noffsinger Chapter 235 Instead of forcibly seizing it, they changed course and went to Pingyao.
Chapter 235 Instead of forcibly seizing it, they changed course and went to Pingyao.
Ah Li, carrying the food prepared by Lin Xi, went with Dou Weiyi and the others to do something big.
Ten days later, they traveled day and night and arrived at the border of Ling'an Prefecture.
Hundreds of horse-drawn carriages were parked in the open space ahead.
Zhou Gonggong gets seasick, so he followed the group by land.
"Boss, someone's here."
At this moment, a man rushed forward from a nearby hilltop to report, and the leader frowned fiercely.
"Who is coming?"
"Reporting to the boss, I don't know, but there are about a hundred people coming. Judging from their gait, they all have martial arts skills."
The soldier on the hilltop quickly replied, his eyes revealing a hint of wariness.
The leading man frowned deeply: "Could it be that they're from some underworld? Tell your brothers not to make any moves for now, and to observe the situation first."
"Yes."
The soldier accepted the order and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the mountains and forests.
The leading man stood on the hilltop, his eyes fixed on the approaching group like those of a hawk.
Dou Weiyi led his men to lie in ambush in a mountain hollow not far from Eunuch Zhou and his men, observing them.
"My lord, shall we make our move now?" Pang Dahai walked to Dou Weiyi's side and asked for the right time.
Dou Weiyi nodded:
"Okay, everyone cover yourselves up and come with me to take down this old thief!"
But don't kill him; he still needs to take the blame for the "embezzlement."
"Capture them alive and bring them all back to Pingyao to dredge the river section!"
Pang Dahai responded and quickly turned around to give hand signals to his brothers.
In the blink of an eye, the group, their faces covered with black cloths and swords drawn, crouched low and silently approached Eunuch Zhou and his entourage, using the bushes for cover.
At this moment, Zhou Gonggong was dozing in the carriage, while the driver hummed an off-key tune, completely unaware of the impending danger.
As they drew closer, Dou Weiyi gave a signal to those around him, and the group suddenly sped up, rushing towards the convoy like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey.
"Who goes there!" The guard noticed the commotion, shouted loudly, and drew his sword to fight back.
Dou Weiyi moved nimbly, like a ghost, and quickly took down several guards who rushed to the front.
Pang Dahai was equally decisive, leading his brothers in a fierce battle with the guards. In an instant, swords flashed and shouts of battle filled the air.
The man observing the situation from the hilltop narrowed his eyes and his expression changed drastically: "Damn it, they're all experts."
He turned to look at his group of about a hundred misfits, who had originally planned to be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Given the current situation, it's still uncertain who the cunning predator will be.
"Boss, what do we do now?" the underling asked anxiously, his eyes filled with panic.
The gang leader gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and cursed under his breath, "Damn it, what bad luck!"
But they knew in their hearts that with their brothers' current rudimentary skills, rushing down to fight would be nothing short of suicide.
But it's really hard to just let the easy money slip through your fingers.
After hesitating for a moment, his eyes lit up, and an idea came to him. He raised his hand to stop his restless subordinates and lowered his voice:
"Don't panic. This year's grain tax collection is only half of what Ling'an Prefecture collects. The other half is collected by waterway."
In other words, Ling'an Prefecture should have a bumper harvest this year, and the people still have half of their grain stored up.
The men looked at each other, puzzled as to why their boss had suddenly brought up the matter of grain tax.
Seeing this, the eldest brother spat impatiently and continued speaking:
"Instead of waiting here and risking our lives to steal from those tough guys, let's go to Ling'an Prefecture instead."
Those people had just harvested their grain and were quite well-off.
Let's find a secluded village to strike, so no one will know. We can make way more than we did here, and without losing any men!
Upon hearing this, the underlings' eyes lit up, and they began whispering amongst themselves, agreeing that their boss's idea was indeed brilliant.
I thought their boss was going to wait here for both sides to suffer heavy losses and then pick up the scraps.
But look at the group of people coming down below; they are exceptionally skilled. There's no question of mutual destruction; it's a one-sided affair, as easy as pulling up radishes and cabbages.
Their leader is absolutely right not to compete with this group.
"The eldest brother is wise! Ling'an Prefecture is far from the emperor's reach, so if we strike in a village, the government officials may not be able to detect it in time."
"Let's pull off a big heist, and all the brothers can have a prosperous New Year!" A skinny-looking henchman stepped forward and flattered him obsequiously.
The eldest brother proudly raised his chin and waved his hand, "Let's not delay, let's set off now! By the way, do you know which county in Ling'an Prefecture is relatively wealthy?"
The underlings looked at each other, and for a moment they fell silent.
After a while, a slightly clever-looking man with a pockmarked face hesitated before speaking:
"Boss, I heard that Pingyao County is quite wealthy."
A few days ago, a distant relative of mine came from there and said that the county town is full of shops, and many shops from the prefectural city have moved in.
Moreover, this year the weather has been favorable, and every household has raised ducks, resulting in an excellent harvest.
The people are living quite comfortably, and presumably every household has stockpiled a lot of grain.
The eldest brother's eyes lit up, and he continued to ask:
"Oh? Is that really true?"
Do you know how well Pingyao County is defended?
Are there any soldiers stationed here? Which village in the county is wealthier?
The man with the pockmarked face scratched his head, thought for a moment, and then replied:
"Boss, my relative didn't go into details about the soldiers, but judging from his tone, Pingyao is generally peaceful, and there shouldn't be many soldiers stationed there, since it's far from the prefectural city."
As for the village, he mentioned it briefly, saying that Wangyue Village, which was located in the county, was quite wealthy.
By the way, the preserved eggs that sell extremely well in Ling'an Prefecture come from that village.
After hearing this, the mountain leader rubbed his hands together excitedly, then turned to his men and shouted:
"Brothers, did you hear that? This time we're heading to Wangyue Village in Pingyao!"
"Once you get there, everyone keep your eyes peeled, act swiftly and decisively, grab the grain and valuables, and leave. Don't get entangled with the villagers, understand?"
"Understood, boss!" the henchmen roared in response.
Led by their leader, the bandits raced along the winding and rugged mountain road toward Wangyue Village in Pingyao.
To avoid being seen by others, they deliberately chose secluded paths and traveled day and night.
Along the way, when they were hungry, they would nibble on some dry food, and when they were thirsty, they would drink from the mountain springs.
At this moment, half of the outlaws in Wangyue Village had been taken away, and the village felt much quieter.
The remaining half was left to guard the Lotus Sect members and to go up the mountain to forge iron, while also keeping the village under guard.
Early in the morning, Aunt Jiang brought Jiang Yue with the winter clothes she had made to the courtyard to find Gao Mengli.
"Mengli, this is the design of the winter clothes that my aunt made. Do you think it's okay?"
Gao Mengli took the winter clothes from her aunt; the style was actually the same as a cotton-padded coat.
They are all double-layered with duck down filling in the middle, which is very good, but they are not easy to wash if they get dirty.