He Laowu's thoughts were simple: he didn't know whether Widow Cheng's family had become bandits.
But he knew that Widow Cheng and her family had indeed moved into the deep mountains.
Who knows if she's colluding with bandits?
Old He Wu's face was gloomy. He thought to himself that he had ended up in this state all because of Widow Cheng!
If she hadn't forcibly taken their family's money, his father wouldn't have treated Widow Cheng differently, allowing him to secretly follow her and secure a place to stay first.
In this way, he wouldn't accidentally end up in the chaotic Qingxu Town, and thus wouldn't have his leg broken.
It wouldn't delay the time for fleeing the famine, and his father was also beaten and injured, forcing them to spend most of their savings to hire a doctor.
His father wouldn't have gritted his teeth and led his men straight into the deep mountains and forests, only to be caught red-handed by bandits who stole the little silver he had left.
If they had kept their money, how could they have ended up in such dire straits, forced to desperately raise coal prices to earn money?
As a result, they were targeted by young generals from the imperial court, and instead of earning any money, they were punished with beatings.
In short, it's all Widow Cheng's fault!
Seeing the young general's expressionless face, He Laowu quickly scrambled forward, smiling obsequiously:
"My lord, that woman is extremely ruthless. My family has fallen to this state entirely because of her. Look at my legs, my father's back, I..."
The young general kicked the man to the ground: "You don't tell the truth at all. Men, take him away and beat him."
He Laowu, dazed and confused, was being held captive. His buttocks, still recovering from their injuries, tightened, and he quickly spoke:
"I'm not lying, everything I said is true. If you don't believe me... ask my third brother. He's a scholar, he never lies!"
Kneeling on the ground, He Laosan couldn't stop cursing in his heart.
The young general remained unmoved. After ordering someone to drag He Laowu away, he asked calmly, "Is what he said true? He Laosan, right? You answer."
Old Man He broke out in a cold sweat. He dared not conceal anything, nor embellish or fabricate stories. He tried his best to present the situation in a way that would benefit the He family.
"...That's right. My fifth brother said that Widow Cheng ruined our whole family, and he wasn't wrong."
"laugh."
The young general sneered: "I have never seen such shameless people before. It turns out they are all a family. I have truly broadened my horizons."
Old He was taken aback; he certainly understood the sarcasm in the adult's words.
But... on what grounds?
This was entirely Widow Cheng's fault!
Since Widow Cheng paid the money and wanted to flee the famine with the He family, there was no reason to forcibly take her back!
The young general could tell what the man was thinking just by looking at his expression, and he waved his hand dismissively with some annoyance:
"Take them away and have them confess everything about the bandits. Ten days later, we'll take them on our journey back to their hometowns."
"yes."
*
The mountain village was in complete chaos.
The bandits initially thought that the bald man's claim that the government was targeting their stronghold was just an excuse to stop feeding and caring for them.
They weren't idle; many of the brothers even went out to collect firewood before dawn, just to carry it to the bamboo huts to burn charcoal and earn money for the village to buy food.
Having put in their labor, the bandits could naturally stay in the stronghold with a clear conscience.
But the bandits also wanted to teach Baldy, this good-for-nothing second-in-command, a lesson, to let him know that without his bandit brothers, he was nothing but a good-for-nothing who couldn't do anything!
At the instigation of certain individuals, all the people gathering firewood and transporting charcoal stopped working. Those who cooked charcoal in the kitchen, patrolled the mountains and guarded the village, and farmed and grew vegetables... all the bandits who could be mobilized stopped their work.
They did nothing all day but lie motionless on the cold kang, waiting for the bald man to hand over all his silver and come to beg them in person.
But instead of the bald man's repeated urging and pleading, the bandits received a message from Zhiwen, the only person currently earning money for the stronghold, saying that the government troops would be coming to suppress the bandits soon!
The villagers were filled with fear and chaos.
Even the bandits who trusted Elder Nian and had never questioned him felt uneasy.
Are these counterfeit stores really going to be wiped out?
They didn't want to stay in the mountain stronghold and wait to die!
Baldy returned to the mountain stronghold in time to take charge and stabilize the situation, but the hidden dangers still remained.
Five days later, Zhiwen sent another message: thousands of soldiers were training, purchasing provisions, and persuading refugees to return home in Longxing Prefecture.
The snow hasn't stopped, but the ice and snow are gradually melting.
The bandits felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, and they wished they could run to the prefectural city to find out what was going on.
The smarter ones, like the accountant, secretly went to the bamboo hut to find the bald man and whispered to him about his future plans.
“Elder Nian, you specifically asked Zhixing to bring the brothers down the mountain, so you must have already made arrangements for your escape route. I wonder if you still need an accountant.”
The accountant believed that Zhixing was leading his men down the mountain on the orders of the bald man to establish a foothold in Tanzhou City and leave a way out for the stronghold.
The bald man scratched his head, looking bewildered, and asked, "Huh?"
He hadn't thought that far ahead; he originally only planned to gather his loyal followers who wouldn't betray him and then go to the villages and towns within Tanzhou to live as law-abiding citizens.
The bald man hasn't figured out what to do next.
The accountant assumed that the bald man didn't trust him and secretly sighed, not expecting that the seemingly simple-minded Elder Nian was far more cunning than he had imagined.
Wave after wave of bandits came to the bamboo house, and everyone was getting annoyed.
Ye Wenxue, who received this money, had long wanted to go home and farm.
Although staying in a bamboo house allows you to enter the space to grow crops, and you can also grow medicinal herbs and vegetables in the bamboo house, nothing beats the comfort of growing your own.
Fortunately, after a few more days, the snow stopped and the ice melted, and no one came to the bamboo house anymore.
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