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When Huang Gai and his two companions arrived, they just happened to see Zhou Tai behead a Sunx Family soldier, which greatly shocked them. Wielding their weapons, they restrained Zhou Tai, who seemed about to kill another soldier.
"Generals, what do you think you’re doing!" Zhou Tai, restrained by Huang Gai and the others, was visibly annoyed but tried his best to suppress the rage in his chest and said.
"Zhou Youping, I want to ask you the same thing. Why are you arbitrarily killing our soldiers!" Cheng Pu was questioning him, but his grip loosened a bit. After all, if Zhou Tai were to really erupt in violence, it would be very difficult for the three of them to stop him, and now that Zhou Tai wasn’t attacking, there must be a reason!
"Do you three generals not know what they have done?" Seeing the three men’s confusion, Zhou Tai withdrew his great sword and recounted to them what had happened just now. "We came here to reclaim these places, not to destroy them. The lord has clearly stated that none shall be violated except for the Luu Family, and yet such scoundrels are under my command. How can we make the common people submit!"
Zhou Tai’s words were so logical and substantiated that Cheng Pu and the others eased their stance, understanding that Zhou Tai was doing this for the discipline of the Sunx Family army. They no longer had any objections, "Listen well, anyone who dares to plunder the common people of Lujiang City upon entering will be killed without mercy!"
"Ah, damn it, I was so anxious that I even forgot the simplest method!" Zhou Tai saw Huang Gai’s action and his face immediately turned embarrassed.
"Hahaha, Youping, it’s okay, you did it for the discipline of our army. Sometimes people just don’t think it through." Hann Dang patted Zhou Tai on the shoulder and said, "We are a Righteous Army, how can we do something bad? Right? Later we’ll compensate the affected common people a bit more."
"That is only appropriate," Cheng Pu nodded and said.
"Report, Lujiang City has been taken!" A messenger rushed in and reported to Sunx Ce.
"Good!" Sunx Ce slapped the table with joy, "What about those four from the Luu Family?"
"General Huang shot Luu Kang with an arrow. Luu Kang and Luu Jun escaped from the city walls ahead of time. Later, when we went to the Luu Family’s place, it caught fire. Now the flames have been extinguished, but all the scrolls and books have turned into ashes," the messenger replied with a bowed head.
"I asked about the four people from the Luu Family," Sunx Ce said dissatisfiedly.
"They committed suicide by immolating themselves at the Luu Family residence, along with dozens of their Household Generals and Retainers who fought to the death to protect the Luu Family," the messenger replied.
"Dead?" Sunx Ce raised his voice and then waved his hand dismissively, "Forget it, forget it, since they’re dead, just find somewhere to bury them. Have General Cheng and the others reorganize the troops and reward the soldiers."
"Hah, Gongjin, you’re still the best, I knew you’d have a way," Sunx Ce said, smiling at Zhou Yu once the messenger had left.
"I bet not a single one from the Luu Family is dead," right then, the tent flap was opened again, and Pang Tong poked his head in.
"What did you say?" Sunx Ce turned his head, and upon seeing Pang Tong, "Weren’t you escorting the provisions? How did you come back so quickly?"
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"I just came back to notify you of something, and happened to overhear," Pang Tong said with his playful smirk. "Keep talking about the Lul Family; they might not have perished after all."
"Bofu, Shiyuan is right to worry. I fear that all these were substitutes prepared well in advance, and those retainers who died in battle were all Death Soldiers. The place where the Lul Family resided likely has secret tunnels," Zhou Yu sighed as he spoke.
By the time Sunx Ce arrived at the partially annihilated estate of the Lul Family, Zhou Tai, relying on his unique sharp senses granted by Inner Qi Manifestation, found the secret passage leading directly to the west of the city in a location no one else had thought of—the main hall. Afterwards, everyone including Zhou Yu thought the Lul Family had fled through the secret passage from the main hall to the outside of the city, but only Zhou Tai, who had watched from afar as the Lul Family left, knew that they took the south gate.
[That’s good then. I don’t owe the Lul Family anything anymore. If we meet again and you are my enemy, I will show no mercy.] Zhou Tai thought to himself silently. He was a person who valued loyalty and was also devoted, so he chose to act this way in such a situation.
Not long before this, Chen Xi and his group had just arrived at Chaohu Lake. At that time, the docks owned by the Lul Family by the lake were noticeably desolate.
"Where is everyone?" Gan Ning shouted as he jumped onto the dock. Soon enough, an old steward dressed up appeared, overwhelmed with happiness upon seeing Gan Ning, he said, "Grandpa Gan, you’ve finally arrived! Our Lul Family has been besieged by Sunx Ce for several days, all the stewards have gone to call for help. I implore you, Grandpa Gan, to please hurry and lend a hand to rescue our master." 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"I came just to save them. Look, I’ve brought all my brothers with me. Don’t worry; a mere Sunx Bofu is no match for me. How has Jir Cai been doing recently?" Instead of panicking, Gan Ning inquired about Lul Jun after hearing the news.
"Master, he’s been doing well recently, except his old ailment has flared up again. We’ve been hearing that Sunx Ce’s assault has been fierce lately; we’re not sure how master and the old lord are faring." The steward couldn’t help but insert a plea for swift action from Gan Ning in between topics.
"Xingba, ask him for the latest accurate situation. We still have people to rescue," said Chen Xi, unable to ignore the gravity of the situation.
Upon hearing this, the steward quickly recounted all he knew about the latest events and divulged the Lul Family’s financial situation to put Gan Ning’s mind at ease.
"Don’t worry, I have no interest in your Lul Family’s wealth. We’re here to escort the Lul Family away," Chen Xi said with a smile. "Lord Xuande’s forces aren’t lacking such a small amount of money."
"Xingba, I’m leaving you in command. This time it’s clear we’ll run into Duke Zhou and Sunx Bofu," Chen Xi said, patting Gan Ning on the shoulder as he disembarked the ship.
"In that case!" Gan Ning nodded, then bellowed at the ships, "Attention all warriors! Taishi Ci will hold down Chaohu Lake, guarding the ships. Each captain is to leave behind only the essential number of fighters and sailors for each ship; all others arm yourselves and split into two groups, led by Gan Luoo and myself, to proceed with one in the front and one in the rear."
"Yes, sir!" The warriors on the ships acknowledged in unison. Under the leadership of their captains, they swiftly unloaded the ground battle gear from the supply ships and prepared to march.
"Ziyi, we are counting on you for the return journey. Remember to dispatch small boats to patrol around; make sure we are not caught off guard," Gan Ning instructed Taishi Ci before departing, "If attacked, notify the military general in the flagship’s cabin to join you in defense. Chaohu Lake is vast; don’t get surrounded."
"Alright, I’ll make sure to keep a close watch on the ships, and we definitely won’t fall victim to a surprise attack. I’ve learned so much from you, and my men are all skilled sailors; how could anyone easily succeed? Rest assured!" Taishi Ci promised Gan Ning in all seriousness.
"Military Strategist, go with Gan Luoo. I’ll go check the situation in Lujiang City first. I’m worried that the news from the Lul Family’s steward might be somewhat outdated. Moreover, a crucial point is that if necessary, I might need to engage in battle with Sunx Bofu and his forces. We are at Chaohu Lake now, and judging by the current situation, they clearly know this belongs to the Lul Family. Yet, they haven’t deployed any forces here, likely because they’ve long harbored the thought of trapping us," Gan Ning told Chen Xi. Once Gan Ning was in the zone, his intelligence surged rapidly. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
