Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 166: The Colonization Plan

After receiving the property gifted by Mr. Orsini, Chu Tianyu bid farewell to the beautiful manor, which now belonged to him, and asked Mr. Orsini to arrange a driver for him to rush back to Paris overnight.
Of course, during the process of obtaining the property, Chu Tianyu had already discussed some details with Orsini. But in the end, it still remained as Chu Tianyu had initially suggested: under the current circumstances, one needed patience, adopting a strategy of appearing relaxed on the outside while staying vigilant inside, waiting for the best opportunity to counterattack.
Another reason for Chu Tianyu’s hasty departure was Sophia. Clearly, this mad priestess, though her sacred profession gave her an appearance of calmness and elegance, harbored madness and restlessness deep within, making her a “danger” to Chu Tianyu!
Of course, this “danger” wasn’t in the true sense of threat but rather trouble—quite a lot of trouble.
It was because of these hints that Chu Tianyu made such a decision to nip things in the bud. Sitting in the car, he smiled at the thought, believing his concern might be excessive. Judging from their conversations, out of ten questions, nine were directed at Zi Yi; likely, her persistence was just an extension of her affection for him.
Back in Paris, it was already past 4 a.m. Chu Tianyu took a hot bath to wash away the dust of his journey, then sat on the sofa bare-chested, reflecting on the entire trip to Europe. It wasn’t until dawn that he stood up relaxedly and called the person in charge of Qianfeng to meet him at the hotel.
“Saluting the master. Your subordinate, Zhao Tianzhao, is here to report!” Aside from the day he was picked up from the airport, this was the second time they met, and Zhao Tianzhao still maintained his respect and restraint toward Chu Tianyu.
“Hehe, Zhao, no need for formality in a private setting. I’ve called you here because there are a few things I’d like to discuss.”
“Please give your orders, master!”
“Hmm, could you first tell me about Qianfeng’s influence across Europe and some detailed information?” Chu Tianyu asked with a smile.

“Faction?” Zhao Tianzhao looked at Chu Tianyu with a puzzled expression and asked. But he quickly understood what Chu Tianyu meant and quickly added, “By ‘faction,’ does the sect leader mean how much influence we have in Europe? Right now, we only have agents of Qianfeng in a few major cities in Europe, mainly handling domestic and local business transactions. Each agency focuses on business, with only a few in the largest cities having one or two disciples from the martial arts schools to provide protection when there’s a large volume of financial transactions. So, we really can’t speak of having any significant faction here!”
Chu Tianyu, who was already aware of this situation, calmly said after confirmation, “Uncle Zhao, then can you estimate how many people and resources the Xuanji Sect would need to control and maintain underground factions across half of Europe?”
Faced with Chu Tianyu’s bombshell-like question, Zhao Tianzhao was instantly stunned. His shock was evident as he stammered, “Sect leader… do you mean controlling underground factions across half of Europe?”
“That’s right!” Chu Tianyu’s reply was brief yet firm.
Hearing Chu Tianyu’s answer, Zhao Tianzhao immediately understood. The sect leader’s intention was clear—Xuanji Sect intended to expand its influence across all of Europe! His previous shock vanished, replaced by overwhelming excitement and joy.
“Sect, sect leader… are you saying…”
Before Zhao Tianzhao could finish, Chu Tianyu nodded with a smile, giving him another confirmation.
Once Zhao Tianzhao fully understood Chu Tianyu’s intention, his excitement was indescribable. Over the years, as the head of the European branch, he had been forced to suppress his feelings, enduring discrimination abroad and even face direct harassment, only resorting to the martial arts schools back home in extreme cases. This was nothing like Qianfeng back in China—there, such issues never arose, and if they did, the martial arts school disciples would handle them right away. As a result, none of the Qianfeng agents abroad envied their counterparts back home.

But now an opportunity has arisen. Although the legendary sect leader before him is young, they have heard plenty about his achievements. If someone else had said such things about controlling an underground force that spans half of Europe, it would surely have been considered nonsense. But now, Zhao Tianzhao knows this is by no means a dream—it’s actually his chance!

Yet despite his excitement, since the sect leader had spoken thus, he must have already thought things through. Calling him here now was likely to assess the actual situation and conduct necessary investigations.

And though the idea itself was exciting, in reality, it was by no means simple! With this thought, Zhao Tianzhao regained his composure, suppressed his excitement, and began to ponder deeply over what Chu Tianyu had just said.

Chu Tianyu observed Zhao Tianzhao’s expression and couldn’t help but show a hint of approval. Of course, he understood what his words meant to Zhao Tianzhao. Seeing his initial excitement, Zhao Tianzhao adjusted his mindset quickly and began to think calmly. It seemed that to become the leader of the Xuanji Sect, even in a seemingly minor position, required someone truly exceptional!

Chu Tianyu stood up, brought back two cups of coffee, and seeing that Zhao Tianzhao was still deep in thought, he didn’t disturb him but instead gazed at the scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

After a long while, Zhao Tianzhao seemed to have finished his thoughts. Looking at Chu Tianyu, who was still enjoying the view, he said softly, “Sect Leader, you just talked about how to control and maintain an underground force across half of Europe. It seems you already have a clear plan on how to gain that control!”

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianyu suddenly turned his head but said nothing, only asking, “Go on!”

Seeing the sect leader’s attitude, Zhao Tianzhao knew he was on the right track, so he confidently shared the results of his thoughts: “To control Europe’s underground forces, Sect Leader… To put it bluntly, even if all the disciples of our Xuanji Sect came, it might not be enough!”

“Oh, then explain why,” Chu Tianyu asked.

“It’s simple. Europe is very exclusive. And though they always talk about human rights and gentlemanly behavior, in reality, they all consider themselves to have the noblest bloodlines and to be God’s most faithful followers. So for them, foreign forces can never truly control or rule them—history throughout Europe has already given us the answer!” Zhao Tianzhao analyzed.

“Does that mean our plan won’t work?” Chu Tianyu countered.

“It’s not that it won’t work; the key is I don’t know how the Patriarch can gain control over half of Europe. The process to achieve this is different, and it will directly affect future control methods and their feasibility…” At this point, Zhao Tianzhao paused and looked at Chu Tianyu. Chu Tianyu smiled slightly, as if understanding his thoughts, and said eight words: “The enemy is in the open while we remain hidden. Rule the barbarians with barbarians!” As soon as Chu Tianyu finished speaking, Zhao Tianzhao was shocked, as if he had found a kindred spirit. He said excitedly, “If it’s really as the Patriarch says, controlling and maintaining order will become much easier. The key lies in those last four words—‘Rule the barbarians with barbarians!’” “No matter who they are, everyone has weaknesses and desires. By using a different control method, letting them Europeans handle external affairs, all we need to do is control a few key figures, and things will be much simpler! But even though it’s simple, we still need strong military power as a deterrent; otherwise, it’s all just talk!” Zhao Tianzhao continued. “Let me interject—do you really think these puppets don’t have noble European bloodlines? Will they willingly serve us? Become our ‘slaves’?” Chu Tianyu asked deliberately. “Heh, this is a matter of difference between the group and the individual. For example, if we take control of a small town, everyone there might oppose us, as we are outsiders. But if we control their town leader, we only have to deal with one person instead of the whole town! Dealing with one person is much simpler—either use a direct approach, removing them if they fail and replacing them until we’re satisfied, or a more subtle approach, giving them greater power or benefits so they serve us willingly!” Zhao Tianzhao explained vividly. “Good, then make me a preliminary plan. Once it’s ready, we can discuss it in detail. Here, these are the deeds and property documents for two estates. Find time to transfer ownership—they’ll be part of our Qianfeng property!” Chu Tianyu said, patting the two large bags and one small bag beside him. When Zhao Tianzhao took them and looked, he was stunned—there were entire bundles of property…

Chu Tianyu paid no attention to Zhao Tianzhao’s reaction and simply said, “What you need to do is mainly outline your intentions and general approach regarding development and control today—no overly detailed plans are required. So I’ll give you three days. Three days from now, at the same time, we’ll meet here again. Well, I need to go out and explore on my own for a while to experience what this so-called ‘European paradise’ is like!”
…
During just one afternoon of wandering, Chu Tianyu encountered robbery five or six times, finally experiencing what it meant to be a special target. He had only read about it in newspapers before—that Chinese people in Europe are prime robbery targets. It turned out to be true after all.
So throughout that afternoon, Chu Tianyu remained gloomy, and his original impulsive plan to take control of Europe only strengthened his resolve…
“Could you wait a moment? He’s very sick. If I cure him first, can I come with you?” At that moment, a weak girl’s voice came from a corner of the subway, spoken in English, interrupting Chu Tianyu’s thoughts…