"Well, well! You really are our good leader. You actually dare to suggest that the imperial court disband the Beggar Clan. Qiao Feng, are you trying to betray your master and ancestors?"
Quan Guanqing originally planned to frame Qiao Feng for Ma Dayuan's death in order to remove him from his position as leader of the gang.
Before he could even make a move, the other party unexpectedly revealed their own secret.
Should the Beggar Clan' Sect be disbanded?
If the Beggar Clan is disbanded, what use is there for him to seize the leadership? How can he then enjoy the privileges of the leader to satisfy his own desires?
Many people underestimate the Beggar Clan, thinking it's just an organization formed by a group of beggars.
Little did they know that this organization wielded unprecedented influence and power, both within the underworld and under the actual rule of the government.
The Beggar Clan ' Sect alone has tens of thousands of members spread throughout the entire Great Song.
These tens of thousands refer to those who have officially joined the Beggar Clan' Sect, not ordinary Delia.
Beggars and the Beggar Clan are two different things. For an ordinary beggar to join the Beggar Clan, they need to collect intelligence for them, and even offer up their begging earnings, among other conditions.
Only after meeting these conditions can one have the opportunity to join. Afterward, one can slowly practice martial arts and perform missions, gradually increasing one's status from a disciple without a bag.
An organization with such a large number of members and a relatively reasonable promotion and management system can have a huge impact, which is why ambitious people want to compete for the position of leader.
For example, Quan Guanqing, although he was only a branch leader, wielded power no less than that of some prefectural officials.
If we let him sit idly by and watch the Beggar Clan' Sect disband, what does that mean? What have all his years of hard work and scheming amounted to?
As for joining the Martial Command Office, he was well aware of his own limitations. According to Qiao Feng, as long as someone had good character and aptitude, he would definitely not be able to fool anyone.
Therefore, they would oppose anything that went against their interests—no, against the interests of most of the Beggar Clan' Sect's leaders.
"Chief Qiao, you must be joking. How could the Beggar Clan be so easily disbanded?"
"Yes, if we really did that, how could the past leaders and all the brothers who died for the Beggar Clan rest in peace?"
" The Beggar Clan has disbanded, so where will the other brothers go? Are they going to go back to Delia and be bullied by everyone?"
"Chief Qiao, don't listen to those officials in the imperial court who are inciting you and destroying the foundation of the Beggar Clan' Sect!"
All four elders opposed the idea, and their resolve to remove Qiao Feng from his position as leader of the gang grew stronger.
'This Qiao Feng is indeed Khitan; he has absolutely no concept of respecting his teacher.'
Originally, they were only provoked by Quan Guanqing, but now their own interests are truly about to be harmed.
The remaining gang members, seeing the disagreement between their leader and the elders, all began to observe from the sidelines.
According to the Beggar Clan ' Sect's rules, lower-ranking disciples are only obligated to obey orders and have no right to speak.
As Qiao Feng looked at the Beggar Clan' Sect leaders who were all opposed, he couldn't help but recall the words Xu Xiao had said.
"You high-ranking members of the Beggar Clan ' Sect, you all seem fair and impartial, but how many of you are truly selfless these days? When you're doing things, think more about those disciples who can't speak up; they are the ones who most need their voices heard."
Is it a good thing that the Beggar Clan has merged into the Martial Command Office?
It's a good thing, of course it's a good thing, at least in Qiao Feng's eyes.
He climbed his way up from the bottom of the Beggar Clan' Sect, so he naturally knew how much filth was in the sect. But in the past, he hadn't thought about how to reform it, and besides, they were all brothers who had bled and eaten flesh together. He couldn't bring himself to do it, even though he was a man of great loyalty and righteousness.
However, as Xu Xiao said, the existence of the Beggar Clan is actually more harmful than beneficial to both the imperial court and most of its Beggar Clan.
If they truly want to serve their country, then joining the Martial Command Office is the best choice, rather than being used as cannon fodder for some people to promote their own fame.
As for those who were not selected, Xu Xiao promised to find them a job.
In a world about to undergo a major upheaval, accommodating some Beggar Clan disciples is perfectly feasible, and Xu Xiao wasn't trying to mislead him.
Xu Xiao can only stay here for 100 days, but he can return at any time afterward. Before leaving, he will make sure everything is back on track so that Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils's development doesn't go astray.
"Elders, it is not that I, Qiao, am disregarding ancestral teachings, but the matter of merging into the Martial Command Office is of great importance and cannot be decided by a few of us. Let the brothers present speak."
Qiao Feng spoke forcefully.
Xu Xiao made it clear that if they couldn't merge peacefully, he wouldn't rule out using force to dismantle the Beggar Clan, which would be a true catastrophe.
"You... sigh!"
The four elders shook their heads, unsure how to refute it; the reason was excellent.
"Brothers, tell me, would you rather stay in the Beggar Clan' Sect or join the Martial Command Office and serve the country?"
Qiao Feng's voice echoed throughout the entire venue, and some disciples showed a hint of interest on their faces.
Before he could even speak, Quan Guanqing, that scoundrel, preemptively pulled out his trump card.
" Qiao Feng, you Khitan, what exactly do you want? Betraying your master and ancestors, disbanding the Beggar Clan' Sect—only a malicious Khitan like you could do such a thing!"
"Brothers, don't believe him! Qiao Feng is Khitan!"
Quan Guanqing stepped forward and shouted loudly, directly exposing Qiao Feng's true colors.
He knew that if he didn't step forward and expose Qiao Feng's secrets, the Beggar Clan might have to disband right here today.
"Chief Quan, what nonsense are you spouting!"
" Quan Guanqing, stop spouting nonsense and insulting the gang leader!"
Apart from the four elders who had already been tricked into removing Qiao Feng from his position by Quan Guanqing, all the other disciples were furious and angrily denounced him.
Qiao Feng was quite popular among the disciples of the Clan, even more so than the former Clan Chief Wang Jiantong among the lower-ranking disciples.
Quan Guanqing, however, paid no attention to the angry shouts around him. He simply turned to look at Qiao Feng, hoping to see any sign of shock or anger in him.
No, Qiao Feng stared intently at him, his eyes filled with murderous intent, but he restrained himself from making a move.
As for Qiao Feng, he had already learned about his Khitan identity from Xu Xiao, and he had figured it out along the way.
For him, his Khitan identity was important, but the most important thing was the Great Song that had raised him. In his heart, he considered himself a Han Chinese.
In the original story, the reason he was so determined to find the leader and take revenge was to avenge the murder of his father and mother at Yanmen Pass; he had no other thoughts.
Quan Guanqing claimed to be Khitan, which he accepted, but he could not admit to framing him for killing Ma Dayuan in order to seize the position of the Beggar Clan' Sect leader.
But now is not the time to deal with this matter; public affairs come first, and private matters come second.
Just as Qiao Feng was unable to make up his mind, a sigh came from afar:
"Sigh! Qiao Feng, why are you so indecisive? Never mind, I'll interrogate him for you."
Qiao Feng suddenly looked up and shouted, "Wait a moment!"
Unfortunately, it was all too late.
Quan Guanqing had come out to accuse Qiao Feng, was completely dumbfounded. Then, a terrifying force struck him from behind, pulling him back instantly.
In the blink of an eye, it flew over the heads of the Beggar Clan' Sect disciples and landed in a crowd a hundred meters away.
At the same time, a large number of Martial Command Office constables, dressed in black martial arts uniforms, with long swords at their waists and crossbows in their hands, emerged from all parts of Apricot Grove, numbering two to three hundred.
The Martial Command Office appeared in the martial arts world for the first time as a complete organization.