Chapter 71

When Wen Ziqi saw Jiang Chen recognize her, she felt both shy and a sweet joy in her heart.

Not knowing where her courage came from, this girl who easily blushed mustered all her courage and, in a voice as soft as a mosquito's, said, "I'm from Tianhu Territory. I heard you were recruiting guards, so I rushed over to see if I could be of any help."

Princess Gouyu had already spread this news to all the major territories with the help of the royal family. However, Jiang Chen did not expect that Wen Ziqi would travel a thousand miles from Tianhu Territory to get here.

Looking at her wind-dusted appearance, it was clear that she had rushed here as soon as she heard the news.

Jiang Chen was slightly taken aback and asked, "Did your master agree to your coming?"

Mentioning her master, Wen Ziqi's body trembled slightly. Her right hand gently pinched the corner of her clothes, her fingers continuously entwining, showing great hesitation.

Jiang Chen smiled, realizing that Wen Ziqi must have come secretly without her master's knowledge.

Seeing Jiang Chen's smile, Wen Ziqi hurriedly said, "Even if my master knows, she won't stop me. She loves me the most."

Jiang Chen nodded, "Alright, I'm short of one person. If Miss Wen Ziqi doesn't mind, this position can be yours."

"Really?" Wen Ziqi was delighted. She had been worried that she might be too late and that the positions would already be filled.

She never expected to catch the last spot.

Jiang Tong, seeing Wen Ziqi's gentle and refined demeanor, also smiled, "Chen, do you know this girl?"

"Yes, when I was on a mission in Tianhu Territory, I met Miss Wen Ziqi by chance. We have met a few times. Her background, character, and personality are reliable."

"Good, then the eight positions are complete." Jiang Tong also breathed a sigh of relief. He was not satisfied with any of the candidates for the last position.

Having someone recognized by Jiang Chen to fill the spot was the best outcome.

"Chen, there's a saying that one should not interfere in family matters. You would rather recruit outsiders than your uncle's own child. What's the reason? Have I, as your aunt, offended you?"

As Jiang Chen was speaking, a woman dressed in expensive clothes and heavily made up quickly approached him, complaining to him.

From the memories of his predecessor, Jiang Chen recognized this woman as his aunt, the mother of Lan Yizhou.

"Aunt, Uncle is a great chief. Why does Cousin Yizhou need to be my guard to stand out? Why not give the opportunity to someone who needs it more?"

Jiang Chen did not want to tangle with this woman and patiently advised her.

"What can a great chief do? He can only pass it to one son. The second son has no guarantee of wealth and status. If you join me, when you become a marquis, you can easily grant Cousin Yizhou the management of a tribe. Chen, let me tell you, before your mother married, your Uncle took good care of her. Now that your mother is gone, seeing your uncle is like seeing your mother. Yizhou is nominally your cousin, but isn't he just like your own brother? You can't ignore his affairs. Can you bear to...?"

"Aunt, Cousin Yizhou only has the cultivation of the Fifth Pulse True Qi. Even if I want to help him, I am powerless. I can't complete the mission. If you love me, you can't let me fail in the Qianlong Trial. If I fail, how can Uncle keep his position as chief?"

"Ah?" The woman was stunned when she heard that her husband's position as chief might not be secure.

Jiang Chen smiled and took the opportunity to walk away.

Jiang Tong then announced the selected list.

"Guo Jin, from the capital, the grandson of Grand Tutor Guo Shun."

"Qiao Shan, the nephew of the third hall master of the Alchemist Hall."

"Wen Ziqi, from the Star Phoenix Palace in Tianhu Territory, an old acquaintance of Young Marquis Jiang Chen."

"Xue Tong, from the Yinglan Tribe in Jianghan Territory, a cousin of the Young Marquis."

"Ke Mu, from the Daxia Tribe in Jianghan Territory, with the cultivation of the Sixth Pulse True Qi."

"Shen Yifan, from the Yulong Tribe in Jianghan Territory, with the cultivation of the Sixth Pulse True Qi."

"Bi Yun, from the Tieshan Tribe in Jianghan Territory, with the cultivation of the Sixth Pulse True Qi."

With Jiang Tong's announcement, the recruitment meeting was officially over. Many families whose descendants were not selected were secretly frustrated.

They had missed a good opportunity.

"Please invite the chiefs of the ten major tribes to the marquis's mansion for a banquet. Other small tribes and families, please disband and return to your respective territories. Do not linger."

This gathering of various forces in Bojiang City posed a security risk. Since the task was completed, it was necessary to disband.

The chiefs of the ten major tribes, except for Jingman, were all present. Hearing that the marquis's mansion would host a banquet, they naturally would not miss this opportunity to mend relations.

However, these nine chiefs were curious. The Order of the Marquises had been issued, but why was the chief of the Zijing Tribe, Jingman, not present?

Was Jingman, who was usually arrogant and tyrannical, daring to openly defy the Order of the Marquises? That was too outrageous!

After all, defying the Order of the Marquises by a tribe could lead to a punitive expedition!

With this doubt, the chiefs of the tribes came to the banquet. Besides the Young Marquis Jiang Chen, all the elders of the Jiang family and Jiang Tong were also present.

"Gentlemen, this banquet is to thank you for your hard work for Jianghan Territory. Secondly, it is to announce an important matter."

Jiang Chen personally raised his cup, his gaze calm, meeting the eyes of all the chiefs, exuding the aura of a confident and composed leader.

All the chiefs felt a chill down their spines when Jiang Chen's gaze swept over them, sensing that something significant was about to happen.

"Jingman has no respect for his superiors, and has repeatedly caused trouble at the marquis's mansion. This time, he openly challenged the authority of the marquis's mansion. I have ordered him to be arrested and secretly detained!"

"What?"

"Jingman, secretly detained?"

This news made the faces of these chiefs, who dominated their territories, change dramatically.

This was Jingman, one of the most tyrannical figures in the entire Jianghan Territory. Apart from Marquis Jiang Feng, no other chief could suppress him. Even Marquis Jiang Feng would have to think twice before taking action against Jingman. Yet, the Young Marquis had taken him down without a sound.

"Good! Jingman has always been tyrannical and has a poor reputation among the tribes!" The first to stand up was the chief of the Yinglan Tribe, Jiang Chen's uncle, Lan Tianji.

"Yes, Jingman has caused trouble at the marquis's mansion many times. Arresting him is just. If he is not dealt with, it will lead to bigger problems."

"Brilliant, Young Marquis! However, the Jing family's influence is widespread. Arresting Jingman might cause trouble with the local forces."

Jiang Chen smiled faintly, "That's why I called you here. The Jing family is tyrannical because they have strong local support and a wide range of business interests. Additionally, the largest semi-spiritual land in Jianghan Territory is in their territory."

The chiefs nodded, looking at Jiang Chen with newfound respect. This was not the Young Marquis they knew, not the wastrel they once thought he was.

This was clearly a young noble who was adept at political maneuvering and had been playing the role of a pig eating a tiger.

At this moment, they finally realized that Jiang Chen's previous behavior was all an act, a facade. This young man had probably set his sights on becoming a first-rank marquis from a young age.

They had all misjudged the Young Marquis Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen, seeing their reactions, said calmly, "I don't want to hear empty words of loyalty. I will say this: each of your tribes will provide 50,000 troops, and my mansion will provide 100,000 troops. We will launch a surprise attack on the Zijing Tribe with lightning speed, aiming to eliminate all of Jingman's remaining forces."

Cutting off the roots, this was common sense. The chiefs were surprised.

"Once the Jing family's remaining forces are eliminated, I will send Elder Xi to personally oversee the Zijing Tribe's territory. I will also allocate 20% of the profits from the spiritual land to be divided among the nine tribes."

If the previous statement was a show of power, then the 20% profit was a bribe.

A combination of power and temptation.

These chiefs could no longer sit still. The chief of the Yinglan Tribe, Lan Tianji, was the first to stand up, "The Yinglan Tribe will swear to support the Jiang family and fight the rebels to the death!"

"We are willing to join the marquis's mansion and eliminate the rebels!"

The ten major tribes of Jianghan Territory had been in competition for many years, with the Zijing Tribe being the dominant force. Given the current situation, even without the power and temptation, they would likely join in to take advantage of the situation. Now, with the added incentive, they were even more motivated.

Jiang Tong looked at Jiang Chen thoughtfully, secretly amazed at the Young Marquis's boldness and impressive vision. Saying he would allocate 20% of the profits, he actually did it.

With the interests of the marquises and the tribes tied together, how could these tribal chiefs not be fully committed? This was more effective than any show of power.

"Gentlemen, previously, our Jianghan Territory cooperated with the Danwang Garden. Now, our partner is the Alchemist Hall. This means that the profits from our cooperation with the Alchemist Hall will be twice what we gained from the Danwang Garden. What seems like 20% is actually 40% of the previous profits."

At this point, Jiang Chen did not mind revealing some core information to them.

The Alchemist Hall!

These people had already heard about the Alchemist Hall several times today. In the Eastern Kingdom, the Alchemist Hall was the benchmark in the world of spiritual medicines, the largest giant in the field. How could they not know?

"Hehe, you might not know, but the Alchemist Hall relies heavily on our Young Marquis in many matters! There's another thing you probably don't know. The illness of Princess Dongfang Zhiruo, which no famous doctor could cure, was healed by our Young Marquis!"

It must be said that Jiang Zheng was a very useful steward. When the master needed it, he could always say what the master couldn't, in just the right way.

What did this mean? It meant that the Young Marquis's backing was the royal family and the Alchemist Hall!

All the chiefs present were stunned and looked at each other in shock upon hearing this.

Jiang Chen, however, smiled, "Come, let's drink! This is a small matter. Jiang Zheng always likes to talk. The matter of the royal princess, you should keep it in your hearts and not spread it."

"Yes, yes. Royal secrets, who would dare to spread them?"

They all nodded obediently, raising their cups to drink, but they could hardly taste the fine wine and delicious food. Their minds were filled with the incredible changes in the Young Marquis Jiang Chen. The continuous revelations of shocking information had left them unsure of how to measure this young man.

But one thing was certain