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Huo Zhengyuan only felt that he had betrayed his fate and had bad luck.
He finally made up his mind and wanted to be tougher than ever before and fully demonstrate his courage. As a result, the opponents he encountered were all powerful figures like Zhou Shangjing, Zhu Hejian, and Song Chengren. When doing things, accidents happened frequently, and they continued to Testing the limits of his mental endurance.
Especially this time, things are even more difficult.
Huo Zhengyuan never inquired into the secret mission that Zhao Junchen assigned to Guo Min, but he was a smart man after all and had already made a guess in his mind.
During this period of time, Nanyang pirates suddenly stopped charging protection fees from Ming Dynasty ocean-going smugglers and frequently robbed Ming Dynasty smuggling ships. Moreover, each robbery occurred after Guo Min had withdrawn a large sum of money from Huo Zhengyuan. After the silver.
As a result, the ocean-going smugglers of the Ming Dynasty suffered heavy losses and completely lost the courage to go it alone. They either chose to join the ocean-going fleet established by Huo Zhengyuan, or simply sold their ocean-going ships at a discount to Huo Zhengyuan made the ocean-going plan hosted by Huo Zhengyuan progress more smoothly.
Moreover, Hu Xiao has been following Guo Min closely since he entered Nanjing City. When Guo Min and Huo Zhengyuan met, Huo Zhengyuan also personally summoned Hu Xiao, and the two exchanged a few words.
With Huo Zhengyuan's perspective, he quickly judged from Hu Xiao's words, deeds and temperament that this person was definitely not a good person and was most likely a gangster.
Looking at Hu Xiao's skin condition, his skin color is brown and black but not rough. It is obvious that he has been exposed to the sun for a long time and lived in a humid environment. Therefore, Hu Xiao is not only a tough bandit, but also not an ordinary mountain bandit or river bandit. A bandit, but a pirate!
All in all, although Huo Zhengyuan did not deliberately find out what Guo Min's secret mission was, he had vaguely guessed that Guo Min's secret mission was most likely related to overseas pirates, and Hu Xiao and others were among the pirates Guo Min secretly contacted. member.
Not only Huo Zhengyuan saw this kind of thing, but Ouyang Bo also probably guessed it, but both of them saw through it without revealing it, and they still pretended that they had no knowledge.
But now, these pirates actually killed more than a dozen people in Nanjing City. Most of the dead were servants and nurses of the Song family. Moreover, after these pirates started killing people, they immediately hid in Huo Zhengyuan's temporary residence...
Under such circumstances, Huo Zhengyuan naturally can no longer pretend to be Hutu!
Once someone discovers that he is harboring pirates, it will inevitably cause a big trouble.
The most important thing is, maybe people will follow the clues and discover that his staff secretly colluded with overseas pirates to rob Ming Dynasty merchants!
By that time, Huo Zhengyuan's ocean-going plan will inevitably suffer a setback, and he himself will be completely ruined!
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Thinking of this, Huo Zhengyuan was naturally panicked.
This is because Huo Zhengyuan does not know the full story of Guo Min's mission. If Huo Zhengyuan knows that Guo Min's secret mission includes not only colluding with overseas pirates to rob Ming Dynasty merchants, but also secretly contacting the Dutch East India Company, When it comes to privately purchasing guns, gunpowder, etc., Huo Zhengyuan would be scared out of his wits on the spot, and the toughness and courage he had finally shown once would dissipate on the spot.
After taking a deep breath, Huo Zhengyuan forced himself to calm down and asked in a low voice: "Those pirates...I mean those villains with unknown origins, what is their situation now?"
Ouyang Bo replied: "Those villains are all panicking now and keep begging us to find ways to protect them and send them safely outside Nanjing."
Huo Zhengyuan sneered and asked again: "What does Guo Min mean? Can those villains be dealt with at will?"
The so-called "disposal at will" actually means murder and silence!
For Huo Zhengyuan, the best way to deal with it at the moment is to silence all these pirates as soon as possible!
Although Huo Zhengyuan also had a way to protect the pirates from escaping from Nanjing City, the risk was too great, and someone would catch them if they were not careful.
In comparison, the method of killing and silencing is more appropriate.
As long as all these pirates are silenced, all parties can be prevented from following the clues and discovering more things that cannot be exposed, and Huo Zhengyuan can truly have no worries anymore.
Ouyang Bo obviously understood what Huo Zhengyuan meant, and nodded: "What Guo Min means is that these villains of unknown origin can be dealt with at will, and there is no harm in killing people and silencing them. I have also sent someone to buy a small bag of arsenic for later use... …
However, the leader of that group of villains, that is, Hu Youyi, has an extremely slippery and treacherous temperament. I am afraid it will not be easy to kill him. Moreover, each of these villains is physically strong and highly skilled in martial arts, and they are even more unscrupulous in their actions. Once It was when we were silenced that they discovered the flaw, I'm afraid we would suffer immediate backlash! "
Huo Zhengyuan's eyes flashed and he ordered: "In that case, don't make a move for the time being, and wait until I get back to act accordingly! You first go and stabilize those evil men, don't make them suspicious, and at the same time try your best to hide their whereabouts. We must not let anyone discover that we are covering up for them!
If such a big thing happens in Nanjing City, the Nanjing government will definitely join forces with the Nanjing defenders to conduct a search under martial law. If the Nanjing government officials and defenders find our residence, you must be strong-willed and drive them away! Given our status and background, it is only natural to refuse government searches! "
After Ouyang Bo nodded in agreement, he turned and left the main hall of Zhanyuan.
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In this way, due to the successive intrusion of Yi Ping, Song Jicheng, Ouyang Bo, and Guo Shouzhong, as well as the whispers between these four people and Xie Qing, Song Chengren, Huo Zhengyuan, and Zhu Hejian respectively, the night banquet in Zhanyuan ended. There was a temporary interruption without warning.
At this time, all the guests also guessed that something major had happened in Nanjing. Everyone was talking to each other and secretly guessing. Even the public debate five days later no longer received attention.
After Yi Ping, Song Jicheng, Ouyang Bo, and Guo Shouzhong took their orders and left one after another, the Zhanyuan Night Banquet was finally able to continue.
But at this time, whether it was Zhu Hejian, the host of the banquet, or the banquet guests such as Huo Zhengyuan, Song Chengren, Xie Qing, etc., everyone was distracted and eager to end the banquet and leave as soon as possible.
Since everyone was of the same mind, the dinner party would naturally not last long. After half an hour, it was announced that it was over.
However, Huo Zhengyuan and Zhu Hejian both said goodbye to each other absentmindedly, then hurriedly left Zhanyuan and returned to their temporary residence in Nanjing without stopping.
Huo Zhengyuan's temporary residence is a medium-sized courtyard in a secluded location in the south of the city. It has seven or eight rooms and can accommodate twenty or thirty people.
However, when Huo Zhengyuan stepped into the courtyard, he found that it was quiet, and no human voice could be heard. All the rooms were dark with lights out, and lights and figures could still be seen in the main room.
Seeing this situation, Huo Zhengyuan's expression changed slightly, and he immediately turned around and wanted to leave!
But it's too late.
As soon as Huo Zhengyuan turned around, he saw two fierce-looking men ducking at the courtyard gate, blocking his retreat.
Huo Zhengyuan's only remaining follower, Huo Changle, also had a villain hold a short knife against his neck.
The next moment, Hu Xiao's laughter rang out in the main room of the courtyard.
"Master Huo, this is your residence, why did you leave right after you arrived? What do you feel guilty about?"
While he was talking, Hu Xiao had already stepped out of the main room and stood carelessly at the door of the main room, looking at Huo Zhengyuan with a half-smile.
At the same time, Hu Xiao was still holding a small paper bag in his hand, dangling it constantly.
After seeing the small paper bag in Hu Xiao's hand, Huo Zhengyuan's expression changed again, and he had roughly guessed the current situation.
Obviously, the small paper bag in Hu Xiao's hand was the arsenic purchased by Ouyang Bo. It was originally intended to be used to silence Hu Xiao and his pirates.
But perhaps because Ouyang Bo was not cautious enough, Hu Xiao and his pirates discovered the flaw, so they turned their backs on the spot and took control of Huo Zhengyuan's temporary residence and all his men.
Hu Xiao and his pirates were all originally fierce and skilled in martial arts, but Huo Zhengyuan's crew suffered heavy casualties due to a trampling accident and a flood, and now only six or seven of them are left. , not only is their bravery and force far inferior to that of a group of pirates, but they are also at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, and naturally have no power to resist.
And Huo Zhengyuan returned to his residence at this time, which meant that he had thrown himself into a trap.
Thinking of this, Huo Zhengyuan's heart was full of resentment and he cursed secretly: "Ouyang Bo, Ouyang Bo! I see that you are capable and cautious in your work on weekdays, but why did you make such a mistake at the critical moment! You actually made me fall into the trap of pirates. Hands! They really killed me!"
In fact, Huo Zhengyuan's suspicion was not entirely correct, and he also misunderstood Ouyang Bo.
As one of the "Eight Owls" and now the leader of Nanyang pirates, Hu Xiao can survive until now because he is very good at betraying and betraying others.
It is precisely because Hu Xiao is very good at betraying and betraying others, so Hu Xiao has always been wary of others betraying and betraying him.
When Hu Xiao learned that his pirates had committed a big crime in Nanjing, he immediately thought of the possibility that Huo Zhengyuan, Guo Min and others might betray him and kill people.
Therefore, he first pretended to be panicked and had no idea, and tacitly allowed Ouyang Bo to leave here, and rushed to Zhanyuan to report the news to Huo Zhengyuan, just to mislead Huo Zhengyuan and make Huo Zhengyuan mistakenly think that he had lost his mind at this time. Wanting to seek asylum, Huo Zhengyuan would return to his residence unsuspectingly.
After Ouyang Bo rushed to Zhanyuan to report the news, Hu Xiao quickly turned against him and led a group of pirates to take control of Huo Zhengyuan's temporary residence and hijacked all of Huo Zhengyuan's men. When Ouyang Bo returned here, he also became a Hu Xiao was imprisoned.
Then, when Hu Xiao searched Ouyang Bo, he found the bag of arsenic that Ouyang Bo carried with him, which confirmed the idea that Huo Zhengyuan and others wanted to kill people and silence them.
In other words, Hu Xiao did not decide to fall out because he discovered the bag of arsenic, but he discovered the existence of the bag of arsenic after he fell out first.
Ouyang Bo did not make any mistakes when doing things, but completely underestimated Hu Xiao's cunning and decisiveness.
Huo Zhengyuan didn't know these things at this time, but after his expression changed for a moment, he took the initiative to walk up to Hu Xiao, frowned and asked sternly: "Hu Youyi! What on earth do you want to do? This is Nanjing City under the rule of the Emperor! I am the official Toward the Great Bachelor!
Those people under your command have already caused a big mess. I was originally thinking about how to protect you and cover you from being pursued by the Nanjing government. But I didn't expect that you are so rude and stupid, and you actually repay kindness with hatred and turn back. Come here to kidnap me!
But you have to think clearly! If you lose my help, you will have no chance of escaping the pursuit of the Nanjing officials! Are you doing what you are doing now to bring about your own destruction? "
Hu Xiao sarcastically said: "Ha! I didn't expect that a powerful man like you would be willing to protect little people like us at a critical moment, instead of treating us as trouble and just thinking about killing and silencing us. I'm really a little bit Moved!"
As he spoke, Hu Xiao shook the bag of arsenic in his hand again and said: "Master Huo, you are a great scholar with a lot of knowledge, and I am just a ruthless gangster who doesn't know many Chinese characters. But there are some things that I do. This kind of gangster is more proficient! Let me teach you a trick. Using arsenic to kill people has long been out of date, because if you add too much arsenic, it will have a sweet taste, but if you add too little, it will not be toxic enough. Just induce vomiting as soon as possible to detoxify most of it. The most popular method nowadays is to mix the ovaries and liver of the good fish into the food to poison... Oh, Mr. Huo, you probably don’t know what the good fish is. This is the name in Guangdong, and it should be the name here in Jiangnan. Call it pufferfish!”
After exposing Huo Zhengyuan's hypocrisy, Hu Xiao continued to sneer: "As for us repaying kindness with hatred... just last night, we just risked our lives and rescued three of your staff from a flood, so The words 'repaying kindness with revenge' are really not the turn of gangsters like us... When it comes to being ruthless and ruthless, we are no match for scholars like you!"
Hearing Hu Xiao's repeated sarcasm, Huo Zhengyuan snorted coldly and had no intention of responding. He just stared at Hu Xiao's performance coldly, not feeling afraid at all.
After the initial panic, Huo Zhengyuan had somewhat regained his composure and figured out the key to the matter.
Now the Nanjing government and the Nanjing garrison have sealed the city gates and are arresting Hu Xiao and others throughout the city. Even if Hu Xiao is cunning and cunning, he can't find a way out at this time, so he can only count on himself to protect them. Cover them to escape from Nanjing City.
Under such circumstances, unless Hu Xiao wants to die together, even if he holds himself hostage, he will never dare to hurt himself. He still wants to ask for himself, so this kidnapping is just Hu Xiao's bargaining method.
Thinking of this, Huo Zhengyuan was no longer timid, but after looking at Hu Xiao coldly for a long time, he took the lead and walked towards the main room. As he walked, he said: "Let's talk in the room! Now the Nanjing officials are searching for you all over the city. If you still want to escape smoothly, don't make too much noise, otherwise I won't be able to protect you!"
While he was talking, Huo Zhengyuan had already stepped into the main room of the courtyard, and then he saw three Zhao family aides, Ouyang Bo, Guo Min, and Qian Bodao, sitting aside with sad faces, and behind them stood a pirate. Knife threats.
Seeing this situation, Huo Zhengyuan snorted again, and then sat on the main seat, as if he was still the owner and controller of this courtyard.
Seeing that Huo Zhengyuan was so confident, Hu Xiao looked a little ugly and felt that he was in a dilemma.
Just as Huo Zhengyuan speculated, Hu Xiao is a person who cherishes his life. He only hopes that Huo Zhengyuan will help him and help him escape smoothly, so he does not dare to hurt Huo Zhengyuan at all, nor does he dare to completely fall out with Huo Zhengyuan.
There has always been mutual restraint between literati and warriors. Sometimes when a scholar meets a soldier, he cannot explain his reasoning; sometimes when a strong man meets an official, he cannot use his strength.
Just like that, after his expression changed for a moment, Hu Xiao turned around and walked in front of Huo Zhengyuan.
But this time, Hu Xiao had softened his posture and put on a begging look. He cupped his hands and said: "Master Huo, we are like grasshoppers on a rope. You must save us. With your status, it must be a piece of cake to cover our escape from Nanjing City, right?"
Huo Zhengyuan said coldly: "How can things be so simple! Nowadays, the situation in Nanjing is complicated, and various forces are restraining each other. I am also being watched secretly by many people, and even... maybe people have discovered that you are hiding here. It's a matter of! Trying to cover your escape from Nanjing City is also a very risky thing for me!"
Hu Xiao did not hide his pinch and said with a smile: "Although my brothers and I saved the lives of your staff last night, we are all very practical people, and I don't dare to do it at this time. I respect my kindness and respect myself, so...as long as you, Master Huo, are willing to help us escape from Nanjing City, I will also pay you, and I will definitely satisfy Master Huo!"
Huo Zhengyuan was stunned for a moment and asked, "Remuneration? What kind of reward can you give?"
Hu Xiao smiled again and explained in detail: "In fact, the flood last night was caused by a group of people deliberately digging up the dam at night, and one of my brothers witnessed that group with his own eyes. The scene of people digging up the embankment, and I also recorded the figure and appearance of the two leading men!"
Hearing what Hu Xiao said, Huo Zhengyuan's expression changed slightly and he became focused.
Hu Xiao added: "As for today's chaos, if nothing unexpected happens, my brothers should have been exposed for some reason and were targeted by the group that dug up the dam!
Those people are all well-trained and highly skilled in martial arts. When your three staff passed by the embankment last night, they found something strange on the muddy road, so they sent two followers to the direction of the embankment to investigate the situation, but they quickly discovered Traces, then capture, torture, and silence, all done in one go, very clean and neat!
And when I think about it carefully, only the group of people who dug up the embankment can fight with my brothers without losing! Only that group of people, like us, have ghosts in their hearts that they dare not see the light of! So, as long as you, Master Huo, are willing to help us escape this disaster, then we will find a way to find the group of people who dug the dam for you, how about it? "
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