Half a day general of the Lizhou military camp, Xie Zifeng, followed Nie Yongxuan to the Ding Mansion to pay a visit to Ning Chen. Xie Zifeng has reached the seventh level of Wanxiang cultivation, which makes him more powerful than Yan Conglong and Nie Yongxuan. He has a square face and an arrogant demeanor. "Your Highness, I want to know what is the important matter that Your Highness has summoned me for?" Ning Chen looked Xie Zifeng up and down and asked, "How many soldiers are there in the Lizhou military camp?" Xie Zifeng glanced and said, "Your Highness, two hundred thousand soldiers and horses." Ning Chen asked again: "How is your combat power?" Xie Zifeng said: "It depends on who you compare with. Not as good as the demon-suppressing army, not as good as the bandits, not as good as the disciples of the noble families and sects..." Ning Chen frowned: "Who can you be like?" Xie Zifeng said: "Better than ordinary people." Ning Chen sneered: "You, the Lizhou general, are so relaxed. You have trained 200,000 soldiers like this?"

"Drill?" Xie Zifeng sneered and shook his head: "Your Highness really doesn't know the situation in Lizhou. Since five years ago, the court has been reducing the military supplies to the Lizhou military camp. Now, let alone supporting 200,000 soldiers, it is difficult to even support 10,000. How can there be any energy for drill?" "I am not afraid of your highness's blame. If your highness does not come, I plan to go to Kyoto City to meet your majesty. If your majesty does not deal with it, I can only lead 200,000 soldiers to rob houses." Ning Chen frowned slightly. He really didn't know anything about state affairs because he had never been involved in them. "No need to rob houses. Immediately organize the soldiers in the barracks who are above the Chongyuan realm and follow me to eliminate the Lizhou bandits. After we eliminate them, all the gold and silver we obtain will be used as military expenses." Xie Zifeng frowned, he had done this before. Small bandits were few in number and escaped quickly, while big bandits were in collusion with officials and forces of all ranks in Lizhou. When his army was dispatched, before they even reached the stronghold, the bandits had all fled and broken into small pieces. How to eliminate it? He glanced at Nie Yongxuan coldly and said, "Your Highness wants to wipe out the bandits in Lizhou. Will Lord Nie cooperate honestly?" Nie Yongxuan hurriedly said, "General Xie, rest assured. I will fully cooperate with Your Highness and General Xie." Xie Zifeng sneered: "Well, if you make me run for nothing again, don't blame me for being rude." Then he looked at Ning Chen and said, "Your Highness, how do you plan to wipe out the bandits? Do you have a plan?" Ning Chen asked: "General Xie has been in Lizhou for so many years, what do you think?" Xie Zifeng frowned and said, "The military camp has 200,000 soldiers. According to your highness's request, there are less than 30,000 soldiers above the Chongyuan realm. The number of Lizhou bandits is more than 310,000. Their combat power is more fierce than that of soldiers. If you want to wipe them out, you have to send out at least 600,000 or 700,000 troops to encircle and suppress them. But the noise is too loud. Before we can wipe out two or three bandits, the other bandits will be scared away." "I suggest that we form a cavalry of 10,000 people, all of whom have cultivation bases above the Jade Sea Realm, and use the power of thunder to wipe out the bandits one by one." "They are too active and are using guerrilla warfare to fight the main army. So let's make a feint to the east and attack in the west. The remaining soldiers in the barracks will make a feint to the east, and we will attack in the west. We will fight quickly and catch the bandits off guard. We will start with the small bandits, and after we have eliminated them, we will eliminate the big bandits." "Among all the mountain bandits, Kunlong Mountain, Qingmang Mountain, and Black Bear Mountain are the most difficult to fight. However, the leader of Qingmang Mountain, Zhang Hu, the second leader of Qinglong, has lost his men, so Qingmang Mountain is no longer a concern." Ning Chen nodded: "Thank you, General. I'll give you half a month. Is that enough?" "Half a month?" Xie Zifeng groaned and said, "I need 100,000 taels of silver. If Your Highness can help, half a month will be enough." One hundred thousand taels of silver? Ning Chen looked at Nie Yongxuan. Nie Yongxuan felt that his chance to redeem himself had come, and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, I will take care of the matter, 100,000 taels of silver."

Ning Chen nodded. Nie Yongxuan was threatened by the Zhuang family and Dinghai Tower, and he must have also received benefits from the two major forces. There must be money in the City Lord's Mansion, and one hundred thousand taels of silver should be easily taken out. Nie Yongxuan could indeed come up with the money. Not only did he prepare 100,000 taels of silver, he also asked Liao Bufan, the director of the City Guard Department, and Luo Kang, the director of the Demon Suppression Department, to collect another 100,000 taels of silver, making a total of 200,000 taels, which were secretly delivered to the military camp the next day. After Xie Zifeng received the silver, he began to reorganize the military camp quickly. Salaries were paid out and training resources were also distributed. The soldiers immediately became more motivated. Xie Zifeng selected 10,000 soldiers with high cultivation levels and trained them every day. Ning Chen was also not idle. In addition to secretly paying attention to the progress of the Li family's martial arts alliance branch, he was also studying how to wipe out those bandits, and even considering how to get some small families and sects in Lizhou to cooperate with them. "The Gou family?" In the hall, Ning Chen thought of what Chen Xian said in the letter. If he encountered obstacles in Lizhou, he could go to the Gou family to find Gou Da Teng. He knew Gou Da Teng, a man who had reached the sixth or seventh level of Wanxiang cultivation and controlled the Gou family's Thunderstorm Umbrella. If the Gou family is willing to lend him a helping hand, it would be much easier to wipe out the Lizhou bandits. This is also a credit to him. When the news reaches Kyoto, his father will surely look at him differently and entrust him with important tasks. "Your Highness!" Liu Dai walked into the hall in a hurry. "what's up?" "Someone from the Gou family is coming." "Whatever you want, it will come true?" Ning Chen smiled. He was just thinking about the Gou family, but now they are here: "Who is coming?" Liu Dai said: "The genius of the martial arts conference, Gou Da Teng." Ning Chen nodded and went to greet him in person. Yan Conglong followed Ning Chen, and no one knew what he was thinking. The entrance to the mansion. Gou Datang stood with a young and pretty woman, staring at the plaque: "Ding Mansion?" "Brother, have we come to the wrong place?" The pretty girl was in her twenties, with a pair of curved eyes that looked like a moon when squinted, a straight nose, rosy lips, and a well-proportioned figure. The woman is Gou Da Teng’s youngest sister, Gou Xiaomei. She is twenty-one years old this year. She has reached the level of a highly accomplished spiritual infant and has great talent. Gou Da Teng held up a black umbrella and said with a smile, "It can't be wrong. The word Ding plus a Bao means Ning. The Ninth Prince just doesn't want to attract attention." Gou Xiaomei put her hands behind her back, pouted her rosy lips, and said, "Brother, why did the ancestor want me to meet the Ninth Prince?" Gou Datang knew what was going on. It was not the ancestor who asked Gou Xiaomei to come, but someone from the imperial court found his Gou family and wanted to arrange a marriage for the ninth prince.

At first, the ancestor of the Gou family did not agree and did not want his daughter to marry into the palace. But for some reason, the old ancestor actually nodded in the end. "The Ninth Prince is not only handsome and talented, but most importantly, he has good character and is still unmarried." Gou Da Teng said with a smile. Gou Xiaomei heard what he meant and tilted her head slightly: "Brother, what do you mean by that?" Gou Da Teng still smiled and said, "Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. You are not young anymore, so you should think about this matter. You can't just practice in silence and wait until you become a shrew before getting married, right?" Gou Xiaomei curled her lips: "Can't I just not get married?" Gou Da Teng shook his head: "How can that be possible? If we don't get married, our life will not be perfect." Gou Xiaomei rolled her eyes and said, "What nonsense! You just think I'm too annoying at home." Gou Datang smiled and said, "How could that be? You are my biological sister." Gou Xiaomei snorted, "How can you cheat on your sister like this?" Gou Da Teng was speechless. After all, he was a prince with a noble status. How could he be considered a trap? He was just about to "enlighten" Gou Xiaomei when the Ninth Prince Ning Chen came out of the mansion with his men. "Mr. Gou!" "Hehe, big brother, he called you a dog boy." As soon as Ning Chen opened his mouth, Gou Xiaomei immediately laughed. Gou Da Teng's face was dark, and he glared at Gou Xiaomei. His surname, Gou, was indeed misleading. "Gou Dateng and my little sister are here to pay their respects to His Majesty the Ninth Prince." Gou Dateng pulled his little sister forward to pay their respects to Ning Chen. Gou little sister looked Ning Chen up and down and also bowed slightly. Ning Chen smiled: "Mr. Gou, Miss Gou, please come in." Gou Da Teng smiled: "Your Highness, please." Everyone came to the hall. Ning Chen asked someone to serve tea. The Gou family was the largest family in Lizhou and had the strongest power. Whether it was secretly setting up a branch of the martial arts alliance or wiping out the Lizhou bandits, it would be much easier if the Gou family could be won over. "Master Gou, what's the matter with your sudden visit?" Ning Chen said with a smile. He didn't treat himself like a prince at all in his dealings with others. Only in this way can others get along with him more harmoniously. "Your Highness doesn't know?" Gou Datang was a little surprised. His Gou family had received the news, so the Ninth Prince should have received the news in advance. Ning Chen was a little confused, and Liu Dai stepped forward and whispered in his ear: "Your Highness, could this be a marriage arranged by His Majesty for you?" Hearing this, Ning Chen's brain buzzed for a moment. He thought about it carefully. When he left the palace, his father did mention this matter. It turned out that it was the Gou family who made the arrangements? Is this an intention to keep him in Lizhou forever? How can we find out the cause of our mother’s death? Ning Chen calmed down and scanned Gou Xiaomei. Based on his first impression, he felt that Gou Xiaomei was a nice person, lively and active, and had a personality very similar to his seventeenth sister.

But he hasn't thought about getting married yet. "Hey, how can you stare at a girl like that?" Seeing Ning Chen staring at her, Gou Xiaomei couldn't help but curl her lips. Ning Chen suddenly came back to his senses, realizing that he had lost his composure, and said with a slightly red face, "Excuse me, I was lost in thought when I was thinking about something." "What do you mean by fascinated? I think you are fascinated by my appearance, right?" "Little sister, don't be rude." Gou Da Teng's face was filled with black lines. After all, Ning Chen was also a prince. How could he speak like that? Ning Chen smiled awkwardly, looked at Gou Da Teng and said, "I know what's going on, Master Gou. I haven't received the imperial decree from my father yet, but it's my blessing to be connected with the Gou family." "Your Highness, you are too polite. It is the greatest blessing for my Gou family to have a relationship with Your Highness. However, my Gou family is a family of martial arts, and my little sister is spoiled, a little willful, and unceremonious, which makes Your Highness embarrassed." Gou Da Teng was very polite. Ning Chen smiled and said, "I also practice martial arts, and I don't pay much attention to etiquette, which is quite consistent with your sister." After hearing this, Gou Xiaomei couldn't help but curl her lips. But she knew that among Emperor Ning's nine sons, the ninth prince Ning Chen was the least promising. When other princes travel, they all appear in glory. As for the Ninth Prince, no one knew he had arrived in Lizhou. Gou Da Teng was happy to see that the Ninth Prince was interested in his younger sister. It would be good if the Gou family could get close to the imperial court, at least they could still rely on the imperial court as a strong backer. However, Gou Da Teng was not aware of this, and Ning Chen felt helpless. If he had a choice, he would definitely not choose to marry the daughter of the Gou family. But he had no power in the palace, and no one would speak for him in front of his father. He has to obey any decision his father makes. After thinking about it, he thought that it would be a good idea to form a marriage with the daughter of the Gou family. After all, the Gou family has been a large family in Lizhou for thousands of years. Not only does they have prestige, but they also have three powerful people in the realm of supernatural powers. If the marriage is successful, the Gou family will become his own power. With the support of his maternal family, the Su family, he is not fighting alone. as predicted. July 20th. The imperial edict came down, and Ning Chen received it in Ding Mansion. The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict was Eunuch Hou. The imperial edict contained only two points. One was that the Ninth Prince Ning Chen was named the Prince of Li, and his fiefdom was Lizhou City. The construction of the palace was supervised by the Lizhou City Lord Nie Yongxuan. The other was that the Ninth Prince Ning Chen and the little sister Gou of the Gou family would be married. On the day the palace was completed, the two would go to Kyoto to get married. The Gou family also received the imperial edict at the same time. Gou Xiaomei was very reluctant, but finally agreed to the marriage after being "persuaded" by Gou Dateng. Ning Chen asked Yan Conglong to prepare a generous gift and visit the Gou family in person.

In the imperial edict, my father did not mention anything about the Martial Arts Alliance, but this matter was originally carried out in secret. My father made him the King of Li and had him marry into the Gou family. Perhaps he also wanted him to use the Gou family to secretly set up a branch of the Lizhou Martial Arts Alliance and form a court force. Whether for himself or for the court, Ning Chen was quite willing to accept this marriage. To the east of the city, there is a large mansion covering an area of ​​three kilometers, which is where the Gou family, the largest family in Lizhou, is located. Ning Chen came to visit early in the morning. Yan Conglong, who was with him, didn't say a word along the way. He is now a little confused about what the eldest prince wants to do? Does he want Ning Chen to die in Lizhou, or to build his own power in Lizhou? Or maybe, this idea is what Emperor Ning wants, and even the eldest prince cannot change it? But he hasn’t received any news from the eldest prince yet, and he doesn’t know what to do next? The Gou family hall. Except for the ancestor of the Gou family who did not show up, the head of the Gou family, Gou Jingxun, and another elder, Gou Jingrong, both of whom were in the realm of supernatural powers, all showed up. There are seven people in the Gou family who are in the Wanxiang Realm, including Gou Da Teng. There are quite a few people in the Tiangang Realm, more than twenty people. There are over ten thousand members of the tribe. In terms of numbers, they seem to be inferior to the largest bandit in Lizhou, Kunlongshan, but the three powerful men in the supernatural realm of the Gou family are enough to destroy Kunlongshan. Gou Jingxun, the head of the Gou family, was very polite to Ning Chen. Even though this prince was not powerful in the palace, his talent and ability were not bad at all, and he almost made it into the list of geniuses. Besides, a prince does not need to be too strong. As long as he is surrounded by strong people and capable and strong people, it will be enough. There may be a chance for a turnaround in the future. Sister Gou was sitting at the end of the hall, looking at Ning Chen's slightly happy expression, she was also feeling puzzled. "Your Highness Prince Li, I heard that you are planning to clear out the bandits in Lizhou?" Gou Jingxun asked proactively. Ning Chen nodded: "Lizhou's bandits are rampant, and my father sent me here to deal with this problem. Now that I have been crowned the King of Li, and Lizhou has become my fiefdom, I should wipe out those bandits who are causing trouble for the area." Gou Jingxun nodded repeatedly: "That's true. Lizhou has been in a mess for many years due to Dinghai Tower and the Zhuang family. It's time to clean it up." As the head of the Gou family, how could he not know what Dinghai Tower and the Zhuang family were doing? Many bandits in Lizhou were caused by those two major forces, but they did not affect the interests of his Gou family, so his family was too lazy to ask about it. After all, such matters should be handled by the imperial court. But it is different now. Since his Gou family has chosen to marry Prince Li, it means they are on the same side as the imperial court. The threat of mountain bandits in Lizhou is related to his Gou family. "Your Highness Prince Li, my Gou family will lend a helping hand in suppressing the bandits. Whether it's manpower or financial resources, my Gou family will do its best to help." Ning Chen stood up and bowed deeply to Gou Jingxun, "I would like to thank Patriarch Gou on behalf of the hundreds of millions of people in Lizhou." Gou Jingxun smiled and said, "We will all be a family soon. Your Highness Prince Li, there is no need to be polite to me." Ning Chen smiled and nodded. After leaving the Gou family, Ning Chen was in a very good mood, even happier than when he won the 157th place in the martial arts competition. For him, perhaps being named the Prince of Li is the best option. If he can manage Lizhou well and have his own trusted confidants, even if his father abdicates in the future and the eldest prince succeeds to the throne, they will not dare to touch him easily. For a moment, Ning Chen was full of expectations for the future.

After returning to the mansion, he took out the True Dragon Jade Gourd and the Golden Dragon Red Blood Pill and began to practice. ...(End of chapter)