Although Hu Xiaotian agreed with Huo Ge, he understood the man's motives even better. Given the current situation, Redwood River mattered far more to Shajia than it did to him. Even if the Fragrant Kingdom had not seized it, the struggle between the various powers would inevitably have turned that territory into a hot potato. When the old man lost his horse, who could say it was not a blessing? A momentary gain or loss was not the whole picture. Besides, he had already acquired a vast swath of northeastern Western Sichuan, ten times the size of Redwood River. Overall, his losses were not great.
The Fragrant Kingdom's series of moves had left the newly formed Gold and Jade Alliance existing in name only. Hu Xiaotian began reflecting on his mistakes. He had placed too much faith in Long Xuanjiao's abilities and underestimated Hu Buwei's strength. A man who had always lurked behind the scenes had finally revealed the tip of the iceberg of his true power: manipulating the Fragrant Kingdom's regime, controlling Western Sichuan, and occupying Redwood River. This flurry of combination punches had been crisp, decisive, and beautifully executed. Even someone as capable as Hu Xiaotian felt overwhelmed. He had to admire his father. Hu Buwei was living proof that old ginger packed the fiercest bite.
He could deduce that Hu Buwei had long since spread an invisible net across the land. Among his subordinates were capable men such as Zhou Mo and Xiao Tianmu, and he also had undisclosed partnerships with formidable figures like Murong Zhan. Maintaining such an enormous network inevitably required immense financial resources. Hu Xiaotian could not help recalling his long conversation with Old Madam Xu in Cloud Marsh. The Xu Family of Jinling had already fallen under Hu Buwei's effective control. With the