Super Soldier in the City
Chapter 1317 - 1367: Recruiting Soldiers and Buying Horses

Chapter 1317: Chapter 1367: Recruiting Soldiers and Buying Horses

This incident certainly can’t be easily overlooked. Even though Chen ZhiYuan and his team’s enforcement had issues and wasn’t entirely lawful, Su Mengxin and the others flagrantly attacked law enforcement officials, which is undoubtedly a very serious matter. The Song Family and Sunx Family are naturally going to make a big deal out of this.

However, just as they were about to take action, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection suddenly arrived in the provincial capital to conduct a large-scale investigation. This immediately made both families hesitant to act recklessly. Even if they could find faults with the Li family, at most they could only detain the attackers for a few days. But for those involved in the bureaucracy, they might face severe consequences, and a number of them could be removed. Every officer who enters the Provincial Department is cultivated with great effort by these two families. Losing them would make it exceedingly difficult to re-cultivate others of the same caliber. After weighing the pros and cons, both families decided not to leverage bureaucratic influence for now to avoid greater losses.

Once bureaucratic power was taken off the table, the Song Family and Sunx Family suddenly realized that in their struggle with the Li family, they didn’t seem to have a significant advantage. They were accustomed to wielding authority and using it to crush opponents directly. Now, without that leverage, they had to rely on commercial competition and personal strength.

In terms of business, they still had a considerable advantage. After years of operations, their assets were countless, far surpassing that of Li Yifei’s corporation. But when it came to personal strength, they lacked a clear edge. Li Yifei himself was an incredibly formidable individual. If it came down to sheer power, he alone could annihilate them.

This realization caused them to worry about their safety. Both families promptly began large-scale recruitment efforts, spending heavily to attract skilled fighters to bolster their strengths. With their ample funds, their actions indeed drew many people to their ranks.

The Li family quickly caught wind of this. Every move made by the opposing side was firmly within their grasp. Brother Hu, dispatched by Li Yifei to the provincial capital, had not only expanded his influence but also primarily monitored the activities of these prominent families. That strategic maneuver was now yielding excellent results.

With the bureaucratic intervention halted, this was undoubtedly great news for the Li family. No matter how strong one’s power, confronting law enforcement always requires caution. So, upon receiving the news, everyone was quite pleased. Yet amidst the joy, the family also analyzed the current situation carefully.

"Hubby, now that both families are recruiting heavily, if they go all out against us, shouldn’t we also make additional preparations? Why don’t we recruit some people as well?" Lin Qiong, who had been idle recently, had fully devoted herself to Li family affairs. She was the first to offer her opinion.

Li Yifei shook his head and said, "No need. First of all, their recruitment is not for offensive purposes but defensive. They fear I might use brute force and directly storm their gates. So their hiring is for self-protection. Secondly, those recruits won’t have sufficient loyalty or be as effective. In our Li family, everyone is top-tier. Bringing in those unqualified individuals would not help but instead cause negative consequences."

Xu Yingying chimed in, "But we must still pay attention to their movements. Once they’re at a disadvantage, there’s no guarantee they won’t resort to underhanded tactics. So everyone should be extra cautious when going out in the future."

He Fangqing nodded in agreement and added, "Aside from strengthening our protection efforts, we need to enhance our own skills. We can’t solely rely on hubby and our Dual Cultivation sessions. Since we already have True Qi within us, we must practice harder and improve ourselves."

He Fangqing’s suggestion resonated deeply. Recently, everyone had grown accustomed to relying on effortless improvements through intimate connections with Li Yifei, without putting much effort into personal growth. It was time for them to make their own strides forward.

"By the way, Xiaofei, why don’t you join your Brother Li for some Dual Cultivation?" Zheng Yuling teased Meng Xiaofei with a mischievous smile.

Meng Xiaofei scrunched her neck and sprang out of her seat, protesting, "I don’t go out, and I don’t need martial arts training. I’m perfectly fine staying at home. My little goldfish must be hungry—I’m going to feed them now." With that, she dashed away.

Everyone burst into laughter. Su Mengxin chuckled and said, "Hubby, why are you so indulgent with Xiaofei, letting her be so unruly?"

Li Yifei laughed and responded, "Let her be. If she enjoys playing, just let her play."

"You’re really spoiling her. That’s so unfair," said Xu Yingying with a smile.

Li Yifei grinned and said, "You could always send her to my room tonight. I’ll straighten her out."

"Sure thing. Just wait for tonight." Lin Qiong immediately chimed in, eliciting laughter once again.

Compared to the tense atmosphere in the Song Family and Sunx Family, the Li family’s mood remained rather relaxed. Everyone then turned their attention to Xu Shanshan. Ning Xin’er playfully asked, "Hubby, why is there no progress between you and Shanshan?"

Chu Xiaoyao, who was staying home due to these turbulent times, joined in with a cheeky smile and said, "Exactly! I’m still waiting to see you with Sister Yingying and Sister Shanshan together. Sisters united! That’d definitely be mind-blowing and thrilling."

Xiao Ling’er teased, "Oh yes, just imagining it makes me excited. Shanshan, what are you waiting for?"

Zheng Yuling laughed heartily and said, "Ling’er, aren’t you due soon? You’re still thinking about this stuff? Even if you could watch, you won’t be able to participate by then. That’d just make you more miserable!"

Xiao Ling’er pulled a face and complained, "Ah, I forgot about that. Why hasn’t the baby arrived yet? Giving birth really delays things."

Xu Yingying blushed slightly, while Xu Shanshan rolled her eyes and said, "Like hell it’s that easy. He’s hogged my sister all to himself and hasn’t shown me the slightest gesture. Do you think I’d agree so easily? I’d feel cheated—he’d need to pursue me properly for at least a year or so before I’d reconsider."

"It won’t take that long, right? We’ll be waiting forever," Li Xinyue joked.

Xu Shanshan sighed and said, "This is for your sake. If I agree too quickly, he’d lose interest in no time and might start chasing someone else. Keeping him hooked will keep his attention away from others, and prevent our family from growing too big."

Li Yifei immediately scowled and said, "Do I look like that kind of guy?"

"Yes!" The women unanimously shouted, watching Li Yifei’s face darken further, then erupted in laughter.

Although Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan’s relationship was now no longer a secret and didn’t need to be hidden, the two genuinely hadn’t had much time together recently. On the one hand, there was the family conflict; on the other, Li Yifei had been spending his evenings helping everyone with Dual Cultivation to enhance their strength.

Xu Shanshan wasn’t in a rush either. Free of pressure now, she wanted to enjoy the sweetness of romance. Perhaps it was a universal trait of women—during tough times, sneaking moments to be intimate with Li Yifei was treasured, but now that nothing was holding them back, she preferred to take things slowly.

After some joking around, Xu Yingying steered the discussion back to the main topic—commercial competition. This appeared to be the most pressing issue for the Li family, given that this was seemingly their weakest area.

He Fangqing, a data enthusiast, stated, "Currently, the Li family’s assets are roughly 15 billion yuan. In contrast, the Song Family’s assets amount to approximately 50 billion yuan, and although the Sunx Family’s assets are slightly less, they still total at least 30 billion yuan. Combined, their assets are more than five times ours. Engaging in commercial warfare leaves us with very little chance of victory."

Lin Qiong furrowed her brows and said, "That’s quite a stark gap. This won’t be easy to manage."

Ye Yunzhu remarked, "The assets He Fangqing referred to are the ones we can currently account for. In reality, these prominent families have accumulated far more over the years, with substantial hidden wealth that’s impossible to estimate. Our Li family’s assets, however, are currently limited to a few core areas. While operational conditions are decent, we’re not yet at a stage of massive profitability, so asset growth will remain slow."

Xu Yingying shook her head and said, "While their size appears to be our weakness, it’s not entirely discouraging. Many long-established corporations—particularly family-controlled enterprises—have numerous internal vulnerabilities. Take the company I used to work for, for example: at the headquarters, nepotism was rampant, everyone fought for power, and decision-making was consistently poor. Few truly cared about the company’s development. With no drive for progress, they clung to their old foundation, which worked fine until problems arose; then, one issue could bring the entire company down."

Su Mengxin nodded in agreement and said, "Yingying is absolutely right. Don’t be fooled by how vast the assets of these families are; they have serious flaws. If we can identify their weaknesses, we’ll be able to dismantle their businesses piece by piece. It’s been a while since I last tackled something like this. This time, I’ll make sure they understand that by provoking the Li family, they’ve sealed their fate."

Zheng Yuling immediately cheered, "Mengxin, you’re finally taking charge! Haha! With your abilities, crushing them will be effortless and enjoyable."

Xiao Ling’er added with a sly smile, "This spells doom for them. Mengxin has acquired countless companies in the past, and none escaped her grasp. These families have truly brought this upon themselves."

As everyone recalled Su Mengxin’s impressive achievements in the business world, they all broke into smiles. Having such a legendary figure, respected by executives worldwide, within the family meant there was nothing to fear.

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