Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong squatted on the pile of rocks on the shore and stared at the salt boat leaning at 45 degrees among the rocks, crying without tears.
The sail mast was broken and a large crack was opened in the bottom of the ship by the sharp edge of the reef.
Even if someone could unload the salt ship from the rocks, it would be difficult to repair it and resume sailing.
They were full of pride when they came out, but before they arrived in Jiangdu, their ship was destroyed and people disappeared. You can imagine the heavy blow.
Both of them were too lazy to move the salt down.
Kou Zhong smiled bitterly and said: "The ship being destroyed before the troops leave does not seem to be a good omen."
Xu Ziling sighed and said: After daybreak, we will search along the river to see if we can find their bodies and find a place to bury them.
Kou Zhong punched the air twice and said angrily: This woman is wrongly claiming that her junior sister, who is my mother, is far worse in heart and mind than my mother. She doesn’t understand the difference between good and bad Han people and only calls us Han dogs.
Xu Ziling said: It's no wonder she just thinks about how much suffering the people of Goryeo suffered under the iron heel of Yang Guang's army. Alas!
Kou Zhong said coldly: "Listen to your tone, the next time you meet her, you will be merciful even if you have the chance. Didn't they die unjustly after that successful incident?"
Xu Ziling smiled bitterly and said: Do you think it is that easy to kill her? If we fight alone, we will still be far behind her. This woman's Qinggong is really powerful.
Kou Zhong said dejectedly: How are your internal injuries?
Xu Ziling replied: Even though our martial arts are not good enough, our healing methods are unparalleled in the world. Just a moment ago, I was in pain all over my body and now I am completely fine.
Kou Zhong cheered up and said with a smile: "The mausoleum is really great. If you hadn't risked your life to hit her with a high back, you still wouldn't be able to hurt her. If you can't hurt her, then we will be injured or killed. It's really thrilling to think about it."
Xu Ziling frowned and thought: But her Yi sword skills are really very mysterious. In fencing, the battlefield of chess is the chessboard. I wonder which move is to win the knight with two rooks, and which move is to abandon the rook to protect the commander?
Kou Zhong laughed and said: They should be playing Korean chess, so don't waste your energy!
Xu Ziling said solemnly: As long as you are playing chess, the way and spirit are basically the same. You must first see through the opponent's layout and then decide the way to attack, defend, advance and retreat. In the past, we only knew how to recruit and recruit troops to block, which is not a superior martial arts method.
Kou Zhong was about to reply when a strange sound came from downstream. He listened carefully and it turned out to be the familiar footsteps of Duan Yucheng and the four of them.
The two of them were overjoyed and went up to meet them. They were happy for the rest of their lives.
It turned out that Fu Junyu was merciful and had unblocked their acupoints before throwing them into the river. Kou Xu couldn't help feeling less disgusted with her.
They cheered up, transported the salt from the broken boat to the dense forest on the shore, hid it, and then smashed the broken ship into pieces and turned it into a pile of wood and flowed it down the river.
By dawn, the river was calm as usual, as if nothing had ever happened.
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Duan Yucheng and the four of them worked hard all night and were exhausted.
Kou Zhong then ordered the four men to rest in the dense forest and guard the salt cargo. He and Xu Ziling went to nearby towns to see if they could buy a mule cart for transporting the cargo.
The two came to the official road. Xu Ziling said: You are well versed in astronomy and geography and told me which direction to go. Kou Zhong smiled confidently and said: I knew you would not let me go. We just left Changshu the day before yesterday and hid for a whole day.
We haven't passed Jiangyin yet. As Ruoshanren expected, we can reach Jiangyin in less than an hour by walking westward! Haha! Are you convinced?
Xu Ziling muttered: Is it time now? Walk with your feet!
The two unfolded their movements and sure enough, within an hour Jiangyin City appeared in the distance on the horizon.
Kou Zhong said proudly: If you follow me, you won't go down the wrong path. I wonder whose hands Jiangyin City is now in?
Xu Ziling looked at the team of mules and horses heading toward Jiangyin down the hillside and said with a smile: Wouldn't it be okay to catch up and ask what happened?
Kou Zhong bumped into him and ran down the mountain laughing.
Xu Ziling chased after him, and when he was almost close to the mules and horses, the horses suddenly stopped shouting.
Five or six of them reined up their horses and turned around to stop them. An old man who seemed to be the leader shouted: Who is coming?
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were shocked and didn't know why they were so nervous as if they were facing a powerful enemy.
The two had no choice but to stop and Kou Zhong clasped his fists and said, "Brothers, please don't misunderstand that we two brothers just want to inquire about the situation in Jiangyin and see if we should enter the city."
A middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and big eyes next to the old man said: You don't look like the thugs of the Iron Cavalry. What information do you want to find out?
Kou Zhong suddenly said: It turns out that I mistakenly thought that we were members of the Iron Riding Association.
Then he bumped Xu Ziling with his elbow and said: What is the name of the leader of the Cavalry Club? Is it Ren Ming?
The men headed by the old man all laughed. Knowing that Kou Zhong had deliberately mispronounced Ren Shaoming, they immediately narrowed the distance between them.
The Iron Cavalry is one of the ten gangs and eight guilds, and is a big gang in Jiangnan that has only emerged in recent years. Gang leader Qingjiao Ren Shaoming is good at using meteor hammers, and Poyang guild leader Lin Shihong, who recently claimed to be the Emperor of Chu, both claim that the two hegemons in Jiangnan are Jiangnan martial arts.
A very important person.
It is said that Ren Shaoming has never met an opponent except for the fact that he was defeated by Song Que, the Heavenly Sword of the Song Dynasty, in a battle for territory. This shows how accomplished he is.
The old man smiled and said: You have the guts to be a disciple of which sect?
Kou Zhong pretended to be respectful and solemnly replied: My two brothers, Fu Zhong and Fu Ling, are the seventh-generation disciples of the Zhuhua Gang. Yan Kuan is our grandfather.
The old man asked in astonishment: Are the loyal martyrs of Yangzhou being lenient?
This time it was Kou and Xu's turn to look at each other.
First, the old man actually knew someone as insignificant as Boss Yan, and secondly, why Boss Yan became a loyal martyr.
The thick-browed man who had spoken before suddenly made a gesture that only the Zhuhua Gang could understand.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling hurriedly returned the favor in the sign language of the Zhuhua Gang.
The six men opened their outer robes together to reveal the logo of the Bamboo Flower Gang on the inner placket.
Only then did Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling realize that they had met one of their own from the Zhuhua Gang.
But even though they and Boss Yan were peripheral figures of the Zhuhua Sect when they were in Yangzhou, they were not yet qualified enough to be embroidered with a bamboo tree on their clothes, the official sign of a low-level gang member, let alone at this moment.
Kou Zhong said awkwardly: My two brothers wandered around three years ago to avoid the government!
The big man said: We understand that Yan Kuan was the first loyal martyr of our gang who was killed by that foolish king. If you don't escape, your lives will be at risk.
The old man looked suspicious and said: Since he is a disciple of the Zhuhua Gang, why don't he recognize me when he sees me?
When Kou Zhong saw that his logo was embroidered with eight Fengzhu, he knew he was a hall master-level figure and thought: Could it be Mr. Shen Beichang, the master of Fengzhu Hall? He pulled Xu Ziling and hurriedly performed the ceremony of meeting the hall master.
The old man stroked his long beard and laughed and said: It is indeed one of our own. Did you hear the news this time and came to participate in my gang's Bamboo Forest Conference?
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged glances and thought, how could it be such a coincidence?
The Bamboo Flower Gang is a well-organized gang. Under the gang leader, there is a military advisor, followed by Feng, Qing, Yu, and Lu, who lead the helmsmen, incense masters and other gang members below. The Bamboo Forest Conference is the highest Dharma assembly in the gang.
In case of emergency otherwise it is held every three years.
Kou Zhong said to the big man with thick eyebrows: I guess the uncle must be Uncle Luo Feng, the deputy head of Fengzhu Hall!
Luo Feng seemed to have a good impression of them and said: Let's enter the city!
On the way, Kou and Xu figured out what was going on. It turned out that the Hunjun was killed and Yangzhou fell. The Zhuhua Gang was scheduled to elect a new gang leader in Danyang. Little did they know that the Jianghuai Army had invaded Danyang. Military advisor Shao Lingzhou took the opportunity to lead his troops to occupy Jiangyin forces.
Although far behind Li Zitong, Shen Faxing and others have also become a local force.
In recent years, various forces have been trying to sway them, among which the Cavalry Club, which occupies Wuxi in the south of Jiangyin and Jinling in the southwest, is the most active.
The director of the Iron Cavalry Association, Shaoming, even attracted the heads of the three halls of Qingzhutang, Yuzhutang and Luzhutang, and repeatedly blocked the gang leader's election intention to merge the Zhuhua Gang, which had no other members, under the banner of the Iron Riding Association.
Today's Bamboo Forest Conference is where military advisor Shao Lingzhou, with the support of Shen Beichang, discusses actions against Ren Shaoming and the other three gang traitors, and hopes to elect a new gang leader at the meeting.
On the way here, Shen Beichang and others were attacked several times by the Cavalry and nearly a hundred people were injured, so they were so nervous.
When the two were in Yangzhou in the past, no one, including Boss Yan, knew that their names were Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling. They only knew that they were called Zhong Heling. Of course, they didn't know that Yan Kuan was killed because of their drag, and they thought that Yan Kuan was a martyr against the faint emperor.
Only Kou Xu knew clearly that the boss and the martyr had nothing to do with each other.
Among the mules and horses, one carriage with a low-draped curtain was particularly well protected.
Kou Zhong made some insinuations to find out the identity of the person in the car, only to be scolded by Luo Feng, the deputy hall leader.
After entering the city, the two of them followed Fengzhutang and moved into the Fengzhutang mansion in the center of the city. When Shen Beichang and Luo Feng went to see military advisor Shao Wuzhou, they also slipped into the street.
Kou Zhong smiled and said: Shao Wuzhou is indeed a talented person. Look at how orderly he governs Jiangyin. No matter how chaotic it is outside, it seems to have nothing to do with it.
Xu Ziling looked at the lively scene of people coming and going and agreed: The south has always been wealthy and Jiangyin is a transportation fortress connected to the Yangtze River Estuary and the sea. As long as productivity is not destroyed, people can live and work in peace and contentment.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling had already changed into the uniforms of the lowest-level members of the Zhuhua Gang with only one bamboo embroidered on them. At this time, they saw five or six Zhuhua Gang members who were talking loudly and were walking toward them, hurriedly saying greetings in sign language.
When those people saw that Feng Zhu was embroidered on their lapels, they snorted coldly and left without paying attention.
Kou and Xu were shocked and then realized that they were not from Fengzhutang and knew the intensity of the struggle among the four halls. After they sat down in a restaurant, the waiter came forward to greet them attentively.
After the waiter left, Xu Ziling frowned and said: Mr. Zhong seems to have forgotten what we are here for? Kou Zhongqian smiled and said: If I make up my words randomly, you will blame me for not being honest enough. After all, we are all members of the Zhuhua Gang.
Now that the Zhuhua Gang is facing the danger of being annexed, we should help!
Xu Ziling said: You just want to annex the Zhuhua Gang on behalf of the Iron Cavalry!
Kou Zhong said: How can these be considered the same thing? Ren Shaoming is the big bad guy of the underworld, but I, Kou Zhong, am a good person who always considers others. It will only be their luck for the Zhuhua Gang to fall into my hands. Two brothers in the same world, what are you doing?
Will you help me?
At this time, the waiter served the noodles but refused to leave and said respectfully: Are you two gentlemen from Fengzhutang?
Kou Zhong said in astonishment: What's the matter?
The waiter said: We entertain all the people from Fengzhutang and Military Advisor Shao for free. It is very important that you don’t let Ren Shaoming succeed! Then he left worriedly.
Xu Ziling stayed for a long time and sighed: Okay!
Kou Zhong was overjoyed and said: The Bamboo Forest Conference will be held tonight. Let’s make plans there!
Xu Ziling remembered that when Duan Yucheng and the others were about to say something, someone laughed and said: You two are actually here.
Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong were startled and looked at the entrance. It was their childhood gangster friend Gui Xiliang who had been promoted to the position of incense master. Next to him was another gangster who was familiar with him. Fortunately, this boy was thin.
His hands and feet are very clever.
The four of them were naturally very happy to meet Gui Xiliang and put on all the airs of the incense master. They only found it cordial and interesting.
Xingrong frowned and said: When did you become people from Fengzhutang?
Gui Xiliang asked suspiciously: Didn't he steal other people's clothes to wear again?
Gui Xing and his two men had bamboo flowers embroidered on their lapels, indicating that they were directly under the gang leader. Now that there was no gang leader, they naturally fell under the command of military advisor Shao Lingzhou.
Xing Rong saw Kou Zhong hanging a long sword on his back and said happily: "Looking at the two of you, you two are so radiant and you don't know where to steal the weapons, you must be doing well!"
Xu Ziling said with a self-deprecating tone: Not only is it good, it is also very beautiful. Zhong Shaogeng has shaken hands and drank with Zhai Rang, Du Fuwei, etc. Are you dignified enough?
Xing Rong spat repeatedly with a look of disdain on his face, as if he was blaming Xu Ziling for bragging.
Kou Zhong reached out and patted Xing Rong's shoulder and said with a smile: "You can't be more envious."
Xingrong smiled and pushed his hand away and sighed again.
Gui Xiliang said: "Stop bragging. After a sibling bond, you two can follow me! I will formally report to Commander Shao tonight when he becomes the leader of the gang."
Kou Zhong responded vaguely and asked: Can Military Advisor Shao become the gang leader?
Xing Rong said: When it comes to reputation, status, and status, Military Master Shao really doesn't think twice in the gang, but the situation is not that simple.
Gui Xiliang said in an authoritative tone: Now everyone wants to get involved in our Bamboo Forest Conference. You should know the behavior of that traitor Ren Shaoming. And now Ren Shaoming is in league with Lin Shihong, the situation is not optimistic.
.
Xing Rong said: Fortunately, Military Advisor Shao got the support of the Song clan, otherwise Ren Shaoming and Lin Shihong would have been even more unscrupulous.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged glances and their eyes lit up: Song Clan? Who did they send?
Gui Xiliang frowned and said: How can you ask about such a confidential matter? We are going back to the Military Advisor's Mansion later, will you come?
Kou Zhong pulled Xu Ziling to stand up and said, "Of course I must go with Lord Guixiang to see what he has to offer."
Xing Rong said dissatisfied: Why did you stand up so quickly before we were full?
Kou Zhong said with a smile: "But since we are full, let us wait outside the door first for the two eldest brothers."
As soon as I stepped out of the door, the group of young men from Yuzhutang walked in and deliberately bumped into each other, full of provocation.
The two of them were used to seeing each other and didn't care.
When he arrived outside the door, Kou Zhong said excitedly: This trip is getting more and more fun. Later we will go make friends with Shao Ling and Zhou Pan and see how the situation will develop.
Xu Ziling frowned and said: "I think this matter is very troublesome and not something we should get involved in."
Kou Zhong raised his fist in front of him and said: Under normal circumstances, it is difficult for us to play any role. Only those two will not convince us. But now it is clear that whoever has a stronger fist can make a difference, don't we have a great chance?
?
Xu Ziling glanced at him angrily. Suddenly, the sound of dishes falling to the floor and breaking and yelling could be heard from inside the restaurant.
The two of them were stunned for a moment, wondering whether the people from Yuzhutang would dare to openly violate the gang rules and attack Gui Xing and the others?