The waters of Zhangzhou were crisscrossed, and water bandits ran amok all around. The local people suffered greatly.
When Yang Jian was still around, all the water bandits' strongholds in Zhangzhou had been raided by him.
Every time, he would take the lead and beat the water bandits until they cried for their parents. Who knew how many people he had helped escape from the bandits' persecution?
Because of this, Yang Jian's reputation in Zhangzhou was extremely high. After he was killed by Zhao Shao, thousands of people mourned for him. Yang Tao was able to firmly occupy Zhangzhou, remove the fake emperor, and lead a group of loyal officials to Nansheng. His father, Yang Jian, played a huge role.
When Yang Jian died, some people felt sad and regretful, but there were also people who celebrated and applauded.
These people were not only Yang Jian's political enemies, but also the water bandits he had suppressed.
The water bandits near the Zhangzhou watershed were not simple bandits. Some were forced to become bandits, but most were "hereditary." Their ancestors were water bandits who kidnapped women to be their wives and forced them to give birth to children. When the children grew up, they inherited their father's occupation, raiding houses, robbing merchant ships, oppressing the people, and kidnapping women to give birth to their children …
Because the number of water bandits increased, they were emboldened. At their peak, they even colluded with the local government. The prefectural officials secretly enjoyed the water bandits' tributes and turned a blind eye to their actions. Some officials and soldiers who accepted bribes would even leak information to the water bandits!
After a few generations, the water bandits had become a malignant tumor attached to Zhangzhou.
Yang Jian was an upright person who could not tolerate anything, so he did not care about their tributes or bribes. In his life, he had fought hundreds of battles, big and small, and destroyed hundreds of water bandits. The number of water bandits that died under his blade was uncountable. Some water bandits were stubborn, and the weeds on their graves were two meters tall. Others admired Yang Jian and were convinced by him. They willingly became his subordinates and fought with him.
Yang Si sat on the deck and sighed. "It's such a pity that such a good man died in the hands of a villain like Zhao Shao."
Mountains rose and fell on both sides of the river, and the mountains were filled with mist. The river wind blew, filling his wide sleeves and messing up his hair. For some reason, he felt like he was ascending to immortality. He stretched comfortably, looking as if he was enjoying himself, but his words carried a hint of malice.
"Zhao Shao, that despicable man. I let him off easy back then," Yang Si said. "If it weren't for him, a good man like Yang Jian wouldn't have died in vain."
Be it in troubled times or prosperous times, people like Yang Jian were always worthy of praise.
"Senior Yang Jian is indeed a hero." Liyun nodded in agreement. He said, "It's a pity that we were not fated to meet. We only met a few times back then."
Li Yun and Yang Si were dressed in luxurious clothes. The latter looked like a pampered gentleman who was ignorant of worldly affairs, while the former looked like a comfortable and wealthy master of a wealthy family.
The reason they were acting like this was naturally to act as bait for the nearby water bandits to rob them.
It was just that the pirates in the nearby waters were elusive and did not make any movements. Since they were bored, they pestered Qi Kuang to tell them about the famous people in Zhangzhou to kill time. Qi Kuang's favorite idol was his former boss, Yang Jian. He looked at Yang Jian with a one-meter-thick filter. He started from the story of the other party's youth and talked non-stop for two hours. Because of this, Yang Si and Liyun sighed with emotion.
To lure the water bandits into the trap, Li Yun and the rest disguised themselves as a team of businessmen. Afraid that the water bandits would not be well-informed or would not take the bait, they even spread the news that they would bring a hundred thousand dans of rations to Zhangzhou to be sold at a high price, earning a windfall from war.
Some of the water bandits who talked about "righteous bandits" and "thieves have their own principles" hated these kinds of businessmen the most. They would rob them every time they came, and it was easy for them to take the bait.
At first, Liyun was confused. He did not know the deeper meaning behind Qi Kuang's arrangement.
"This … will they really take the bait?"
A hundred thousand dans of rations is a hundred thousand dans of rations. Why is there a need to emphasize "shipping to Zhangzhou to be sold at a high price"?
Yang Si clicked his tongue and sneered. "Hanmei, you don't understand. Even if they are water bandits, they are still human. Who doesn't care about their reputation? There is no profit to be made from robbing ordinary people, and they will even be scolded. There is no burden when robbing unscrupulous businessmen. Instead, they will feel that they are heroes who got rid of evil for the people. Those 'righteous bandits' love to target merchants who are rich but have a bad reputation. They will earn a good reputation. "
When he said this, Liyun understood.
However …
"Bandits are bandits. No matter what the person who was robbed did, it is a crime for bandits to rob things that do not belong to them. Would a group of bandits think that they are getting rid of evil for the people? "Liyun's brows furrowed so tightly that they could squash mosquitoes." No matter how many excuses they have, it is just a cover. "
Yang Si laughed heartily.
"Hanmei is right to think that way, but ordinary people are easy to deceive."
Qi Kuang echoed, "The military advisor is right. There are indeed many self-proclaimed 'righteous bandits' in the Zhangzhou river basin. They specialize in robbing rich merchants and boast that they are robbing the rich to help the poor. They 'protect' the local fishermen from being harmed by other bandits, so the fishermen who received their kindness regard them as heroes. What's more, some fishermen take the initiative to inform the water bandits or erect longevity tablets in their homes to worship them …"
Liyun shook his head. "This is really strange. The people are too easy to deceive."
Yang Si said, "Hanmei, this story teaches us a principle. Guess what it is."
Liyun frowned and thought for a while, then said uncertainly, "Reputation?"
Yang Si smiled and clapped his hands. "Yes, no matter what you do, you must use the tiger skin of a good reputation. As long as this reputation is strong enough, even if you commit murder, arson, rape, and plunder, the people will feel that what you did was right and good. They will applaud and cheer for you. "
Liyun said, "Teacher, you are teaching bad people."
Yang Si smiled and said, "Teaching bad people? Is it my turn to teach this? Turn your head and look at our lord. This is what an expert should be like. "
When had his lord not done the same thing when she did something bad?
Liyun's expression darkened. "How can we talk about the lord behind her back?"
Yang Si waved his hand. "Even if the lord heard it, she wouldn't have any objections."
At this moment, Liyun's sharp ears caught a sentence.
"No, she has a lot of objections."
Liyun roared, "Who's hiding there!"
Oh my god —
I've been discovered!
Liyun stood up abruptly and kicked open the door that was blocking his way. He grabbed the back of the collar like he was holding a cat and pulled out the person hiding behind.
"Warrior, you have great arm strength!"
It was obvious that he had been caught red-handed, but not only did the person not feel guilty, he even applauded Liyun.
The little angel, Hanmei, was indeed an excellent man. His arm strength was enviable. He could lift a person weighing more than a hundred kilograms just like that.
Yang Si burst out laughing when he heard this. Liyun blushed. Although Qi Kuang did not laugh, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes.
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