Six magnificent high-hanging lampholders, each lit with eight giant candles, illuminate the entire hall as bright as day.

At the top are three antique wide rosewood chairs, in the middle of which sits Tang Lifeng, who has a solemn expression, who sits quietly on the right, and Yu Huantie, who is on the left, squints at the corner of the hall, thoughtfully.

This time they were able to successfully capture Chaotian Fort, Yu Huantie and his entourage made great contributions, it can be said that without their help, Tang Men could not capture Chaotian Fort, Tang Lifeng had no bottom in his heart. He originally wanted Yu Huantie to sit on the throne, but he resolutely refused, saying that this trip was sent by the Shangguan Alliance Lord to assist the Tang Sect in eliminating the Fang Cluster, and everything was up to Elder Tang's scheduling. Tang Lifeng was grateful, and he had a little more respect for Shangguan Alliance Leader and Yu Huantie.

On the dozens of Nanmu chairs on both sides of the hall, there were a lot of people sitting in the black, and from time to time some people got up and went in and out, understanding the news coming back from outside the hall, and turned around to report the situation to the three of them.

"Yu Yu...... Hero ......" Yu Huantie turned his head to look at Tang Yun, waved his hand to interrupt, and said lightly: "Don't call me 'Hero', I don't like it." ”

Tang Yun was a little embarrassed, he didn't know what position Yu Huantie had in the Chu Xiang League, but he thought that even the He Protector, one of the five protectors of the Chu Xiang League, was respectful to him and willing to be dispatched, and then thinking about his martial arts and bearing, his eyes lit up, and he shouted: "Yu Yu Deputy Alliance Leader ......"

"Call me Brother Yu. Yu Huantie looked at Tang Yun and said. He added, "The Chu Xiang League does not have a deputy leader. ”

"Yu Yu...... The eldest brother, the elder, the He Protector, and Fang Zhiju were fleeing in the direction of Taojia Town, and the brothers at the outpost couldn't stop them, but they broke thirteen brothers. Tang Yun finally finished the report smoothly this time, and sighed.

"Got it. Tell to go down so that your men don't have to intercept it anymore. There is no need to make unnecessary sacrifices. Tang Lifeng frowned, bit his lower lip, and commanded. Tang Yun answered, turned around and walked out.

"Hey, I've fled to Divine Arm City!" Tang Lifeng muttered softly to himself, shaking his head in frustration.

"Didn't you say that you had already found Chaotian Fort clearly? There were so many horses hidden in that place, how could you not know?" Yu Huantie saw the tragic situation of three brothers being trampled to death in front of his eyes, and the tone of Tang Lifeng's questioning was a bit of a hint of asking for guilt.

"It's my responsibility!" Tang Lifeng bowed to himself, "Thinking that this kind of gathering has been entrenched in Chaotian Fort for many years, with deep roots and lush leaves, I am really careless!"

Cui Hao was thinking about his thoughts in a daze, and he didn't react for a while that he was calling him.

In fact, his heart was also very sad in the past two days, watching the former brothers in the fort fall one by one, his sense of guilt became heavier and heavier. Especially in the battle, when he saw the hateful and contemptuous eyes of his brothers, he always cowered and hid behind the crowd, and his hand, which was usually as steady as a rock, trembled uncontrollably.

After he killed Hall Master Xie, he had already begun to regret that he had embarked on a road of no return, which did not seem to be as worthwhile as he had imagined. He felt that the Tang Sect and the Chu Xiang League were also quite cold towards him, and there was even contempt behind the coldness.

At this time, he was at war in his heart, whether to tell the story or not. As early as tonight's battle, he found that there was no Yin Tianjin, no Madam Fang and no Fang brothers and sisters. When Fang Zhiju led everyone to break through and flee, he also looked carefully, and there was no sign of them. Should I say it or not? He hesitated.

"Hall Master Cui!" Tang Lifeng raised his voice and looked at him.

"Huh?" Cui Hao came back to his senses and stood up suddenly, this "Cui Hall Master" made him immediately make up his mind.

"Elder Tang, what's the matter, please command!" Cui Hao looked at Tang Lifeng with eager eyes.

"What's going on with that dilapidated compound in the southwest? Didn't you say it was an abandoned warehouse? How could there be so many horses?" Tang Lifeng's face was a little unkind.

"There are horses, and my subordinates don't know what's going on. The day before the operation, I went there to see that there was not a single horse except for the hay that had been piled up before. Cui Hao said innocently.

"Was there a stable before?" asked Yu Huan Tie with an iron gaze at Cui Hao.

Cui Hao tried his best to recall, shook his head and said, "It's not." It used to be a warehouse, but it was inconvenient because it was far away from the dock, so it was abandoned later. For a while, it was used to pile up hay for horses, but because it was so dilapidated, the hay was easily drenched and discarded. ”

Yu Huantie nodded, waved his hand, and said, "Got it." Master Choi, please be seated. He turned his head to look at Tang Lifeng and said, "It seems that it was a horse prepared by the people on the periphery when we were besieging Chaotian Fort." Tang Lifeng's eyes flashed and he nodded.

Cui Hao was about to tell the story that he didn't see Yin Tianjin and Fang Xiang gather together, but Tang Xing walked in and said: "The silver treasury has been checked clearly: there are 170,000 taels of silver, 73,400 taels of silver, and 1,320 taels of gold. ”

Tang Lifeng and Yu Huantie glanced at each other, Tang Lifeng frowned and said, "So little?" Yu Huantie smiled: "It's a little little." It seems that this kind of agglomeration is not doing very well!"

Tang Lifeng pondered for a moment and said, "Maybe most of them were taken away by him." ”

Yu Huantie tilted his head and thought for a moment, and said, "There is a possibility." After a pause, he said, "Elder Tang, you can keep these silver coins, and you can use them to compensate the brothers who were killed and wounded." ”

"This ......" Tang Lifeng didn't expect Yu Huantie to be so generous, and it didn't seem to be fake to see his expression, and he was admired and grateful in his heart, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

"That's it!" Yu Huantie simply waved his hand to signal Tang Lifeng not to be polite anymore, and turned his head to ask Tang Xing: "Have the casualties on both sides been counted clearly?"

Tang Xing said: "It's also clear." One hundred and ninety-four people were killed, 68 seriously wounded, and 33 lightly wounded, while the brothers of the Chu Xiang League were killed, one seriously wounded, and three lightly wounded. The enemy lost one hundred and sixty-two people - not counting those who had been burned by them before the breach of the fort, ninety-three were seriously wounded, sixteen were lightly wounded, and eighty-six surrendered unwounded. ”

Yu Huantie listened carefully, nodded, and sighed lightly.

"Our deceased, let's find a place to bury them first, and then move back to our hometown......! Dig a big pit and bury it!" Tang Lifeng commanded.

"What about the enemy's wounded?" Tang Xing asked.

"Treat the wound first. Those who are willing to surrender are welcome, and those who really don't want to ......" Tang Lifeng raised his hand and made a gesture of killing, "However, you have to persuade each other first...... Knowing it with courtesy, moving it with affection...... If you are really stubborn, you will be killed. ”

"Most of these people are very stubborn! They should be killed!" Tang Xing said stupidly.

"If we kill them all, the people in the rivers and lakes will say that we are too vicious!" Tang Lifeng said with a straight face: "What's more, many of these people are good managers, and this kind of person will be needed in the future...... Tang Xing, you need to be patient...... Time changes everything...... When the gathering is extinguished, their hope is cut off, and for the sake of livelihood, these people will be willing. ”

He Protector, who had been silent, interjected, "Elder Tang is right. I think the elders will understand and appreciate their hard work in the future. ”

Tang Lifeng wanted to be humble, but Yu Huantie reminded: "Elder Tang, you must not be merciful to the Qingcheng faction. Tang Lifeng said with a straight face: "Thank you Brother Yu for reminding me." This is natural. ”

Everyone was silent for a while, and Tang Hui suddenly said: "This time to capture Chaotian Fort, we have not prepared a cloud ladder, and it is too difficult to attack. The terrain of the Divine Arm City is dangerous, and it is even easier to defend and difficult to attack, should we prepare some ladders?"

Tang Lifeng nodded and said, "When attacking this Chaotian Fort, in fact, I also thought of using a cloud ladder, but I just felt that then our side would inevitably suffer more casualties, so it was useless." This time, you must take the Divine Arm City at all costs! Tang Hui, you quickly arrange manpower and prepare overnight. ”

Tang Hui agreed, went out and explained. After a while, he led a subordinate hurriedly walked in, and the subordinate said, "Elder: We found out that Zhenguan and his party are rushing to Chaotian Fort, and they have now arrived in Golden Town. ”

"I've been waiting for a long time!" Yu Huantie suddenly looked very excited, and shouted: "Brother Wei Chi, you have worked hard to bring six people quickly...... No, eight brothers, follow this brother to stop Zhenguan and his party. ”

A strong man in blue with a steel whip on his waist came out in response and arched his hand: "Yes." ”

"Remember: find a favorable time to attack, withdraw if you can't fight, don't have to fight hard. Just keep harassing them along the way, and play a role in exhausting the enemy. Yu Huantie commanded.

The strong man in blue said: "Harassment?" Yu Huantie nodded and said, "Yes." I'll clean them up when they arrive. ”

The blue-clothed strong man said in his heart: "Hmph, although your kung fu is better than mine, but you also underestimate my 'Sai Qin Qiong' Wei Chi Yi! I don't believe it, I can't kill them! Wait and see, watch me come back with this miraculous feat!"

There is a price to be paid for his meritorious work, and he paid the price with his life.

※※※

While he was discussing, suddenly a disciple of the Tang Sect came to report: "A group of people from the official mansion came outside, and the leader claimed to be He Tongju, and he wanted to see the leaders." ”

Tang Lifeng, Yu Huantie, and He Protector all got up and went out.

A green-robed official walked over with a big stab, followed by two green-robed military attaches and dozens of messengers.

The three of them were busy kneeling to salute, and He Tongju said coldly: "Get up!"

Tang Lifeng respectfully invited He Tong to sit down in the hall, and two green-robed military attachés stood behind him. After ordering someone to offer tea, the three of them stood under the prime minister to accompany them. All the people in the hall also came to salute one by one, and stood with their hands down.

He Tong took a sip of tea, slammed the tea bowl on the coffee table with a "bang", glared at him and said sharply: "Tang Lifeng! Yu Huantie! Look at the good deeds you have done! Make corpses all over the field, and blood will flow like a river! If you blame the people from above, don't you push the official into the fire pit?"

Tang Lifeng hurriedly knelt down and said, "My lord, it is because of the stubbornness and desperate resistance of that party that there are so many casualties on both sides. Rest assured, we have already arranged how to deal with these dead and injured Chaotian Fort gangs. ”

"How to deal with it?" asked He Tongju, raising his chin.

"We bury the dead, and heal the wounded. Tang Lifeng said with a smile.

"What happens after the injury is healed?"

"Those who are willing to stay stay, those who do not want to go home, we will never leave any difficulty. Tang Lifeng said.

He Tongjuan's face was slightly gentle, and he turned his head to see Yu Huantie Zhuo standing aside, his expression was a little arrogant, and he seemed to be a little unkind to himself, so he couldn't help but be annoyed in his heart, and said loudly: "Yu Huantie!

He deliberately said the word "buddy" very heavily to satirize Yu Huantie. It must be known that he has a good relationship with Fang Zhiju, and he will never believe that he will plot bad nonsense, but he is ordered from above not to intervene in this matter, nor to interfere in the struggle between the two sides, so he has to give up. But seeing that the square class is in such a miserable situation, it is inevitable that I will be angry and vent in my heart.

Yu Huantie pretended not to understand the sarcasm in his words, and said, "Thank you for your praise." Chaotianbao and his gang secretly developed their forces and secretly colluded with traitors to disadvantage the imperial court. Yu only knew how to do his best to get rid of thieves for the court. As for the credit or something, Yu never took it to heart. ”

He Tongjuan's face was a little ugly, and he snorted coldly, and said, "Whether that kind of person is this kind of person or not, you know for yourself!"

Yu Huantie said unhurriedly: "We are very clear. But according to the grass people, you may not know it!"

"Bold!" He Tongju slapped the table and stood up, glaring at Yu Huantie angrily. When everyone in the hall saw him angry, they all held their breath, not understanding why he deliberately contradicted He Tongju, and they all sweated for him.

Yu Huantie seemed fearless and fearless, and said: "Chaotianbao and the gang are very deferential to the imperial court on the surface, I think the adults are busy with official business, and it is inevitable to neglect them, but in fact, it is no wonder that the adults." It's just that we understand adults, but we don't necessarily understand them. I hope you will think twice. ”

"You dare to threaten this official!" He Tongjuan turned pale with anger and slammed the table continuously. The two military attachés beside him also changed color, and they pulled out their knives with "brushes".

Yu Huantie ignored the two military attachés, looked into He Tongju's eyes, and said coldly: "Don't dare!"

After fighting for a while, He Tongju turned his gaze away and said angrily: "Let's go!"

Tang Lifeng glanced at Tang Xing, and the two of them hurriedly followed behind He Tongju and his party. Tang Xing hurriedly stuffed a stack of silver tickets into Tang Lifeng's hand, Tang Lifeng caught up with He Tongju, and said with a smile: "That Yu Huantie is a stubborn temper, I hope your lord will forgive me! ”

He Tongju accepted the silver ticket, his face was slightly gentle, and Tang Lifeng took the opportunity to say: "My lord, please rest assured, what the previous party can do, Xiaomin guarantees to do better than him!"

He Tongju glanced back at him, squinted his eyes, and said, "Remember what you said! Don't let this official down!"

Tang Lifeng nodded without hesitation, "Yes! Yes! Definitely!"

※※※

Everyone sat down in the hall again, and Tang Lifeng whispered to Yu Huantie beside him: "Brother Yu, why did you not give face to Lord He just now? ”

Yu Huantie smiled: "I believe you should know my intentions." The silver ticket was given, right?"

Tang Lifeng nodded, and a sentence secretly came out in his heart: "It's a good move." ”

Cui Hao struggled for a long time, but he still felt that it was good to say it, one was to cut the grass and eradicate the roots, so as to avoid trouble in the future; and the other was that they should soon discover this problem, and if they didn't say it in time, they would end up with the crime of not reporting it.

"Elder Yutang, Brother Yu, and He Protector: I just remembered that when Fang gathered to break through tonight, I didn't see his family and Yin Tianjin. Cui Hao said loudly.

When everyone heard this, their faces changed slightly. Tang Xing also said: "Yes, I also remembered that when we fought tonight, there was no one at all." ”

Tang Lifeng said hurriedly: "Tang Xing, you go out and ask the brothers to see if anyone has seen them." ”

Tang Xing went out for about a pillar of incense, and came back and said, "I've asked everything, but I haven't seen it." ”

Tang Lifeng said: "Have the brothers who are responsible for monitoring the fort also asked?"

Tang Xing said: "I've also asked, but I haven't seen it." ”

Tang Lifeng was worthy of being a master of the Tang Sect's elite organs, and immediately thought of it, "Could it be that there is a secret passage in the fort, and they slipped away from the secret passage?"

It didn't take long for Tang Lifeng to target the inner room of Fang Cluster. He glanced around the entire inner room, first went under the bed to check it, then looked at the wall behind the bed, tapped all the way along the wall, stopped on the painting of "Nine Peaks Snow Ji", tapped his ear twice, and said happily: "It's here!"

Yu Huantie and the others looked at him suspiciously, only to see him touching east and west around the frame, and suddenly there was a "rolling" sound, and the painting slowly moved upward, revealing a secret door. Everyone in the room was amazed, and they all gathered around to check.

Tang Lifeng ordered Cui Hao and more than a dozen Tang disciples to bring fire knives and flints, and entered the secret passage to check, and after half an hour, everyone came back. A disciple of the Tang Sect said: "This secret passage is very long, about two miles long, leading to the ground of the firewood house of an inn called 'Ping'an Inn'. However, the inn was closed, and there was no one left. ”

Tang Lifeng was surprised: "This secret passage is so long?"

Cui Hao said: "Yes." We also picked up the owner of the soy sauce seller next to us from the bed and inquired about it, this group of people had left at the end of the Shen Dynasty yesterday afternoon, including the innkeeper Wu and two men, a total of thirteen or fourteen people, riding horses and hurrying in the northwest direction. ”

Tang Lifeng muttered, "No wonder! Chaotian Fort's money must have been taken away by them! We have to chase it quickly!"

Tang Yi, the leader of the assassination team, said, "Elder, do you want me to personally lead someone to chase after you?"

Tang Lifeng said: "Okay, you quickly select twenty disciples and set off immediately." ”

Yu Huantie interjected: "Slow! In addition to Yin Tianjin, there must be a few tough players in their group, and I will send a few brothers to go together!"

Tang Lifeng frowned and said, "Brother Yu, you are about to capture the Divine Arm City, you need more masters to help you, why ......"

Yu Huantie waved his hand and said: "It's okay! This matter is also very important, not only to cut the grass and eradicate the roots, but also to recover the money! In this way, let the Qiu Ling brothers, Ruan Xingang brothers, and the Sha brothers go!"

Watching everyone get on the horse, Yu Huantie told Qiu Lingdao: "Brother Qiu, I guess they went to Qingcheng Mountain." If necessary on this trip, contact the Heaven and Earth Twin Venerables to intercept them. ”