Chapter 244 Chapter Four

After Kou Zhong returned to Xiapi, he had not yet warmed up, and had already started to meet prominent figures from nearby cities and counties. Among the defectors, there were many renounced generals like Li Zitong. One of them is Li Xingyuan, about thirty years old, tall and mighty, not only Li Zitong's fellow countryman, but also the city guard of Muyang, another big city between Xiapi and Donghai. If half of Donghai County falls into Kou Zhong's bag. Kou Zhong was surprised to ask why, Li Xingyuan snorted coldly and said: "Li Zitong is mean and merciful, he uses people to judge relatives and not talents, he is short-sighted, and he is not a person with great ambitions. But frankly speaking, Xingyuan is still hesitant to make a decision, but his subordinates All the generals and the leaders of merchants and peasants, from the old to the young, all agreed to defect to the young marshal, and only then did Xing Yuan understand what it means to unite the hearts of all people."

Kou Zhong laughed and said: "Xing Yuan is honest enough, I just like a straightforward guy like you, what is the current situation of Dong Hai?" Li Xingyuan said: "Donghai County is now run by Li Zitong's younger brother Li Ziyun, and he will never surrender to the young commander. With enough food and grass, there will be no problems for a year or so." Kou Zhong frowned, "What kind of person is Li Ziyun?" Li Xingyuan said disdainfully: "What else does he know besides bullying the weak and taking advantage of the people? Li Zitong knew that he was brave but not resourceful, so he specially appointed Tong Shuwen, a bad scholar, as his military advisor. This man is extremely scheming, not like Li Ziyun. It's just a straw bag."

Kou Zhongrao asked with interest: "Why did Xingyuan call him a bad ghost scholar?" Li Xingyuan gritted his teeth and said: "Tong Shuwen loves to be self-proclaimed and noble. He claims to others that he reads the books of sages and learned the art of emperors. He talks about benevolence and righteousness all day long, but he is greedy for flowers and lust. I don't know how many women's reputations have been ruined. The wives, concubines and daughters of the subordinates will not be spared, if not for their excellent martial arts and brother Li Zitong's protection, they would have been broken by thousands of pieces."

Kou Zhong thought that this should be an important reason for Li Xingyuan's renunciation, he couldn't help feeling lucky that he was not a lustful person, nodded and said: "If you want to win the East China Sea, this person should be the key; if you can get rid of him, Li Ziyun's evil is just one thing." It's a toothless tiger, what suggestion does Xing Yuan have?" Li Xingyuan said with a distressed face: "No one in the East China Sea is more afraid of assassins than Tong Shuwen, so not only are you careful when you go in and out, and your hiding place is secretive, even the sleeping room is different at night. It is easier to assassinate Li Ziyun."

Kou Zhong pondered: "Does Li Ziyun know about Xing Yuan coming to see me?" Li Xingyuan said: "Although Tong Shuwen put some eyeliner on me, how could he hide it from me, and he was especially careful during this trip, they probably didn't know about it." Kou Zhongxi said: "That's it! Xingyuan immediately sneaked back to Muyang, and kept quiet. I will cooperate with you to take action after I have drawn up a comprehensive plan." Li Xingyuan nodded in agreement, and with eager expectation in his eyes, he said: "Xingyuan has an unfeeling request, and Master Wanwang will accept it."

Kou Zhong said happily: "Now, brothers, if you have anything on your mind, please speak up!" Li Xingyuan said in a low voice: "I hope that the young commander will be merciful and not harm the common people of Donghai County." Kou Zhong laughed dumbly and said: "This is not an unfeeling request, but it is both human and natural. Don't worry, Xingyuan, if you want to kill Yingcheng to win the East China Sea, I, Kou Zhong, will never do it. This oath will teach me that Kou Zhong will not die well." Li Xingyuan knelt down and was so moved that he couldn't speak.

Kou Zhong hurriedly helped him up, and after making an appointment with him, Li Xingyuan left in a hurry. After he left, Chen Changlin stepped into the gate with his front foot, and Kou Zhong was very happy to welcome him. What he desires most now is talent. In the setting sun, the fishing boats slowly moored to the wharf outside Baling City. Bu Tianzhi, dressed as a fisherman, approached Xu Ziling, who was staring at the city gate, and said in a low voice, "Be careful with Ziling's affairs. Xiao Xian has become very popular in recent years, and he has a lot of money. He has attracted countless masters from Jiangnan and Jiangbei , Xiangyu Mountain is his favorite minister, and because it was once the target of Yang Xuyan's assassination, so there must be a master to protect him."

Under the mask of the scarred hero, Xu Ziling's melancholy but fiery eyes remained unchanged, and he said calmly, "As far as Uncle Zhi knows, is there any powerful person who needs special attention?" Bu Tianzhi replied: "There are five people who can be regarded as first-class masters. The first is Bao Rang, the 'Hercules'. This man's 'Heng Lian Gang' is very famous in the Dajiang River Valley. The hard work of the external family, the superior internal internal energy that has been practiced until now is a strange story that is talked about in the southern martial arts. This man has a violent nature and has enemies everywhere. This time he is willing to take refuge in Xiao Mian. It must be to avoid disaster .”

Xu Ziling secretly thought of Bao Rang's name, but did not make a sound. Bu Tianzhi continued: "The second one is the 'Vicious Dog' Qu Wuhou. This person was originally a horse thief who ravaged the eastern part of Guangdong. Because he angered the masters of the Song Clan, he was the only one who escaped alone after thousands of miles of hunting. Became Xiao Xian's man. His fierce reputation is as good as "Hercules" Bao Rang, and his weapon is a pair of big hammers named "Xuan Lei Bang". it is good." Xu Ziling said coldly: "Whoever prevents me from taking back Sister Su and her child will die!" His tone naturally revealed the determination to never return.

Bu Tianzhi knew that persuasion would not have any effect, so he had no choice but to say: "Although the other three people are not as famous as these two, they are all well-known figures in the south. Brother Xie Feng, a "confucian in plain clothes", has thirty-eight strokes of concealing the moon swordsmanship, and is known as the best swordsman among the younger generation in the south; Chuang's Cowherd has one hundred and eight sticks, and there are thousands of changes, so we must not take it lightly." Fishing boats berthed. Xu Ziling went ashore and entered the city without saying a word.

Chen Changlin strode forward, stretched out his hands to grab Kou Zhong's shoulders, with a warm look in his eyes, and said happily: "I heard the news that Brother Kou and Brother Xu were almost murdered by Wang Shichong's ungrateful old thief, so I rushed back to the east immediately. They all questioned the old thief, how could he avenge the two generals, and had a big fight with him, of course there was no result, so they had to leave angrily. Fortunately, they heard that you were able to win the crowd with the few in Liangdu, and defeated Yu Wenhuaji with the mob. The elite army rushed here, unfortunately, Brother Kou just left the city, and he will not see Brother Kou until today, where is Ziling?" Kou Zhong was speechless and said: "So you found it by yourself, and I was looking for you like a gong everywhere. Brother Chang Lin is so bold, you dare to contradict the old ghost Shichong." Until now, he knew that Chen Changlin was a good man with cold outside and hot inside.Usually dull and reticent, but when encountering things that cannot be seen, he will never turn back.It was even more unexpected that he regarded himself and Xu Ziling as friends. Chen Changlin let go of his hands and snorted coldly: "Wang Shichong didn't dare to kill me yet, because the person who recommended me was Yilao. One day he didn't really become emperor, and he still didn't have the guts to offend the entire Baidao martial arts world. Where's brother Ziling? " Kou Zhong put his arms around his shoulders, walked into the hall, and said as he walked, "Xiao Ling went to Baling to do some business, it's great that brother Chang Lin is here, let us do our best for the common people, and brother Chang Lin will stop by Get rid of that beast Shen Lun to avenge the destruction of the family." Chen Changlin's eyes lit up immediately. Xu Ziling walked leisurely along the street towards the mansion in Xiangyu Mountain. The appearance of Baling was the same as before, but there were more people. His state of mind is surprisingly calm. Ever since he stepped into the city gate, his worries about Susu and his longing for reunion have been put aside because he arrived at the destination. The only thing left is how to accomplish the goal, clearly and clearly. Definitely, no need to spend energy on other aspects. It is not difficult to get Susu mother and son out of Baling, the only problem is how to persuade Susu, which requires exposing the cruel truth to her. On the long street and ancient road, there are pavilions everywhere. On the north-south avenue of Baling City, Xu Ziling walked through many archways and pavilions across the street, all the way back to the past when Yang Xuyan failed to assassinate Xiangyu Mountain, and finally arrived at the gate of Xiangfu. In the study, after listening to Kou Zhong's words, Chen Changlin put the tea in his hand on the small table beside the chair, nodded and said: "Maritime trade is never difficult, as long as it is profitable, merchants will come like ants. The difficulty is that we must Guarantee the safety of the waterways in the sea area. Then we must have an excellent navy to keep the waterways of the territory under control." Kou Zhong agreed, "I've thought about this problem too. Bu Tianzhi of the Jukun Gang has made an appointment to lead his fleet to attach to my younger brother. He said that there are as many as five five-tooth ships, all of which were snatched back from the old Sui Dynasty. There are more than 20 other smaller warships, and hundreds of cargo ships." Chen Changlin cheered up and said: "This is completely different! The most rare thing is that there are suddenly a large number of experienced sailors who are not afraid of wind and waves. As long as they are trained in water warfare, the old warships are improved, and new ones are built in response to the waterway situation, there will always be new ones. One day we can dominate the rivers and dominate the world." Kou Zhong was stunned and said, "You seem to be more confident than my younger brother." Chen Changlin smiled and said: "That's because I have confidence in Brother Kou! The immediate priority is to recruit a group of excellent shipwrights to refit the old ships. When we are ready, we can blockade the sea in Donghai County Traffic, cut off the sea connection between Donghai County and Jiangdu, at that time Donghai can only be beaten, and there is no way to fight back." Kou Zhong frowned and said, "Then how about finding such a group of shipwrights?" Chen Changlin patted his chest and said: "Of course it is Nanhai County, the hometown of my younger brother. Our surname Chen is from a giant family in Nanhai County. Our people either used to be sailors in the old dynasty or are used to doing sea business, and most of them are at odds with Shen Faxing and his son. As long as I sneak in When we go back, we will surely bring back a large number of talents in this field, and build an invincible navy for Brother Kou, then the days of Shen Faxing and his son will be numbered." Kou Zhong patted the stage and sighed: "Brother Chang Lin's words, half of the world has fallen into my little brother's bag!" Xu Ziling couldn't enter through the door, so he walked around to the back of the house, screaming in his heart that something was wrong. With his almost psychic sense of hearing, he grasped the situation of Xiangfu's outside and inside. The several houses near Xiangfu are all equipped with dark sentries to monitor the movement of Xiangfu, but Xiangfu itself is lifeless, as if the people in the house have moved to other places long ago, and there are only a few lights left. Xu Ziling couldn't help being puzzled, because the layout in front of him was clearly a trap, and it seemed to be set for him.Logically speaking, the relationship between Xiangyushan and him is not so bad, even if he receives the letter from Yunyu's real flying pigeon, he still doesn't have to act as if he is facing an enemy. Suddenly, a series of violent coughing sounds came from inside the wall. Xu Ziling's tiger's body trembled violently. At this time, he had found a way to avoid the eyes of the secret whistle, and ran out from the alley to the foot of the wall in the backyard of Xiangfu, and then climbed into the house by sticking to the wall. Sure enough, Su Su's weak voice came from the second floor of a small building: "Take Ling Zhong out! Quick!" Xu Ziling was still able to hold back, quickly tore off his mask, jumped up and walked straight in through the window. Susu sat up on the bed and coughed until the sky was dark. Every time she coughed, the towel in her hand was covered with shocking blood. Her haggard and sickly face lacked any color, and her originally jet-black eyes lost their former brilliance. Xu Ziling rushed to the edge of the couch, and touched her vest with his palm, pouring out his true energy, tears welling up in his eyes, and choked up, "Sister Su!" Su Su's delicate body trembled, miraculously stopped coughing, and her beautiful eyes recovered in an instant, looked at him, and shouted in disbelief: "Xiao Ling! Isn't this true?" Xu Ziling suppressed tears, shook his head and said: "All of this should not be true, we really shouldn't let Sister Su leave our side." Susu's eyes shot out strangely, and she touched his handsome face lovingly with her hand, and said calmly and gently as if she had fully recovered: "I finally look forward to your return! Where is Xiao Zhong? Come on, having you here already makes Sister Su content." Xu Ziling's heart fell straight into the bottomless abyss of despair and misery. Everything was over. From the infusion of Susu's true energy, he found out that Susu's vitality was exhausted. When his hand left her vest, she died in jade. When the fragrance fades.All the eager desires and expectations were completely shattered by the cruel and unacceptable fate in front of them, and they were all in vain. Su Su didn't turn her delicate body away, wiped away her tears with infinite tenderness, and said: "My good brother, don't cry, my sister has been looking forward to your coming, now it's all right! Do you know the name of that sweet baby?" Xu Ziling saw the smile full of maternal brilliance floated from the corner of her mouth, but his heart seemed to be ruthlessly pierced by a sharp awl. He tried his best to calm down, and said softly, "Is it Ling Zhong?" Su Su happily said: "Is this a good name? Every time I call him, I always remember you two good brothers. He will be as good as you in the future." Xu Ziling almost looked up to the sky and howled in grief, tears could no longer be controlled from the corners of his left and right eyes, and he said sadly: "Why is this happening, where is Xiangyu Mountain?" Su Suyu's face sank, she bowed her head lightly and said in a low voice but affirmatively: "My sister couldn't bear it long ago, but in order to wait for you to come, I lasted until this moment. What happened in the past, let it go, sister After leaving, Xiaoling, take Lingzhong away for your sister and raise him to be a hero like you. My sister's surname is Fang, so let him be called Fang Lingzhong!" Xu Ziling's eyes flashed with terrifying and intense murderous intent, and he said in a deep voice, "What did Xiangyu Mountain do to you?" Su Su stared at the bloody scarf in her hand, and said calmly: "Don't blame him, if you want to blame, blame my sister for not believing what you think of him, and not knowing how to recognize people with eyes." Xu Ziling took a deep breath, and said in the calmest tone he could do: "Where is he?" Susu looked at him, shook her head and sighed: "He asked my sister to write you a letter, but after my sister refused, he became indifferent to her. Sigh! Don't mention these things." Susu fell into his arms, and said softly: "What's the point of bringing it up? Sister can meet you, and I feel that life is not in vain. Death is inevitable in life. It doesn't make any difference if it's later or earlier. My sister is very happy now. No regrets. Xiaoling! Ring the bronze bell next to me, please?" It was only then that Xu Ziling noticed that there was a bronze bell on the table next to the couch, and a small copper rod for beating was placed beside the bell. Xu Ziling sent out a finger. "when"! The unvoiced voice of the bell spread far and wide. Susu said weakly: "Help me sit down!" Xu Ziling knew that she had reached the moment when the oil was exhausted and the light was dying.Suppressing the irresistible grief in his heart, he helped her to sit up, not daring to leave her pink back for a moment. The footsteps go up the stairs. Su Su tried her best to the entrance: "Xiao Zhi, don't panic, my good brother is here to visit me!" After an exclamation, the trembling little maid appeared at the door holding Fang Lingzhong, and looked at Xu Ziling in amazement. Xu Ziling stretched out his hand and said, "Give me Ling Zhong, and then go back downstairs, but you can't leave, understand?" The little maid gave him a sharp look, and she immediately trembled. If she dared to refuse, she hurriedly handed the baby to Xu Ziling, but she walked away unsteadily. Xu Ziling sent the chubby Xiao Lingzhong who was sleeping soundly into Susu's arms, and inexplicable deep emotions surged in his heart, as if the baby who didn't know his mother was about to leave him was connected with his flesh and blood. Su Su's beautiful eyes focused on the child in her arms, her pretty face glowed with holiness, and she said with infinite love and affection: "You have two fathers, one is named Kou Zhong and the other is Xu Ziling, mother once thought about marrying them , only they are worthy of being your father in the world." Xu Ziling suddenly recalled the jade 'gift' that Liu Heita asked him to hand over to Susu, quickly took it out, put it on her wrist, and said in a low voice with soreness and pain in his heart: "Brother Liu entrusted me to give it to my sister." Yes. Alas!" Susu's beautiful eyes lit up, and Xiao Lingzhong said happily, "Heh! Did Brother Li give it to you?" Knowing that she mistook 'Liu' for 'Li', Xu Ziling was speechless. Susu breathed fast and gasped, "Tell Brother Li, Susu never blamed him." After all, her tender body softened, and she passed away with a smile. Surprisingly, Xu Ziling did not show any excitement, and gently laid Susu's body flat on the couch, hugged Xiao Lingzhong, who was having a good dream, and had no idea that a human tragedy had occurred, tearing off the cloth, and tied him up. pregnant. He gives full attention to every movement.Do your best not to think about Su Su's death. There was no sound outside the building, and Su Su's disappearance was so peaceful and hard to detect. The vast and deep sky outside the window is full of stars, it seems that apart from the black satin-like night sky and his broken heart, there is nothing but Susu's orphan and her death. Then he rolled up Susu's body with a quilt, and wanted to let out an earth-shattering scream to vent all the despair and pain to the night sky far and near, but in order not to disturb Xiao Lingzhong's dream in his arms, He could only sigh softly, and hurried through the window. When he handed over Susu and Xiaolingzhong to Bu Tianzhi, it was the moment when he came back. Xiangyushan must die to repay the debt he owed. The alarming firework signal arrow exploded with light flowers in the high sky in the rear, but the opportunity has been missed. It was a seamless trap. Because Xu Ziling's true face could not be seen, and because Xu Ziling's cleverness sneaked into the house without anyone noticing, This made Xiang Yushan's despicable trick come to an end.