knife

Chapter 746: Betting on Both Sides
The Zhu family is now extremely influential in Danyang.

Zhu Chi controlled the Ministry of Revenue, specializing in raising funds for Regent Nawei. Born into a prestigious family and deeply immersed in the intelligence system, he suffered greatly due to his family's wrong choice of allegiance, yet he managed to climb out of the mire through his own abilities. Such a person is shrewd, resourceful, and well-versed in the unspoken rules of various circles. Once he lowers his guard and becomes someone's mouthpiece, he is truly accurate and never misses a shot.

Otherwise, how could Na Wei have gained a foothold in Danyang if he hadn't tried every means to make money for him, given that he rose to power through force?
After all, relying on the army to rob and extort is not a long-term solution.

Moreover, Na Wei was ambitious and didn't want to just make a quick buck and leave; he wanted to truly accomplish something great.

Therefore, Zhu Chi now speaks very loudly under Na Wei's command. Even Na Wei's trusted generals have to give him some face. Otherwise, when it comes time to pay wages, if this guy says he has no money, it will be enough to make them suffer.

Zhu Chi's cousin, Zhu Zhen, is currently leading an army as the commander of one of the several armies sent to attack Xiang Zhuang. He has over ten thousand soldiers under his command. Because of Zhu Chi, this army naturally has no shortage of military pay and supplies, so their equipment is better than that of the southwestern wolf soldiers.

Zhu Cheng, the younger brother, controls the sea routes for trade from the distant seas. No matter what kind of powerful family or clan it is, if they want to go to sea without cooperating with Zhu Cheng, it is uncertain whether their ship will be able to return after setting sail, and the chances of encountering pirates will increase tenfold or a hundredfold.

Therefore, the Zhu family can now truly do whatever they want in Southern Chu.

"I object!"

Zhu Chi jumped up and shouted sternly.

Just now, Na Wei announced that he will be cooperating with Linghu Ye and Xiang Zhuang. The theme of the cooperation is to first join forces to eliminate Jiang Qian, who is entrenched in the eight towns of Jiangnan.

There were only a handful of people present, but Zhu Chi, as the Minister of Revenue, was naturally the one who had to prepare money and provisions for the army. At present, among Na Wei's subordinates, only Zhu Chi had the ability to raise enough money and provisions, and the others really couldn't think of a way.

"Your Highness, it looks like Xiang Zhuang is about to run out of tricks. If we just hold on a little longer, we can outlast him! Giving up now would be giving him a chance to breathe!" Zhu Chi said earnestly. "Don't forget, we slaughtered almost the entire Xiang clan. Do you expect him to let go of such a deep-seated hatred? Besides, the Xiong clan has always been restless. If the Xiang clan recovers and the Xiong and Xiang clans reunite, we will be in trouble!"

“Xiang Zhuang is a minor ailment, Jiang Qian is a hidden danger!” Na Wei shook his head and said, “We’ve finally got this opportunity, how can we let it slip by! Minister Zhu, with our current strength, we are not capable of eliminating Jiang Qian on our own; we can only rely on external forces. Linghu Ye is very powerful, and this time he is determined to eliminate Jiang Qian to remove any future worries. This is also a rare opportunity for us; once this opportunity is gone, it will be gone forever!”

"How do we know that Linghu Ye isn't just making things up to deceive us?" Zhu Chi said.

"Impossible!" The shaman shook his head and said, "After Li Dachui's great victory at Yangguan, it is inevitable that he will head south. Jiang Qian will join forces with him, and at that time she will definitely raise an army in Jiangnan to support Li Dachui. Linghu Ye is deceiving us, but he is only deceiving himself. Is there any need for this? Right now, our interests are aligned. In fact, we are even more eager to eliminate Jiang Qian!"

Na Wei continued, "Linghu Ye is worried that Jiang Qian will raise an army to support Li Dachui, putting him in a vulnerable position. I am even more worried that when Li Dachui enters the pass, Jiang Qian will take advantage of the fact that the Linghu Group is unable to threaten Nanyang and Xiangyang, and take the opportunity to raise an army to invade our Great Chu. Minister Zhu, you also know that Jiang Qian has many followers in the country. If this happens, I am worried that the people's hearts will be scattered."

“Even so, we can’t completely trust Xiang Zhuang!” Zhu Chi said, “unless Xiang Zhuang submits a memorial to the court to show his loyalty.”

"With Commander Linghu's guarantee, Xiang Zhuang will also send his navy to join forces with Chen Yan to resist Wang Dao and Yao Dali's navy. The reason we haven't been able to defeat Xiang Zhuang this past year is precisely because we've repeatedly suffered losses in naval warfare. His willingness to offer his navy this time shows some sincerity!" Na Wei continued, "Let's eliminate Jiang Qian, this thorn in our side, first, and then we'll talk about the rest!"

Zhu Chi looked dejected: "Since the Regent has made up his mind, then I can only obey!"

That great man laughed and said, "I like Minister Zhu the most for this. Alright, I will naturally keep an eye on Xiang Zhuang as well. I'll allow your brother Zhu Zhen to expand his army by another three thousand and keep an eye on that fellow!" "Thank you for your trust, Regent. Zhu Zhen will definitely keep a close eye on Xiang Zhuang and will not let him take the opportunity to grow too powerful!"

"This time, the imperial court plans to advance by both land and sea. The navy will be a joint force of over 300 warships and more than 50,000 soldiers. On land, I will gather an army of 100,000! You must prepare sufficient silver, grain, firewood, and mules as soon as possible. An army cannot move without supplies!"

"Your subject obeys!" Zhu Chi bowed weakly. "An army of 150,000! Your Majesty, you must give me at least three to six months! Otherwise, we simply cannot muster the strength!"

Zhu Family Mansion

Zhu Cheng looked at her elder brother in surprise, "Such a huge force? We alone have deployed over 100,000 troops? Add to that the Linghuye Group, and I'm afraid Jiang Qian won't be able to hold out this time."

"Don't forget, Jiang Qian also has support from Sichuan!"

“That’s still not enough!” Zhu Cheng said thoughtfully, “Brother, to be honest, I really hope that Na Wei can win this battle and take back the eight towns of Jiangnan!”

Zhu Chi smiled slightly; wasn't he thinking the same thing?

The current situation is more in line with the interests of the Zhu family.

But can Na Wei really win?
How much of Linghu Ye's words are true, and how much are false?

He had a deep-seated fear of Jiang Qian, and another person who made him feel this way was Li Dachui.

These two are now working together.

Did they not plan for this situation?

It would be best if Na Wei could win, but what if he lost? Then Jiang Qian would have to lead her troops straight to Jiangnan.

"Give this intelligence to Zhi Qiuyuan!" Zhu Chi ordered.

"Really?" Zhu Cheng asked.

"Such a big operation can't be kept secret for long. If we hand it over too late, it will only arouse suspicion!" Zhu Chi shook his head and said, "I reckon the eight towns of Jiangnan have been waiting for this moment, so there's no need to hide anything. We'll just do what we should do, handing over this top-secret intelligence to show our sincerity in cooperating with them. Of course, here, I will also do my best to procure supplies so that Na Wei has the opportunity to fight this battle well!"

(End of this chapter)