Thief Emperor

Chapter 8 More money is needed!
At the foot of Cangshan Mountain.

A simple shed was built on an open space to shield against the scorching sun.

Under the shed, a middle-aged man in the uniform of a seventh-rank official, a very respectable-looking man, looked up at the mountain from time to time with an anxious look on his face.

On the recliner next to him, a middle-aged man in warrior attire was resting his eyes leisurely.

"Master Xue."

The middle-aged man in martial arts uniform opened his eyes and said, "Sit down and take a rest. Don't be anxious. It's useless to be anxious."

He shook his head and said, "Speaking of which, your place is too unpeaceful. The bandits in the mountains dared to rob the county master's daughter in broad daylight."

The person he called "Master Xue" was none other than Xue Song, the magistrate of Qingyang County. Upon hearing this, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighed, "The bandits on Cangshan Mountain have been a problem for more than a year or two. Firstly, the bandits are fierce, and secondly, this is a border between the two counties, but neither side is willing to help. I never thought, I never thought..."

County Magistrate Xue looked at the middle-aged military officer and smiled bitterly.

"Master Du, this is my favorite daughter, how can I not be anxious, how can I not be anxious..."

Hearing what County Master Xue said, the brigade commander surnamed Du rolled his eyes, stood up and said with a smile: "Master Xue, the state capital is not close to here, we have tried our best to rush here, and now Miss Xue has been abducted for several days, it is really not the time to be anxious, you should rest for a while and wait for news."

County Magistrate Xue sighed and was worried.

"These damn thieves..."

While the two were talking, a soldier with blood all over his face came running up to General Du in a panic, lowered his head and whispered something in his ear. The general, who was already a little pregnant, changed his expression when he heard the words.

"How many were injured?"

The person reporting the incident had a bitter face and lowered his head and said, "Boss, those bandits on the mountain are too familiar with this mountain. They appear and disappear like ghosts. They also set many traps for catching animals along the way. There are seven or eight brothers who were injured by the traps alone..."

"Later, those bandits even learned to set up ambushes along the way..."

He looked at Magistrate Xue, and then whispered: "Up to now, we haven't seen the appearance of the mountain stronghold. More than a dozen brothers are unable to move, and four or five have been killed..."

"Brothers, I don't want to fight anymore..."

Commander Du's face changed, and he said in a deep voice, "Take me up to have a look."

The man wiped the blood off his face, grabbed the sleeve of Du Lushuai, shook his head and said, "Boss, Wang Gui was shot through the back by an arrow and nailed to the tree..."

Upon hearing this, General Du stopped immediately and looked unhappy.

"He's not wearing armor?"

"wore."

The messenger whispered, "Not only that, but it was the armor his father passed down to him. It was useless, as it was pierced by an arrow..."

As soon as these words came out, General Du completely gave up the idea of ​​going up the mountain.

There is a very powerful archer on the mountain who can shoot a strong bow weighing at least several stones!

In front of such a person, if you get close to him, armor is useless, it's like standing naked in front of him!
He didn't want to die.

Commander Du returned to the shade shed, thought for a while, and then ordered, "Tell the brothers to stay where they are and don't go up any further."

Magistrate Xue, who was standing by, was immediately anxious when he heard this: "General Du, if you stop, what will happen to my daughter?"

Du Shuai groaned, "Mr. Xue, several of my men have died! There are more than a dozen seriously injured. This village is too tough for us to take!"

Magistrate Xue's face turned grim, and he whispered, "General Du, I have already made an agreement with Commander Cao, and I have paid the money..."

Seeing that County Magistrate Xue had spoken out, Commander Du no longer hid his secrets. He waved his hand, motioning his subordinates to move away, and then said in a cold voice: "Master Xue, you gave all your money to Sima Cao. How much have we, the brothers who fought so hard, seen?"

Magistrate Xue stuttered.

"Didn't you also give Du Shuai 100 strings of cash..."

"If more than a hundred of us brothers were to die on this mountain, would a life only be worth one tael of silver?"

Du Lushuai's voice was a little angry: "They are all brothers who have followed me for many years, just like my own brothers!"

County Magistrate Xue felt a little guilty: "What does Commander Du want to do?"

"You have to pay more!"

Du Lushuai looked fierce and gritted his teeth and said, "Five thousand strings of cash. I'll do this for Master Xue!"

"Even if I have to go back and bring a few hundred people with me, I will definitely bring Miss Xue down the mountain for Master Xue!"

Xue Song's face turned ugly when he heard this.

He... doesn't have that much money.

Seeing that Magistrate Xue was hesitant, Commander Du did not waste any words. He waved his hand to summon his subordinates and ordered, "Send the order, tell them to go down the mountain and rest, go down the mountain and rest!"

County Magistrate Xue became anxious: "General Du, I really don't have that much money. How about one thousand strings of cash..." General Du rolled his eyes and didn't respond.

"Master Xue, so many of my men have been injured. I have something to say to Cao Sima. This group of bandits is very powerful. It is impossible for us, more than a hundred people, to wipe them out."

"You, old man, go to the state and ask Commander Cao for troops to suppress the rebellion!"

After saying that, he stood up and left the shed.

Magistrate Xue was sitting under the shed, his face looking extremely ugly.

After a long while, he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"when…"

He was shaking with anger.

"Since when has the imperial court demanded money from the victims to suppress bandits?"

At this moment, he felt mixed emotions.

The Great Zhou…the rules and regulations have been violated!
On the other side, after the first batch of government troops came down the mountain, Commander Du called a captain and whispered, "We are ordered to suppress the bandits. We can't go back in such disgrace. Do you understand?"

The team immediately understood and bowed their heads, saying, "Don't worry, boss. We will definitely capture a few bandits alive for you and let you report to the government!"

Marshal Du nodded with satisfaction and patted his subordinate on the shoulder.

"Just go."

After giving orders to his subordinates, he turned his head to look at County Magistrate Xue in the distance and spat fiercely on the ground.

"Pooh!"

"I've been an official for so many years, I don't know how much money I've made. If you don't want to spend it, then don't spend it. Why are you pretending to be poor in front of me?"

"If my son is captured by bandits, I'll see if you will give him money!"

"Your daughter deserves to be captured by bandits. I don't know what kind of state she has been in now!"

After cursing for a while, he finally calmed down and started to check on the wounded.

When he saw several corpses being carried down the mountain, Brigade Commander Du's face became as gloomy as water.

But in my heart...

But they are already thinking about how to make some money from the pension.

…………

In the Cangshan stronghold.

Li Yun and his three companions finally returned to the village.

Among the three men, Erlang only shot a few arrows and did not exert much effort, but Li Yun and Zhang Hu were fighting for their lives, so physical strength was secondary. It really consumed a lot of their mental energy.

The leader of the village, Li Da, was gifted with extraordinary talents and just sat on a rock to rest.

Zhang Hu was already lying on the ground, positioning himself in the shape of a big character.

While Li Yun was catching his breath and resting, Zhou Liang, who was ranked third in the camp and was known as the Skinny Tiger, had already strode forward, bowed his head and clasped his fists and said, "Chief, the brothers down the mountain reported that the government troops have withdrawn!"

He looked up at Li Yun, then lowered his head again: "The village leader is brave and resourceful, I admire you!"

Zhou Liang was a veteran who had served as the village chief for a long time. When he said this, all the people nearby bowed their heads and clasped their fists. This village, where people were a mixed bag, was rarely united in their opinions.

"I admire you!"

Li Yun took several breaths, took the big bowl handed to him by the bald man, and took a big gulp of cold water.

It took him a while to recover and he shook his head slightly.

"It's just that they are afraid of death, so they are scared away. This matter..."

"Most likely not."

Li Yun raised his head and looked at everyone, then slowly said, "I still say the same thing. This matter started because of me. Within three months, I will completely solve this mess for you brothers."

After this battle, everyone’s confidence increased greatly. In addition, as the village had been around for twenty years, no one thought that the Cangshan village would suddenly collapse.

So, as soon as Li Yun said this, everyone cheered.

"The village chief is mighty, the village chief is mighty!"

"The village master is mighty—"

(End of this chapter)