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Faced with this question, Tian Yu pursed his lips into a line and did not answer.
The old man didn't blame him, and continued, "The person who was willing to rescue you from death row is most likely an old friend of General Qiu. Are you going to let me guess, or should you just be clear?"
Tian Yu said coldly: "Shouldn't you be the one asking this?"
The old man chuckled: "Why, you're not happy to see me? You just left without saying goodbye. Do you think you'd rather be thrown into jail like you, with your family torn apart? Of course, I don't have any family either."
Tian Yu's face darkened: "Fang Tianxi, General Qiu treats you well!"
The old man smiled and nodded. "That's right, that's why I gave him advice, telling him to lead the rebellion. But Qiu Sheng refused, insisting on upholding those principles of loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness. Look, isn't this harming himself and others, and dragging others down? If he had half the courage of the Red Flag Gang's leader, why would he have ended up like this?"
These words were like a knife stabbing into Tian Yu's heart. He had wanted to be a good official who was loyal, filial, chaste and righteous just like General Qiu. However, the emperor killed General Qiu's entire family and issued an imperial decree to execute him in the autumn.
He survived, married General Qiu's daughter, and trampled on everything in the past.
Isn't this a joke?
Seeing that he didn't answer, Fang Tianxi snorted: "Tian Yu, you weren't decisive back then, and I'm afraid you can't make the decision today. I want to meet the leader of the Red Flag Gang. They are all from the General's Mansion. I can't just sit back and watch you get into trouble, right?"
Tian Yu frowned: "What do you mean?"
Fang Tianxi stroked his unruly beard and said, "I'll be frank with you. The Red Flag Gang is going to face a disaster. Do you believe it or not?"
Tian Yu shut his mouth again. If someone else said this, he would never believe it.
But Fang Tianxi is different from ordinary people. This old man is good at strategy, has a keen insight into current affairs, and has a very sharp eye.
General Qiu listened to everything he said, but when he came to the South China Sea to quell the rebellion, General Qiu was unwilling to use those strategies that would destroy the family, so he distanced himself from this trusted adviser.
Just before the imperial court launched the attack, Fang Tianxi suddenly left without saying goodbye. It seemed that he had guessed that the Qiu family was in great trouble and wanted to escape to protect himself.
But now he has joined the Suoyi Gang and comes to him to make alarmist remarks. Can he believe it?
"Okay, kid, you can't figure it out no matter how hard you try. Hurry up and report the news and let the owner of this place make the decision." After Fang Tianxi said this, he slowly picked up the teacup and drank it.
Looking at his appearance, Tian Yu took a deep breath and pushed the wheelchair away.
This matter must be reported as soon as possible.
…
When Cheng Xi received the summons from the main camp, he had just finished discussing the purchase of cannons with County Magistrate Cao.
The garrisons can indeed open doors for convenience, but the purchase of new cannons takes time and is not cheap. A small-caliber Tiger-shaped cannon for field use costs two hundred taels, not including the cost of clearing the joints.
The starting price for a cannon that can actually be installed on a ship is six hundred taels, and the payment must be made first and the goods delivered later. No credit is accepted.
As for the breech-loading musket, it is basically out of stock and it is impossible for a garrison commander to buy it alone.
This is clearly a rip-off, but as far as today's metallurgical technology is concerned, the older a cannon is, the more likely it is to explode. The fatigue of the metal is there.
New cannons are definitely still the best choice, but since they all depend on buying them, the cost is huge.
This inquiry ignited Cheng Xi's desire to build his own arsenal.
But this kind of thing needs to be done slowly, and we have to find other ways to purchase artillery first.
Therefore, this "envoy from the Straw Clothes Gang" immediately piqued Cheng Xi's interest. More importantly, the identity of the person who came was very simple. The message that Tian Yu brought was very simple. He said that this person was Master Fang Tianxi, who had now joined the Straw Clothes Gang. In just a few words, he said that Master Fang was alarmist and had unclear intentions. He did not intend to introduce his identity at all.
So, this Mr. Fang is also an old subordinate of General Qiu, and Miss Qiu knows this person?
This is a bit troublesome. Anyone who can be called "teacher" must be the most trusted confidant among the trusted confidants. He may not only have met Miss Qiu, but also be very familiar with her.
The reason why Tian Yu attaches so much importance to this is probably because this master is quite capable. Will he be able to see through this lonely soul of his?
However, it would be troublesome if he didn't see her. After thinking about it, Cheng Xi didn't delay and went home immediately.
After entering the camp, she did not go directly to see Master Fang, but instead found Tian Yu and asked, "Why did he go to the Suoyi Gang?"
There was no title, just the word "he", which sounded a bit impolite.
Tian Yu could understand Cheng Xi's thoughts and explained, "It seems Fang Tianxi had persuaded General Qiu to rebel, but when that didn't work out, he left without saying goodbye. I guess he was attracted by the power of the Suoi Gang, so he joined the rebels, right?"
Had the man surnamed Fang long ago seen that General Qiu was in danger, and when his advice failed, he simply fled? This man seems to have an eccentric temperament. Could he be one of those legendary "strategists"? In ancient times, the concept of "strategists" was frequently mythical. For Tian Yu to place such importance on him, his abilities must be quite exceptional.
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Xi asked again, "Then why did he come to us? But where did the news leak out?"
Tian Yu was startled and suddenly said, "Wait a minute, he seems to know that I'm in the Red Flag Gang. Could it be that he was the one who orchestrated the prison break?!"
It's no wonder that Tian Yu only reacted at this time. It was really because Fang Tianxi appeared too suddenly and kept talking, which diverted his attention.
Now that I think about it, those few sentences when we met gave me a clue.
Cheng Xi was surprised: "Is the prison break really his doing?"
The prison break by the Suoyi Gang was so clean and efficient that Cheng Xi was very curious about the person behind the scenes. Unexpectedly, he found out that he was an old subordinate of General Qiu.
From this little glimpse, it is not difficult to imagine the ability of this Master Fang.
Tian Yu also knew the details of the prison break and nodded confidently, "It must be him. Regardless of Fang's character, his methods are very impressive. The incident in Panyu was just a small test for him."
Cheng Xi pondered for a moment and then asked, "He didn't explain his purpose, but just told you that the Red Flag Gang was in danger?"
"Mostly alarmist!" Tian Yu finished speaking, then added, "He's already a member of the Suoyi Gang. Who knows what he's up to? If you don't want to see him, just send someone to chase him away."
If it were before, Cheng Xi might have really avoided him, but now he has some other thoughts.
When did this man join the Suoyi Gang? If he joined after General Qiu was murdered, how could he have defeated the Suoyi Gang and arrested three of its leaders with his intelligence? If he joined recently, why did he come to Dongning in person?
Does this mean that for Master Fang, the sudden emergence of the Red Flag Gang is quite attractive to him. Can he pull people to his side?
Cheng Xi couldn't guess who the other party was relying on, but no matter who she faced, she should be competitive, and such a talent could not be missed.
As for whether the other party would recognize that she was "fake", Cheng Xi also figured it out. If he was really a smart person, he would never rashly say this in front of others. He would just deal with it as it comes.
Having made up his mind, Cheng Xi said, "Since we are old friends, let's meet each other."
Tian Yu frowned, "Fang Tianxi is a cunning man. He even abandoned General Qiu when disaster struck. If he knew that the Red Flag Gang was founded by you, I'm afraid trouble would arise!"
Cheng Xi smiled slightly: "Many people know my appearance. Is it difficult for someone like Fang Tianxi to guess it?"
Tian Yu was speechless for a moment.
Cheng Xi added, "We will have to deal with the Suoyi Gang in the future. We will have to go through their route to sell salt and buy cannons. Since he claims to be an envoy from the Suoyi Gang, it is only right that we meet him."
This made some sense. Tian Yu hesitated for a moment before saying, "In that case, let's put it off until tomorrow."
Is this a way to dry him out? Cheng Xi didn't think this method would be useful for a strategist, but it's not impossible to use it to make him let down his guard.
I don’t know how the other party will react when he sees me.
…
Although he was locked in the room and couldn't even go out, Fang Tianxi was not restrained at all. He ate and drank as usual, hummed a few songs when he had nothing to do, and slept soundly and peacefully, just like he was out for a trip.
It’s not that he is careless, but he knows that this little trick was probably thought up by Tian Yu, that stupid guy.
Tian Danhui was a capable man, but his strategy and temperament were mediocre. He was suddenly faced with a disaster and his mind was distracted. What other methods could he use? He came to the Red Flag Gang not to visit relatives or friends, but because he was extremely curious about the person who founded the gang.
That person must have a close relationship with General Qiu, otherwise Tian Yu would not stay and risk his life.
At the same time, his abilities and skills were extraordinary. Not to mention that he built a gang of a thousand people in just one year, just looking at the way he saved people in Panyu City was enough to make people marvel.
He didn't remember there being such a talent around Qiu Sheng.
For this reason, Fang Tianxi stayed in Panyu for more than a month and came to Dongning specially.
Now that I see this camp, my curiosity has reached its peak.
Moreover, he was sure that since he was able to build such a big gang, the gang leader would definitely meet him. He was fighting for the reputation of the Suoyi Gang. Even if he had resentment, he couldn't let personal interests interfere with public interests, right?
As expected, two days later, someone finally came to report that the gang leader wanted to see him.
Fang Tianxi patted his wrinkled robe and swaggered into the reception hall again.
However, when he saw the young man sitting in the main seat, his usually calm expression suddenly changed, and he blurted out: "Ms. Qiu, why is it you?"
He had already sent people to inquire about it. The leader of the Red Flag Gang was a young man, not tall and not very old, but resourceful and brave.
Fang Tianxi thought about everyone he could think of, but he never imagined that such a brilliant and talented person would be a woman, and General Qiu's only daughter! What a joke!
Although Cheng Xi was wearing men's clothes today, the other party still recognized her identity at a glance. It seemed that he did know Qiu Yuehua, and was quite familiar with her.
Without changing his expression, Cheng Xi said to the old man, "Mr. Fang, please take a seat."
Such a calm tone made Fang Tianxi's face stiffen. He slowly sat down on a chair beside him. Just as he sat down, he suddenly said, "Is Miss Qiu really the leader of the Red Flag Gang?"
Cheng Xi nodded: "Yes, it was by chance that I founded this gang."
Fang Tianxi looked her up and down before asking, "So, what's your motivation, Miss Qiu? Could it be that you want to clear the general's name?"
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