Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 627

Thinking of this, Kou Yu couldn't help but comment, "This middle-ground strategy is not bad."

After speaking, he paused, then asked, "So what is the best course of action?"

Hearing his younger brother's words, Kou Xuan gave him a deep look and then uttered a few words indifferently.

Kou Yu was stunned for a moment, then stood up in shock and said, "This is the best strategy?"

Kou Xuan smiled and nodded, then slowly began to explain to him.

Kou Yu's brows were initially furrowed, but gradually, they relaxed.

After hearing this, Kou Yu couldn't help but comment, "Brother... that's too bold."

Kou Xuan simply smiled and remained silent.

.....

The next two days.

With the help of the dark soldiers, Princess Xi's side gradually turned the tide and even began to gain the upper hand.

After all, the Dark Soldiers are very strong and don't need to eat, drink, or relieve themselves.

Coupled with their "racial talent"—the ability to walk in the shadows—they are practically born intelligence agents and assassins.

In comparison, the Cataclysm is far inferior.

As a result, the Kou family's intelligence system suffered repeated setbacks, and some mid-level members began to be assassinated repeatedly.

In a short time, the middle management of the Kou family also suffered considerable losses.

This turn of events led the Kou family to shift from expansion to contraction, and they began to team up high-level and low-level Cataclysm users to carry out missions together.

This somewhat curbed the collapse of the intelligence system.

Just as the situation at Shelter 6 reached a balance once again, Qiu Tu was sitting in his office, looking at the woman across from him with a half-smile, and said, "What did you say?"

"You mean... Kou Xuan wants me to support them in winning control of the Sixth Sanctuary?"

"The conditions offered were over a dozen beautiful alien women from the Cataclysmic Creatures, over a dozen boxes of Cataclysmic Materials, 'Yamagen' (a type of plant), and... location number two in the shelter?"

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Chapter 568 The Kou Family: Qiu Tu Takes Charge of the 6th Shelter! (10,000 words, seeking monthly votes)

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, the woman sitting opposite him nodded gently and then said softly, "Lord Qiu, my brother did indeed say that."

Upon hearing the woman's words, Qiu Tu's gaze fell upon her.

The woman before me was very beautiful, with a small, delicate face and a straight, petite nose. Her eyes exuded a gentle and captivating charm.

She wasn't like Zhao Ji, an icy beauty, nor like Guan Xiao, a woman whose charm didn't reach her core. Instead, at first glance, you could tell she was a well-educated and refined young lady from a prestigious family.

Such a temperament cannot be cultivated in one or two generations. It would be extremely rare even in Qiu Tu's previous life, let alone in a time of catastrophe and chaos.

The woman's name was Su Wanqing, and she was Kou Xuan and Kou Yu's cousin.

Her mother and Kou Xuan and Kou Yu's father were siblings, so she could be considered half a member of the Kou family.

Qiu Tu was just going to work as usual today, continuing to solidify the foundation of the four states, when Guan Xiao brought her over.

According to Guan Xiao, Su Wanqing arrived in Dongye Prefecture at noon today.

After arriving in Dongye Prefecture, she used the contact information left by the 6th Shelter Mission to contact the Security Bureau and request an audience with Qiu Tu.

Guan Xiao contacted Qiu Tu's secretary, Tao Yaoyao, and after confirming that Qiu Tu had time, she took the initiative to bring Su Wanqing over.

Qiu Tu was also very curious about Su Wanqing's arrival, wanting to know her identity and what she wanted to do, so he met with her.

As a result, Su Wanqing gave Qiu Tu a surprise right from the start: the Kou family wanted to make peace? And they even offered more favorable terms than Princess Xi?

This unexpected move was something Qiu Tu hadn't anticipated.

The enemy surrendered before the war even started? And now they want to merge with you?

Could there be some kind of conspiracy hidden here?

Therefore, he did not give his answer immediately. Instead, while his mind raced, analyzing the Kou family's true intentions, he tentatively asked,

"If I agree to your conditions, what will you do with Princess Xi and Prince Kang?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Su Wanqing softly said, "What my brother means is that, in order to ensure a stable transition for the 6th Sanctuary, the Crown Prince of Kang should return to the sanctuary and continue to be the 'nominal ruler'."

Her voice was like a clear mountain spring, crisp and melodious, yet with a softness rarely seen in women from Northwest China; every word fell on people's hearts like a light feather.

"As for Princess Xi, because she plotted to harm the Queen and Prince Kang, her crime is unforgivable, so she must be executed."

“Of course…” Su Wanqing paused for a moment, then added meaningfully, “What my brother means is: because you need to establish your authority, you should be the one to execute Princess Xi.”

After speaking, Su Wanqing gave Qiu Tu a deep look, full of meaning.

Qiu Tu understood the Kou family's meaning almost instantly: the Prince of Kang could not die, but the Princess Consort of Xi had to "die".

As for whether she's truly dead or not, the Kou family doesn't care. As long as Princess Xi leaves the political arena of the Sixth Sanctuary, that's enough.

Whether she is kept as a caged bird by Qiu Tu or truly put to death depends entirely on Qiu Tu's will.

In any case, in the history books, it's just the same sentence.

It must be said that if Qiu Tu didn't believe the Kou family's pleas for peace before, he now does believe them to some extent.

Thinking this through, Qiu Tu asked again, "With our cooperation, how do I get involved in the internal affairs of the 6th Shelter?"

Su Wanqing looked up at Qiu Tu. Her small, delicate face was as white as milk, and her eyebrows were like distant mountains, long and curved, like the mountains that were faintly visible in the light mist, exuding a gentle and quiet temperament.

She said softly, "My brother said... just as you planned. Send an envoy to the Sixth Sanctuary to find out what's going on, and then have him die on the Sixth Sanctuary's territory."

"Afterwards, this was used as an excuse to send troops to the 6th shelter."

Upon hearing Su Wanqing's words, Qiu Tu's expression remained unchanged, but his gaze sharpened slightly.

A few days ago, Princess Xi also discussed the same issue with him, asking how to get involved in the internal affairs of the Sixth Sanctuary. (Chapter 566)

Qiu Tu kept it a secret at the time and didn't answer. But in fact, it had already been designed long ago.

As a person with Han Chinese blood, Qiu Tu naturally inherited the fine traditions of the "Han Dynasty".

I never interfere in the internal affairs of other countries—unless, by the other party, eliminates my envoy first.

When the Han Dynasty sent envoys to the Western Regions, they captured the king, destroyed the country, and manipulated the empress dowager, all to find a pretext for military action.

Qiu Tu originally wanted to try it too, but unexpectedly, Kou Xuan guessed it perfectly...

'This is interesting....'

Thinking this, Qiu Tu felt little emotional, but a smile appeared on his face.

He smiled and said, "Miss Wanqing is joking."

“Your brother is probably joking with you. How could we, the people of Shelter No. 8, do such a thing?”

Su Wanqing smiled gently, neither arguing nor agreeing, but simply sitting there quietly watching Qiu Tu.

For some reason, Qiu Tu found the woman in front of him rather interesting, so he quickly made a third attempt to probe her, "Miss Wanqing, the conditions offered by your Kou family are indeed quite good."

"But... I'm worried about your sincerity."

"So... could some of the conditions be fulfilled ahead of schedule?"

Su Wanqing smiled gently, her eyes like a clear spring, with a hazy, misty quality like that of Jiangnan in the rain. "My brother said it's okay."

"He can send you those dozen or so exotic beauties beforehand."

Hearing Su Wanqing's words, Qiu Tu was momentarily speechless with laughter. He said, "In your brother's eyes, am I really that kind of lecherous man?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wanqing looked at Qiu Tu with a charming smile, and then asked in return, "Isn't that... the case?"

"hiss...."

These words were a bit too direct, and Qiu Tu felt slightly offended.

So he looked at Su Wanqing, leaned back slowly, took out a cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and said with a half-smile, "Looks like my image with you siblings isn't so good, is it?"

"However... since you all know I'm a lecher, why did you even come here to negotiate with me?"

At this point, Qiu Tu lit a cigarette, and through the swirling smoke, he narrowed his eyes as he looked at Su Wanqing, "Could it be... a honey trap?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's reckless words, Su Wanqing's expression froze, and her hands on her knees clenched slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

She looked at Qiu Tu and said with a charming smile, "Lord Qiu is too kind."

“If a brother uses his sisters as bargaining chips, he will be ridiculed by others.”

"But right now, Princess Xi is causing trouble at the 6th Sanctuary, and my two elder brothers have to stay in the central command and can't come to talk to you in person, so they have no choice but to send a lowly woman like me as their envoy."

"I never expected that Lord Qiu would make fun of me because of this."

Su Wanqing's words were a barb in disguise. On the surface, it was an explanation, but in reality, it was a taunt that Qiu Tu couldn't win the argument and was taking advantage of her, a young woman, with his words.

However, Qiu Tu was thick-skinned and didn't care at all about such a mild counterattack.

He even leaned back in his chair and seriously considered the Kou family's cooperation proposal.

It must be said that through several tests with Su Wanqing, Qiu Tu also considered the reasons why the Kou family wanted to cooperate with him.

It's actually quite simple: the Kou family had no choice.

Currently, Qiu Tu's high-end combat force is the strongest in the entire Northwest region.

And given that Princess Xi has won over Qiu Tu, and Qiu Tu is 100% likely to participate.

The Kou family has only two options to avoid being targeted in the "decapitation strike":

1. Surrender directly.

2. Seek external assistance.

Beyond these two options, Kou Xuan took a different approach and chose a third path: to choose with Qiu Tu.

This was indeed a brilliant move. A direct surrender would be tantamount to admitting defeat, and the Kou family's thousand-year-old legacy could be destroyed in an instant.

And seek outside help...

Here comes the problem.

Qiu Tu and Zhao Ji are experts who have joined forces to kill two level 6 evil gods.

Bringing in a Tier 6 outside helper would at most be a way to intimidate Qiu Tu with his background.

If Qiu Tu really does throw a tantrum and overturn the table, then even if Qiu Tu is targeted by the forces behind the outside help afterwards, it won't be of much use to the already destroyed Kou family.

And more importantly... hiring outside help also requires resources and comes at a cost.

Since we're going to make sacrifices anyway, why not use those resources and sacrifices to win over Qiu Tu?

After all... at most, a foreign player can only be traded one for one with Qiu Tu. If they can really poach Qiu Tu, then Princess Xi will have no one backing her.

At that time, as long as Qiu Tu defectes, given the balance of power between the two sides, the Kou family will likely be able to completely control the 6th Shelter in a very short period of time.

It's like paying one "price" to do two things.

It's much more cost-effective than hiring foreign help.

However... compared to the Xi Princess, who is easier to control but has a weak foundation, the Kou family is not a good partner for Qiu Tu.

A family with a thousand-year history, deeply rooted. No one can fathom how many trump cards the Kou family holds, how many disciples and former officials they have.

Power nominally originates from the upper levels, but in reality it originates from the lower levels.

Once you reach the level of Shelter One or Two, there's no one left above you. So, it's just a matter of how much actual power you can gain.

Given the Kou family's control over the 6th shelter, to be honest, even if Qiu Tu had a cheat code like the "Loyalty Game," it would still take him a long time to make trouble.

Therefore, all other things being equal, Qiu Tu would definitely give priority to Princess Xi.

Moreover, Qiu Tu and the Kou family have another irreconcilable point: Qiu Tu wants to use the 6th Shelter as a stepping stone to advance to the 6th rank, or even the peak of the 6th rank.

Therefore, after becoming the number two person in the 6th shelter, he will definitely seek the number one position.

At that time, Qiu Tu will still clash with the Kou family again.

In comparison, Princess Xi's situation is much easier to handle.