Chapter 311 The performance was quite good.
"This road is mine..."
The bandit who had been shouting cleared his throat, and as soon as he uttered his first sentence, a sweet, charming voice came from within the ranks.
"Isn't this the official road?"
The bandit was surprised that someone dared to interrupt. He glanced at Boss Yu, who was preoccupied with the convoy and ignored him.
The little bandit forced himself to shout out the second sentence.
"I planted this tree..."
"What proof do you have? If you call it, will it respond?"
It was the same voice again, and as soon as those words came out, many people in the convoy couldn't help but laugh.
In contrast, the bandits' faces were ashen, and anyone could hear the mockery in their voices.
"If you want to pass, leave some money to pay the toll!"
The bandit who was shouting finished his opening remarks, but the bandits next to him couldn't wait any longer and pushed him aside.
"Stop wasting time with words, we're bandits, let's just attack!"
The bandit, knife in hand, climbed the tree trunk that lay across the middle of the road.
I don't know what the bandits who set up the roadblock were thinking. They were afraid that one tree trunk wouldn't be tall enough, so they specially piled three together. They were tall enough that they even blocked their own way.
Just as a bandit climbed up the tree trunk and was about to turn over, an arrow whizzed by. It didn't seem to be meant to kill him; it only hit his arm.
Before the bandits could react, one after another, people on horseback rushed out of the convoy and gathered on the road.
Each of them carried bows and arrows and weapons, looking imposing, and their numbers were more than three times that of the bandits.
The bandit gang was instantly surrounded and trapped.
"Boss, the information we gathered was wrong. We can't escape now."
Yu Zhaoyuan's younger brother whispered,
"Before they get here, grab a horse and run away. The brothers will cover your retreat."
Yu Zhaoyuan was the most skilled among them, so stealing a horse was not difficult for him.
"As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. Once the boss escapes, we'll figure out a way to rescue us."
Yu Zhaoyuan, however, did not think so.
“We might still have a chance. That female official is on the third carriage. If we can kidnap her, we can make a fortune today.”
After witnessing just how large the caravan was, Yu Zhaoyuan decided not to directly attack it.
He could tell that even if the convoy was all women, it wouldn't be easy to deal with.
He didn't know the identities of the others, and feared that even if he kidnapped them, it would be useless.
Only that female official, of noble status, was treated with utmost respect by everyone who mentioned her.
In that case, kidnapping her would be the most worthwhile deal.
Yu Xiaodi quickly understood Boss Yu's plan and simultaneously covered for him, drawing all the attention of the people on the other side to him, thus creating an opportunity for Yu Zhaoyuan.
"My lords..." Yu Xiaodi knelt down with a thud, pulling at the person next to him.
"Kneel down, all of you! Quickly kneel down and kowtow!"
Seeing this, the leading Imperial Guards were filled with doubt:
Isn't this a robbery? They haven't even used knives or guns yet, why are they kneeling down?
But then I heard the young man, Yu, crying and sniffling, and I felt so sorry for him.
"Gentlemen, we were wrong. We had no choice. The village is all rocky land, there isn't a single fertile field, and everyone in the village can only survive by eating wild vegetables."
Yu Xiaodi wiped his nose and continued, "If it weren't for a last resort, we wouldn't do such a thing and disgrace our ancestors."
"My lord, this is the first time we've done something like this, please spare our lives... We beg your mercy, my lord..."
A large group of people knelt down behind the tree trunk, except for the one who was half-lying on the trunk, groaning as he was hit by an arrow.
The constant cries of "Your Excellency, have mercy!" left the Imperial Guards and protectors looking at each other in bewilderment.
This is a great achievement, is it really going to just disappear like this?
They were quite experienced; this wasn't the first time they'd encountered bandits, and they'd dealt with things like highway robbery before.
But this is the first time I've ever seen someone kneel down after shouting a call to action.
Could this be a group of inexperienced bandits?
But they also knew to gather information in advance.
However, seeing the road blocked by three tree trunks, the Imperial Guards were beginning to believe Yu Xiaodi's words. This should be the first time he had come out to do bad things. Normal bandits wouldn't be so brainless as to put three tree trunks on the road as roadblocks.
But then Yu Xiaodi said again,
“Several elderly people in our village are sick, and we don’t have the money to call a doctor. We can only watch them suffer in bed. There are also several women who have given birth, and we can’t even feed them a bowl of rice gruel. The babies are only three days old and can only drink a little water… We had some wicked thoughts, but we just want to live, we want the elderly in the village to be able to see a doctor, and the babies to have rice gruel to drink…”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Xiaodi wiped his face, stood up, and started moving the tree trunk. The people next to him also got up and helped him move it.
The Imperial Guards' defenses have been slightly relaxed, but they cannot let these people go without orders.
Just as Yu Zhaoyuan was about to make his move, he suddenly heard a sound coming from inside the convoy.
"Heh, so you're trying to rob us and now you're begging? Since you're saying you can't make ends meet, why don't you just join the Beggars' Sect? At least you'll eat fewer wild vegetables. Maybe you'll even get to eat meat!"
Yu Zhaoyuan paused for a moment, but did not make a move.
Yu Xiaodi directed the people to move the tree trunks, and then he said,
“Sir, the Beggars’ Gang looks down on us! A few years ago, when there was a heavy snow, our whole village went begging for food. When we got to the city, the Beggars’ Gang drove us away, saying that we had taken over their territory. We were just begging for food, we never intended to take over the Beggars’ Gang’s territory.”
This is a true story. Yu Xiaodi's words are not false at all. Even the old man who was about to die and the child who could only drink water were all caused by that heavy snow.
However, this did not delay my younger brother from moving the matter to the present.
Not only did the Imperial Guards take these words to heart, but even the students watching the "show" felt that these people really had it tough. If they didn't have such hardships, why would they become bandits?
Some students even thought that they would give these people some gold and silver later so that they could take their elderly relatives to see a doctor and buy some food.
Because the heavy snow a few years ago left such a deep impression on them, and they were well aware of the disaster it caused, they believed their younger brother's words without a doubt.
"He's proficient in singing, recitation, acting, and martial arts; his performance was quite good, so he should be rewarded... But, are you sure those children in your village who have no food are from your village? And wasn't that sick old man beaten and had his leg broken for cheating people in the county town?"
A cold, clear voice came from inside the convoy, completely different from the previous voices.
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