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Salt merchants have at least a hundred ways to hide their tracks.
Zhao Pu's actions were very agile. It took him only two days to reach the Red Flag Gang's camp in Dongning.
Looking at the huge camp in front of him, even though he had made sufficient mental preparation, Zhao Pu was still stunned.
He often passed by Luoling Island when transporting salt, but he had never noticed such a large fortress emerging on the shore.
It hasn't been long since they set up such a strong camp. The power of the Red Flag Gang should not be underestimated.
Moreover, this place obviously puts defense first. It only has a small private port, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. No matter how many ships come, they cannot move.
As soon as he saw the camp, Zhao Pu became more confident. However, before he could reach the shore, he was stopped by a fishing boat.
It turned out that these were patrolmen sent by the Red Flag Gang. When they heard that he was here to pay a visit to the leader and report something important, they searched him carefully before leading him into the camp.
When we entered the camp, we saw something different.
Everywhere you look, there are men dressed in black and wearing red belts. Just looking at their spirit, they are not like ordinary fishermen.
The sentries were so tight along the way that there was not even a chance to inquire. Zhao Pu was not in a hurry. He just watched everyone's heart and didn't ask any nonsense questions.
He came here to serve, and if he was mistaken for a spy and killed, that would be a huge loss.
Only when he was outside the tent and the guard went in to report did Zhao Pu go over it again in his mind.
The Red Flag Gang rose too fast, and ordinary people had no idea about the details of the big and small leaders. However, the people in charge of the camp now should be the Li family. They were the only ones who had a grudge against the Wan family and would use the Wan family as a warning to others.
It is said that this Chief Li was a contraband dealer with a straightforward temper and a clear distinction between gratitude and resentment. Such a person would certainly not like a treacherous villain. He had to be more open and not let the other party look down on him.
Just as he calmed down, he was called into the tent.
Zhao Pu strode in hurriedly and saw the person sitting in the main seat at a glance.
He turned out to be a very handsome boy, very different from the legendary Boss Li!
But there was no time for further thought at this moment. Zhao Pu bowed and saluted: "I am Zhao Pu from the East Gate, and I am here to meet the leader!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the dark-skinned man on the left laughed out loud: "This is not some leader, but Leader Cheng of the Red Flag Gang."
Zhao Pu's heart trembled, and he was even more surprised than before.
The leader of the Red Flag Gang is surprisingly young? Wait, shouldn't their leader be in charge of Luoling Island? Why did he suddenly come to the main camp? Did he hear some news?
Fortunately, his beard covered most of his face, also hiding the surprise on his face. Zhao Pu quickly made amends: "I didn't realize it was Gang Leader Cheng in person. I apologize for my rudeness."
Cheng Xi looked him up and down and said calmly, "I heard that the head of the Zhao family salt fields is extraordinary. Seeing him today, he is indeed extraordinary."
Zhao Pu's heart was filled with shock. This gang leader actually knew his origins! Although the family's salt fields had expanded by nearly 100 acres in the past two years since he took over the family, the Zhao family was not well-known in Dongmen and was just an ordinary salt merchant.
If he could reveal all this right away, how could he not know what the Ling family was doing?
Without further hesitation, Zhao Pu said, "Boss Cheng, you're too kind. I'm here for a reason. The Ling family, the most powerful in the East Gate, wants to harm your gang. They've allied with salt merchants and several wealthy families in Dongning, waiting for an opportunity to attack. The Qian family will also be sending ships. They have connections with the garrison, so we have to be on guard!"
Such shocking news did not change the young man's expression. Cheng Xi only nodded slightly: "If that's all, I already know it."
Zhao Pu sighed in his heart. The Red Flag Gang was really well-informed. They must have been prepared for it a long time ago.
Realizing the other party's power was beyond his imagination, he refused to let go of the opportunity and said bluntly, "To be honest, Ling Yue, the head of the Ling family, once tried to win me over, but he's cowardly and treacherous and can't be trusted. If Gang Leader Cheng doesn't abandon me, I'm willing to lead the entire Zhao family to serve the Red Flag Gang."
As soon as he finished speaking, a very thin young scholar sitting on a strange chair beside him suddenly spoke up: "They are all salt merchants from Dongmen. How can you believe what you say? If they are spies sent by Ling Yue, wouldn't that ruin everything?"
His voice was cold, and his eyes seemed to be pierced with thorns and full of suspicion.
Zhao Pu immediately straightened his expression and said, "After all, my family has a hundred acres of salt fields, two sons and two daughters, and I consider myself a person who cherishes life. If they really want to surrender in disguise, why not send an underling? Why come here in person?"
Tian Yu snorted coldly: "If you value your life, why did you come to us? Don't you know that the Ling family and the Qian family are now powerful?"
Zhao Pu's voice also turned cold. "Since the gang leader knows the current situation of the East Gate, he should know that they are just a group of scattered sand. Even if they can gather twenty or thirty boats, no one is willing to rush to the front for the Ling family. What's the use of having more boats like this? Besides, I'm afraid there are more people who think the same as me. If the gang leader believes me, I am willing to persuade a few trustworthy families to come and surrender..."
Before he finished speaking, Cheng Xi had already waved his hand: "That's not necessary."
Zhao Pu's proud posture froze. What did that mean? Could it be that there were more than just his family who came to join him?
Cheng Xi didn't beat around the bush: "I believe you're not a spy. We'll indeed need manpower to manage the salt fields in the future, but we won't need you to deal with those two families yet. Just stay at the East Gate. If you have any news, send someone to report it."
Zhao Puke hadn't expected him to be so arrogant. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I also have a hundred or so disciples in my family, all of whom are capable of fighting and killing. If the leader doesn't mind, I can secretly transfer them here..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sarcastic scholar said coldly, "Do you think we would use new recruits at this time?"
Then aren't you afraid that the news I brought is false? Zhao Pu was a little angry, but when his anger rushed over, he suddenly realized that the reason why he used news instead of people was because he could distinguish the truth from the false!
It seems that there are really other people who want to seek refuge. At a time like this, of course we can't make any mistakes.
Swallowing his anger, Zhao Pu bowed and said, "The boy is wholeheartedly surrendering to us. As long as the leader gives us orders, we will certainly follow them."
Cheng Xi nodded in satisfaction: "Just follow the group and don't charge ahead. Remember not to alert the enemy."
Zhao Pu was completely submissive and accepted the order. Since he was determined to join the Red Banner Gang, he didn't care about anything else at this time. Zhao Pu didn't stay in the Red Banner Gang for long and turned back to the East Gate.
After the people left, Li Niu rubbed his chin and said, "We haven't even started to make any effort, and someone has already defected. It seems that these salt merchants are really no match for us!"
The arrival of this man surnamed Zhao was beyond Li Niu's expectation, and he was a little bit unbelievable. How could he surrender to the enemy when he was so powerful?
But the gang leader believed it and even made a plan with Tian Quezi in a few words. It seems that he really scared people.
In this way, wouldn't they be more informed?
Cheng Xi smiled and said, "So don't underestimate others. There is always a shortage of smart people. Zhao Pu is a talent that can be used."
Before meeting the person, Cheng Xi was still a little wary and even prepared to use a counter-espionage plan.
After meeting the person, she realized that he was a clear-headed person who had analyzed the pros and cons clearly.
Just look at the information he sent and see how much it differs from what they got. If it can be more detailed and accurate than what they got, this person will be really useful once the salt fields are conquered.
Of course, even if the news is inaccurate, they are not afraid, but this will just be a different way of playing.
…
Zhao Pu rushed back home without stopping. When he saw his brother, Zhao Liang hurriedly asked, "Brother, how is it?"
Zhao Pu sighed: "I'm afraid it's too late!"
"Ah?" Zhao Liang was shocked. "Someone has already joined the Red Flag Gang. Which gang is it?"
Zhao Pu shook his head. "They didn't say anything, but it's very likely someone went there first. Now the Red Flag Gang knows everything about the East Gate, so the Ling family has no chance of winning."
Zhao Liang swallowed his saliva and suddenly said, "Then it's not too late. At least we can save our family business! What do they want us to do? Should we send someone over first?"
Seeing that his brother had already reacted and was even more anxious than himself, Zhao Pu said, "You should also be patient. Gang Leader Cheng said that we can just pass on the information. I guess he wants to compare it with the information from other insiders to ensure safety."
Zhao Liang was surprised to find that they didn't need to send anyone, but only needed to gather information. He immediately felt disappointed: "If they win, we won't get any credit..."
Zhao Pu glared, "What's the purpose of an insider? When the fighting really starts, that's our chance to make a contribution! Don't the Lings have meetings every day these days? Let's go over and listen, find out more, and then find an excuse to shirk responsibility when we need to assign people. In short, just work without putting in any effort and don't rush forward."
This didn't seem difficult, Zhao Liang nodded quickly: "I'll listen to you, big brother!"
"You should also be careful and don't reveal your identity. This is the only chance for our family to turn things around, so we must not make any mistakes." Zhao Pu warned.
He has figured it out. Since there are people competing secretly with him, he cannot fall behind.
I had to review the information again and again to make sure it was accurate. Even if I wasn't the first one, I had to be the most useful one and impress the young gang leader.
If you act as an insider and fight back, are you still afraid of not getting a reward?
If the Red Flag Gang really unified this salt field, he would definitely have to take a big share of the credit!
Although various undercurrents were surging in the two neighboring counties, Ling Yue's confidence grew stronger day by day.
Not to mention the benefits given by the Lu family, just the anxious wealthy families in Dongning gave a lot of money and food, hoping that they could take down the Red Flag Gang's camp.
And that group of idiots, like scattered sand, were also blinded by money and were willing to work hard to send troops.
Of course, not every family can be obedient, but with more than 30 ships of all sizes, that should be enough to give them courage, right?
And as the news said, the Red Flag Gang's fleet was indeed preparing to go to Hepu to transport grain.
A few days ago, eight ships went to Panyu to stock up on goods, then returned to Luoling Island and set sail with four more ships.
That’s twelve ships in total, four of which are warships. It’s estimated that half of the combat power has gone, so the island’s defenses must be empty.
After receiving the news, Qian immediately sent instructions, asking him to lead his troops to attack the Dongning camp and lure out the remaining ships of the Red Flag Gang. Then, the two sides would work together to block the reinforcements, and it would be easy to destroy those dozen ships, right?
Since they were just luring the enemy, they didn't have to attack the enemy camp head-on and could delay the attack for a day or two.
When the Qian family's ambushing ships arrive, and they launch a fierce attack and achieve a complete victory, will they be able to share less credit? Putting aside Luoling Island, the Red Flag Gang's camp in Dongning is truly enormous, and who knows how many valuable things are contained within.
Feeling that everything was arranged properly, Ling Yue no longer hesitated and gathered everyone together, boasting that the Red Flag Gang was currently short of troops and that this was the perfect time to send them out! Regardless of whether they were sincere or not, when everyone heard that a fight was about to begin, they all howled with righteousness, wishing they could die.
Seeing that people's hearts were willing to work, Ling Yue had nothing to worry about. He immediately ordered everyone to prepare troops and attack the next day!
When everyone was happily preparing for war, a boy with a message sneaked out of the saline mudflats and headed towards Lin County.
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