Upon hearing Liu Tiezhu's reply, Jiang He and the other two finally showed satisfied smiles. Liu Tiezhu's answer proved that his earlier words hadn't been a bluff.
"By the way, Brother Jiang, any leads on the people you were supposed to investigate who've been watching me?" Liu Tiezhu was subtly striking back. Jiang He and the others had been calling him "brother" so sweetly. Now that several days had passed, he wanted to hear how they'd respond. By putting this issue on the table, even if he didn't get a satisfactory answer, it would still feel good to rattle those three foxes. Sure enough, the question left them all stunned.
They hadn't bothered to investigate the surveillance on Liu Tiezhu at all. In their eyes, he was still just a pawn, so his personal safety didn't concern them. Seeing their reaction, Liu Tiezhu realized they hadn't looked into it. "Looks like calling me 'brother' was just a way to string me along?" He deliberately put on a disappointed expression and stood up to leave.
Jiang He quickly stopped him. "Brother Liu, it's not what you think. We've been too busy lately to get away. We're brothers now, sharing weal and woe—your matters are everyone's matters." Hearing this, Liu Tiezhu chuckled inwardly. This was exactly what he'd been waiting for. Brothers sharing weal and woe, huh? Then he could demand an equal split of Ming Zhenglong's two properties.
After Jiang He spoke, Zhang Zhiliang chimed in, "Brother Jiang is right. We're all brothers—how could we not take your matters seriously? We've just been swamped these past few days. But don't worry, I'll send someone to investigate right now." Liu Tiezhu waved his hand. "Brother Jiang, Brother Zhang, when you say we're brothers, is that for real?"
At this, the two exchanged glances, confused. They couldn't figure out what Liu Tiezhu was getting at. But since he hadn't made any demands yet, they instinctively nodded. With their confirmation, Liu Tiezhu continued, "Since you see me as a brother, I won't trouble you further. I'll handle the surveillance investigation myself."
This left them even more bewildered. But both were cunning foxes, sensing Liu Tiezhu had more to say. Jiang He said, "Brother Liu, we were negligent about the surveillance. If you have any ideas, feel free to speak up, and we'll help solve it." They couldn't afford a rift with Liu Tiezhu now—otherwise, they'd lose their source of intelligence. Besides, Liu Tiezhu was no longer a rookie in the Ming family; he was now the commander of thousands of action troops.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Brother Jiang, I do have some thoughts. Since we're brothers, shouldn't we split what we get equally? I've been tight on cash lately, so after you take over Ming Zhenglong's two properties, I'd like an equal share of all the supplies." This time, he laid his cards on the table. The faces of Jiang He and the others darkened instantly. None of them had expected Liu Tiezhu's earlier words to be mere setup, leading to this fatal blow.
"Brother" was their term, and "sharing weal and woe" came from their mouths. Liu Tiezhu's demand was perfectly reasonable. If they refused, they'd be contradicting themselves. The key was that taking down Ming Zhenglong's properties still required Liu Tiezhu's intel. If they fell out or rejected him, the plan would fall apart, damaging their relationship. Jiang He gritted his teeth in fury, cursing himself for running his mouth about being brothers. Now they had no choice but to agree, or the whole thing would fail. Yet agreeing felt bitter—they'd be putting in the manpower and effort while Liu Tiezhu just provided info. Why should he get an equal share?
After a long silence, Jiang He looked to Zhang Zhiliang and Liu Zhigao. Both shook their heads, unable to think of a way out. "Brother Jiang, Brother Zhang, did I say something wrong? Or was calling me 'brother' just lip service?" Liu Tiezhu kept up the pressure, eager to see how they'd respond.
"Lip service? Don't you know the answer yourself?" Jiang He cursed inwardly but forced a smile. "How could it be lip service? But even brothers settle accounts clearly. We agree to an equal split. However, we need to account for personnel deployment, burial costs for casualties, medical expenses for the wounded... We have to be clear on those, right?" He was out of options, resorting to this shoddy tactic. After all, he could dictate the numbers of dead, wounded, and costs later, leaving Liu Tiezhu with scraps.
Zhang Zhiliang and Liu Zhigao secretly rejoiced, thinking Jiang He's move was brilliant, completely dismantling Liu Tiezhu's plan. But they underestimated his intelligence. Liu Tiezhu had laid all this groundwork to get the meat—he wouldn't let Jiang He's empty words control him. After hearing Jiang He out, Liu Tiezhu feigned shock. "Wow, taking two properties costs that much? Maybe we should just forget it. Look, those men have families—if something happens to them in these chaotic times, how will their wives and children survive? Let's call it off and wait for a less risky opportunity."
On the surface, his words seemed harmless, but a closer look revealed the threat: if you want to calculate, then no one gets any profit. He didn't care either way. Jiang He and the others were livid. As cunning foxes, they caught his meaning. They'd hoped to use casualties and costs to force Liu Tiezhu to back down, but he wasn't buying it and was even threatening them. Pushing him too far might make him quit, and the loss would be theirs.
Jiang He's heart raced with anger, but he held it in. After a tense silence of dozens of seconds, he finally suppressed his fury. "Brother Liu, I was just joking earlier. Taking those properties isn't that hard, and normal battles don't cause many casualties." "So, Brother Jiang, those costs you mentioned don't need to be factored in?" Liu Tiezhu didn't even bother pretending anymore, laying it all out.
"Of course not. We'll split the supplies four ways. Satisfied now?" Jiang He was seething but kept his anger hidden. "Very satisfied. Brother Jiang, you're truly a great big brother." Liu Tiezhu grinned widely, thoroughly enjoying the sight of Jiang He and the others wanting to kill him but being utterly powerless. Watching Jiang He now, forcing a smile and trying to appease him, Liu Tiezhu knew he had them completely under his thumb.