Speed ​​Pass starts with choosing a hunter

Chapter 441 War
The merchant ships of the Cao Gang finally reached Yanzhou.

Entering Yanzhou is equivalent to reaching the northern border.

Although this place is controlled by the eldest prince Li Kang, it has a good relationship with Bai Yuan because it is too close to Shuofang.

Moreover, given Bai Yuan's current strength, the eldest prince has absolutely no need to make enemies at this time. Otherwise, he would have fought the third prince head-on, and with Bai Yuan restraining him from behind, he would almost certainly be defeated, and there would be no reason for him to take action at all.

Merchant ships docked.

Yanzhou is the northern end of the canal. From here on, the only way is to enter Yuzhou by land. Once you reach Yuzhou, you will be completely within Bai Yuan’s sphere of influence.

When Bai Yuan got off the boat, he saw hundreds of people standing on the dock.

The leader was a majestic middle-aged man.

"Master Bai, thank you for your hard work."

"Boss Han, thank you for the journey."

The middle-aged man was none other than Han Jiu, the leader of the Cao Gang.

Just by looking at the name, you can tell that he came from an ordinary background, but relying on his bravery, he rose from a member of the Cao Gang to the leader of the Cao Gang. This experience is truly legendary.

Han Jiu chose Yanzhou instead of Luzhou as the meeting place.

Obviously, considering what Bai Yuan had done, it was not convenient for him to stay in Jiangnan for too long.

Han Jiu smiled cheerfully: "Master Bai, I have heard about you from Master Qiu Xiang a long time ago, but it's a pity that I never had the chance to meet you."

"Boss Han, it's my fault for not visiting you."

Han Jiu felt better when he heard Bai Yuan actually call himself a junior.

In martial arts, seniority is never determined by age.

He and Bai Yuan are both grandmasters of Mingxin, so theoretically they should call each other brothers. But now Bai Yuan calls himself the junior, which gives him enough face.

"What senior or junior? If you think highly of me, just call me Ninth Brother."

Bai Yuan: "Okay, Brother Nine."

Of course, Han Jiu couldn't be so arrogant.

Bai Yuan is now the governor of four continents. He is also a ruthless man who has killed three great masters of Mingxin. His status is even higher than his. If others give him face, he will naturally return it.

"Brother Bai, is this the expert in monster hunting?"

Han Jiu then looked at the old clan leaders standing beside him.

"Exactly."

Bai Yuan then introduced them one by one.

Compared with the previous Dragon and Tiger Sect or the Fang Family, the Cao Gang's attitude towards the monster hunters is much more polite. Although the monster hunters are weak, that is compared with their former glory and the Witch Clan.

Looking at Xuanyang, the Monster Hunters can at least be considered a second-rate force, on par with the Cao Gang.

Even if Bai Yuan was not the leader of the demon hunters, Han Jiu would still make more friends with him.

Unlike other forces, the Cao Gang did not participate in the struggle for the dynasty, so Han Jiu was able to get the best of both worlds.

For a person who travels around the world, of course the more friends the better.

Bai Yuan was not in a hurry to leave Yanzhou. Han Jiu took him and several other monster hunters to the most expensive restaurant in Yanzhou City.

Private show!

Although Yanzhou is located in the northern border, it has many intersections with the Central Plains, so most of the restaurants here serve Central Plains cuisine.

The old patriarch and his companions all found it novel.

After three rounds of drinking, Han Jiu finally spoke up: "Brother Bai, there is chaos now. What are you going to do? Give me some information?"

Bai Yuan smiled faintly: "I don't have any plans, I just take it one step at a time."

"Since Brother Bai has no plans, I do have a deal I want to discuss with you."

"Buy or sell?"

Bai Yuan became interested.

Now all forces in Xuanyang are begging the Cao Gang to transport supplies. The Cao Gang is making a lot of money, so how can they still look down on Shuofang's business?

Han Jiu chuckled and said, "Brother Bai, I heard that you are familiar with Beiyuan. I want to try to do business with the barbarians again."

Bai Yuan suddenly realized.

No wonder Han Jiu’s business is already big enough, but he still wants to cooperate with him. It turns out that he has set his sights on Beiyuan.

In fact, Xuan Yang has always had business dealings with the barbarians, but the business was cut off after the invasion of the Demon Sect. Now that the Demon Sect has retreated, Han Jiu has begun to think about trading with the barbarians again.

Although Beiyuan is desolate, it still has many good things.

The Cao Gang had been doing this business before, and now that they have the opportunity, of course they want to take it back.

Bai Yuan groaned: "Actually, I'm not familiar with the barbarians, but I do know a few people. I'll give it a try."

Hearing this, Han Jiu was overjoyed.

Bai Yuan's words are enough.

As far as he knew, Bai Yuan seemed to have gone to Beiyuan the year he disappeared. Maybe he could really find a way.

"Good brother!" Han Jiu was overjoyed. He raised his glass and said, "Drink!"

The reason he was able to rise from a low-level member of the Cao Gang to the leader of the Cao Gang was not only because of his talent in martial arts, but also his talent in making friends.

The Cao Gang leader has friends all over the world, and this is not empty talk.

It was thanks to his friends that his Cao Gang’s business was able to prosper.

"Don't worry, Brother Bai. As long as we can get through Beiyuan's business, we can split the profits 50-50."

Bai Yuan was a little surprised to hear this.

I didn't expect that this Gang Leader Han would be so generous. He started with a 50% offer and left him no room for bargaining. No wonder the Cao Gang's business is so prosperous, as can be seen from Han Jiu's generous temper.

"make a deal."

Bai Yuan also raised his glass.

If it could really work, then he would be able to just sit there and earn a huge amount of money. Maintaining the army in Shuofang costs a huge amount of money every year. Even if he is a wealthy man, he will be eaten up sooner or later. The proposal of the Cao Gang just meets his needs.

As Han Jiu and Bai Yuan chatted, they inevitably talked about major events in the world.

Han Jiu sighed: "I didn't expect the palace to be so chaotic, and I don't know which prince will take the throne in the end."

Although the Third Prince Li Wei has taken the lead in proclaiming himself emperor and occupying the imperial city, with the support of the two major forces of the Hanging Temple and the Zhengyang Gate behind him and the highest prestige, the First Prince also has the presence of the Quan Qing Sect and the major families in the Central Plains, and his power cannot be underestimated.

Apart from that, there are also the Jiangnan Yan family and the Dragon and Tiger Sect who are eyeing the situation covetously, so it’s hard to say for sure.

Bai Yuan: "Brother Han, the more chaotic the world is, the more money we can make, right?"

Hearing this, Han Jiu chuckled.

The more chaotic the world becomes, the more money those doing underworld business make. Now their annual income is almost catching up with that of the previous ten years. Han Jiu certainly does not want the chaos to end.

At this time, a servant came running over to the door and said, "My lords, Lord Wei is at the door and wants to come in."

When he heard that it was Wei Yang, Han Jiu raised a hint of sneer on his face.

"This Lord Wei is well-informed. Brother Bai, what do you think?"

Bai Yuan: "Then let him in."

Soon, Wei Yang, the governor of Yanzhou, arrived at the door.

"Wei Yang, the governor of Yanzhou, greets Lord Bai and Gang Leader Han."

"come in."

Han Jiu waved to Wei Yang. Seeing this, Wei Yang walked into the room, sat down, and glanced at Bai Yuan out of the corner of his eye.

He was filled with emotion. He had had some interactions with Bai Yuan in the past, but he didn't expect that this young man Bai Yuan has now become his immediate superior.

Han Jiu looked at Wei Yang with interest: "Sir Wei, I wonder why you are here?"

Now Yanzhou is the territory of the eldest prince. Wei Yang can still sit as the prefect here, which shows that he has already surrendered to the eldest prince. It's fine for him, but Bai Yuan has not yet expressed his position. On the surface, he can only be regarded as a subject loyal to the new emperor.

In this case, the two sides are in a hostile relationship. Even if they are not, meeting each other does not seem to be a good thing.

Wei Yang said in a deep voice: "Master Bai, the eldest prince wants to meet you in Yanzhou. Please stay for two more days. I have no ill intentions towards Yanzhou."

Hearing this, everyone in the room had a subtle expression.

The eldest prince actually wants to meet the governor Bai Yuan. This clearly implies that he is trying to win over the emperor.

Bai Yuan shook his head: "No need, I am a subject, this is an internal matter of the royal family, it is better not to see it."

Wei Yang's expression became anxious: "Master Bai, the eldest prince sincerely wants to meet you."

"Master Wei, please go back."

Seeing that Bai Yuan had made up his mind, Wei Yang could only sigh.

Although he had been mentally prepared for this matter, he was still unwilling to be rejected. Since he had surrendered to the eldest prince, he certainly hoped that the eldest prince would be the final winner. Otherwise, he would definitely be liquidated, and the extermination of his entire clan would be the lightest punishment.

If the eldest prince could get the support of Bai Yuan's clan, his chances of winning would increase significantly.

Bai Yuan represents more than just Shuofang.

Seeing Wei Yang leave, Han Jiu looked at Bai Yuan with amusement: "Brother Bai, even if the eldest prince is not a good ruler, you still need to choose a side. The world will eventually belong to the Li family. It is probably not a solution to just stay out of it."

He can have the best of both worlds, but Bai Yuan can't.

On the one hand, it was because of Bai Yuan’s identity as a military governor, which destined him to be at the center of the vortex. On the other hand, it was because Bai Yuan’s side was too powerful that no one dared to ignore it.

Bai Yuan raised his glass and said, "Boss Han, no matter what you choose, I wish us a happy cooperation."

Han Jiu stopped asking questions and raised his glass.

"Brother Bai, what you said makes sense."

The next day.

Bai Yuan set out again with tens of thousands of demon hunters. Yanzhou is very close to Yuzhou, and it won’t be long before they will be able to return to Shuofang.

The old patriarch and his people are also looking forward to their future life.

In the northern border, they didn't need to be so secretive in their movements. They could just walk on the official road, and their speed was much faster than in the southern border.

Just as Bai Yuan was about to cross the mountain and enter Yuzhou, a voice suddenly came from the air: "Master Bai, please stay."

The old patriarch looked up.

Then I saw two figures falling from the sky.

One is a clear-headed and gentle old scholar, the other is a rich and handsome nobleman.

Bai Yuan looked at the two people who fell from the sky, his eyes narrowed slightly: "Your Highness, Lord Liang."

The visitors were none other than Grand Tutor Liang Yuankang and the eldest prince Li Kang.

Li Kang looked at Bai Yuan and said, "Master Bai, after all the hassles, I finally caught up with you. Maybe there is some misunderstanding between us."

"Misunderstand?"

"Lord Situ, you went to Lingzhou only to compare the academic style of the academy, and you had no other intention."

Bai Yuan had a blank expression on his face: "Lord Situ is just doing his routine work, there is nothing wrong with that, Your Highness is worrying too much."

Li Kang smiled: "Master Bai, I heard that you have a lot of grievances with the Tianxuan Sect. The villain Li Wei has colluded with the Tianxuan Sect. If he really gets the upper hand, I'm afraid the Tianxuan Sect will not let you go."

Bai Yuan: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have my own solution."

Seeing that Bai Yuan was not moved, Li Kang was not displeased at all and tried to persuade him patiently.

At this time, Liang Yuankang spoke up: "Master Bai, I know what you are thinking. General Xu has been loyal all his life and does not want to interfere in the affairs of the royal family. I know this, but there are some things that you simply cannot stay out of. As a minister, you must save the situation before it is over."

Bai Yuan glanced at Li Kang secretly.

Liang Yuankang said such outrageous words, but Li Kang had no reaction.

On the surface, Liang Yuankang wanted to save the world from disaster, but any emperor who heard it would think that Liang Yuankang was clearly selecting an emperor.

This is the weak point of almost all emperors.

It can be seen that the royal family behind Li Kang should not have much power, otherwise Liang Yuankang would not have said so.

Without waiting for Bai Yuan to answer, Liang Yuankang said, "I came here this time to persuade Lord Bai, which is secondary. I came here to remind Lord Bai that the Tianxuan Sect colluded with the Western Desert to kill General Xu. I don't want to see the loyal army die at the hands of our own people."

Hearing this, Bai Yuan's expression finally became solemn.

"Thank you, Sir Liang."

Liang Yuankang certainly didn't mean that he really wanted to help Bai Yuan and the Zhenxi Army, but he hoped to rely on the power of Bai Yuan to involve Tianxuan Sect and Ximo.

The current situation of the eldest prince's family is not good at all.

It can be said that we are truly surrounded by enemies on three sides.

In order to seize the world, Li Wei has tried every possible means, and most of Xuanyang's territory has been sold by him.

The southern border belonged to the Wu clan, and the waters belonged to the East China Sea clan. Now they have decided to go all out and promised the Western Desert countries to give ten years of Xuanyang's tax revenue to these countries, so the Western Desert is willing to take action.

Such a huge price resulted in three parties taking action.

Now the Great Wizard of Southern Frontier and the Dragon Lord of the East Sea are both attacking the eldest prince. Even Quan Qingzong and Liang Yuankang are unable to resist.

If Ximo and Tianxuan Sect were to be added, the eldest prince might really be defeated.

That's why the eldest prince is so courteous today. In the final analysis, he has no other choice.

Li Wei's move was clearly intended to cut the Gordian knot, taking advantage of his strongest strength to sweep across the world and wipe out all enemies, including the Bai Yuan clan.

Li Kang said, "Master Bai, you can come to me anytime if you want."

"Thank you, eldest prince."

After saying that, Liang Yuankang took Li Kang and disappeared into the sky again.

Bai Yuan looked at the sky for a long time without saying a word.

Things are going to change in Xuanyang.

Bai Yuan finally returned to Lingzhou safely with the demon hunters.

However, the demon hunters were not sent to Dingzhou, but kept in Huanglongfu.

In the previous conception, he and the Monster Hunters were in a cooperative relationship, so naturally he had to make the best use of their resources. But now that he is the leader of the Monster Hunters, he is one of them.

Not to mention that there are many demon hunters with abilities above the level of perception, and there are two Grand Masters of Mingxin, who cannot be wasted.

For a time, the combat effectiveness of Shuofang’s top leaders was increased several times.

Yang Fangyu and Li Huan were also extremely happy to see this scene.

The stronger Shuofang is, the safer they will be in troubled times.

Bai Yuan's trip was a fruitful one.

However, Bai Yuan did not stay in Huanglong Mansion for too long. After only two days, he headed north.

War is not only about competing in strength, but also about wealth.

Therefore, he had to open up the trade routes with the barbarians and the Cao Gang before going to war in order to earn more military funds.

(End of this chapter)