In ancient feudal society, men were highly valued. Women were a type of wealth.
In the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei had said a classic saying: "Women are like clothes, while men are like limbs. If the clothes are torn, they can still be sewn. If the limbs are broken, they can be reconnected."
From this, it could be seen that in the relationship between brothers, women were nothing!
Right now, Zhang Kui's question was like saying that the relationship between them couldn't even be compared to a woman.
In truth, Zhang Kui's target was Sun Mo. He was instructed by the leader to intentionally make things difficult for Sun Mo.
"This is the fourth leader's wife. How dare you do this?"
Zhu Gui's eyes bulged in anger and he picked up a stool.
"Brother Gui, stop arguing. I'm fine!"
Mei Niang tugged on Zhu Gui's clothes, wanting to calm things down. She was worried that she would ruin Sun Mo's plans.
"Sister-in-law!"
Just when Zhu Gui wanted to console her, Sun Mo's voice rang out. "I have the final say!"
"Oh, domineering!"
Xu Hong turned his head and saw an overly young man walking in through the crowd.
The fourth leader!
The bandits of Bright Mountain all lowered their heads and bowed.
Hearing this, Zhang Kui spat out a large mouthful of phlegm. He had been in the stronghold for five years. According to his seniority, this position should be his.
"Mei Niang!"
Sun Mo looked at Mei Niang who was holding back her tears and felt apologetic in his heart. No matter how poor a person's life was, they should be able to live a carefree life. But in the end, because of him, they had to suffer in this stronghold.
"Zhang Kui, if you are unhappy with me, just look for me. What's so great about bullying my wife?"
Sun Mo berated.
"Brother Sun's words are too serious. I only said a few words to sister-in-law, but she despised my identity as a bandit and wasn't willing to pay attention to me. Hence, we argued a little."
Zhang Kui wasn't a fool.
He purposely changed teasing to being despised. It was all Mei Niang's fault. If Sun Mo continued to pursue the matter, he would appear to be narrow-minded.
If he didn't pursue the matter, it would be as unbearable as eating shit.
"If she despised bandits, she wouldn't have followed me to become a bandit!"
Sun Mo coldly snorted. "Speaking of which, other than eating and waiting to die, you only know how to plunder merchants. Let alone my wife, even I look down on you."
"If you have the ability, go and fight those landlords and rich merchants!"
Being mocked in public, Zhang Kui's expression immediately turned ugly. "Say it again if you have the guts!"
Pooh!
Sun Mo spat out a mouthful of saliva and spoke in a ruthless voice, "This daddy doesn't quarrel. I only slash people!"
"Good, Fourth Leader is domineering!"
The surrounding bandits immediately cheered.
"Let's fight then. If I accidentally kill you, don't complain!"
Zhang Kui sneered.
The eldest leader had said that if he killed Sun Mo, not only would he be given the position of the 4th leader, but he would also be in charge of the Red Scarf Army in the future.
It was simply wonderful!
Zhang Kui had wanted this armed force for a long time. With them, he could attack whichever family's manor he wanted and sleep with whoever's wife he wanted!
"Isn't Owner Sun being too careless?"
Many people were puzzled.
Zhang Kui was burly and his height was almost 1.9 meters. In ancient times, he was a fierce general who could hold the fort by himself. On the other hand, Sun Mo had a scholarly air about him.
"This guy is dead meat!"
Pork was expensive. He had seen Big Brother Sun's ability.
"Are you ready?"
Zhang Kui held onto the tiger-headed great blade and couldn't wait any longer. After Sun Mo nodded, he dashed forward. His huge body directly caused a gust of wind to blow up the sand and dust on the ground.
"Die!"
Zhang Kui roared and slashed down with his blade!
Sun Mo was like a specter. His figure flashed and dodged the slash, appearing beside Zhang Kui. The goose feather blade strangely slashed out a beam of silver light.
"What?"
Zhang Kui was badly shocked. He couldn't care less about his face and rapidly dodged. However, he was still half a beat too late.
Swoosh!
The steel blade slashed through his neck and an arrow of blood immediately spurted out.
"Damn, so ferocious?"
The surrounding bandits turned pale with fright.
Swoosh!
Sun Mo slashed again and chopped off Zhang Kui's arm.
"Spare... spare me..."
Zhang Kui was terrified and hurriedly begged for mercy.
Only by fighting against Sun Mo would he be able to feel how terrifying he was.
"Trash!"
The Great Master, who was hiding in the dark and observing the situation, cursed and rushed out. "Brother Sun, stop!"
Zhang Kui was his right-hand man in maintaining the stronghold's status. Hence, he couldn't watch Zhang Kui die.
Swoosh!
Sun Mo's steel blade stopped at Zhang Kui's neck.
"Brother Sun, we are all brothers. Why must you be so heavy-handed?"
The eldest leader seemed puzzled, but he was hinting to everyone that Sun Mo didn't treat them as brothers.
"Zhang Kui, why did you harass my wife?"
Sun Mo's tone was ice-cold, like a bone-piercing cold wave in the dead of winter, causing Zhang Kui's skin to freeze. "Don't be in a hurry to reply. You only have one chance!"
Zhang Kui looked at Sun Mo's eyes and swallowed the lie that was at the tip of his tongue.
"It's the eldest leader who told me to do it!"
Sun Mo's gaze when looking at him was like he was looking at a wild dog or an ant. There was no pity in his eyes at all. It was the kind where he could casually crush Zhang Kui to death.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
The eldest leader panicked.
"I... I have no other choice either!"
Zhang Kui was truly afraid. It turned out that death was such a terrifying thing.
"Eldest leader, if you have any dissatisfaction, just say it directly. Don't play such tricks."
Sun Mo smiled bitterly and assumed the posture of a victim, wanting to gain some sympathy.
"Brother Sun, I'm someone who took you in when you were at the end of your rope!"
The unspoken meaning of the eldest leader's words was that he had done a great favor for Sun Mo. If Sun Mo were to target him now, he would be ungrateful.
"Eldest leader, I don't like hearing your words. If you don't keep Brother Sun, someone else will. We should say that we picked up a great bargain!"
Pork Expensive's voice was very loud. "Without Brother Sun, would our bandits be able to afford to eat plain rice for every meal?"
Gulp!
Hearing this, many people gulped. So the days of bandits in Mount Zhao were so luxurious!
"Eldest leader, there's no point in talking so much. Let's fight to see the results."
Sun Mo suggested.
"Eh!"
The eldest leader subconsciously glanced at Zhang Kui, mentally musing that even if his brain was damaged, he wouldn't fight with Sun Mo.
Sigh!
He had calculated everything, but he didn't expect Sun Mo to be so good at fighting!
Zhang Kui felt the blade on his neck pressing down. He instinctively lifted his head and happened to meet Sun Mo's gaze.
At that moment, Zhang Kui's mind was enlightened and he understood.
If he wanted to live, he had to kill the eldest leader. There was no other way.
Just when Zhang Kui was feeling conflicted, Sun Mo's leg kicked him.
Bang!
Zhang Kui rolled toward the eldest leader. After that, he leaped up and slashed his blade toward the eldest leader's neck.
"It's all your fault for sowing discord between us brothers!"
Zhang Kui roared, "I must have been blind to have acknowledged you as my big brother!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Zhang Kui slashed his blade repeatedly.
"If you don't have any morals, how can you be worthy of being called the eldest leader? How can you bear the responsibility for the thousands of lives in the bandits? "
Pork Expensive roared and also rushed over.
There were many people from the Red Scarf Army in the crowd. They had come because of Sun Mo's name and had long since disliked the eldest leader. At this moment, they didn't waste any words and all of them pulled out their blades and rushed over.
The eldest leader was very anxious. The color on his face instantly faded.
"Sun Mo... I'm willing to give up the position of the eldest leader!"
But it was too late. Tens of blades had dismembered him and turned him into minced meat.
The majority of the spectators were watching the show and cheering. However, people like Xu Hong who had brains understood that trouble was coming.
A ruthless person like Sun Mo would definitely not be willing to hide in a small bandits.
As expected, after the banquet, Sun Mo came to visit.
"Do you want to join our bandits?"
Sun Mo went straight to the point.
"I'm currently doing very well!"
Xu Hong rejected.
"Oh, there's no solution then. Seems like I can only talk to your third leader."
Sun Mo shrugged.
When Xu Hong heard this, his expression changed. "What do you mean?"
"Kill your eldest leader and bring everyone in the bandits to join me. I'll give you a position and at that time, everyone will get rich together."
Sun Mo smiled. "Naturally, if you are unwilling, I'll talk to the other leaders."
Cold sweat flowed down Xu Hong's face.
This Sun Mo was too ruthless!
How many brains would be useful for bandits? There would really be people who would believe this and come to join Sun Mo. After all, the current Red Scarf Army was like the sun in the sky.
Every few days, everyone would hear that the Red Scarf Army had raided a certain village and plundered a lot. Who wouldn't want to lead such a life?
"Can I consider it?"
Xu Hong started to play the delaying tactic.
"Sure, but I will at most wait for a week before contacting the other people in your bandits. Also, the time you bring your eldest leader's head here will determine your position in the bandits!"
Sun Mo patted Xu Hong's shoulder. "You are an intelligent person and should know that you have no choice!"
Xu Hong bitterly smiled.
He had no choice!
Because if he didn't do it, there would be others who would.
Sigh!
That damnable Pang Jili, why did he force Sun Mo to become a bandit?
In the future, there would no longer be a day of peace in these 800 miles.
What happened next was just as Xu Hong had expected.
Some bandits felt that the Red Scarf Army was living too comfortably. Hence, they assassinated the eldest leader and brought a group of people with similar ambitions to join them.
There were also bandits who valued loyalty and told them about Sun Mo's scandalous deeds. However, it was useless. In the bandits, there were still others who followed Sun Mo.
For a time, the factions in the various bandits were suspicious of each other. The conflicts that had existed since long ago were all triggered.
Some people spent a lot of money to buy Sun Mo's life. However, the Bright Mountain Bandits now had more than half of the Red Scarf Army. The remaining bandits were also training hard, yearning to join.
As the Red Scarf Army continued to plunder, their military strength and prestige rapidly expanded. The people in the Jiang Province started to address Sun Mo as Heavenly King Sun.
At this moment, there were no more bandits who dared to accept this deal.
Having a great reputation meant that one had rallying power. Moreover, Sun Mo said that he was enforcing justice on behalf of the heavens.
In the past, the bandits didn't dare to reveal their real names because they would lose face for their parents and ancestors. But now, everyone felt honored.
It was because they were killing tyrants and robbing the rich to give to the poor. They were righteous bandits, righteous bandits!
When Sun Mo became powerful, the unluckiest ones were naturally the soldiers.
The Jiang Province's inspector had already given a strict order to exterminate these bandits.
The 800 li lake was so big, where could they go to capture people? Moreover, the Red Scarf Army was terrifyingly strong. Right now, they had already started to attack some small counties.
In order to deal with the inspector's questions, these soldiers started to pay a huge price to buy heads from Sun Mo.
The owners of these heads were the heads of the various bandits. They were the people who came to join Sun Mo and brought them to prove their loyalty.
These were rare goods and there was no need to worry about selling them. Hence, Sun Mo didn't want money. He only wanted the military equipment.
When the Inspector-General heard the many reports of success, he felt that the bandits were suppressed and that the situation was very good. However, Sun Mo had integrated almost half of the bandits' forces and conquered the Three River County.
This was the most important place in the Jiang Province that produced grain. At the same time, it bore the burden of 10% of the taxes. In the end, the stored grain had been plundered clean by Sun Mo.
Sun Mo, who had obtained the rations, didn't stop his attacks. Instead, he pressed on with every step. At one point, he even brought 2,000 troops and killed his way to the Jiang Province's city.
Although he didn't attack the city, the officials and landlords in the city were badly frightened.
...
Banquet in the evening in the mountain stronghold.
"No one mentioned the matter of enlistment?"
Sun Mo ate a peanut and felt very unhappy.
"Inspector Zhang is an iron-blooded hawk. Moreover, enlistment is a very troublesome matter. He doesn't wish to be our guarantor!"
The third head explained.
An inspector of a province couldn't wipe out the bandits and ended up being enlistment for peace. This was the greatest denial of Inspector Zhang's capabilities. Hence, he had been suppressing the various memorials he sent to the imperial court, wanting to wipe out Sun Mo in the shortest time possible.
However, Sun Mo didn't want to clash head-on with the inspector's army. After all, enlistment was his goal.
"Hmph, I will teach this inspector a lesson tomorrow!"
Sun Mo coldly laughed.
Three days later, Sun Mo brought his men to Zhuo County, which was near the Jiang Province. He plundered a total of one million taels of silver.
This amount of money wasn't considered a lot, but it was enough to cause a commotion in the imperial court.
Inspector Zhang could suppress his subordinates to not write memorials, but he couldn't control the officials of Zhuo County. Hence, the reputation of the Red Scarf Army reached the heavens.
In order to push the blame away, the magistrate of Zhuo County said that it was Inspector Zhang's incompetence that allowed the bandits to grow.
Hence, the emperor dismissed Inspector Zhang and appointed a new inspector. He had to wipe out this rebel army within a month and recover the taxes.
Sun Mo was very satisfied with this result.
If he didn't display his might and didn't beat the enemy into fear, why would they enlist him?
Sun Mo started to take the initiative and played guerrilla warfare. He didn't clash head-on with the imperial court's army. At the same time, he got his men to spread the news, saying that for the sake of military merits, the army had decided to kill all the farmers who had taken food from the landlords.
Killing innocent people and claiming credit was a traditional skill of the imperial court's generals. Hence, more and more people joined the Red Scarf Army.
Naturally, there were also those who watched from the sidelines. However, the black-bellied Sun Mo added fuel to the fire.
He got his trusted subordinates to wear the clothes of the imperial court's soldiers and capture people, killing them, and doing all sorts of bad things. After massacring a few villages, the hearts of the people in the Jiang Province were completely shaken.
Finally, after becoming a bandit for seven months, Sun Mo had an army of 100,000 soldiers.
The autumn harvest was delayed and the farmers had no food to eat. Seeing that winter was approaching, they had no choice but to join Sun Mo. Hence, his influence expanded even more.
After one winter, the entire Jiang Province City was completely destroyed by Sun Mo.
Not only were they unable to pay taxes, but they also needed the imperial court's aid. Sun Mo's luck was also very good. There was a locust plague in the north and the foreign tribes wanted to head south to plunder.
Finally, some major characters spoke up. If they could solve the problem by giving these bandits a few official positions, why did they still need to waste money and rations to continue fighting?
The third prince directly submitted a memorial saying that the bandit chieftain, Sun Mo, was forced by Grand Preceptor Pang's beloved grandson. This was why he had no choice but to become a bandit. Otherwise, given his talent, it was very possible for him to become a two-rank scholar when he participated in the imperial examinations this year.
The power struggle in the imperial court started. Grand Preceptor Pang stepped down from the throne, while the third prince became the representative and headed to Jiang Province to enlist Sun Mo.
At this moment, Sun Mo was only one step away from his goal.
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