The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 291: Capturing one person can feed you for two months

Speaking of powerful bandits, there really is such a one in Shanxi and Henan. His name is Peng Lianhu, also known as the Thousand-Handed Butcher. His activities were originally limited to Hebei and Shanxi. Since the Mongolian invasion, Peng Lianhu, as a guest of the Jin Dynasty, was inevitably affected, and his activities began to shift to the southwest.

You mean east?

Haha, to the east is the border of Shandong, which is the territory of King Qi Wanyan Kang. Not to mention the bandits and pirates, even the Mongolian army can't stand it. It is said that the world's number one gang, the Beggars' Gang, is almost extinct there, and it is all under military control. However, Peng Lianhu dare not set up a base there.

Peng Lianhu was a fierce bandit with many followers and a huge influence. He was knowledgeable, vicious and murderous. He was nicknamed "Thousand-Handed Butcher". He used to be a guest of King Zhao of Jin. Now that King Zhao became the emperor of Jin, he gradually cut off his connection with this fierce bandit.

At least that's the case on the surface. After all, the emperor of a country has such a bunch of generals under his command. It would be unpleasant to say it out loud, and it would easily exclude the real talents. After all, masters and hermits all have to save face.

If one day, all the great friends gather together and compare themselves with each other as old acquaintances and colleagues, and others are talking about literati or wise men, and you keep calling them bandits and pirates, you will be ridiculed and ashamed.

Circles were crucial. For a prince to associate with bandits, especially such prominent criminals, was considered respectful and condescending, but an emperor could not. This placed Peng Lianhu in a rather awkward position. The Mongols were hostile to him, eager to tear him into pieces and unwilling to accept him lightly. Meanwhile, the rest of the Jin Empire, concerned for the reputation of Emperor Wanyan Honglie, dared not bring him along.

The only person who could protect him was King of Qi Wanyan Kang, but this famous god of war not only had many talented people under his command, but also had strict requirements on military discipline, which was incompatible with the casual Peng Lianhu. Although he took care of him from time to time, he did not introduce him into the King of Qi system, which created Peng Lianhu's current embarrassing situation.

As the civil strife in Mongolia gradually subsided and great unity was restored, the Mongolian army began to turn its attention to the Central Plains. Peng Lianhu's situation became more difficult, and the territory in the original Hebei Province was also lost bit by bit.

As the saying goes, it takes three friends to make a hero. The Thousand-Handed Butcher is not without friends, but birds of a feather flock together. The friends of the Thousand-Handed Butcher Peng Lianhu are not good people either. They are villains like Sha Tongtian and Hou Tonghai from the Yellow River Gang. They depend on each other and cooperate with each other. They have barely survived in this complicated environment and seem to be living a pretty good life.

Sun Yuankai was being extremely cautious this time. A reckless move wouldn't have mattered when six lives were at stake, but now he only had two left. Any further recklessness would have been disastrous. So he disguised himself as a bandit and blended in with the bandits. His frail, ferocious face and frightening appearance didn't arouse suspicion, and he easily reached the foot of the stronghold.

But once you get here, you need to go up the mountain through strict inspection. The layers of checkpoints are no more relaxed than the Mongolian border, and are even stricter. Peng Lianhu is also a careful person who is afraid of death. You can see a lot of things at the foot of the mountain, and today is particularly lively.

A group of ferocious bandits lined up in neat rows, methodically guiding groups of ragged, pale-faced, unarmed civilians. The civilians, with their families, ranged from infants to the very elderly. Despite being the weak, none of the bandits were rude or rude to them. Despite their terrifying appearances, they forced smiles and lowered their voices. If they made the children cry, they would frantically try to comfort them, looking ridiculous yet full of warmth.

This kind of warmth made Sun Yuankai a little unacceptable. You are bandits, you are bandits, why are you so gentle?

The layout of this stronghold is quite interesting. It is located near mountains and rivers, with convenient transportation, yet it is easy to capture and difficult to attack. Large ships are lined up on the river, and the boats are operated by the Yellow River Gang. The members of the Yellow River Gang also have ferocious looks, but their attitudes are also very humble. They lead the civilians into the ships in an orderly manner, and then leave in an orderly manner.

Sun Yuankai pulled a bandit over and asked him about it in a familiar tone. The bandit chuckled and said, "You've come to the right person to ask about this matter. I, Black Iron Pillar, have been with the village chief for three years. There's nothing I don't know about this village chief. I have to say that our village chief is very smart, completely different from ordinary bandits."

"What's the difference? Hehe, let me tell you, ordinary bandits burn, kill, rob, and do all kinds of bad things, but they can't eat enough, wear warm clothes, or sleep well. Our village chief is different. He said that killing people is a waste. They really don't have money, but they are money themselves. We can make a fortune by capturing and selling them. In order to make them more valuable, we have to coax them and feed them. Look at how fat I am. Three years ago, I was famous for my slim figure."

"Hehe, before, robbing a village wasn't very profitable, but now catching one person can feed you for two months. You mean the buyer? Hehe, who else could it be besides the foolish and wealthy Prince Qi's Mansion?"

Sun Yuankai was furious when he heard this, and couldn't help but say in a gentle and persuasive way, "Don't you think it's more cost-effective to keep a slave to support yourself than to sell him?"

The bandit glared at Sun Yuankai with disdain. "They're so poor they can't even support themselves, how can they support us? Selling them for money is their greatest value. The village chief has tried to bargain with them before, but failed in the end. Do you see that scholar over there? It's the one called Zhu Cong. He's an expert in accounting and has made the three of us accountants cry. And that guy over there using an abacus? No one can beat him except the village chief. Who do you think they are?"

"I heard that some of the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan have defected to the Qi Palace and become low-ranking inspectors, specializing in commerce. They're actually a bunch of slave traders, following us around all day long, trafficking people. There's almost no one left to capture within a few hundred miles, and the village chief will be moving again within three months."

Sun Yuankai: Nomadic people live by following the grass, but you live by following the people.

Luckily, I was alert and didn't rush in to cause trouble. A bunch of bandits who followed the Qi Palace around, and I actually wanted to use their power to deal with the young prince of the Qi Palace, wasn't that just looking for excitement? Seeing the Yellow River Gang's Sha Tongtian personally helping to transport people, I realized the scale of my previous mistake. I deserved to die.

As expected, I was cautious and it was easy to save my life. However, if I couldn't capture the young prince Yang Shoucheng, how could I lure out the King of Qi and the Jin Emperor? This King of Qi was known as the God of War and had once defeated the Mongolian army so that they dared not move eastward. I never thought that he would be such a scum who engaged in dirty business. It was really disappointing.

You said I, Sun Yuankai, had done this kind of business. Haha, I'm not a good person to begin with, and I don't have any beautiful halo. Isn't it reasonable for me to do some dirty things? Although the King of Qi is cruel, he has a good reputation. I never thought that he was so despicable behind the scenes. It seems that the possibility of him being Lin Bufan is infinitely reduced.

And this guy is also stupid. He actually spent a huge amount of money to buy people. If he doesn't have anyone, can't he catch them himself? One person is enough for a bandit to eat for two months. This price is not low.

Zhu Cong, the Scholar with Wonderful Hands: Is the rice in Luzon really enough for two months’ food?