Lan Since his face-to-face contact with Jiang Xiao, Lu De has been extremely afraid of this person. It was not because of Jiang Xiao¡¯s scheming skills, but because Lu De vaguely felt that the logic and way of thinking pursued by Jiang Xiao were completely different from his own, and even very different from those of the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian. Both Lu De and Zhu Hejian follow the logic of scholars and politicians when acting and thinking. They must maintain dignity, calculate gains and losses, make comprehensive calculations, and carefully consider various influencing factors at most. The specific styles are inconsistent. Lu De has more scruples in his heart and his acting style is more restrained, while Zhu Hejian has less scruples in his heart and his acting style is more extreme. But Jiang Xiaothe logic and way of thinking pursued by this person are completely different. It is a kind of logical thinking that belongs exclusively to desperadoes. "Compared to Jiang Xiao, even Zhu Hejian can be regarded as a moderate who is forward-looking and cautious. Lu De is not a desperado, and it is difficult for him to deeply understand this kind of logical thinking, so he cannot accurately predict Jiang Xiao's reaction. Lan This is why Lu De is deeply afraid of Jiang Xiao. There is a saying that goes: "When a scholar encounters soldiers, he cannot explain clearly." But at least there is a chance to reason. But if a scholar encounters a gangster then he will not even have a chance to reason. Therefore, Lu De has secretly made up his mind that before he can completely consolidate his position and win Zhu Hejian's deep trust, he must try to reduce contact with Jiang Xiao and hide as much as possible. However, when he saw Jiang Xiao holding a telescope to observe the situation in the distance, his body started to tremble uncontrollably. Lu De still couldn't control his curiosity and asked: "Why are you so excited all of a sudden? You can't help it." Are you shaking?" Jiang Xiao turned his head slightly and glanced at Lu De, then said slowly: "Excited? Nothing unusual! It's just that the surrounding temperature dropped significantly after the flood broke out, so I felt a little cold. !" Looking at Jiang Xiao's arms that were thicker than his own thighs and his body as thick as a black bear, Lu De couldn't help but curl his lips. ¡°Obviously, Jiang Xiao is just telling lies with his eyes open. However, Lu De was still curious in his heart, considering Jiang Xiao's calmness and the city's government, what exactly could have made him so excited. So, Lu De raised his hand and pointed at the telescope in Jiang Xiao's hand, and said: "Is this the telescope that came from the West? I have heard of this thing for a long time, but I have never seen the real thing, let alone the chance to get my hands on it. I want to use it, but I wonder if you can lend it to me to play with?" Jiang Xiao directly handed the telescope to Lu De, not worried that Lu De would find anything unusual. Jiang Xiao was able to quickly spot Hu Xiao just now. First, because the night sky after the rain in early summer in the south was originally bright with stars and moon. Even in the middle of the night, there was still a little visibility; second, because Hu Xiao and the three aides of the Zhao family were still visible. The two teams had previously stayed near the official road, and the distance was not too far; third, before the two teams encountered the flood, both teams had people holding torches for lighting, which provided more light sources for Jiang Xiao. But now, these three factors no longer exist. Due to the outbreak of the flood, the transpiration of water vapor has created a large number of dark clouds that obscure the stars and the moon. The two teams on the official road have also quickly rushed to further positions. , and they also lost a large number of torches when they fled, unable to provide enough light source. In this way, even if the telescope is given to Lu De, Lu De can only see a little bit of people in the lake. What's more, as long as Lu De doesn't know Hu Xiao's specific identity and the past grudges between Jiang Xiao and Hu Xiao, even if he is allowed to see all the details clearly, he will not be able to guess the true reason for Jiang Xiao's agitated mood. reason. Lan Since seeing Hu Xiao, Jiang Xiao has made up his mind to take revenge on Hu Xiao at all costs! To settle the matter of his betrayal of himself! However, Jiang Xiao did not intend to reveal his thoughts to anyone, not only from Lu De, but also from the seventh prince Zhu Hejian! The situation in South Zhili is now extremely complicated, and all forces are trying their best to reduce variables. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for Zhu Hejian to allow Jiang Xiao to take revenge without authorization, let alone increase "mockery" for Jiang Xiao's personal vendetta. risk¡± of the organization¡¯s exposure. However, Jiang Xiao is also well aware of Hu Xiao's slippery and cunning character. Once he misses this opportunity, he may never find another opportunity for revenge. Under such circumstances, Jiang Xiao could only choose to conceal the truth and lead the "Chaofeng" soldiers to act in private. Jiang Xiao swore that he would capture Hu Xiao alive, and then he would personally take action to "entertain" Hu Xiao well and interact with Hu Xiao.?Reminiscing about old friendships! Just as Jiang Xiao expected, after Lu De used his telescope to watch, he could only barely see the figures of Hu Xiao, Ouyang Bo and others in the distance. He couldn't see any details at all, and couldn't find any suspicious signs. So Lu De quickly returned the telescope to Jiang Xiao and asked, "Then what should we do next?" Jiang Xiao continued to raise the telescope and stared in the direction of Hu Xiao and others. , said casually: "The terrain in South Zhili is flat and densely covered with rivers. The dam we dug is not an important dam, so the flood will not last long and will gradually subside soon, and we After the flood subsided, he immediately ran to the Lu Family Courtyard 20 miles away to hide his whereabouts, and then returned to Nanjing among the nearby victims, in case it attracted the attention and suspicion of all parties. "Afterwards, Jiang Xiao disappeared. He ignored Lu De again, but turned to the dead soldier "Chaofeng" and said: "Guan Laosan, you are the best at tracking. After the flood recedes, you should not follow the others to the Lu Family Courtyard, but Select ten 'Chaofeng' who are also good at tracking, and give me the staff who keep an eye on Huo Zhengyuan I originally wanted to take the opportunity to drown these staff, but I didn't expect that a group of people suddenly appeared to save them. They were killed, and this group of people acted decisively and with skillful and fierce martial arts. They obviously had a lot of background, and they might be a variable in the subsequent situation. Therefore, since we discovered this group of people in advance, we must do it! Investigate their identity and background and their subsequent movements! Next, this group of people will most likely go to Nanjing City with several of Huo Zhengyuan¡¯s staff. Once you find their whereabouts, report it to me as soon as possible!¡± After hearing Jiang Xiao's instructions, Guan Laosan couldn't help but feel stunned. In the past, when Jiang Xiao directed the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers to do things, he always issued orders directly and never explained his specific intentions in detail. At this time, Jiang Xiao gave an uncharacteristically detailed explanation, as if he wanted to hide something. Lan However, Jiang Xiao had great prestige among the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers, so Guan Laosan did not dare to think too much and just nodded immediately to accept the order. If conditions permit, Jiang Xiao hopes that he can lead the "Chaofeng" soldiers to directly pursue and kill Hu Xiao and others. Unfortunately, the road conditions will be complicated after the flood. After the flood subsides, people from the government will definitely come to investigate. situation, so Jiang Xiao was not sure that he could successfully hunt down Hu Xiao, let alone that he could successfully hunt down Hu Xiao without alerting the government, so he could only settle for the next best thing and keep an eye on Hu Xiao's whereabouts for the time being. There's movement. * * On the other side, nearly ten miles away from the raging flood, Hu Xiao didn't know that Jiang Xiao had targeted him, just like Jiang Xiao didn't know that Hu Xiao had also targeted him. At this time, Hu Xiao was bargaining with Guo Min. Hu Xiao used to be a bandit, but now he is a pirate. He often kills people but rarely saves others. Since you have saved someone, you must respect yourself and ask for repayment. After Guo Min finally regained his strength and calmness, Hu Xiao pulled him up from the ground, and then began to regard himself as the savior of Guo Min and others. Hu Xiao looked particularly sad and said: "Alas! I could have escaped the flood with my brothers at the first time, but in order to rescue Boss Guo, not only did I almost die and become a water ghost, but I also lost my life. A brother! My brother-in-law and I are all close brothers. Although we are not real brothers, we are better than real brothers. Now that a brother has died in this flood, Hu is also heartbroken" Seeing Hu Xiao's behavior With such a look, Guo Min was helpless and said: "Boss Hu, there is no need to be sad. Your brother will never die in vain. I will definitely repay your kindness with all my strength Well, I have fifty taels of broken silver here, and three more The hundred taels of silver notes will be used as funeral expenses for the brother who unfortunately lost his life. As for your life-saving kindness, we will definitely satisfy you when we arrive in Nanjing." Hu Xiao suddenly smiled and asked Guo Min. After putting all the money and banknotes handed over into his pocket, he took Guo Min's arm and said in a friendly manner: "Actually I don't have any ambitions, and I don't need any repayment from Boss Guo, but if Boss Guo is not ungrateful, If you want to repay me, then I have an idea As far as I know, Boss Guo, you are discussing a big business with the big shopkeeper Zuoqiu, right? As the boss of Zuo Ci, I have become the intermediary between Boss Guo and Nanyang, but I don¡¯t know if Boss Guo is willing to support me?¡± Seeing Guo Min¡¯s expression of hesitation, Hu Xiao lowered his voice and continued: ¡°Boss Guo, it¡¯s up to me. Being a middleman is a great thing! That Zuo Qiuci is just a mixed-race bastard. He is more loyal to the Netherlands What about that sentence?You mean it? By the way, people who are not from my race must have different intentions, right? And I have always been the most loyal person. Although I unfortunately became a pirate, I am still a Han Chinese. Naturally, I am more inclined to us Han people" After Guo Min hesitated for a moment, he said noncommittally: "This matter is of great importance. Please Please let me think about it carefully. "As Hu Xiao said, Zuo Qiuci was a mixed race, more loyal to the Dutch East India Company, while Hu Xiao was a Han Chinese and Guo Min's savior But for some reason, Guo Min had a vague feeling, Compared with Zuo Qiuci, a mixed race who is not from my race, Hu Xiao, the savior, is even more untrustworthy! Seeing that Guo Min did not directly agree to him, Hu Xiao did not force it, and still had a fair attitude, saying: " OK! Boss Guo thought about it carefully. Although I saved your lives and took the risk and damaged my brothers, I will not force you to do anything. After the flood recedes, I will escort you safely to Nanjing Guo The longer the boss interacts with me, he will understand that my greatest advantage is my loyalty! " At the same time, Hu Xiao secretly made up his mind to find out the true identity of the group of people who dug up the dam as soon as possible. Guo Min was Huo Zhengyuan's staff, and he almost died because of the flood, so he must attach great importance to this information At that time, Hu Xiao can trade with Guo Min and replace Zuo Qiuci as the intermediary contact between Guo Min and Nanyang. Then, Hu Xiao can use the subsequent transactions between Guo Min and Nanyang. Easily grab astronomical benefits! For these benefits, Hu Xiao is definitely willing to fight to the death! * As soon as the sky gets brighter, the news of the flood quickly spreads to the secluded study room in the East Garden of the Song family. Within a few days, Song Chengren immediately informed Zhou Shangjing of the relevant news. At this time, Zhou Shangjing¡¯s physical condition was very bad. After getting the method of drinking oil to detoxify from Zhao Junchen, Zhou Shangjing started under Zhang Decheng¡¯s arrangement. Difficult diagnosis and treatment process Zhou Shangjing has always had a light diet and does not like the smell of oil. Now he is asked to drink oil directly. The bitter, numb, disgusting and greasy taste is constantly washing over Zhou Shangjing's sensory nerves, which is killing him. Good luck. For the whole day yesterday, Zhou Shangjing could no longer maintain his appearance. He kept vomiting violently and had diarrhea and defecation, which was even more uncomfortable than when he had a stomach attack. However, according to Zhang Decheng, this phenomenon is a good thing. Not only does it mean that Zhou Shangjing can expel foreign matter in his intestines and stomach as much as possible, but it also means that Zhou Shangjing's intestines and stomach can still function normally. This morning, when Song Chengren rushed to the study again and met Zhou Shangjing, he saw that. Zhang Decheng holds a pot of soybean oil in his left hand and a bowl of potion in his right hand, and is forcing Zhou Shangjing to drink the oil continuously. Zhou Shangjing has always been deep-tempered and calm, and rarely shows changes in his inner emotions, but at this time, his expression was solemn and tangled. He looked at the oil pot with a hint of fear, and his pale old face was distorted by a strong sense of nausea. But in the end, forced by Zhang Decheng's cold face, Zhou Shangjing still pinched his nose and raised the oil pot. He raised his head and poured the soybean oil into his mouth, and finally swallowed it with a frown. After adapting yesterday, Zhou Shangjing no longer vomited violently, but the nausea was still extremely strong. After seeing Song Chengren appear, a flash of joy flashed through his old eyes, as if he had seen a savior. But on the surface, Zhou Shangjing still had a calm expression. After finally suppressing his physical and mental nausea, he remained serious. He raised his head and asked: "You came to see me so early, but what important thing happened? " After seeing Zhou Shangjing in this situation, Song Chengren felt a little funny in his heart, but on the surface he replied solemnly: "A big thing happened! More than thirty miles east of Nanjing City, a dyke suddenly collapsed, causing a flood that affected everyone within a radius of 20 miles The most important thing is that the downstream of the dyke It was an imperial estate. Hundreds of imperial estates were flooded. It could be said that there was no harvest. I heard that several imperial estate tenants and at least two imperial estate assistant eunuchs were drowned. " After hearing this, Zhou Shangjing couldn't help but fell into deep thought, his eyes flickering. Then he turned to look at Zhang Decheng and said, "Mr. Zhang, the head of the Song family and I have urgent matters to discuss, but I wonder if you can avoid it? " If it were an ordinary situation, Zhang Decheng would definitely not give up. He would have to stare at Zhou Shangjing and continue to drink oil. But since Zhou Shangjing and Song ChengHe wanted to discuss the flood disaster, which was directly related to the safety and well-being of the people, so Zhang Decheng no longer pressed him. He just put the Chinese medicine bowl in front of Zhou Shangjing and warned: "Before discussing with the head of the Song family, In this case, Zhou Shoufu should also remember to drink the medicine while it is hot, not only to relieve your nausea and discomfort, but also to repair the energy you have lost due to constant vomiting and excretion." After saying that, Zhang Decheng turned around and left quickly, not wanting to himself. It delayed the official business of the court. However, Zhang Decheng had no idea that after he left, the content discussed by Zhou Shangjing and Song Chengren was not to organize the government to provide relief to the victims of the flood, but was all about political intrigues. After watching Zhang Decheng leave the study, Zhou Shangjing immediately turned around and asked: "Did that dam collapse naturally after it got old? Or did it collapse after man-made damage?" Song Chengren shook his head and said: "There is no more detailed information yet. But in my opinion, it is most likely that it collapsed after being excavated and damaged! The dam is located upstream of Huangzhuang. Under the forced request of the Huangzhuang eunuch, it needs to be repaired almost every year. If you don¡¯t dare to cut corners at will, how can it be so easily worn out and fall apart?¡± Zhou Shangjing frowned and asked, ¡°Then¡ is it the work of the wealthy Jin gentry in Southern Zhili? Even if they are the same as water and fire, they have always acted boldly" Song Chengren shook his head again and said: "It's impossible! If the Jin gentry does this kind of thing, it's impossible for them not to notify me. Even if a certain Jin gentry does it privately, I can't do it without warning. Notice it!" Zhou Shangjing sneered: "In this case, it can only be the action of the Seventh Prince! Even if the 'Zhao Party' has other intentions and wants to muddy the waters, it is impossible for them to harm Zhuang Tian! How much Zhao Junchen attaches great importance to the grain harvest now! Although Huangzhuang has various shortcomings, at least he is planting grain honestly, instead of just planting cotton, mulberry trees and other things. And it is absolutely impossible for Huo Zhengyuan to change his mind. You have such courage right away!" After a pause, Zhou Shangjing's smile became colder and he said, "I have long thought that the seventh prince must be secretly raising dead men, otherwise he would not be able to carry out various secret plans smoothly! The matter of digging up and destroying the dam this time is both sensitive and critical. It is impossible for the Seventh Prince to borrow external forces. He must arrange for the group of dead soldiers he has cultivated to do it. Since this period of time, I have repeatedly put pressure on him with the intention of doing so! One is to force him to have no choice but to send out dead soldiers and take risks! But now, these dead soldiers have exposed their tails, which just gives us the opportunity to kill them all in one go, and then completely cut off the hiding places of the Seventh Prince! The power of the dead soldiers in the dark means that he will no longer be able to use his dead soldiers to use various dark methods in the future. He can only have an upright battle of wits with us! "Lan "Maybe we can also take the opportunity to catch him secretly raising dead soldiers! Evidence of guilt!" Song Chengren also sneered and added aloud. ?¡ ?¡ ?¡