As Lu Tu shouted, Qi Hong's entire family of twelve was quickly brought in, including four children. The moment they saw Qi Hong, they burst into tears and rushed towards him, crying, "Father, save us! We don't want to die!"
Qi Hong, who had been unusually calm, could no longer maintain his composure when he heard his loved ones calling out.
With his hands bound, he could only struggle to get closer to his children, trying to remain calm as he said, "Don't cry, Qin'er and Xiao'er, don't cry. Your father is here, you'll be alright."
Qi Hong's mother and wives, who were standing nearby, naturally knew what fate awaited them, and their eyes were already red and swollen from crying.
Lu Tu wasn't in a hurry to do anything. He simply let Qi Hong and his family continue talking. Only by amplifying the warmth in Qi Hong's heart could he make a decision and explain the whole story.
As members of the royal family, Zhao Qingyao and Prince Duan had both been exposed to the ways of the emperor, so they naturally had no pity for such a situation. In their eyes, the life or death of these people was just a matter of a single thought.
They were simply curious whether Lü Tu would kill Qi Hong's family or not.
After delaying for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Qi Hong hurriedly turned back to look at Lü Tu and pleaded, "General Lü, I, Qi Hong, have long heard of your deeds. I respect you as a true man. Could you please spare my family?"
Lu Tu nodded: "I've said it before, it's not that I want to kill your family, their lives are in your hands."
While Qi Hong was still hesitating, his youngest son cried out in a tearful voice, "Daddy, I'm scared!"
Qi Hong's heart softened immediately, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll tell you! Yun Tian is not dead. He and Ye Qingyu made me do the rebellion!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Tu and the other two became interested: "Oh? Tell us about it."
Seeing that Lü Tu was softening his tone, Qi Hong felt as if he had grasped a lifeline for his entire family and quickly told him everything he knew: "When they came to me, they told me about this matter directly. Although I have always been dissatisfied with the status quo, I dare not rebel. After all, this is a matter of executing the whole family. Moreover, you are still in Wuchuan, and you have quelled rebellions before."
Lu Tu waved his hand: "No need to flatter me, get to the point!"
Qi Hong nodded: "They handed me the tiger tally and the seal of the captain, and then told me to announce to the outside world that I had killed Yun Tian, and that I would become the captain of Wuchuan, where I would enjoy endless wealth and honor."
Lu Tu frowned and said, "Can't you find the point? What exactly are they trying to achieve by doing this?"
“I really don’t know, but if I don’t do this, Ye Qingyu will kill my family. I have no choice but to join their gang! General Lü, please spare my family since I haven’t caused you any harm. They are truly innocent.”
Lu Tu pondered for a moment with a calm expression, then waved his hand and said, "Men, lock them up in the death row!"
"General Lü!"
Lu Tu glared at him: "Wait until I've finished dealing with this before we talk. If you utter another word, your whole family is dead!"
Startled, Qi Hong quickly shut his mouth, trying to calm his family while obediently following the soldiers to the death row.
After they left, Lü Tu looked at Zhao Qingyao and asked, "Qingyao, why do you think they did that?"
Zhao Qingyao shook her head: "I don't know. There's really no reason to do this. I don't understand it either, my husband."
When Lü Tu looked at Prince Duan, Prince Duan quickly put down his teacup: "Don't look at me, I hate using my brain the most."
Lu Tu almost laughed at him: "So, even if Yun Tian abandons tens of thousands of soldiers from Wuchuan, he would still fake his death just to save his own life?"
"But that's not right either. After all, he wanted to save his life, but these tens of thousands of Wuchuan border troops are still very important to Ye Qingyu. Why would they do this?"
For a moment, the room fell silent.
Zhao Qingyao suddenly spoke up: "Husband, what we can't figure out right now is perhaps because we don't understand some of the prerequisites. Could it be that there's some problem with the court, forcing them to abandon Wuchuan and go elsewhere?"
After thinking for a moment, Lü Tu nodded: "That's possible. After all, Longcheng is blocked by the Red Turban Army. Our messages can't get out, and messages from the outside can't get in either. We've become blind and deaf."
Lu Tu continued his analysis: "So, Ye Qingyu only sent a small number of Shence Army soldiers to stop me at the first moment. Even when Xu Jing brought his assassins to find me, it was to negotiate with me."
Zhao Qingyao and Prince Duan also figured out the logic: "That should be the case, otherwise it would be too outrageous. Ye Qingyu has repeatedly expressed to us that he hates you to the bone. There is no reason for him to give up his military power here and disappear after leaving Wuchuan."
Lu Tu finished the tea beside him in one gulp: "It seems that Qi Hong is just their last resort. They know that you two are in Wuchuan and that they cannot transfer military power through legitimate means, so they imprisoned you two and handed over the tiger tally and seal to Qi Hong so that he could kill you."
"Then I will take control of the entire Wuchuan border army. I will naturally come to its aid. Whether Qi Hong can hold it or not, it is best to hope that Qi Hong kills me. Even if they lose, it will be fine for them, since Qi Hong will die anyway."
Zhao Qingyao's eyes lit up: "For now, that should be the case."
Prince Duan raised another question: "Then why has Qi Hong only gathered a few thousand troops in the city after so many days? There are still tens of thousands of soldiers in the entire Wuchuan. If he brings them all to besiege us, even with you, it will be difficult for us to cope."
Lu Tu laughed and said, "This is where Prince Duan's role comes in. If simply possessing the Tiger Tally and the Seal is enough to control the entire Wuchuan border army, then the purpose of Emperor Taizu's establishment of the Six Garrisons on the border would be lost. Therefore, it is necessary for you to issue a proclamation acknowledging the Commandant's status."
Thinking about this, the three of them understood the general logic of Yun Tian and Ye Qingyu, but due to their lack of information, they were unaware of the truth for the time being.
But for Lü Tu, whatever the truth may be, at least he has lost one enemy for now.
At least after Lü Tu took control of the entire Wuchuan border army, even after Ye Qingyu and the others discovered Qi Hong's defeat, they no longer had the power to make a comeback and pose a threat to Lü Tu.
Overall, it's all good news. In any case, no matter what happens to the Southern Court, Lü Tu has no way to make any plans now.
Lu Tu stood up and said, "Then all we need to do next is wait for the Wuchuan border troops to arrive, and then I can start to get things done!"
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