99
Ling Yue was pulled out of the water. After coughing up a few mouthfuls of water, he held on to the side of the boat tightly and looked out. What he saw was a Shura field that was so terrifying that it made people's hearts and livers break.
Countless people were floating up and down, screaming desperately and struggling forward. However, fearing that the enemy would catch up, the ships docked at the pier hurriedly weighed anchor, and only a few were willing to send small boats to rescue those who fell into the water.
What would have happened to these people if they hadn't made it onto the ship? Would they have drowned, or returned to shore and died by the sword?
How could they be defeated? Six hundred people! How could they be defeated so badly?
His eyes were red and Ling Yue's whole body was shaking.
He had spent all the last of the Ling family's capital. In this battle, most of the soldiers were killed or wounded, and many jumped into the sea. He was rescued, but others might not be so lucky.
Even if he had a boat, what good would it do to return? How would he face his father and explain himself to his tribe?
"Brother! Brother! We can't stop any longer! The others have already retreated!"
Behind him, someone was yelling loudly. Ling Yue opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Brother! Someone come..."
On the sea, more than twenty boats were tangled together, with wailing, cries for help, and raised arms, making the mess look like a pot of porridge.
Zhao Liang stared at the scene in front of him in amazement, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
How did it turn out like this?
When he heard that the Red Flag Gang was attacking the East Gate and that someone was behind it, he was a little scared, fearing that what the Zhao family had done secretly would be discovered.
In the blink of an eye, before anyone even left the port, chaos broke out.
Three hundred against six hundred, and it's as easy as killing chickens and sheep. You can imagine the current situation of Dongmen.
Fortunately, my eldest brother was alert and joined the Red Flag Gang early on!
"Aliang, this situation is not good. Should we leave first?" asked his uncle in a low voice.
The Zhao family only came with one boat and about ten people. They were not qualified to go ashore and had been arranged to stay on the periphery. Now they are unharmed and can leave.
Moreover, it seems that the Ling family is doomed. Just now, they charged so fiercely that no one knew how many people they had lost.
Even if they leave now, they won't be blamed, right?
Zhao Liang hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Uncle San, our family is the Red Flag Gang's accomplice. My eldest brother went to meet the leader of the Red Flag Gang before, and stayed at the East Gate to lend a hand..."
The uncle was startled, then his face lit up with joy: "Really?!"
Originally, it was just a wasted trip with no success, but unexpectedly, he had a way out early on and even found a powerful partner. Who wouldn't be surprised?
He quickly asked again: "What should we do now?"
This was also what Zhao Liang was worried about. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I don't think we can leave yet. The Red Flag Gang has made so many arrangements, so I'm sure they have a backup plan. If we stay and follow from a distance, we can always provide some support. Besides, when Big Brother is free, he will definitely send us a message. Leaving early might ruin things."
This sounded reasonable, and the uncle immediately said, "Since this was done by you brothers, we will listen to you!"
Those who came to Dongning with him were all close friends. Now that he saw that the situation had been settled and there would be no more trouble, Zhao Liang felt relieved. Not only did he not leave, he moved forward and saved a few people. He waited until most of the ships had set sail before he retreated with them.
After suffering a sudden defeat, no one dared to stay at the doorstep of the Red Flag Gang for long. After all, they also had a fleet. What would they do if they ambushed a detachment?
However, apart from a few salt merchants who rushed back to provide emergency assistance, the others slowed down in tacit understanding after running for a while. On the one hand, they wanted to count the casualties, and on the other hand, they were worried about what to do after returning, as there were still enemies waiting at the east gate!
Three hundred of them already defeated them, so those two hundred elite soldiers will definitely be difficult to deal with...
But at this time, the Ling family was completely unreliable.
He called so many people out, achieved nothing and lost more than half of his troops. It would be foolish to listen to him again.
However, it is not easy to find a new person to take charge of the situation. No one has the reputation or ability to stand out from the crowd.
Everyone was hesitant. Although the speed was slowed down, the fleet became more and more disorganized. There was no longer the invincible spirit that it had when it came.
Just when they were at a stalemate and didn't know what to do, several small boats came and the situation changed drastically.
"Why are you here? Does big brother have any instructions?" Seeing the messenger coming in a small boat, Zhao Liang was so excited that he almost jumped up. He was just worrying about what to do when his big brother sent someone to find him, so there must be some arrangements!
The messenger's face was also filled with excitement. "The Ling family's village has been breached, and the other families have also joined the Red Flag Gang. The family head said that if the fleet is defeated in Dongning, they must find a way to eliminate the Ling family at sea!"
Only after listening to his detailed account did Zhao Liang learn about what had been going on at home these days.
It turned out that when they just arrived at the Red Flag Gang camp, the other side had sent troops to attack the East Gate and broke into the Ling family's mansion in one fell swoop. Then, Zhao Pu took the lead and persuaded two salt merchants who had not participated in the war. The three families worked together to break into two small salt merchants who had no one left behind and were wholeheartedly following the Ling family. This intimidated all the salt merchants at the East Gate.
Immediately, someone came to surrender, wanting to join the Red Flag Gang like the Zhao family.
But it's too late now. The troops have been sent to attack the Red Flag Gang. What good will it do to just kowtow and admit your mistakes? Giving money won't work either. Wouldn't it be more satisfying to confiscate the family's property and exterminate the whole family than to demand tribute?
Fortunately, Chief Li did not do anything extreme. He said that it was the Ling family who instigated the other families. As long as the culprit could be eliminated, the others could be given lenient sentences.
So, with Zhao Pu's mediation, several families sent messengers, intending to find the fleet and explain things clearly to the head of the family.
Of course, there are definitely some people who are hoping for a lucky break and want to use a delaying tactic to hold out until the fleet returns.
As a result, as soon as we set out to sea, we encountered a fleet returning in disarray. How could we not guess what happened?
Zhao Liang's eyebrows danced with joy upon hearing this, and he slapped his thigh. "This time, the Ling family lost most of their men in Dongning. If we can connect with the other families, we might be able to catch them off guard! Which families have said they want to cooperate this time? I'll send someone over to discuss a countermeasure!"
This is the best opportunity to bring down the Ling family. The Red Flag Gang is truly a master at using troops, and they have planned everything in advance.
Now such a great achievement is right in front of you, and you can get it just by stretching your hand. What are you still hesitating about?
Then, several small boats began to shuttle back and forth in the fleet.
Now that there is no leader, it is not surprising that everyone has any thoughts, and therefore it does not seem conspicuous.
But the situation was different for the few families who received the news. After hearing about the current situation of the East Gate, everyone understood that the situation was hopeless. Now the hidden accomplice of the Zhao family has finally erupted, and the news they sent is exactly the same as what the messenger said. Who would dare to hesitate?
It was also the Ling who was so unkind. It was obviously your family that was in trouble, but he still tried to cover it up, causing them to miss the opportunity to turn around. Now that their lives are hanging by a thread, do you still want to talk about benevolence, righteousness, and morality?
…
"Brother, you finally woke up!"
As soon as she opened her eyes, she heard a voice calling out. Ling Yue blinked, remembering what she had seen before, and asked with all her might, "How is it now?"
"We've already left Dongning. There are no pursuers behind us. Don't worry, brother..."
Before his brother could finish his words, Ling Yue pressed on, "How many people were rescued? Has the fleet been disbanded?"
The younger brother of the Ling family hurriedly said, "We've already counted them, and there are still more than a hundred people left. The fleet hasn't dispersed yet, but they're afraid to move fast. Everyone is undecided about how to deal with the bandits on the shore."
Although Ling Yue felt uncomfortable all over, she immediately reacted: "They don't listen to us anymore?"
The younger brother of the Ling family sighed but did not answer.
Ling Yue was stunned for a moment, then suddenly struggled to get up from the bed.
This was all caused by his mishandling of the situation. If he had simply laid siege to the city and not sent troops for the sake of merit, how could the subsequent events have happened? If he had withdrawn immediately after hearing the news, he wouldn't have lost most of his elite troops, ruined his credibility, and even lost the ability to command the fleet.
Now is not the time to care about his personal reputation. He needs to renegotiate with several ship owners as soon as possible, whether it is giving up the salt fields or promising huge profits, to unite the fleet again.
Only in this way can they compete with the Red Flag Gang.
Oh, and there's the Qian family. If we can persuade them and convince the commander to mobilize the troops, maybe there's still hope...
However, just as he was thinking about it, the sound of killing suddenly rang out outside, and a crew member stumbled in: "Boss, it's bad! Several families are rebelling and turning around to attack us..."
Ling Yue's face turned pale, and he pushed the man away and rushed out.
He ran onto the deck like crazy, and what caught his eye were three ships heading towards him.
The brig was much larger than ordinary ships, but it could not withstand such intensive collisions. A violent shaking caused Ling Yue to fall to the ground, his ears buzzing sharply. He shook his head, looking at the gangplanks hanging on the side of the ship, and saw those men, some familiar and some unfamiliar, waving swords and guns, rushing towards him.
In the distance, a ship of the Ling family was set on fire, and the huge sails were like blooming fire trees, emitting dazzling light.
"Rush out...Rush out..." Ling Yue roared, but unfortunately, his voice did not carry too far.
Two days later, a row of heads were placed in front of Li Niu.
"Is this the head of the Ling family?" Li Niu sat at the top and asked the people below.
"It's the traitors from the Ling family! None of the six ships of the Ling family escaped, and the heads of all the thieves, big and small, are here..." The person who answered was trembling, not even daring to speak too loudly.
"It's not a wasted effort." Li Niu nodded in satisfaction and said to the person next to him, "Brother Zhao, do you think this number is correct?"
"It's for sure. The three family heads have done their best." Zhao Pu changed the subject, "It's just that the old dog from the Ling family has gone into hiding. It won't be easy to catch him back."
Li Niu laughed heartily. "It would be great if you could escape. If you don't, how can you continue to cause trouble? You salt merchants are all so rich that everyone is drooling over you."
This laughter frightened everyone so much that they hunched their shoulders, not daring to look up. However, Zhao Pu understood Li Niu's intention and said in a playful manner, "Boss Li, you are being too formal. There is no such thing as 'you' or 'us' these days. We are all members of the Red Flag Gang and should serve Boss Cheng."
These words were like a life-saving straw, and were grasped tightly by a group of people, who nodded in agreement.
Li Niu tutted his words and said, "I heard that quite a few wealthy people in Dongning are stirring up trouble this time. After we finish dealing with things here, we have to let them know what's right and wrong."
Just one sentence made everyone break out in cold sweat and they lost even the courage to agree.
Although there are still people from the Qian family and the guards, no one has given up hope. The Red Flag Gang is too ruthless and cruel. How can they deal with it? Anyway, it's just a matter of getting someone else to pay the rent. As long as they can survive, it's fine.
Zhao Pu also sighed in his heart. This time it was too smooth. Even the remnants of the Ling family were easily eliminated. In this battle, at least six salt merchants in the East Gate were killed. Half of them died at the hands of the Red Flag Gang, and the other half died in internal strife. The rest were all at the mercy of others.
The salt fields that had been divided for decades were finally brought together by an outsider.
However, now is not the time to be careless. The salt fields involve not only superficial interests, but also layers of officials and wealthy families in private.
Can the Red Flag Gang really handle all this as Li Niu said?
However, the thought only flashed through his mind, and Zhao Pu adjusted his attitude.
He has established his power and killed people. He has gained all the benefits from this battle. He just needs to eat what is in his mouth and leave the other matters to the unpredictable young gang leader.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
