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"Mr. Tian, are we going to send troops back to Luoling Island?"
When Lin Meng heard that Tian Yu was calling him, he rushed over immediately and asked questions anxiously as soon as he entered the door.
It’s no wonder that he is anxious, the current situation is really worrying.
As the leader of the Red Flag Gang, he is one of the people who knows the war situation best.
In fact, the news that came back a few days ago was not that bad. Even if the ghost scholar fled in the face of the enemy and disappeared, or if a powerful government army appeared again, it only made people a little nervous, not panic.
The situation had not exceeded the gang leader's expectations. Although the enemy forces besieging the Dongning camp were powerful, it was not difficult to hold the camp and keep the enemy out.
The ghost scholar, who has always been regarded as a serious threat, does not seem to have joined the battle. As long as Dongning can be stabilized, the battle will be mostly won.
Unexpectedly, all the plans were destroyed by a sudden storm.
The strong wind came so suddenly and quickly that even the enemies surrounding the camp did not react in time and suffered considerable losses. After the wind stopped, they hurriedly evacuated.
Logically speaking, the main camp should have sent out ships to pursue the victory, but no one was willing to go after the enemy was down.
It was only because of the news from the island that the main force led by the gang leader failed to avoid the hurricane.
Although the messenger reported that the fleet had escaped and the losses were not great, several leaders also patted their chests and told their brothers that the leader was a lucky man and that even a hurricane could not do anything to him. However, stabilizing people's hearts was not the same thing when it came to their own hearts.
Most of the ships on the island were destroyed. Even if we gathered some remaining soldiers, it would not be safe!
But at this time, the gang leader asked them to garrison in Dongning. Several big bosses were extremely anxious and wished they could fly back to Luoling Island.
However, as soon as he said this, Lin Meng was stunned, because there was not only Tian Yu in the study, but also Sun Erlang and Zhao Pu.
Sun Er was fine, as he was already in charge of the county and would only be back in a moment. But Zhao Pu was different. Shouldn't he be at the East Gate? There were quite a few private salt merchants over there, and if they took advantage of the chaos to cause trouble, it would be troublesome.
Tian Yu didn't give Lin Meng time to be stunned. He got straight to the point and said, "Chief Zhao brought back news from the East Gate. There are rumors that our Red Flag Gang has something to do with General Qiu."
Lin Meng opened his mouth but swallowed his words back. He was an old man who served Boss Cheng, so how could he not know the inside story of the gang?
Wasn’t Mr. Tian rescued from the prison in Panyu? He is obviously an old subordinate of General Qiu. Why is he suddenly talking about this now?
The next moment, his expression changed, and he asked anxiously: "Where did this news come from?!"
They knew Mr. Tian's background, and could even guess from the attitudes of Yan Yuan and Tian Yu that the gang leader might have an extraordinary background.
However, speculation is speculation, and no one has spoken about it. So where did the news come from?
Zhao Pu said in a deep voice, "It was the news from the East Gate Guards. I have also sent people to inquire about it, and it is indeed true."
How could this possibly have come from the garrison? Isn't Commander Liu one of their men? If this gets out of hand, won't the Red Flag Gang also be in trouble?
Lin Meng was in disbelief, but Tian Yu spoke up, "There's something fishy going on here. Chief Lin, take some of your trusted followers and return to Luoling Island as soon as possible to report this to the leader."
Lin Meng's heart trembled, and he immediately said, "I'll go back and prepare! Mr. Tian, Sun Er, I'll leave this to you."
For such a major event, the fewer people who know about it, the better. Now is the most difficult time for the Red Flag Gang. If it really gets out of hand, it might even attract a punitive expedition from the imperial court!
Tian Yu turned around and said to Sun Erlang, "Chief Sun, the county still needs you to stay in charge. Keep an eye on the county magistrate and those merchants. Don't let them cause trouble!"
This is also the most fatal point. If the government wants to deal with them, no one can guarantee how the wealthy people in the county will react.
They had just invested in a workshop in Dongning County. If there was any chaos, they would definitely lose all their money.
Unexpectedly, Sun Erlang pondered for a moment and said, "Who knows, County Magistrate Cao may have guessed it."
Zhao Pu was shocked. What did this mean? Could it be that this was not a rumor, and the Red Flag Gang was really connected to General Qiu?
Tian Yuze's face darkened. "Then we must keep an even closer eye on them! If necessary, we can offer some concessions so they can side with us."
He had no idea what those gentry and powerful people were thinking, but money could move people's hearts. If he was caught doing something wrong, these jackals would show no mercy.
After giving the instructions, Tian Yu said to Zhao Pu, "Chief Zhao, you must also keep an eye on Commander Liu. No matter what happens, send someone to report as soon as possible. Also, check the source of the information. I have a feeling something is amiss here."
In reality, Cheng Xi hadn't tried to hide his whereabouts, but being able to uncover this and spread the news was a different matter. It required more than just intelligence; it also required means and channels. The fact that it had first come from the garrison indicated a very malicious intention, which also prompted Tian Yu to consider a possibility.
Ning Fu had betrayed his allies. Who would stand by him if the Long Whale Gang came to Panyu? But what if the Long Whale Gang marched on Panyu without any enemies? If the Panyu merchants were subdued by the Red Flag Gang, who would then provoke the imperial court, resulting in a mutually destructive outcome, who would then benefit?
The most insidious thing about this scheme was that it wasn't fake. Cheng Xi was General Qiu's daughter, the only remaining member of the Qiu family. If this fact was exposed, what would the Red Flag Gang face?
This matter must be told to her as soon as possible!
…
As the hurricane passed, the ship that had rushed to Panyu to gather information finally returned. However, after hearing the report from his subordinates, Lu Jian couldn't help but remain silent for a long time. This was really unexpected.
Lord Lu is indeed worthy of being an important official of the court. He has good methods, but he probably hasn't thought of the inside story of the Red Flag Gang.
Lu Jian sneered inwardly, but he didn't delay and went straight to Cheng Xi: "The matter in Panyu has been investigated. The person leading the troops this time is an old subordinate of General Qiu, named Xu Xianrong. I heard that he was demoted and transferred to the border due to some things in his early years, so he was not implicated in the unjust case..."
He was about to continue the introduction when he noticed something was wrong on Cheng Xi's face. He paused and frowned, "...Do you know this person?"
Cheng Xi really couldn't control the expression on her face. She had actually heard of this name, and she even knew the courtesy name of this young General Xu, Xu Zixin.
This name appeared in the letter of entrustment that General Qiu sent to him, and he solemnly promised his daughter to the other party. In Fang Tianxi's eyes, the relationship between the two was even more unusual.
If nothing unexpected had happened, Miss Qiu would have been by that man's side by now, and perhaps the two of them would have even gotten married. Who could have foreseen that due to a series of mishaps, they would end up facing each other on the battlefield, fighting to the death...
However, when Lu Jian asked this question, Cheng Xi did not give a direct answer. Instead, he asked, "Why do you think I know this person?"
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