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That’s a really good question.

In just a moment, Lu Jian understood what she was asking and realized that she had seen through his disguise.

Now is the most difficult time for the Red Flag Gang, which is in trouble both internally and externally. As the gang leader, she certainly cannot tolerate a person with ulterior motives staying around her. If she wants to continue cooperation and even deepen the "friendship" between the two, she must be open and honest.

After a moment's hesitation, Lu Jian said, "Don't blame me if I'm wrong, dear brother. But is Mr. Tian, ​​who is stationed in Dongning, the same Tian Yu, the grain officer of the Zhennan Army who was previously imprisoned in Panyu Prison?"

Cheng Xi looked directly at the other person, without answering or refuting.

Lu Jian continued to talk, "The Chief Yan I met before also seems to have a military background. He was able to recruit these two people. I think you have some relationship with General Qiu, so I asked this question."

He still called her "brother". After all, guessing that she was the nephew of General Qiu was one thing, but revealing her identity was another. It was hard to say whether it would arouse the other party's vigilance and rejection.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Xi just nodded slightly and said, "You guessed right. General Qiu is my late father. I disguised myself as a man and founded the Red Flag Gang to avenge my father and fulfill his legacy."

Lu Jian's breathing paused. He didn't expect Cheng Xi to admit it so readily. This was related to her lifeblood, yet she could tell him so bluntly.

However, the next moment, he couldn't help but feel happy. Does this mean that Cheng Xi also trusts him and even regards him as someone he can confide his life to?

"Xian..." When the words came to his lips, Lu Jian realized that something was wrong. Calling him "Xian brother" was definitely not an option now, but changing to another name also seemed a bit inappropriate. Besides, there was a difference in gender between the two of them, and deliberately getting close to each other would seem frivolous.

Fortunately, he reacted very quickly and changed his words temporarily, "I didn't expect that General Qiu was actually the ancestor. This action is really admirable."

He did not dwell too much on the identity of the "woman", but only praised her way of doing things, which was really flawless.

Cheng Xi didn't care and continued the previous topic: "So I do know Xu Zixin, but I didn't expect that it was him who I fought against before."

The emotions that Lu Jian had suppressed with great difficulty immediately began to fluctuate again. What was with this tone and attitude just now? Could it be that this Xu had some kind of relationship with Miss Qiu?

Almost subconsciously, he said, "If General Xu manages to escape, he'll probably be in trouble."

"Because he lost the battle?" Cheng Xi asked back.

Lu Jian said calmly, "Because he was brought in by my father, and he has connections in the Ministry of Personnel, how could those in power in the Ministry of War tolerate such a small amount of sand in their eyes?"

Lord Lu is still the Minister of Personnel. As long as he is not transferred to the Minister of Rites, he will be a great threat to the other ministries.

The people he sent out were obvious targets. It would be fine if they won, but if they suffered heavy casualties in the battle, how could they have a good ending?

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xi understood what was going on. It was probably about the infighting in the officialdom. The army was the easiest place to establish a stronghold, so it was normal for outsiders like these to be suppressed.

However, the next moment, her expression turned serious: "If we use this important relationship, it would be a good way to strike a blow against Lord Lu. Brother Mingde, are you ready to take action?"

If word got out that the Red Flag Gang had something to do with General Qiu, then Xu Xianrong, an old subordinate of General Qiu, would be charged with treason. And for him to cling to Lord Lu would be a piece of cake.

Would Lu Jian, a guy who wants to overthrow the Lu family, let go of such a good opportunity?

Lu Jian couldn't help but frown. If it were before, he would definitely not miss such a good opportunity. However, now that Cheng Xi has revealed her identity, using her relationship with General Qiu to frame her would be putting her in danger.

After all, there are probably not many people in the Red Flag Gang who know about this. If it were to suddenly be exposed, it might cause the entire gang to fall apart.

He had the intention of "saving people from danger", but he must not become the person who caused her to fall into trouble.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Lu Jian shook his head: "This is a serious matter, so I will naturally not act rashly."

After a pause, he suddenly asked, "Could it be that you want to persuade Xu Xianrong to surrender?"

After pondering for a moment, Cheng Xi said, "The situation is still uncertain, we have to wait and see."

It’s not that she was afraid that her “fiancé” would see through her true identity, but she was suspicious that General Xu would “surrender to the enemy”.

After all, he was the person General Qiu entrusted with the care of his daughter, and Qiu Sheng loved his daughter dearly, so there was no way he would hand her over to a reckless man.

It can even be said that he did not want his daughter to avenge him, so Xu Xianrong would most likely not be the type to raise the banner of rebellion.

To surrender now would probably be counterproductive.

Hearing her say this, Lu Jian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that she didn't care much about the guy named Xu.

However, he didn't show these thoughts on his face. He said sternly, "You don't have to worry. There will be news from Panyu in a few days. We can make plans and then act..."

Lu Jian placed himself on the side that was well-informed and reliable, but unexpectedly, it didn't take "a few days" at all. That afternoon, Lin Meng rushed back from the Dongning camp and brought a shocking news.

"Is this really a rumor spread from the garrison?" Cheng Xi frowned when she heard Lin Meng's report. Since Lu Jian could guess her identity through clues, others might be able to do so as well.

However, it is not surprising where the news came from, and the last place it should have appeared was the East Gate Guard Station.

Dongmen is the territory of the Red Flag Gang, and the salt field guards have close ties with them, making money through smuggling together.

This is truly a matter of mutual dependence. Even if Commander Liu is greedy for merit, he probably won't dare to act rashly.

No matter how great your achievements are, is life important?

Lin Meng immediately said, "It's absolutely true. It was Chief Zhao who brought the news. I'm afraid the news has already spread to Panyu!"

This was too fast. Cheng Xi sneered, "That must have been Ning Fu's doing."

The only one who has the ability, motivation, meets all the prerequisites, and is eager to kill the Red Flag Gang is the Ghost Scholar.

She originally thought that Ning Fu was just running away, but she didn't expect him to throw such a bomb before leaving.

Does he know his identity?

After just a brief thought, Cheng Xi shook his head. He probably didn't guess it, otherwise why would he only say "remnants"?

She, the orphan of General Qiu, is the remnant that the court must truly eliminate.

Seeing the gang leader's expression, Lin Meng hesitated and asked, "Should we find someone to spread the word?"

No one knows how the imperial court will react, but if a commotion breaks out at this moment, people’s hearts will be scattered.

After all, they had just lost their fleet and their army had not yet returned from the expedition.

I don’t know if Boss Yan has been affected by the hurricane. If something goes wrong, it will be disastrous.

"No need." Cheng Xi answered very straightforwardly, "Since it was Ning Fu who did it, there might be someone else behind it. Now that we've just weathered the hurricane, it's a good opportunity to win over the people and identify friends and foes."

Before the war with the coalition forces, the Red Flag Gang was at its weakest.

Now, all the nearby forces, big and small, can be said to have been wiped out, and the reputation of the Red Flag Gang has been thoroughly established. I'm afraid not many people dare to provoke it. Even if they want to take action, they have to wait until the officers and soldiers take action.

It is still unknown whether the officers and soldiers will take action and how many troops they can mobilize.

When the time comes to fight with the imperial court, it will not be enough to rely on the Red Flag Gang alone, and more allies must be brought in.

After a brief thought, Cheng Xi said, "Send someone to Panyu to pass on a message, asking Zhong Ping to keep an eye on the movements of the government troops. Also send someone to Minzhou to gather information. If the battle is over, be sure to invite Gang Leader Shen to Luoling Island as a guest."

Lin Meng understood as soon as he heard it and felt relieved.

Since the gang leader said so, there must be some confidence. I just hope that those forces can remain safe and stable until Yan Yuan returns with his troops.