Chapter 248 Chapter 8 Heartbroken

In the Battle of Dulong Gorge, the Donghai and Muyang coalition forces were wiped out. Li Ziyun, Li Xingyuan and Tong Shuwen all died on the spot.The Young Marshal's army marched into Muyang with momentum like a rainbow, and the residents opened their doors to welcome them.The remnants of Donghai County also knew that the situation was over, so they fled to Jiangdu by boat, and handed over this important foreign trade town to Kou Zhong. Only then did Kou Zhong truly establish the foundation of his kingdom. His territory reached the sea in the east, Liangdu in the west, Xiapi in the south, and Fangyu in the north.

After handing over Donghai and Muyang to Jiao Hongjin's jurisdiction, Kou Zhong, Xuan Yong, and Luo Qifei rushed back to Liangdu immediately, ready to deal with Li Zitong who was furious. When the boat arrived at Liangdu, I realized that Xu Xingzhi had been called.Kou Zhong was overjoyed and hurriedly went to discuss with him in the study of the general manager's mansion. After listening to Kou Zhong's detailed description of the development these days, Xu Xingzhi frowned and said: "Young Marshal's expansion is too fast and too fast, there may be problems." Kou Zhong was taken aback and said, "Then what should we do?"

The Way of False Action: "Fortunately, the young commander did not attack Zhongli, otherwise the Jianghuai army would definitely attack him. The only way now is to repair Li Zitong and help him repel the coalition forces of Du Fuwei and Shen Faxing, and then use him as a Defense in the south; even if Wang Shichong or Dou Jiande sent troops to attack, we would not have to be attacked on both sides. Alas! At present, although our young commander's army seems to be majestic, it is actually still vulnerable and does not have sufficient defensive or offensive capabilities. .” Kou Zhong smiled wryly, "I just killed Li Ziyun, how can Li Zitong fix it with me?"

Xu Xingzhi smiled and said: "Even if you are his father-killing enemy, under the pressure of the situation, he has no choice but to make peace." Kou Zhong nodded and said: "We have about 15,000 soldiers available, but they are by no means elite soldiers, and it will take some time to train. According to our opinion, should we stop capturing land and try to strengthen the defense of the territory first? ?” Xu Xingzhi shook his head and said: "Now we are like sailing against the current. If we don't advance, we will retreat. Since we can't develop north and south, we will expand horizontally. The obvious goal is Jingling, but the real plot is Xiangyang. What we need is the elite retreating from Jingling to the Pegasus Ranch. Then we won’t be afraid of leaving an empty nest and making our defense weak.”

Kou Zhong called the case wonderful, and asked casually: "How is the situation with the Pegasus Ranch and the owner of the shopping mall?" The Way of False Action: "The situation over there is extremely complicated. In short, it is the struggle between the three bandits and Zhu Can and the Pegasus Ranch, plus the pressure from Xiao Mian and Du Fuwei who are watching. But the situation is not right. We are beneficial and harmless, and maybe we can take the opportunity to win the always neutral Pegasus Ranch to our camp, that will be another situation. Hey! Master has a very good impression and thinks that you are the real heroes."

Kou Zhong frowned and said, "I'm a little confused. Can you explain in detail what we should do in order." Xu Xingzhi pondered for a while, and said decisively: "I intend to carry out both internal and external affairs at the same time. Consolidating the internal is to establish a complete governance and defense system for the old and new territories, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment, and government orders are passed; The outside is to avoid the strong and take the weak, use all means to avoid confrontation with Li Zitong, Du Fuwei, Dou Jiande, or Wang Shichong, and point the finger at Xiangyang, which is within our capabilities. As long as we can win a stronghold in the south of the eastern capital, we will have a chance Going north to fight for hegemony, you don’t need to retreat to a corner.”

Kou Zhong was about to speak when there was a knock on the door. Xuan Yong's slightly trembling voice said: "Master Xu. You're back." Kou Zhong jumped up from the grand teacher's chair like a leopard and opened the door. Seeing Xuan Yong's pale face, his expression changed, "What happened? Is Ziling injured?" Xuan Yong shook his head with tears in his eyes, choked with sobs and said, "It's not him, it's Susu." Kou Zhong suddenly reached out and grabbed his shoulder, shaking him, "It's Sister Su. Ah!" Quickly snatched away from him to the lobby.

Xuan Yong wept in the back: "Su Suxian has gone!" Kou Zhongruo got an electric shock, with an unbelievable look in his eyes, his legs softened, and he fell to his knees in the corridor. On the morning of the second day after Susu's cremation, Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong sat in the lobby with blank expressions. Zhai Jiao sat down opposite the two of them with a cold face, pondered for a while, and sighed bitterly: "I never thought that I, Zhai Jiao, would feel the hatred of losing my father and the pain of losing my sister, how unfair the heavens are to me!" Kou Zhong immediately burst into tears, lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice: "One day I will send my army across the river, wash Baling with blood, and recover the blood debt for Sister Su."

Zhai Jiao said coldly: "Revenge is revenge, but don't be arrogant. Susu's ashes are temporarily in my custody. As for Xiao Lingzhong, I will take them back to the north and treat them as my own. You can rest assured." Xu Ziling looked at her, hesitant to speak. Zhai Jiao stood up and said: "Xuan Yong has already arranged my way back to the north. In order to avoid people's eyes and ears, you don't have to send them off. When I have settled Xiaolingzhong, I will let someone inform you." The two stood up hastily. Zhai Jiao finally couldn't hold back the tears in her eyes, she rushed forward and hugged the two of them tightly, and hurried away with tears.

The two sat back in their chairs slumped. After an unknown amount of time, Kou Zhong suddenly smiled wryly and said: "People's feelings about life and death are really strange. It seemed that it should never happen, but suddenly it became an irreversible fact, and it is difficult to change it. We have taken all the good things we have done, but why did God take back Mother first, and now it is Sister Su, and all our expectations and hopes have been buried in a lump of loess." Xu Ziling sighed: "I've thought for a long time that even my head doesn't seem to belong to me, so I also want to advise you to mourn and change. Now your Huangtu hegemony is still in its infancy, and there are many things to do. The most important thing is to cheer up. I only know depression and sorrow."

Kou Zhong stood up abruptly, pulled Xu Ziling to walk out, and said, "Well said! Let's find a place to have a glass of consolation wine, drink his mother's night, don't know the world, and then get back together, what 'Mr. Yang' Get out of the treasure house and go straight to Baling." "boom"! The wine fell to the floor and broke into pieces. Xu Ziling stared at Kou Zhong in astonishment, only to see that his face was devoid of any color, and he said in a broken voice, "This time is terrible!" This restaurant, which they frequented many times, was not open yet, and it was most suitable for their private use. Xu Ziling put down his wine, frowned and said, "What's the big deal?" Kou Zhong sighed: "You are really smart all your life, and you are ignorant for a while. Try to think about it, if you combine Lu Miaozi, Xiedi Sheli, Zhu Yuyan, and 'Yang Gong's Treasure House', there is only one conclusion, that is, we have been tricked by the demon girl. All the hard work is just making wedding clothes for the traitor." This time it was Xu Ziling's turn to change his face and said: "You are right, I must have lost my mind because of Sister Yin's matter. In fact, no one has been able to find the evil emperor's relic all this time, because Mr. Lu put it in the 'Yanggong Treasure' Go inside, but how does Zhu Yuyan know? I'm afraid it's just a wild guess!" Kou Zhong took the cake and the other wine, poured himself a drink, and pondered, "It doesn't matter whether you guessed right or wrong, assuming that the **** emperor's relic is really in the treasury, will we fulfill our promise?" Xu Ziling poured out his wine and asked calmly, "What do you think?" "boom"! Kou Zhong threw another drink on the ground, and said with a long smile: "What kind of people are our brothers, we will never go back on what we promised. I'm not afraid even if his demon girl can fly to the sky after getting the relic of the evil emperor." Xu Ziling gave a thumbs up and said, "This is my good brother." Kou Zhong raised the wine, took a few sips to his mouth, let the drops from his mouth wet his clothes, and said sadly: "It's a pity that Sister Su is gone, otherwise, if she were here to drink with us, it would be such a happy time thing!" Xu Ziling said dejectedly: "One day you and I will follow in her footsteps. If there is nothing after death, it will be over. If there is still something, won't we still have time to meet?" Kou Zhong smiled wryly and said: "The problem is that chances are hard to come by again. For example, if there is reincarnation, by the time we die, Sister Su will have been reincarnated and experienced another life. This is the true meaning of errands." Then he said softly: "Frankly speaking! I am really grateful to you for leaving half of Xiangyu Mountain to me, so that my grief will not be unreported." Xu Ziling shook his head and said, "I still don't know why Sister Su got sick. We must investigate this matter." Kou Zhong said with tears: "Since seeing Sister Su again in Xingyang, she has never been really happy for a day, and she always meets ruthless men." Xu Ziling filled another drink for him, and said, "Now I'm here for the consolation wine, and the mourning was yesterday." When Kou Zhong wiped his tears with one hand and drank with the other, Xu Ziling said, "There is something wrong with Hou Xibai." So he told Bu Tianzhi and his doubts. Kou Zhong nodded and said: "I didn't like him very much from the beginning. At first I thought it was because I was narrow-minded and jealous of him, but now I realize that I had a foresight. What Shi Qingxuan said about the 'eight masters of evil ways', except for Zhu Yuyan and You Niaojuan , Zuo Youxian, who else is there?" Xu Ziling said distressedly: "I don't know if she is playing tricks on me deliberately, she only talks half of everything, one of them must be Pichen who incarnated Rong Fengxiang, the other four, I'm afraid I need to ask Shifei Xuan!" Kou Zhong drank another cup, wondering: "Why do I become more energetic the more I drink, and I am not as drunk as his mother. How is Shi Qingxuan compared to Shi Feixuan? Her mother is really Shi Feixuan's uncle." Xu Ziling said helplessly: "She is only willing to let me see half of her appearance. It is unpredictable, but it is not difficult to live with her." If it had been changed before, Kou Zhong would have forced him to fall in love with him, but he still had this feeling in front of him. After a moment of silence, he said: "Now the only way out for my young commander is to capture the two important towns of Jingling and Xiangyang. Looking for Zhu Can and the three bandits to act, but to accomplish such a difficult goal, you must have the 'Treasure of Yang Gong', what do you think I should do?" Xu Ziling said: "Speak out frankly! I will never go back on what I promised you." Kou Zhong stood up and said, "I'm waiting for the news of Gui Xiliang and Xing Rong. After finishing Shao Lingzhou, it's time for Li Zitong and I to discuss terms." In the evening of that day, although someone from the Bamboo Flower Gang came, it was not Gui Xiliang or Xing Rong, but Luo Feng, who was promoted from the deputy hall master to hall master. Kou Zhong was busy meeting him in the lobby, and after sitting down, the dusty Luo Feng said solemnly: "The situation in Jiangdu is critical, and it will fall at any moment. Du Fuwei and Shen Lun joined hands to attack Jiangdu, taking turns to attack the city, and take care of Li Zitong. Not long." Kou Zhong said solemnly: "How is the military situation of Lao Du and Xiao Shen?" Luo Feng replied: "Du Fuwei stationed in Qingliu, with a strength of 70,000; Shen Lun stationed in Yangzi, with a strength of 50,000. Li Zitong dispatched troops from all sides, and his strength was only 40,000. If it weren't for the city wall of Jiangdu Gao Bijian has long since fallen." Kou Zhong wondered how this battle could be fought, even if he tried his best to help, it would be a waste of money. Du Fuwei is an old fox who has experienced many battles, and he is not easy to fight. But if Li Zitong is finished, his young commander will be next. Luo Feng raised his thick eyebrows, and said: "This time, my brother has received a secret order from Shao Junshi to discuss with the young commander and see if we can use the young commander's strength to relieve the danger in Jiangdu." Kou Zhong nodded and said: "Your family is welcome, I just want to know if Li Zitong ordered this matter." Luo Fengdao: "Of course, otherwise I would not be a lobbyist." Kou Zhong remembered Xu Xingzhi's words, and said with a dumb smile: "Li Zitong is indeed a person who wants to save his life and disregards his relatives and enemies. However, he still has bad intentions in this matter, hoping to use Du Chen's coalition forces to weaken my strength. What does Brother Luo say? ?” Luo Feng nodded and said: "My brother once discussed with Shen Lao and Xi Liang, and they all know that this is called killing with a borrowed knife, but once Jiangdu falls, the young commander may not be able to protect the country he has worked so hard for. This is a headache." Kou Zhong murmured: "I will keep Jiangdu no matter what, otherwise I will dedicate all the territory to Lao Du, so as not to cause innocent people and civilians to be ravaged by military disasters." Luo Feng said emotionally: "Young Marshal is indeed a true hero, he can serve the common people regardless of his own gains and losses." Kou Zhong thought of Su Su, whose soul was gone, and sighed: "Gains and losses are like a short life, passing by at the flick of a finger. As long as you can do what you want, you will have no regrets." Luo Feng hesitated for a while, and then made up his mind: "In fact, Mr. Shen and I both objected to Junshi Shao and Li Zitong's congregation. Li Zitong has a changeable personality. He won’t listen to us, so we’ll see each other!” Kou Zhong took the opportunity to ask: "Brother Luo, what do you think of Mai Yunfei? Is he qualified to be the hall master?" Luo Feng smiled bitterly and said: "I don't need to say, the young commander also knows what kind of material Mai Yunfei is. At least Xiliang is more popular than him, and he is also the direct descendant of the first gang leader, and Mrs. Yuling fully supports it. Mai Yunfei depends entirely on him. Master Shao held it up with one hand, and Mr. Shen once argued fiercely with Master Shao about it." Kou Zhong thought to himself that Gui Xiliang also had such a little bit of fame and status, and said lightly: "It's enough to know what Shen Lao and Brother Luo want! Now my position of leader of the gang is still vacant, and the younger brother is not suitable to sit in this position, Brother Luo Have a good suggestion?" Luo Fengdao: "The person who is most qualified to be the leader of the gang now is either Junshi Shao or Old Shen. Xiliang is still difficult to convince the public no matter his talent or virtue. It is only because of the intention of the Song Clan that the position of the leader of the gang is suspended. But However, it caused Junjun Shao to rely on Li Zitong, which put our gang on the verge of splitting, and the whole matter was extremely complicated and difficult to handle." Kou Zhongdao: "If Shen Beichang and his old man take the position of leader of the gang, and Xi Liang is the deputy leader of the gang, do Brother Luo think it will work?" Luo Feng was stunned and said, "How could Shao Lingzhou agree?" Kou Zhong's eyes flashed coldly and he said: "At the time of life and death, he is not allowed to agree. What Xiliang lacks now is only outstanding achievements. If I let him break Du Chen's siege, it will be a matter of course for him to become famous. Ke Cheng as his deputy gang leader, who dares to object?" Luo Feng glanced at him incredulously, speechless.Of course Kou Zhong knew that he thought he was bragging, so he smiled and said, "Brother Luo, can you answer me a question?" Luo Feng nodded. Kou Zhong said indifferently: "Assuming that Jiangdu is captured, will Du Fuwei's Jianghuai army take advantage of the victory and go northward, or Shen Faxing's Jiangnan army marching northward?" Luo Feng was speechless. The reason why Du Fuwei and Shen Faxing are willing to join forces to deal with Li Zitong is because he has occupied Jiangdu, the most important town in the north and south. Make a frontal conflict. Kou Zhong laughed and said: "This is the key to our victory. Please go back and tell Li Zitong and Shao Lingzhou frankly, Brother Luo. If they agree, come to Xiliang to discuss important matters with me immediately. If you say that only Xiliang can do it Unraveling the situation in Jiangdu, they will not believe it like Brother Luo, so they will definitely agree, ha! Such an impossible thing becomes possible, so interesting!"