52

Standing at the bow of the boat, Yan Yuan looked at the island that was gradually moving away, and felt his heart churning. It was hard to describe what he felt.

I have been on the island for more than three months, but the shock I have felt in these seven or eight days is not as great as it is.

Raiding the broken camp at night, recovering the surrendered soldiers, and organizing drills, these things that he was used to doing, when put in the hands of another person, became completely different, forcing him to speed up to avoid being left behind.

Now he couldn't tell whether what he did was out of loyalty to the military, or whether he had been convinced by that person and wanted to help her realize her vision.

But there is one thing Yan Yuan cannot deny.

He wanted to get back as soon as possible because there were soldiers he had trained on the island, and a camp that needed to be rebuilt. More importantly, there were people waiting for him to bring back the good news of victory.

Exhaling, the people around Yan Yuandu said, "Move quickly and try to reach Erwang Village before tomorrow night."

This was his first assignment and also his chance to truly integrate into the Red Flag Gang, so he couldn't make any mistakes.

…

"Dad, uncle has been gone for several days. When will he come back? Hope nothing goes wrong?" Wang Dagen's son muttered.

Wang Dagen slammed the table. "Bullshit! Your uncle went on three boats. What could possibly happen to him? I guess he'll be back soon. When he has money, he can help support the family."

The boy was startled: "Didn't you say you wanted to get the person back?"

Wang Dagen chuckled, "I may not be able to get the women back, but I might be able to get a few children back. I'll have to sell them later, which will also be a profit. But this is just a small amount of money. It depends on the wealth in the camp. If there are more, there will definitely be a big reward."

Those women were sold to a ship gang, and now they are leading pirates to rob the camp. Who knows how badly they will be abused. It will be useless even if we bring them back.

Uncle Wu just couldn't get over it and refused to listen to any advice. But there was also a benefit to saying this, as it would save the villagers from complaining.

When the Red Flag Gang took people away before, I don’t know how many people cursed in private. Now that they have brought a few people back, let’s see what they have to say!

The boy shrank back at his father's scolding, but he was a bit of a mouth. After a while, he couldn't help but mutter, "But it's been so many days. What if Uncle got the place wrong and couldn't find it? Or maybe the Red Flag Gang is so powerful that the pirates are scared away?"

Wang Dagen was so disappointed that he said, "You pig-headed guy! If there was trouble, wouldn't the thieves come back to settle accounts with us? Isn't there anyone coming back?"

"Maybe he just ran away..." The boy still refused to stop talking.

Wang Dagen couldn't bear to listen any longer: "Let's run away. We didn't lose anything! As long as the village doesn't suffer any disaster, that's all that matters."

His son finally understood and breathed a sigh of relief: "Dad is right, I was overthinking it."

Now that the thieves haven't come to his door, and the people from the Red Flag Gang haven't shown up either, at most his uncle's life is in danger.

It doesn't matter who dies. As long as they can live safely, they will have overcome this difficulty.

Seeing him finally react, Wang Dagen couldn't help but scold him, "You idiot, you don't even have a plan. What will you do when the family business is passed on to you? Come with me to the city in a couple of days. If the Red Flag Gang collapses this time, we'll be able to make money selling fish."

In addition to the forced trafficking of people, what the Red Flag Gang hated most was the collection of seafood.

They used to be in charge of the fish, claiming they could sell it at a high price, but in reality, they had a deal with the fishmongers, allowing them to profit from it every time. They could also help villagers borrow money and share in the profits. Thanks to their wise management, they were able to seize the village's farmland, become village chiefs for generations, and maintain their power.

Now that they have suffered a disaster, several members of their family have died. If they are not smart, they might even lose their position as village chief.

After teaching his son a lesson, Wang Dagen couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. He used to think his father was always gloomy, which he found strange. What was there to worry about when being a village chief? Now that he was the village chief, he realized that there were so many worries. This stupid son was the only one who made him worry!

No matter how much they scolded, they still had to teach. After a lot of advice, the father and son had a quick meal and went back to their rooms.

Before it was completely dark, Wang Dagen took out the account book and stared at the hooks and circles on it that looked like ghost symbols, and began to ponder.

Their village joined those villages in resisting the salt tax, but corvee labor was still a troublesome issue.

Now that most of the young and strong people in the village have died, this matter has become increasingly difficult to arrange. There are still a few families that need to be won over. What should I do?

Just as he was feeling worried, there was a sudden noise outside. He just stood up in a daze and saw the gate of the courtyard was kicked open. Seven or eight men with knives rushed in.

Wang Dagen's legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees. However, he could no longer do anything because his silly son was already calling out, "Dad! Dad! The leaders are back..."

Seeing the ferocious bandits grabbing his son's neck like a chicken, Wang Dagen could no longer sit still and walked out of the house tremblingly: "My dear friends, let's discuss this. We have helped several leaders of Erwang Village before. There must be some misunderstanding..."

The tall, stern-faced man in the lead tossed something over upon hearing this: "Is this the man who led the way? We in the Red Flag Gang would like to know for sure."

The salted head fell to the ground at his feet. Who else could it be but Wang Laowu? Wang Dagen felt dizzy and could no longer stand, collapsing to the ground.

For Yan Yuan, besieging a fishing village was not difficult at all.

Thirty men rushed forward, first capturing the village chief and several wealthy families, then blocking the village entrance and beating gongs to rally the villagers. With this three-pronged approach and the leader gone, the villagers had no desire to escape and could only stand terrified in front of the ancestral hall.

Yan Yuan stood in front of the hall, lit a torch, and said to the crowd, "The Red Flag Gang treated you well, but before we even arrived, some shameless people turned against you. Now that all the pirates on those three ships have been killed, and the leader has also been beheaded, I want to ask, who else in this village is an accomplice?"

Wang Laowu's head was placed on the table, looking even more hideous under the light of the torch.

However, the word "complicity" gave some people hope.

These thieves didn't kill anyone directly, but instead attracted the villagers. There must be something to this story, right? So, can they just shirk responsibility? A man trembled and said, "Boss, boss, this Wang Laowu is the village chief's uncle. I think he arranged this. Wang Dagen's family has always controlled the village. No matter big or small, no one else has room to interfere. We are really wronged!"

As soon as he spoke, Wang Dagen, who was paralyzed on the ground and unable to get up, began to struggle: "Sixth Brother, I've always treated you well, how can you slander me? Good man, this is all the idea of ​​that old uncle Wu. He is a village elder, and I, the village chief, have to listen to him!"

"We're all family, and we don't know who will listen to whom!"

"Before, the Red Flag Gang bought someone, and the money was shared with your family..."

"Nothing! Shut up! Shut up!"

I saw several families making a commotion and women crying loudly, and the place in front of the ancestral hall was in complete chaos.

Yan Yuan's gaze did not stop at the group of people, but turned to the other side.

Dozens of men, women, old and young stood timidly in the corner, motionless.

Yan Yuan asked, "I came to Erwang Village this time to punish the main culprit. If you have any grievances, you can tell me and I will see if I can help you."

He still received no response, but several villagers who had been arguing just now stopped and looked at him in horror.

Didn't you say you were leading the way? Why are you seeking justice again? They're all thieves, and you dare to make decisions for others?

Still no one answered his words.

This time Yan Yuan didn't ask any more questions, but walked to a big box and kicked it open.

There were some loose change and a few pieces of fine cloth, but the most important thing was all kinds of deeds.

Yan Yuan picked up a few and shook them: "With so many land deeds, do all the land in the village belong to one family?"

He changed another one and raised his brows slightly: "Isn't this a loan agreement? Who is Wang Xiao?"

This made a villager in the corner shudder. He whispered, "It's my father. My grandfather was seriously ill back then, and the village chief mortgaged our family land as a guarantor, but he couldn't pay it back..."

"As the head of a village, you're still trying to seize other people's land?" Yan Yuan sneered, "Is there anyone who broke the clan rules and was tortured to death or thrown into a pig cage?"

As soon as this question was asked, several people started crying.

Yan Yuan did not find these strange. They were very common in rural villages.

Throwing the pages into the box, Yan Yuan said, "If you have any grievances, feel free to tell us. Perhaps we can recover what was taken away from us. We are not here to massacre the entire village, but to kill those who deserve to be killed."

Who should be killed?

This sentence was like pouring oil on the fire. A woman suddenly knelt down crying, "The eldest wife is a worthless person. She sold my daughter and embezzled the money!"

That sound made it hard to tell whether he was worried about his daughter or the money.

With this shout, more people started shouting, naming names and hurling curses, from embezzling money from squid to colluding with unscrupulous merchants, from encroaching on land to occupying other people's ancestral homes.

Other scandals such as injuring relatives, selling children, and even adultery and extramarital affairs were uncovered.

Some of the curses were sincere and full of resentment, while others were far-fetched and malicious. However, the huge waves of voices mixed together still stirred up an unbearable malice.

Not to mention Yan Yuan, even some of the surrendered soldiers he brought with him changed their expressions.

Haven't they suffered such hardships? Haven't they been wronged like this? Why not just kill them off?

A piercing wail was heard, not real, not painful or bitter, just piercing and disturbing.

Is what they say true? If it were a county magistrate, how would he judge? What if it were his daughter?

At this moment, what the young lady had said before suddenly came to his mind. Yan Yuan calmed down and looked at the quarreling people and the soldiers holding steel knives with their veins exposed.

What do they want? What do the Red Flag Gang want?

Yan Yuan strode up to Wang Dagen, who was lying limp on the ground and frightened by the scolding. He raised his knife and a bloody head rolled to the ground.

At this moment, the place suddenly became quiet. All those dozens of mouths fell silent.

Blood slid from the blade, but Yan Yuan did not feel any guilt for "killing an innocent person".

On the contrary, he already knew that the person he killed was an evil man who exploited the people in the village.

His eyes swept over everyone's faces, and he sneered, "Wang Laowu is the village elder. If he wanted to lead the thieves, wouldn't the village leaders know about it? Wang Dagen's crimes are extremely evil. Without his help, could he have done what he did? Now that his crimes are laid before you, are you being wronged?"

As he spoke, he pointed the blood-stained knife at the group of people who were trembling with fear and shock.

"Anyone who enters the ancestral hall to take charge will be killed! Anyone who follows the village chief to commit evil will be killed! Anyone who disrespects the Red Flag Gang will be killed!"

As he spoke, he called out a few names, and immediately soldiers dragged the people out. There was a flash of swords and a pool of blood on the ground.

Standing among the corpses, Yan Yuan said, "These people were all evildoers who oppressed you. Now they have all been killed. You can divide their wealth among yourself. However, you must elect an interim village chief who is recognized by the entire village to handle these treasures."

Amidst the dead silence, a commotion erupted. Some people's eyes lit up, while others covered their mouths and cried out loudly. However, the spreading anger and the astonishing irritation disappeared in an instant.

Looking at the villagers who were gradually showing joy and the soldiers who had calmed down, Yan Yuan knew that he had made the right choice.

In fact, those he wanted to kill were only those in power, those who bullied the villagers and took advantage of them. Confiscating their property and distributing it to the villagers was the final nail in the coffin.

From then on, no one in Erwang Village would dare to defy the Red Flag Gang again. From then on, no village in Dongning County would dare to challenge the gang leader's authority. He was no longer an official or a soldier, but had come for the Red Flag Gang, so he should make the right choice.

In that pool of blood, the remaining villagers of Erwang Village elected an old man who was always fair. He then opened the warehouses of several wealthy families and began to divide their wealth.

The excited shouts that came from far away were exactly the same as the sounds when the granary was opened to release grain.

Yan Yuan did not stay long, but led his men to set sail and returned to the camp.

Seeing that it was Yan Yuan who brought his men, Li Niu felt a little jealous. However, when he heard that he had gone to Erwang Village to seek justice and rid the villagers of harm, he couldn't help but feel happy: "That's perfect! Let's see who else will be so ungrateful and dare to offend our Red Flag Gang!"

Yan Yuan warned, "The gang leader has instructed that this matter must be spread throughout Dongning County. This kind of thing cannot happen again."

Li Niu laughed heartily: "Brother Yan, you're overthinking it. Now that the heads are piled up, who else dares to cause trouble?"

Outside the camp, a Jingguan was indeed built, and there were quite a few people on it.

Yan Yuan was a little curious: "You actually killed so many thieves?"

"That's right! It's a pity that Brother Yan can't make any contribution. We have also made a name for ourselves and no one dares to mess with us!" Li Niu was very proud.

Yan Yuan certainly had no intention of competing with him for credit, he just reminded him: "Even so, you have to obey the orders of the gang leader."

Li Niu waved his hand impatiently: "Do you even need to tell me that? Erlang has already brought the boats back to Luoling Island, and this time there are ten of them!"

Ten ships! Yan Yuan's heart trembled. This was more than he had imagined! It seemed that all the conditions were in place, and the bandit suppression should officially begin!

…

The mighty fleet stopped in the deepwater harbor. Looking at the figure coming down from the ship, Cheng Xi smiled: "Erlang, I finally waited for you."

Sun Erlang bowed and saluted: "Boss, I have brought everyone I can, including the four newcomers."

In front of them was a large two-masted ship and nine single-masted ships, which far exceeded the original combat power of the Red Flag Gang.

It seems that the main camp is really fighting well, and the rear should be peaceful.

Cheng Xi nodded with satisfaction: "Let's get everyone moving. Get everything ready as soon as possible so we can send out the troops!"