Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 103 Born with Wings

"You were born with wings, why are you willing to crawl?"

Ge Jian will never forget the first words that person said as he walked towards him.

His hometown was devastated by floods and the land was barren, so men often joined the army to find a job.

Even though the training in the army was hard and the soldiers were beaten and scolded by officers, at least they could have a full meal.

Ge Jian has eaten much more than others since he was a child. He looks well-proportioned and not very strong, but his appetite is twice that of others.

This trait that makes one easily unpopular is clearly an advantage in the military.

Because his strength is much greater than others. Moreover, Ge Jian is also smart.

On the battlefield, he was braver than anyone else.

But advancement was always slow.

As for the ruler, in times of trouble he uses his people to die, and in times of peace he uses his people to their utmost strength.

Anyone with a little power will use this set of Shang and Han learning to manage their subordinates.

Ge Jian remembered that when he joined the army, the "leader" was only a sergeant in charge of five people.

After more than ten years of military career, Ge Jian, who was once a teenager, has reached the age of thirty, and the "leader" has been promoted to a town commander in charge of 800 soldiers and horses, holding the power of life and death in the area.

The promotion to "Big Brother" stems from a bloody battle in the south, where Ge Jian was dispatched to quell a rebellion by the mountain barbarians, where he sustained numerous wounds. All the soldiers believed that without Ge Jian's fierce fighting, they would not have been able to win.

The "leader" once patted Ge Jian's shoulder heavily and promised, "If I become rich, I will share it with my brother Ge."

The "leader" was rich, but did he share it with Ge Jian? Ge Jian didn't know.

Ge Jian was undoubtedly a close confidant of the "leader". He ate and used much better things than ordinary soldiers, and he could also receive some rewards from time to time.

But he saw clearly that the number of heads he had taken and the number of military achievements he had made were far greater than those of the "leader". Many times, the "leader" relied entirely on his hard work to turn the tide of crisis.

When Ge Jian made a mistake, he would even be beaten and scolded in public by the "leader". Although the leader would definitely apologize to him privately the next day, put some gold and silver in Ge Jian's hands, and tell him earnestly that in order to show the soldiers fairness, he had to betray their brotherhood and hoped that Ge Jian would not mind.

What brothers, aren't they all like this? Ge Jian helplessly told himself, just take it easy, this is how the world is.

Faced with the man's indirect hints, Ge Jian chose to play dumb at first.

But the next time he saw him, he smiled mysteriously and said, "I heard your elder brother asked the soldiers' wives and daughters to accompany him for drinking again?"

Then he said, "I heard that you are planning to get married, and your fiancée is a pretty girl."

Ge Jian was finally moved.

He witnessed with his own eyes how the "leader" had become corrupted into what he is today after gaining power - forcing soldiers to work, withholding food and clothing, and even making his subordinates' wives and even daughters "accompany him with drinks".

Or some people join the army just to do these things after gaining power.

The "leader" vowed that it was impossible for him to let Ge Jian down because Ge Jian was his "brother".

But before this, there were other "brothers" who were killed by the "leader" because of the defeat in the war. Afterwards, the "leader" also took care of their wives and children, but often took care of them in bed.

"It's not like this between true brothers." The man said calmly.

Of course Ge Jian understood.

Ge Jian also understood how difficult it was for a rough soldier like him, at this age, with only a little money, to be noticed by a pretty lady from all over the place.

He should make her happy for the rest of her life.

A few days later, the "leader" accidentally met Ge Jian's fiancée. The wolf-like greedy look in her eyes finally made Ge Jian feel murderous.

"How to do it?"

After hesitating for a long time, Ge Jian found the man and asked the question with a trembling body.

The mysterious man casually gave a few suggestions and let Ge Jian figure out the rest on his own.

But the tip was quite important, because the man wanted Ge Jian to let the son of a murdered "brother" take the lead, because the boy didn't like his mother and sister being taken to bed.

Ge Jian didn't know why this man seemed to know everything.

"Swear to me, when you succeed, you won't become the 'big brother' you so-called." The man's voice suddenly turned serious.

Ge Jian was stunned for a moment, and then swore an oath with blood.

That night, Ge Jian got drunk, and then cried and burned a piece of clothing that the "leader" gave him when he joined the army.

At this point, Ge Jian had no hesitation.

Ge Jian used all his property to purchase a batch of farm tools from farmers.

The offer was very reasonable, which made the farmer very satisfied, and Ge Jian felt more at ease.

The boy, whose mother and sister were taken care of and put to bed by the "leader", roared, raised his hoe, and smashed the head of one of the "leader's" private soldiers.

The boy was then stabbed in the neck by another private soldier.

Ge Jian suddenly burst into tears, hugged the boy in his arms, and shouted, "We are rebelling!"

Then he said to the young man, "Uncle Ge will really take good care of your mother, sister and brother. He will keep his word."

The boy closed his eyes in relief.

Ge Jian roared and rushed forward with his sword raised. Wherever he passed, the gun barrels were broken like planed wood. The armor of the private soldiers who had been killed was stripped off by the angry warriors and worn on their bodies.

Relying on Ge Jian's power and courage, the soldiers wielding hoes and sickles quickly arrived in front of the town commander.

"Ge Jian, you traitor! I treated you so well, yet you betrayed me!"

The "leader" pointed his halberd at Ge Jian and shouted angrily. This roar finally made Ge Jian feel a little guilty.

But at this point, Ge Jian didn't take action himself, but the others rushed forward, pinned the town general to the ground, and took off his head.

Looking at the head of this old friend whom he had known for more than ten years, Ge Jian felt mixed emotions.

But the order issued by the military supervisor immediately made him extremely happy.

The previous commander had withheld food and clothing from his soldiers, abused them, and caused them to rebel. He deserved to be killed. Ge Jian was immediately appointed as the new commander, and the higher authorities gave him money and clothing to appease the soldiers.

From beginning to end, the man did not appear in the battle.

When Ge Jian's promotion celebration banquet and wedding were held at the same time, he appeared again and toasted Ge Jian with a smile on his face.

"Benefactor!"

Ge Jian pulled him to the back and bowed solemnly.

The man lifted him up with steady hands.

"I just inspired the desire in your heart, but it's still you who actually does it."

“All you want is your life.”

Ge Jian seemed to understand something and asked, "May I ask your name, benefactor?"

"My surname is Pang, my given name is Xun, and I am just a small soldier in the Xuzhou army." The middle-aged man said calmly.

He seemed to be emitting infinite light, which made Ge Jian feel unable to help but fall for him.

"The Ming Wang is immortal, and the heart lamp lives forever."

When the man put his hands on his chest and slowly said these eight words, Ge Jian realized that the other person was an important figure in the Mingzun cult who was being rewarded with a large sum of money by the court.

"You can report me now, and your position will be promoted to a higher level." The man smiled gently: "Look, I'm smaller than you and look ordinary. You can just grab me by the neck and take me down..."

"But you can also try and let me teach you what a true brother is."

At this moment, Ge Jian was completely impressed by the other party.

Pang Xun raised his arms to stop Ge Jian from bowing again: "People are born with wings, so you don't need to bow to me. I teach people to bow to heaven and earth, to parents and close relatives, but brothers don't need to use empty formalities."

Hot tears instantly filled Ge Jian's eyes.

He also became the "Wing King" among the four great kings of the Ming Cult.

(End of this chapter)