Chapter 185: Zhen Family
While Guo Hao was struggling to deal with the Confucians' all-out protest, Li Ru of Jizhou had already killed a lot of people and was starting to become a god.
The Jizhou families are so wealthy that almost all of them are local tycoons, and they are not inferior to the Luoyang families.
Li Ru sensed the power of the Jizhou families from the first day he arrived in Jizhou. In just forty miles, there were at least ten waves of attacks.
However, the Jizhou family obviously did not understand what the military spirit was, nor did they understand what Lu Fengxian was.
However, the ten waves of attacks didn't even touch the convoy before they were melted in the rain of clouds and arrows from the vanguard.
If Li Ru had not ordered the soldiers to burn the corpses and clean up the battlefield, Li Ru would have reached his destination long ago.
As for the few immortals who were invited by the aristocratic families at great prices, they defected directly in the middle of the battle and provided Li Ru with some dirty laundry from the Jizhou aristocratic families.
These immortals raised their hands and covered their heads in surrender the moment they saw Lu Bu. What a joke! Nanhua and Zuo Ci didn't dare to provoke Lu Bu, let alone these immortals who were neither high nor low.
If they fight with ordinary internal energy leaving the body, it is hard to predict who will win if they fight together, but at least their lives are safe.
Fighting Lu Bu would be a waste of time. They would not dare to take action even if their numbers were several times greater.
Not to mention that Lu Bu took action, even if they had internal energy and were holding Lu Bu's Fang Tian Hua Ji, they would have to think carefully.
The God of Breaking the Realm is simply a natural enemy to immortals like them, and it is a one-sided attribute restraint.
"Oh? So this is not the first time you have cooperated?" Li Ru looked at the materials handed over by the immortals and a sinister smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Just when I was worrying about how to deal with the aristocratic families in Jizhou in an open and aboveboard manner, the aristocratic families actually took the initiative to step forward.
"We immortals are also human beings. We also need various supplies. It is difficult for us to collect these supplies by ourselves, so we can only cooperate with the aristocratic families." The immortal said with a bitter face, while carefully moving away from Lu Bu.
The sense of danger, like that of a natural enemy, made the immortal feel like he was going to die just by having the enemy around.
"Hehehe, Fengxian, do you have a way to mark their location?" Li Ru smiled, then slowly put away the materials. This mere aristocratic family really isn't afraid of death.
Lu Bu touched his chin, then reached out and tapped the immortal a few times.
"Military Advisor, it's done. This way, even if they run to the ends of the earth, I can find them."
Upon hearing this, the faces of several immortals turned completely dark. Having their whereabouts known by a natural enemy like Lu Bu was no different from having a knife held to one's neck.
"You guys go back to the worship hall in Luoyang, and take this letter to Jia Wenhe, who is under the general."
Li Ru nodded with satisfaction, then wrote a letter on the spot and handed it to the immortal. He got a lot of inspiration from the Jizhou family, and he planned to let Jia Xu test the waters.
"Okay, let's continue our journey. There's no need to hide our whereabouts. I want to see what other tricks the aristocratic families of Jizhou have."
It is no wonder that the noble families had evil intentions. Li Ru sent all the Bingzhou Wolf Riders back to Bingzhou, leaving only Qu Yi's vanguard and Lu Bu by his side.
If the Jizhou noble families don't dare to take action with only 4,000 people, then they don't deserve to be called noble families.
But unfortunately, times have changed, and the Xiandeng army, which slaughters young children, simply ignores the human wave tactics.
Twelve cloud arrows can be shot in ten seconds. A vanguard with military spirit can shoot for at least a whole day.
Although the power of the cloud arrows with this speed of fire is severely reduced, it is still not something that a group of rabble who don't even have double talent can contend with.
Think about it, the coalition forces had very few double-talented elite soldiers at that time, and how many double-talented elite soldiers could the Jizhou families have? Most of them were instigating the bandits who were in collusion with them, intending to use human wave tactics to overwhelm Li Ru's convoy.
Unlike Li Ru who was living a leisurely life, the aristocratic families in Jizhou were in complete uproar.
The several big families in charge were arguing fiercely and were full of fear about the upcoming Li Ru.
"Damn it, didn't they say that they would definitely capture Li Wenyou with an ambush from all sides? How come Li Wenyou is still fine now!" The head of the Zhen family was furious and helpless. Their family was not a thousand-year-old family, and their history of prosperity was only a few generations. They were completely dragged into this situation by the joint efforts of the aristocratic families in Jizhou.
He didn't want to participate in the previous coalition, and he had no interest in the subsequent assassination of Li Ru. He was just forced to silently pay a sum of money to avoid disaster.
After all, no matter how powerful the general is, or how terrifying Li Ru is, they are threats far away. The aristocratic families in Jizhou are real jackals. If he doesn't fit in, he will be in danger of being kicked out.
"Zhen Yi, why are you yelling like that!" The head of the Geng family glared at Zhen Yi in dissatisfaction. Businessmen just can't keep their cool and get panicked when encountering something.
The other patriarchs of Jizhou families had the same idea, but they still comforted Zhen Yi with a few words.
Seeing that the noble families were still immersed in the beautiful dreams of the past, Zhen Yi couldn't help but reveal a look of disappointment. He was one of the few wise men. Li Ru's arrival itself represented the attitude of the court. Not only did the noble families refuse to give in, they also tried to use the power in their hands to force Guo Hao to bow his head. This was simply a way to death.
"I'm sorry, I can't keep you company!" Zhen Yi bowed and was about to leave. He didn't want to wait for death with those idiots present.
When Zhen Yi left, no family head tried to keep him. They only cared about the Zhen family's property and didn't care about Zhen Yi's attitude.
"Hmph, merchants are lowly. After this matter is settled, the Zhen family must pay the price." Even the head of the Zhang family, who had always been on good terms with the Zhen family, said dissatisfiedly. What qualifications did Zhen Yi have to walk away?
"Well, I'll go after him. Li Ru has bad intentions, so we need to cooperate sincerely." The head of the Cui family sighed, then stood up and prepared to chase Zhen Yi.
The heads of other noble families did not object. The wealth of the Zhen family was indeed what they needed. It was not that they were not as rich as the Zhen family. They could use other people's wealth, but they did not want to use their own family's wealth. Every family's wealth is accumulated bit by bit.
Besides, businessmen can never defeat these powerful families. If necessary, everyone can work together to divide up the Zhen family. Then everyone will get rich.
The head of the Cui family is also a smart man. Their family member Cui Tan is working in Luoyang. How could the Cui family possibly follow such a group of aristocratic families to seek death?
"Give all the prepared things to Li Wenyu. I originally planned to let Ji Gui present them directly to the general, but I didn't expect that Li Wenyu is also a ruthless character. Just give everything to him." The head of the Cui family did not go to find Zhen Yi at all. He ran back to the family and ordered his confidants to start making small moves.
Originally, the Cui family planned to force Li Ru away, and wait for Cui Yan to come to Jizhou on his own initiative. At that time, they could use the Jizhou family's status as a criterion for Cui Yan's promotion, and allow the Cui family to join the ranks of top families.
Unexpectedly, Guo Hao values Li Ru so much, and the guards around him are so powerful. Now the Cui family can only choose to hand over to Li Ru in exchange for certain credits.
Li Ru took the intelligence from the Cui and Zhen families and looked through it. He felt that the intertwined power of the Jizhou families was indeed a bit tricky.
Basically, the aristocratic families in Jizhou can be considered related within five generations, and the tentacles of these aristocratic families can be found in almost every part of Jizhou. Unless the entire Jizhou is massacred, it is impossible to uproot the aristocratic families of Jizhou.
"Interesting, the Cui family and the Zhen family? It would be a shame not to use these two good swords." Li Ru calculated quickly. His idea of ending the aristocratic families in one go was a bit simple. Even if he had the best time, place and people, he would not be able to wipe out the entire Jizhou aristocratic families.
But it doesn't matter. Kill a group of aristocratic families, support a group of aristocratic families, and use aristocratic families to control aristocratic families. This method is very old-fashioned, but very effective.
"Speed up the march. The noble families in Jizhou are not simple. The actions of the Zhen family and the Cui family cannot be hidden from the other families. If we go too late, we won't be able to find such a good sword."
Lu Bu and Qu Yi didn't understand why, but they still sped up their march. All they had to do was obey orders, and they had long given up on using their brains.
Sure enough, Li Ru's guess was not wrong at all. When Li Ru arrived at Zhen's house, it had turned into a sea of fire, with corpses strewn at the door. It seemed that the whole family had been completely wiped out.
"Are there any survivors?" Li Ru pinched his brows. This damn Jizhou family acted really quickly. In just two days, the Zhen family was completely wiped out.
"Yes, there is a lot of living breath underground!" Lu Bu sensed it briefly and determined the situation underground. Without the interference of clouds, Lu Bu could do almost anything.
"Dig it out! It seems that the Zhen family does have some background after all, and they were able to hide it from other aristocratic families in Jizhou." Li Ru was even happier. It is good to have a grudge. Only with a grudge can one make the sharpest knife.
As one of the five largest merchants in the Central Plains, it is naturally impossible for the Zhen family to be simply wiped out. The business connections left in the Thirteen States are not so easy to disappear. If all the members of the Zhen family died out, it would indeed be a piece of fat meat. However, as long as there are people in the Zhen family alive, the Zhen family can make a comeback at any time.
Not long after, a group of people from the Zhen family were rescued from underground.
"Zhang from the Zhen family greets the general!" Zhen Yi's wife Zhang calmly saluted Li Ru and others.
"Li Wenyu greets Madam." Li Ru returned the greeting slightly to Zhang.
"Our Zhen family has encountered a great disaster. I hope the general can help our Zhen family!" Zhang did not say much, but immediately bowed down.
"Haha, ma'am, you don't have to be polite. Please stand up quickly. I will definitely seek justice for the Zhen family." Li Ru said this, but his hands had no intention of helping Zhang at all.
Zhang gritted her teeth. She was not a country woman, so she naturally understood that Li Ru was asking her to express her opinion.
"The Zhen family is willing to donate 2 billion coins to the general. Please make the decision for the Zhen family!" Zhang's eyes showed obvious unwillingness when she said this. The Zhen family was too weak and had no room for choice. They were hostile to the Jizhou family. They could only rely on Li Ru to turn the tables.
"Madam is indeed a heroine, but that's not enough!" Seeing that Zhang still didn't understand, Li Ru could only talk to her directly.
There was a hint of despair in Zhang's eyes. What was the difference between Li Ru and the Jizhou family? But when she saw the house still on fire, Zhang finally lowered her head.
"I hope the general will make it clear!"
"I don't want anything but her!" Li Ru pointed at the little girl behind Zhang.
Zhang suddenly looked up and stared at Li Ru in disbelief. The biggest secret of their Zhen family was discovered by Li Ru.
"It's priceless, it's really priceless!" Li Ru used his limited physiognomy skills to stare at the little girl behind Zhang.
After he learned from the immortal that Zhen Mi's fate was invaluable, he began to have ideas. Although everyone worked under Guo Hao, there was still competition between them.
Although the concept of luck is illusory, it does exist.
In order to survive, the immortal who was captured before sorted out the content about luck for him in detail.
For Guo Hao now, he has everything he needs, including abundant money and food, and a large number of talented people. If Li Ru wants to become one of the most important ministers under Guo Hao, he must do something.
In Li Ru's opinion, since Xun Yu and others joined, the competition between the major factions has become more and more fierce. Although it is still a very healthy competition now, he has to be on guard.
He didn't want to be sent to a state to be a frontier official in the future which was destined to be turbulent. It would seem that he held great power in a place, but in fact, that would be the end of his life. Only by participating in the struggle between the major empires could he feel excited.
"I will send her to the general. As long as she is favored, your Zhen family will be glorious again with just a word from the general." Li Ru simply ignored the fact that Zhen Mi was young. Dong Bai and the eldest princess were not very old anyway, and maybe Guo Hao had this hobby.
"It's all up to the general." Zhang looked at Zhen Mi several times and finally made up her mind.
Now that his invaluable fate had been discovered, there was absolutely no possibility of rejection. Moreover, the great general, the model of the Han Dynasty, was indeed one of the most outstanding young men in the world, and was more than qualified to be a match for Zhen Mi.
"Madam, you are too polite. Please get up quickly. Madam, just call me Wenyou!"
After Li Ru received Zhang's affirmative answer, his expression changed immediately and he quickly reached out to help Zhang up.
"Zhengli, Fengxian, let's go to Cui's house quickly and avenge Madam Zhang!" Li Ru said with a serious look on his face.
Zhang looked at Li Ru's actions. Even though she knew that Li Ru was just putting on a show, she still couldn't help but feel grateful to him. After all, he was the one who saved the Zhen family from the dire straits.
Looking at the 300 men who stayed behind to advance, Zhang squatted down and looked at Zhen Mi.
"Mi'er, are you willing to go to Luoyang?"
"Let my mother decide," Zhen Mi said calmly.
Although she was young, after the fortune teller Liu Liang had read her face, he also gave her a spiritual talent effect in order to establish a good relationship. This also made her smart since childhood and she knew more than ordinary people.
She understood that Zhang asked her only out of guilt, and she or their Zhen family had no choice.
"That's good, that's good." Zhang murmured to herself.
"Mother, let's find a place to stay first. It may not be advisable to stay here for long." Zhen Mi suggested calmly.
In order to cover up their own crimes, the aristocratic families will definitely find some shady forces to take the blame.
