Chapter 165 Kill without mercy
Zhou Han’s words made Lawrence Lu shudder.

But soon, he came to his senses.

Right now... there are many things he can no longer explain.

If Deng Qianqiu is not killed, many things will be exposed.

But now, Deng Qianqiu is seeking his own death. If this kid really has the imperial edict, then he certainly wouldn't dare to do so.

But Deng Qianqiu mobilized troops without authorization. Logically, Lu Zhongheng could have taken his family generals and killed them all legally, and then went to the emperor to apologize.

Even if they were all killed, it could be said that... it was Deng Qianqiu who caused the rebellion and attacked the Marquis of Ji'an's Mansion, and he, Lu Zhongheng, was just fighting back against the thieves.

So Lawrence Lu took a deep breath and sighed, “What a pity, what a pity… What a pity… That Deng Qianqiu… is a pity. Now that it has come to this, only one of me and him can survive, so…”

At this point, Lawrence Lu shouted, “Come here, gather everyone in the house and get weapons.”

Throughout the dynasties, the imperial court allowed civilians to hide weapons, but the control over armor, bows and arrows, and muskets was very strict. Military families like the Lu family were allowed to have several sets of armor, as well as a few pairs of bows and arrows, but they had enough swords, spears, and halberds.

There are two to three hundred people in the Lu family, one hundred and fifty of whom are old soldiers who followed Lu Zhongheng and died on the battlefield.

These people...are now placed by Lu Zhongheng, not only as guards, but also...as family generals. Just like when Lu Zhongheng was transferred to Jiangxi to serve as Pingzhangshi, he would often select dozens or even hundreds of family generals to take up the office in the name of entourage, and then place these people in certain positions.

In addition, after being conferred the title of marquis, it also means a large amount of income from farms. These people... as confidants, also have the responsibility to manage the Lu family's industries on behalf of the family.

If another ten or twenty years had passed, they might have been gradually promoted to various positions by Lawrence Lu, or... be responsible for managing some of the Lu family's businesses, but now... after all, the world has not been at peace for long, they have not yet become fat and powerful, and the blood in their bodies has not yet dissipated.

Lawrence Lu smiled and said, "Speaking of which, dealing with Deng Qianqiu is really time-consuming. But now it's good. If we fight, it will be a lot easier. Killing him and those so-called lieutenants outside is just like killing chickens. It's not worth mentioning."

Zhou Han also smiled, as if he was very satisfied, then turned and left.

Zhou Han left the Marquis' Mansion.

Deng Qianqiu was waiting anxiously outside, and all the officers were on edge, as if they were facing a powerful enemy.

Deng Qianqiu stepped forward and asked, "Tongzhi Zhou, what does it say inside?"

Zhou Han said: "Marquis Jian said: If you want to capture him, you have to step over his body."

Deng Qianqiu smiled and said, "I understand."

Zhou Han didn't say much and went straight back to the corner of the street.

There, teams of soldiers from the Five Cities Army were already on alert.

A captain stepped forward and whispered, "What's the next step?"

Zhou Han said expressionlessly: "We will just sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the two tigers. Later... once Marquis Ji'an really kills Deng Qianqiu, we will immediately go over and kill Marquis Ji'an..."

"what……"

Zhou Han said calmly: "Deng Qianqiu is going to die, and this Lu Zhongheng...it's best not to leave him alive. Only when they are all dead, cleanly, can everyone sleep well. This is..."

He lowered his voice: "That's what the higher-ups mean!"

"Yes."

…………

Inside the Marquis' Mansion, hurried footsteps began to be heard.

It seemed that many people began to gather.

This marquis's mansion covering dozens of acres was like the King of Hell at this moment, with no one knowing how many soldiers were hiding there.

Deng Qianqiu ordered his men to observe. He was not in a hurry and hid among the lieutenants. At this time, a man wearing ordinary lieutenant armor stepped forward and said, "Master... I have an idea, I don't know if it is right."

Deng Qianqiu turned around and saw that the man wearing the captain's armor was Zhu Di himself.

Deng Qianqiu stared at him for a long time, then said, "I advise you not to guess. It's better to be simple."

Zhu Di said, "I was just having random thoughts in my mind. I was thinking that maybe my teacher thought that... Lu Zhongheng would definitely do something desperate."

Deng Qianqiu said calmly: "Then what?"

Zhu Di looked at him with a sharp gaze and said, "Then my mentor taught me to wear this captain's armor and hide in the crowd. If he dares to do something desperate, I am the prince and he is so daring, then I will just kill them all. Even if he is a marquis or a duke, he deserves to die."

Deng Qianqiu suddenly couldn't help but smile and said, "Zhu Di, don't be so dirty and filthy. Many times, we should think about the bright side."

Zhu Di looked confused and said, "But... I still don't understand why Master... must take down Lu Zhongheng? What, do you have a grudge? Just for a few Hu concubines?"

Deng Qianqiu said: "It is for justice, for public order and good customs, and for maintaining discipline."

Zhu Di scratched his head, his expression becoming even more confused, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Deng Qianqiu snorted coldly and said, "Not only did they not give me Hu Ji, but they also spread rumors about me everywhere and wanted to kill me. Even if His Majesty saves me and leaves me alone, these bastards will only become more arrogant in the future. If I don't go crazy today, it will be easier to dodge an open spear than to defend against an arrow from behind in the future. Sooner or later, I will be killed by them!"

At this point, Deng Qianqiu showed a fierce look on his face, and then continued: "Instead of this, I might as well go crazy and teach them that... if they provoke me, Deng Qianqiu, I will fight them to the death. No matter who this person who wants to provoke me is, or how powerful he is, I don't care."

Zhu Di said with a smile: "Master, why don't you just say it directly? I will go crazy with you. You have to be so confused. Master... just wait and see. I have trained these officers for several months. I have used the methods you taught me and also learned from my own experience. Don't worry..."

Deng Qianqiu looked at him solemnly and said, "You still have to be careful. A cornered dog will jump over the wall. Protect me later. It's not fun to be in a chaotic army! If I die here, if you borrow money again, no one will repay you in the future." Zhu Di nodded, and then rubbed his hands excitedly. He seemed to have an instinctive excitement for such a battle. At this moment, his blood began to burn and boil.

thump...

At this moment, the door of the marquis's mansion suddenly opened wide.

What suddenly appeared was a huge crowd of people.

These murderous people, holding swords, spears, and halberds, faced each other with the door as the boundary.

Deeper inside, Lu Zhongheng was wearing armor. He was tall and strong with a pot belly. At this moment, he was in the military formation, with the aura of a dragon and a tiger.

He held a short-handled Mo Dao in his hand and shouted coldly, "Deng Qianqiu, what do you want to do?"

Deng Qianqiu shouted: “Lu Zhongheng, you are not a human, you dog thing…”

Lu Zhongheng was so ashamed and angry that his face turned red to his ears. He couldn't help but grit his teeth and said angrily: "You thieves, die! Come... These people mobilized troops without authorization. How dare they do this under the feet of the emperor! Kill them all today, and don't spare a single one!"

"Here."

The number of these family generals was even greater than that of the school lieutenants. At this moment, they were crowded together, full of vigor and vitality, and they shouted together with an overwhelming momentum.

At this time, Deng Qianqiu couldn't help feeling a little scared.

But Zhu Di behind him already had a gleam in his eyes. He drew his sword and shouted, "Form a formation!"

So the captains began to move closer one by one, as if it was a conditioned reflex.

Some people drew their swords, some people stretched out their spears, and the spears were like a forest, forming a spear wall.

Lu Zhongheng frowned.

He had been through many battles and now began to realize that these captains were not as simple as he had imagined.

Weren’t those captains originally transferred from the Five Cities Military Department?
Most of the people in the Wucheng Bingmasi are third-rate stuff.

Not to mention compared with Lu Zhongheng and other experienced family generals, even compared with ordinary garrison soldiers, there is a huge gap.

But now it seems...

What Lawrence Lu felt… was actually an indescribable feeling.

……

At this time, Deng Qianqiu shouted: "Lu Zhongheng is so audacious that he dared to resist the imperial order and even led troops to resist the law. He is unforgivable. Listen carefully, whoever dares to resist will be killed without mercy! After the matter is accomplished, all of them...will be regular employees!"

As soon as the word "regularize" was uttered, all of a sudden, the captains who had formed an iron barrel-like formation suddenly started to glow with bloodshot eyes.

Their tense muscles suddenly became even tighter.

Each one of them is like a tiger ready to rush down the mountain.

"Yes!" they responded in unison.

……

Lawrence Lu was a little confused, and he felt more and more that something was wrong.

He felt that he should be full of confidence and killing these cowards would be as easy as taking candy from a bag.

But now... he smelled a dangerous aura, a kind of aura that he had never smelled before even when he was fighting against the stubborn enemy.

But now...it's too late to say anything.

So Lawrence Lu no longer hesitated, raised his knife decisively, and shouted: "Kill!"

At the same time, Zhu Di also shouted: "Kill!"

It’s in this huge doorway of the marquis’ mansion.

The two sides were on the verge of a fight, and the shouts of killing shook the sky.

The leading captain quickly raised his spear, and this huge wall of spears, like a black mass, stabbed towards the family generals who were rushing over.

Immediately afterwards, a fierce battle broke out between the two sides.

Lu Zhongheng was supervising the battle in the rear team, and at the moment when the two sides touched, his face suddenly changed.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

They follow orders consistently, are as quiet as a virgin, as agile as a rabbit, and are resolute in killing. Are they... a group of cowards from the Five Cities Military Department?

What's even more terrifying is... he noticed that there was someone on Deng Qianqiu's side... who was calmer than him at this moment. He shouted like a general who had been in battle for a long time. This made Lu Zhongheng suddenly realize that he seemed to be dazzled... He actually vaguely felt... the style of the former Grand Marshal Xu Da.

Xu Da...

Lu Zhongheng's pupils began to shrink violently.

(End of this chapter)