Jiang He took a few deep breaths, then laid it all out, putting the solution on the table.
"What I mean is, we pin the whole situation that night on the Li family."
"When the time comes, you just say you were ambushed by Li family men halfway, and that's how you lost the supplies."
"I've already arranged a scapegoat. All you need to do is follow my instructions."
Hearing Jiang He's orders, Liu Tiezhu furrowed his brow.
He thought for a moment and said, "Brother Jiang, as the person in charge of last night's operation, if I report this to the higher-ups, I'm afraid I'll be in trouble too."
If he reported that the Li family ambush caused the loss of supplies, it would also reflect poorly on his own arrangements. If the Ming family's top brass took it seriously, he'd still face punishment.
With Jiang He arranging things this way now, he couldn't help but suspect Jiang He was setting him up.
By saying this, he was also feeding back a message to Jiang He: he would only follow Jiang He's plan if it was guaranteed he wouldn't face any trouble.
Jiang He had already anticipated Liu Tiezhu's concerns.
He waved his hand and said, "You can rest easy. Two deputy captains will take the fall."
"Then I'll have a word with Third Master to make sure you won't have any trouble."
"There's no time to waste. Go with Old Zhang now to report to the Ming family."
Liu Tiezhu couldn't trust Jiang He's guarantee.
Especially since Jiang He seemed so eager, it made him uneasy.
But now he was in a bind—he had no choice but to go report to the Ming family.
The three of them discussed more details to ensure their stories would align when questioned.
After more than ten minutes, they finally settled on a plan.
Liu Tiezhu followed Zhang Zhiliang's lead and headed to the Ming family.
The Ming family estate was located in the center of the northern part of the city, covering 20,000 square meters in a traditional courtyard style.
When they arrived, they explained their purpose to the Ming family steward and were led to a side hall to wait.
After about half an hour, Ming Zhenglong finally arrived.
Seeing Ming Zhenglong approach, Zhang Zhiliang and Liu Tiezhu both stood up.
Ming Zhenglong waved his hand: "My apologies, I was in a meeting with the old man, so I'm late."
"We're all family here, no need to stand on ceremony. Sit down and talk."
Once the three were seated, Zhang Zhiliang spoke first.
"Third Master, I've brought Liu Tiezhu to report last night's battle results."
"Last night, we deployed 500 men and eliminated over 600 enemies."
"On our side, we lost over a dozen men, with several dozen seriously injured."
Hearing this, Ming Zhenglong immediately clapped his hands.
"Brother Tiezhu is truly talented. You've done the Ming family a great service this time. Tell me what you want."
"Money, women, a higher position—I, Ming Zhenglong, can give you all of it."
Liu Tiezhu didn't dare respond, instead glancing at Zhang Zhiliang beside him.
Zhang Zhiliang nodded and continued, "Third Master, there's one more thing."
"The Li family's supplies were moved out ahead of time."
"As for the Zhang family's supplies, they were seized by reinforcements from the Li family that arrived later."
"I've already arrested the person in charge of transporting the supplies, awaiting your judgment, Third Master."
"So you mean you spent the whole night and got nothing out of it?"
Ming Zhenglong stared at Zhang Zhiliang, his tone unreadable.
But Zhang Zhiliang's face changed at those words.
Having worked under Ming Zhenglong for three years, he knew that when Ming Zhenglong asked like that, it meant he didn't believe it.
"Third Master..."
Zhang Zhiliang opened his mouth to explain, but Ming Zhenglong cut him off with a wave.
"How could the Li family have moved their supplies ahead of time? Did they know they'd be ambushed?"
"And how did the Li family's reinforcements know the route the Zhang family's supplies were taking?"
Ming Zhenglong wasn't a fool; he wouldn't believe such a coincidence.
His words were soft, but they made cold sweat break out on Zhang Zhiliang's forehead. He quickly said, "This... please give me some time, Third Master."
"I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and give you an explanation, Third Master."
From this, he knew clearly that Ming Zhenglong was already suspicious of him.
"I'll give you ten days to look into this."
"If you can't give me an answer by then, the blame falls on you."
With that, Ming Zhenglong gave Zhang Zhiliang no chance to explain and simply waved him away.
After leaving the Ming family, Zhang Zhiliang was filled with regret.
According to his original plan, even if Ming Zhenglong didn't believe him, the blame should have fallen on the person in charge, Liu Tiezhu.
But now Ming Zhenglong wasn't playing by the rules, pinning it directly on him.
He had to hurry back and discuss with Jiang He; if necessary, he'd have to abandon Lin Changxing.
After dismissing Zhang Zhiliang, Ming Zhenglong turned his attention back to Liu Tiezhu.
He looked Liu Tiezhu up and down, then handed him a cigarette, lighting one for himself as well.
After a few puffs, Ming Zhenglong said, "Do you think Zhang Zhiliang was telling the truth?"
The question caught Liu Tiezhu off guard.
Hadn't Ming Zhenglong's earlier words already shown that Zhang Zhiliang's story was unreliable?
Now asking him this—what did it mean?
Was he testing his reaction, or probing his loyalty?
Liu Tiezhu pondered for a moment, thinking it was probably both.
He lit his cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "I can't tell whether what Auditor Zhang said is true or false."
Without knowing Ming Zhenglong's intent, staying vague was the wisest move.
Hearing this, Ming Zhenglong couldn't help but grin.
"You're a clever one, keeping everyone happy without offending anyone."
Liu Tiezhu's ambiguous answer was exactly what he wanted to hear.
"To be honest with you, I don't believe a single word Zhang Zhiliang said."
"The supplies of both the Zhang and Li families were snatched right under the noses of hundreds of people."
"Do you think that's possible without meticulous planning and control beforehand?"
"Only the three of them—Zhang Zhiliang and the others—knew where the supplies were stored."
"So those supplies weren't taken by the Li family; they ended up in the pockets of those three."
Ming Zhenglong stubbed out his cigarette and said with certainty.
Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu was startled at first, then secretly pleased, but he put on a shocked expression on his face.
Earlier, when Ming Zhenglong pinned the blame on Zhang Zhiliang, he'd been puzzled.
Now, hearing this, it made perfect sense.
Ming Zhenglong's analysis was spot-on, just aimed at the wrong target.
That was even better—it meant he could stay safely hidden.
Ming Zhenglong's face darkened as he continued, "Shocked, aren't you? I'm shocked too."
"I never thought Zhang Zhiliang would be so bold as to scheme against me."
"Those three think I know nothing, but little do they realize I've been watching their every move."
This time, Liu Tiezhu was genuinely shocked.
Ming Zhenglong telling him all this was clearly forcing him to take a side.
Now that he knew these secrets, if he didn't align with Ming Zhenglong, he'd likely face deadly consequences.
After all, only the dead could keep secrets.
But what he couldn't figure out was how Ming Zhenglong was so sure he hadn't joined Jiang He's camp.
Was it based on his earlier answer?
That couldn't be.
Ming Zhenglong wasn't stupid; he wouldn't judge that based on just a few replies.
Unless...
A possibility dawned on Liu Tiezhu, and cold sweat poured down his back.