In the Juyi Hall of Heishui Village, Zhou Hongji looked extremely ugly, and Shen Xuangan also frowned.
"Brother, it's not that we don't work hard." Du Zitong explained with a frustrated face: "They set a trap and used weird weapons. The brothers have never seen that kind of weapons. They suffered heavy casualties and were all panicked. I want to gather together
Everyone fought hard, but the situation was chaotic...!"
Zhou Hongji said angrily: "You only brought back more than a thousand people out of five thousand troops. Tell me, how can I explain to the mountains?"
"They are not dead, they just ran away." Du Zitong said hurriedly: "They know the way back and will be back soon."
Zhou Hongji was angry and anxious, and said: "Before we sent out the troops, I said that I had to discuss this matter with my second brother, but you have to lead the troops yourself. Now it's okay. This battle has dealt a fatal blow to the elite of our Montenegrin Army.
Even if they run back, they will definitely be frightened by the officers and soldiers from now on. If Long Rui's army gathers the Liaodong army to kill them together at this time, what do you think we should do?"
"Brother, it's me who deserves to die." Du Zitong raised his hand and gave himself a slap in the face, and said angrily: "No matter how you punish me, I won't blame you."
Shen Xuan sighed: "Fourth brother, no matter how chaotic the situation is, we can't bring back only this few people. The five thousand people you brought out are almost the wealth of my family in Montenegro. I am only worried now that the chaos last night
Regiment, the brothers are fleeing in all directions, and the officers and soldiers are taking the opportunity to pursue them. If they are all buried in the pasture and few of them come back, we in Montenegro will be in great trouble."
Zhou Hongji looked at Zhou Yuanbao, frowned and said, "Yuanbao, why don't you speak?"
"Father, we have been defeated. It is useless to complain now." Zhou Yuanbao stood up and said: "The most important thing now is to find out the inner ghost. If the inner ghost is not found, the inner ghost will collude with the officers and soldiers inside and outside."
, that’s when disaster strikes.”
“The inner ghost?” Zhou Hongji didn’t react for a moment: “What the inner ghost?”
Du Zitong seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and said hurriedly: "Yes, brother, there is a spy on the mountain. He leaked our plan to send troops to Long Ruijun. Long Ruijun knew exactly when and when we sent troops, so he set up a trap
.You said before that if you know yourself and the enemy, you will be victorious in every battle. This time we sent troops, Long Ruijun knew everything about it, and we lost from the beginning." He gritted his teeth and said: "Yuanbao is right, the top priority is to find out who the enemy is.
The inner ghost, he betrayed Montenegro and killed countless brothers. He will probably continue to collude with the officers and soldiers, cooperate inside and outside, and come up to the mountain to kill."
“You mean our plan is known to the officers and soldiers?” Zhou Hongji said in shock.
Du Zitong nodded and said: "Long Ruijun clearly set a trap for us. If we didn't know our plan to send troops in advance, we would never have been prepared. They dug a big hole and were waiting for us to jump in."
Shen Xuangan frowned and said: "But only a handful of people know about the plan to send troops. Apart from the four of us, who else knows? Even the second brother has hidden this matter, and he is also coming down the mountain after you.
That’s when I found out about it.”
“Did he say anything?” Du Zitong couldn’t help but ask.
Shen Xuangan shook his head and said: "There was a lot of noise when you came down the mountain. Even if he is deaf, he already knew it, but he didn't come over to say a word. It must be because it was a foregone conclusion and he knew that it would be useless to say anything more." After a pause.
, asked: "Fourth brother, Yuanbao, have you mentioned this matter to others?"
"I only told two of my confidants." Du Zitong said: "Song Lun and Zhao Ping have been my confidants for many years. They have made great contributions and they will never collude with the officers and soldiers." He looked at Zhou Yuanbao and asked: "
Yuanbao, who did you tell me?"
Zhou Yuanbao shook his head. His meaning was very obvious. Before sending troops, no one revealed it.
Shen Xuangan frowned and said: "I only mentioned it to the two deputy leaders of our Zijin Village. They will go down the mountain with you this time. You all know them. They are all old people on the mountain. There is no way they will betray us."
Zhou Hongji looked solemn and said, "Isn't it possible that Qin Xiao has long ears?"
"When we were discussing that day, was there anyone outside eavesdropping?" Shen Xuangan whispered: "Brother, who was in charge of guarding here that day?"
Zhou Hongji waved his hand and said: "Tieniu is also a brother who has been with me for many years. He led two people to guard the door that day. I never believe that Tieniu will betray us." He glanced at several people and said, "But this matter
It's a bit weird. Think about it, Qin Xiao has been in Songyang Grassland for less than half a month, and we haven't had anyone join us for more than a year. If there is a mole in the mountain, who sent the mole? And when did he come?
mountain?"
"The group of people who defected in the end couldn't have known about this plan in advance." Shen Xuangan said softly: "As far as we know, Qin Xiao's visit to Beijing only happened this year, and no one knew about it before.
He would run to the northeast. Even he himself didn't know. How could he send people to sneak into the Black Mountain in advance? If it was a mole that the imperial court had planted in the mountain, why was it that the mole was never revealed during the previous fight with the Liaodong Army?
information?"
Zhou Hongji was thoughtful, pondered for a moment, and then said: "But if there is no evil spirit, how could Qin Xiao know the news in advance and calmly set the trap?"
Du Zitong said angrily: "I've really seen a ghost. If I find out the culprit, I'll skin him."
"Fourth brother, Yuanbao, you first deploy your troops to defend the important strongholds on the mountain." Zhou Hongji ordered: "We don't know whether the officers and soldiers will take advantage of the situation to attack. We have suffered heavy losses this time, so we must beware of the officers and soldiers taking advantage of the situation to attack.
, we must arrange sufficient manpower at each stronghold, and we must not neglect it.”
Du Zitong could only stand up and said: "Yes!"
Zhou Yuanbao didn't say much and just stepped back. Du Zitong glanced at Zhou Hongji and hesitated to speak. Finally, he stepped back without saying anything more.
Zhou Hongji waited for the two of them to leave, then he clenched his fists and cursed: "I knew that the fourth child would not achieve anything big, but he was the one who suffered me this time. Years of hard work were ruined by him in one fell swoop. How will I live in the future?"
?”
“Brother, take care of yourself.” Shen Xuangan said with a wry smile: “No one thought that the news would be leaked, otherwise it would not be the result like this.”
Zhou Hongji sat back on the chair a little tiredly, dazed in a daze. After a long time, he finally said: "Third brother, you come to investigate the matter of the mole. Including the two people under you and the two under Lao Si.
Check it out carefully."
"Brother, the two men under me are back, and Zhao Ping under Lao Si is also back, but Song Lun is nowhere to be found." Shen Xuangan whispered: "I don't know whether Song Lun died over there or was killed.
The officers and soldiers caught him. But if we say who among these people is the most suspicious, it may be Song Lun."
“Song Lun?” Zhou Hongji hurriedly sat up and leaned forward: “Do you think Song Lun is the traitor?”
"If he is still alive and is not captured but stays there by himself, is it possible?" Shen Xuangan whispered: "This troop dispatch is led by Lao Si, and Song Lun is the second leader of Baimuzhai. For this
The specific details of the first troop dispatch must be clear, and he is also the first person to know the plan. It is not impossible if he immediately sends someone to deliver the news to Qin Xiao after Lao Si tells him the plan."
Zhou Hongji wondered: "But why did he do this? He is Lao Si's confidant and was personally promoted by Lao Si to be the second leader of Baimuzhai. Why would he betray us?"
"If we know his motives, we can directly confirm that it is him." Shen Xuangan smiled bitterly: "I am just suspicious and can't provide any evidence. I just think that he is the most suspicious. But before there is conclusive evidence, it is not possible."
I'm not sure it's him." He hesitated and whispered: "Brother, although Song Lun is the confidant of the fourth brother, but... he is in awe of the second brother. Apart from the fourth brother, he should be the most admired.
That’s the second child.”
Zhou Hongji's body trembled, his brows furrowed, and he whispered: "What do you mean by this?"
"Since Big Brother asked me to investigate this matter, I naturally have to start with the most suspect person." Shen Xuangan's eyes became cold: "If we can't find out the mole and let him continue to be on the mountain, it won't take long for us.
They will all die without a burial place."
Zhou Hongji said softly: "What do you want to say?"
"We always thought that the second brother only knew about the plan to send troops when the troops came down the mountain." Shen Xuangan said slowly: "Is it possible that he knew about it before? The fourth brother told Song Lun about the plan, and Song Lun had
Isn’t it possible to tell second brother?”
Zhou Hongji frowned and said, "Why did he tell me?"
"Although Song Lun is the fourth brother, he has followed his second brother to kill in these years." Shen Xuangan approached Zhou Hongji and whispered: "Most of the brothers in each village are in awe of the second brother, and many people even feel that
Therefore, only by following his second brother into the battle can he be sure of victory. Song Lun may have felt a little uneasy when he learned that this time the troops were not led by his second brother, so he leaked the news to his second brother, perhaps hoping that his second brother would go out personally, but his second brother did not follow the instructions.
He takes charge of his own thoughts, but has other plans."
Zhou Hongji shook his head and said: "Not to mention that there is no certainty that Song Lun leaked the news to the second brother. Even if it was true, would the second brother betray us? Although he has a weird personality and is sometimes too stubborn, his character
I still trust him. He is definitely not a villain who betrayed his brother. And if Song Lun really told him, how could he remain silent after knowing it? With his character, I am afraid he would have come to stop him long ago."
"Brother, the second brother is indeed a loyal person, but he is also a proud and arrogant person." Shen Xuangan sighed softly: "We planned to send troops this time, but we did not let him know. This has never happened before.
What would you think if it were you, my eldest brother?"
Zhou Hongji was startled, and Shen Xuangan said softly: "The second brother will definitely feel uncomfortable when he finds out. He likes to think too much. We are just worried that he will hinder the dispatch of troops, so we hide it from him. But in his opinion, it is very possible
He thinks that we are excluding him and don't even regard him as his brother. He knows that we have made up our mind, and even if we come to stop it, it may not be useful, so why bother? Maybe we will take this opportunity to have other plans, who knows."
"What's the plan?" Zhou Hongji sneered: "What good will it do him to betray us? Does he still want us to die at the hands of officers and soldiers?"
Shen Xuangan shook his head and said: "That's not the case. But if Lao Si returns in triumph this time, he is worried that the military power will be in Lao Si's hands from now on. There are only a few people in Huangtu Village. If he loses the right to lead the troops
, there will be no room for talking on the mountain from now on. Because he is loyal, he first considers his subordinates. If Huangtu Village loses its power on the mountain, the lives of his subordinates will not be easy in the future."
After a pause, he slowly said: "If the Fourth Brother returns in defeat, when everyone on the mountain blames the Fourth Brother, they will think of the invincible Second Master. In this way, he will no longer be missing when sending troops in the future.
.”
"Just for this reason, he secretly reported to Qin Xiao, and then watched his brother lose his army?" Zhou Hongji shook his head and said: "Lao San, I really don't believe he would do this. He can't take advantage of the Montenegrin Army's setback.
"
"Brother, have you forgotten that not a single soldier from Huangtu Village participated in the battle this time?" Shen Xuangan said: "The people who came down from the mountain were all brothers from other villages. Not even a horse from Huangtu Village came down from the mountain. Even though the losses were heavy,
, but no one in Huangtu Village was damaged."
"Stop talking." Zhou Hongji said sternly: "Lao San, what is your intention with these words? Are you trying to sow discord between brothers?"
Shen Xuangan stood up abruptly, raised his hand and pointed to the door, and said in a deep voice: "Brother, there are 20,000 men, women, old and children in the five villages of Black Mountain. If we are negligent and the insider succeeds, we should cooperate inside and outside, and the officers and soldiers will rush in."
In the mountains, have you ever thought about the consequences? Although the four northeastern counties are vast, except for the Black Mountains, where else can we find a place to stay? If we don't find out the culprit, there will be a knife hanging over our heads day and night, and it will fall at any time.
Even if my brother doesn’t tell me, I will find out the traitor with my own hands, so I won’t let anyone off if there is any suspicion.”
Zhou Hongji looked solemn, and Shen Xuangan lowered his voice: "There are only a few people who know about this matter, but these are all old brothers in the mountains. I don't believe any of them will betray Heishan. But I have to get rid of them.
Choose the most suspicious person, then choose the person who has the most motive to do this. Except for the second child, I can't think of anyone else who has the motive to betray us." After a pause, he sat down slowly and said with a solemn expression:
"We have won many battles over the years, but almost all the troops are led by the second brother. The brothers in the mountains are in awe of the second brother. On the contrary, the reputation of several of our other brothers is getting worse every day. Every time we win,
, the eldest brother rewards the brothers, the second brother almost doesn’t want any reward, and most of it is given to the other brothers. What is this? Now the brothers in each village are willing to follow him to fight. Not only can they win the battle, but they also gain a lot every time.
, and you can get a heavy reward, brother, don’t you know that whenever something big happens in Montenegro now, the first thing the brothers think of is not you, but the second brother.”
The corners of Zhou Hongji's mouth twitched, and his eyes showed a sharp look.