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"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 let Lu De become 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 Assist Jiang Xiao to completely cover up the real 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 reused himself, and he Then he can continue to chase 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 of insight into people's hearts, but these abilities alone are still 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 deception.
From this aspect, Jiang Xiao's plan succeeded.
Lu De's statement at this time was to try his best to cover up lies and cover up the truth for Jiang Xiao.
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?"
At 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 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 one person 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 period of time, so naturally we have no chance to integrate the interests of both parties 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 gain control over his younger brother, we will be in the same boat from now on! "
Then, before Jiang Xiao could continue to ask, Lu De shrugged again, spread his hands and said: "It's a pity that I was just an honest scholar in the past, and 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, and 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 help you become 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 to save my life and help me meet my fate, so as long as you remain loyal to His Highness the Seventh Prince, I am willing to cooperate with you... Compared to Guo Shouzhong, you are also 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' soldiers outside the secret room? When you meet His Highness the Seventh Prince, how will you describe what you 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. However, 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 rushed to the Lu Family Villa east of Nanjing together.
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 after Lu Tong entered the secret room, he only saw Jiang Xiao standing in front of him with a normal expression, and did not notice Guo Shouzhong immediately.
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 struck out without warning, raised his hand and punched Lu Tong hard on the chin, causing Lu Tong to lose 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 down.
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, waiting quietly 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, either to control their families or to pinch their shortcomings.
In this way, under the siege and gaze of the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers, someone finally spoke up and explained to them the "reason of the matter."
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 I cannot completely eliminate future troubles! At the same time, it is no longer safe here. All brothers need to leave immediately. If someone tracks down this place afterwards, I will 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 acknowledging 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 He retorted, but it was a pity that his jaw had been removed by Jiang Xiao and he 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.
However, 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 "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 doubts the truth, as long as Lu De and Jiang Xiao ensure that their confessions are consistent, Zhu Hejian will not be able to 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, which could be said to be reasonable but unclear. In addition, 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 suspicions and suspicions are aroused, there must be someone wrong and he will not let go, and 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, completely cover up the truth of today's incident, and neither one should betray the other. Only then can they have a chance 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, but they were also very good at obeying orders and did not have many thoughts and judgments 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 in the Lu family courtyard, 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 soldier actually contained many hidden meanings.
First of all, in order to cover up the real reason why Jiang Xiao personally killed Guo Shouzhong, he was tied to a boat with Jiang Xiao 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 There is no need to 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 and 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 and 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 he needs.
*
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" dead 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 on 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 killed Lu Tong with the knife held in his right hand.
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 shaking slightly uncontrollably.
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 talent, 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 fragrance 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 important 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 gain outweighs the loss! The gain outweighs the loss! "
While muttering to himself, Lu De slowly descended the escalator.
Seeing that the night was getting dark, he needed to rest as soon as possible. He would have to get up early to return to Nanjing tomorrow and 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 rushed westward.
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 wonder, 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!
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 at the direction of Nanjing City. 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 want to hide!"
*
The next day, at three quarters in the morning.
After a sleepless night, Lu De looked depressed and worried, and 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 security is tight.
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.
At this moment, the situation in Nanjing is completely different from Lu De's inherent impression. It is absolutely unprecedented disorder and chaos!
The people were agitated and gathered to make trouble, while the city's defenders and government officials were running around in panic to suppress the situation, trying to control the increasingly chaotic situation.
Before Lu De entered the city, he saw a large group of people gathering together and confronting a group of Nanjing defenders.
The identities of these 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 wary 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 continued to loudly warn and exhort.
"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 Yingtian Mansion, 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 are not allowed to 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 a weapon without eyesight! Don't blame us for being rude!"
"Since this morning, the Nanjing prison has been crowded with people. If you continue to make trouble, you will have no choice but to wear the shackles in public!"
Seeing the soldiers and civilians in front of him confronting each other, shouting at each other, and being blocked in front of him, Lu De couldn't help but be shocked, and quickly asked Lu Ping to find a small flag from the Nanjing garrison to ask for news.
After the defender Xiaoqi learned about Lu De's identity, he was immediately in awe and took 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!
well! During this period of time, Nanjing has been experiencing frequent chaos. The constant conflicts between the guarding eunuchs and the gentry originally affected the normal order of the people and made people panic. Then, a carriage burned out of control in the busy city, causing a large-scale trampling. , and a large number of refugees flooded in due to floods caused by the bursting of embankments 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 the prominent Song family. House servant!
Seeing such chaos, Xie Fuyin did not dare to neglect, and immediately ordered the whole city to be under martial law and search! But how many people are there in Nanjing? Searches under martial law are naturally extremely difficult and have further disrupted the normal lives of the people. The people had already accumulated a lot of public grievances, but 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 has become even more chaotic. There are now large numbers of people gathering 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 were already filled with rioters, but this still could not stop the people from gathering to cause trouble..."
While explaining, the defender Xiaoqi also looked helpless and worried.
After hearing this explanation, Lu De's eyes flickered and he was thoughtful.
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