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More than a dozen shipping gangs and merchant gangs took action, and it was unknown how many forces were involved. Coupled with the large number of ships gathering, the noise was even more shocking.

Zhong Ping, the owner of the fish shop who had already deployed layers of defense in Panyu and had many informants, also collected the news as soon as possible and sent people to bring it back to the island.

"The ghost scholar wants to be the leader of the alliance and summon people to besiege Luoling Island?" Cheng Xi raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise as he glanced at the letter. This didn't seem like Ning Fu's work.

Although this action seemed to be intimidating, it actually violated a major taboo in military strategy.

No matter how powerful a commander is, he cannot command a group of vagrant soldiers with different mindsets. Moreover, the Changjing Gang has not sent any troops yet, and Ning Fu probably only has one or two boats with him. No matter how prestigious he is, he may not be able to overpower everyone.

When we get to the battlefield, let alone whether we can fully exert our combat power, we will be defeated in one encounter if we encounter a strong enemy.

Li Niu said from the side: "There's no doubt about it. There's also news coming from the grocery store. It says that many gangs have been making unusual moves. I'm afraid they're targeting us."

This is the advantage of casting a wide net. You can get news at the slightest sign of trouble. For this reason, Li Niu led his team back in a hurry.

With a cold laugh, Cheng Xi said, "Send a message to the main camp, and tell Tian Yu and the others to make preparations early. Ning Fu still has a lot of forces in Panyu that he can use. He might try to make a feint to the east and attack in the west."

During this period of time, while chatting with Lu Jian, she also learned a lot about the strengths and weaknesses of the Changjing Gang.

Because of the huge lucrative pepper trade, there are several large businesses in Panyu that have close dealings with the Changjing Gang.

These people have been engaged in maritime trade for many years and have a large number of troops under their command.

It is possible that this time Ning Fu was leading the army in the front to lure the enemy, allowing these people to stab them in the back. It is still unknown whether the target is Luoling Island.

Li Niu's heart trembled: "Why don't we send someone to bring Chief Yan and the others back?"

Although only half of the troops were left behind, the troops Yan Yuan brought to support the Qingfeng Gang were indeed an elite force.

Now that the enemy has come out in full force, it’s safer to have more people.

Cheng Xi shook his head: "That's not necessary. If we send the troops back, they will be scared away. Now is a good time to catch them all in one fell swoop."

Li Niu was stunned. It was clearly a siege by a large army, so how come it became meat to be fed into the gang leader's mouth?

Their goal is to eradicate all the forces in the South China Sea, but with so many enemies, they don’t even have enough time to defend Luoling Island, so how can they have the energy to fight a counterattack?

Seeing his bewilderment, Cheng Xi chuckled, "They have reinforcements, but don't we? Don't forget we still have the Tanka people."

Li Niu exclaimed, "Ah!" and immediately realized, "The gang leader wants to borrow the help of the boat people? But their boats are small and they have few people, so it may not be of any use."

"Even elephants are afraid of ants. What's more, this so-called alliance is not united in mind. As long as the threat is big enough, they will disperse. Why would they fight to the death?" Cheng Xi knew clearly in his heart that this broken alliance was simply a bait released by Ning Fu. They were all cannon fodder. The real main battlefield would probably be in Dongning. After all, the foundation on the shore could not run away. Once Dongning was affected, the Red Flag Gang would also be greatly affected.

However, the problem is that Ning Fu probably didn't expect that the Dongning camp had been transformed into a fortress, and that the salt merchants at the east gate could come to the rescue. Even if more than a dozen ships really came, it could still be defended.

Once she dealt with the enemy in front of her, things would be simple.

After listening to the gang leader's detailed explanation, Li Niu also understood the current situation. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: "If we can wipe out these bastards, it will save a lot of trouble. It will also give us an excuse to send troops to the Haikou Islands in the future."

The reason why we didn't move into the islands in Haikou is that we were afraid of stirring up a hornet's nest. Now that they have come to us, isn't it only natural to retaliate?

When Yan Yuan leads his troops back, he will really be able to plow the sea near Panyu.

Cheng Xi nodded slightly, and then said, "But this matter still needs to be arranged separately. Come, go and invite Mr. Lu over."

Li Niu blinked. Why did he ask Master Lu for help? In such a war, could a businessman like him really help?

Not long after, Lu Jian arrived in a graceful manner, still dressed in brocade and with a handsome face. Not to mention his demeanor, even though Li Niu was now the big boss, he still felt a little scared when he saw him.

However, a noble young man like this has to sit still in front of the gang leader. After all, the gang leader is more powerful!

Lu Jian didn't care what the rough man was thinking and asked directly, "Brother, you asked me to come here, but something happened in Panyu?"

Lu Jian has been staying in the house these days, using brushes and ink to pass the time, and occasionally he would chat with Cheng Xi, but he no longer tried hard to get close to people like before.

Even if they are allies, being too active will arouse suspicion, and he doesn't want to backfire.

But even so, his ears and eyes were still sharp, and he had a full view of the arrangements on Luoling Island. When Cheng Xi suddenly came to invite him, he could guess that something had changed.

Cheng Xi didn't hide anything and said directly, "Ning Fu persuaded seventeen shipping gangs and merchant gangs to form an alliance and intends to send troops to attack Luoling Island."

Hearing this news, Lu Jian frowned: "The ghost scholar has cunning thoughts, I'm afraid he is up to something!"

He didn't believe that Ning Fu would place his bets on this group of loose sand. Although the Red Flag Gang had sent out a large army, there were still many soldiers left. How could someone named Ning not think of this?

This force is mostly used to lure the enemy and divert everyone's attention.

Cheng Xi smiled slightly: "I think so too. Brother Mingde also said before that there are many big merchants in Panyu who are colluding with the Changjing Gang. I guess the attack on Luoling Island is fake, and the attack on Dongning is the real one."

Lu Jian breathed a sigh of relief at this remark. It turned out she had already thought of this possibility. However, he immediately frowned again, "Brother, are you planning to send troops to Dongning while you lead the troops to defend Luoling Island?"

Is this to inform him that Luoling Island might be in danger and want him to leave quickly?

Unexpectedly, Cheng Xi said, "On the contrary, I plan to send troops to fight against those bandits and let Dongning defend the city."

Lu Jian was really shocked by this. Why did he send troops when he knew it was a bait?

However, the next moment, he suddenly realized that this person was planning to swallow the bait directly and then support the main battlefield in Dongning?

Is she confident of winning both wars?

Lu Jian was actually not good at military tactics, and had never personally experienced a battle, but the other party's confident demeanor was not deceptive, she was probably really confident.

If he didn't know her identity before, Lu Jian would probably just sigh that she was very skilled and brave. But now, it can't be said that she was brave. How could a woman do such a thing?

Something in his heart skipped a beat, and Lu Jian's expression relaxed. He smiled and said, "Then my dear brother, you came to me not just to inform me of this matter, right?"

Cheng Xi also smiled: "I really have something to ask Brother Mingde. This is the news collected from Panyu. See if there is anyone you know. Ning Fu was able to trick people into coming here, so we have to dig some holes behind him and persuade a few of them to surrender."

Counter-espionage tactics always work, and more importantly, who among those who sail at sea is not cunning?

If you can have the best of both worlds, you'll probably still have to take the risk. If things don't go well, you'll immediately turn against them.

After taking the list and taking a quick look at it, Lu Jian burst out laughing: "My dear brother, your guess is right. There really is someone who can be persuaded."

For him, coercion and bribery are really easy, and entrusting him with such an important task is also a sign of trust, isn't it?

Seeing that the Panyu local boss had said so, Cheng Xi said without hesitation: "Then I'll have to trouble Brother Mingde here."

Those eyes were very bright, full of expectation, which made people feel complacent. Lu Jian smiled and sighed: "Why are you polite, my dear brother? I will leave these small matters to you, my foolish brother."

It is reasonable and logical for him to help. Since he is going to help, he must do his best.

However, the next moment, Lu Jian stopped smiling, pondered for a moment, and suddenly said, "But my dear brother, you still have to be careful. Ning Fu is a vicious person, and his plans may not be limited to these."

What they could predict, could Ning Fu really not predict? Moreover, there was the matter of "looking for someone". Even though he knew that Cheng Xi was in trouble and that it would be beneficial to him, at this moment, Lu Jian still couldn't help but give him a warning.

Seeing the other party's extremely serious expression, Cheng Xi also said seriously: "Brother Mingde, don't worry. After all, I have fought against the ghost scholar before, so I won't take it lightly."

In fact, she was somewhat skeptical about Ning Fu's intentions. It was almost impossible to wipe out the Red Flag Gang with just these small fry, so Ning Fu's combat purpose was quite suspicious.

However, when encountering such an opponent, it is unlikely to defeat the enemy first. The only way is to counter the enemy's moves and use force to overcome cleverness.

Both of them spoke seriously, but Li Niu on the side scratched his chin. It must be said that this Lu was quite capable. He could keep up with whatever the gang leader said. He was a rare character.

Fortunately, he was sensible enough to join the Red Flag Gang. It would have been troublesome if he had joined the Long Whale Gang.

Now that we have such a helper, we should be more confident in dealing with the ghost scholar, right?