Gu Yufan crossed his arms and watched Ling Changshi's actions in silence for a while before finally asking, "Have you received any news from Li Yanping?"
Gu Yufan believed he had some understanding of Li Yanping.
Li Yanping failed to purchase salt permits, so he should have contacted me immediately.
Chief Secretary Ling and the others shook their heads: "We have not received any news."
Although Li Yanping was a merchant, he was quite arrogant because his sister was favored in the royal palace and he controlled the important region of Mobei.
Whenever something happened, he would discuss it directly with His Highness and never contact them separately.
The King of Chu was not surprised to see everyone shaking their heads. He tapped the table with his hand and said, "I'm afraid something has happened to Li Yanping."
Li Yanping was an extremely filial son; his parents lived in his fiefdom. If he hadn't run into trouble, there would have been a reason why they hadn't sent him a message.
After venting all his violence, Gu Yufan's muddled mind gradually cleared, and he finally realized that something was wrong.
He stood up abruptly and repeated in a stressed tone, "Something must have happened to Li Yanping!"
I just don't know what happened that prevented him from sending me a message!
But regardless of whether Li Yanping is alive or dead, his disappearance means that they have lost control of Mobei!
Gu Yufan thought for a moment, then pointed to one of his staff members and said, "Jiang Ningqi, pack your things immediately and head to Mobei. Find the contact person and find out what the situation is like there, whether Li Yanping is dead or alive."
He lowered his eyes slightly, and after a long while, he said again: "If Li Yanping is no longer alive, you will take over Li's Trading Company and find a way to contact Quanzhou. You must do everything you can to suppress the Wen family."
Jiang Ningqi stepped forward, about to say something, but before he could speak, Gu Yufan continued, "The Wen family has been developing for over a year, so they're definitely not easy to deal with. You decide what to do, whether openly or secretly, you must bring them down!"
Only by completely destroying the Wen family can his Li Ji Trading Company have a chance to rise again.
If something happens to Li Ji Trading Company, it won't just be a matter of losing control of Mobei for Gu Yufan; it will also mean losing the money he needs most!
He and Gu Yuchen were bound to clash sooner or later, but the Northern Desert Army was not yet fully under his command. It could be said that apart from his 100,000-strong navy, he had almost no troops at his disposal.
If I were to confront Gu Yuchen head-on at this moment, I would only be destined to lose!
He had long planned to double the size of his navy, but the money spent on maintaining the army was a bottomless pit!
The exposure of the Huizhou saltworks and the resulting decline in the profits of the Mobei Trading Company have already caused him considerable losses.
Therefore, he had to use extremely tough measures to take back the market in Mobei!
Jiang Ningqi's expression was rather unpleasant.
He was a staff member, and although he did not hold a position in the imperial court, he was a scholar who had studied diligently for many years.
Now you want to send me on a business trip, Your Highness? How can this be allowed!
His first instinct was to refuse: "Your Highness, I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ling Changshi suddenly pulled him back, and when he looked up, he saw Ling Changshi shaking his head slightly at him.
Jiang Ningqi was suddenly startled and broke out in a cold sweat.
Gu Yufan seemed oblivious: "Besides suppressing the Wen family, we must also take over the Northern Desert Army. Tell Bai Jiwu that I have given him two years! If he cannot control the Northern Desert Army for my use before the end of the year, then we will replace him with someone else as the General of the Northern Desert Army!"
He's given Bai Jiwu a lot of money these past two years, but once the money's been given, there should be some results to be seen.
He's not some sucker who doesn't ask for anything in return!
Jiang Ningqi lowered his eyes and thought for a moment: "If I remember correctly, Bai Jiwu recently exchanged letters with Your Highness, saying that the morale of the Mobei Army is currently unstable. Not only are the soldiers not convinced, but those generals who were originally not convinced by him have also joined forces to deal with him recently."
Gu Yufan was aware of this, but he was more inclined to believe that Bai Jiwu was taking the opportunity to extort money.
He raised his hand to interrupt Jiang Ningqi, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "If he still can't win people over after two years, then it means he's really not suitable for this position."
Jiang Ningqi glanced at Chief Secretary Ling without leaving a trace, understanding that His Highness was anxious and wanted to give Bai Jiwu one last push.
Although he was not a military general, he knew how simple-minded those warriors were.
Many of them had followed Huo Qiyuan for many years. No matter how the court determined Huo Qiyuan's crimes, they only recognized Huo Qiyuan in their hearts. It was normal that Bai Jiwu could not win over everyone.
He wanted to offer a word of advice, but seeing the extremely unpleasant expression on the Prince of Chu's face, he lowered his eyes and retreated again.
Gu Yufan was unaware of what Jiang Ningqi was thinking at that moment, and even if he did, he wouldn't care, because a sense of urgency welled up inside him, urging him that he couldn't wait any longer!
Gu Yufan originally intended to take a long-term approach; if two or three years wasn't enough, then six or seven years would do. He believed that he could use money to win over the entire Northern Desert Army to his side.
But who knew that such an unexpected event would occur with Gu Yuzhi!
Time is too short. Huo Qiyuan is still suffering at the Xinliang Iron Mine. Those warriors don't have to submit if they don't want to. As long as he can get half of the military power of the Mobei Army, his chances of success will be much greater!
He had made up his mind that once he obtained half of the military power of the Northern Desert Army, he would immediately launch a war against Gu Yuchen!
Gu Yufan thought for a moment and looked at Chief Secretary Ling: "Chief Secretary Ling, which salt field do you think the Wen family's people will go to?"
Ling Changshi thought for a moment and said, "It should be Linzhou."
The salt fields in Linzhou were the first salt fields after leaving Beijing, and the salt from several prefectures in the north usually came to Linzhou.
Gu Yufan shook his head and said, "I think they will come to Huizhou."
If the Wen family were just an ordinary trading company, they would definitely have chosen Linzhou, but the Wen family's owner is Gu Yuzhi.
Gu Yufan leaned back slightly, looking quite relaxed: "Gu Yuchen transferred the people of Jiangnan to Xinliang. I had someone investigate, and the people who followed Xiao Liu were all Gu Yuchen's advisors before."
Upon thinking of this, Gu Yufan was suddenly overcome with the feeling of being deeply deceived.
No wonder that last year, even though Gu Yuchen, that treacherous villain, was threatened by the censor to commit suicide by hitting his head against a pillar, he was determined to send Xiao Liu to the northern desert.
Take advantage of this opportunity to openly and legitimately place his people in the northern desert, and gradually eliminate his power without him even noticing!
Thinking of this, Gu Yufan's violent temper, which he had barely managed to suppress, slowly rose again, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent.
He looked up at Jiang Ningqi, his voice cruel and bloodthirsty, each word distinct: "I'll give you another task. Kill all of Xiao Liu's attendants, whether they're the chief clerk or the ceremonial officer..."
He emphasized, "Leave no one alive!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
