of killing two birds with one stone will benefit us regardless of success or failure."
"The Zheng family is becoming more and more disobedient. Once they leave Fuzhou, hehe..."
"Okay! Let's let this ungrateful bastard from the Zheng family fight against Li Dingguo's Fuxing Army. It would be best if both sides were defeated, and then we can easily clean up the mess!"...
As soon as Xie Yiqing finished speaking, the eyes of the representatives of the major families at the scene lit up and they all expressed their agreement.
As for whether we are confident of pushing Zheng Zhilong directly to the position of General of Shandong?
For them who have enormous energy, this is just a piece of cake.
Moreover, with the recommendation of Duke Wei and the efforts of their representatives in the court, there are really not many things that cannot be accomplished in the Ming Dynasty.
With a clear response plan, the atmosphere on the scene was no longer dull. Everyone discussed it and soon perfected the specific implementation plan of the plan.
Half an hour later, Duke Wei, who had resolved the problem in his heart, laughed heartily and called the ten most famous prostitutes on the Qinhuai River to start a round of singing and dancing and entertain the guests...
……
Li Dingguo was naturally unaware that a new round of conspiracy was brewing among the enemies. He spent several days riding on a golden eagle to set up a large island protection formation on Tianheng Island and three adjacent islands of similar size, turning this place into a naval base for the Fuxing Army.
"Brother, Geng Jingzhong is quite capable. He actually collected so many treasure ships. I don't know how many passing merchants he robbed. He got more than a hundred treasure ships of various levels."
Wan'er stood by the large dock that was being expanded, looking at the more than a hundred large treasure ships in her fleet, and said to Li Dingguo happily, "There are even two top-grade treasure ships and nearly ten high-grade treasure ships, which makes our newly formed fleet the fleet with the largest number of treasure ships in the army."
"In addition to the capture of Denglai Prefecture and the two states in this round of operations, we have obtained two to three hundred large treasure ships, including the Denglai Navy. The total number of large treasure ships in our navy now exceeds six hundred!"
"Among them, there are more than ten top-grade treasure ships, and there are sixty to seventy high-grade treasure ships. Among all the forces along the coast of Ming Dynasty in the future, our Fuxing Army will have the largest number of top-grade and high-grade treasure ships."
"The rumored Yuegang Zheng family is said to have over a thousand treasure ships, but among them, the number of top-quality and superior treasure ships is definitely not as many as ours!"
As the naval commander of the Restoration Army, Wan'er naturally hopes to have as many treasure ships as possible.
"Well, the Zheng family of Yuegang, Fuzhou, is a big threat to us, there is no doubt about that."
Li Dingguo frowned upon hearing this and said, "We have to find a time to eliminate them and capture the trenches at the same time to relieve our navy's worries."
If we want to develop and grow rapidly in the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty, we must make the Fuxing Army the only dominant force in the coastal areas.
Li Dingguo was also aware that after he brazenly exterminated the Donglin Party leader Ye Xianggao and his family, he would definitely completely infuriate the Donglin Party, the largest alliance of forces within the Ming Dynasty.
These guys won't be so honest in the future. They might use some tricks at any time and try every means to create a lot of trouble for the Renaissance Army.
It is rumored that Zheng Zhilong, who is obsessed with power, might go to war with the Fuxing Army at any time and launch a surprise attack from the sea.
After all, the rapid growth and development of the three brothers Zheng Zhilong was largely due to the contributions of various Jiangnan aristocratic families, which was mainly the result of their indulgence and even behind-the-scenes support.
In the past few years, after defeating Liu Xiang and the white Hu people, the Yuegang Zheng family has become the most powerful maritime force along the coast of the Ming Dynasty.
As the saying goes, there is no room for two tigers in one mountain.
The navy of this Restoration Army on the southeast coast rose rapidly, and the one that felt the greatest threat was the Yuegang Zheng family.
They cannot sit idly by and watch the Renaissance Army continue to grow rapidly, and will inevitably confront the Renaissance Army soon.
"Attack Yuegang Zheng Family and Haojing?"
Wan'er's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she agreed, "That's great! I fully agree with it."
"Once we wipe out the Zheng family of Yuegang and the white barbarians in Haojing, the coast of Ming Dynasty will be ruled by our Fuxing Army. No other maritime force can compete with us!"
"Brother, once we have conquered the entire Qilu land, we will immediately start making plans and launch a long-range raid southwards to eliminate these two powerful enemies in one fell swoop!"
The brother and sister decided on the next action plan in just a few words.
However, before that, the two of them need to return to the base camp outside the pass as soon as possible, take the innate top-grade spiritual tea, and with the help of the five-colored sacred tree, break through their own cultivation and primary acquired spiritual body.
No matter what, as the core of the Renaissance Army, Li Dingguo and Wan'er, the breakthrough and upgrade of their own cultivation realm is the foundation of everything.
In the world of practitioners, everything else is empty, and improving one's own realm is the most important thing.
(End of this chapter)
