"But... I have a way to tie myself to the same boat as Brother Jiang!"
After hearing this, Jiang Xiao's eyes flashed.
This was the answer Jiang Xiao wanted to hear from the beginning.
When he killed Guo Shouzhong before, he could have sent Lu De away in advance and found a reason to let Lu De temporarily leave the secret room before taking action. There was no need for Lu De to overhear his confession and explanation.
In short, Jiang Xiao actually did not need to make Lu De an "eyewitness" from the beginning.
But Jiang Xiao still chose to kill Guo Shouzhong in front of Lu De, allowing Lu De to witness everything with his own eyes.
He did this to push Lu De into a desperate situation and make Lu De think that he might be killed by Jiang Xiao at any time, so he would be filled with panic and try his best to save his life. He would actively propose various conditions to win Jiang Xiao's trust and actively
Assisted Jiang Xiao to completely cover up the true cause of Guo Shouzhong's death.
Then, with Lu De's active assistance, Jiang Xiao became more confident in concealing the truth about his murder of Guo Shouzhong, so that the seventh prince Zhu Hejian chose not to pursue the matter, and still trusted "Chaofeng" and still relied on himself, and he
This means that he can continue to pursue Hu Xiao without any scruples.
Jiang Xiao is very self-aware. Although he is decisive, ruthless, and thoughtful, and his countless life-and-death experiences have allowed him to hone some skills in perceiving people's hearts, but these abilities alone are not enough to hide from the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian.
.
Therefore, he needs Lu De to assist him without reservation. After all, there are some things that scholars like Lu De are better at, such as the trick of deceiving superiors and concealing subordinates, or the use of deceit.
From this aspect, Jiang Xiao's plan succeeded.
Lu De's statement at this time was to cover up Jiang Xiao's lies and cover up the truth.
But at the same time, Lu De also saw the right opportunity and explained the future fate of the "Chaofeng" organization to Jiang Xiao in detail, which made Jiang Xiao gradually realize that the "Chaofeng" organization would also be inseparable from Lu De's support in the future.
Jiang Xiao tends to support him in becoming the contact person of the "Chaofeng" organization, so Jiang Xiao cannot just use Lu De in the future, but also needs to maintain long-term cooperation with Lu De.
In this regard, Lu De also defeated Jiang Xiao's army.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xiao took a deep look at Lu De and asked: "Oh? Then...how do you want us to be tied to the same boat?"
By this time, Lu De had gradually calmed down the panic in his heart, his thinking had become calmer and sharper, and he finally regained his usual grace and sharpness.
After hearing Jiang Xiao's questioning, Lu De did not hesitate and said with a smile: "If you want to tie two people in the same boat, there are only two ways. One is to integrate the interests of both parties. From now on,
The only way is to share weal and woe, and the other way is to let both parties hold each other's vital points. If anyone wants to betray the other, the result will only be death together!
But now, you and I have only known each other for a short time, so naturally we have no chance to integrate our interests into one, so we can only choose the latter method, which is to pinch each other's vital points, and no one dares to betray the other...
Just now, the younger brother witnessed the murder of Guo Shouzhong by Brother Jiang. If the younger brother chooses to confess the truth to His Highness the Seventh Prince, Brother Jiang will inevitably attract the hostility of His Highness the Seventh Prince. Therefore, the younger brother now has the handle and key points of Brother Jiang. Next,
As long as Brother Jiang is able to get hold of the younger brother, we will be in the same boat from now on!"
Then, without waiting for Jiang Xiao to continue asking, Lu De shrugged again, spread his hands and said: "It's a pity that I was just an honest scholar in the past. I really can't find a clue to give to Brother Jiang, so... I just...
Maybe he made one temporarily! Brother Jiang has become famous in Green Forest, so he is naturally familiar with Green Forest’s method of attracting people. That method is called a ‘famous certificate’, right?”
Jiang Xiao was a smart man and immediately understood what Lu De was thinking.
So, after Jiang Xiao nodded with satisfaction, he changed the subject and said: "If that's the case, then I am also willing to assist you in becoming one of the contacts between His Highness the Seventh Prince and 'Chaofeng'!
But again, although I killed Guo Shouzhong, I did not want to betray the seventh prince. The seventh prince is the future emperor. Although following him is risky, the benefits are also great. On the contrary, if I abandon him, there will be no one like me in the world.
There is no place for me to stay, not to mention that the Seventh Prince has given me the grace of saving my life and knowing me, so as long as you are loyal to His Highness the Seventh Prince, I am willing to cooperate with you... Compared to Guo Shouzhong, you are more pleasing to the eye.
.
But... you haven't answered my original question yet - after you leave the secret room, how will you explain the cause of Guo Shouzhong's death to the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers outside the secret room? When you meet His Highness the Seventh Prince,
How can I explain what I just saw and heard?"
After Lu De pondered for a moment, he replied: "Since Guo Shouzhong is dead, let's just let him die worthy of his death!"
*
After half a stick of incense had passed, Lu De suddenly opened the secret room, leaned out half of his body and called out: "Is Lu Tong here? Guard Guo has something to tell you, please come into the secret room to see me."
Lu Tong summoned by Lu De was also a close guard of the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian, but his resourcefulness was not outstanding, so he was not reused by Zhu Hejian. He was only responsible for running errands and spreading messages.
When Guo Shouzhong went out of the city to find Jiang Xiao overnight, he took Lu Tong with him just in case and to take care of each other, and the two of them rushed to the Lu Family Villa east of Nanjing.
After hearing Lu De's summons, Lu Tong immediately stepped into the secret room because of the loyalty and reliability of the "Chaofeng" organization.
But when Lu Tong entered the secret room, he only saw Jiang Xiao standing in front of him with a normal expression, and did not immediately notice Guo Shouzhong.
Because of his position, Jiang Xiao blocked Lu Tong's view, and the light in the secret room was dim, so he did not see Guo Shouzhong's body in time.
Lu Tong couldn't help but was slightly stunned, and subconsciously turned his head to look. He was negligent for a moment and did not keep a close eye on Jiang Xiao in front of him.
And at this moment, Jiang Xiao took action in vain without any warning. He raised his hand and punched Lu Tong hard on the chin. Lu Tong suddenly had stars in his eyes and lost control of his body.
Jiang Xiao, on the other hand, moved quickly and pursued the victory. He took the opportunity to pounce forward and pinned Lu Tong under him.
Then, with the sound of "kacha", Jiang Xiao had already removed Lu Tong's chin, and then punched Lu Tong hard at the base of the ear, causing Lu Tong's body to paralyze and completely losing his ability to resist.
From Lu Tong entering the secret room to Jiang Xiao's sudden attack, it only took a moment. When Jiang Xiao removed Lu Tong's jaw, the secret room door had not had time to close.
Therefore, the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers who were guarding outside immediately discovered the situation of Lu Tong's attack, and soon discovered the body of Guo Shouzhong in the secret room. They were all well-trained people, and they subconsciously pulled out the
Weapons surrounded him.
However, Jiang Xiao has a very high prestige among the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers. Everything that happened in the secret room was related to Jiang Xiao, so although the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers surrounded him, they did not
They acted rashly, but carefully observed everything in front of them, quietly waiting for Jiang Xiao to give them an explanation.
Although Jiang Xiao has a high prestige among the "Chaofeng" warriors, if he betrays the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian, the "Chaofeng" warriors will never blindly follow him - in order to ensure that these "Chaofeng" warriors, the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian
The loyalty of the "Feng" dead soldiers took a lot of thought and used many methods to either control their families or exploit their shortcomings.
In this way, under the siege and gaze of a group of "Chaofeng" dead soldiers, someone finally spoke up and explained to them "the reason for the incident."
But the person who spoke up to explain was not Jiang Xiao, whom they were looking at, but Lu De, who was standing aside.
Lu De stepped out of the secret room and said with a serious expression: "Brothers, the situation is not good! When these two people came here to contact us, they made a very serious mistake, which may have caused the enemy to
Fang forces have discovered the news that you are hiding here, because these two people have exposed their identities and traces, and may implicate everyone at any time, so in order to take care of the overall situation, they must die!
I have just killed Guo Shouzhong with the cooperation of Brother Jiang, and I will kill Lu Tong next. Otherwise, we cannot completely eliminate future troubles! At the same time, it is no longer safe here. Brothers need to leave immediately. If anyone traces it afterwards
Now that we’re here, I’ll naturally be the one to deal with it!”
When Lu De explained like this, Jiang Xiao still controlled Lu Tong, but at the same time he nodded slightly to the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers, which was regarded as acknowledgment of Lu De's statement.
At this time, Lu Tong had recovered slightly from Jiang Xiao's heavy blow, and his body kept struggling to resist. Unfortunately, he could not break free from Jiang Xiao's control. He also wanted to shout and make a sound
To retort, it was a pity that Jiang Xiao had already removed his jaw and was completely unable to speak.
On the other side, after Lu De finished speaking, he suddenly raised a bloody dagger, turned around and walked in front of Lu Tong.
Then, Lu De took a deep breath and tried to stay calm, but his face was still extremely pale, his eyes flickered and he did not dare to look directly at Lu Tong, and the right hand holding the short blade was trembling slightly.
But in the end, Lu De gritted his teeth, raised his short knife and stabbed Lu Tong's neck hard, killing him with his own hands under the watchful eyes of a group of "Chaofeng" dead soldiers.
This was the first time Lu De killed someone with his own hands, and it was also the letter of surrender that Lu De handed over to Jiang Xiao!
*
Lu De had just admitted in person that he had killed Guo Shouzhong with his own hands, and now he had killed Lu Tong in public.
In this way, he will have no choice but to maintain the same attitude as Jiang Xiao on this matter in the future, insisting that Guo Shouzhong and Lu Tong made mistakes and exposed their identities and whereabouts on the way to the Lu Family Villa.
Lu De and Jiang Xiao just wanted to eliminate hidden dangers and ensure that the relationship between the seventh prince Zhu Hejian and the "Chaofeng" dead soldier would not be exposed, so they could only make a decisive decision and be "forced" to get rid of Guo and Lu.
Completely eliminate future troubles.
Lu De would also tell the seventh prince Zhu Hejian this kind of rhetoric next.
With Zhu Hejian's character, he must have no objection to this reason. Even if he secretly doubted the truth, as long as Lu De and Jiang Xiao ensured that their confessions were consistent, Zhu Hejian could not find anything suspicious.
In this way, Lu De and Jiang Xiao were tied in the same boat, neither of them dared to betray the other at will!
If Lu De betrayed Jiang Xiao afterwards and chose to confess the truth to Zhu Hejian, but he killed Lu Tong in public after all, and Jiang Xiao had more witnesses, it could be said that it was reasonable but unclear, and after all, Lu De
He is just a newcomer who has only joined Zhu Hejian for a short time, so Zhu Hejian may not completely believe Lu De's confession, and will only be suspicious of Lu De and Jiang Xiao at the same time.
On the other hand, if Jiang Xiao later betrays Lu De and puts all the blame on Lu De, then Lu De can choose to confess everything to Zhu Hejian, which will also make Zhu Hejian suspicious of both of them.
With Zhu Hejian's extreme nature, once his doubts and suspicions are aroused, there must be someone wrong and he will not let go. The final fate of Jiang Xiao and Lu De will also be to die together, neither of them can get anything.
benefit.
All in all, for Lu De and Jiang Xiao, the next best choice is to keep the same attitude and completely cover up the truth of today's incident. No one should betray the other, and then they have the opportunity to protect themselves and avoid future troubles.
Lu De and Jiang Xiao are both smart people, so naturally they can figure out the pros and cons.
*
Under Jiang Xiao's training, the "Chaofeng" soldiers were capable in action and loyal. They were also very good at obeying orders and had little thought or judgment of their own.
Therefore, after hearing Lu De's explanation and seeing Jiang Xiao nodding his head in approval, the "Chaofeng" soldiers stopped thinking about it and quickly divided their work and got busy.
Some people are responsible for handling the bodies of Guo Shouzhong and Lu Tong, some are responsible for eliminating the traces of the "Shaofeng" dead men staying in the Lu Family Villa, some are responsible for strengthening the security, and some are preparing for the transfer.
After all, according to Lu De, enemy forces have now discovered something suspicious about the Lu Family Courtyard, and they must evacuate as soon as possible.
Lu De's explanation to the "Chaofeng" dead man actually contained many hidden meanings.
First of all, in order to cover up the real reason why Jiang Xiao personally killed Guo Shouzhong, he tied himself up with Jiang Xiao in a boat to ensure that Jiang Xiao would not kill him to silence him;
Secondly, he wanted to create a crisis that did not exist at all, so that the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers mistakenly thought that they were at risk of exposure, and they all became nervous and busy. When they were all nervous and busy, they naturally paid attention to
Don't think and look for flaws.
Finally, on the grounds that the enemy forces may have discovered that the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers were hiding in the Lu family's annex, the "Chaofeng" organization was temporarily separated from the direct control of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian.
After all, since some enemy forces may have discovered the traces of the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers, the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers must move quickly to ensure that their whereabouts are concealed as a priority.
Under such circumstances, even Zhu Hejian would not be able to contact the "Chaofeng" organization in time to convey follow-up orders, and his control over the "Chaofeng" organization would be greatly reduced.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jiang Xiao could lead the "Chaofeng" soldiers to continue hunting Hu Xiao without worrying about being obstructed or opposed by the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian.
As for Lu De himself, he can also take the opportunity to become the liaison between the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian and the "Chaofeng" organization.
It can be said that everyone gets what they need.
*
In this way, under the deception and driving of Lu and Jiang, the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers quickly completed all the finishing work, and then left the Lu Family Villa overnight under the leadership of Jiang Xiao.
Next, Jiang Xiao will no longer have any scruples and will lead the "Chaofeng" soldiers to pursue Hu Xiao with all their strength, which will inevitably become a major variable in the subsequent development of the situation in Nanjing.
Lu De, on the other hand, stood on the wall of the Lu family's annex using the escalator, watching with a solemn expression as the hundreds of "Chaofeng" dead soldiers left quickly, gradually disappearing into the night, but suddenly he laughed at himself.
Then, Lu De lowered his eyes and raised his right hand to observe carefully.
Just now, he used the knife held in his right hand to kill Lu Tong.
At that moment, a lot of blood spattered on his right hand. Although Lu De washed away the blood stains immediately, he always felt that the smell of blood still remained on his hand.
Because it was his first time to kill someone, Lu De's right hand was still trembling uncontrollably at this time.
If Lu De was more ruthless and unwilling to avenge his teacher He Ming and his classmate Zhao Shancai, or if he was more timid and did not dare to have in-depth contact with the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, he could completely stay away from the crisis. With his background and talents, he could do anything
To ensure a life of peace and wealth, his right hand will only be used to hold a pen and will only leave the scent of ink.
It's a pity that Lu De finally stepped into the situation without hesitation, and then he was caught up in the situation and couldn't help himself.
"Although accidents happen frequently, the plan is generally going smoothly. I am getting closer to the final goal. Maybe soon... I will be able to access the most core secrets of His Highness the Seventh Prince!
But...in order to get to this point, I have given up more and more things, the stakes have become bigger and bigger, and the situation has become more and more dangerous. Hey! There is no turning back! The gains are not worth the losses! The losses are not worth the gains! "
While muttering to himself, Lu De slowly got off the escalator.
Seeing that the night was getting dark, he needed to rest as soon as possible. He would get up early and return to Nanjing tomorrow to reply to the seventh prince Zhu Hejian.
But Lu De also knew very well that he was destined to have a sleepless night.
At the same time, Jiang Xiao also led a group of "Chaofeng" dead soldiers away from the Lu Family Courtyard and headed west.
That is the direction of Nanjing City.
Noticing the direction of their advance, a small leader of the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers couldn't help but be confused and couldn't help but ask Jiang Xiao: "Master Jiang, where should we go next to hide our traces? The direction ahead is the direction of Nanjing City!
"
Jiang Xiao nodded with a cold face and said: "We just want to go to Nanjing City! Now we are worried about being exposed, and under such circumstances, the place that seems to be the most dangerous is actually the safest! Although the government power in Nanjing City is the strongest, but
There is a mixture of forces from all sides, and there are millions of residents. In an emergency, you can still seek shelter, but it is the best place to go!
What's more, I have received news that the group of 'Chaofeng' who returned to Nanjing City early has also been exposed and is now being pursued by the government. His Highness is extremely concerned about this matter. I also need to solve this trouble for His Highness as soon as possible!
Therefore, we must arrive outside Nanjing before dawn, and then sneak into the city in batches!"
Jiang Xiao's explanation was considered to be a sufficient reason. The "Chaofeng" leader hesitated for a moment, but in the end did not raise any objection again.
But the little leader of "Chaofeng" didn't know that Jiang Xiao was looking up in the direction of Nanjing City at this moment. The violent emotions in his heart were constantly stirring. He gritted his teeth and thought to himself: "Hu Xiao! Brother Hu! You and I will soon be together."
We are about to meet again! This time, let me see where you are going to hide!"
*
The next day, at three quarters in the morning.
After a sleepless night, Lu De looked sluggish and worried, so he returned to Nanjing with his confidant Lu Ping.
Because of the flood that broke the embankment late the night before yesterday and the huge eucalyptus in the downtown area yesterday evening, the city of Nanjing is still under lockdown. Refugees from outside the city are not allowed to flow in, nor residents within the city are allowed to leave. It can be said that the city is under tight security.
However, Lu De had the reputation of being a civil servant, and he was also a direct descendant of the Lu family, a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River, so he successfully entered the city gate after revealing his identity.
However, when Lu De entered Nanjing City, he was immediately stunned by the chaotic scene in Nanjing City.
In Lu De's impression, although Nanjing has one million residents and is the largest city in this era, the people stick to their duties and the government has strong control. It has always been orderly and prosperous.
But at this moment, the situation in Nanjing is completely different from Lu De's inherent impression. It is absolutely unprecedented disorder and chaos!
The common people were agitated and gathered to make trouble. The defenders and government officials in the city were running around in panic to suppress the situation, trying hard to control the increasingly chaotic situation.
After Lu De entered the city, he had not taken a few steps when he saw a large group of people gathering together and confronting a group of Nanjing defenders.
The identities of these common people are mixed, including merchants, students, river workers, and ordinary residents. They can be said to be large in scale and numerous in number. However, the Nanjing defenders are armed with weapons and constantly threatening. Both sides are afraid of each other. The situation is
It was a stalemate.
Because both the army and the people were unwilling to cause greater conflicts, they saw the people constantly shouting slogans, and the Nanjing defenders also kept shouting warnings and exhortations.
"The government is under martial law and no one is allowed in or out of the city. The price of food has skyrocketed. We, the people, will no longer be able to survive!"
"The Jin gentry and the Huangzhuang eunuchs are fighting each other. What does it have to do with us ordinary people? Why can't we ordinary people live a normal life?"
"We river workers have not been able to work normally and receive wages for a long time!"
"According to the order of Lord Yin Xie of Tianfu, there are murderers making trouble in Nanjing City, and the city is under martial law to arrest them! All people must return home immediately and cannot leave at will, let alone gather in crowds to cause trouble! Otherwise, it will be a crime of disordering the people!"
"Common people, disperse and return home immediately. If there is a conflict, it will be useless! Don't blame us for being rude!"
"Since this morning, Nanjing Prison has been crowded with people. If you continue to cause trouble, you will have no choice but to show yourself in shackles!"
Seeing the soldiers and civilians confronting each other, shouting at each other, and being blocked in front of him, Lu De was shocked and quickly asked Lu Ping to find a small flag from the Nanjing garrison to ask for news.
After the defender Xiaoqi learned Lu De's identity, he was immediately in awe and wanted to take the opportunity to please Lu De. He quickly explained the current situation of Nanjing City to Lu De in detail.
"Master Lu, you don't know! The city of Nanjing is absolutely in chaos right now and is completely out of control!
Alas! We have been experiencing frequent chaos in Nanjing during this period. The constant conflicts between the guarding eunuchs and the gentry had originally affected the normal order of the people and made people panic. Then there was a carriage burning out of control in the busy city, causing a big disaster.
There was a large-scale trampling, and a large number of refugees came from the flood caused by the bursting of the embankment outside the city. Last night, two groups of unknown assailants caused a massacre that killed and injured more than ten people, and most of the casualties were from prominent Song Dynasty families.
House servant!
Seeing such chaos, Xie Fuyin did not dare to neglect, and immediately ordered the whole city to be under martial law and manhunt! But how many people were there in Nanjing? Martial law and manhunt were naturally extremely difficult, and it also further disrupted the normal life of the people.
They had already accumulated a lot of public grievances, and it completely erupted after the city's martial law restricted them from going out at will!
Waiting until this morning, the United Shipping Company took the lead in calling for merchants to go on strike, river workers to go on strike, and students to go on strike. They said that the chaos in Nanjing was all caused by high-level conflicts. They wanted to lead all walks of life in Nanjing to protest together and force the high-level officials to calm down the conflicts and restore normal order.
, as a result, the situation became even more chaotic. Nowadays, large numbers of people gather to make trouble everywhere in Nanjing. The scene you see in front of you is just one example!
Nowadays, the city's defenders and government officials are unable to suppress the people's troubles, let alone the city-wide martial law and arrests! In less than two hours, the major prisons in Nanjing City are already filled with rioters.
But it still can’t stop the people from gathering to make trouble..."
While explaining, the defender Xiaoqi also looked helpless and worried.
After hearing this explanation, Lu De's eyes flickered, thoughtfully.