Wang Ergou glanced at Jiang Yimian, then at the knife to his neck, before pleading, "Jiang, Jiang family girl, if they really are government officials, you must put in a good word for me. We're all from the same village, you won't just watch me die, will you? I really didn't mean to harm you, I was just saying it casually."
Regardless of whether these people are real or fake, he has no other way to survive right now.
He finally managed to go out to buy some goods, secretly hoarding some silver, and yet he was caught by the government officials. What bad luck he has!
Now it's impossible for him to go back to the mountain stronghold. Judging from the way these people look, the government officials are probably planning to suppress the bandits. He has already told them about the situation in the stronghold, so he can atone for his crime. If he had waited any longer, he would have been beheaded.
The thought of being beheaded sent a chill down his spine.
Jiang Yimian asked coldly, "How many people are there in the village now, and how many are ordinary people?"
She didn't want to dwell on the past. Regardless of whether the bandits' killings in the mountains were related to Wang Ergou, the dead could not be brought back to life.
Wang Ergou glanced at the group of people with fear before hesitatingly saying, "There are probably more than two hundred people in the village now. As for the ordinary people, the men have long been involved with the bandits and can no longer be considered ordinary people. They are just some women and children. I don't know exactly how many there are."
He had no idea how many people were in the mountain stronghold. As a laborer, it was difficult for him to even get out. If he hadn't begged those people to take him out, he would never have been able to leave the stronghold at all.
Jiang Yimian frowned, snatched the knife from Zhao Da's hand, raised it high, and was about to forcefully chop at the other man's neck.
Seeing the knife coming towards him, Wang Ergou broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "There are 324 people in the village, about 70 women and children, no more than 80. There are no old people, only young and strong people. Please, please don't kill me. This is all I remember."
Jiang Yimian was satisfied then, and continued, "Where do those women and children usually live? And where are the granaries and warehouses?"
Wang Ergou was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He tried hard to recall the layout of the mountain stronghold, picked up a tree branch, and started writing and drawing on the ground.
"Go in through the main gate, and on the left is a row of houses where women and children live. Further ahead, there is another row of houses blocking the way; those are where we choresmen live. At the end of the houses are two kitchen rooms. Beyond this row of houses is where the bandits live."
I didn't go inside much. I only remember there was a large, flat area inside, which was where the bandits usually sparred. Directly opposite that open space was where Zhao Sandao talked to people, and it was also the gathering place for the mountain stronghold. As for the granary and warehouse, I really don't know where they were.
Zhao Sandao was extremely cautious and would never let them know where the warehouse was. If he hadn't told them about the nearby villages, he would have been dead long ago and wouldn't be alive now.
Jiang Yimian then nodded.
It seems she'll have to go in and check the details herself, but knowing this much is enough.
The government officials dared not act rashly because they were unsure of the whereabouts of the abducted people. They feared that if they rushed in, the bandits would use them to threaten the government.
Seeing that the men didn't ask any more questions, Wang Ergou continued to beg for mercy, "Jiang family girl, officials, I've told you everything I know, please don't cut off my head, I beg you!"
He didn't even ask to be let go; he just wanted to keep his life.
Jiang Yimian looked at Zhao Da, signaling him to continue asking questions.
Zhao Da hesitated for a long time, unsure of what to ask.
Jiang Yimian had no choice but to continue, "How often do you go out to shop? When is the next shopping trip?"
Wang Ergou quickly replied, "Before, I would go out to shop once every ten days or half a month, but recently I've been going out not just to shop, so I go out almost every day."
Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the chance to get out; the procurement was a village-wide task, how could it be his turn?
Jiang Yimian raised an eyebrow, "Going out every day? What do you go out for?"
Wang Ergou truthfully replied, "We went out to sell goods. We've robbed a lot of things from passing caravans these past few days. In order to sell the stolen goods, people have been going out every day. They can sell them for a high price and also keep some for themselves."
Zhao Da asked curiously, "Which caravans did you rob, and what did they sell?"
Wang Ergou thought for a while before saying, "I'm not sure, but there are several caravans. Oh, the ones these days seem to be the Lin family caravan. I heard the Lin family has a very big business, but I don't know much about them."
However, that stuff seems to be selling quite well. I heard from some of the brothers that it fetched a high price, and Zhao Sandao also said that once the goods are sold out, everyone in the stronghold will get some silver.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a deliberately suppressed wail came from not far away: "You damned bandits, I will never forgive you! You sold my Lin family's goods like this, I'll kill you!"
Lin Yan'an had just walked over when he heard this, and he was so angry that he rushed forward and started hitting Wang Ergou, who was kneeling on the ground.
Before Wang Ergou could even react, he was hit by a barrage of punches, writhing on the ground in pain. If Ma Ming hadn't been there to hold Lin Yan'an back, he would have been beaten to death.
Lin Yan'an was furious. "Damn bandits! They take my Lin family's goods and distribute them among their brothers! Bah!"
Those goods were all things he had worked hard to collect, and they were all top-quality items. Now, they've been sold off by the bandits in the mountains.
Wang Ergou finally realized that the man in red in front of him was from the Lin family. Recalling what he had just said, he was so frightened that he hid behind Ma Ming.
Is this guy going to kill him in a fit of rage? He didn't even steal that thing; he'd never even seen it before. What an innocent disaster!
Fortunately, Lin Yan'an quickly calmed down, only staring unfriendly at the direction of the mountain stronghold, using a folding fan to cool himself down, and showing no intention of continuing to fight.
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