Chapter 207 The War Officially Begins (2/2)
“The mogul of H City, Zhuang Zhixian, has already conquered the underground worlds of D City and Yilin City.”
“Already?” Master Hou gasped. “By his own force?”
“Of course not. Though Zhuang Zhixian claimed that he would unite the underground worlds of Hei Province, he is just a puppet on the Long family’s string. And many of the masters he sent are from Long family. He did it within half a day, and most of the cities in Hei Province have not received this news.”
Master Hou snorted, “If they think that the underground world of Hei Province could be united by a puppet, then they must have greatly underestimated me. As long as I’m still in control of my territory, they still can’t call it a victory, even if they have conquered all of the undergrounds of other cities. Tingchuan, call all of the moguls in other cities in Hei Province and tell them this news.”
666 Mu Tingchuan said, “I already did that, and without your consent, I have sent a group of masters of martial arts to help the cities that could easily fall into the enemy’s hands.”
“Tell them to come back,” Master Hou commanded.
Mu Tingchuan was taken aback for a moment. He asked, “Master Hou, you want them to retreat?”
Master Hou answered him in a calm voice, “Tell them to come back.”
“Well…” Mu Tingchuan asked in vast disbelief, “Master Hou, if the underground worlds of other cities fall into our enemy’s hands, then the Long family would possess 90 percent of the three provinces in the north. I’m afraid that by then the odds will favor them.”
“Have you ever heard this idiom—one should burn all bridges if he seeks victory?”
Mu Tingchuan frowned. “Now the Long family’s momentum is at a prime and the number of his men is several times greater than ours, so is the range of their territory and their morale. If we let them conquer other cities without doing anything, I’m afraid that by then they will be unstoppable when there are few cities left. And our men will definitely lose morale by that time. It’ll nearly be impossible for us to win.”
Master Hou eyed Mu Tingchuan and said in a tone that would brook no argument, “Just obey my order and tell them to come back.”
“Master Hou…” Having noticed the sternness in his lord’s eyes, Mu Tingchuan sighed, knowing that Master Hou’s decision could not be changed. He had to walk aside and make the call while Xiao Bing watched the entire scene silently.
After Mu Tingchuan hung up the phone, Xiao Bing stood up and said, “Master Hou, since our enemy has already started striking, I should get prepared for it. I’ll leave then.”
“Okay. Tingchuan, walk Mr. Xiao to the door for me.”
Mu Tingchuan answered yes. When he walked out of the living room with Xiao Bing, he sighed deeply. Xiao Bing grinned. “Does Mr. Tingchuan still seem troubled by the decision Master Hou just made?”
“Yes.” Mu Tingchuan sighed again. “I don’t know why Master Hou made that decision. But he didn’t point it out. I know that he’s losing the support of the cities that were standing on his side before. If the Long family keeps expanding like this, I’m afraid that there won’t be any chance for us to defeat them.”
Mu Tingchuan wanted to say that actually it was just self-preservation. It seemed that Master Hou wanted to preserve the forces he possessed, but it was short-sighted. A fire on the city gate brings disaster to the fish in the moat. It was a simple truth to Master Hou.
Xiao Bing grinned. “I don’t quite understand Master Hou’s thoughts either. But I’m sure he has his reasons. Tingchuan, I should leave now. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need my help. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
Mu Tingchuan sighed again and nodded.
Xiao Bing got in his car and drove away from Master Hou’s mansion. As Xiao Bing was contemplating the decision Master Hou had made, his eyes gradually brightened and a smile touched the corner of his lips. “What a cunning man,” he murmured to himself.