Chapter 46: Clan Meeting (First Update)

  The Ding family is a large family with many direct and collateral relatives. Ting Hua has four brothers and sisters, and he is the eldest. In addition, there are hundreds of people in the collateral branch of the Ding family who live in Chaozhou, Meizhou and Guangdong. Although the influence of the Ding family is gradually weakening, a lean camel is bigger than a horse.

  Moreover, a more important point is that the Ding family was not united, and the decline of the Ding family also had this reason. The internal consumption to a great extent weakened the strength of the Ding family itself.

  Ding Hua had a brother, Ding Zhong was the most outstanding one in this generation of Ding family, but he couldn't take over the power of Ding family. The reason is simple, because he wasn't the eldest son, and the ancestral rule of Ding family was to pass it down to the eldest son, not the younger ones! Just because of this outdated rule, Ding Zhong was excluded.

  This is also one of Ding Zhongyin's regrets. He has no good feelings towards the Ding family, especially Ding Hua. Ding Zhong had left Chaozhou early and went to Meizhou to develop on his own, taking away a significant amount of the Ding family's power. This allowed him to develop rapidly in Meizhou. Of course, Ding Zhong is still not as powerful as Huang Dong, but he is enough to hold his own against the main branch of the Ding family.

  Today is the Ding family reunion, the New Year is approaching, so this is also a big gathering for the year. The descendants of the Ding family from outside will return to worship their ancestors and eat reunion dinner.

  The Ding family has many rules, with filial piety as the foundation. During Chinese New Year, if anyone doesn't return home, they will inevitably be kicked out of the house. Although Ding Zhong views himself highly, he dares not violate this rule. He may not submit to Ding Hua, but he always considers himself a member of the Ding family.

  Ding Zhong arrived in Chaozhou with twenty trusted followers and soon moved into the Ding family's large compound. Ding Zhong knew that this year, there was a new member joining the Ding family - Mao Fengzhi, the newlywed son-in-law of the Ding family! Last time, Ding Zhong did not attend the wedding ceremony, but only sent someone to deliver a thin gift as a gesture.

  This time he came over and met with several of his siblings, of course Ding Hua was not among them. Ding Hua's relationships are not good, and the relationship between him and several siblings is very tense. On the other hand, Ding Zhong has a good relationship with his siblings!

  Ding Zhong looked at the other three brothers and sisters, Ding Zhong was still very happy, this year they didn't meet many times, he planned to have a good chat with them, he also wanted to know what kind of person Mao Feng was!

  Listening to everyone's introduction, Ding Zhong also had a general understanding, and there was no difference with what he knew himself. Heartless and ruthless, those from the military are all like this, putting benefits first. This person must prioritize saving themselves, that is, keeping their official position as the main goal. So when this person combines with Ding Xiaoya, to a large extent they still value the depth of the Ding family. This person must know about the influence of the Ding family in Meizhou and Shantou, apart from Chaozhou. Either this person will not act, or they want to control the Ding family!

  Ding Qiang, the youngest son of the Ding family and younger brother of Ding Hua. He was in charge of matters related to Swatow (Shantou) and said: "Swatow has also almost fallen into this nephew-in-law's hands now. His subordinate Zhao Pingzhou I have met before is a very cunning person, also a ruthless killer. During his time in Swatow, it can be said that heads rolled one after another! Not only were many government officials killed, but also many landlords and gentry were slaughtered! The remaining ones are all forced to rely on the past. If Swatow goes on for another month, then there will be nothing unexpected!"

  Ding nodded and said, "This is inevitable, this is a reshuffle! If I were you, I would do the same. No one wants to have any trouble in their own territory! Stabilizing internally is the first thing to do! So what's the relationship between Zhao Pingzhou and Mao Feng?"

  Ding Qiang said in a deep voice: "From what I know, this person is Mao Feng's confidant, extremely loyal. Previously, he was Mao Feng's direct superior, but after the San Shi turmoil, it was Mao Feng himself who went to Lin Hu's front line to plead for him, and only then did he escape. Mao Feng didn't hold past grudges, and still let this person become a regiment commander, and from that moment on, this person devoted his heart!"

  "Ah, broad-minded and full of vigor, this person has reached such a high position at a young age, it's not without reason! In today's chaotic world, many talents have emerged, but someone as young as him is truly rare!"

  Ding Qiang continued: "I also know a piece of news, Second Brother. I heard that Yang Yongtai has also been subdued by this person and serves as his senior advisor."

  "What did you say? Are these words true?" Ding Zhong sat up straight and asked in shock.

  Ding Qiang was stunned and said hesitantly, "Second brother, I also can't guarantee this. Besides, although Yang Yongtai has been glorious before, there's no need for him to be like this, right?"

  Ding Zhong said with a hint of dissatisfaction: "I've investigated this person, and they're not ordinary. They have a wealth of talent, and come up with a plan every three steps. Although it's a bit exaggerated, it's enough to illustrate their ability. How many people can become the leader of a province at such a young age? Moreover, this person has many friends, and if they were to rally support, many would flock to Mao Feng's side. If Mao Feng establishes a foothold and focuses on development, he'll be unstoppable!"

  Ding Qiang stuttered a bit and said, "Isn't this exaggerating a bit? Although I admit that this nephew-in-law is quite the character, but to say he's on the level of a dragon, isn't that a bit too much?"

  Ding Zhonghen said with a sigh, "Naive! Do you think those big shots who became famous were always that way? Wasn't Yuan the Great President also not like that in the beginning? How old is this person now? If he had this position in the previous dynasty, wouldn't that be just a provincial governor at most? And even if it's just an assistant governor, it wouldn't be excessive! Who in Chao Mei Village has more power than him now? Most importantly, Lin Hu can entrust his family business to this person with such peace of mind, which further proves this person's talent! It's hard not to admire him, and even you and I are no match for him!"

  The two younger sisters of Ding have already married, one to Nanjing and the other to Guangzhou, both are local prestigious families. They also didn't know much about Mao Feng, and now they heard this, their faces changed color.

  Ding Fang, the third child in the family, was married to the Xu family in Nanjing. Unlike sons who need to return home every year, daughters are not comparable and are like spilled water once they get married. So Ding Fang is also visiting her hometown for the first time in five years!

  Ding Fang said: "I heard a lot of news in Nanjing, it is said that Guangdong is now the focus, President Sun has sent troops, and will soon govern Guangdong. What good outcome can Mao Feng still have?"

  "Women's views, what do you know? Sanmei, if this person settles in Chaozhou, then according to Sun Da Zongtong's character, how should he be? Although Chaozhou is not as prosperous as Guangzhou, don't forget that Chaozhou is also a rich area, it's Yue Dong! Do you want a safe and sound Yue Dong or a desolate Yue Dong? Can't you calculate this deal?"

  Ding Zhong let out a low sigh and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, this person will definitely reach out to Meizhou. I'm sure that at this clan meeting, he will make his move!"

  "Hiss!" The others also took a deep breath, and they all thought that the second brother was right! It's very possible! Ding Zhong hummed: "If it really comes to that point, I can only lower my head!"

  "Second brother, will this work?" Ding Qiang asked hesitantly.

  Looking at his anxious younger brother, Ding Zhong sighed and said: "Ding Hua is our elder brother and the master of the Ding family. His son-in-law is Mao Feng, isn't that different? Outsiders will inevitably think that the Ding family is standing on this person's side! We want to be impartial, but who would believe us? Retaliation is inevitable, it's not unexpected if we get completely destroyed!"

  。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

  Although there is still more than a month before the Lunar New Year, the situation outside is becoming increasingly tense. Zhu Peide's troops have captured Zhaoqing, and their military strength is already pointing towards Guangzhou. Lin Hu's troops are still making slow progress in Longyan, because Xu Chongzhi's troops concentrated their main force to attack the First Division, Lin Hu had to mobilize the Second Division to counterbalance it, this confrontation is a test of who has more patience, who will be the first to reveal weaknesses, only then will there be results.

  Mao Feng naturally knew that the Ding family would be very lively this year, and they had to hold an ancestral worship ceremony before the New Year. With more than a month to go, half of the big and small relatives of the Ding family had already arrived!

  Mao Feng didn't have time to go, and Ding Xiaoya could represent herself for now. It's not the right time yet. Mao Feng has been discussing with Yang Yongtai for two days, and he is more devoted to winning over Yang Yongtai. Their midnight conversations are frequent, and their topics of discussion cover a wide range, including history and geography.

  Yang Yongtai did not think that Mao Feng would know so much, although in some aspects he was not as good as himself. But can this be compared? In any case, this person is now in control of the military power, and although the number of people is still small, once the situation becomes favorable, will it be difficult for these horses to gather together?

  Yang Yongtai also paid close attention to Mao Fengzhi's troops. Although he was not from a military background, he had seen many armies before. From Mao Fengzhi's troops, he felt that this army had high morale and was very united. The Guangdong Army, which had always been exclusive, having an army like Mao Fengzhi's made it seem quite exceptional. This also made Yang Yongtai look at Mao Fengzhi with even more admiration, not just once or twice, but three times!

  What's more important than military power in this chaotic world? With troops, you can have money and turn the tide anywhere. This is exactly what I lack, if I had a loyal and combat-effective army at that time, why would I be so miserable? But I'm not material for doing military affairs either, it's just fate! Yang Yongtai sighed silently in his heart.

  Thank you for the generous reward from Kaixin Flower! Thank you for your support! I hope readers who like this book will collect it and give strong support!