Competing

Chapter 326 The Whereabouts of the Granary
Xu Lao Qizhong finally stated the ultimate goal, yes, that is to hand over Xu Ming and others as scapegoats in exchange for Yue Wang Yinxu's understanding.Of course, it is not considered a scapegoat. After all, Xu Tong's brothers and sisters did make the mistake. Xu Ming, whether he is the father or the head of the Xu family, has an unshirkable responsibility.

It's just that Xu Laoqi's approach is really chilling, at least when he said it, many people showed a look of contempt.In any case, they are all from the Xu family, and they don't even care about their family relationship at all.Anyway, he and Xu Ming are also brothers, and Xu Jian and Xu Tong are also his nephews, so it seems inappropriate to push each other out like this.

Someone stood up first and shouted: "Lao Qi, what is this? As descendants of the Xu family, what we should do is to fight against the enemy and help each other in the same boat, not what we are doing now. When something happens, you want to sacrifice your family members?"

In ancient society, people had a strong sense of family concept, and the unity among clan members was also the basis for the survival of a clan.However, there is obviously a problem in the Xu family now. This unity has been broken, and they have begun to blame and shirk each other because of survival and responsibility. In short, civil strife has begun to appear in the Xu family.

A family that is in a critical external environment and has suffered a huge threat has such a situation, which can be said to be internal and external troubles, and to a certain extent, it is looking for death.But this is an indisputable fact. Now internal and external troubles are linked together. Internal troubles are the core. As long as this is resolved, other problems will be easily solved.

It's just that in the current state of the Xu family, it seems difficult to solve the problem because of their serious internal disunity.It's just that the Xu family will deal with it internally. This problem should be the current head of the Xu family, Xu Ming, who should be the most troublesome.

As the helm of one of the four major families in Shanyin, Xu Ming must have superior capacity and knowledge. If not for this, the Xu family would not be able to prosper in his hands.When Xu Laoqi came out to criticize before, Xu Ming just listened silently, and the only excuse was made by his daughter Xu Tong.

To him, these words were indifferent, even insulting, and he just felt a little sad.As for hatred or anger, he can fully understand and tolerate it. What he is worried about is the future and survival of the entire Xu family.If it is said that he, his son, and his daughter are handed over to Yin Xu, King of Yue, and let him be disposed of, it can calm the fire in Yin Xu's heart and avoid the disaster of the Xu family, then he will agree without hesitation.

But is this all right?Xu Ming just felt that their thinking was too naive.He is very clear about what Yue Wang Yinxu wants. The four big families of Shanyin control many aspects of Yue Kingdom. It can be said that the momentum is too strong.For any king, such a force must be integrated, after all, it is an extremely powerful force, enough to affect the stability of the country.

For such strength, there are usually two approaches, either for my use.Either it must be eliminated, families like the Xu family and the Zhou family, because they control important industries such as grain and shipping.For the princes, it doesn't matter who will execute it, the important thing is to control these materials in their own hands.

Food is the foundation, and soldiers can be fed only with food, and although shipping is not as necessary as food, it is still very important.In ancient society, transportation was very backward, and shipping was undoubtedly a shortcut to save time and effort.Ships in the south and horses in the north, the Jiangdong area where the Yue Kingdom is located is indeed densely covered with water networks.

There are many mountains in the south of the Yue Kingdom, and it may not be easy to get there, but what about further north?There are plains near Shanyin, which are connected to the Zhenze Plain in the north across the Zhejiang River.What's more, to the west of Yue State is Peng Li Ze, which is even more vast lake.If Yin Xu wants to develop outward in the future, he must pay attention to shipping and transportation.Therefore, the Xu family has an extraordinary meaning to Yin Xu, and it doesn't even need the Zhou family's food shortage.

When he first came to Shanyin, after learning about the strength and arrangements of the four major families, Yin Xu's strategy for the Xu family was very loose.Although it has been learned that the Xu family is vacillating and has connections with the Zhou family who has colluded with Si Yao.But Yin Xu still didn't take any measures. He was waiting for the Xu family's decision. After all, if he took the initiative to surrender, he would be more comfortable in commanding in the future.

It's a pity that the weather is not good, things backfired, and the conflict in Kuaiji Mountain happened, and everything became unnatural.Yin Xu felt uncomfortable in his heart. When thinking about how to deal with this matter, Xu Ming also felt complicated.

When Yue King Yin Xu first arrived in Shanyin, the Zhou family came to him and proposed to unite with Si Yao from Dongou to fight against Yue King Yin Xu.In fact, it stands to reason that even if one expresses doubts about the new Yue King, one should not oppose it from the very beginning.If it is temporarily standing still, it is not justified to wait and see.Especially Yin Xuzheng, who was born as a fierce tiger and possesses both wisdom and bravery, needs to be more careful.

But because the Zhou and Xu families are related by marriage, and the Zhou family and Dongou Siyao promised a lot of benefits.When Xu Ming thought about what happened that day, he regretted it very much. When he saw so many interests and doubts, he failed to clearly understand the core of the problem, so he hesitated.

In fact, this is not a problem at all, but it is vacillating. If it is just such a problem, Yue Wang Yinxu will not do anything to them.After all, the Xu family has the strength of not being a bandit, and they also have the space and events of their own choice.Of course, Xu Ming knew very well that what the King of Yue could tolerate, and the only thing he could tolerate, was to use the strength in the Yue Kingdom for himself as much as possible, or at least not to be an enemy of himself.

Being connected with Dongou Siyao was definitely something that King Yue could not allow. He didn't know that Yin Xu was waiting for their decision at that moment.The reason why Xu Ming hesitated was that he had learned that Dongou and Minyue would attack Yue.At the same time, I also found out that there was a conflict between Yin Xu, the King of Yue, and Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu. Maybe the Yue Kingdom would be annexed at some point, but it was just a Jiangdong border effect, and there was not much potential for development.

Xu Ming even thought that the Yue Kingdom might fall apart in a short time, and the King of Yue would either step down or change people.It is precisely because of this heart that he wants the Xu family to take advantage of such a huge opportunity to grow rapidly, so he wavers and hesitates.

But later, they learned more and more about Yin Xu, especially on the day they entered Shanyin, the raging army shocked them a lot.From then on, Xu Ming clearly realized that Yue Wang Yin Xu was not easy to mess with, and at the same time, he also felt that Si Yao's interests were likely to be realized in one go.

Businessmen are all profit-seeking. When Xu Ming felt that he might not be able to get enough benefits, he resolutely gave up the cooperation with the Zhou family.But at this time, after a long period of vacillation, it is inevitable and embarrassing to go to Yin Xu again.In fact, this is basically the effect of his heart, Yin Xu is not doing much at all, but has been waiting for them to go.

But Xu Ming thought too much, and wanted to seek more benefits according to his own ideas and desires.Greed can be very harmful sometimes. Wouldn't it be good to continue to be the four major families under King Yue's command? Why bother to compete for a position and get more benefits.Dedicating his daughter Xu Tong to the King of Yue, Xu Ming is now thinking, why did he have such an idea in the first place?The daughter is like that, Yue Wang Yinxu can tolerate her?Maybe after her daughter enters the palace, instead of bringing glory and benefits to the Xu family, it may be a disaster.

Furthermore, on this point, he somewhat ignored his daughter's wishes, and focused all his attention on his interests.Now that I think about it, all the mistakes were made by myself, including the conflict between my daughter's unruly and willful conflict with Yin Xu was all because of me.

Suddenly, Xu Ming felt a huge sense of self-blame and loss, and at the same time, his heart was full of worries.The future of the ammunition Xu family is worried about the lives of himself and his children. If Yin Xu is going to be cruel, he, Xu Jian, and Xu Tong's brothers and sisters will definitely not be spared.As for Xu Xuan, the second son is smart and smart, and the action of staying in Kuaiji Mountain to hunt down Yin Xu has failed, so I don't know if he is okay now?where is he nowEither he was hiding in the forest deep in Kuaiji Mountain, or he should be in Siyao's military camp on the banks of the Oujiang River.

It doesn't matter where Xu Xuan is, at least it gave him the last glimmer of hope.Even if the Xu family is really exterminated, as long as Xu Xuan escapes temporarily, the blood of the Xu family will continue.

For a long time, Xu Ming fell into deep thought. He was awakened only when his daughter Xu Tong's sharp voice sounded.

"Uncle Seven is a good idea, but Yin Xu is such an arrogant person, can he easily spare us?" Xu Tong asked sharply.

Xu Laoqi sneered: "Yin Xu will definitely not spare you, but we can't say, at least there is still a glimmer of hope, and we won't wait for death!"
"you……"

"Shut up!" Xu Tong wanted to refute just now, but his father Xu Ming yelled at him.

Xu Tong's expression was a little aggrieved, but Xu Ming didn't even look at it, and said: "I have caused such a big mess, and I still don't know what I did wrong? I asked you to come and listen today, just to let you listen carefully to where you went wrong Is it? Still so ignorant."

After being scolded by his father, Xu Tong's expression darkened a lot, and he silently lowered his head, not daring to continue.

Only then did Xu Ming say: "Seventh brother, if Yin Xu can spare the whole Xu family if we hand over a few of us, we are willing to die without regret."

Xu Laoqi swallowed, his throat moved slightly, and he didn't speak.

Xu Ming asked softly: "Is it just this way? Will Yin Xu agree?"

"No!" Without waiting for Xu Lao Qi to speak, Xu Jian, the eldest son of the Xu family who was sitting next to Xu Tong, said.

Everyone's eyes fell on Xu Jian, with a bit of expectation in their eyes, to see what great ideas Master Xu Jian could have.

After this happened, Xu Jian felt very guilty. When he rushed to Kuaiji Mountain that day, he threw himself into the battle with Yin Xu without thinking much.Originally, the second brother Xu Xuan intended to stop the questioning, but he blamed himself for being too impatient, otherwise it wouldn't have happened.Just the little sister's verbal conflict is nothing more than a trivial matter.

Xu Jian always felt that he was used by Zhou Hao and those mysterious people who shot Yin Xu in this matter.Completely becoming a scapegoat, in fact, Yin Xu should hate them the most. If he can convince Yin Xu on this point, and find enough things to impress Yin Xu, maybe he can escape.

But the thing that impresses Yin Xu must not be himself, but his father and sister.When he heard that Xu Laoqi had a dispute with his father and sister because of this, Xu Jian couldn't sit still anymore.He felt that he should stand up and speak out.
"Be clear, what does Yin Xu want? Does he just want to avenge a little personal revenge? If that's the case, I'm afraid some sergeants will come to arrest people long ago. In fact, what Yin Xu wants most is our Xu family Such a huge foundation. Even if there is no misunderstanding or conflict with the younger sister, Yin Xu will still treat our Xu family."

Xu Jian talked eloquently: "It's because our Xu family is one of the four major families in Shanyin, and our family's shipping is all over Jiangdong. If we don't belong to it, it will directly affect the safety and stability of Shanyin, so he will definitely not Let it go. I admit that the mistake was made by my little sister and I, but it is not feasible to adopt such a stupid method in accordance with the current situation."

As soon as Xu Jian opened his mouth, he defined Xu Laoqi's approach as a stupid method, and also called it unfeasible.This made Xu Laoqi a little depressed, and retorted: "What does the young master think? According to what you mean, isn't it enough to hand over the entire Xu family to Yin Xu? But if you kill us, Yin Xu can also occupy the entire Xu family." home, to have all these things."

Xu Jiandao: "Is the Xu family's things he can fully possess if he wants to?"

This sentence is very confident. After all, a family that wants to survive in one place must have some secrets or killers.Especially the descendants of the close branch, Xu Jian dared to say that because he knew something, so he was so confident.

Seeing the perplexed look on Xu Laoqi's face, Xu Jian said: "Since the Xu family alone cannot satisfy Yin Xu, then we seem to be able to find something else that will make Yin Xu's heart flutter!"

"Heartbeat?"

Xu Laoqi sneered: "Young Master, do you want to send Missy to the palace? I'm afraid it's impossible. This time, Missy personally offended King Yue, and King Yue must have an impression of Missy now. Presumably with the help of Big Miss. The king of Yue may not be willing to accept Miss's situation. Don't just enter the palace of the king of Yue and still be like that, not only can't appease the king of Yue's anger, maybe he will be convicted here, which will implicate the whole family. "

At this moment, it was already time to open the skylight and speak frankly. Xu Lao Qi had nothing to hesitate, so he spoke very straightforwardly.Xu Tong's face blushed after hearing this, obviously extremely angry, because he caused the family to be affected, and he really felt guilty because of it.But it is absolutely unbearable to ridicule and insult people because of this matter.

When Xu Tong was about to jump out to speak, he was stopped by his father Xu Ming.Xu Jian hurriedly said: "Seventh Uncle, be safe and don't be impatient. Things you can get are not very attractive, but what will happen to things you want to hold but can't hold? Yes, it will become more and more difficult. What do you think Yin Xu wants most now?"

What does Yin Xu want most now?Everyone fell into deep thought without realizing it, and listened silently.

Xu Jian glanced over everyone's faces, and after pondering for a long time, he said: "Second brother and Zhou Hao were unsuccessful in chasing and killing Yin Xu in Kuaiji Mountain, and there was no news that they were arrested, so they must have escaped safely. So, where did they go? The Zhou family is related to Dongou Siyao, so they probably went to Oujiang to meet Siyao."

After Si Yao got the news of Yin Xu's attack, coupled with Zhou Hao's rush and temptation, he definitely couldn't bear it and wanted to send troops.That is to say, the Yue Kingdom is going to war with Dongou and Minyue. The Yue Kingdom has tens of thousands of troops. Once the war starts, it will also consume a huge amount of food.

Finally, we got to the key point, which is grain, the specialty product of the Zhou family in Sanin.

Xu Laoqi was a little puzzled and said: "Food, our Xu family is not like the Zhou family, how can we have such food. Doesn't it mean talking for nothing!"

Xu Jian shook his head: "Not necessarily. We don't have any food, but the Zhou family has it. But Yin Xu doesn't know about the secret warehouses where Zhou's food is stored, including the bases. What Yin Xu wants most now is this Zhou family's secret storehouse. Information about food and grass, so as long as you want to hand over this information to Yin Xu, isn’t it a great achievement?

"But the granary of the Zhou family has always been very secretive. It is difficult to find out where to order it. How can we do this? Do we know?"

Xu Jian smiled lightly, and said: "It's not difficult to locate the food. There was a lot of cooperation between the Xu family and the Zhou family before, so the Zhou family has also used the Xu family's shipping several times. Some things just need to be more careful. There will be gains."

Xu Ming, like many other Xu parents, had a flash of surprise in his eyes, compared to what Xu Jian said was much more reliable.If it can be successful, then the Xu family can still survive temporarily because of this.Xu Jian smiled slightly: "Yes, I have paid attention to such things, and I have a record of the Zhou family's warehouse conditions back then. I think it will come in handy today."

Everyone was pleasantly surprised. If there is such a thing, it will be a great attraction to Yin Xu.As long as he can let go, everything will be easy to handle.The Xu family now felt that they should send someone to have a good time with Yin Xu and Tang Yi, so everyone pointed to Xu Jian without hesitation, after all, he proposed everything.

Moreover, they are of the same age and are very prudent in handling things. The Xu family is not worried about this, and everything will wait and see.

In Yuewang Palace, in the Imperial Study Room, Gao Yi also pointed out this point, that is, it is necessary to find the Zhou family's food.Let them have no confidence, no matter how easy they are to solve the problem.It's just that the Zhou family has been in Shanyin for more than ten years, their roots are deep, and they hide it very well, so they don't have a clue for the time being.

Just when they were in trouble, a guard came to report: "There is a young master in the Xu family's mansion who begs to see you!"

(End of this chapter)