The sunset glow of dusk shone across the land of Jiang District, exuding a misty mist.
In Fang Jia Village, the villagers who had finished their dinner began to patrol the streets.
This is a request from Moneybags Fang. If anyone discovers traces of Red Scarf Army and reports it in advance, they will be rewarded with a bucket of rice.
"Doggy, hurry up!"
The young man named Erniu squatted on top of the wall and urged his friend.
"What's the rush?"
The youth called Gou 'zi chewed on a piece of straw and carried a fish basket, preparing to catch some fish.
"Of course I am anxious. If I am the first to discover the Red Scarf Army, I will be able to get a bucket of rice. My younger sister will also be able to eat a few full meals."
Erniu licked his lips.
"You might as well go fishing!"
Gou 'zi was filled with disdain.
"I can't even get a bucket of rice even if I catch fish for three months!"
When Er Niu saw that his friend wasn't interested in patrolling, he was instantly disappointed. Because they were good friends, he was willing to share half of his rice with Gouzi.
The two of them walked along the ridge of the fields in silence.
"Is there something on your mind?"
Erniu suddenly opened his mouth. Gou 'zi was usually talkative and would ask about his sister.
"I …"
Gou 'zi hesitated before saying, "I am prepared to head up Zhao Mountain to join the Red Scarf Army!"
"What?"
Er Niu was shocked. "You don't want to live anymore? Those people are bandits, they were caught by the government and are going to be beheaded at the entrance of the market. "
"But they are the Revolutionary Army, and their job is to enforce justice on behalf of the heavens!"
Gou 'zi looked into the distance, "Do you know? Ever since the Red Scarf Army made a name for themselves, my family's days have become much better. "
To treat his mother's illness, Gouzi's father had borrowed a lot of money from the landlord's family. Originally, he had no choice but to sell Gouzi to Blacksmith Li in the county city to be his apprentice. But who knew that due to the appearance of the Red Scarf Army, the landlord's family actually stopped chasing him for his debt.
"If there is no Red Scarf Army, I will tire myself to death in the smithy."
Gou 'zi knew that although it sounded like he was an apprentice, he was actually just a slave who had signed a contract with Blacksmith Li. Apart from smithing, he also had to take care of Blacksmith Li's daily needs.
As for salary, there was no such thing. It would be good if he could fill his stomach three times a day.
Many families who could not live on would choose this path and send their children out.
Er Niu was silent.
His family was now a tenant farmer for Landlord Fang's family. According to his father, his family used to have six acres of paddy fields, but because they borrowed money from Landlord Fang for an emergency, they ended up like this.
He really couldn't afford the loan sharks.
"Pei, even if I see the Red Scarf Army, I will not inform the Fang family."
Gou 'zi spat a mouthful of saliva.
The two of them wanted to take a shortcut, so they entered a bamboo forest. But soon, their bodies froze. That was because there were over a hundred large men resting in the bamboo forest.
They wear red clothes, wearing red scarves on their heads, in the sunset, like a flame.
"Red … Red Scarf Army?"
Erniu was so scared that his legs were trembling.
"Run!"
Gou 'zi growled and pushed Er Niu, while he himself stayed behind. At the same time, he held the hatchet on his waist tightly.
It was a purely instinctive reaction.
Although the Red Scarf Army claims to be acting on behalf of heaven and will not harm the common people, many people have not seen it with their own eyes. What if it is fake?
"Woah, this kid is so loyal at such a young age. In the future, he will definitely be a good man!"
Pork Gui's voice was very loud. He looked at Gou 'zi with admiration, "Young man, do you want to come to Zhao Mountain to become a weed?"
"You are Swallow Li San?"
Gou 'zi boldly asked.
"Do you think that he is so fat, is he fit to be a swallow?"
Someone teased, causing a lot of laughter.
"I am called Pork Gui!"
Pork Gui sized up Gou 'zi, "Let's go, I will bring you to meet the leader!"
Gou 'zi followed after them. He thought that the Red Scarf Army's boss would be a tall and sturdy person. He did not expect that it would be a handsome young man.
He sat on a large bluestone, holding a scroll and reading it attentively. The rays of the setting sun fell on his chiseled face, making him look even more refined.
This is actually a bandit leader?
Gou 'zi was stunned. His family didn't have money and couldn't go to a private school. However, he had gone to eavesdrop before. The disposition of that private school teacher shocked him, but when compared to this teen, he couldn't even be mentioned.
Very soon, Gou 'zi saw that the teen started to reprimand Pork Gui.
He said that persuading people to become bandits was harmful and that a teen like him should go study and learn how to be a person. Even if he couldn't serve the country, at the very least, he could let his family not have to worry about food and clothing.
He didn't know why, but after hearing these words, Gou 'zi's heart was moved.
"Go home, don't run around at night!"
Sun Mo smiled at the young man and took out an ingot of silver, tossing it to him. "I'll give this to you. Young man, you must study. If you haven't enrolled in school, you can go to a private school. If you've enrolled in school, use this money to take a look at the Jiang State City and broaden your horizons!"
Gou 'zi had a dumbfounded look on his face.
Not to mention him, even his father had never touched silver in his life. This ingot of silver was worth at least fifty taels, right?
That was enough to sell him ten times!
"Dalang, it's about time."
Sun Erniang came to invite them.
"Mn, inform them to prepare to set off!"
Sun Mo closed the book. When he walked past the teen, he hesitated a little before passing the book to him. "This is [Historical Records]. If you have nothing to do, you can read it. After all, reading history makes one wise!"
Putong!
Gou 'zi knelt down and kowtowed three times.
"Great leader, I'm willing to become a bandit and work for you!"
After Gou 'zi spoke, he discovered that the expression of the teen who had a warm smile like the spring sun had sunk.
"Young men should have lofty goals and pursue marquis titles. Why would you want to be a bandit?"
Sun Mo rejected.
When Sun Erniang saw this scene, her beautiful eyes gleamed with respect.
Other leaders would want nothing more than to nurture some young death warriors and persuade them to become bandits every day. However, Sun Mo was thinking for their sake.
No wonder he would proclaim himself to be from the Red Scarf Army.
Fang Di was very afraid of death. During this period of time, the number of guards had doubled. Also, in order to make them risk their lives, their salary had also doubled.
It was a pity that Sun Mo's Red Scarf Army had long since evolved. Three months had passed since their first expedition and they had gone through over twenty raids. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they had been tempered by blood and fire.
Proficient night raids and attacks by small teams, when the Red Scarf Army killed their way into Fang Di's house, the battle was basically over.
The servants wanted money, but they wanted their lives even more. When they saw that the red-robed bandits were just as the rumors said, valiant and unafraid of death, and had exquisite saber techniques, their morale quickly collapsed.
Of course, there were also bladesmen who weren't afraid of death. But after Sun Mo led his elites and attacked fiercely, they were all defeated.
"It would be good if we had gunpowder!"
Sun Mo looked at the few Red Scarf Army members lying in pools of blood and felt very depressed. He knew the ratio of gunpowder, but the materials weren't easy to obtain.
Right now, Sun Mo's group was very large, enough to empty the entire granary. However, he still followed the usual practice and left one-third of it for the villagers.
The villagers all had their faces covered as they carried the grain happily. In the end, they burned down Fang Di's house.
At dawn, there were several youths and teenagers in the village. They either ran away with their parents' permission or ran away on their own. In any case, there were over ten of them chasing after Sun Mo's Red Scarf Army.
The bandits were long used to such things. There was no need for Sun Mo to make arrangements and they could directly transport the grain.
...
"Fourth Leader has returned to the mountain."
When the fleet appeared on the water surface near the village, some bandits shouted. After that, groups of bandits recognized them and welcomed them.
"Returning with bountiful rewards again!"
"I also wish to follow the fourth leader and live a good life!"
"I wonder if the Red Scarf Army will still allow us to join?"
The bandits looked at the goods being carried down from the ship and felt extremely envious.
The Great Leader stood on the hill and looked at his brothers welcoming Sun Mo with smiles on their faces. His countenance grew increasingly gloomy.
As for whether Sun Mo was the fourth leader or not, he had yet to make a decision. However, the bandits had started to call him that. This meant that Sun Mo's prestige was currently surpassing his.
The most troublesome thing was that every time Sun Mo returned, he would bring a batch of newbies with him.
These newbies only recognized the Red Scarf Army and not him, the Great Leader.
"If this goes on, my stronghold will be occupied by others."
The Great Leader didn't wish to sit still and wait for death. He had to think of a way to suppress Sun Mo and let him know who was the boss.
"Brother Sun, why don't we have a drink together?"
The Third Leader came and invited Sun Mo for a drink.
At the table, the Third Leader persuaded.
"I heard some news. You have caused too much trouble. The Jiang Province Inspector has decided to send troops to exterminate the Red Scarf Army!"
Sun Mo's lips twitched and declined to comment.
"Sun Mo, stop!"
The Third Leader sighed, "Although the Great Jing Country is ruled by an incompetent ruler and sycophantic officials run amok, from my point of view, this country will only decline after another 50 years. Isn't it good for us to live peacefully?"
"Why are you studying?"
Sun Mo counter-asked.
"Naturally, it is to protect a region and raise millions of people!"
Although the Third Leader was an elementary scholar, he had great ambitions.
"I study for the sake of the world, for the sake of the people, for the sake of inheriting the ultimate arts of the past, for the sake of peace. Even if I become a bandit, I won't change my original heart!"
Sun Mo drank a cup of wine and spoke in a loud and clear voice.
The Third Leader was completely stunned. These four sentences were like a bolt of lightning that struck the top of his head, causing him to be so shocked that he couldn't speak.
"Since an incompetent ruler is immoral, wouldn't it be better to change to a wise ruler?"
Sun Mo smiled lightly.
Swish!
The Third Leader was so frightened that he stood up. Such words were extremely disrespectful and would result in nine clan exterminations.
"Since we are already bandits, we will die anyway. What is there to be afraid of?"
Sun Mo shrugged.
"Wait, change to another one? You are thinking of... "
The Third Leader guessed a possibility.
"Build up the reputation of the Red Scarf Army and force the imperial court to recruit them. At that time, our troops will be able to support a wise ruler to ascend to the throne!"
Sun Mo was lying to the Third Leader.
"Although it's very difficult, it's not impossible."
The Third Leader no longer had the mood to drink. He furrowed his brows and pondered. In his entire life, he had always wished to wash his name clean and enter the imperial court. To him, becoming an official had a huge attraction.
"The Inspector Governor wants to kill me?"
Sun Mo smiled. "How many bandits are hidden in this 800 miles of lake? Some of them have been causing trouble for a hundred years. What do you think will happen if I help him to exterminate them? "
The Third Leader's eyes brightened. This was a great merit.
"Also, if my Red Scarf Army that can fight listens to the Inspector Governor, what do you think he will do? Naturally, if the Inspector Governor doesn't want us, we can just change to someone he wants. I don't believe that the imperial court is a piece of iron! "
Sun Mo had long since thought of the development route.
"I heard that His Highness Qi King is intelligent and quick-witted. Why don't we..."
The Third Leader was agitated, but when he thought of the difficulty of exterminating those bandits, he felt discouraged.
"Don't worry, I'll do it. But this time around, we need the cooperation of the officials. Shouldn't you get someone to make a trip?"
Sun Mo lowered his voice and described his plan to the Third Leader.
On the second day, under the support of the Third Leader, Sun Mo became the Fourth Leader of Bright Mountain. The moment he sat on the Fourth Leader's seat, he immediately suggested to send invitations to all the bandits in the 800 miles of lake, inviting them to come to Bright Mountain half a month later to discuss important matters.
At this moment, the 800 miles of lake was filled with turbulent winds and clouds.
...
Xu Hong was an old bandit. The faction he belonged to was called Dragon Crossing Mountain. Their reputation was very terrifying, but they actually only had about 500 people.
"Boss, could this be a Hongmen Banquet?"
A subordinate was worried.
"Are you stupid? Although the Red Scarf Army is very famous, it's still very difficult for them to swallow up so many factions."
Xu Hong scolded, "There's such a thing? Don't talk nonsense."
The fishing boat neared the pier. Xu Hong saw bandits dressed in red scarves standing on the wooden pier. All of them puffed out their chests and held their heads high, looking very spirited.
"Damn, they look even more elite than the Imperial Guards?"
Xu Hong felt a little afraid.
He stepped onto the pier and saw a few familiar people. They were all experts from the other factions. In any case, the few mountain village leaders weren't here.
"Everyone, this way please!"
Sun Erniang was in charge of receiving them and arranging their food and lodging.
That night, Xu Hong and his group ate fragrant rice and large pieces of pork.
"Boss, I've seen it before. Those old and weak people are also eating this!"
One of the lackeys muttered.
Usually, only when the bandits went out to plunder would they have such good food. Usually, they would have to live frugally. There was no need to talk about the old and weak. Because they didn't have any productivity, their food was even worse.
"Seems like the Red Scarf Army has made a lot of money recently!"
Xu Hong was envious. "Forget it, no matter what that Sun Tian Wang wants to do, let's eat our fill first. Even if we die, we will die with a full stomach."
After Xu Hong finished eating, he went to get more rice and then left reluctantly.
Because the kitchen maid who helped him was so beautiful.
"Che, such a beautiful woman actually does such rough work. If she was in my mountain village, she would definitely be the wife of the village leader!"
As Xu Hong ate, he was thinking about how he should strike up a conversation. However, a muscular man beat him to it.
He was drunk, and while talking dirty words, he also wanted to grope her. The young lady had no choice but to keep backing away.
"How preposterous!"
Xu Hong really wanted to be a hero and save the beauty. However, he knew this muscular man. His name was Zhang Kui, and he was the fiercest person in the Bright Mountain Bandits other than Second Leader Lu.
He couldn't afford to offend him.
"What are you doing?"
An explosive bellow rang out in Xu Hong's ears. After that, he saw a large bowl flying over. If it wasn't for Zhang Kui dodging fast enough, his face would have been smashed.
After that, a muscular man rushed over.
"Pork Expensive, do you feel that I didn't beat you up badly enough the other time?"
Zhang Kui coldly snorted.
"Sister-in-law, are you alright?"
Pork Expensive ignored Zhang Kui and asked if Mei Niang was well.
"I'm fine!"
Mei Niang didn't want to create trouble for Sun Mo.
"Bullying my Big Brother Sun's wife is the same as bullying Big Brother Sun. Even if I, Old Pig, don't want my life, I will make you pay the price!"
Pork Expensive was enraged.
"Why? We have been brothers for so many years. Are you going to fall out with me because of a woman? "
Zhang Kui berated.
Xu Hong understood. This woman was Sun Mo's wife, and Zhang Kui must have received instructions from a certain leader to purposely make things difficult for Sun Mo and make him lose face.
There would be a good show to watch now!
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