Chapter 588: Chapter Five Hundred Eighty-Four: Persuade

“Send a message back to the Martial Hall, keep the Fairy Bird Feather Guard Army on standby. All active Martial Ancestors from Martial Hall should head towards Lujiaoshan for support. Announce to the Qi Clan alliance to prepare a platoon to have on standby at Lujiaoshan.” Sect Head Mi Hai kept issuing orders to Wind Media. His plan was to seize Yuxiling before Tang Siyuan woke up, even without waiting for the complete cooperation between the alliance and the Mi Clan, he insisted that the seven clans send a large support force.

In the world of martial artists, a squad is a small team, and a so-called large team is a group of more than ten small teams. Adding the current twenty-something stationed Martial Ancestors of Martial Hall, Mi Hai was determined to take Yuxiling under his control.

Although Tang Hongjun led a support team and ambushed two strongholds, when the main force gathers, it will be the day Yuxiling changes hands.

…

Inside Red Cloud Mountain, Danyang Mountain’s main peak, Xiao Family’s camp

Xiao Family clan leader Xiao Jinlin and Mi Clan’s Third Elder, Mi Bufu was conversing and drinking. Two rivals who had fought till death in their youth were now getting along harmoniously, drinking and exchanging cups like old friends.

A few pots of fine wine had already been consumed, and Xiao Jinlin’s face was slightly flushed. He smiled and quipped, “Brother Bufu didn’t come just to have a drink with me today, did he?”

Although Mi Bufu, who was wearing flamboyant clothes, looked fancy, he was quite straightforward. He drunk the remainder of his half pot of strong wine in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and answered in a deep voice, “The main reason for my visit is to apologize for the last attack by our clan’s elder on Red Cloud Mountain…”

Xiao Jinlin waved his hand to stop Mi Bufu’s apology and coldly responded, “The Xiao Family is not the master of Red Cloud Mountain. As long as the Mi Clan does not invade Nanping Peak and Danyang Mountain, it has nothing to do with the Xiao Family.”

The harsh tone indicated suppressed anger. Mi Bufu gave a wry smile and asked, “Is Brother Xiao still angry about the elder’s recklessness?”

“What I can’t understand is why a prestigious Mi Clan elder couldn’t defeat a mere Martial Ancestor who had shed his mortal coil.” Xiao Jinlin snarled, “Had Mi Yang successfully struck that time, my disciple wouldn’t have had to sacrifice his life!”

Only when the wine cup in his hand shattered, did Xiao Jinlin realize his overreaction. He set the shards aside, got another cup for himself, filled it, and drank it all.

Seeing Xiao Jinlin’s condition, a flash of joy passed through Mi Bufu’s eyes. He hurriedly comforted, “Brother Xiao, please hold back your grief. Let’s have another drink.”

As they continued to propose toasts, Xiao Jinlin’s cheeks got rosier. Mi Bufu put down the wine pot and proposed, “Brother Xiao, the Tang Clan is at the end of their ropes now, particularly Tang Luo, who killed my Mi Clan’s star pupil Chu, then slaughtered the Xiao Clan’s elite. His ambitions are blatantly exposed. If we let him grow and thrive, it could become a massive problem!”

Seeing Xiao Jinlin in deep thought, Mi Bufu added, “In addition to apologizing for my visit this time, I want to ask Brother Xiao to take action and drive the Tang Clan out of Xiling once and for all.”

No one understands the depth of the Tang Clan’s foundation better than the Mi Clan. If a do-or-die battle truly breaks out, there would be nothing but mutual destruction. However, if the allied clans’ armies take the Xiao Clan’s side, the Mi Clan will have the confidence to drive out the Tang Clan. This is also the central purpose of sending him to meet with the Xiao Clan.

“Brother Bufu, do you think I’m drunk already?” Xiao Jinlin, his face flushed, gave a half-smiling retort to Mi Bufu, “The Xiao Clan, combined with the seven powerful families, would indeed give the Mi Army a huge advantage in terms of high-end martial force. But don’t forget, North Mountain stretches for hundreds of miles. The Tang Clan may be unable to resist the army’s attacks, but if they keep retreating deeper into North Mountain while fighting, the allied forces won’t be able to achieve a quick victory either. How long will it take to drive the Tang Clan out of Xiling? How many men will the Mi Army have to lose!?”

Families have tenacious fighters because they have their clan members behind them. The absolute numerical superiority can suppress the Tang Clan on the frontal battlefield, but to kill off Tang Clan’s martial artists is unthinkable before the Xuanji jade runs out.

Of course, the Mi Clan can afford it, but how can the allied clans bear it? Empty words and false persuasions weren’t enough to persuade the Xiao Clan to join the alliance. Did they think he was a child?

Contrarily, the Third Elder of the Mi Clan seemed delighted by Xiao Jinlin’s retort.

If Xiao Jinlin rejected outright, it would only indicate he had no interest in joining the alliance. However, his main complaint was only the empty talk which means as long as the conditions make sense, there’s room for discussion about the Xiao Clan joining the alliance!

Mi Bufu was quite excited. In truth, when Mi Jin read from Xiao Baihe’s performance that the older Xiao people were leaning towards the Mi Clan, he was quite skeptical because nobody knew better than him how cautious Xiao Jinlin was towards these two clans.

But he also knew how important Xiao Ziyu was to this old man. Since Xiao Ziyu Awakened his bloodline, Xiao Jinlin took him all over Xiling for Spirit Fire adventures, all to sculpt a top Xiao Clan warrior.

It can be said that Xiao Jinlin bet the future of the Xiao Clan on Xiao Ziyu. But now that the future was gone, Xiao Jinlin had to face the reality and plan a new future for the Xiao Clan.

Either the clan leaves Xiling or they take sides between Tang Clan and Mi Clan. Now, it seems the Mi Clan has a higher chance than Tang Clan!

Remembering the clan leader Mi Jin’s assignment before his departure, Mi Bufu expressed with a full-faced smile, “Brother Xiao, being a master of military strategy, you cannot be deceived by the changing situation of the battlefield. You’re right. If the Tang Clan retreats deep into North Mountain, the alliance has no way to deal with them. And based on the news from our scout crows, the Tang Clan has recently been transporting a large number of supplies deep into North Mountain. It seems they are already prepared for a retreat.”

With the fight at Yuxiling just beginning, the Tang Clan was already moving supplies deep into North Mountain, undoubtedly in line with Tang Zhi’s style. Mi Bufu revealed this news just to let Xiao Jinlin be aware and more importantly…

“In these past few days, our clan’s Fairy Bird Feather Guards have traveled back and forth from the upstream of Longjiang to Xiling every day, carrying food supplies. Did Brother Xiao notice this?”

Xiao Jinlin nodded, “The Fairy Bird Feather Guards of the Mi Clan dominate Longzhou. It’s truly admirable.”

“But did Brother Xiao know that when the Fairy Bird Feather Guards leave South Ridge to purchase supplies, a hundred soldiers depart but only fifty return with the goods?” Mi Bufu’s eyes were filled with accomplished trickery.

The remaining fifty, of course, didn’t perish, they have circled half of Xiling and already appeared behind North Mountain.

The three thousand Fairy Bird Feather Guards would all be positioned deep into the North Mountain within three months. At that time after the big battle begins, the safe retreat in the North Mountain that the Tang Clan thought they had will early have become the Mi Clan’s hunting ground.

Caught in a pincer attack and barely handling both ends, and with alliances attacking from all directions, even if it would not be possible to kill off all the Tang Clan’s Martial Ancestors, as long as they could eliminate their young and vital warriors, they could cripple the Tang Clan for a generation.

“This generation of the Tang Clan has produced many excellent young people. Think about it, Brother Xiao, if all these young members die off, what choice will the Tang Clan have but to retreat from Xiling?”