Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 502 The Water King's Ingenious Plan: Having Duan Yanqing Assassinate Duan Yu...

"Li Chenzhou is too careless in his actions. The Power Gang has a wealth of talent in the martial arts world, but in the imperial court..."

In the future, when they conquer cities and seize prefectures, who will manage the power? Do they have the relevant talent?

Even if we lower our standards and don't need talents like Bao Zheng or Gongsun Ce, let alone prime ministers, can the Power Gang really manage to get ten failed scholars?
It's highly unlikely that Li Chenzhou can do it!
No matter how loud Li Chenzhou's slogans are, the Power Gang has always been a gangster organization in the underworld; they can only do underworld business and cannot do legitimate business.

That's exactly where the problem lies.

I'm not afraid of clever schemes and ingenious plans from intelligent people, but I am afraid of fools with overflowing confidence making reckless moves. The damage that the power faction has done to Dali exceeds the damage caused by the two Yang Yizhen rebellions.

They must be dealt with as soon as possible!

The group is holding a strategy meeting.

Li Zhaoting was the first to speak at the meeting.

Compared to Yang Yizhen, who raised an army in rebellion, conquered cities and territories, and stormed the palace, the Power Gang may seem like just a small-scale affair in the martial arts world, but in reality, it is far from that.

Yang Yizhen was originally a powerful minister in Dali. He understood the rules of the court. Even when he rebelled, he did not violate the basic rules, nor did he kill indiscriminately.

After the rebellion was quelled, everything in Dali returned to normal.

The throne still belonged to the Duan family, power still belonged to the Gao family, Tianlong Temple remained aloof, and Dali remained Dali, almost unchanged from before.

The Power Gang is a gangster organization that operates with impunity and has no knowledge of court rules. They act recklessly, stirring up trouble and creating countless waves in Dali.

The Duan family of Dali, assassination!

Assassinate the head of the Gao family!

A high-ranking monk from Tenryu-ji Temple was assassinated!

This disrupted the tripartite balance of power in Dali, giving hope to smaller families suppressed by the Duan and Gao families, and simultaneously instigated surrounding tribes.

With Duan Zhengchun becoming emperor, Dao Baifeng, the Baiyi princess who had married into the Dali tribe years before, became the current empress of Dali, and her son is the crown prince of Dali.

Duan Yu is the only prince!
He will surely become the emperor of Dali in the future!

This situation is a great boon to Dao Baifeng's tribe. Other tribes are envious and jealous, and a few words of provocation can easily trigger fierce conflicts.

The same is true in Miao territory.

Li Zhaoting's reputation grew louder and louder. In the martial arts world, he was known as the Supreme Heavenly Sword, and in the imperial court, he was the Marquis of Xiaoyun, who held a fief of five thousand households. Whether in the court or in the countryside, he dominated his own territory.

Thanks to Li Zhaoting's connections, the Miao village of Moon Mountain received salt from the Sichuan salt merchants and silk, porcelain, tea, cotton cloth, and sugar from the Hua family caravan.

What about the other tribes?
There is more than one Miao village in Miao territory.

Moon Mountain is thriving and doing better and better. What about the other Miao villages? We can only try to deal a heavy blow to Moon Mountain Miao Village before Li Zhaoting arrives.

Don’t worry about scarcity but inequality.

We were all living in poverty together. Your family was slightly better off, but there wasn't a big difference. Now you've risen to prominence through marriage. What am I supposed to do?
At this very moment, Liu Suifeng sowed discord, using profit as a lure, and in order to put on a show, he buried a large amount of treasure in the border areas of Baiyi and Dali.

Some small tribes invaded the Dali border and easily plundered huge amounts of resources. How could others tolerate this?
Liu Suifeng's plan was meticulously crafted, forming a powerful momentum before Li Zhaoting's arrival.

One or two tribes can be used as a warning to others.

How should we deal with these dozens of tribes?

The answer is—kill!

Li Zhaoting laughed and said, "Father-in-law, which of these tribes that raided Dali made the first move? Since they are jumping around so enthusiastically, let's use them as a warning to others."

Li Xunhuan said, "That's right. We can take this opportunity to get rid of the bookworms and clean up the garbage dump!"

I don't know if this is a deliberate scheme by Liu Suifeng against Dali. If not, it means Liu Suifeng didn't consider these things, and we can cut the Gordian knot quickly.

If it's Liu Suifeng's overt scheme, we should have jumped in anyway; we can't afford to be hesitant or timid.

Li Zhaoting added: "Hesitation will only lead to more trouble. My two fathers-in-law, one of you is the Emperor of Dali, and the other is the chieftain of a Miao village."

Simply adopting a conciliatory approach will not only fail to gain popular support, but will also damage your authority.

My son-in-law suggests we send troops to quell the rebellion!
Let's use blood to deter those scoundrels!

Xiao Feng analyzed, "Father-in-law, we were slightly short-handed before. The Power Gang is within the territory of the Song Dynasty, so it is inconvenient for them to send troops. We can only passively wait for the enemy to make a move."

Now that the Song Dynasty delegation has arrived, and the Power Faction has lost three powerful ally, it is an excellent opportunity to send troops. I am willing to be the vanguard and defeat several rebellious tribes.

If a counterattack is not launched soon, morale will continue to decline. By the time the small and medium-sized families in Dali form an alliance and launch a rebellion, it will be too late to regret it.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war; there can be no delay!

Duan Zhengchun and the Old Master Lan had long been prepared to send troops, but they needed someone to bring it up so they could officially approve it and demonstrate their benevolent rule.

Li Zhaoting, Xiao Feng, and Li Xunhuan all suggested sending troops to quell the rebellion. The two of them readily agreed, simply emphasizing that they should not commit indiscriminate killings.

Duan Zhengchun indeed disliked killing.

After years of cultivating the Miao region, the old leader of the Blue Sect was betrayed in his twilight years, captured alive, and suffered endless humiliation. He wished he could tear all those traitors to pieces.

The Miao region has a sparse population, so we cannot resort to violence rashly.

However, traitors must be killed. Even throwing them all into the Poison Pool and letting them suffer the gnaw of thousands of poisonous insects is perfectly reasonable.

The group quickly agreed on a battle plan.

Xiao Feng went to gather troops from Dali, while Li Zhaoting ordered Zhong Yuan and others to train the Imperial Guards and lead them into battle. Li Zhaoting knew nothing about this, and since the Miao region was mountainous and watery, it was best not to make any last-minute adjustments to avoid a disastrous outcome.

He also introduced Zhong Yuan to Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng had always wanted to take on a personal disciple to pass on his life's martial arts skills, but geniuses were hard to find, and those with a similar temperament to Xiao Feng were even rarer.

Zhong Yuan's personality, character, and temperament perfectly matched Xiao Feng's requirements. As long as both of them agreed, he could become Xiao Feng's disciple that very day, with Li Zhaoting personally witnessing the ceremony.

Some people might ask, why didn't Xiao Feng just pass on his martial arts to his son? If his son didn't want to practice martial arts, he could pass it on to his grandson. With Xiao Feng's internal strength, he could easily live to be a hundred years old, so why worry about the issue of inheritance?

First of all, Xiao Feng was raised by the Qiao family. Qiao Sanhuai had no sons. Now that Xiao Feng had returned to his ancestral home and changed his surname to Xiao, the Qiao family had no descendants. Xiao Feng gave his son to the Qiao family for adoption. Qiao Sanhuai disliked the turmoil of the martial arts world and did not want his child to practice martial arts. He wanted his son to study and learn to read.

In this case, if Xiao Feng wanted to teach his children and grandchildren, he would either have to wait for his second son or his grandson, which was full of uncertainty. It would be better for him to take on a disciple as soon as possible.

Secondly, while the saying "like begets like" is true, the nine sons of a dragon are all different, and Xiao Feng's children may not inherit his talent as a war god.

Finally, geniuses are hard to find, and when you find a suitable one, you should act immediately without any delay.
When Yi Jifeng first saw Li Zhaoting, he immediately accepted him as a disciple without saying a word. What's so special about Wuliang Mountain? What's the Northern Darkness Divine Skill? I'll teach you the Eight Swords Flying Together!

Xiao Feng and Zhong Yuan have a special connection. Xiao Feng has the power to subdue dragons, while Zhong Yuan has the power to subdue tigers. Both are war gods who become stronger with each battle. They gain strength with every drop of wine they drink, just like reincarnations of Arhats. The power to subdue dragons and tigers is not at the same time. The power to subdue tigers was reincarnated later and needed the enlightenment of the Arhat who subdued dragons!
As for Ma Feng, Guan Da, and Zhuo Yong, let them find their own opportunities. At least one of them is a leader of the Azure Dragon Society who secretly leaked information about the mission, at least one is a secret agent of the Imperial City Bureau, and the other is a spy who does all sorts of jobs. Only Zhong Yuan is an honest kid.

……

The headquarters of the Power Gang was originally located in Lingnan.

In order to invade Dali and use it as a springboard to march north to the Central Plains and achieve his goal of ruling the world, Li Chenzhou moved his headquarters to the border between Dali and Miao territory.

This is a no-man's-land.

On one side is Miao territory, and on the other side is Dali territory, which actually belonged to the Song Dynasty. It was like a triangle formed by three overlapping circles, allowing for easy advance and retreat, and was as solid as a rock.

In terms of population, there are more local Miao people. The new headquarters of the Power Gang is actually a Miao village. The original owner of the Miao village was the "Snake King" of the Power Gang.

The Power Gang has "Eight Heavenly Kings".

Some are renowned, while others conceal their identities.

Xiao Qiushui fought against the Power Gang for two and a half years, killing four Heavenly Kings, and exposing the remaining four.

Qu Hanshan, the "Sword King," survived. Among the Eight Heavenly Kings, he was the most loyal to Li Chenzhou. He was proficient in various martial arts, including iron sword, wooden sword, and paper sword, and was the person Liu Suifeng trusted most.

"Knife King" Zhao Qiuxi survived. He is the only high-ranking member of the Power Gang who prefers head-on confrontations and one-on-one battles and despises sneak attacks. He has a cold and austere personality and loves divine weapons.

Ju Xiushan, known as the "Water King," is a survivor and the only civilian employee of the Power Gang besides Liu Suifeng. He is skilled at using poisonous water to ambush enemies, but his martial arts skills are relatively average.

"Fire King" Zu Jindian died after Xiao Qiushui destroyed all his firearms and set himself on fire.

Deng Yuping, known as the "King of Men," died. He came from the Hainan Sword Sect and, with the help of Liu Suifeng, became the sect leader. He was killed by the Nameless Sword Technique.

The "Medicine King" was unjustly killed. He was a genius who was skilled in both medicine and poison. He was a skilled doctor and adept at using poison. He tried to poison Xiao Qiushui, but Xiao Qiushui killed him with a single sword stroke.

The "Ghost King" was a treacherous practitioner who died in the lineage of the Yan family in Chenzhou. He was a master of "Zombie Fist" and disguised himself as a zombie to ambush Xiao Qiushui, but was killed by Xiao Qiushui in retaliation.

The "Snake King" old man and the girl survived. There are five of the Four Heavenly Kings and nine of the Eight Heavenly Kings. The two are Miao nobles and village chiefs. Liu Suifeng's ability to stir up trouble in Miao territory is inseparable from their support.

Only three members of the Power Gang understand clerical work.

Grand Steward Liu Suifeng.

The gang leader's wife, Zhao Shirong.

"Water King" Ju Xiushan.

Liu Suifeng and Zhao Shirong were causing trouble in Dali. Ju Xiushan was in charge of all intelligence exchanges, accounting, and personnel transfers, mainly focusing on intelligence work.

She can be seen as Li Chenzhou's secretary!

"Master, an urgent letter from the Grand Steward!" Ju Xiushan handed a letter to Li Chenzhou.

Li Chenzhou tapped the seal idly; his fists were formidable, but his literary skills were truly lacking.

As "ruling the world" transformed from a slogan used to deceive his followers into a reality being implemented, Li Chenzhou had no choice but to pull himself together and do things he didn't like.

"Read!"

Li Chenzhou sat up straight, displaying the demeanor of a ruthless tyrant. He had Ju Xiushan read the letter aloud, partly because he was too lazy to read the text, and partly because he wanted to win people's hearts.

I've allowed you to view the confidential letter that Liu Suifeng sent urgently, which shows how much I trust you. I trust you so much, you must be completely loyal and wouldn't betray me! You certainly wouldn't betray me, would you?
Ju Xiushan read the letter aloud at the most steady pace, in a tone devoid of any emotion, like a heartless reading machine, and waited for Li Chenzhou to review it.

The content of the letter was simple.

It is mainly divided into three parts.

I. Xiao Feng

The Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill is incredibly powerful. When Xiao Feng activates the Vajra Transformation, he can forcefully kill three Tantric masters: Dragon Elephant Venerable, Eyinhebu, and Kundian Shangren.

Powerful skills often come with risks. The Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill can only be used five times. Xiao Feng has already used it up to the last time and is no longer the "Fist King".

II. Li Zhaoting
Li Zhaoting led the Song Dynasty delegation to Dali and persuaded Duan Zhengchun and the Old Master Lan to use the method of killing the chicken to scare the monkey to intimidate the Baiyi and Miao tribes. The two will split up their forces the next day to attack several tribes that the Power Gang had previously recruited. The troops will move out very quickly and will be difficult to stop.

III. Ambush Plan

If Xiao Feng and Li Zhaoting joined forces, Liu Suifeng would have no choice but to retreat. Now that the two have split up, it is an excellent opportunity.

Liu Suifeng wanted to take the opportunity to ambush Xiao Feng, but Xiao Feng could not use his Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill. He was no longer the invincible and invincible war god and could not withstand poison and hidden weapons.

After killing Xiao Feng, Li Zhaoting was left with no one to rely on.

According to intelligence reports, Li Zhaoting obtained the Innate Qi, Dragon Palm, and Golden Buddha Indestructible Body from the Western Regions. With Xiao Feng's talent, if he were to practice these secret manuals, he would soon be able to master them.

With the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill as the foundation, cultivating innate Qi or the Golden Buddha Indestructible Body will yield twice the results with half the effort. Mastering these two divine skills will likely make one's defense even stronger than before.

There's a 50% chance of success if you act now.

Every day you delay, your chances decrease.

In at most half a month, Xiao Feng will be able to master the Innate Qi. At that time, even if Li Chenzhou personally participates in the ambush, Xiao Feng will be able to escape alive.

The letter was followed by Liu Suifeng's annotations.

Note 1:

Li Zhaoting had a peculiar habit: he never hoarded martial arts manuals. Whenever he went out to train and obtained a martial arts manual, he would casually give it away.

Li Zhaoting's beautiful wives and concubines, as well as his relatives and friends, all received special care, and each of them possessed a unique skill.

Note 2:

To compensate Xiao Feng, the old leader of the Lan Sect opened the Five Poisons Sect's secret vault and took out the Five Treasures Flower Honey Wine, three thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, and three two-thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum.

The most precious items are the three boxes of animal-derived medicinal materials.

It is well known that when animals mutate, they can grow medicinal herbs. The Five Poisons Sect is skilled at cultivating poisonous creatures and has accumulated a huge amount of animal medicinal herbs over hundreds of years.

Lion claws, spider oysters, snake oysters, and dog oysters are mostly animal "inner elixir." The smallest spider oyster is about the size of a walnut and is naturally formed into a pill shape.

Refining these rare and precious herbs into medicinal materials, aside from the effects of increasing internal strength and enhancing physical fitness, meant that Xiao Feng didn't need to use spiritual medicine to improve his power. What Liu Suifeng was worried about was the effect on poison resistance, fearing that Xiao Feng would become immune to all poisons.

Without the advantages of poison skills and hidden weapons, relying solely on power to help these managers, ambushing them is simply sending them to their doom.

Including Liu Suifeng himself.

To emphasize the seriousness of the problem, Liu Suifeng made a special note in red pen, hoping that Li Chenzhou would take it seriously and decide quickly whether to ambush or retreat.

"Xiushan, what do you think?"

Li Chenzhou looked intently at Ju Xiushan.

Ju Xiushan hurriedly said, "Chief, I think the Grand Steward's suggestion makes a lot of sense. We can't let Dali make an example of someone, otherwise, the hard-won chaos will be quickly stabilized, which will be detrimental to the Chief's great cause."

"Go on!"

"The Grand Steward's plan has some flaws, not flaws in the plan itself, but flaws in the Grand Steward's..."

"Speak your mind, and you will be forgiven!"

"I feel that the Grand Steward's plans are always aimed at Xiao Feng. The plans themselves are flawless, but I think there are some..."

"What is it? Tell me! Tell me!"

"I'm a little...timid!"

"Cowardly? Are you saying I'm cowardly, or that the Grand Steward is cowardly? What are you trying to do by stammering like this? Speak clearly, or you won't be spared today!"

"Master, please forgive me. I am utterly loyal to you. How could I possibly speak sarcastically? It's just that ever since I heard about Li Zhaoting, the Grand Steward has become increasingly impatient. When he's outlining the plan, he never mentions Li Zhaoting. Li Zhaoting is indeed very capable, but he's a human being, not a demon!"

Ju Xiushan raised his voice: "If we run away at the mere mention of Li Zhaoting's name and dare not devise any plans against him, how can we rule the world?"

"Can you say that again!"

Li Chenzhou crushed the pen holder in one swift motion.

Ju Xiushan shouted, "Chief, even if you tear me to pieces or cut me into a thousand pieces, I will still say these words. Please wait until I finish speaking before you kill me, for the sake of my years of hard work for the Power Gang!"

"go on!"

Li Chenzhou clenched his fists, his aura fiery.

Ju Xiushan sighed, “Chief! You have the ambition to rule the world. Your goal is the dragon throne, to be the emperor above all people, not a Jianghu gang.”

It's normal for gangs to fear Li Zhaoting!

Even powerful figures like Su Mengzhen and Lei Sun could be easily persuaded to move their businesses to Yanyun by Li Zhaoting with just a few threats.

How could the emperor be afraid of Li Zhaoting?

The emperor is a solitary figure, second only to the heavens, not a specific person. The emperor is the Son of Heaven.

Whose emperor has a江湖人 (jianghu person) standing on his head?
The Song emperor was a weak scholar who knew no martial arts. Would he be afraid of Li Zhaoting? He could easily win over the Li family by simply bestowing upon them a few official titles, ranks, and fiefs.

No matter how capable Li Zhaoting was, he was not a lone wolf. He had a father, wives and concubines, and relatives and friends, who were his weaknesses.

Li Zhaoting is a human being, not a god!

Why should we be afraid of him?

Is the gang leader inferior to Zhao Zhen?
What's so great about Zhao Zhen?

If Emperor Zhao Zhen could indirectly influence Li Zhaoting by bestowing titles and rewards upon Li Nanxing, why couldn't the Power Gang do the same?

We cannot bestow official titles or grant fiefs upon him now, but as long as we send out all our experts, I do not believe we cannot kill Li Zhaoting. Even if we cannot kill him, we can exhaust him to death!
Master, that's all I wanted to say.

A country with loyal ministers will not perish.
A family with a son who speaks out will not perish.
For our lord, I would die a hundred times without regret!

Ju Xiushan stood tall and proud, exuding an imposing aura.

Li Chenzhou sneered: "If we don't listen to you, the Power Gang will perish? You have some nerve!"

Ju Xiushan said, "It's hard to say!"

"What's so hard to say?"

"If the Grand Steward has to retreat when he sees Li Zhaoting, then the Gang Leader should retreat too. Shouldn't the Protectors, Heavenly Kings, and Gods and Demons also retreat? If we run away at the sight of Li Zhaoting, what makes us think we can conquer cities and territories? What makes us think we can rule the world? If you don't dare to go all in, why don't you change your name?"

"Xiushan! What are your plans?"

"Ambushing and killing Li Zhaoting doesn't necessarily mean killing him, but at least it shows our commitment and eliminates any fear of him, so as to prevent panic within the gang."

"anything else?"

"We need to take a three-pronged approach. Xiao Feng and Li Zhaoting are both top figures in the martial arts world. Killing them would require too much effort. However, Duan Yu is not a master. If we can find an opportunity to kill Duan Yu, we can sever the foundation of Dali."

"Duan Yu is proficient in the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique), and his close-combat evasion is unparalleled. He also once swallowed the Manggu Zhuha (a type of toad), giving him a body that is immune to all poisons. With the protection of the high monks of Tianlong Temple, killing Duan Yu is no less difficult than killing Xiao Feng."

"Are the eminent monks of Tianlong Temple truly loyal? The monk Benwu, whose real name is Duan Yanqing, is a direct descendant of the Dali Duan family. If it weren't for Yang Yizhen's rebellion, the throne of Dali would have been his. He has been painstakingly plotting to seize the throne."

Three years ago, Duan Yanqing was captured by Li Zhaoting and forcibly sent to Tianlong Temple. How could he not harbor resentment?

Duan Zhengming made Duan Yu acknowledge Duan Yanqing as his adoptive father. What's the big deal? An adoptive father isn't a biological father. What does an adopted son matter when it comes to the throne?
If you create an opportunity for Duan Yanqing and promise to support him in becoming the emperor of Dali, he will definitely take action.

Let's kill Duan Yu...

Li Zhaoting could only watch helplessly!

Ju Xiushan waved his fist, his face full of fanaticism!

(End of this chapter)