My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 117 The Bandit's Chief Clerk

"Zhai the traitor!"

"Look, those are local militiamen disguised as hunters!"

“We know all the hunters who go into the mountains very well, but we’ve never seen anyone like this before. The local militia gathered from all over the place earlier and made some strange moves. Now, it seems that the prefect really is going to make a move against us!”

Zhai Rang lay prone in a high bush, staring at the few hunters acting suspiciously in the distance. He had been in a rather serious mood, but the words spoken by the person next to him made him unable to hold back.

After he and his brothers came to join Qingzao Village, he quickly gained the trust of the three elders of the bandits because of his excellent business skills. The three elders believed that he had rich experience in governance, was highly skilled in martial arts, and knew how to command troops in battle, so they recruited him as the bandit chief on behalf of the bandit leader!
What kind of official position is this "Zai Cao"? He's the one who catches mountain bandits.

He never expected to be reinstated so quickly, becoming a bandit chief in a mountain bandit's den.

But Zhai Rang always felt a little uneasy whenever he heard others call him that.

The entire Qingzao Village exudes an eeriness from top to bottom. It's clearly in the Wild Buffalo Mountain, yet it's not called Wild Buffalo Village, but Qingzao Village! It's clearly a band of mountain bandits, but it has a complete internal and military organization.

Of course, rebels used this tactic in the past as well. Some bandits felt that they had become powerful and wanted to do something big, so they called themselves emperors or kings, or at the very least, generals or chariot generals.

Someone calling themselves a village head is unheard of!! It's such a disgrace to traitors!

Moreover, the numerous official positions and internal administrative structures they established were a bit too perfect. Zhai Rang had dealt with many bandits. In a typical bandit den, the eldest brother was in charge of everything, the second brother was usually in charge of provisions, the third brother was in charge of leading people out to rob, and the fourth brother was in charge of gathering intelligence in the countryside.

However, in Qingzao Village, there is a strange set of official positions that are completely different from those of the Sui Dynasty, yet they can coexist harmoniously. There are even three elders in this village who are in charge of moral education! Isn't that the system of the ancient Han Dynasty?
Zhai Rang had been in the mountains for some time. Although he still felt awkward at times, everything was not so unacceptable.

He gradually came to understand some of the situation in the mountains. This mountain stronghold seemed to have nothing to do with the Duke of Tang. Their leader was Li Xuanba, the third son of the Duke of Tang.

Within the mountain stronghold, only the core members knew this secret, and these people held Li Xuanba in high esteem. Whenever his story was mentioned, everyone became extremely excited. He even had many legendary tales, such as subduing a wild ox.

From Zhang Sengyuan and others, Zhai Rang gradually understood the complete story.

Zhai Rang gained a deeper understanding of Sanlangjun, with whom he had not known for very long, and developed more respect for him.

For the son of a duke to go to such lengths for a group of commoners who had nothing to do with him, he was practically a reincarnation of Lord Mengchang.

No wonder the village chief is called "Little Mengchang".

Zhai Rang temporarily put aside the many thoughts in his mind and looked seriously at the inferior spies in the distance.

These spies are full of holes, and the hunter's acting is terrible!

After personally investigating the situation, Zhai Rang quickly led his men back to the mountain stronghold.

After he returned, the few officials in the village gathered together to discuss important matters.

Zhang Xiangzheng was the first to voice his thoughts: "I think we still need to evacuate first."

“When the local militia gather together, they consume a lot of food every day. Even the prefect can't hold out for long. Just like last time, we retreated into the deep mountains. The army couldn't pursue us and would eventually retreat. Then we can come back.”

The others nodded in agreement with his idea.

Liu Xuan frowned and looked at the others. "Does anyone else have any other ideas?"

Zhai Rang hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Liu Xuan and said, "I don't think we can retreat."

"Oh?"

Liu Xuan said, "Although we have a lot of people, we don't have many weapons. The force we can mobilize is only a little over three hundred people. The local militias gathered down the mountain are coming in an endless stream. If the governor is really determined, he could easily gather five or six thousand people."

“If we stay here and don’t leave, aren’t we just waiting to die?” Zhai Rang shook his head, looked at everyone, and said his thoughts, “Everyone, although I didn’t participate in the last evacuation, I feel that this time is different from the last one.”

"This prefect has just arrived and is already eager to take action against us. This is because he wants to establish his own prestige and gain merit. He is different from the Duke of Tang."

“He treats us as rebels, not thieves, which shows his determination. He will fight to the death and will not give up halfway.”

“It’s almost harvest time, and the county has plenty of food. If we withdraw, they only need to guard the key passes to hold out for a long time. If they hold out until winter, there will be big problems in the mountains. We will just keep hiding and will not have time to stockpile food. At that time, they will have many dead or injured without them even having to lift a finger.”

"Moreover, we have worked so hard to build this stronghold and that pass. If we just retreat now, they will definitely be destroyed by the enemy. Then the enemy will know how to deal with us. In the future, as long as they send troops in the autumn, they will drive us out, burn our dwellings, and destroy the land we want to cultivate. If this cycle repeats several times, how can we survive?"

Therefore, I do not agree with the evacuation.

Zhang Sengyuan and the others listened to his words, nodding from time to time, all agreeing that what he said made sense.

"If we can't retreat, then we have to fight?"

"That's right, we should fight."

"Although we are few in number, we are familiar with the terrain here. Although there are many bandits, the mountain roads are difficult to travel. They are just a temporary group of local militia from various places. I think you all know what kind of people the local militia are."

Zhai Rang said with a smile, "I think this is a good opportunity!"

"good chance?"

"Not bad!"

Zhai Rang continued, "Although our village is large, it doesn't have a very good reputation outside. I've never even heard of it in Dongjun. If we want to grow stronger, we need others to join us."

"Only when we have a big reputation and more things in our hands will more people come to attach themselves to us."

“If we can defeat these local militia, we will become famous throughout Xingyang. Not only in Xingyang, but also in Liang County and Dong County, our names will be heard! At present, corvée labor and taxes are getting heavier and heavier, many people are persecuted and unable to make a living. Those who were rich in the past are now mostly destitute. I am sure that once we make a name for ourselves, heroes from all directions will come to join us!”

Zhai Rang's voice was loud and clear, and his words immediately inspired confidence. When Zhang Sengyuan and the others heard his words, they could already picture the scene of ten thousand people coming to join them, a grand spectacle with flags planted all over the mountain. They couldn't help but feel their blood boil.

Zhang Sengyuan quickly realized what was going on and said, "If we defeat the local militia, the prefect will directly request Yingyang Prefecture to come, right? The local militia is easy to deal with; these people only bully the common people. They wouldn't even dare to mess with those bandits outside. But we absolutely cannot defeat Yingyang Prefecture."

Zhai Rang laughed loudly. He looked at the people around him and said in a low voice, "When I was in Dongjun before, a group of bandits appeared in the county. A village headman led people to fight them, but they killed him. Do you know how the county reported this to the authorities?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Just say that the village head died of illness, and that the bandits have been wiped out."

Everyone was shocked.

Zhai Rang said with some disdain, "Today's local officials only report good news to the Sage and not bad news. However, you can't blame the officials. The Sage is just like that. He only likes to hear good news and doesn't like to hear bad news."

"If the prefect really loses to us, he will absolutely not dare to petition the court to request the transfer of the Eagle Banner Prefecture. If his petition is sent, the Eagle Banner Prefecture may come, but I'm afraid they will take action against the prefect first, arrest him and send him to the capital!"

Zhai Rang knew far too much about the affairs of those officials.

Upon hearing his words, everyone was unsure whether to laugh or scold him.

Liu Xuan, who had remained silent until now, finally relaxed. He slowly stood up and said, "Then you should go and prepare to meet the enemy."

"I need to hurry up and finish some things before I go back."

(End of this chapter)