Chapter 100: A Dedicated Effort [Happy Mid-Autumn Festival]
The bandit leader never expected to become the center of attention.
He glanced at Qi Shan, who was speaking, and vaguely felt that the man looked familiar. It wasn't until he saw Shen Tang beside Qi Shan that he suddenly remembered.
Isn't this the scholar who saved the "Gong family fugitive" that day?
What a small world!
The bandit leader cursed inwardly but said expressionlessly, "It is indeed I. As for the reasons, it's a long story."
Shen Tang asked curiously, "What 'unspeakable reason' could make someone with a bright future and a government job choose to become an outlaw?"
It's obvious they want to get to the bottom of things and satisfy their curiosity.
The bandit leader, his wounds reopened: "..."
Before he could speak, Shen Tang pointed towards the camp and said, "This is not the place to talk. Let's go there to talk."
The commotion earlier was quite significant; even the deepest sleepers in the camp were awakened. They had expected a bloody battle with the bandits to save their lives, but to their surprise, the fight was already over as soon as they woke up. Shen Tang unceremoniously ordered them to get to work.
What kind of work do I do?
Shouldn't those bandits' bodies be buried?
Shouldn't the bandit henchmen who are barely alive be kept under unified supervision?
Shouldn't we capture those last few uninjured prisoners?
If the thugs don't do these jobs, who will?
Qi Shan's gaze became increasingly subtle.
"And what's the deal with these people?"
Shen Tang: "Newly recruited thugs and henchmen!"
Qi Shan: "..."
He harbored ambitions to nurture and cultivate Shen Tang, pushing the young master onto the path he desired. However, he also knew that given the young master's naivety, innocence, and youth, this would be a long and arduous process. He was mentally prepared for a protracted battle.
Who knew that in just one day of not keeping an eye on things, Young Master Shen had already recruited dozens of people, all of whom were young and strong.
Praying for good, but doubting.
Which step was fast-forwarded?
"Why does Young Master Shen suddenly want to recruit these people?"
Shen Tang answered honestly, "I originally didn't intend to take them in. What's the point of taking them in? It costs money to support these people, it's better to just kill them and be done with it, it's quick and easy. But Xiao Fang has ruined my chance, I feel like I'll lose face if I don't take them in..."
Qi Shan: "...???"
He could understand every word, but when they were put together into sentences and spoken by Young Master Shen, he couldn't understand them at all.
What do you mean by dismantling the steps?
What's so embarrassing?
Qi Shan had a second doubt.
Which step was fast-forwarded?
Shen Tang inexplicably felt eager to try: "If Yuan Liang thinks it's inappropriate to recruit these people, I can send them to the Yellow Springs."
If she kills these people, she won't have to spend money to support them.
It can save a lot of money.
By increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, we can escape poverty quickly.
Qi Shan: "..."
He pinched his brow, looking a bit annoyed, and waved his hand to stop them, saying, "No need, no need. Since we've already incorporated them, let's use them."
Qi Shan chose to give up exploring the drunkard's logic.
As long as the result meets expectations, nothing else matters.
Shen Tang looked at him reluctantly and said, "Oh."
The thugs, completely unaware that they had just narrowly escaped death, rushed to tidy up the campsite and relight the campfire.
Lin Feng climbed onto the carriage and brought out several stools for Shen Tang and the others to sit on. Shen Tang told her not to bother and to sit down and bake some cakes.
With food to eat, wine to drink, and stories of one's enemies' misfortunes to hear, one can find pleasure both mentally and physically.
The bandit leader who provided the material for the "history of his downfall" disagreed.
Unfortunately, circumstances dictate that one must cooperate whether one wants to or not.
The bandit leader said, "That day, we escorted all the Gong family prisoners to Xiaocheng and checked their numbers with the Yaoling Pavilion, the brothel that received the female prisoners, and the Xiaocheng garrison, which received the male prisoners. After confirming that everything was correct, we prepared to rest for two days before returning to report..."
It was supposed to be a break, but it was really just to experience the unique industries of Xiaocheng.
The journey of escorting prisoners has been incredibly frustrating for many people.
He was so engrossed in the pleasures of love that he could not extricate himself.
He dawdled and procrastinated for another two days. Just outside Xiaocheng, he encountered several bandits with suspicious expressions. He took advantage of the situation and found an urgent secret letter on their bodies. It was the contents of the letter that made the bandit leader decide to become an outlaw.
Qi Shan frowned: "What does the secret letter say?"
The bandit leader clenched his fists, his face trembling uncontrollably due to his emotions, and the veins on his forehead were faintly visible.
It took him a long time to finally calm himself down and exhale a breath of stale air.
"It is said that some people are dissatisfied with the tyranny and are plotting a rebellion in secret. King Zheng Qiao was furious when he heard this and ordered his trusted confidants to suppress the rioters. To appease Zheng Qiao's anger, the confidant in charge of the matter was determined to kill a thousand innocent people rather than let one guilty person go free..."
As a result, no one who was plotting a rebellion was caught.
But Zheng Qiao didn't believe it and put pressure on his confidants several times.
His trusted confidant was ruthless; to complete the task, he used the heads of over a dozen villages to make up the numbers. Emperor Zheng Qiao was overjoyed and lavishly rewarded this loyal and capable confidant. But the truth couldn't be hidden forever. This incident acted as a fuse, and coupled with Zheng Qiao's humiliating actions towards the Xin royal family, former officials, and remaining subjects, it completely ignited the conflict!
What started as mere rumors of a rebellion has now become a real rebellion.
This secret letter was delivered by express courier to the governor of Sibao County, explaining the situation and instructing him to mobilize troops to guard against potential internal strife within the county. Unfortunately, the messenger was killed by bandits, and the bandits, in turn, fell into his hands.
"Because of this, you've become an outlaw?" Since there are signs of rebellion in various places and the throne of King Zheng Qiao is not very stable, he might as well go all the way and become an outlaw and a mountain king.
Bandit leader: "That's only one of the reasons."
Another reason was that his hometown was among the villages that were massacred, where his family and relatives lived. Several of his fellow villagers, unable to bear the outcome, followed him into banditry, while the other officers continued their journey back.
"What a coincidence?"
Qi Shan said, "It was done intentionally."
Chu Yao closed his eyes in thought, tapping his knees rhythmically with his fingers.
Hearing Qi Shan's words, he opened his eyes and echoed, "The villages that were massacred are all scattered near the temporary palace, and the rumors also originated from this area. Don't you find that interesting, Wu Lang? Given Zheng Qiao's suspicious and violent nature, if he suddenly learns of this, regardless of its truth, he will order an investigation to nip any unstable or threatening factors in the bud. Zheng Qiao's confidant in charge of this matter is no good either; he's done plenty of things like using ordinary people's heads to impersonate military merits..."
Um……
It should be said that those who followed Zheng Qiao in the battle did a lot of work.
Qi Shan continued, "If someone were to give that confidant a slight hint, it wouldn't be impossible for them to massacre the village, label them as rioters, and use that as an excuse to report to Zheng Qiao... After Zheng Qiao took control of Xin Kingdom, his series of actions have already offended everyone from noble families to ordinary people. It's only a matter of time before they rebel against him."
Taking this opportunity, it is not surprising that various forces have rebelled one after another. The only coincidence is that the bandit leader's hometown is in that area. Everything else was secretly promoted by a mastermind, who carefully planned and disrupted the entire situation!
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Have you eaten mooncakes this year?
(End of this chapter)
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