knife

Chapter 67 Bait
The steam rising from the sour plum drink, meant to relieve hangovers, quickly dissipated in the cold wind. Tiele, standing on the terrace admiring the night view of Baoping City, took a slurp.

Compared to sour plum drink, the cold wind and snow could help Tiele regain his senses more quickly.

Today, he plays the role of someone eager to seek out talent, respectful to the virtuous, and generous. At the banquet, he not only accepts all toasts from those who come to him, but also returns the toasts one by one, carrying a wine cup in his hand. Not only the elders of the Yan clan, but also some young people are not neglected by Tiele.

With just a few words, he could quickly establish friendships with these people, making them believe that he, Tiele, was a good friend they could confide in.

“So beautiful!” Tiele said with a smile to Gro beside him.

Ruch was drunk.

It wasn't that Luhe was a heavy drinker; he was mainly drinking on Tiele's behalf.

There were just too many people, and even though Luch had a high alcohol tolerance, he still got drunk on the spot.

Gros had stated beforehand that he would not drink alcohol; otherwise, he too would have been forced to drink.

If we can't force-feed the Tiele, can't we force-feed you?

"Perhaps it's to demonstrate their strength to Your Highness?" Gro said. "If the lights were on like this every night, the lamp oil alone would be a huge expense."

What do you think of Yan Sheng?

“A mere skeleton in a tomb, in my humble opinion, is not worthy of Your Highness’s deference to befriend him!” Gro said dismissively, “A patriarch who has lost his ambition, a group of spoiled brats who only want to live off the legacy of their ancestors—it’s difficult to expect them to conspire for great things.”

"Even a centipede, though dead, does not fall down!" Tiele said with a smile. "It's like a giant tree that can cover the sky. Even if its trunk is almost hollowed out by insects, as long as a few veins are still alive, the tree still looks lush and green."

"But if a storm really comes, I'm afraid this tree will break!"

"That's why we're coming while they can still hold on!" Tiele said. "With us here to support them, it'll be hard for this tree to die!"

"Does Your Highness really intend to leave Bao Ping Prefecture to the Yan family indefinitely?" Gro asked somewhat reluctantly. "What a wonderful place!"

"A ruler should be true to his word!" Tiele laughed. "What if the Yan family becomes the governor of Baoping forever? As long as we control the navy and the finances, what's so difficult about granting them eternal wealth? Consider it a case of buying a horse's bones with a thousand pieces of gold!"

“Your Highness, during the latter part of the banquet today, someone came in and said something to that Yan Sheng. I saw that Yan Sheng’s expression changed immediately. Something serious must have happened,” Gro said.

“I saw it,” Tiele nodded. “So I’m not ready to rest yet; I’m waiting for someone!”

As they were talking, the guards at the gate came in.

"Your Highness, there is a man surnamed Yan who claims to be an old friend of yours and wishes to see you!"

"Here they come!" Looking at Gro, Tiele smiled. "I met a young man surnamed Yan a few years ago, and we hit it off and had a very pleasant conversation!"

Gro knew that this man must be Tiele's inside man in Baoping Prefecture.

The process of winning over Yan Sheng took a considerable amount of time. Without someone acting as a go-between, it would have been extremely difficult for the two sides to quickly establish contact and build basic trust.

Yan Sheng stared at the disheveled man below the hall with a livid face.

On such an important day, this person brought extremely bad news.

Wolves have been spotted.

When Jizhuang was captured, all the Yan clan members who remained in the village were executed, while the women and children were expelled from the village.

As for Yan Ke, that idiot, after receiving the news, he didn't even think twice before leading his troops back to try and reclaim the estate.

Actually, there's nothing wrong with doing this.

But why do you want to divert some of your resources to protect these women and children?

This inadvertently dispersed their strength, giving the wolves an opportunity to take advantage.

Or rather, driving these women and children out of their trek through the freezing cold was part of the wolf's plan.

The final result was that Yan Ke's entire army was wiped out. Ji Zhuang was utterly destroyed.

The thousand-year-old ginseng that Yan Ke was escorting, which was originally intended to be presented to the Tiele, has now fallen through.

The key point is that the appearance of the wolves at this time, and their unbridled killing and plundering, reveals the Yan family's lack of control over the entire Bao Ping Prefecture, and the fact that the Yan family's true strength is still debatable.

And this was all the leverage he had to negotiate with Tiele.

The stronger one is, the better the money one can get for selling oneself.

"Find out where this wolf is now!" Yan Sheng roared. "Find him, surround him, and eliminate him. I don't want to hear any news about this person again next year."

With a single punch, a sturdy table shattered into pieces.

The clan chief was furious, and the Yan clan members naturally understood the gravity of the situation. The brightly lit Treasure Bottle City, originally intended to show off to Tiele and demonstrate the Yan clan's strength, had now become a sleepless night. After countless people worked tirelessly through the night, at dawn, squads of knights swiftly departed Treasure Bottle City.

The main force of the Yan family is stationed in Baoping City, but this time, the order issued by Yan Sheng is a general mobilization of the entire state. Everyone must move to investigate and then surround the area, and this wolf must not be allowed to escape again.

Once his location is found, the wolf will never be able to escape again.

Once the entire Baoping Prefecture is mobilized, it will have a force of over 20,000 men, which is not something a single bandit could handle.

I didn't want to touch you in the past simply because I felt it wasn't worth it.

Now, the wolf has clearly crossed Yan Sheng's red line and touched his sore spot. If such a provocation is not dealt with swiftly, wouldn't it make Yan Sheng seem insignificant?
Before he had even officially joined the Northern Yuan, the powerful figures of the Northern Yuan had already looked down on him.

In a poplar forest, Gu Xiaoman stood on a tree stump. In front of him, seven or eight bandit leaders looked excited.

They were all accomplices recruited by Gu Xiaoman. Although each of these bandits had a small number of members, their average skill level was quite high. They had contributed greatly to the attack on Jizhuang. Of course, Gu Xiaoman did not treat them unfairly; after the village was destroyed, they were free to take the valuables.

Following Gu Xiaoman, these people first broke into Jizhuang and then killed Yan Ke. This trip brought them a fortune, and they were sure to have a prosperous New Year.

"Brothers, let's part ways here!" Gu Xiaoman laughed loudly. "We've really slapped the Yan family in the face this time. Right now, they're definitely looking for us everywhere. So, naturally, we'll all split up and go home!"

The bandit leaders burst into laughter: "Brother, next time there's something like this, be sure to let your little brother know!"

"Working with Boss Wild Wolf is so much fun! No need to use your brain, just swing your knife. Low risk, high reward! Brother, how about we do another job?"

"Contentment brings happiness!" Gu Xiaoman clapped her hands in dissatisfaction and said, "The Yan family is not to be trifled with. Jizhuang is also very important to them. This time we destroyed Jizhuang, and they will definitely retaliate. Why aren't we running away? Do you really want to fight the Yan family face to face? Do you think you have the strength to do so? I certainly don't think I can!"

"If our brother can't do it, then we certainly can't either! Listen to our brother, let's disperse!"

The group of bandits bid farewell to Gu Xiaoman amidst a great commotion. A moment later, they scattered like birds and beasts, leaving only hoofprints on the pristine snow. As the snowflakes fell, these tracks would soon disappear.

"Boss, do you think these people can last a few days under the Yan family's pursuit?" Zhou Huan, carrying a stick, walked up to Gu Xiaoman and asked with a smile.

"They'll all be finished in no more than ten days!" Gu Xiaoman said. "This time is different from before. In the past, the Yan family would just chase after us and that would be it, but this time, they're probably going to fight us to the death!"

"Boss is brilliant. With these people distracting the Yan family, we can easily slip away!" Zhou Huan said with a grin.

"Who said I was leaving?" Gu Xiaoman glanced at the other person: "I've noticed that you've been working in Jizhuang for over a year, and you've gained at least two fingers' worth of fat! But your brains have decreased, and all of them have turned into oil."

"Eating and sleeping all the time, how can you not gain weight!" Zhou Huan said, feeling a little aggrieved. "It was you, Boss, who sent me here. I've been cooped up for over a year!"

Gu Xiaoman kicked Zhou Huan aside and said, "You're acting innocent after getting the benefits. This time, our goal is to take down the Yan family."

"What?" Zhou Huan's eyes widened in surprise. "We have that ability? You're not kidding, are you?"

"Just follow along and do the work, why all this nonsense!" Gu Xiaoman said, "From now on, Baoping Prefecture will be ours. Since it's ours, how can we allow these wicked guys to run rampant in the countryside? We'll naturally use the Yan family to wipe them all out."

"Alright, work harder and talk less!" Zhou Huan followed Gu Xiaoman, carrying a stick.

(End of this chapter)