"But what's the situation with this Wang Clan of Central Shu? Did Wang Yining notify them?"
A smile flashed in Lin Yi's eyes. If he remembered correctly, the Wang Clan of Central Shu was not on Xun Yu's invitation list.
Now that they've actually come on their own initiative, that's interesting!
Wang Yue nodded first, then shook his head, and said with a wry smile, "Although Wang Yining did send someone to inform the Wang Clan of Central Shu, they don't seem to have any intention of submitting. Otherwise, they would have gone directly to our lord!"
"Hmph, ungrateful wretch!"
A cold glint flashed in Zhang Liao's eyes. This Wang Clan of Central Shu was simply courting death. Their lord had given them a chance, yet they didn't know how to cherish it. They were a bunch of idiots.
If we wait until our lord sweeps All Under Heaven, the Wang Clan will surely become the first sacrifice!
Xun Yu, however, laughed happily and said, "People always have a sense of wishful thinking. When they are not in dire straits, they will naturally not be willing to become their lord's vassals!"
Although the Wang Clan of Central Shu is only a branch of the Wang Clan of Great Ning, its strength should not be underestimated.
Especially in the Shuzhong region, they were a dominant force, even the Prince of Shu had to give them some leeway. Naturally, they wouldn't just accept their fate because of the warning from Xiliang.
But once our lord's power is overwhelming and he sweeps across the All Under Heaven, they will naturally kneel before him.
"Snort!"
Upon hearing this, Gao Shun was immediately displeased and sneered, "If he doesn't come when my Xiliang needs him, then there's no need for him to exist in the future. Even if he does come, he's just a cancer."
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." These fellows think too highly of themselves; we should just send Net to plunder their Wang Clan of Central Shu and wipe them out completely.
Tsk tsk!
Lin Yi couldn't help but give a thumbs up and laughed, "What a wonderful saying, 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.' I like Gao Shun's words. You didn't support me when I was just starting out, and now you want to add to my glory when I ascend the throne? There are no such things in life!"
Let's see. If they don't know what's good for them, we'll wipe them out. They're just a Wang Clan of Central Shu, after all.
Wanting to get something for nothing without putting in any effort? There's no such thing as a free lunch.
"My lord is wise! I've long disliked them. When the time comes, I'll send troops straight to Shuzhong and rob them!" Gao Shun chuckled.
Lin Yi waved his hand, indicating there was no need to be in such a hurry.
These people are all withered bones in Shuzhong, and sooner or later they will be trapped and killed inside, and harvested by various forces. According to the intelligence of Net, Li Anlan has taken action against the Prince of Shu, and Grand Commandant Qin Li has directly purged the King of Prince of Shu's prime minister faction.
The Wang Clan is one of them; they're probably not doing well either, otherwise they wouldn't have come to Xiliang.
The current situation is very delicate; a single move could have far-reaching consequences.
Now, if Li Anlan wants to fight against me, the only option is to take control of the entire Great Ning region so that he can focus all his efforts on dealing with me.
Similarly, I need to eliminate the Northern Barbarians before I can deal with the Great Ning with peace of mind; both sides are mutually restraining.
However, this potato is just an olive branch; I can certainly make things a little more difficult for Li Anlan, which can also be considered a greeting gift between the ruler and his subject.
Just as he was about to speak, a guard entered and whispered, "My lord, someone has secretly come to visit!"
A secret visit?
Upon hearing this, Lin Yi was taken aback. There were actually secrets in Xiliang? That was quite interesting.
He said in a deep voice, "What's going on? Didn't the person reveal their identity?"
"There are quite a few of them; they must be from a powerful family in the north," the guard whispered.
Huh!
Everyone's eyes lit up. These powerful families had actually taken the initiative to come to their door. This was going to be interesting.
The leader of the aristocratic families this time was the Zhang Clan, which ranked third in overall strength in the north. Apart from the Lin Clan, where the Prince of Northern Liang resided, and the Yan Clan of Mountain and River Commandery, they could be considered the big brother.
Now they're actually taking the initiative to request a meeting; that's quite interesting.
Lin Yi laughed and said, "Alright, let them in. I want to see what they mean!"
The guard nodded and went to summon him.
"Tsk tsk, these people have probably seen through our lord's strength, so they want to invest. This is a common tactic of aristocratic families." Xun Yu couldn't help but curl his lip, his face full of sarcasm.
Although he also came from a prominent family, he truly looked down on these opportunists, whom he considered nothing more than weather vanes.
Now that our lord is powerful, we've naturally come to his aid. But when Great Ning becomes strong, we'll probably run away again.
Soon a group of people entered, but they were all draped in long robes, making it impossible to see their figures clearly, which made them appear somewhat hidden.
Seeing this, Lin Yi couldn't help but laugh and said, "You are all people of high standing, yet you come to see me so furtively today. This is rather inappropriate!"
A person stepped out from the crowd and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Lin Yi.
"Your Highness, please forgive us. There are too many gossips in Xiliang Commandery these days, and we just didn't want to cause any more trouble!" The voice was old and somewhat unfamiliar, which made Lin Yi pause for a moment. This was a mysterious person.
He laughed and said, "Now that you've come to my Xiliang Villa, there's no need for you to hide. Everyone here belongs to me!"
"Excuse me!"
The old man took off his robe, revealing his frail body underneath; he was indeed a stranger.
" Zhang Ruohai, the head of the Zhang Clan. I have come here uninvited. Please forgive me, Your Highness!" The old man smiled and nodded, acknowledging his identity.
Head of the Zhang Clan?
Lin Yi was slightly taken aback. This old man was acting so mysteriously; something big must be going on.
He couldn't help but laugh and said, "I am quite flattered that the head of the Zhang Clan has come in person. May I ask what brings you here, head of the Zhang Clan?"
Zhang Ruohai glanced around, then handed over a letter written in blood.
"My purpose today is very simple: I want to present Your Highness with a great gift!" he said with a smile.
"A grand gift?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Yi's eyes as he took the blood-written letter. Besides names and handprints, it was just a statement.
Youning Commandery!
This is quite interesting; it seems the Zhang Clan Zhang Ruohai Youning Commandery to pledge allegiance to me.
That makes sense when you think about it. The Youning Commandery, Zhang Ci, is a member of the Zhang Clan.
A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes, and he couldn't help but laugh, "No wonder the Zhang Clan head came in person; this is quite a gift. But do you think it would be difficult for me to take over Youning Commandery with my strength?"
Although the gift was nice, Lin Yi didn't really think much of it.
He could easily conquer Youning Commandery right now if he wanted to, but he just didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.
Now that the Zhang Clan is giving this to me, it's somewhat of a double-edged sword!