The three of them knew about Ming Zhenglong's surveillance, so whatever they showed on the surface was deliberately meant for him to see. Jiang He's current intention was to engage in a covert struggle with Ming Zhenglong. He could easily hide behind the other two, secretly reaping more benefits and becoming the one who profited from the conflict. But for now, the immediate issue was to deal with the tasks Ming Zhenglong had assigned; otherwise, if too much time passed, Ming Zhenglong wouldn't trust him either. Besides, since he was under Ming Zhenglong's watch, he had to plan carefully.
Liu Tiezhu thought for a moment and then revealed that Ming Zhenglong was spying on him. He had disclosed such significant information to Jiang He and the others. In return, it was time for Jiang He and his group to help him solve this problem.
"When did this start?" A flicker of surprise crossed Jiang He's face. "I'm not sure either." "Brother Jiang, we need to find this spy quickly, or it'll be hard for us to coordinate." Liu Tiezhu's words were a way to pressure Jiang He.
Jiang He naturally understood the implied pressure in Liu Tiezhu's statement. But Liu Tiezhu was right—if they didn't root out the surveillance, their covert cooperation might be exposed. After a moment's thought, Jiang He nodded. "Give me some time, and I'll find this person."
"What are you planning to do about the missing supplies?" Liu Tiezhu pressed further. Since they were cooperating in secret, he wanted to know how Jiang He and the others would handle it so he could prepare accordingly.
At this, Jiang He and the others frowned. Ming Zhenglong pinning the supply loss on them was something they hadn't anticipated. His sudden attack left them without a good solution for the moment. Ming Zhenglong wanted the supplies back, and selling out Lin Changxing now wouldn't help.
Jiang He thought it over and said, "For now, we'll have to cut our losses and buy a batch of supplies." "Brother Jiang, that won't make Ming Zhenglong believe us," Zhang Zhiliang reminded him. "He wants the supplies, not trust." Jiang He replied to Zhang Zhiliang, then turned his gaze back to Liu Tiezhu. "How many supplies were there that night? Did you report it to Ming Zhenglong?" "He didn't ask," Liu Tiezhu said. Jiang He said, "Then it's settled. Old Zhang, go buy about thirty thousand yuan worth of supplies, and then notify Brother Zhu." "Brother Zhu, you'll handle transporting these supplies back and explaining it—I trust you'll manage."
Liu Tiezhu nodded. "No problem, but there's one more thing." "Ming Zhenglong wants me to investigate your secret forces. If I don't give him something, I won't earn his trust." This was the time to ask for something from Jiang He and the others. Since Jiang He was assigning him so many tasks, he couldn't just work for nothing. Besides, his request was perfectly reasonable, and Jiang He's group had no reason to refuse.
Liu Zhigao, who had been silent, chimed in, "Brother Liu is right. To earn Ming Zhenglong's trust, we'll have to sacrifice something." Jiang He said, "The Tianliang Hotel in the north of the city and the Huaihai Dried Meat Procurement Point." "You can report these two properties to Ming Zhenglong." At this point, he had no choice but to give up some small assets.
"Alright, I'll find a chance to report it." After the four of them finalized their cooperation, they didn't dare waste time. "From now on, let's avoid meeting near the military camp." "If anything comes up, find Lin Changxing and have him pass the message." Before leaving, Jiang He reminded them.
After seeing off Jiang He and the other two, Guo Qixing walked in. "Brother Zhu, what were you chatting about with Jiang He and the others for so long?" Liu Tiezhu handed Guo Qixing a cigarette, lit one for himself, and started smoking. After finishing one cigarette, Liu Tiezhu didn't hold back and told him everything, asking for his advice.
After listening, Guo Qixing immediately said, "Brother Zhu, Ming Zhenglong is using you to drive the wolves and swallow the tiger." "If you eliminate Jiang He and the others, you won't end up well either." Liu Tiezhu didn't need Guo Qixing's reminder to know that. Otherwise, he wouldn't have turned around and sold out Ming Zhenglong. Given Ming Zhenglong's style, if he got rid of Jiang He, he'd be discarded like a spent donkey. That's why he pretended to cooperate with Jiang He, letting Jiang He stall Ming Zhenglong to maintain a balance, maximizing his own benefit.
After weighing his options, Liu Tiezhu said, "Brother Qixing, I understand what you're saying." "Is there another way to handle this perfectly?" "If Jiang He and the others can't hold out, I need a backup plan, right?" "If Ming Zhenglong goes all out, Jiang He's trio really can't withstand it." "By then, they won't risk a fierce confrontation with Ming Zhenglong for your sake." "I think the safest approach is to secretly win over another high-ranking member of the Ming family to oppose Ming Zhenglong together." "That way, Ming Zhenglong will be caught off guard, and it'll indirectly ease the pressure on Jiang He's side." "The longer you drag out the conflict, the more you stand to gain."
Liu Tiezhu was silent for a moment, finding the idea feasible. But who to approach was the problem. Among the Ming family's high ranks, aside from Ming Zhenglong, whom he knew, and Ming Tianfeng, who was bent on killing him, there was no one else. After thinking for a while, Liu Tiezhu couldn't come up with a name and decided not to bother racking his brain.
"Let's set that aside for now. How's the investigation on the copper mine going?" "Lin Changxing didn't lie about the copper mine—there's about a ton of it." "I plan to arrange a team tonight to quietly transport it back." Guo Qixing then took out a black bag and handed it to Liu Tiezhu. "This is the compensation from the Zhang and Li families. I've converted it into cash. Count it." "Count it? I trust you." Liu Tiezhu smiled, took the bag, and set it aside. "Brother Qixing, give me a straight answer." "The Guo family's goal isn't just the Ming family, is it?"
Hearing this, Guo Qixing was momentarily stunned, then nodded. "Brother Zhu, to be honest, the Guo family's target is the entire town." "Dismantling the Ming family is just the first step in the Guo family's plan." "Once the Ming family is dealt with, the next step is the Zhang family." "Right now, the Guo family has three thousand men, and within three months, we'll reach ten thousand." Guo Qixing didn't hold back and openly laid out the Guo family's plan.
Liu Tiezhu listened and drew in a sharp breath. The Guo family's ambition was no small matter. He had originally thought the Guo family would pull back after replacing the Ming family. He never expected that replacing the Ming family was only the first step. Liu Tiezhu pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a few deep drags to calm himself. Now, he had to carefully consider his escape route once the full-scale war between the Guo and Ming families broke out.