Chapter 135: The Army

Page (1/3)

“Kill them!”

The two sides clashed once more.

The strength of the great clans had suddenly increased, far beyond Luo Tong’s expectations.

They were fighting as though their lives meant nothing. They paid no heed to their wounds, striking with utter disregard for defense.

“So you want to stake your lives on this? Then I shall oblige you to the very end!”

Luo Tong drew his sword and joined the battle personally.

When he had attacked the Liu family the previous night, he had killed only Liu Lin with his own hands. Later, when he fought the death warriors, he had not drawn his sword again. The Golden Blade Guards had done all the killing.

But now that the Guo and Wei families were prepared to fight to the death, Luo Tong could no longer stand by and watch. The battle had to end quickly so they could leave this place of trouble.

Pfft! Pfft!

Luo Tong’s sword seemed to possess eyes of its own.

With a single swift draw, it sealed throats and spilled blood.

Three men fell in succession.

The death warriors charging up behind them were stopped by the Golden Blade Guards. Faced with the assault of countless curved blades, they could not advance another step.

Luo Tong roared, “Leave not a single one alive!”

“Yes, my lord!”

Both sides fought with all their strength, and the battle soon reached a fever pitch.

The Golden Blade Guards attacked without defending, their eyes red with slaughter. Even they sustained injuries.

More than a hundred sword-wielding death warriors had been cut down or wounded, more than half their number.

Terrified, Guo Jiang, Wei Tai, and the others fled in disarray.

Luo Tong panted as he surveyed the scene. There were hardly any enemies left. His body was drenched in blood. He wiped his blurred eyes and shouted, “Withdraw!”

After this battle, the Guo and Wei families would surely be trembling like birds startled by the snap of a bowstring. The experts who had been dispatched elsewhere would also be returning one after another.

Luo Tong had completed his mission.

He left the ruined courtyard.

Lou Yi asked, “My lord, what shall we do next?”

“First, tend to our wounds and rest for a few days. After that, we will travel through the various commanderies of Guanzhong and Longxi. We are going to give those great clans a magnificent gift!”

…

While Luo Tong and the Golden Blade Guards were wreaking havoc across Guanzhong and Longxi, Li Zhi held a meeting with the merchants of Hebei.

Page (2/3)

This meeting would completely resolve the problem of supply.

Earlier, misled by the great clans, these merchants had come demanding Immortal Wine, leaving the distillery unable to keep up with orders. In the end, the newly opened entertainment club had managed to placate them.

Now the distillery had gathered enough wine to meet the merchants’ needs, giving Li Zhi the confidence to stand firm.

“From now on, anyone purchasing wine from me must sign a contract and have it certified by the authorities. Anyone buying goods worth more than one hundred thousand coins at wholesale must place an order in advance, with delivery to follow at a later date.”

“Everything shall be done according to the rules.”

“I do not wish to see you blocking the entrance to the merchants’ association and making a scene again. That spectacle was truly unbecoming.”

Having finished speaking, Li Zhi took his seat at the head of the hall. He lifted his tea cup and took a sip.

Dozens of merchant leaders sat in the great hall.

The most respected among them was a man named Deng Haiqing.

He was a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan, possessed of considerable fortune. He had once hoped to join the ranks of the great clans, but they had never regarded him as worthy. Over the years, he had spent a great deal of money, yet still remained a level below them.

Deng Haiqing rose and said, “Your Highness, Prince of Jin, we had no choice. We hope Your Highness will forgive us.”

“Let us say no more about what happened before. We shall treat it as a joke we played, shall we not?”

“Yes, yes, exactly…”

The merchants had no wish to fall out with Li Zhi, and they hurried to echo him.

If they wanted to make money, they had to obtain Immortal Wine.

It was the most popular product of the age, perpetually in short supply, enormously profitable, and incapable of spoiling.

By following Li Zhi, they could enjoy endless wealth and honor.

They absolutely could not abandon the greater profits of the merchants’ association merely to curry favor with the great clans and gain a few minor advantages.

“Mr. Li Ji, do you think they can be trusted?”

“Trusted, certainly trusted!”

Li Ji smiled beside him. “As everyone has said, they were merely acting under pressure. Your Highness is magnanimous and will not hold it against the merchants.”

“I already said it was only a joke. How could I have taken it seriously?” Li Zhi replied.

If it was only a joke, why had he asked in the first place?

Li Ji was completely bewildered.

What exactly was Li Zhi plotting?

“Your Highness, we know that we were in the wrong. We hope that, from this day forward, we may cooperate with complete sincerity,” Deng Haiqing said.

“Of course, of course…”

There was naturally no problem with sincere cooperation. It was precisely what Li Zhi desired.

Deng Haiqing continued, “Your Highness possesses a breadth of mind beyond anything we can match. Before coming here, all of us merchants discussed the matter and decided to reserve the next shipment. May we have Your Highness’s permission?”

Li Ji said, “There is no need to rush. First complete the delivery of this shipment. Afterward, come to me and reserve the next one.”

“Very well! Very well!”

Deng Haiqing accepted on behalf of all the merchants.

…

Li Zhi had repeatedly brought up what had happened before. Though he claimed not to care, he had unmistakably sounded a warning. Nothing like that could happen again.

At the same time, he had reassured everyone that he would no longer pursue the matter.

The merchants set aside their resentment and naturally became willing to cooperate with the merchants’ association in the capital.

The following day.

Page (3/3)

Li Ji took full charge of the association’s affairs.

He delivered all the goods to the merchants and signed new contracts with them.

At the same time, news arrived from Hedong, along with a detailed report on the region’s current situation.

Li Zhi hurried to the Secretariat. There, he happened to encounter Li Shimin and said, “Imperial Father, Luo Tong and the others have succeeded! In two days, they killed Liu Lin, patriarch of the Liu family, and dealt a devastating blow to the Guo and Wei families. By now, all the great clans of Guanzhong and Longxi must be shocked. They certainly will not dare send their household experts elsewhere again!”

“What do you mean?”

Li Shimin did not understand.

Changsun Wuji explained the matter to him.

Then Li Shimin laughed heartily. “Excellent idea! Have Luo Tong take the Golden Blade Guards and tie down the various great clans. That way, they will be unable to act, while we can make our preparations in peace. Once the time is ripe, we shall destroy them in a single stroke!”

“Who came up with such a brilliant plan?” Li Shimin asked.

Changsun Wuji pursed his lips.

He could not claim the credit.

The idea had come from Li Zhi.

He had to admit that although Li Zhi was young, his intelligence was in no way inferior to his own. The realization left him deeply embarrassed. He had lived for several decades, yet he was still outdone by a mere child.

“Who else could it have been but me?” Li Zhi said, lifting his chin.

“I knew it was you!”

Li Shimin was not surprised in the least.

The officials of every rank within the Secretariat gathered around and showered Li Zhi with praise for his brilliance.

Li Shimin laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Li Zhi, however, found it somewhat irritating. “Stop flattering me. I know perfectly well what I am capable of!”

“Zhi’er, the ministers are praising you. You ought to be pleased. Besides, you truly are extraordinarily clever. Even I cannot help admiring you, so this is hardly flattery.”

“Yes.”

Li Zhi did not wish to argue the point any further.

Instead, he said, “Imperial Father, do you know how many experts the great clans have hidden away? I fear Luo Tong may be in danger.”

“Many.”

Li Shimin’s answer only deepened Li Zhi’s worry.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, why do we not continue this discussion in the inner room?” Changsun Wuji suggested.

“Lead the way.”

They proceeded to the inner room.

Li Shimin said, “When the Great Tang was first founded, the great clans of Guanzhong and Longxi were immensely powerful. They possessed not only the so-called death warriors and swordsmen, but an army as well…”

“An army?” Li Zhi exclaimed. “The great clans have armies too?”