Chen Zhitai left sadly, and then two criminal officers came forward, cupped their hands and said: "Sir, we have guests arriving. They are waiting in the front yard."

Gu Baiyi was calm and composed, put away the book, and said with a smile: "You can go about your own business." Without saying much, he went to the front yard and saw only one person with a garden hoe cleaning the weeds beside the flower beds in the garden.

, that man was also wearing coarse linen clothes and a straw hat, his skin was the most common bronze color among fishermen, his hands and feet were quick, and he obviously often did this kind of work.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, the man paused for a moment, but quickly continued hoeing without looking back. He just smiled and said, "Did you sleep well last night?"

"The scenery on the island is pleasant, it's quiet at night, and I escaped from death. Naturally, I slept well." Gu Baiyi put one hand behind his back and said with a smile: "How many years have we not seen each other?"

"Three years and seventy-two days." The man calculated it clearly.

"What other beautiful scenery is there to see on this island? Why don't you take me for a walk?" Gu Baiyi smiled.

The man finished clearing the weeds, then put down the hoe, stood up, patted the dust on his body, walked to the bucket next to him, washed his hands, wiped them casually, and then turned around

Come, look at Gu Baiyi and smile: "There is a lake-viewing stone. Standing there, you can overlook Taihu Lake. Do you want to go and see it?"

"lead the way!"

The man's appearance was very ordinary, he looked like an ordinary fisherman, but his eyebrows were very thick, his eye sockets were slightly sunken, but his eyes were extremely sharp. He was in his early forties, and there was a scar above his left eyebrow.

The scar makes him look more brave.

After leaving the yard, the man led Gu Baiyi through a bamboo forest and walked on a rugged path. There were lush flowers and plants all around and the air was pleasant.

"The King of Taihu is so famous that the seven surnames in the south of the Yangtze River change their expressions." Gu Baiyi said with a smile: "Who would have thought that the famous King of Taihu looks like a farmer working in the fields."

The man laughed and said: "Senior Brother, are you mocking Junior Brother? I don't think you are much better. If it weren't for me, you would have become Qian Guanghan's prisoner this time." His expression became solemn, and his brows were filled with seriousness.

With respect: "Master, how good is he?"

"As long as he has sugar-roasted chestnuts, everything will be fine for him." Gu Baiyi smiled and said, "His biggest hobby in this life is sugar-roasted chestnuts."

The king of Taihu said: "When you return to Beijing, take two carts of sugar-roasted chestnuts and hand them over to the master. It will be regarded as a disciple's filial piety to his old man."

Gu Baiyi sighed: "I'm afraid I won't be able to return to Beijing for a while."

"It doesn't matter, I have no worries about food and clothing on Xishan Island. Senior brother, I will not ask you to collect money even if I live here for ten or eight years." The King of Taihu put his hands behind his back: "It just so happens that I still have some problems in the art of war that I still can't figure out.

Senior brother is here and I just want to ask you for advice."

"We haven't seen each other for a few years. King Taihu seems to be getting more and more powerful. Such a big thing happened so calmly." Gu Baiyi sighed: "Master has been asking us to practice concentration. It seems that I am not as good as my junior brother in this aspect."

.”

The King of Taihu shook his head and said: "Senior brother is wrong, not because I am determined, but because this matter has nothing to do with Taihu, I don't need to think too much about it." "It has nothing to do with Taihu?" Gu Baiyi said slowly: "The Jiangnan family has become the king.

As an accomplice of the Mother Association, once the Queen Mother Association sweeps across Jiangnan and Taihu Lake is surrounded, do you think your life will be easy?"

The King of Taihu smiled and said: "Many people think the same as you, thinking that once the Jiangnan family controls Jiangnan, Taihu will be in disaster." After a pause, he said: "But in my opinion, the situation is not that serious for Taihu." He raised his hand.

Gu Baiyi turned into another upward road and said as he walked: "Even if the Seven Surnames control Jiangnan, the first thing they have to deal with is not Taihu Lake, but the Tang Army. Even if the Queen Mother Association gathers a hundred thousand people in Jiangnan, what can they do?

How? Brother, have you forgotten that back then, the Queen Mother of Qingzhou had a crowd of thirty to forty thousand, and she once attacked the city with great force. However, Kyoto mobilized ten thousand divine troops, and the tens of thousands of mobs were pacified in just a few months.

"The Queen Mother's congregation in Jiangnan today is no different from the rabble in Qingzhou back then."

"So you think the Seven Surnames of Jiangnan can't free their hands to deal with Taihu?"

The King of Taihu smiled faintly and said: "Brother, do you know how many soldiers and horses there are in Taihu Lake now? I'll tell you the truth, there are currently 836 large and small ships on the Taihu Islands, of which 455 can be used for combat.

, as long as I give the order, 300 ships can be quickly built within two months, and they can be put into war immediately. There are 43,957 people, men, women, old and young, on the thirty-seven islands in Taihu Lake.

There are 18,647 strong people. All of these people are good at water skills. They fought in Taihu Lake. Even women can become soldiers. More than 6,000 of them have been trained. I can guarantee that the training they received,

Even if it is not as formal as the Suzhou camp, it is by no means inferior to the soldiers defending the city in Suzhou."

"It seems that Taihu Lake is indeed an iron wall." Gu Baiyi sighed.

The King of Taihu did not look proud, but said calmly: "Every time you take a bite, you gain wisdom. Your destiny can never be in the hands of others. The life and death of the fishermen in Taihu Lake can only be in your own hands. The saint must mobilize troops to put down the rebellion.

No matter how slow the speed is, the mobilized Tang army can arrive within a month. Therefore, within this month, all the seven surnames in Jiangnan can do is to collect money and food, recruit brave soldiers, strengthen the city, and wait until the Tang army comes to kill and occupy the city.

And Shou. No matter what the final result is, the seven surnames of Jiangnan will be severely damaged. If they are defeated by the Tang army and the whole family of the seven surnames of Jiangnan are executed, they will naturally not have the chance to attack Taihu. Even if they really repel the Tang army, after the losses, they will not be able to fight again.

If you want to visit Taihu Lake, that’s just a fool’s errand.”

On both sides of the road going up, there are flowers and fragrant vegetation. Under the rising sun, there is a mist in the distance, just like in a fairyland.

Gu Baiyi smiled and said: "So junior brother can sit back and relax."

"Jiangnan is a place that cannot be lost to saints. Even if the Queen Mother is able to repel the Tang army, it will soon come back." The King of Taihu said slowly: "Jiangnan is not Xiling. Li Tuo can dominate outside the pass.

, but after the Seven Jiangnan surnames took the first step to rebel, there was no turning back. They and the Tang Dynasty would fight to the death."

Gu Baiyi didn't say anything, and the two of them walked along the path for a while, and finally reached a cliff.

There is a huge boulder on the edge of the cliff, but it has been manually excavated to create stairs. Go up the stairs and reach the top of the boulder. There is a place to stand, which can accommodate three or four people.

Gu Baiyi and Taihu King walked up to the boulder, looked down from a high position, and saw that the Taihu Lake in the distance was shrouded in mist.

"After a stick of incense, the fog dissipates, and you can look at the surface of Taihu Lake." The King of Taihu smiled and said: "I have been thinking that if senior brother can come to Taihu one day, I will take you to watch it. Today I have completed it.

Fulfilled my long-cherished wish."

"The fishermen of Taihu Lake live and work in peace and contentment. Your merits are immeasurable." Gu Baiyi showed respect: "This should be the kingly way mentioned by the Master."

The King of Taihu sighed: "I always keep Master's teachings in mind, but I am still a thousand miles away from achieving what Master said about ruling the world. The only people I can protect are the people of Taihu Lake." After a pause, he said:

"I am sending someone to assist you this time, not because you are an official of the Tang Dynasty, but because you are my senior brother."

"So you decided not to get involved in this dispute?"

"What I can do for you has already been done." The King of Taihu said slowly: "I am a short-sighted person who cannot consider the world. All my decisions are only to protect the interests of Taihu Lake, which is thousands of miles away. To put it more clearly, I

They will only fight for the interests of the fishermen on the thirty-seven islands of Taihu Lake. If they are involved in this dispute, many people in Taihu Lake will die. They all have wives, children, and children. If any one of them dies, his family will suffer for the rest of his life. Therefore, the only thing Taihu Lake can do is

Only by staying out of the matter can we ensure peace in Taihu Lake." After a pause, he suddenly smiled and said: "Since senior brother is here, I will live on this island for a while. Suzhou is in chaos now, and Taihu Xishan Island is far away from the disputes.

It’s a good place for you to study. Tu Laoer knows you’ve landed on the island and is going to treat you to a drink.”

"They all returned to the island safely?"

King Taihu shook his head and said: "Qiao Shenggong is still in the hands of the Qian family, but I am trying to find a way to rescue him."

"You have written to Kyoto many times to ask for [Six Mo's] from Master. Master knows that you are not ready enough, so granting [Six Mo's] to you too early will be harmful rather than beneficial to you." Gu Baiyi put one hand behind his back and looked down.

The mist that filled the Taihu Lake was thick, and he said slowly: "But he estimates that your heat will be about the same this year. Just when I came to Jiangnan, Master asked me to bring [Liu Mo] to you in person, but I

It’s not easy to come directly to the island, so before departure, Fei Ge sent a message asking you to send a confidant to Suzhou City to pick up the book.”

"Tu Kuohai is my most trusted brother." The Taihu King nodded and said, "I sent him to get the book because I hope he can help you if you need help elsewhere."

Gu Baiyi sighed: "This matter is extremely secretive. They went into the city in disguise, so no one should know about it. But the Qian family has already laid a trap, waiting for Tu Kuohai and others to take the bait. After Tu Kuohai comes back, he will naturally tell you that the Qian family is planning to rebel.

, but you probably don’t know that the Queen Mother Society has been planning for many years to steal the internal treasury and frame the blame. They want to pin the Queen Mother Society’s hat on the heads of you Taihu fishermen and use the imperial court to encircle and suppress you.”

King Taihu frowned.

"Qiao Shenggong personally confessed that you are the Kuhai General of the Queen Mother Society." Gu Baiyi turned to look at the King of Taihu, whose expression became grim: "The whereabouts of Tu Kuohai and his party have long been sold to the Qian family by Qiao Shenggong, and this person also

We cooperated with the Qian family to put on a good show, which resulted in the death of you and the Taihu fishermen. Fortunately, you only handed over the task of fetching the books to Tu Kuohai. If Qiao Shenggong knew that Tu Kuohai came to the city to find me to fetch the books, maybe you and I would not be the same.
Chapter completed!