Lin Hai smiled helplessly and said, "You seem like a good person. Let me tell you this. We are just a village, and in the end, we are just bandits. There is no future for us. Unlike you, you have the support of a big country and work for the government. This is a good and legitimate livelihood. We envy you more than anything else."
"Oh? I see that your king is very powerful. It is rumored that he has already conquered more than a dozen strongholds. With such strength, can't he establish his own territory?" Xin Yue pretended not to believe it and asked back.
Lin Hai remained silent, bowing his head for a long time before raising his head and saying, "You may not believe this, but this area is now under the jurisdiction of the Daliang Empire. In the past, if we had become successful bandits and become a major bandit, the Chen Dynasty government would have certainly come to recruit us, and we brothers would have had a good background. But the Daliang Empire is as hard as a rock, and our village's reputation has long been known. Not only did they refuse to recruit us, but even the Qinghe County Lieutenant, Wang Liang, brought a large army to collect the levies. Pah, many of our brothers have died in vain."
"How could this be possible? What about the losses in the village? Your king hasn't shown up yet, could it be that he is injured? I have some medicine here, which is quite effective in treating metal wounds. How about sending it to your king?" Xin Yue suddenly showed great concern and was about to rummage through his bag.
Lin Hai laughed and said, "Your Excellency the Envoy is probably unaware of my king's martial prowess. He's proficient in all eighteen weapons, and his trained men are truly elite. That's how he was able to annihilate over a dozen strongholds and maintain his position of power in these mountains. Qinghe County was only able to hold its own against my king thanks to its well-equipped and numerous army. Otherwise, their three squads of yamen runners, led by a barely grown teenager named Lin Hai, are clearly incompetent and likely relied on connections to secure their position. My king would have raised an army long ago to overthrow Qinghe County and make a killing."
"Oh? I didn't expect your King Zhentian to be so powerful that he's not even afraid of the government troops..."
Before Xin Yuetu could finish his words, Lin Hai interrupted him, "It's not that we're not afraid. We will take over Qinghe County sooner or later. Otherwise, it's no use staying in the mountains all the time. You're a good person, so I'll tell you something you shouldn't..." At this point, Lin Hai looked around alertly, and Xin Yuetu understood what he meant. He stood up, looked out the window, and then gently closed the window.
Seeing this, Lin Hai said, "The soldiers were able to hold their own against us because of their superior weapons and armor. This place is far from the heart of Liang State, so most of the weapons and armor are forged locally. Therefore, our king has already recruited his own people in the blacksmith shop in Qinghe and is encouraging them to move the shop to the iron mine outside the city, claiming that local materials will be more convenient. Once this is accomplished, our king will mobilize a large force to seize the iron mine and the craftsmen. From then on, superior weapons and armor will no longer be the exclusive domain of the government. In these Hundred Thousand Mountains, our king will have no obstacles and can go anywhere!"
Xin Yue was speechless for a long time, obviously shocked by the plan described by Lin Hai. God knows that a mere mountain king can have such a plan. But it's a good thing. The kingdom was originally worried about supporting a fool who only knew how to rob and kill people. This Zhentian King has a very earthy name, but he does have some skills. However, he still needs to teach him a lesson, otherwise he will die without knowing how. "I wonder what your king's plans are after taking over Qinghe County?"
"Hey, what else can I plan? Of course I'd like to stay in the county and enjoy myself." Lin Hai said indifferently.
He is indeed a bandit with no ambition!
Xin Yue suddenly had to remind him, "Losing the county is a big deal. What if the Liang army comes to suppress us? Can your king withstand it?"
Lin Hai froze in his tracks, as if thinking of this question for the first time. He said awkwardly, "As for the army, well, we probably can't defeat them. But they won't come to the old forest to kill us. If all else fails, we can just retreat to the forest. After all, we've enjoyed some good fortune, so it's not a loss."
"So, do you want to keep occupying Qinghe County forever? Or even take over a larger area?"
"Who wouldn't want to? But we're not stupid. We can't defeat the Imperial Army. Even the soldiers of Dachen couldn't defeat the Imperial Army, right?"
"That's because the Chen Dynasty is incompetent!" Xin Yue suddenly said, "With the Cambodian support and your king's bravery, even if we can't conquer the southwest, we can certainly establish our own territory in these mountains!"
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