It had been more than three years since the last time they caused trouble for the Zhang Clan, and the storm back then had more or less subsided.
The Zhang Clan's reputation in Blood Shadow was completely ruined. All the middle and low-level disciples scolded the Zhang Clan.
Of course, Zhou Luan punished Zhang Dingyi and promoted Zhang Dingming to the position of Grand Elder with no real power.
She even repaid the salary that Zhang Dingyi had embezzled, and their prestige was unparalleled.
The Zhang Clan had been well-behaved these three years, and those who still held positions in the headquarters did their best to not attract attention.
They were cautious and conscientious in their work, afraid of making mistakes.
Wang Daoyuan didn't expect them to come out and cause trouble again.
"They didn't dare to fight for power directly. Instead, they took the initiative to send the Zhang Clan disciples to the various branches.
Originally, it was just the internal management of the various branches that the headquarters couldn't do anything about.
Now, there are always second-level branch hall masters and vice hall masters being changed, and the Zhang Clan disciples from the headquarters go over to fill in the holes.
You said before that the Zhang Clan's most important thing isn't its inheritance or resources from the headquarters, but its influence in the various branches.
By doing this, the Zhang Clan is increasing the influence of the branches. When the time comes, it will be even harder for us to destroy the Zhang Clan. "
Wang Daoyuan pondered for a long time before asking, "How many first-level branches are doing this?"
"Blood Shadow has more than twenty first-level branches, and there were thirteen first-level branch hall masters who originally belonged to the Zhang Clan.
But after we dealt with the Zhang Clan once, most of the first-level branch hall masters' attitude towards the Zhang Clan was neither friendly nor distant.
A few of the branch hall masters with external surnames attached to the Zhang Clan didn't act rashly. Even the distant branches of the Zhang Clan were watching the show.
There were only six second-level branch hall masters and vice hall masters who changed all of their branch hall masters to Zhang Clan disciples.
These six first-level branches have more than forty second-level branches under them. "
The Zhang Clan had fallen to such a state, but more than a fifth of the branches still responded.
The other branches also had a wait-and-see attitude. If the Shadow Master couldn't come up with a good plan to deal with the Zhang Clan, their attitude would change.
Their attitude would also change and they would continue to support the Zhang family.
After all, the Zhang Clan and the Xu Clan had been fighting for tens of thousands of years. During this time, the Zhang Clan had declined greatly, but they hadn't been completely destroyed.
In the eyes of others, the Zhang Clan had a high chance of making a comeback.
"If you want to promote a branch hall master to the headquarters, do they have the right to refuse?"
Zhou Luan shook her head. "Of course not. The Shadow Lord has given the order by force. Even the three Grand Elders together are unable to stop him. What can a mere Hall Master do?
However, the Vice Hall Masters of these first-level branches were considered Elders with real power in name.
If he wanted to promote them to the headquarters, he would have to give them the position of an elder with real power.
If they were given an elder without any duties, it would be a demotion. There had to be a suitable reason.
Otherwise, it would be me, the Shadow Master, taking revenge on the Zhang Family. "
Wang Daoyuan said with a smile, "That's not difficult. These six Zhang Clan members are divided into main and side branches.
He would take down the main vein first and leave the side veins for now.
Moreover, were the Hall Masters' butts so clean?
He could just casually pick a hall master of the Zhang Clan's main bloodline and teach him a lesson.
There was no need for him to pack up too much. He could just take him to the headquarters and make him an elder with no duties.
This would also prevent the Zhang Family from being too scared and acting out of desperation.
We still have to invite Xu Qinghe for this kind of thing. He's better at this kind of work. "
Zhou Luan glanced at him. "You two sinister and cunning villains are going to conspire to trick people again."
After saying that, she sent a message to Xu Qinghe.
Xu Qinghe's movements were rather nimble. He soon arrived at the Zhou Family's small courtyard.
As soon as he entered, he cupped his hands towards Zhou Luan and Wang Daoyuan. "Shadow Lord, Retired Emperor, I wonder why you called this subordinate here?"
Wang Daoyuan said with a smile, "The Zhang Family is stirring up trouble again. The higher-ups here at the headquarters are mostly our people. The Zhang Family has no place to stand.
However, Zhang Dingming, this old fellow, seems to have seen through my purpose and wants to give up fighting for power here at the headquarters.
He hides the strength of the clan in the various branches.
In this way, it will be very difficult for Zhou Luan to completely control the Blood Shadow Intelligence System. "
Xu Qinghe sighed. "Zhang Dingming is still shrewd enough. When my late father was alive, he fought with him for hundreds of years but never gained the upper hand.
If it weren't for Shadow Lord and Retired Emperor, it would be difficult for me to beat him.
However, there are very few capable people among the younger generation of the Zhang Family. They have done many stupid things.
Retired Emperor, how do you plan to deal with the Zhang Family? "
"Among the first-level branches controlled by the Zhang Family, there are still a large number of Zhang Family disciples placed in six places.
What I mean is to find someone with more misdeeds and punish them, then transfer them back to the headquarters to be an elder with no duties.
It will be a show of strength, so that those distant branches of the Zhang Family won't dare to act rashly. Then, we can slowly deal with the main branch of the Zhang Family. "
The Xu Family was worthy of being the old enemy of the Zhang Family. When he heard that there were still six first-level branches cooperating with the Zhang Family, he immediately said, "These six branches should be located in the capitals of Wu, Qi, Shen, Sui, Huang, and Zhongli, right?"
Zhou Luan nodded. "It is precisely these six first-level branches."
"Then that's right. These six first-level branches have always been under the control of the Zhang Family.
Among them, Wu, Qi, and Shen are all controlled by the main branch of the Zhang Family.
The other three are distant branches. However, this distant branch is not too far away, only seven or eight generations away.
Zhang Dingming takes care of these three distant branches, and they are also loyal to the Zhang Family. "
Wang Daoyuan asked, "You have to pick the soft persimmons. First, deal with those who are not very capable and have a bad record.
Which of these three descendants of the main branch of the Zhang Family is the easiest to deal with and will get the most benefits? "
"It must be the Zhenze branch in the capital of Wu Kingdom. Wu Kingdom's territory is not small, and it is in charge of ten second-level branches.
Although Wu Kingdom's national strength is not as good as Zhou Qin, it is also very rich.
Qi Kingdom is also good, but Zhang Mengjue, the hall master of the Linji branch in the capital, is one of the few capable people among the younger generation of the Zhang Family.
Zhang Dingming's eldest son, Zhang Mengchen, is a miser and not the material for great things.
Zhang Mengjue is Zhang Dingming's nephew. This guy does things flawlessly. For so many years, our Xu Family has only found some trivial mistakes, but we can't bring him down at all.
Therefore, Zhang Dingming has always intended to let Zhang Mengjue take charge of the Zhang Family and began to focus on training him.
The hall master of the Zhenze branch is Zhang Dingming's other son, Zhang Menggui. He is a standard playboy.
His talent is not very good. He is more than 500 years old, but he is still an early-stage Gold Core cultivator.
The deputy hall master is in charge of handling official affairs.
This guy only eats, drinks, and plays all day long. He has not committed any serious crimes, but he has docked his salary a lot.
Since the Retired Emperor's purpose is not to kill people but to demote him to an elder with no duties, he is the most suitable person to deal with Zhang Menggui. "
Wang Daoyuan pondered for a while. "In that case, I want to crush both the soft and the hard persimmon.
If I can bring these two brothers back together, Zhang Menggui will let him be an elder with no duties.
As for Zhang Mengjue, if he stays in Qi Kingdom, he will be a disaster sooner or later.
Since he did not do anything wrong, his political achievements should be good, so I will promote him well.
At the headquarters, the Xu Family can find a reason to take down an unimportant chief steward and send him to Yan Kingdom. It should not be a problem for him to be a guardian.
Then let Zhang Mengjue take over the position of chief steward and let him enjoy a good life in the yamen. "
Xu Qinghe had long wanted to send a Gold Core cultivator over, but the intention of fighting for power was too obvious.
Now that Wang Daoyuan took the initiative to suggest it, he was overjoyed. "Brilliant! Really brilliant!
If we take down two hall masters of the Zhang Family's main branch at the same time, the three hall masters of the distant branches will most likely not dare to act rashly.
One of the two from the Zhang Family will be promoted and the other demoted, making the Shadow Master appear impartial and selfless.
That's right, what about the two missing hall masters? "
"Taking down these two brothers is to eliminate the Zhang Family's influence. The Zhang Family has been in business for many years, so we must send someone loyal and capable.
It doesn't matter if the Xu Family does not have an elder with no duties or a little less experience.
As long as we are strong enough to suppress the Zhang Family's power, it will be fine. "
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