That noon, He Yunxiao left the Short Knife Gang's headquarters, went home for lunch, and then took a car to the palace to have a "heart-to-heart talk" with Mengbao.
With the financial support of the Great Qi Bank, the Short Knife Gang recovered quickly and began recruiting and expanding. He Yunxiao's requirements for the Pang brothers' recruitment were singular: character was more important than cultivation level. Those who disobeyed gang management, lacked discipline, or had questionable morals were out of the question. Money? No worries, plenty. Furthermore, high-level female martial artists were given priority, as the female protagonists urgently needed bodyguards.
In fact, under Du Meimei's management, He Yunxiao's Daqi Bank was thriving and had even opened branches. However, judging from Daqi Bank's current size, it was still insufficient to support a powerful gang full of high-level martial artists. At least, He Yunxiao couldn't afford to support a gang the size of the Iron Eagle Gang at the moment.
He Yunxiao said the main reason for having enough money was that war was about to break out. If they couldn't win, Daqi Bank would have no future, so of course they had to fight with all their might at this moment.
High-level martial artists willing to submit to gang management are not easy to find. Even if He Yunxiao opens up recruitment, he can't recruit many. High-level martial artists are ultimately a scarce resource in the martial arts world.
Besides having the Pang brothers recruit people, He Yunxiao also instructed them to keep a close eye on the movements of the martial arts world in Yinjing. In the past few days, with the gradual arrival of the Yan army's vanguard, the entire martial arts world in Yinjing has become restless.
...
In the afternoon, He Yunxiao sneaked off to Fenghua Palace to play with Mengbao.
Although Meng Qingqian was "dead" and no longer needed to handle state affairs, she never stopped receiving information about the external situation. Her subordinates collected all sorts of firsthand information about the situation and passed it on to a side hall of Fenghua Palace.
She stood in the center of a side hall, intently studying an ancient map of the Qi state before her. The map was covered with various markings: mountains, rivers, cities, armies—everything imaginable. Two black arrows, one pointing east and one west, pierced towards Yinjing; these must mark the Yan army.
He Yunxiao sneaked into the palace, approached Mengbao quietly, and then suddenly wrapped his arms around her delicate body from behind.
"Mengbao~" He Yunxiao breathed into Mengbao's ear.
Meng Qingqian blushed, struggled for a moment, and said, "Stop fooling around, I'm looking at the map."
He Yunxiao asked in surprise, "Why isn't Mengbao surprised?"
Meng Qingqian turned her head and glared at He Yunxiao behind her. "What am I surprised about? Jian Ling is guarding outside. The only person who could let her in without my permission is you. Anyone with a brain knows who's causing trouble."
He Yunxiao, who was good at putting things into practice, chuckled and said, "What's the point of thinking about it?"
Meng Qingqian felt unwell, her face flushed, "Use... um..."
Huff... huff...
Their rapid breathing was the only melody in the room.
"Mengbao, this is the last time."
Meng Qingqian blushed and glanced at the map. "Wait..."
Before she could finish speaking, He Yunxiao scooped her up by the legs and lifted her into his arms. He Yunxiao's extremely domineering actions left her with no way to refuse.
...
In late autumn, the wind was strong, and the wooden boats on the small lake in the palace rocked on the water for a full hour without stopping.
The lake water was stirred up by the wooden boat, and the air was splashed into the water, causing white foam to rise on the surface.
...
Meng Qingqian stood in front of the map, wearing pajamas and a coat.
He Yunxiao asked curiously, "Mengbao, what are you looking at?"
Meng Qingqian pointed to a spot on the map and said, "Han Wenxin is preparing to gather 200,000 Qi troops here to fight against the Yan army."
He Yunxiao asked in surprise, "Two hundred thousand? Wasn't it said that the Yan army that came in from Luoyue Pass this time numbered between three hundred thousand and five hundred thousand? Wouldn't using two hundred thousand be a bit much...?"
Meng Qingqian said in a deep voice, "Not all of them. The Yan army made a long march, and the route was very long. The cavalry was in front and the infantry was behind. Of the three to five hundred thousand Yan troops, at least half were cavalry, and the remaining infantry were about the same number as the Qi army that Han Wenxin had gathered."
"He's planning to wipe out the Yan army's infantry?"
"I think Han Wenxin is probably eyeing the siege equipment being transported by the Yan army's infantry. His main goal is to destroy the Yan army's siege equipment, while eliminating the Yan army is secondary."
He Yunxiao suddenly realized.
This Chancellor Han is quite something. The Yan army is primarily composed of cavalry, supplemented by infantry, but to attack a city, siege equipment is indispensable. If the siege equipment is destroyed here, even if the Yan cavalry arrives, they will be unable to breach the city.
Brilliant!
However, Meng Qingqian remained unhappy.
He Yunxiao said, "Is Mengbao afraid that if Han Wenxin succeeds in his sneak attack, it will be difficult to impeach him later?"
Meng Qingqian shook her head. "Although I have no evidence, I have a feeling that this matter is not so simple."
He Yunxiao turned his gaze to the latter half of the black arrow on the map of Qi. The infantry of Yan seemed to appear in He Yunxiao's sight. They were disciplined, heavily armored, and were advancing far behind the cavalry.
In He Yunxiao's vivid imagination, towering siege engines and heavy battering rams advanced slowly, mingling with the infantry formations. People could rest, but machinery could not; they tirelessly rushed to the distant battlefield, fulfilling their sole purpose as things.
...
The Prime Minister's Residence.
Since Meng Qingqian's "death," the already bustling Prime Minister's residence has become even more lively.
Retainers came to discuss matters, officials came to seek refuge, merchants came to curry favor... all sorts of forces came in an endless stream.
As a significant force in the underworld of Yinjing, the Iron Eagle Gang naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to curry favor with Prime Minister Han. Tie Pengjun, as the gang leader, was well-versed in the survival rules of Yinjing. Kung Fu? Gang members? Money? All of that was nonsense. In Yinjing, the imperial court was the boss, and the underworld forces were the servants.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
