Chapter 43: Laying One's Cards on the Table (Second Update)

  Although Mao Feng was delighted to hear the news from Swatow, his joy did not last long. The main force of Yunnan and Guizhou troops had already launched a fierce attack on Guangdong Province like a broken bamboo, and western Guangdong would soon be unable to withstand it. At that time, the army's edge would point directly at eastern Guangdong! Currently, Chen Jiongming will definitely not be able to hold Guangzhou!

  Mao Feng is also worried about the situation on the side of the commander, the Fujian warlord is not a vegetarian, with many people and great strength, unless they can be defeated one by one, but this is simply unrealistic! The anti-foreign sentiment in Fujian is no less than that in Guangdong! The future is worrying! If Lin Hu doesn't make good preparations, I'm afraid the situation will be irretrievable!

  His heart was racing with anxiety, his gums were red and swollen, he had no appetite for food, and this sight made Ding Xiangya feel distressed.

  Ding Xiaoya expressed concern and said: "Feng Zhe, what's wrong? Although women can't ask about some things, but if you go on like this, your body won't be able to take it! What is it that's going on, maybe I can still offer some advice."

  Mao Feng's bitter smile looked at Ding Xiao Ya and said, "This is nothing, some things you don't have to care about, the current situation is very dangerous, if we're not careful, I'm afraid we'll really have to escape to Hong Kong!"

  Ding Xiaoya was taken aback, but then she furrowed her delicate eyebrows and said: "Is it Mr. Sun who has arrived? In that case, there's no need to flee far away! As long as the upper and lower classes of Chaozhou City are united in their hearts, Mr. Sun is not a ruthless and cruel person, and when the time comes, he will be waiting for amnesty."

  Mao Feng sighed and said, "But how can I repay the kindness of Generalissimo's promotion? As a soldier, what we value most is loyalty! If I do this, how will others view me?"

  Ding Xiaoya disagreed and said: "It depends on who it is, maybe if you follow Mr. Sun, that's abandoning the darkness for the light, but continuing to stay here might be helping the wicked!"

  Mao Feng's face stiffened, and Ding Xiao Ya knew she had spoken a bit too heavily. She felt a little nervous and looked at Mao Feng, seeing that his expression hadn't turned gloomy. She let out a sigh of relief and said: "I didn't mean it like that, I'm also concerned about you. You're now the head of the household, if something were to happen to you, what would I do?"

  It's rare to see Ding Xiyue so weak, which made Mao Feng extremely surprised, and the anger in his heart also dissipated. He joked: "When did you, this tigress, become so weak? Does anyone else not know about your reputation as Ding Xiyue?"

  Ding Xiaoya listened and coquettishly said: "Who speaks like that? I'm just concerned about you!"

  Mao Feng nodded and said: "I understand this, if it really doesn't work out, then there's no other way! However, I must ensure the safety of General Da, otherwise we'll fight to the death!"

  Ding Xiaoya said: "I think it's best to contact each family and persuade the heads of the Huang and Dong families. I'll go talk to Father, as long as these three families agree, the rest of the people won't be a problem. As long as the people in Chaozhou City are united, you can come and go freely. Mr. Sun is a man who does great things, he won't worry about gains and losses!"

  Here is the translation:

  Once again, Sun Da-pao's character was brought up. Mao Feng didn't quite believe it. In this day and age, what's most important is interest. And right now, what Sun Da-pao values most is having his own foundation, which is in Guangdong. Anyone who gets in his way, he won't hesitate to remove them. Similarly, for the sake of unifying the country, didn't he compromise with the powerful nations? Didn't he make concessions to Yun and Dai as well as the big shots within the party? However, precisely because of this, this person's reputation is very high now, but his military power is insufficient - that's his weakness. At present, the only troops he truly controls are those under Xu Chongzhi. If at that time he really had to defect, he would definitely agree. Although thinking this way, it's still necessary to be prepared!

  Mao Feng never had the intention of being a true enemy with Sun Dapao from the bottom of his heart, he was just doing this because of Lin Hu's reason, he is not an ungrateful person, although he knows what will happen to Sun Dapao in the future and how the situation will develop next, but he won't forget righteousness for personal gain, in this era, one must have some achievements, some things can't be lost! Loyalty and righteousness are among them.

  At night, Yue Lou was bustling with activity. Mao Feng had already booked the place and was hosting a banquet for the local gentry and celebrities of Chaozhou, including the three family heads and the wealthy merchants and landlords. Who among them wasn't a fat cat? Mao Feng sat proudly at the head table in the most prominent position.

  These people at the table are the most important figures in Chaozhou, Ding Hua sat on the left side of the first seat due to Mao Feng's relationship, and the right side of the first seat was Huang Kui, followed by Dong Hao, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, and several major landowners in Chaozhou were also present.

  Nothing was discussed at the beginning, all were romantic and interesting stories about life. Half an hour later, with cups clinking, the atmosphere of the banquet reached its peak, many people were joyfully saying that it was no less than the grand wedding day of Mr. Mao.

  The feeling of Mao Feng has come out, and it is felt that Huang Kui and Dong Hao are indeed sincere in their desire to rely on themselves. However, what makes oneself feel unexpected is that one's own Tai Shan master is actually evasive in his words, and does not truly intend to rely on oneself.

  Mao Feng was somewhat dissatisfied with this father-in-law, is this still one's own family? Must I really cherish your little family business? You actually treat that little family business of yours as a rare treasure?

  Mao Feng is very clear about what his father-in-law is thinking, he just dreams of putting his family back at the top, he's afraid that this son-in-law will take away his family business! It's really hard to understand, if it wasn't for his own help, he would have been swallowed up by the Huang and Dong families a long time ago!

  At this time, Dong Hao put down his wine cup and smiled: "Commander, the current situation is chaotic, we don't know what will happen in the future. Here, I'd like to ask Commander to introduce us?"

  Mao Feng smiled and put down his chopsticks, saying: "At present, Yun Guizhou's Zhu Peide and Yang Ximin have entered Guangxi, Chen Jiongming is about to resist! The commander-in-chief has already taken over Yongding and Wuping counties in Longyan, and is now pushing towards Longyan City. It won't be long before Longyan is also captured!"

  Dong Hao laughed and said: "So it's really a great joy! General can win, that is our blessing!"

  Huang Kui hesitated and said, "But if Guangzhou in the west falls, we will be in danger here. I heard that Zhu Peide and Yang Ximin's troops are very powerful! With a strong military force, relying solely on Commander's small number of men is probably not enough!"

  Mao Feng listened without any displeasure. He knew that Huang Kui and Dong Hao understood his temperament, which was good, as it would make their interactions more pleasant.

  Mao Feng's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Although my troops are not that numerous, I still have confidence in defending Chaozhou City. Besides, Sun Dapao has always been known for his patriotic image; does he want to see the city of Chaozhou laid waste?"

  "What if...?"

  Mao Feng's waving hand interrupted Huang Kui's words, and he said resolutely: "There is no room for compromise. If I can't even do this, what face would Mao Feng have to drink and chat with you all here?"

  Yang Yongtai, who was sitting at the end of the table next to Mao Feng, stood up and said: "Everyone, the commander means that even if he goes to his death, he won't drag you all down with him! Moreover, the current situation is still unclear, it's too early to say now!"

  As soon as Yang Yongtai's voice fell, Dong Hao spoke up and said: "I don't know who you are..."

  Yang Yongtai smiled slightly, and Mao Feng introduced: "Forgive me, forgive me! I forgot to introduce him to you all. This is Yang Yongtai, the former head of the Guangdong Provincial Government!"

  "Ah!" The crowd gasped in unison, Dong Hao and Huang Kui exchanged a glance, while Ding Hua's expression changed as he stared fixedly at Yang Yongtai.

  Yang Yongtai's name was particularly famous in Guangdong, especially in the eastern part of the province. Dong Hao and others had naturally heard of it. Huang Kui said solemnly: "I didn't expect it to be Officer Yang who came here. I'm really blind to Mount Tai, please forgive me for any previous mistakes!"

  Dong Hao also spoke up at this time: "I have offended you many times before, please forgive me, Hai Han, Hai Han!"

  Yang Yongtai stood up politely and said: "Those are all past events, I am now just a white body, looked down upon by Commander Meng, this is why I have come out of the mountain again. Now I am just Commander's senior advisor, you don't need to be too polite, everything is as usual!"

  Although it is said so, but the crowd will not be like that. If it really is, then it's just brainless and extremely ignorant! Huang Kui and three other family heads all separately toasted with Yang Yongtai, and their conversation was quite familiar.

  It's been another period of time, and Mao Feng finally smiled at the people present and said: "Everyone, thank you for your support this time. I'm very happy, but at the same time, I also hope that everyone can work together with me. What do you think?"

  As expected, the Dong and Huang families immediately agreed, while Ding Hua of the Ding family hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. With these three families agreeing, the rest naturally followed suit and also agreed.

  After the banquet was over, Mao Fengzhi invited them to visit his mansion, but now it's getting late and many people declined, however, there were still some who wanted to go, including Huang, Dong, Ding and several landlords.

  Seeing these people, Mao Feng naturally understood that they were going to follow him, while some others might be fence-sitters. Of course, Ding Hua was still an uncertain case.

  Drinking tea, listening to the tune, this atmosphere is also great. The singer was invited by Mao Feng, it's rare for Mao Feng to be so generous, so everyone present is in a good mood! From time to time, they also clapped their hands and nodded their heads along with the rhythm.

  Mao Feng spoke up at this time, saying: "This time I won't hide it from you all, the situation is very precarious! Guangzhou can hardly be defended, and the commander-in-chief's side will also inevitably be restrained by Xu Chongzhi's troops. Once the Yunnan and Guizhou troops launch an attack from behind, the commander-in-chief will absolutely not be able to resist. Do you all have any ideas?"

  Everyone's expression changed suddenly, the one who was shaking his head stopped, and those who were clapping their hands also froze. They all stared at Mao Feng, they were all stunned.