Looking at the cold gleam of the dagger, Ming Shanhai felt completely numb.
"Brother Tiezhu, let's talk this out."
"I..."
Before Shanhai could finish, Liu Tiezhu pressed the dagger against his throat.
"Don't waste my time. This is your last chance."
Liu Tiezhu's tone was icy, devoid of any emotion.
"I'll talk."
Ming Shanhai dared not hold back any longer and spilled everything he knew.
A few minutes later, Liu Tiezhu left the civilian house.
Outside the alley, over a dozen people were still searching for their target, unaware that the Ming Shanhai they were protecting had long been dead.
By the time he returned to the military camp, it was already late at night.
Liu Tiezhu found Zhang Tianlong and ordered him to secretly dispose of Zhou Dahai and his brother.
The next day, Ming Tianfeng had just woken up when he received news of Ming Shanhai's death.
In the main hall, over a dozen burly men stood rigidly, not daring to breathe loudly.
Ming Tianfeng, seated in the center, had a face dark with fury.
"Useless fools, every single one of you."
"With dozens of people setting up an ambush, you still let Liu Tiezhu kill him."
Ming Tianfeng roared, smashing all the decorations in the hall.
Dozens of people had laid a trap, yet Liu Tiezhu still managed to kill Ming Shanhai.
What infuriated him even more was that it took half an hour after Ming Shanhai's death for these people to notice.
The captain in charge of security, Chen Bo, angrily said, "Second Master, let me take men to the camp right now and settle scores with Liu Tiezhu."
No sooner had he spoken than a sharp slap landed on his face.
"Damn it, is your head filled with crap?"
"Go to the camp to settle scores with Liu Tiezhu? Do you have any evidence?"
Chen Bo clutched his face tightly, not daring to say a word.
The others also kept their heads down, none daring to meet the furious Ming Tianfeng's gaze.
Seeing this, Ming Tianfeng's anger flared even more.
These were the talents he had spent a fortune to cultivate.
Now, with such cowardly behavior, they were a profound disappointment.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, the intelligence captain Zhou Kuishan hurried in.
"Second Master, bad news! Ming Zhenglong has mobilized a large number of men and is moving quickly toward Tiger Head Mountain to the west."
"I predict these men are preparing to attack the two new settlements on Tiger Head Mountain."
"Also, Ming Jiacheng's men are rapidly moving south, heading straight toward our Anjiang Forest."
At these words, everyone in the hall's faces changed drastically.
Ming Zhenglong and Ming Jiacheng acting simultaneously—anyone with half a brain knew they had joined forces.
Ming Tianfeng had anticipated this day might come, but he was surprised that Ming Jiacheng and the others had moved so quickly.
Snapping back to reality, Ming Tianfeng immediately issued orders.
"Everyone, get to your posts and return to defend your strongholds immediately."
"If I find anyone cowardly, I'll kill their entire family."
After dismissing the captains, Ming Tianfeng turned his gaze to Chen Zhiqiang.
"Old Chen, what are your thoughts?"
Chen Zhiqiang thought for a moment and said, "Ming Jiacheng and the others are coming fiercely. Knowing we still have this many troops, they still dare to attack—clearly, they've been prepared for a long time."
"We must reinforce our forces, or we might get caught in a pincer."
"Reinforce?" Ming Tianfeng frowned at this.
His current forces were already his entire strength.
Even if he spent a fortune to recruit more men, it was too late. Where could he find reinforcements?
As if reading Ming Tianfeng's mind, Chen Zhiqiang continued, "Second Master, we can still pull men from our hidden assets."
In truth, Chen Zhiqiang had ulterior motives, planning to use Ming Jiacheng and the others' attack as an opportunity for the Zhang family to swallow Ming Tianfeng's assets.
"No, if we pull those forces, and someone attacks, I'll lose all my fallback options," Ming Tianfeng said.
Chen Zhiqiang replied, "Second Master, no one knows about these assets."
"Besides, pulling the forces is only temporary."
"Once we stabilize the situation, we can send them back."
"Without enough troops to fend off Ming Jiacheng and the others' assault, we won't be able to keep these assets anyway."
Ming Tianfeng thought it over carefully and found Chen Zhiqiang's reasoning sound.
If those new settlements fell to Ming Jiacheng and the others, the next step would surely be to kill him.
Without his life, the assets wouldn't be safe either.
Having reached this conclusion, Ming Tianfeng tossed Chen Zhiqiang a token for troop mobilization.
"Old Chen, go quickly and call the men."
"Leave just twenty people at each stronghold."
Chen Zhiqiang took the token and swiftly left the Ming estate.
Once outside, a sly smile of triumph spread across Chen Zhiqiang's aged face.
With only twenty people at each stronghold, the Zhang family could sweep through them all in one night.
Soon, news of the Ming brothers' clash spread throughout the entire Ming family.
The Ming family's higher-ups chose to sit on the sidelines.
No matter how the three brothers fought, it had little to do with them.
Whoever won, their interests wouldn't suffer any loss.
But Ming Hai, the family head, couldn't stay still.
This situation had completely disrupted his plans, but it was too late to intervene.
His only option was to wait.
Wait for the war to end, then re-strategize.
At the military camp, Liu Tiezhu also received news of Ming Jiacheng and the others attacking Ming Tianfeng's new settlements.
He was about to summon Guo Qixing to discuss plans.
Just as he called Yan Wanli to fetch him, Guo Qixing arrived.
"Brother Tiezhu, great news!"
"Ming Tianfeng's hidden assets have been redeployed, with only twenty men left at each stronghold."
As soon as he sat down, Guo Qixing relayed the intelligence his agents had gathered.
Twenty men?
Hearing this number, Liu Tiezhu was startled.
"It seems Ming Tianfeng is going all in."
"Ming Tianfeng, if heaven wants you gone, don't blame me."
Liu Tiezhu sneered, then turned his gaze back to Guo Qixing.
"This is a golden opportunity. Get your men ready immediately. Tonight, we'll sweep through all of Ming Tianfeng's assets."
"Without these assets to support him, even if Ming Tianfeng wins this battle, he'll be finished."
Guo Qixing said, "Brother Tiezhu, rest assured. I had everything arranged before I came."
"There's another thing: Chen Zhiqiang, who's handling the mobilization, has made contact with the Zhang family. Looks like they want to take advantage of the chaos too."
"Should we just take him out?"
Liu Tiezhu thought for a moment and said, "No, keep him alive—he's useful. But keep the Zhang family under close surveillance."
Guo Qixing looked puzzled.
"Brother Tiezhu, if the Zhang family gets involved, we might not be able to take over all of Ming Tianfeng's assets."
"Brother Qixing, let me finish."
"Here's my plan..."
Liu Tiezhu's voice grew quieter as he spoke.
After hearing it, Guo Qixing gave Liu Tiezhu a thumbs-up.
"Brother Tiezhu, I'm in awe of you."
"With this plan, we not only clear ourselves of suspicion but also shift the blame onto the Zhang family."
"This two-birds-with-one-stone plan is flawless."
Liu Tiezhu waved his hand. "Alright, no need to flatter me. Go make the arrangements."
"Remember, keep a tight watch on the Zhang family and move before they do."
After sending Guo Qixing off, Liu Tiezhu lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and then headed to Jiang He's camp.
To execute the plan perfectly, he would need Jiang He and his two companions' help.