Chapter 397: The Ten Crows' Calamity (Part 7) [Two-in-One]
"Help!"
"Mother! Father!"
The agonizing screams nearly pierced the heavens. A woman clung to the bandits' legs, pleading for the release of the child she had forcibly taken. Her voice, filled with anguish, cried, "Please, let him go! He's just a child!"
The bandit seemed to hesitate for a moment.
But he still managed to break free from the woman's grasp and kicked her hard in the shoulder. As the woman screamed in pain, the child was thrown heavily to the ground, landing headfirst with a cracking sound from his neck. His body and head ended up at a bizarre angle, which drove the woman into a frenzy.
He wanted to fight the bandits to the death but was subdued.
The youngest and most beautiful women were bound and thrown onto horses. The slightly older women didn't receive the same treatment; they were tied together with ropes and linked together. As for the men in the village, they were all killed, regardless of age. Each corpse was brutally stabbed multiple times with weapons by the bandits, some so badly mutilated that they were unrecognizable. They were beyond dead and left to rot in the wilderness.
Another half hour passed, and they returned home laden with their spoils.
This band of bandits were herdsmen from the Shiwu tribe.
Since the brutal murder of the governor of Longwu County, the border walls and fortresses have become nothing more than low, ineffective barriers to them, and similar raids occur frequently. This group arrived relatively late; their brothers from neighboring tribes had already amassed great wealth. Each time, they returned laden with spoils: gold, silver, treasures, food, women—everything imaginable!
How could they not be tempted?
He then had the women of the tribe help prepare dry rations, warm clothing, arrows, and simple defensive armor. He also fed the warhorses until they were strong and healthy. After making these preparations, he joined forces with several neighboring tribes, large and small, to launch a raid.
This first investment made him a fortune.
Food, plentiful.
There is plenty of gold and silver treasure.
Women, and more.
The Shiwu tribe suffers from underdeveloped medical technology and a monotonous diet, leading to a high rate of difficult childbirth for women and a high infant mortality rate. Each generation of Shiwu tribe members faces a perplexing problem—
There are too few women of marriageable age.
Even though the tribe has customs such as "father's wife succeeding to the father's, brother's wife marrying after death," and even several brothers sharing one wife, a large number of men still remain bachelors. In Shiwu, women are a more precious resource than gold, silver, jewels, cattle, sheep, and horses.
A similar situation is also playing out in the northern desert.
However, Shi Wu was not feeling comfortable in the Northern Desert at the moment.
Most typically, this group of bandits was composed of small tribes with close blood ties, with only about a hundred able-bodied men. In the past, they would have been trembling with fear when they went out to plunder.
Let alone such a bumper harvest, they would be targeted as soon as they crossed the border barrier or the border wall.
Xin Guo's methods of dealing with bandits were no less merciful than the methods the bandits used to deal with the common people on the border; in fact, they were even more ruthless.
If a bandit is caught, being beheaded on the spot is considered lucky; some are more unlucky and are captured alive and taken to the vicinity of the border. Ropes are threaded through their necks and armpits, tightly bound, and they are dragged on horseback until only a skeleton remains, in order to deter the spies of the Ten Crows who are lurking on the border.
The bandit leader's father and grandfather were both unlucky; one was dragged to death, and the other was stoned to death. Their bodies were hung near the border city gate as a warning. Only after their corpses were crawling with maggots were they taken down and carelessly discarded, but later they were secretly retrieved.
The operation went smoothly, and everyone was very pleased with themselves.
They didn't find the process as dangerous as their predecessors had described. From the preparation stage to the smuggling into the country, and then to the reconnaissance and execution, everything went smoothly and successfully. Now that it was getting dark, they could even stop to cook some dried meat.
An older bandit chuckled, and the other bandits dared not refute him. This old bandit, who was also a respected elder in their tribe and the planner and leader of this operation, said: "You're being naive."
The young leader said, "It is indeed simple."
The old bandit took a sip of the bland meat soup, chewed on a piece of dry, hard meat, and said, "Longwu County is currently unmanaged, but who knows when another tough nut to crack will appear? Carelessness can easily cost you your life!"
The young leader sneered.
Although his tribe was small, it wasn't completely isolated from the news, and he had heard about the current situation to some extent.
If Longwu County were truly under someone's control, its defenses wouldn't have become so lax in the last two or three months. The remaining forces in Longwu County are currently preoccupied with defending checkpoints, patrolling the border walls, and dealing with the ever-emerging bandits; they can't even handle a force of their size right now. Their raids are getting closer and closer to the center of Longwu County.
In addition, there's Longwu County's immediate superior—
That man named Zheng Qiao is an ally of the Ten Wu. Especially in the last two or three years, the defense of Longwu County has become increasingly lax, and the chances of bandits successfully robbing others have also increased.
Hehe, they're not afraid anymore.
Old Ma frowned upon hearing this.
He scratched his hair, which he hadn't washed in two months.
He cautioned, "In short, be careful."
The young bandits didn't take these words to heart.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they arranged for patrols and night watch.
The remaining bandits, having nothing to do, looked at the thirty-odd trembling women and their minds began to stir. In the past, enjoying the spoils was a procedure done after returning to a safe area, but now, taking advantage of the situation was acceptable.
These bandits, apart from a few older ones with experience in raiding, were mostly between eighteen or nineteen and twenty-four or twenty-five. They were willing to go out and do this, wasn't it all for finding a woman? Getting a wife through tribal channels was too difficult; they weren't a large tribe, and those who ended up in their hands were either too old or had health problems…
How can they compare to the fresh and tender creatures of Longwu County?
The youngest of the bandits, only twelve or thirteen years old, couldn't sit still when he saw his older brothers from the same tribe exchanging meaningful glances. He jumped up and said, "I want a wife too!"
"Get out of here—you're not even fully grown yet and you're already thinking about women? Compared to us guys, you're still too young."
"Hehe, let's learn from each other for now."
For a moment, the bandits burst into laughter.
The youngest bandit was unconvinced.
How can he be considered young?
They weren't as quick as me!
Take that village we just met, for example. Several times they hesitated to act decisively, while I was swift and ruthless, earning the praise of everyone in the tribe as a young warrior. I can become the tribal chief in two years; what's wrong with choosing a wife first?
Most of the common people in Longwu County knew a few words of Shiwu language, and they trembled when they heard their conversation. However, they were all tightly bound, unable to escape or die.
I can almost imagine the near future.
Some people have already closed their eyes in despair.
The evening breeze carried the warmth of the setting sun, but it felt like a knife scraping their faces as they numbly watched the bandits approaching.
The bandits didn't care about their reactions; what they needed wasn't a docile and considerate wife.
All they need is a woman who can bear children, and if she's good-looking, that would be even better.
Old Ma frowned: "Don't go too far."
"Uncle, it's good that they're happy. We'll continue our journey back as soon as it gets dark, and we definitely won't delay." The young chief didn't move. It wasn't that he wasn't attracted to these women, but he already had a wife in the tribe. This wife was very fierce and capable, strong and healthy, and had given birth to two children, with another one in her belly. If she found out he had cheated on his wife this time…
There's no peace and quiet when I go back.
Seeing this, the old bandit moved his lips.
Just as he heard a woman scream "Don't touch me!", the old bandit saw two figures approaching from afar.
The other young bandits also noticed, and they all stopped what they were doing, preparing for battle. It wasn't until they clearly saw what the two men looked like that they stopped.
The bandit leader secretly made a hand gesture.
The bandits laid down their weapons, but still glared menacingly at the two young men.
One of the boys rode a snow-white mule, while the other wore brightly colored, fitted clothing, had his hair in a small braid, and possessed a youthful face but a remarkably imposing physique. The bandit leader stopped them, shouting, "Stop!"
The boys all stopped.
The mule boy said angrily, "We've gone the wrong way again!"
The other person retorted, "How can you blame me?"
"It's not your fault, it's mine?"
"...Okay, blame me!"
After speaking, the boy with the flashy braids turned his attention to the bandit leader. Riding a tall horse, he lowered his head slightly and took in the group of people.
He asked, "Who are you? Why are you telling us to stop?"
By this time, the night was already dark.
The moonlight was dim, obstructing visibility, and the bandits had extinguished the campfire used for cooking meat soup. Dozens of bandits hid in the bushes. The boy seemed not to have noticed the size of the bandits; judging from their large bags and bundles, he mistook them for a caravan.
The bandit leader asked, "And who are you?"
The boy with the pigtail, mounted on his horse, sneered, "Who do we think we are? Do we need to report to you? Have you seen a nest of rats running this way?"
The bandit leader naturally didn't see any rats.
The boy with the pigtail was cursing under his breath.
From his words, it was clear that a nest of rats had wreaked havoc on their granary, and the two of them were furious and wanted to catch the rats and scald them to death with boiling water.
But halfway through the chase, they couldn't find any trace of it.
The two got lost in the vicinity for a while.
They only approached to inquire after vaguely seeing a campfire nearby.
Upon hearing this, the bandit leader fell silent for a moment.
Hidden in the bushes, bandits had already drawn their bows and aimed their arrows at the vital points of the two boys, following the sound.
Whether the two boys are looking for the giant rat or the chipmunk, they cannot leave alive. Despite their seemingly dim-witted appearance, if they wander too far and realize something is amiss, they could return with reinforcements to hunt them down, causing considerable trouble.
"Did you see that nest of rats or not?" The boy with the pigtail was very dissatisfied with the bandit leader's silence. He took out a large silver bead from the money pouch hanging from his waist and said arrogantly, "See this big silver bead? Tell me where that damned, stinking dead rat nest is, and it's yours. Not enough? I have another bag!"
He patted his money pouch as he spoke.
The dull thud of broken silver clinking was quite pleasant, but the boy's condescending tone only infuriated the bandit leader. Seeing that no one had answered, the boy with the pigtail muttered something.
"Isn't it said that 'a generous reward will surely bring forth brave men'?"
The mule-wielding boy beside him said calmly, "What does this prove? It only proves that what you gave was still too little."
The boy with the pigtail retorted angrily, "You call this young?"
"A lot?"
The boy with the pigtail scoffed, "You've emptied your purse, let's see if you can scrape together half of my money."
The mule boy said nothing more, only gave a cold laugh and threatened, "...I'm going to write a letter to your cousin."
Telling the parents always works.
The boy with the pigtails: "..."
Before the two men could exchange more than a few words, the evening breeze rustled the grass, and beneath this rustling sound, a barely audible hum of a bowstring rang out. The young mule casually turned his head, letting the arrow graz his hair.
He sneered, "Ah, the rat has appeared."
What?
The bandit leader, lacking experience, was momentarily stunned, but the veteran bandit reacted quickly, realizing something was wrong. He ordered an ambush to capture the two boys in one fell swoop.
But, to their utter surprise—
The boy with the braided hair's smile instantly turned into a chilling killing intent. A dense, cold light spread upwards from the horse's hooves, transforming into a heavily armored horse armor, and the boy himself was also clad in armor.
He quickly shot down all the arrows aimed at his companions.
As for what was shot on him?
Those arrows made of stone, animal bones, or rusty metal—they think they can break through his armor?
In the words of our lord—
This is utterly ridiculous!
The mule-wielding boy's face was grim as he uttered only one sentence: "Protect the abducted women and children, and capture them alive!"
They have quite a few requirements!
The boy with the pigtail dared not be negligent.
Because this lord truly lacks martial virtue! He says he'll write a letter to complain, and he really knows how to write one. He wrote one before, which caused the boy to be scolded by his own cousin for a full eighteen pages!
He couldn't win an argument with them, nor could he win a fight.
Yes, I can't beat them. _(:з)∠)_
He was indignant, anger rising within him, and couldn't help but utter a sarcastic remark, for which he was promptly given a sound beating. Afterwards, he was mocked: "Even Gong Xichou would only get beaten up if he came here, and you still dare to be arrogant with me?"
Xu Quan, questioning the meaning of life: [???]
Isn't Shen Jun a scholar with a literary mind?
Yes, the mule boy was Shen Tang, who was traveling day and night to Longwu County. However, when he was almost at the county seat, he encountered a tragedy that had just occurred.
Presumably the bandits hadn't gone too far, she and Xu Quan went ahead.
The main force went to the administrative center first.
The remaining small group followed them.
The two were unlucky; Xu Quan, that fellow, was full of confidence, claiming to be skilled at tracking and investigation. Good heavens, he almost got lost with Shen Tang in the unfamiliar wilderness. It wasn't until they found a campfire to guide them that they realized how effortless their plan had been.
This gang of bandits is quite interesting.
They did not launch a sneak attack when the two were close.
This gave them a wonderful opportunity to get close.
Xu Quan didn't want to lose a "rat," so without saying a word, he summoned several hundred martial arts soldiers. Half of them went to protect the women and children who had been bound and robbed, and the other half went to deal with these bandits.
If the goal is to capture them alive, then too many of them can't die.
With a single, cold glint of his sword, Shen Tang dispatched several desperate men who were trying to risk their lives to buy a chance for their tribesmen.
I didn't kill them; I just precisely severed their tendons.
There were also brave and skilled warriors among the bandits, such as the bandit leader and the youngest bandit, but their strength was not particularly high; one was a second-class upper-level warrior, and the other a third-class lower-level warrior. They didn't even have a chance to break through the encirclement of Shen Tang and his companion.
His leg was quickly trampled and crushed by Xu Quan's warhorse.
The crisp sound of bones cracking was so pleasant to hear.
To the bandits, it sounded like the Grim Reaper taking their souls.
In the darkness—
The commotion arose, then subsided.
o((==))o
I'm asking for a monthly pass!
The free trial ends tomorrow afternoon, hehe.
PS: I saw a comment a while ago saying that it was uncomfortable to see male-male scenes in romance novels. In fact, the male-male romance and male concubine scenes in the text are completely different from what we think of as "yaoi".
The essence of BL (Boys' Love) lies in the fact that the main characters are all male, and very handsome, making them visually appealing. They have a beautiful love story, but in the feudal ancient setting where women's education was restricted and their thoughts were imprisoned, it is unsurprising that male confidants are mostly male, because they have also received education, can resonate on a spiritual level, and naturally have a good relationship. In modern terms, it's like seeing everything as gay through a BL lens. And indeed, male BL was prevalent in ancient times, like the Han Dynasty emperors... well, you know what I mean.
Whether it's homosexuality or various extreme themes set against a backdrop of war, they all have their origins and are merely minor embellishments in the chaotic narrative of a turbulent era. Essentially, they all represent the exploitation of the weak by the strong. As long as one is weak, regardless of gender, one is merely a plaything; no one is inherently more noble than another, and gender is irrelevant.
It's just the strong who exploit and the weak who are exploited.
Focusing on gender would deviate from the original intention of storytelling.
If you feel unwell, it's really not because Shiitake Mushroom made these things up on purpose (it's quite tiring to investigate these things, you know).
(End of this chapter)
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