Half of the Ming family's upper management were Ming Jiacheng's people—what did that even mean?
In short, Ming Jiacheng had effectively controlled most of the Ming family.
Yet no one in the Ming family knew about any of this; they all thought he was the weakest and had no interest in power.
How deep must someone's cunning be to pull off something like this?
Liu Tiezhu was shocked, but a deep sense of fear also crept into his heart.
However, after snapping out of it, Liu Tiezhu felt that Ming Jiacheng coming to him might not be a bad thing.
If Ming Jiacheng wanted to make a move on him, Guo Zhenlong wouldn't have pushed Guo Lin to his side.
Besides, he was also looking for another backer to cooperate with, someone who could give him an extra layer of protection in a critical moment.
Once he figured that out, Liu Tiezhu got straight to the point: "Brother Zhenlong, there's no one else here. Give me the bottom line."
"Is Ming Jiacheng coming to me because he wants me to be his man?"
Guo Zhenlong nodded. "Brother Tiezhu, you're really sharp."
"That's exactly what Ming Jiacheng means. Name your terms."
"Of course, he also respects your choice. Even if you refuse, he's willing to be friends with you."
"But I suggest you think it over carefully, because he'll soon become the new head of the Ming family."
This statement shocked Liu Tiezhu again.
Becoming the new head of the Ming family soon—didn't that mean Ming Jiacheng was about to launch a bloody purge of the family?
Only by eliminating his two younger brothers could he take the position of family head.
If Guo Zhenlong's information was accurate, then Ming Jiacheng's path to becoming the family head was practically a sure thing.
If he wasn't prepared by then, he'd definitely die in that storm.
"Brother Zhenlong, I want to talk to Ming Jiacheng face to face."
After some thought, Liu Tiezhu gave his answer.
He had to weigh this carefully. After meeting Ming Jiacheng in person and seeing his attitude, he'd decide whether to cooperate.
Plus, he needed to plan thoroughly with Guo Qixing, just in case.
As things stood, Ming Jiacheng becoming the family head wasn't a done deal either.
He also had the ability to stir up trouble in the Ming family and find a way to profit from it.
"Brother Liu, Ming Jiacheng feels the same way."
"Tomorrow at ten in the morning, at the Jinyuan Pawnshop in the north of the city. Ming Jiacheng will be waiting for you there."
"If there's nothing else, I'll go back to report. Guo Lin is in your hands."
With that, Guo Zhenlong got up and left the barracks.
Liu Tiezhu turned his gaze to Guo Lin.
"Do you know Ming Jiacheng?"
Guo Lin nodded. "I heard from my brother that he had his father Ming Hai's secret support a few years ago."
"Besides his visible Ming family army, he's also trained several thousand elite soldiers outside."
"The faction controlling the Ming family's finances is secretly backing him too."
"You could say that once he's ready to go to war with Ming Tianfeng and Ming Zhenglong, even if they join forces, they might not be a match."
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu pondered for a moment, then told Guo Lin to find Ma Qifeng and have him arrange Guo Lin's lodging.
After sending Guo Lin away, Liu Tiezhu was about to call Yan Wanli to fetch Guo Qixing.
But just as he was about to speak, Guo Qixing showed up on his own.
"Brother Tiezhu, that copper mine has been cashed out."
As soon as Guo Qixing sat down, he pulled out the prepared banknotes.
Liu Tiezhu didn't stand on ceremony and stuffed them straight into his pocket.
"Brother Qixing, I was just about to send someone to find you."
Guo Qixing handed Liu Tiezhu a cigarette and lit one for himself.
After a few puffs, he asked, "Brother Tiezhu, something on your mind?"
"Yeah, something big."
Liu Tiezhu lit his cigarette too and smoked in silence.
After finishing one cigarette, he finally relayed what Guo Zhenlong had told him.
When he finished, Guo Qixing was frozen in shock.
The Guo family hadn't neglected to monitor Ming Jiacheng.
But Ming Jiacheng's behavior had made the Guo family lose all interest.
Plus, everyone was saying Ming Jiacheng was just a bookworm who didn't like infighting.
All of the Guo family's intelligence agents had shifted their focus from watching Ming Jiacheng to Ming Zhenglong and Ming Tianfeng.
Now, hearing this news from Liu Tiezhu, Guo Qixing realized Ming Jiacheng was the real mastermind—his disguise had fooled everyone.
Without this information, he might have been caught off guard.
Thinking about it, Guo Qixing broke out in a cold sweat again.
"Brother Tiezhu, you just said Guo Zhenlong is Ming Jiacheng's man."
"So what does him telling you this mean?"
"Trying to recruit you?"
After snapping out of it, Guo Qixing couldn't help asking.
Liu Tiezhu nodded. "Ming Jiacheng does mean that, but I'm still thinking it over."
Guo Qixing said, "What's there to think about? This is a huge opportunity."
"Remember what I told you last time?"
"Given your situation, your best bet is to cooperate with Ming Jiacheng."
"Even if he's just using you, you can still gain something from it."
On that point, Liu Tiezhu and Guo Qixing were on the same page.
But he still didn't know Ming Jiacheng's terms yet.
Everything would have to wait until Ming Jiacheng laid out his conditions before he decided whether to secretly join his camp.
After a moment of silence, Liu Tiezhu said, "Brother Qixing, let's set Ming Jiacheng aside for now."
"Right now, I've got two more lucrative deals on my hands."
Hearing this, Guo Qixing's eyes lit up immediately.
Ever since he started working with Liu Tiezhu, the Guo family's profits had never stopped flowing.
No sooner had the copper mine "deal" been wrapped up than two more opportunities came knocking.
If Liu Tiezhu called them lucrative deals, the benefits were definitely substantial.
Coming back to his senses, Guo Qixing couldn't help grinning. "Brother Tiezhu, just say the word. I'll make sure it's handled perfectly."
Liu Tiezhu didn't hold back and laid out Jiang Tianliang's three properties.
He'd made up his mind about those three properties the moment he left the Ming family.
Guo Qixing was taken aback, a bit surprised. "Jiang Tianliang's properties."
"Brother Tiezhu, are you planning to fall out with Ming Tianfeng?"
"Even though those three properties belong to Jiang Tianliang, he's Ming Tianfeng's lackey. Ming Tianfeng won't just stand by."
"Besides, those properties are close to the Ming family. Taking them won't be easy."
Liu Tiezhu waved his hand with a smile. "Brother Qixing, we're not going to do anything that risky."
"You just need to send a hundred men, and we'll take two of those properties."
"A hundred men?"
Hearing that number, Guo Qixing was stunned again.
"Brother Tiezhu, are you joking with me?"
"Sending a hundred men wouldn't even be enough to fill the Ming family army's teeth."
"If we end up in a firefight with them, that many people really wouldn't cut it."
"But we're just going to move supplies. That many should be enough."
Liu Tiezhu didn't beat around the bush and laid out his plan directly.
When he finished, Guo Qixing didn't hold back his praise and gave Liu Tiezhu a thumbs-up.
"Brilliant, Brother Tiezhu. That move of yours is absolutely brilliant."