Only those with money and leisure come to visit the lake. Many ordinary people brave the scorching heat to work in the fields or work hard at the canal pier to make a living. Today's canal pier is extremely lively.
Early in the morning, hundreds of cavalrymen rushed out from Xuzhou City to the canal pier. Those with sharp eyes immediately recognized the officers and soldiers who had clashed with the Jiaolong Gang and Shahushan. When they thought about it, there was no peace on this pier again because there were rumors about Shahu.
The gangsters from the mountain were found dead overnight in the fields at the foot of Bawang Mountain. Many people came to see them. The death was extremely tragic.
As for how it ended up like this, there are different opinions, but none of them can do without this foreign dragon crossing the river.
Laojiu led his troops out of the city to the canal not to show off their power, but to support the Octopus Chamber of Commerce, but to put it bluntly, it was still a show of power.
Octopus's grain ship is unloading, and Chang Yu has ordered grain to be stored in the nearest city, so the chamber of commerce has been busy early in the morning. However, almost hundreds of ships are busy at one time, and Caobang's people only transport goods but don't care about loading and unloading. That's
Additional charges apply.
But at this moment, an unexpected scene occurred. Nearly 200 members of the Jiaolong Gang, who roamed the nearby waters, suddenly spontaneously came to help Octopus unload the goods. That’s right, a few days ago, we had to fight for your life, but today it’s free.
Help with the work voluntarily.
The amount of information was a bit overwhelming, and everyone on the dock was gossiping about it, but even a fool figured it out, and his arms didn’t cross his thighs in the end!
In the tea shed next to the pier, Lao Jiu was lying down with his legs on the tea table. The Jiaolong Gang advocated Chenggui with a shy face and half-bowed: "General, I bumped into you blindly. This is the intention of the brothers.
I'm here to excuse you." He said and handed over a package.
Lao Jiu glanced at him: "Are you blind? I barely have the words "officer and soldier" engraved on my face. Even the officers and soldiers dare to shout and kill. Isn't this rebellion?"
"Oh, I don't dare, I don't dare. We are just begging for food from the water. We must not dare to rebel. Otherwise, how could General Gao allow us to eat this food?" Zhang Chenggui said quickly.
"Don't you fucking use Gao Jie to oppress me. Gao Jie will just act arrogant in front of you. It won't work for me!" Lao Jiu snorted, and Zhang Chenggui was too frightened to speak.
"What's in your package?" Lao Jiu asked again.
"I've prepared some wine money for you military masters," Zhang Chenggui said and hurriedly handed over the package. Lao Jiu rolled his eyes and said, "Don't you still know who I am?"
"I know, I know, you are the ninth general of the Black Wolf Camp of the East Factory Guard. You are a fierce general who kills thieves and Tatars." Zhang Chenggui said while extending his thumb. Lao Jiu enjoyed it, but then he shouted: "I know.
I am a member of the Dongchang Guards, and you even bribed me. Are you trying to harm me? I don’t know that Dongchang’s anti-corruption investigation and anti-corruption team is selfless and will be even more cruel to our own people.”
"This, this... I really don't know, little one." Zhang Chenggui didn't know whether what Lao Jiu said was true or false, and he looked worried and didn't know what to do.
Lao Jiu also calculated his grievances over the past few days. He looked at the Jiaolong gang on the dock who were really busy helping unload the goods, and sighed: "You brothers are also suffering in this hot weather. I have received the money and will share it with you."
I bought a bowl of wine for my brothers and a watermelon to cool down."
"This..." Zhang Chenggui was about to say something else, but Lao Jiu glared at him, and hurriedly handed over his hands and thanked him: "General Ninth's great kindness and virtue, the whole Jiaolong Gang will be grateful for the rest of his life..."
"Don't pretend to be honest here. It's understandable that you make a living on water, but if you have to keep a line in everything, it's too deceptive. How are you different from those thieves?" Lao Jiu rolled his eyes and cursed, Zhang Chenggui bowed his hands, thinking in his mind
The image of Yuan Santie's tragic death emerged, and he immediately shuddered: "You must remember and understand what General Ninth said."
The leader of the Jiaolong Gang, who was entrenched in the Xuzhou section of the canal and had always been domineering, nodded and bowed to the military attache in the teahouse. Naturally, it became the talk of everyone on the dock. His words and expressions were mostly teasing and sarcastic, but he was also full of curiosity about the military attaché. After all, Jiaolong
It’s no secret that the gang’s backstage is Xuzhou’s commander-in-chief Gao Jie.
Gao Jie's unruliness and arrogance are well known to everyone, and it is said that the imperial court wants to give him some credit. However, this military attache, despite his background, can make the people he protects docile, and Gao Jie is not seen showing his face to protect him.
It seems that Octopus, the golden name of the Imperial Merchant, is so valuable that even such a big local snake cannot afford to offend it!
As it approached noon, the pier suddenly became agitated. Lao Jiu rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked around, looking for someone to ask what was wrong. One of his subordinates came forward and said, "Brother Jiu, there are troops coming from the north. It seems Gao Jie is back."
Oh, Lao Jiu stood up, jumped on the table and looked northward. He saw thousands of cavalrymen running slowly along the canal several miles away and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: "You're not walking slowly, call the brothers to assemble."
The subordinate looked at Lao Jiu with a solemn face: "Brother Jiu, is it possible that Gao Jie still dares to do anything?".
"Just in case, that guy Gao Jie has a hot temper. If he hears that we killed his dog and cut off his money, he will definitely get angry." Lao Jiu said with a smile: "Just start doing it, and our Black Wolf Camp will
Afraid of his request!"
Being timid about being close to home? To Gao Jie, it doesn't exist at all. Seeing Xuzhou City in sight makes me excited, I, Uncle Gao is back!
Thinking about the past few months, it was like a dream. First, I was coaxed, tricked, and frightened by the court and the little eunuch to go to the north. I thought I would just do it, but I met the little eunuch in the west of Dezhou.
Forced by the situation, he first marched westward and then southward, sieging the city behind the rebel army and taking the opportunity to regain the lost ground, and then stepped on the stinky shit... Li Zicheng was unexpectedly defeated by the young eunuch and fled westward, so he and Liu Liu went all the way.
He gained a lot of fat from chasing Li Zicheng, but before he could enjoy the fruits of victory, he was sent to Gyeonggi Province for reinforcements. He led 3,000 men on horseback and rode non-stop to the capital city. He failed to help, and was blackmailed and threatened until he was scared to death.
It wasn't until the young eunuch from Jinan gave him a thorough explanation that Gao Jie felt that this visit was not in vain!
All the hard work, unwillingness, humiliation, and fear were all worth it at that moment.
The current era is in turmoil, when all heroes are rising together, and it is an era of great heroes and great tycoons. However, from Gao Jie's point of view, those trend-setters are destined to be just floating clouds, and will eventually be hit by the little eunuch who pops up from nowhere with a stick.
The reason is simple but sufficient.
He was able to defeat Li Zicheng twice in a short period of time, defeating hundreds of thousands of thieves and causing him to flee. He broke off Dorgon twice and beat him until his nose was bruised and his face was swollen. Gao Jie, who has been in the army for more than ten years, has never seen anyone with such means!
Therefore, Gao Jie was afraid of being on guard against Chang Yu. Especially when he knew that Chang Yu was going to kill Liu Zeqing, he was under great psychological pressure. He was on the verge of collapse but didn't know how to make a choice, until the little eunuch extended an olive branch to him.
At that moment, he almost knelt down, but he put down all pressure and made the decision to join his pirate ship and live and die together.
People are in high spirits at happy events. After a few days of repairs in Jinan, Gao Jie sent troops southward with Liu Zeqing and Liu Liangzuo. The three of them were cavalry and should have walked ahead of Chang Yu, but Chang Yu later changed to the waterway and left the three of them behind.
Down.
However, Gao Jie was eager to go home. He rushed his subordinates all the way and soon left the two Lius behind. The two Lius had no doubts about this. They only knew that the front was his territory and were anxious to go back and flatter the little eunuch. After all, Jinan
He ate and drank freely for several days and prepared to receive him without any courtesy.
As early as when the three of them were heading south from the capital, they had already sent orders to the main force still in Shanxi to cross the Yellow River and go south to Xuzhou, so they didn't need to worry about that for the time being. They just wanted to go to Xuzhou early and wait.
In the hot summer, Gao Jie's journey was not filled with dust but the wind and sun, and he was sweating like rain. It was miserable. Although it was scorching hot, Xuzhou City was so close in front of him that he didn't care about it, so he ordered his soldiers and horses to stare at the scorching sun and go home early to feel comfortable.
When they were still twenty miles away from Xuzhou, Hu Maozhen had already come to greet him. It wasn't that he couldn't figure it out, but he heard from Chang Yu that Gao Jie had returned to Xu in the past two days, so he sent someone to pay close attention early in the morning.
Then immediately went to greet him.
After saying "Thank you, General", there was no time to be polite. Hu Maozhen first told him about Chang Yu's presence in the city. Gao Jie expected this and laughed loudly: "I have taken good care of him. You didn't neglect him."
.
"How dare you take such a humble position? I'm just providing him with services like I'm providing services to my ancestors." Hu Maozhen smiled bitterly: "But that eunuch doesn't have any airs and is easy to get along with."
"Easy to get along with?" Gao Jie rolled his eyes: "That's because you have never seen him being difficult to get along with. This eunuch can kill people with a smile, and he is extremely insidious. He tells you that these two brothers are good, but his hands
I can stab you with a knife!"
"No!" Hu Maozhen slapped his thigh, and told the Black Wolf Battalion that Shahushan Yuan Santie and his gang of thieves were slaughtered in front of him: "That's really shady. He seriously said that he wanted peace talks.
, turned around and turned against me, and killed me as soon as you said I would, and you made excuses as well, why did he pull me...are they kidding, or do they look at us like we are fools?"
After hearing this, Gao Jie's face became gloomy. He looked up at the white clouds in the sky and sighed for a long time: "If he kills people, he won't even bother to find an excuse. Although this excuse is crude, it still gives me enough face!" He sighed: "Be particular! I'll do it from now on."
You have to offer it to him like you offer it to your ancestors.”
Hu Maozhen frowned and looked at Gao Jie with a surprised look on his face. This was not the Gao Jie he was familiar with.
People kill him for being a bastard, but he still says that he is particular.
If I had cared about you like this in the past, I would have turned against you a long time ago!
Gao Jie ignored Hu Maozhen's surprise: "Has my wife seen the little eunuch? What should I say?"
"Madam met last night and said that this son is extraordinary and easy to approach, so he should not be far away," Hu Maozhen said quickly.
Gao Jie raised his head and laughed loudly: "You don't look down on my opinion, but you should believe in my wife's opinion. This little eunuch will have a strong supporter in the future." After that, he asked again: "What did Sun Shoufa say?
”.
Sun Shoufa said: "This little eunuch is extremely vicious but compassionate, his methods are sinister but he is upright, and he says all kinds of stupid things!"
But Gao Jie put his palms together and praised: "Sun Shoufa is so damn accurate in his judgment of people! To put it bluntly, this little eunuch is so scheming that no one can know his pulse, but as long as you listen to him, you will get something to eat."
"Sir, what about Yuan Santie..." Hu Maozhen felt that the Gao Jie in front of him was strange.
"Fuck Yuan Santie and Yuan Sitie, they will die wherever they go." Gao Jie spat: "By the way, let Zhang Chenggui send some money to the Black Wolf Camp later. None of the eunuch's subordinates are vegetarians.
If they love to hold grudges, I will still have to work with them when I turn around. Don’t seek revenge on me and stumble me.”
"Oh, that's not good." Hu Maozhen was startled: "I have already beaten Zhang Chenggui because of my humble position, but he was scolded for not giving away the money!"
"Really?" Gao Jie was startled, and then he laughed: "Then I'll be relieved!" He then slapped his horse and ran wildly: "Go back to the city, I'm going to die to get my precious son."
Hu Maozhen was confused and rubbed his head vigorously. In the past, Gao Jie was just as brave as himself and had no brains. Why did he feel like there was a gap between the two of them when they went out for a walk? Is it because he was stupid again or did something happen to him suddenly?