Sweep Yuan

Chapter 13 I Have Great Wealth

After being captured by the Red Turban Army, Sun Xun thought he was going to lose his head along with his master. Fortunately, he had only been in the "gang" for a short time and was captured before he could do anything bad. He was released after a brief interrogation.

But with the master gone, there was no source of food and clothing, and all industries in the city were in decline. Except for the blacksmith shop, no one was hiring, so they could only go hungry.

After several days of hunger, Sun Xun had no choice but to join the Red Turban Army to try his luck, since he had some skills.

The Red Turban Army was in a period of rapid expansion, so there was no "political vetting" system. They basically didn't ask about people's past and just accepted anyone who came. The strong were assigned to the Sharp Battalion, and the weak were assigned to the Strong Soldier Battalion.

Sun Xun was strong and healthy and should have joined the Rui Battalion. Unfortunately, on that day, a defector's plot to collude with a wealthy family in the city failed, and he, with his tainted past, was blocked and sent to the Jianzu Battalion to await evaluation.

Yesterday afternoon, Sun Xun was so hungry that his stomach was practically touching his back. He was lying weakly on a street corner waiting to be hired when Tian Qi, who was in a hurry to find "elite soldiers," took him to the camp and handed him over to Shi Shan.

Having witnessed that Shi Shan was not a shrew, Sun Xun, unwilling to starve to death any longer, decided to seek refuge with this somewhat peculiar deputy commander in order to temporarily overcome his difficulties.

After leaving the city today, Shishan noticed Sun Xun's unusual behavior and shared half of his rations with him.

In reality, most of the soldiers from the elite cavalry who followed Sun Xun out of the city were similar to him—they only followed Shi Shan out to try their luck for a little money and a few full meals.

In later generations, many people are overnourished and find it hard to understand how terrifying the appetite of those who have been starving for a long time and whose stomachs are devoid of oil and fat can be.

Two wheat cakes were just enough to fill their stomachs. Although they received a few more along the way, it barely offset the consumption of the march. Everyone kept complaining of hunger, which was not entirely due to cheating.

Seeing that Sun Xun was tall and strong and spoke with great eloquence, Shi Shan deliberately tried to win him over.

Offering food and clothing is a small tactic, yet it often wins people's hearts. The key lies not in how much food and clothing is given, but in the timing of offering food and clothing and the fundamental attitude towards others.

Even a hero can be brought down by a single penny, but a simple wheat cake can win the heart of a hungry, righteous man.

Shishan has nothing, yet it was able to recapture the soldiers of the Zhongjian Battalion so quickly; it really wasn't just by talking.

His decision to stay in Chengezhuang was not only to "get some tea" and "recruit soldiers," but also to "borrow" military rations and supplies in order to boost and maintain the morale of the troops.

"I trust the deputy commander."

"Me too."

"And me!"

After Sun Xun made his statement, the other soldiers echoed him, including the leader of the Rui Battalion named Zhou Twelve.

Given the situation, Wen Sijiu knew he could no longer disagree, so he decisively shut up.

As if to verify Shishan's words, amidst the voices of the crowd, the tightly closed gates of Chengezhuang Village were opened again.

The gate of the manor was still half open. A middle-aged man with a fair complexion and short beard, dressed in a scholar's robe, led seven or eight villagers, carrying two sheep, two jars of wine, four baskets of rice, and a load of seasonal vegetables, and headed straight for Shishan and the others.

The soldiers roughly understood what was going on, and secretly thought that Deputy Commander Shi was a real genius. They quickly fell silent, straightened their clothes, and stood up straight, afraid of disgracing Deputy Commander Shi.

"I was unaware that the righteous army had come from afar. Our remote and sparsely populated village has few resources. I hope you will accept this small gift with a smile."

Throughout China's long history spanning thousands of years, the number of days truly free from war can be counted on one's fingers. Having endured numerous wars and trials, the people have long since developed a versatile set of methods to deal with the passing of soldiers and bandits.

Chengezhuang's current approach is to proactively lower its stance, pay some money and grain to "comfort the troops," and request that the bandits take a detour.

Under normal circumstances, unless the opponent has the strength to completely overwhelm the village, they will usually know when to stop.

In this way, neither harming the harmony nor bearing the casualties caused by a forced attack on the village would result in a "win-win" outcome.

Unfortunately, the controllers of Chengezhuang underestimated Shishan's appetite.

"Who are you? What is your relationship with the club president?" The middle-aged man in the scholar's robe was clearly not expecting the gang leader to ask questions before accepting gifts. He paused for a moment before answering:
"My name is Chen Cheng, and the president of the company is my father."

Shi Shan, with a natural expression, said:

"I have great wealth and honor to seek out your father. Would you be willing to lead the way for me?"

"Deputy Commander, no!"

While Chen Cheng was still in shock at the bandit leader's strange request to walk right into their trap, Wen Sijiu had already cried out in surprise. After his shout, Li Wu also reacted and immediately walked quickly behind Shishan.

"Third Brother, I'll go with you."

Shi Shan didn't turn around to look at the impetuous Wen and Li. With a stern face, he said unhappily:

"President Chen hasn't even answered, what's the rush between you two?!"

This little thief is unpredictable, which has left Chen Cheng somewhat bewildered. However, the enemy is weak while he is strong, and he is on home ground. As long as he brings the little thief into the village, he is unlikely to cause any trouble. No matter how you look at it, he doesn't seem to be at much risk.

After repeatedly confirming that Shi Shan was not joking, Chen Cheng turned to the side and raised his hand.

"General, please!"

Upon receiving Chen Cheng's invitation, Shi Shan immediately set off.

Li Wu immediately became anxious and shouted:
"Third Brother! It's me—"

Shi Shan turned his head and glared at Li Wu.

"Give your knife to Old Sun, and you stay here to help Commander Wen stabilize the troops. Old Sun, come with me."

"I am!"

Shishan's arrangement took into account Wen Sijiu's concerns, but in reality, it was also a way to monitor him from the opposite direction. Wen Sijiu knew he had no better way, so he kept quiet.

Inside the manor walls, the guards stood ready with their weapons, the atmosphere so tense it was almost tangible. Even the yellow dogs, which usually barked incessantly at the mere smell of strangers, dared not bark, for fear of startling the guards and being beaten.

The villagers were not afraid of the twenty or so men from Shishan.

Chengezhuang had at least several hundred able-bodied men; if a fight really broke out, the few poorly armored bandits outside would be no match for them.

What they were truly afraid of was the Xuzhou bandit army behind Shishan. The sheep, wine, vegetables, and grain that Chen Cheng sent out were not to comfort Shishan, but to submit to the Xuzhou Red Turban bandits.

But this little thief is so bold that he dares to come into the village and cause trouble with just two people. We can't show weakness anymore. Otherwise, if the thief sees the cowardice of the people of Chengezhuang, what if he takes advantage of us and makes some excessive demands?

"Hand over your weapons!"

"go away!"

Sun Xun had eaten half a full meal today, and now he had energy. He seemed like a different person, with wide eyes, thick eyebrows raised, and a hint of murderous intent in his angry shout.

The gatekeeper had never seen such a fierce-looking man before, and he was so frightened that he stumbled. He then braced himself and stepped forward, glaring back defiantly, but compared to Sun Xun, he lacked some of the murderous aura.

"Hahaha!"

After laughing, Shi Shan unfastened his waist knife, casually tossed it to the gatekeeper, and said nonchalantly:

"Old Sun is our bodyguard. My grandfather is a dignified deputy commander of the Red Turban Army. Wouldn't it be unbecoming for his bodyguard not to carry a sword!"

(End of this chapter)