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This ship had likely been seized from the government troops. The small building had three floors, and the decor was quite luxurious, with maids serving at every turn. Being inside could easily make one forget the battlefield outside. The more they saw this, the more they knew their guess was correct. In the entire Tianding Army, perhaps only Yuan Tianding could afford such a grand display.
As expected, the group, led by their personal guards, entered the lobby on the second floor and immediately spotted the middle-aged man seated at the head of the table. He was a sturdy, handsome man with a golden crown on his head. His gaze, upon them, gave off a sudden sense of pressure, as if they had actually seen a prince.
Sun Yuanrang showed a moderate surprise, stepped forward and saluted, saying, "I never thought that General Yuan would come in person. I apologize for the impoliteness."
Yuan Tianding was quite satisfied with the words "this humble general". He waved to everyone and said magnanimously, "It's okay. We are all family. Please sit down and someone will serve tea."
With this statement, his pretentious air of nobility faded considerably, instead lending him a more approachable air of the underworld. Leading troops into battle without telling their allies was no small matter, but Sun Yuanrang didn't hesitate. He took a seat with Lin Liangtian and introduced him to the leader, "This is General Lin Liangtian, a friend of the Red Flag Gang, and a trusted and beloved general of Gang Leader Cheng."
This made Yuan Tianding look at Lin Liangtian a few more times, and then he laughed: "I heard that Luling City was captured overnight. It turned out to be the work of friend Lin. Brother Sun, you kept it a secret. If I had known there was such a helper, I would have made plans earlier."
Before he could even mention the rebel fleet, they came charging in with accusations. Sun Yuanrang smiled and said, "General, you know that surprise attacks are meant to catch the enemy by surprise, so a little concealment is necessary. If General Lin hadn't arrived in time, I would have been attacked from all sides on the front lines."
If the other side could stab him with words, he could naturally stab back. The Tianding Army had held back in the early stages, hoping to sit back and watch the fight unfold. If they hadn't kept this backhanded up, it's doubtful they could have won. Of course, Yuan Tianding's intentions weren't hard to guess. After all, this was an internal conflict within the Suoyi Gang. For an outsider like him to send a large army to aid was already a commendable achievement. Would he actually risk his life for them? While he wouldn't necessarily sit back and watch his allies fail, it was hard to say how much effort he would contribute, and what constituted it.
Of course, at this point, there was no point in arguing about this. Yuan Tianding laughed, "I just managed to hold back the rebel fleet and persuade their general to revolt. Otherwise, the defeated troops would have been in trouble. How could I have been so efficient and effective?"
As soon as these words came out, Sun Yuanrang raised his eyebrows: "So the general had already made plans and planned to take all the boats of the Minoyi Gang."
This was a bit sarcastic, and Yuan Tianding's face darkened: "Didn't we agree that all the ships and prisoners captured on the river would belong to the Tianding Army."
"That's true, but the Minoyi Gang doesn't have any reason to hand over all their ships," Sun Yuanrang said sternly. "I think the General knows who contributed more to this battle. The promised reward won't be reduced by a single cent. Please treat me with some respect, otherwise I really won't be able to explain myself when I return."
He spoke sincerely and every word he said made sense. After all, this battle was to wipe out the traitors. How could they fight so hard only to have most of the power fall into the hands of the Tianding Army?
Seeing this, Yuan Tianding also pretended to ponder for a moment before saying, "Well, I'll hand over the captured rebel leaders to Brother Sun, and let the Suoyi Gang deal with them."
They did capture some of the rebels who were unwilling to surrender, and it was not difficult to return them to Sun Yuanrang, but there was no way that he could spit out the boats because Yuan Tianding had swallowed them.
This was truly a dead end. Sun Yuanrang's expression turned grim, but there was absolutely no reason to break up on someone else's territory. He simply said, "Then please keep your promise, General."
Yuan Tianding laughed: "Of course."
However, just as he finished speaking, Lin Liangtian, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up: "I would also like to ask General Yuan for someone."
Yuan Tianding didn't answer, merely tilting his head slightly and uttering a questioning "Oh?" This gesture was a bit arrogant, but Lin Liangtian showed no sign of anger. He replied sternly, "I heard that the ghost scholar Ning Fu has also joined the general. This guy has a grudge against the Red Flag Gang, and I'm begging the general to hand him over."
Although he used many honorifics, his words were not polite at all. Yuan Tianding's face darkened: "I don't understand what you are saying, friend Lin. When did the ghost scholar come to me?"
The blunt denial clearly showed the other party had no intention of handing over the man. Lin Liangtian didn't pursue the matter further, simply saying, "The Ghost Scholar abandoned his master during the Long Whale Gang's defeat and fled, disappearing without a trace, leading to Xu Hei's death. This time, the rebels were defeated, and Wang Hengjiang's untimely death seems to have had something to do with him. General, please be kind and don't treat a venomous snake like a house dog, or you'll cause endless trouble."
These words made Yuan Tianding's expression somewhat gloomy, but he soon laughed out loud: "After this great victory, let's put aside these depressing words and have a good celebration banquet. I have ordered people to prepare dances and music, everyone, please don't be polite, let's get drunk."
As he spoke, he clapped his hands, and several dancers filed out, dancing gracefully to the music. After such a long battle, who had ever seen anything like this? With the constant flow of fine wine and delicious food, everyone's minds were truly distracted, and they began to eat and drink with abandon.
Acting as a personal guard, Cheng Xi stood silently behind Lin Liangtian, observing the crowd without expression, especially the "Great General Yuan." In just a short moment, this man's extravagance and suspicion were exposed, concealing his stubbornness and greed. He might not have the ambition to dominate the world, and he could easily be blinded by vanity, but given such enormous benefits, he would likely fight for them. With Jinghu devastated and Jiangdong still untouched by war, such a man would likely not let Yuhang go.
Ning Fu, however, was truly by his side, and likely spoke ill of the Red Flag Gang, which had distorted his attitude. But it didn't matter; the words he had Lin Liangtian learnt had pierced the heart of General Yuan. He wasn't the type to tolerate rebellion from his men, and certainly not the kind to treat his advisors with kindness. These two points alone were enough to infuriate Ning Fu.
If Ning Fu knew what he said, it would be impossible for him not to have any evil thoughts. If that happened, raising snakes would cause trouble, which would be no joke.
But she didn't have time to wait for the two to turn against each other. The main plan of the Red Flag Gang next year was to capture the strait. How could she solve this hidden danger in advance?
Amidst the clamor, Cheng Xi suddenly stepped forward and whispered something into Lin Liangtian's ear. Lin Liangtian paused slightly, holding his glass, and then resumed drinking as if nothing had happened.
This little change was so insignificant that no one took it seriously. However, an eye behind the screen narrowed and a sinister smile appeared on its face.
After the lively atmosphere, both the host and the guests were naturally very happy. They didn't stay on the boat for long and went back to the city. Yuan Tianding went to the back hall, reclining on the couch and asked the man in white, "Did you see anything?"
Ning Fu didn't hold the folding fan that he always kept in his hand at this moment. He just saluted respectfully and said, "General, Miss Qiu has really come. She has come to the boat in person. She is the guard standing to the left of Lin Liangtian."
Yuan Tianding frowned and thought carefully about the guard standing behind Lin Liangtian. He found that he had no impression of her at all, let alone that she looked like a woman. He couldn't help but say, "That's impossible. How could I not see it? Besides, even if she really came to Luling, she couldn't hide her identity to see me, right?"
"No doubt about it," Ning Fu said firmly. "If she hadn't come in person, she wouldn't have said those provocative words. This man seems to be good at disguising himself. Back then, when he pretended to be a man, no one in the Red Flag Gang could recognize him, let alone just blending in with the crowd as a personal soldier."
Yuan Tianding's brows furrowed even more tightly, and he said slowly, "Did you hear that too?"
Ning Fu immediately bent down and said, "General, please understand. The previous defeats were not caused by my mistakes, but by the leader's refusal to listen to my strategies. I have repeatedly advised General Wang to be careful and guard against the Red Flag Gang, but General Wang refused to stop. This matter is well known in the army and can be easily understood. As for the Long Whale Gang, they should not have defected to the court. In the end, they were deserted by their friends and relatives and suffered a crushing defeat."
These words made Yuan Tianding's expression brighten slightly. He had naturally heard that Ning Fu was sent to the front lines because he displeased Wang Hengjiang. He had probably made suggestions before, but that fool Wang Hengjiang simply wouldn't listen. Even so, he snorted coldly, "No matter what, you've been defeated by the Red Flag Gang twice, haven't you?"
Ning Fu suddenly raised his head. "General, this is exactly the key point! The Red Flag Gang is too powerful. They've occupied the South China Sea in just two years. If they want to conquer the East China Sea, how long will it take? Their bank has already taken root in Yuhang, and I heard they have unclear connections with the local noble families. If she really wants to take over Jiangdong, how will the general deal with it? She's Qiu Sheng's daughter, a killer who can destroy a city overnight. Don't underestimate her!"
Yuan Tianding's goal was to advance eastward. He had never desired the impoverished, but rather the plentiful fish and salt of Jiangdong. Only by occupying Jiangdong would the Tianding Army have money and food, no longer needing to worry about maintaining troops. By then, they would surely become the greatest power in the region, forcing other hegemons to be wary of currying favor and afraid to offend.
The first thing Ning Fu mentioned after he arrived was this matter, which struck a chord with Yuan Tianding. However, this guy was filled with hatred for the Red Flag Gang, and his repeated mention of this matter had made him feel a little uncomfortable. However, today's words still touched Yuan Tianding. How could someone who stood by his side without making a sound, yet remained unnoticed, not be dangerous?
He thought he was not much stronger than Wang Hengjiang, so he came to supervise the battle in person. However, the little girl managed to capture the city and take the commander's head overnight. How could he guard against this?
After pondering for a long time, Yuan Tianding finally sighed deeply, "I still respect General Qiu very much. That's why I call myself General, rather than calling myself a king or a general. But things are always unpredictable. Well, let's give your plan a try. But even if we capture Miss Qiu, we have to spare her life."
These words were somewhat pretentious, but Ning Fu's eyes had already lit up, and he bowed deeply: "General, rest assured, I will not fail this time!"
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