Xu Zhi listened to He Mengjiao's words, nodded, and saw Hong Tao standing on the bow of the boat head-on, shouting loudly: "Brothers and sisters in the gang, fathers and fellow villagers, Hong Mou was ordered by the Jiang Sect Leader to gather everyone together, which is to discuss with everyone, secondment everyone's fishing boats, go to Lushan in Jiangzhou on the Qingming Festival, and meet with the heroes of all walks of life in Jiangnan!"

When those fishermen heard this, they all cried bitterly: "Forgive me, Gang Master Hong, we are all some poor people, if your gang requisitioned our fishing boats for ten days and half a month, the little ones will have no complaints, but this time we will go back and forth to Jiangzhou, and we will use the situation for half a year, so what will we eat and drink if we don't fish for so long? How can the family still live?"

Hong Tao sneered: "Folks, if it weren't for our Changjiao Gang to protect your safety on the river, you would have overturned on your back and fallen into the river to feed Wang Ba, you must have a conscience, we are just renting this time, and we are not not not returning, why are you so embarrassed?"

At this time, Wang Yang turned around and shouted at the fishermen: "Deputy Gang Leader Hong is looking at you, so he has discussed with you with good words, if you follow my frizzy temper, where can you get so much nonsense, in a word, you can save your life by borrowing a boat, and if you don't borrow it, it will be a dead end!

Those fishermen were stunned by Wang Yang's words, and they all knelt on the ground, and replied insincerely: "Gang Master Hong, Lord Wang Helm, don't worry, we will never delay your important affairs, and we will present the boat today!"

Hong Tao listened to the fishermen's promise, and instructed his disciples of the Changjiao Gang to let the fishermen register one by one, and then take their fishing boats away.

Xu Zhi saw that Hong Tao and Wang Yang had finished handling the affairs of Fenglingdu, and it was already sunrise, and the two of them only took a few entourages, so they boarded the river bank and walked straight towards the Yellow Crane Tower in Ezhou City.

Xu Zhi led Zhou Yuanzhi, He Mengjiao and others to follow closely, went up to the Yellow Crane Tower, asked for a nearby private room to sit down, and ordered a table of good dishes from Xiao Er.

I only heard Wang Yang ask anxiously, "Gang Master Hong, why hasn't Master Gao arrived yet?"

Hong Tao said with a smile: "Today is Chinese New Year's Eve, Lord Gao will definitely have a banquet for officials at all levels of Eyue, and it will definitely be later to come here, we still have to wait patiently, and we must not miss the big things that the master ordered us!"

After noon, he saw a pot-bellied, red-robed official ascending the Yellow Crane Tower under the command of the guards, and Xu Zhi knew that the official was Gao Jixing, the observer of Eyue appointed by the imperial court. Hong Tao, Wang Yang and others saw that Master Gao was coming, and hurriedly went downstairs to greet him, and welcomed Gao Jixing into the private room.

Hong Tao first handed over a letter jointly written by Yun Feiyang, Jiang Chengfeng, and Jiang Chao to Gao Jixing, and Gao Jixing read the letter before asking: "Since the Jiang Gang Leader has decided to form an alliance with Jiang Shenmiao and help Lord Yun seize the military affairs of Huainan and Zhenhai, of course the old man is willing to send troops to respond, and divide Jiangnan into three parts!

Hong Tao said with a smile: "As far as we know, Lord Yang also has the same attitude as Lord Gao, but it must be foolproof before he is willing to send troops to help!"

Gao Jixing scolded: "It's still Yang Xingmi's cunning! Can Lord Yun guarantee that this coup is foolproof?"

Hong Tao flattered and said: "Lord Gao, you have been friends with our Jiang gang leader for many years, can our gang leader harm you? Don't hide it, next year's Qingming Festival, Lord Yun is ready to gather the world's heroes in Lushan, Jiangzhou, and swear to defeat Gao Yu in Yangzhou, my Changjiao Gang, Jiang Shenmiao in Jiangzhou has readily agreed to attend the meeting, Zhuque Gate in Ganzhou, Shenlong Sect in the East China Sea, and some other gangs are interested in attending the meeting. At that time, as long as General Yun raises his arms, even if you and Lord Yang don't send troops, then the hundreds of thousands of disciples in my gang and Jiang Shenmiao will be able to take Yangzhou, Runzhou and other places!"

Gao Jixing saw that Hong Tao became more and more proud, and asked rhetorically: "Is this true? Why don't I know anything about it?"

Wang Yang saw that Gao Jixing didn't believe it, and interjected: "Lord Gao, this will be fake, the Jiang gang leader has secretly ordered me and Deputy Hong to levy the fishing boats in the two prefectures of Eyue, and after the New Year, lead thousands of boats and thousands of boats to set off from Ezhou, go down the river, and point directly at Jiangzhou!"

When Gao Jixing heard this, he was very unhappy, and thought to himself: "As the town commander of Eyue, the old man does not dare to easily mobilize the civilian ships in the territory, this Jiang Chengfeng and this Changjiao Gang are really good means, and they have done things that the old man does not dare to do! It seems that they still have to be on guard against the growth of this Changjiao Gang under their noses! Otherwise, they may have to mobilize the old man's army!"

Hong Tao saw that Gao Jixing was silent, not knowing what he was thinking, and asked: "I can help tens of thousands of disciples to be your vanguard, but adults can't miss the opportunity, we must send troops as soon as possible!"

Gao Jixing listened to Yun Feiyang's plan, and also moved the ambition in his silent heart, and said with a smile: "Please tell you Jiang Gang Leader and Master Yun, when the old man makes a little preparation in the future, he will send troops to Eyue with your disciples and raise great things with all the heroes!"

Hong Tao and Wang Yang saw that Gao Jixing readily agreed to send troops, and they were overjoyed, and they toasted Gao Jixing with a glass of wine, and praised: "My subordinates are waiting for the good news of Lord Gao!"

Gao Jixing also smiled and said: "On the day you send troops, please inform the old man!"

Hong Tao hurriedly agreed: "Don't worry, Lord Gao, that's nature!"

Gao, Hong, and Wang finished discussing the big things, and the meal was eaten until sunset before they dispersed.

Besides, after Xu Zhi, Zhou Yuanzhi, and He Mengjiao listened to the conspiracy between Gao Jixing and the Changjiao Gang, they also went out of the Yellow Crane Tower, found a small inn to live in, and discussed countermeasures together.

Zhou Yuanzhi sighed: "Miss He, I didn't expect that your Changjiao Gang's power in Eyue is really not small, it can actually control the government and control the people, and now Jiang Chengfeng has let thousands of sect members and thousands of people accompany him to bury him for his own selfish interests, it is really despicable and shameless!"

He Mengjiao also sighed: "My little sister was also a disciple of the Changjiao Gang at the beginning, but unfortunately I was in the boudoir and didn't walk in the rivers and lakes, I only knew that the disciples I taught were all from poor backgrounds, and they only did some business on the river as a last resort, but I still deceived Jiang Chengfeng, I didn't expect him to have such great ability and ambition!"

Li Cunxiao said: "Brother Xu, it's useless to complain about Jiang Chengfeng now, it's better to come up with a way to resolve this war disaster!"

Xu Zhi thought for a while and said: "I have come up with a good plan to draw salaries from the bottom of the kettle, but to implement it, you still have to be careful!", after speaking, he told everyone the plan in his heart, and everyone applauded.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, the lanterns in Ezhou City were hung high, and the officials and people went out of their homes to enjoy the lanterns outdoors, Xu Zhi dressed up as a disciple of the Changjiao Gang, changed into a night clothes, and followed Gao Jixing's sedan chair from afar. Xu Zhi turned over, jumped out of the darkness, jumped over the heads of the guards, jumped to Gao Jixing's side, and held him hostage.

The group of guards saw that there was a man in black who wanted to assassinate Lord Gao, and hurriedly protected Gao Jixing's side, Xu Zhi waved the Fengming sword, a move "There is a phoenix to come", stabbed the wrist of a guard, the guard threw down the sword in pain, and did not dare to move forward, and then several guards surrounded him from behind, Xu Zhi deliberately cut a piece of clothing during the fight, fell to the ground, and was picked up by a guard in his hand. Xu Zhi held Gao Jixing hostage and moved forward, while letting the guards retreat. Gao Jixing saw that his life was in the hands of the assassins, so he had to order the guards to get out of the way.

Xu Zhi shouted: "Lord Gao, the villain was entrusted by someone to come and ask the adult for a thing, this thing is easy for the adult to get!"

Gao Jixing hurriedly asked: "The hero spares his life, there are ten thousand taels of gold in the house, the beauty is like a cloud, and the hero can take whatever he wants!"

Xu Zhi laughed and said: "Don't be greedy for gold and silver beauty, as long as the adult hands over the talisman of Eyue, the adult will be released immediately!"

Gao Jixing said vigilantly: "The lower official dares to ask, what does the hero want that talisman for?"

Xu Zhi sneered: "I am an assassin below, I only care about what my master wants me to do, and I never ask why I do it!"

Xu Zhi saw that Gao Jixing was still hesitating, and deliberately wiped his neck with a sword. Gao Jixing shouted, "The hero spares his life, the lower official will immediately hand over the tiger talisman to the hero!", after speaking, he took off the tiger talisman from his body and handed it to Xu Zhi.

Xu Zhi took the tiger talisman, saw that it was true, pushed down Gao Jixing, raised his foot and kicked him a few times, and then walked away.

Gao Jixing saw Xu Zhi leaving, and hurriedly shouted: "What are you still doing in a daze, why don't you catch the assassin and recover the tiger talisman!", several guards also hurriedly chased after Xu Zhi.

Xu Zhi deliberately introduced the guards behind him into the Ezhou rudder of the Changjiao Gang, he flashed in front of the guards, jumped into the high wall, and disappeared. Those guards didn't dare to be reckless, leaving a few guards to guard, and the leader hurried back to tell Gao Jixing.

Gao Jixing was furious when he heard this, and personally mobilized hundreds of personal soldiers to surround the helmsman group of the Changjiao Gang in Ezhou overnight, and asked them to hand over the assassins and tiger talismans, otherwise they would be killed!

When Hong Tao heard the proclamation of the disciples in the gang, he was shocked, and hurriedly climbed the wall and shouted to Gao Jixing, "Lord Gao, today is not our appointed day, why do you personally bring the troops here?"

Gao Jixing scolded: "The surname is Hong, don't pretend to be confused with the old man! The old man is really blind, and he still believes your nonsense, did you send assassins to intimidate the old man tonight and rob the old man of the tiger talisman for transferring troops?"

Hong Tao heard that Gao Jixing was held hostage by the assassins and lost his talisman, and said in shock: "Lord Gao, don't listen to rumors, my disciples have been drinking in various halls and rudders for the past few days, and without my order, they will never go out!"

Gao Jixing scolded: "Deputy Gang Leader Hong, you are deceiving a three-year-old child, you have done bad things, of course you have pushed it all away, let me tell you the truth, it was my guards who have been following the assassin, and seeing that the assassin is not only wearing the clothes of your disciple, but also entering the rudder of your Changjiao Gang." Is there any falsehood that you have seen with your own eyes?", and threw a piece of the assassin's body to Hong Tao.

Hong Tao took the fragment and saw that it was indeed the fabric of the children's usual clothes, so he was speechless for a while, and then begged for a while: "Please also ask Lord Gao to forgive me for a few days, and I will strictly investigate the disciples in the gang, and I must give an explanation to the adults!"

Gao Jixing sneered: "I'm afraid this is the deputy gang leader Hong's plan to delay the army! You steal the old man's talisman, and you are going to mobilize the troops of the prefectures and counties of Eyue, how can you let these traitors escape, if you can't hand over the assassins and talismans for a day, the old man will besiege you for a day!", after saying that, he ordered the archers to ambush everywhere, and if anyone broke out, shoot them immediately.

At this time, a soldier suddenly knelt down in front of Gao Jixing and said: "Lord Yu, the big thing is not good, Lord Wang Duo has gathered the disciples of the Changjiao Gang in Ezhou at the Fengling Ferry, and it seems that they are going to fight us to the end!"

When Gao Jixing heard this, he said angrily: "Deputy Gang Leader Hong, you have heard everything, what else do you have to say now? Someone will mobilize the 1,000 guards of Ezhou City, and immediately go to the Fengling Ferry outside the city, and let the disciples of the Changjiao Gang disarm and surrender, and if they resist, they will be killed!"

When Hong Tao heard this, he almost fell down on the wall and shouted: "No, Lord Gao, there must be a misunderstanding in this!"

Gao Jixing sneered: "Since it was a misunderstanding, this general has limited you to hand over the assassins and hand over the talisman before dawn tomorrow, otherwise the old man will let the soldiers attack the rudder of your Changjiao Gang!", and walked away after speaking.

Hong Tao heard that Wang Yang had gathered the disciples of the Changjiao Gang to start an incident in Fenglingdu in advance, and he was shocked: "Could it really be that Lord Wang Duo stole Master Gao's talisman, why is he so confused and doesn't discuss it with me, how is this good?"

It turned out that Xu Zhi asked He Mengjiao, Li Cunxiao and others to immediately go to Fengling Ferry when they stole the talismans, and tried to make the disciples of the Changjiao Gang suspicious of Hong Tao, Wang Yang and other orders to raise troops in Jiangzhou. When He Mengjiao and the others arrived at Fenglingdu, they saw that Wang Yang was directing half of the disciples of the Changjiao Gang to load grain, grass, weapons, flags and other things into the boats, and the other half of the disciples repaired some dilapidated ships to make up for the leaks.

When Wang Yang saw He Mengjiao suddenly appear, he was shocked: "Miss He, weren't you expelled from the gang by the Jiang gang leader? Why are you here?"

He Mengjiao's appearance attracted the attention of the disciples of the Changjiao Gang, and they all stopped what they were doing and turned their eyes to He Mengjiao. He Mengjiao took out the jade flute in her sleeve and shouted loudly: "The brothers in the gang can see clearly, this is the jade flute given to me by the gang leader, just now Wang Duo said that this girl was expelled from the sect by the gang leader, it is a bunch of nonsense, this girl is here today, it is to convey the order of the Jiang gang leader to you!"

The disciples of the Changjiao Gang saw He Mengjiao showing off the jade flute that represented their identity, and they all bowed their heads to obey the order, only to see He Mengjiao say: "I heard that the gang leader heard that Hong Tao and Wang Yang colluded with foreign teachers, and tried in vain to take advantage of the sect leader's absence, take the lives of the whole sect brothers as a bet, go to Jiangzhou to join the enemy, and exchange for their glory and wealth in the next life!

When the disciples of the Changjiao Gang heard this, they began to discuss one after another, and some of them asked in a loud voice: "Lord Wang, what is your intention in letting us go to Lushan in Jiangzhou?

Wang Yang saw that some members of the sect had doubts about themselves after listening to He Mengjiao's words, so he hurriedly took out the handwritten letter written by Jiang Chengfeng to him, and shouted: "If any disciple does not believe in the helmsman, you can come forward to check the handwritten letter written by the old gang leader to Deputy Gang Master Hong!"

He Mengjiao saw that Wang Yang took out Jiang Chengfeng's handwritten letter, pulled the letter into his hand, read it carefully, and said with a smile: "This is the handwritten letter of the helper, it is to ask someone to imitate it carefully, if you don't look carefully, you can't see it for a while, for example, the helper has never used regular script to write, and the tone of the letter is not like it!"

He Mengjiao commented indiscriminately, and she also knew that it was impossible for the sect members below to see Jiang Chengfeng's letters and handwriting, so she threw the letter into the river.

Wang Yang saw that He Mengjiao deliberately provoked trouble, and he couldn't say anything about her for a while, so he was angry in his heart, and regardless of the presence of everyone, he drew his sword and stabbed He Mengjiao.

He Mengjiao retreated, and deliberately shouted: "Lord Wang Helm, didn't you deliberately kill me by exposing your own conspiracy, right?", after speaking, he took out his sword and fought with Wang Yang.

He Mengjiao followed Xu Zhi to the rivers and lakes, her swordsmanship also improved, she stabbed the sword quickly and accurately, stabbing at Wang Yang's chest for a while, and slashing at his face for a while. Wang Yang's swordsmanship is very ordinary, he can only be tired of coping, and he can resist for a while at first, but later, seeing He Mengjiao's sword moves getting faster and faster, he no longer dares to swing his sword forward, so he has to retreat step by step.

Several of Wang Yang's cronies tried in vain to attack He Mengjiao from behind and relieve the siege of Wang Yang, but they were all trapped by Li Cunxiao with a flowing sword.

Zhou Yuanzhi saw Wang Yang retreat to his front, and also picked up the long sword in his hand and attacked Wang Yang from behind. Wang Yang was not He Mengjiao's opponent, but now there is another Zhou Yuanzhi, so he had to jump into the water in embarrassment to escape, but he just climbed onto a bamboo raft and was about to escape by the boat, when he was shot in the back of his head by a stone from Li Cunxiao. Wang Yang twisted his body a few times, and then fell into the water and drowned.

The disciples of the Changjiao Gang saw that Wang Yang was dead, and they all obeyed He Mengjiao's orders, He Mengjiao was about to speak, when he suddenly saw Gao Jixing leading the pursuers to kill him, only to hear Gao Jixing shouting and ordering: "All the soldiers listen to the order, quickly surround the disciples of the Changjiao Gang at the ferry, we will capture Wang Yang alive!"

He Mengjiao shouted, "Everyone, look, Hong Tao and Wang Yang defected to the enemy and betrayed their religion, not only ruined their reputations, but also offended the tall adults in Ezhou, who came to settle accounts with us." Now the situation is urgent, brothers, please listen to Sect Master Jiang's instructions, he asked the brothers in all states and counties to return to the Yuezhou General Altar for the time being, disband and lurk, don't act openly anymore, and wait for the rumors to pass, and then make a big deal!"

When the disciples of the Changjiao Gang heard this, they jumped on the small boat bamboo raft, paddled hard, braved the thousands of arrows on the shore, traced the river, and returned to Yuezhou.

Zhou Yuanzhi, He Mengjiao and others took advantage of the chaos to hide in the reeds by the river, and waited for Gao Jixing to lead the troops to chase away along the river embankment, and then took advantage of the moonlight to return to Ezhou from the riverside and meet Xu Zhi.