The summer was scorching, and even the wind was blowing. Even standing in the shade of a tree, Liu Xinda is still rippling with sweat. Drinking all the water sent by the guards in one go, it still didn't seem to cool his body much.

The dozens of guards standing behind him were still wearing armor, their faces were hot and red, but they still didn't dare to slack off in the slightest, and their eyes scanned around vigilantly.

Right now, it's the season when the grass is luxuriant, and it's really not easy to find so many people on the cunning cat in any place. And their great generals, here, on average, are assassinated every three days. The methods of assassination are almost strange, and they have also made these veterans who have experienced a hundred battles really gain knowledge.

The people who followed Liu Xinda were all crawling out of the mountains of corpses and a sea of blood, but in these endless assassinations, there were also more than a dozen casualties.

In such a hot weather, they are still fully armed and wear heavy armor, not only to facilitate combat, but more importantly, for the sake of their own lives, an extra layer of protection. This is the experience of a companion who has traded his life for himself.

Think about it, a few dull-eyed beggars, a weak Kei sat on the ground, when Liu Xinda passed by them, they suddenly jumped up like a little leopard, raising lime, pulling knives, some stabbing horses, some poking legs, isn't it very thrilling?

Their bodies are so thin, their weapons are so rudimentary, the so-called knives are nothing more than some scrap iron pieces polished, and many more people hold sharpened wood and bamboo poles in their hands.

At first glance, they looked like a group of Hanako, but at that moment, they turned into assassins.

Their fate is undoubtedly undoubted, and they died cleanly. But their sudden attack also caused the guards a lot of losses, mainly because it was too sudden.

Assassinations like this, which seem unbelievable to the guards, will always happen as long as Liu Xinda goes out. And over time, these assassins also became more and more professional, and their weapons became more sophisticated. In the most recent assassination, a crossbow has appeared.

It's kind of scary.

The folk have always forbidden crossbows and forbidden bows, because crossbows are easy to hide, and at close range, the lethality is particularly huge. Especially now, the crossbow produced by the Northern Tang Dynasty is smaller in size, stronger in armor-piercing, and more threatening.

Liu Xinda stood in the shade of the tree, and the guards scattered around, this is a high ground, a place where people can hide, they have already combed it, but even so, they still dare not be negligent.

Liu Xinda's eyes revealed a hideous color, and in his vision, a tall manor was burning fiercely. Although he was no longer young, his eyesight was still good, and he could still see that the people in Zhuangzi were running away while his soldiers were chasing after him.

When you catch up, you will be slashed to the ground.

It was a one-sided massacre. The one who owns this Zhuangzi is a big local tyrant, and he is quite powerful, but in front of the army, he can still only be regarded as a scumbag of war, and he has no power to resist.

A moment later, a cavalry galloped out of the Zhuangzi and rushed towards this high ground.

Liu Xinda breathed a sigh of relief.

It's over.

He took a few steps back, returned to the root of the tree, and sat down on an old root that was outcropping.

This group of cavalry went straight to the high ground, and the first person was Liu Xinda's general Teng Jian. Teng Jian turned over and dismounted, waved his hand, and the cavalry behind him threw the two people tied up from their horses.

The two of them were covered in blood, but this fall was a big fall, and they didn't recover for a long time. Wriggling like maggots on the ground.

Liu Xinda walked over, squatted beside the old man with a neat beard, stretched out his hand, lifted him up, and slammed him to the ground, and a guard standing behind this person added a kick at the right time, and the man immediately knelt in front of Liu Xinda.

Stretching out his hand and lifting the man's chin, Liu Xinda stared at the other party and said coldly: "Ma Cheng, why did you assassinate the general?" ”

Ma Cheng tried hard to open his bloodshot eyes and glared at the other party fiercely: "Liu Xinda, it is the Tang Dynasty who wants your life, and General Li Yu will avenge me." ”

Liu Xinda laughed: "Ma Cheng, I have to admire you, you have come to such a point, and you are still trying to survive?" Want to scare me with Beitang? Want to scare me with Li Mi? Do you think that when you used a few crossbows from the army of the Northern Tang Dynasty during the assassination, I would believe that you are from the Northern Tang Dynasty and Li Yu's people? Do you think that I fought to the death with the Northern Tang army, and now I am still their enemy, and they can't wait for me to die? ”

Ma Cheng coughed violently.

Liu Xinda shook his head and said, "Ma Cheng, you are really naïve!" Li Micai doesn't want me to die, and Beitang won't think that I will die so soon, maybe, they really want me to die, but it is definitely not this time! What benefits did Qian Wenzong promise you to make you desperate to assassinate me? ”

Ma Cheng spit out a mouthful of blood and said fiercely: "I don't need him to give me any benefits." Liu Xinda, since you came to Jiujiang, what has this place been trampled on by you? Who will survive here? But in half a year, you extorted my Ma family for 300,000 taels of silver and 100,000 loads of grain, which is not enough to satisfy you, you have to change the way to increase taxes, if you can't live anymore, who is willing to risk your life to do these things? ”

"300,000 taels of silver, 100,000 loads of grain, I can't kill you!" Liu Xinda said coldly.

"But when will such days come to an end? Who knows what you'll want next time? Ma Cheng roared: "My land has almost been robbed by you, my tenants have been taken away by you, no matter how we express our loyalty to you, you will treat us as a fat pig, you can slaughter if you want, Liu Xinda, you didn't want to gain a foothold in Jiujiang at all, and you didn't think about resisting the Northern Tang Dynasty here, the Northern Tang people want our land, you not only want our land, but also our money, our lives." Since you can't live, you can only fight to the death, as long as you are killed, everything will be fine. It's a pity that your life is so big that it didn't kill you, but as long as you stay in Jiujiang for a day, the people who come to kill you will go forward and succeed. ”

"Maybe. But you can't see it! Liu Xinda smiled, walked to the other side, and pulled out the knife on the waist of a guard with a choked sound, and stabbed into the chest of the young man who had just woken up. Liu Xinda leaned to one side quickly and dodged neatly.

Ma Cheng screamed miserably, the one who died was his son.

"You see, you could have lived well, and although the days were a little sad, maybe one day I would be gone, your patience is too poor. Since he didn't do anything to buy his life with money, he had to give away his life. Liu Xinda put the knife on Ma Cheng's chest and said, "But you are really smart, you are right, I don't want to stay in Jiujiang for long at all." ”

After saying this, Liu Xinda added force to his hand and slowly stabbed the knife into the opponent's chest. Looking at Ma Cheng, who didn't have any breath anymore, still staring at blood-red eyes, Liu Xinda flew up and kicked the corpse away. Throwing the knife to the guard, Liu Xinda took out a handkerchief from his arms, wiped his hands, and looked at Teng Jian: "Dealt with?" ”

Teng Jian shook his head: "The people in Zhuangzi are dead, but Ma Cheng's other son is not in Zhuangzi, and he interrogated the people in Zhuangzi, and it is said that ten days ago, Ma Cheng let this son go to Hongzhou." ”

Liu Xinda nodded indifferently: "Is there much gain?" ”

And he found in the cellar about a hundred thousand taels of silver. Grain, it's really not much, in a few granaries, there are about a few thousand stones of grain! I've arranged for someone to move it. Teng Jiandao.

"Yes, yes, there is still a lot of stock." Liu Xinda said with satisfaction.

"General!" Teng Jian looked at Liu Xinda and stopped talking.

Liu Xinda waved his hand, and the guards around him retreated.

"If you have anything to say, just say it directly, you and my brother, you don't have to spit out!"

"General, this Ma Cheng seems to have made sense, we are in Jiujiang, have we done too much, it is indeed a bit of killing chickens and eggs, why not a long stream? You have become such a big family, if we can win it over, won't it be a help? Teng Jian lowered his voice.

Liu Xinda smiled: "Arm help? You're thinking too much. These snakes will always be on the side of the winners, and they will serve us wholeheartedly? Don't even think about it, what they are concerned about is nothing more than the interests of their family. If we betray us, they will not hesitate to get more benefits. If they think killing me is a last resort, they will do it at all costs. These people can never be our allies. ”

Teng Jian nodded.

"I see."

Liu Xinda shook his head and said, "You haven't really understood yet." Teng Jian, you say, if Li Mi waves his army to attack us, will we be able to hold Jiujiang? Don't shy away from it, be honest. ”

"I can't hold it."

"Are we going to fight them to the death in Jiujiang?" Liu Xinda asked again.

Teng Jian sighed: "Where can we go if we don't fight to the death?" I've always wanted to build a fortress on top of the dangerous road, strengthen the city walls, and build more weapons to defend the city, but you have always refused, General. I really don't know what the general is thinking? ”

"What was I thinking?" Liu Xinda muttered: "What else can I think, of course I am thinking about how to live." Tengjian, I will hand it over to you today, so that you can know in your heart. ”