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There was blood all over the floor, so the banquet naturally couldn't last too long. After the two leaders made a formal oath of alliance, it ended.
Shen Feng left quite decisively. After all, three leaders, both big and small, had died, and he had to deal with both ends. Cheng Xi led several trusted aides back to the conference hall.
"How did you get injured?!" Tian Yu asked in shock when he saw Cheng Xi covered in blood.
He had been waiting in the house. He had a disabled leg and was in charge of internal affairs, so he didn't want to show up in front of the pirates.
However, having said that, how could a banquet turn into a fight that required the gang leader to join the fight? Could it be that the negotiations broke down?
"Shen Feng discovered that I was a woman and brought along several leaders who had grudges against my father. I revealed my identity and personally went on the scene to settle the feud." Cheng Xi explained the matter in a few words. It was really because things happened too quickly that there was no time to send someone to inform.
Tian Yu was dumbfounded. They had thought of countless ways to deal with the situation before, but who would have thought it would end like this.
However, if you think about it the other way around, this is also an excellent way to deal with it.
With the banner of "avenging one's father", the Red Flag Gang was in a position of justice when facing the imperial army, and after killing the pirates who came to seek revenge, there were not many people in the Green Phoenix Gang who dared to point fingers at them in person. It solved two problems at once, which was a clean and neat solution.
But even so, he couldn't help but curse: "Shen Feng is really cunning. He borrowed your knife to kill people and got the advantage."
"If there's no advantage to be gained, why would he agree to join forces with us? The government army is so powerful, there will always be people who seek profit and avoid harm..."
Before Cheng Xi could finish her words, the little girl Lin Mo came running back with a first aid kit in her arms: "Boss, bandage the wound first!"
Seeing that the other person was about to cry, Cheng Xi smiled and obediently reached out to let her help clean and bandage the wound.
The three leaders of the Qingfeng Gang were indeed skilled fighters. Even though she had tried to shorten the duration of the fight as much as possible, she was still somewhat exhausted in the end and had sustained some injuries. Fortunately, they were all minor.
Looking at the knife scar on Cheng Xi's face that was still bleeding, Yan Yuan breathed a sigh of relief: "It's better to reveal our identities. It's better for us to raise our own banner than to be schemed by others."
Let’s not talk about the guy named Chen. Yan Yuan felt something was wrong when he looked at Lu Jian these past two days.
This person is very ambitious. If he knows something secret, he will use it as a handle. Only by solving it cleanly and efficiently today can we eliminate the hidden danger.
Tian Yu thought more: "Will this matter affect the morale of the army?"
Li Niu immediately said, "What influence? The leader has already said that the Red Flag Gang has General Qiu's bloodline. Now the identities are aligned. Not only did the dog emperor harm General Qiu, he also sent troops to kill his orphan. Who can tolerate this?"
It was true that gangs valued loyalty the most. Lin Meng nodded, "The gang leader killed three people with his own hands, which was enough to establish his authority and boost the morale of the troops."
This is also the most clever point. The killing is to resolve the conflict with the Qingfeng Gang, but it is also to intimidate everyone.
So what if she revealed her identity as a woman? This was at sea, so as long as she was strong enough, it would be fine.
"Now that the internal troubles have been resolved, it's time to deal with the external ones." Cheng Xi raised his head and said to the crowd while Lin Mo tended to his wounds. "Spread this news so that all the court officials and soldiers know the origins of the Red Flag Gang. Spread the rumors if necessary, incite the people if necessary, and at least gain the upper hand in public opinion. I want to see how the commanders can stabilize the morale of the troops."
Everyone was shocked. This was a heart-breaking method. The Qiu family was almost wiped out, and the court still wanted to send troops to conquer the orphan girl. This was morally untenable.
How many people could truly contribute to an unjust war? If the news spread previously was only about the conflicts between the various guards and the Dusi camp, then this time it would shake the morale of the ordinary soldiers. Not to mention the military spirit, there was a possibility that they would sneak away and surrender.
Yan Yuan showed hesitation, but finally asked, "What about General Xu?"
Li Niu and Lin Meng were both confused, but Tian Yu frowned. If the news was really passed on, Xu Xianrong's situation would probably become very bad. Are they going to abandon him?
"In the face of a major war, there are always things we can't take care of." Cheng Xi paused, "Besides, this can be considered a turning point. If the enemy commander is smarter, perhaps we will meet again on the battlefield..."
…
Although the military prison cells were heavily guarded, the buildings were very simple and the walls were so thin that one could hear any movement in the barracks.
The camp has been in great chaos these days. I don’t know how many troops have been mobilized. It seems that they are really preparing to send out all their troops.
Xu Xianrong wasn't particularly optimistic about this style of attack. How could he not know the situation at each garrison? Instead of competing for merit, it would be better to select a few elite troops and launch an all-out attack.
Besides, the leader of the Red Flag Gang is a skilled fighter, and he cannot be dealt with simply by piling up people and boats.
However, even though he had a lot of ideas in his mind, he could not leave the prison now.
I don’t know if it’s because Lord Lu’s face is not enough, or if Wang Ling really wants to use him as a warning to others, but even the visitors have disappeared in the past two days, which is really unbearable.
After some time, maybe he should be transferred to the prison in Panyu and sentenced.
Just as he was thinking about it, the cell door suddenly opened and someone shouted, "Lord Wang wants to question you, hurry up!"
Wang Ling wanted to interrogate him? Xu Xianrong frowned, stood up, straightened his robe, and then stepped out of the prison door.
Faced with the sudden summons, Xu Xianrong was mentally prepared. No matter what Wang Ling said, he could not respond casually.
If he is caught and admits to the false accusations, even Lord Lu will not be able to save him.
Unexpectedly, when Wang Ling saw him, he just looked him up and down and suddenly asked, "Do you know Qiu Sheng's daughter?"
Xu Xianrong's brows furrowed and his fists clenched tightly. Of course he knew it, and he also knew that in order to avoid being forced to serve as a court prostitute, she had jumped into a well and died, and her beauty had long been gone.
Why, are you bringing this up too?
Seeing his expression, Wang Ling sneered, "There's a rumor going around in Panyu right now that the leader of the Red Flag Gang is the orphan girl of the Qiu family, and she wants to raise an army to avenge her father."
Just when the troops were about to be dispatched, Wang Ling was shocked and angry when such news suddenly came out.
Didn't Qiu Sheng's daughter die a long time ago? How did an orphan suddenly appear? However, people couldn't help but spread rumors, saying that she was a woman disguised as a man, and that she enforced strict military discipline. They also said that the Red Flag Gang frequently sent troops to suppress bandits.
Is a boat gang that doesn't even plunder the villages on the shore an ordinary gang? Miss Qiu must be obeying her father's will!
The more convincing these words were, the more restless his soldiers became.
It was a well-known fact that Qiu Sheng was wrongly killed. Before, Wang Ling could use the remnants of Qiu Ni to wreak havoc on the sea, and Qiu Sheng must have long had a rebellious heart to refute it. Now, in the blink of an eye, he has become a legendary story of enduring hardships and avenging his father. How can he deal with this?
It was for this reason that Wang Ling thought about it and decided to bring this real old subordinate of Qiu Sheng to his side.
As expected, upon hearing this, Xu Xianrong, who had been kneeling, suddenly stood up and said, "Stop talking nonsense! How could Miss Qiu get involved with bandits?!"
He had met Qiu Yuehua before, that was four or five years ago, when he was still serving the military commander. Naturally, he knew how much the military commander loved his only daughter.
In his impression, she was just a little girl, thin, well-behaved, and a little shy, who would only follow her father timidly.
How could such a lady from a noble family join a group of pirates to cause chaos!
Seeing him lose his composure like this, Wang Ling snorted coldly: "Perhaps Qiu Sheng's subordinates rescued the people and used her name to recruit soldiers?"
Xu Xianrong's face turned pale, and he almost squeezed blood from his palms. "Miss Qiu is from a military family. She must not fall into the hands of thieves. This matter is of great importance. I hope you can report it to the court and save her from this suffering!"
Is Yuehua really dead? Xu Xianrong was a little uncertain about this.
The general loved his daughter so much that he might have escaped and sent her out secretly. However, he did not expect that he had entrusted his daughter to the wrong person and she ended up being held hostage.
Xu Xianrong had fought against bandits before, and he knew the temperaments of bandits and pirates. If Yuehua really fell into the hands of bandits, how could he face the military?
Hearing him say this, Wang Ling finally stroked his beard and nodded: "Since you have said so, I will give you a chance to redeem yourself. This time you will also lead the troops to rescue Miss Qiu. Even if she is the daughter of a criminal official, I cannot sit idly by and watch."
This is also the best solution Wang Ling can think of. After all, Xu Xianrong is Qiu Sheng's old subordinate and has seen the real Miss Qiu.
As long as he insisted that Miss Qiu was coerced, he could more or less calm people's hearts.
This kid got a good deal. If Minister Lu hadn't been making efforts behind the scenes, and if he hadn't had a few generals under his command who could control the situation, how could he have resorted to such a bad strategy?
All kinds of thoughts kept churning in Xu Xianrong's mind, but at this moment, they all became the same obsession.
He must rescue Yuehua! Raising his hands, Xu Xianrong clasped his fists and said, "I obey your orders!"
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