"Even after Zhao the Madman became a monk in Jiangxia, he was still recognized and captured by the government troops!"
Li Dongqian stood up abruptly, his face instantly drained of all color.
His fingers trembled: "He's still alive?"
Zhao the Madman is Zhao the Madman; it would be better if he were dead.
If he were alive, and testified that Li Dongqian had arranged for him to lead a rebellion, I'm afraid even Li Dongqian's entire family wouldn't be enough to kill!
Li Dongqian was extremely anxious; his voice was distorted and unusually sharp.
"No matter what, Zhao ?? cannot be allowed to live!"
The butler looked terrified.
Having served the master for decades, I have never seen him lose his composure like this!
"Yes, sir!"
However, it's easier said than done.
Besides sending out the secret guards kept by the Li family, we also need to find some other manpower.
Zhao is currently under military control. The Li family has been operating for many years, and their influence is mainly among civil officials, while they are still too weak among military officers.
We can only rely on those military officers who have voluntarily surrendered and have recently been put to use.
...
Upon receiving the secret letter, Ma Ang frowned deeply.
He is currently serving as a military officer in Fengyang, and has only been in office for two or three months. It would be an almost impossible task for him to travel thousands of miles to kill Zhao.
However, since we have already pledged allegiance to Chief Minister Li, if we don't do this first thing, I'm afraid this path will become unworkable in the future.
Ma Ang gritted his teeth, led his trusted guards, and secretly headed to Huguang, intending to ambush Zhao ? on the way.
The remaining bandits have not yet been completely wiped out. The convoy transporting Zhao was intercepted several times on the road and had no choice but to enter Anlu City to temporarily avoid the enemy's advance.
Upon receiving the news, Ma Ang rushed towards Anlu.
While stopping for a bite at a small restaurant on the way, the adjutant beside him asked with a puzzled look, "General, doesn't that person look like Liu Qi?"
Ma Ang scoffed: "How could that be? Liu Qi is in Shandong, how could he possibly end up in Huguang..."
The border troops he was familiar with in Datong and Xuanfu were currently following Lu Wan in Shandong to wipe out the remaining forces of Liu Liu and Liu Qi, and were not here at all.
That's why he didn't have to be too discreet with people along the way.
The chances of running into someone you know are very small.
Before he could finish speaking, he looked in the direction the deputy general was pointing and his eyes widened in surprise.
The imperial court issued portraits of Liu Qi and other bandit leaders to them.
Among them, Liu Qi was not a fierce and burly man, but a handsome young man with outstanding appearance, which once caused a lot of discussion among them.
The young man, who was waiting for the restaurant to bring out his food, sat in the corner of the small restaurant. He was dressed in coarse cloth clothes of natural color, but his heroic spirit could not be hidden. His jawline was clean and neat, and he was all alone.
It is exactly the same as the image in the portrait.
Is it really Liu Qi?!
Ma Ang's heart was pounding.
He placed his hand on his forehead and discreetly surveyed his surroundings.
The small restaurant didn't have many customers at the moment, unlike the presence of Liu Qi's men.
Apart from their horses, there was only one carriage outside the restaurant.
Ma Ang was overjoyed.
This is incredible luck!
Having captured Liu Qi alive, why would he worry about promotions and titles?
Ma Ang dipped his finger in the wine and drew a few strokes on the table, communicating the plan with his subordinates.
He inadvertently noticed that someone was looking in his direction.
Ma Ang looked up and met Liu Qi's sharp, hawk-like gaze.
For some reason, even in the middle of summer, Ma Ang felt a strange chill run down his back.
He let out a long sigh of relief, encouraging himself.
Liu Qi was all alone.
He has twenty people on his side.
With twenty against one, how could we be afraid he would escape?
Liu Qi didn't wait for the food; he got up and quickly walked out of the small restaurant.
Without further hesitation, Ma Ang waved for his men to follow.
Liu Qi moved extremely quickly, and by the time they came out, he had already driven his horse onto the road.
Ma Ang and the others chased after him on foot, but they were too late. They watched helplessly as Liu Qi's carriage sped away from within their reach!
Damn it!
"Chase!"
Ma Ang ordered everyone to mount their horses.
No matter how fast a carriage is, it still has wheels and can't compare to the speed of riding a horse.
Their horses had been traveling for half a day and were starving when they arrived. They hadn't had a chance to rest and couldn't run. The two sides maintained a distance from each other and could only watch the dust kicked up by the carriages from afar.
By the time they caught up with the carriage, they had arrived at a secluded valley hidden by trees.
Liu Qi, who was driving, had disappeared.
Ma Ang became wary and had someone lift the curtain of the carriage.
There were blankets and clothes in the car, but no one was inside.
"search!"
More than twenty people dispersed and searched the slightly steep slopes on both sides of the canyon.
Su Wanwan held her breath and let Liu Qi hold her as they sat in the canopy of a tree that was so thick it would take two people to hug it.
She never imagined that one day she would be taken up a tree and sit in such a high place.
The canopy of the large trees is so dense that unless you know in advance where they are hiding and deliberately look up, it is difficult to find their whereabouts.
Someone walked up to the base of this big tree.
"Crack..." The man broke a tree branch under his foot and stopped to look around.
Such a large tree is very rare in the north. The man, who grew up in Datong, was very curious and was about to look up at it.
Su Wanwan stared at the top of the man's head, her heart pounding in her throat.
Given her condition and the fact that Liu Qi was alone, if their whereabouts were discovered, it would be difficult for him to gain any advantage.
Seeing that she looked very nervous, Liu Qi smiled slightly and flicked a pebble from his fingertip.
The person under the tree had already raised halfway up when he suddenly heard a noise on the other side. Ignoring the tree, he hurriedly ran towards the direction of the noise.
Only after that person disappeared did Su Wanwan feel a little relieved.
"Afraid?" Liu Qi raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on his face.
Su Wanwan felt a little uncomfortable.
The branches weren't very thick, and the two people sitting on them were quite close together.
She, in particular, was so frightened that she relied mainly on Liu Qi's support to keep the center in place.
It's always a bit inappropriate for a lone man and woman to cross the line into a safe distance.
"You should leave me behind and go on your own," Su Wanwan said in a low voice, her expression serious.
Her body is now practically useless.
She couldn't understand why Liu Qi insisted on saving her.
He could have simply walked away.
Liu Qi slowly wiped the smile off her face: "My brother is still in your man's hands."
Seeing that no one else was coming, Su Wanwan whispered, "Prepare the antidote and give it to the Emperor, and he will release your brother."
Liu Qi's face remained expressionless, his gaze shifting elsewhere.
Su Wanwan paused for a moment, then said, "I will write a letter explaining that you saved me and killed Liu San, and ask him to spare you brothers. You can change your names and identities and live a good life."
At this moment, several more people approached the grove.
Those who had gone elsewhere to search returned.
Liu Qi didn't say anything more.
After those people walked away, he snorted coldly.
"You want me to abandon you and let you die here alone?"
Su Wanwan: "I don't want to be a burden to you."
Now there are government troops everywhere to suppress bandits. He is a notorious bandit leader. If he were alone, it would be easy for him to deal with the situation.
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