Meng Zhao's thinking was quite realistic. The Wen Family was something he was bound to bring under his control; it concerned the strategic balance he had mapped out for himself. The waterways were indispensable. If he could not grasp this power in his own hands, he would easily be restrained by others, caught between advancing and retreating.
As for how to bring the Wen Family and the waterways under his control, it was not something beyond consideration.
A hard assault was not impossible. Especially if Meng Zhao acted personally, it would surely be like rotten wood crumbling before a gale. Unless the Wen Family had someone like Shaolin's sweeping monk of the Scripture Repository, they would have no hope of contending against Meng Zhao and the forces under his command.
Yet such a forceful attack could easily bring unexpected complications. That was why Meng Zhao had deliberately stirred up conflict and provoked the Wen Family into striking at him first, allowing himself to occupy the position of the passive victim and thus cloak his own actions in the mantle of defensive counterattack.
So, could he use a gentler, softer, more covert method to bring the Wen Family into his grasp?
Meng Zhao felt that it was neither unfeasible nor impossible. It merely required a little wisdom and a measure of patience to lay plans for it.
Thus, he changed his initial intentions and smiled faintly at the two men.
"I know perfectly well why you came. If you had truly come to ease the conflict between our families and settle our grievances, you would never have arrived unannounced in the dead of night.
"I suppose you were ordered to take my life. Unfortunately, you overestimated your own strength and underestimated my martial arts."
The two Wen Family men felt terrible