"Cong'er." Duan Mu An Guo spoke up, "Don't worry. Father will definitely give you a chance to get revenge for Qing'er, but now is not the time. Right now, what we need to do is conserve our strength and grow. We must then help Da Shun tidy up the formidable opponent in Qian Zhou. When both sides are tired and wounded, that will be our chance to take action."
Duan Mu Cong took a deep breath and suppressed the hatred inside his heart then nodded, saying: "Father is reasonable. Right now, there are 40 officials from Da Shun that have come to the North. They have also brought along their families. With these people here, even if we cannot completely empty out Da Shun, we've taken half."
Duan Mu An Guo's face became cold. He was not too optimistic about this matter, saying: "The ones that could come to the North are definitely people that have not heard about the situation here. To Da Shun, these people are of little importance. But it's fine. Even if they are of little importance, at least their numbers are high. Even if they want to replenish their numbers, they cannot fill such a big hole. For a long time, they will not be able to fill up that hole. These people must be kept in Song Zhou. No matter what the method, even if they need to be locked, just lock them all up."
Duan Mu Cong quickly said: "Father, don't worry. These people have already been separated into their own inns. Son has already dispatched soldiers to stand guard. This is the North. It's not the capital. Even if they manage to understand and wish to escape, it will be incredibly difficult. Based on the registration of the people that entered Guan Zhou, we have already dispatched a large number of people to control their families. With control of their families, these people will have no choice but to listen to us."
Duan Mu An Guo sighed to himself. This eldest son of his really was not quite as mentally flexible, and he was lacking in vision. When he considered matters, he would only think down a singular line. He would never know how to turn. This was also the reason that he had given the title of deputy leader to his eldest grandson, rather than his eldest son.
He helplessly shook his head and said; "The North is too far from the central region. These people have also come from all over. Just how many people are you going to dispatch? Or how many secret letters are you going to send out? How could Da Shun's courts not notice such a large shift in populations. Moreover, by the time our people found their families, who knows what sorts of countermeasures the enemy might have, especially the ones that can come up with ideas rapidly. Cong'er, oh, Cong'er, if you were as sharp as Qing'er, I wouldn't need to worry about leaving this land without a leader."
Duan Mu Cong became angry over what his father had said, but he still could not understand, "Aside from this, what else can be done?"
Duan Mu An Guo sneered, telling him: "Why do we need to do it ourselves. We just need to make an announcement saying that these officials have already committed themselves to the three northern provinces. They have already committed themselves to my Duan Mu family. As for their families, Da Shun's courts will naturally take care of them for us. As for these people, they can be controlled with some empty words. Could it be that you believe that they have the ability to get out of Song Zhou and investigate on their own?"
When Duan Mu Cong heard this, his face alternated between turning red and white. He quickly stood up and said: "Then son will go and hand down the new orders." After saying this, he quickly left.
Duan Mu An Guo sighed deeply. It was as though he had aged ten years. His rigid posture also collapsed slightly. His strong and hearty mental state also showed a bit of wilting. The bone-piercingly cold aura that was akin to the frigid North had also begun to gradually dissipate. An old look appeared on his face.
In the end, he was old. Even if he did not want to admit it, his body had already begun to remind him from time to time that it was worse than before. Qian Zhou had a grand ambition. From the beginning, it had been anxious to get its hands on Da Shun's land. This was fine, and he was only too anxious for Qian Zhou to begin fighting with Da Shun. If possible, he would even secretly provide Qian Zhou with some support. It would be best if he could manage to get Qian Zhou into the palace of the central region. Once this bird took flight, his Duan Mu family would immediately turn around and attack Qian Zhou.
556-560
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