Chapter 152: He's Sure
Cangshan Mountain, Qinglong Village
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the bandits were holding a lively banquet to welcome the God of Wealth.
There was heavy snow in the sky, but it did not dampen their interest.
After accepting the toasts from the heads and brothers, Qiu Hai poured another glass of wine and toasted Xue Xu, "Thanks to your resourcefulness, our Qinglong Village has been able to grow and prosper in recent years. In the new year, may our Qinglong Village become better and better."
Xue Xu, who looked like a little old man, smiled and drank it.
At this time, the people below reported a good news, "Boss, the spies in Qingxi Village sent back news that a fat sheep has arrived in their village. It's a convoy, with more than a dozen carriages entering the village, and they are said to be full of supplies."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked towards the boy who reported the news, looking very interested.
"Who are the people in this convoy?"
"Mainly wealthy businessmen and their hired escorts."
The eyes of the bandits below lit up when they heard this, and the four leaders under the village chief were also eager to try. Rich businessmen, they liked rich merchant caravans the most!
"In addition, there is a bailiff and four runners who are responsible for escorting the fugitives to Pingzhou."
Xue Xu felt something was wrong. Why were there escort officers and fugitives here? This wasn't the time to escort fugitives.
"Do you know how many fugitives there are and what their identities are?" he asked, feeling that the identities of these fugitives must be special.
"It was too short a time to find out anything. All we know is that the people in shackles were three young men."
Xue Xu felt that this arrangement was wrong. One bailiff and four runners, just to escort three young men?
The other party did not tell them that these three young men were in good spirits, completely unlike the previous fugitives who were dark, thin and haggard.
In addition, the three fugitives could be seen to have unkempt beards and hair on their faces, but if one looked closely, one could see that they were relatively clean. Unfortunately, their spy was only a villager who didn't pay attention to such details.
Xue Xu and Qiu Hai suggested, "Boss, our village is still quite wealthy and has enough food and drink. Why don't we just let them go?"
Before Qiu Hai could say anything, several leaders below him couldn't help but speak.
The second in command spoke first, "Mr. Xue, that's wrong. We in Qinglong Village don't have to worry about food and drink right now, but fat sheep are hard to come by. Besides, the lean months of March and April are coming soon, so we have to make more preparations."
Xue Xu, "I think this group of people is a little special, so it's best to be careful."
The Third Master then said, "What are you afraid of? As the saying goes, wealth and honor come from danger. We are bandits, and our work is always on the edge of a knife, so how can we be afraid of this or that?"
The fourth boss said nonchalantly, "Yes, they are just a few bailiffs and runners. Why should you be afraid of them, sir?"
"Mr. Xue is just too timid. Five times out of ten, he wouldn't advise us to charge." The Fifth Boss was joking, but the dissatisfaction in his words could still be vaguely heard.
"And the prisoners exiled at this time are truly special, especially those without any strength. Think about it, normally capable people would choose to be exiled after the weather warms up. Going to the exile site at this time definitely means they have no choice. Or perhaps they're extremely disliked by those above them, and they want them to die en route. Is there any need to fear such people?"
The village chief Qiu Hai said, "Shut up! Don't speak rudely to Mr. Xue!" After saying this, he said to Xue Xu, "Please don't blame me, Mr. Xue. I know that both you and the brothers are thinking about the good of Qinglong Village."
Xue Xu smiled and said, "Boss, I understand everything."
"As for this vote..." Qiu Hai pondered.
At this time, some of the brothers below, prompted by the leaders above, began to make a fuss.
"Boss, let's do it. This is the first ticket of the year! The first ticket after the beginning of the year. If we succeed, it will indicate that our Qinglong Village will be prosperous this year."
"That's right, a man can't get rich without unexpected fortune, and a horse can't get fat without night grass! Damn it!"
"That's right, if there's a fat sheep passing by, why not kill it?"
"We are the most powerful bandits in the Cangshan area. Not to mention fat sheep, even a fly that wants to fly over our Cangshan will have to leave a leg behind!"
"We in Qinglong Village only rob people of their wealth, not their lives. They must be very lucky to have encountered such kind bandits like us, hahaha..."
Xue Xu chose to keep silent. "You bastards, you are really crazy! Be careful that you don't get the fat sheep, but get bitten by others!"
He thought to himself that he could not stay in Qinglong Village any longer. Arrogant soldiers will surely be defeated. Even if he succeeded by chance this time, he was already doing a job that was risking his life. He was still so frivolous. Even if he had ten lives to lose, he would not be able to escape.
Faced with so many brothers asking for battle, Qiu Hai was in a dilemma because he had his doubts about Xue Xu's words. But if he refused at this time, it would be a huge blow to morale. Moreover, if he agreed with Xue Xu, it would undermine his leadership and make it difficult for him to lead the team.
He raised his hand to suppress the brothers' restlessness, "No hurry, it's snowing heavily outside, let's continue drinking and eating meat!"
In the past, there were two main reasons for not robbing the bailiffs and exiles. One was the status of the officials, and the other was naturally because there was no profit in robbing them. Now that there was a need to move them, it didn't matter. After all, they didn't want their lives, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
What he said was a true statement, and the atmosphere suddenly became even hotter.
"Right, right, right. Let's drink and eat! This is a good time to let them down their guard. As soon as the snow stops or gets lighter, we'll attack immediately! We'll catch them off guard."
"Hahaha……"
Late at night, Yan Liang, wrapped in a thick winter coat and a white linen cloth, walked through the snowy wilderness. When Qin Sheng finally led him away from the patrols of Qinglong Village and brought him to the courtyard of Qingxi Village where they were staying, he suddenly gained confidence in their plan to encircle and suppress Qinglong Village.
The first time Yan Liang met Lu Mingzhi, he praised him again and again.
What could Lu Mingzhi do? He could only give an awkward yet polite smile.
Yan Liang brought them all the information about Qinglong Village that the government had collected. Yan Liang told them that Qinglong Village was very cunning and they had tried to use tricks to lure them out, but all attempts had failed.
The village chief, Qiu Hai, was very cautious and cunning. If anything went wrong, he would retreat to the village and send the other leaders out to carry out the mission, like a thousand-year-old turtle. Therefore, every time they went to suppress the bandits, they could not complete their mission. As time went by, the bandits grew stronger.
The subsequent combat plan for the encirclement and suppression of Qinglong Village was discussed by the three Qin brothers, Xu Zheng, Yang Wei and others together with Yan Liang. Lu Songli did not participate.
Qinglong Village relied solely on internal support and geographical advantages. She had already secured helpers for them; Qin Heng and Qin Zhao were both battle-hardened generals. She trusted them with the rest, and they would handle it without issue. Furthermore, Qin's mother was ill, and her condition was severe, requiring her care.
What they need to pay most attention to is an old man named Xue Xu who appeared next to Qiu Hai three years ago.
Qiu Hai, the leader of Qinglong Village, was actually a very bold man who dared to gamble and take risks. He often said that wealth and honor are achieved through risk.
The change in Qinglongzhai's style of operation also began three years ago. But Lü Songli felt that while it's easy to change a situation, it's hard to change one's nature. Qiu Hai was inherently a compulsive gambler, and with his repeated success over the past three years, his repressed nature was likely only exacerbated. Lü Songli was certain he would strike this time.
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