Chapter Twelve: The Lu Family's Trump Card
Seven days have passed in the blink of an eye. Today is the day Lin Yang will lead his army to attack Zhongshan Jun.
For this reason, Lin Yang specially invited the major families in the vicinity. Not only those from Lujiang County, but also families from Wu County and Kuaiji County on the other side of the Yangtze River sent invitations.
Even several prominent families in Jingzhou and Jiangxia, such as the Huang, Pang, and Cai families, sent out invitations. The purpose was simple: to make an example of them, or rather, to flex their muscles.
Right now, Lin Yang is meeting with one of them, a very outstanding scion of a prominent family.
"Gu Yong of the Gu family of Wu County pays his respects to the Duke of Wu."
The speaker was a young man, the eldest son of the Gu family and a disciple of Cai Yong. In that sense, he was an acquaintance, even though Lin Yang had never met him before.
"Haha, so you must be Yuan Tan. Wenji told me about this before I came here. Why don't you serve as a guard here first, just to train yourself?" Lin Yang said with a smile.
After all, this man had served as the Chancellor of Eastern Wu in history, and for nineteen years, which was enough to prove his extraordinary abilities.
Such a talent, capable of being a prime minister, is more than capable of serving as a steward and managing a small town. Moreover, recruiting this young man would allow them to establish a connection with the Gu family, truly killing two birds with one stone.
However, after hearing Lin Yang's words, Gu Yong still hesitated. Serving under Lin Yang would have many consequences.
Seeing this, Guo Jia advised, "Yuan Tan, what are you still hesitating about? You should know that you come from the Gu family, which will have a great impact on your career."
"You should know that because of Jiangdong's xenophobia, the powerful families of Jiangdong have never been well received by the Central Plains. No matter how capable Yuan Tan is, if nothing unexpected happens, he will only ever reach the position of Prefect of Wu County."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yong nodded repeatedly. Indeed, due to various reasons, Jiangdong had historically been quite resistant to the imperial court. Even the prefects sent by the court were often sidelined. Under such circumstances, how could the court possibly offer good official positions to the sons of Jiangdong's powerful families?
However, Gu Yong was not an individual; he was from a prominent family, so naturally, when he did things, he had to be responsible for his family and prioritize the family's interests.
If he were alone, with Cai Yan's letter and his connection to Cai Yong, he could easily seek refuge with Lin Yang. However, he is ultimately a scion of a powerful family. Many things are beyond his control.
"How about this, Yuan Tan, why don't you take a stroll around and entertain these young masters of noble families for me? We'll talk about it after this battle is over," Lin Yang said with a sigh.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yong immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then cupped his hands in greeting and left.
"Ah, what a pity," Guo Jia sighed, watching Gu Yong's retreating figure.
Over the past few days, through continuous communication, Guo Jia discovered that Gu Yong was indeed very capable. It's just a pity that he was too heavily constrained by his family. It doesn't seem to matter now, but it will inevitably have some impact in the future. He was originally a promising talent, but he's gone astray.
"Yes, just because he is Wenji's junior brother, and just because he is from the Gu family of Wu County in Jiangdong, if he were to directly join me right now, he would definitely be given a substantive position as a sixth-rank official and a title of baron."
"Moreover, even so, I still have to owe the Gu family a debt of gratitude. After all, the situation is still unclear. But if I come to join them after this battle is over, at most I'll be a seventh-rank Imperial Guard, which is just a nominal position."
"As for the title, it depends on his performance and the sincerity his family shows. Even then, he should be extremely grateful. The difference between the two is truly like heaven and earth. The real deciding factor will be the next few hours," Lin Yang said with a shake of his head and a sigh.
This is the opportunity, this is the opportune moment. Seize it, and you can soar to great heights. Miss it, and you'll fade into obscurity.
"Set off."
At Lin Yang's command, the five thousand cavalrymen immediately sprang into action. Of course, they were only moving at a leisurely pace, not at a gallop.
After all, horses have limited stamina and cannot run for long periods of time. If they were to exhaust themselves now, the cavalry would become mere infantry once they entered the battlefield.
However, even on horseback, their speed was astonishing. In just an hour and a half, the five thousand cavalrymen arrived at Kunshan, fifty miles away.
This is Zhongshan Jun's stronghold. At this moment, there are tens of thousands of demon soldiers on Kunshan Mountain. Even though we are only at the foot of the mountain, we can still feel the overwhelming demonic aura.
"Greetings, Duke of Wu," Lu Ji said, bowing respectfully.
At this moment, an old man appeared beside him. This old man looked unremarkable, like a wretched old man from the countryside. However, under the observation of his divine eyes, Lin Yang's eyes lit up.
His destiny was at the peak of the fourth tier, and his fortune was at the fifth tier, a pale purple. Moreover, there was a wisp of tribulation aura above his head. However, compared to his profound fortune, this wisp of tribulation aura was so insignificant.
"His strength is at the peak of the fourth tier, and he'll most likely use this opportunity to break through directly. Although he'll have to go through some tribulations during the breakthrough, it seems like it's practically a sure thing. After today, he'll be a fresh-faced fifth-tier powerhouse," Lin Yang thought to himself.
"May I ask who this gentleman is?"
"Oh, this is my father, Lu Kang. His strength has already reached the peak of the Human Immortal realm. With my father here, we can leave Zhongshan Jun to us this time," Lu Ji said confidently.
Hearing this, Lin Yang nodded. Indeed, a Human Immortal cultivator from the Immortal Path was more than enough to deal with Zhong Shanjun. Even if he couldn't defeat him, there was still Lu Kang. Even if they couldn't win, they could still hold them off.
Moreover, as far as Lin Yang knew, the Lu family had at least one member at the peak of the fourth rank. Their ancestor, Lu Yun, should still be alive and well. After receiving so much incense offerings, he had most likely already switched to cultivating the divine path.
Moreover, this is only the strength of the Lu family. So, are there any fourth-tier cultivators who are on good terms with them? It goes without saying that there definitely are.
Keep in mind, this is just the Lu family, a peak second-tier aristocratic family. What about the established first-tier aristocratic families? And the most powerful family, the Liu family? The more you know, the more awe you feel.
"Haha, if I'm not mistaken, Lu Lujiang will break through to the next level after killing Zhongshan Jun. At that time, the Lu family will have a terrestrial immortal in charge. Congratulations!" Lin Yang teased.
The so-called Lu Lujiang refers to Lu Kang. He was referred to by his official title because he once served as the Prefect of Lujiang Commandery.
"This breakthrough is largely thanks to the Duke's efforts, and there will certainly be a reward afterward. At that time, the Duke can choose any three, no, seven treasures from the Imperial Treasury," Lu Kang said with a wry smile.
Clearly, Lin Yang was somewhat dissatisfied. The reason was simple: "Your Lu family reaps so many benefits, but what about me?"
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Chapter Thirteen: The Whole Family in One Go
Kill, kill, kill
Accompanied by a deafening battle cry and the thunderous beat of drums, the Lu family's private army officially set out.
These private troops weren't numerous, numbering only around a thousand. However, in terms of strength, each one was roughly at the peak of the Acquired Realm.
In a one-on-one fight, even the veterans under Lin Yang's command wouldn't be a match for them. However, if the number were increased to ten, the victors would undoubtedly be these veterans. At most, there would be heavy casualties.
In a battle involving a hundred or so men, these veterans would surely win decisively, with at most losing a dozen or so men.
If it were a battle of a thousand people, Lin Yang felt it was like bullying elementary school students. It wouldn't be a duel anymore; it would be a massacre.