Jiuxi

Chapter 634: The Future of the Seven Stars Gang

During the remaining days of July in the fifteenth year of Jianwu, Lu Chen enjoyed an extremely rare period of leisure.

He finally stopped indulging in the endless paperwork and work. Apart from practicing martial arts every day and checking important military intelligence across the border, he could relax in his spare time.

Either he would take Lin Xi out of the city to enjoy the mountains and rivers, or sneak into Wang Chulong's boudoir to appreciate the fragrance. His feelings for them quickly heated up, and his life became easy and happy.

As the end of the month approaches, the historic city of Guangling becomes more and more lively.

Members of the Lu family kept coming from Shanyang County. Only then did Lu Chen intuitively feel that the Guangling Lu family was no longer a small family. However, he had spent very little time at home in the past few years, so he did not have a clear concept.

Fortunately, he is no longer a young master hiding under Lu Tong's protection. He has the title of Duke of the current county. All the members of the Lu family are extremely docile in front of him. Even those white-haired elders dare not put on airs in front of him.

Then came the heroes of the Seven Stars Gang who came from the north.

Except for Dong Mian and Ran Xuanzhi who stayed in the north to look after the house, the rest such as Qi Lianfu, Tao Baochun, Xi Jun, Yu Dajun, Lou Chengyuan, Chu Zhu, Yu Hanyuan, Guo Bifang and others all arrived.

Lu Chen seemed more relaxed in front of them. He specially asked Taiyue Tower, the best restaurant in the city, to prepare three tables for him to drink with these heroes at the Lin Mansion.

If Lin Xi hadn't personally stepped up at the last moment and drank three jars of wine to intimidate those people, Lu Chen would probably have been carried out.

Even so, he was still drunk.

At noon, Lu Chen woke up slowly, his mind suddenly in a mess. He only vaguely remembered being teased by those grassroots heroes last night and forced to drink a lot of wine, but there was no trace of the last fragment.

"woke up?"

Hearing a concerned voice in his ear, Lu Chen turned around and saw Lin Xi sitting beside the bed, looking at him with a smile.

"Morning, Senior Sister."

"Why do you have to show off if you can't drink much? Those guys are used to drinking big bowls of wine. If you are more reserved, they won't dare to act unruly in front of you. But you insist on pretending to be a hero, how can they be polite to you?"

Lin Xi felt both distressed and amused, raised her hand and gently pinched his cheek: "Let's see if you dare to give them a chance in the future."

Lu Chen said honestly: "I won't dare to do it again."

Lin Xi stopped there. She didn't mean to find fault with him. She was just concerned about his health, so she smiled and said, "Okay, get up, wash up, and have some porridge and some side dishes."

Lu Chen held her hand and said seriously, "I have a headache. I need a kiss from my senior sister to wake up."

Lin Xi's pretty face turned slightly red, and she said softly, "Don't make trouble, my father is waiting for you to discuss something in the main hall."

Lu Chen shook his head and insisted: "I don't have any strength in my body, unless Senior Sister kisses me."

"There's really nothing I can do about you."

Lin Xi said this, but finally leaned over and touched Lu Chen's lips.

Lu Chen wanted to hug her, but Lin Xi was prepared. She only used a little force to restrain Lu Chen's hands, making him unable to move at all.

"Hey, I have to practice hard."

Lu Chen pretended to be resentful, then flipped over and stood up.

Lin Xi smiled softly, her eyebrows slightly raised, like a victorious female general.

Lu Chen quickly washed up, drank two bowls of white porridge, and went to the main hall with Lin Xi.

Lin Jie has been waiting here for a long time.

"sit."

Seeing his eldest daughter and future son-in-law walking side by side, the number one martial arts master on the world's list showed a faint smile on his face.

After sitting down, Lu Chen asked respectfully: "Master, would you like to live in Guangling for a long time in the future?"

Lin Jie shook his head and said, "This place is too close to Jiangnan."

These words made the atmosphere in the hall become somewhat solemn.

The so-called "too close to Jiangnan" means that Guangling is only more than 30 miles away from Hengjiang River. If the court's people cross the river and head north, they can rush into the city in just half an hour. Once the situation changes, the people in the city will not be able to react at all.

There is a deeper meaning to what Lin Jie said. If it were just a few villains, he could easily deal with them with his martial arts. But he was afraid that a large army would enter the city and form a battle array. In such an environment, no matter how strong the martial arts were, it would be difficult to display them.

Lu Chen said slowly: "Although the emperor is young, he will not do such a stupid thing in the short term that will make his relatives sad and his enemies happy. However, Master's reminder makes sense. I really cannot be unprepared."

"If you don't worry about the present, you will have long-term concerns." Lin Jie said this briefly, and then said meaningfully: "In fact, I am willing to help you protect the foundation of Guangling City. The key is that you must understand the significance of the Seven Stars Gang to you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xi couldn't help but look at her crush curiously.

Lu Chen's heart trembled, and facing Lin Jie's gentle gaze, he said seriously: "The Seven Stars Gang, like the Lu family, is my most reliable foundation in this world."

Lin Jie nodded with satisfaction and said, "It is crucial that you are not lost in power. The emperor sent you to Dingzhou. Although this gave you room to develop your power, it also excluded you from the center of power. There will definitely be various means to restrict you in the future, such as replacing the smooth bureaucrat Chen Chun, the governor of Dingzhou, with a straight-forward and loyal minister like the right prime minister Xue Nanting. Such an official will definitely not hold you back or interfere with your decisions in the army, but he can definitely stop you from stretching your hands too far."

Lu Chen said calmly: "I have considered this possibility."

Lin Jie smiled and said, "You have always been wise and clever. I just want to remind you that the road ahead is not easy. If the emperor wants to deal with you, he doesn't have to be too direct. There are many legitimate means. For example, he can push the Military Academy to pass a resolution to establish a military supervision system in various border troops, and Dingzhou Governor's Office is naturally no exception. By then, you will have more eyes and ears around you. Although it will not affect your authority, there will be some obstacles after all. You must be mentally prepared for this."

"Yes, Master."

Lu Chen did not argue. These elders were very open with him and everyone was helping him to find and fill in the gaps.

Lin Jie continued, "Except for the confidants cultivated by the Lu family, the forces under your command are too complicated, and many people do not have the courage to confront the court. The Seven Stars Gang is different. From the day we started the rebellion, we have no respect for the Qi court. If you had not taken the risk yourself, we might have surrendered to Yan Jing. Now that Xi'er is marrying you, both sides are completely on the same boat, sharing life and death."

Lu Chen gradually figured out the other party's thoughts and said slowly, "Master, do you want to move the Seven Stars Gang to Dingzhou?"

"I've thought about it. We'll move the gang's base and most of its members to the south of Baotai Mountain, to the ancient county of Dongting Prefecture in Dingzhou."

Lin Jie remained calm and said, "As for the young and strong men in the gang, except for those who join the Seven Star Army, the rest should continue to stay in the mountains. That is where your real foundation is."

The word "foundation" made Lu Chen's eyes look a little dazed.

Of course, he did not forget that as early as late spring last year, he sent the craftsmen gathered by the Lu family to Baotai Mountain to carry out various research together with the craftsmen found by the Seven Stars Gang from the north.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but say with anticipation: "I hope there will be results soon."

To this day, those craftsmen have not made much progress, and improvements to gunpowder are still ongoing.

Lu Chen had anticipated this. Technological innovation requires long-term accumulation. It is undoubtedly a foolish fantasy to want to change the world immediately with just one or two ideas.

"That day will come."

Lin Jie smiled faintly and said, "Regarding the Seven Star Army, I think you should have a more appropriate placement."

Lu Chen had naturally considered this question, and said calmly: "When I take office in Dingzhou, the Seven Star Army will be incorporated into the jurisdiction of the Dingzhou Governor's Office, and will be supported by the military pay of the court in the future, without having to consume the money and food of the old and young in the gang."

Lin Jie said: "That's not what I'm referring to. So far, except for the thirty or so generals you sent here before, the Seven Star Army is composed of people from the Seven Star Gang from top to bottom. This is naturally not a problem in the short term, but in the long run, it is not a good thing. You have led the army for many years and have rich experience, so you should understand this principle."

Lu Chen was slightly startled.

How could he not understand the connection?
It's just that the Lin family father and daughter and even the heroes of the Seven Star Gang have helped him a lot all along, and he couldn't bring himself to ask for it, either in public or in private. He didn't expect that Lin Jie would take the initiative to bring it up today.

Looking at the calm and composed face of the middle-aged man, Lu Chen was deeply moved and sighed: "Master, there is no need to rush."

"We have to solve this problem eventually. The Seven Star Army cannot act independently. It will become a hidden danger in the long run. I have thought about it for a long time, and finally I think we should sort this matter out as soon as possible."

Lin Jie's tone remained calm, and he continued, "I will make it clear to the brothers in the gang. You just need to go ahead and do it. Break up the Seven Star Army and the Dingbei Army. This will not affect the strength of these two armies, and will ensure the balance of the forces under your command."

Lu Chen said sincerely: "Thank you, Master."

"The family doesn't say thank you, I believe you won't treat them unfairly."

Lin Jie paused for a moment, then said, "There is one more thing. When you achieve your wish, I will disband the Seven Stars Gang."

This time, not only Lu Chen was shocked, even Lin Xi couldn't help but exclaimed: "Daddy, why do you do this?"

Lin Jie looked at their faces one after another and asked with a smile, "Why did the Seven Stars Gang appear?"

The two of them could not help but remain silent.

This is a very simple question.

Lin Jie sighed softly and said slowly: "If it's not that they can't survive, who would be willing to become a bandit and rob houses, living a life of being criticized by thousands of people and being insecure every day? After all, the brothers of the Seven Stars Gang are all poor people who are struggling to survive in this chaotic world. Most of the gang members don't want to live in the mountains, but just want to have enough food and clothes to live a stable life. If there is a choice, I believe everyone would just want good farmland and thatched cottages, and support themselves with their own hands. As long as the world is peaceful, what is the need for the Seven Stars Gang to exist?"

Lu Chen nodded and said, "Yes."

Lin Jie looked at him expectantly and said softly, "I hope that day will come sooner."

Lu Chen stood up, bowed without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)