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The bandits in the mountains were all desperate people. They were willing to risk their lives for wealth. However, the prerequisite for them to risk their lives was that they had to have a sliver of hope of success, even if it was just a fluke.
If they knew that they were going to die, they wouldn't risk their lives. After all, their lives were the most important. Sometimes, wealth could only be ranked second.
Right now, the Gourd Valley was where the army was stationed. The two entrances to the valley were tightly guarded by the Dragon Martial Army. They didn't know how trained the 3,000 soldiers in the valley were, but no matter what, such a large army wasn't something they could deal with.
Of course, they were just a motley crew, and they didn't have any heavy siege weapons. They didn't even have the slightest confidence in taking down the 50 Dragon Martial Army soldiers stationed at the entrance of the valley, let alone the main force inside the valley.
They coveted the gold mine inside the valley, but they didn't seem to have the strength to take it. In fact, they were far from being able to do so.
The fat meat was right under their noses, but they couldn't eat it. One could imagine how bad their mood was.
"Boss, this pass is tall and big. It's also heavily guarded. No matter if it's day or night, the guards are patrolling back and forth. Our brothers really can't take it down."
Another leader shook his head regretfully.
"Boss, you can't let our brothers die for nothing."
"Shut up, all of you, shut up!"
The leader of the bandits shouted angrily. "I only brought you here to take a look. Who said we were going to attack the Gourd Valley? You bunch of idiots."
When the leaders of the bandits heard this, they were relieved. They felt that they and their brothers didn't have to go and die.
"Boss, this Gourd Valley has always been our territory. However, after so many years, we still haven't discovered the gold mine. If we had discovered it earlier, our brothers would have been rich long ago. But now, we can only watch."
A leader of the bandits sighed unwillingly.
"What are you talking about? If we can't take it by force, we can use our wits."
"How do we use our wits? Why don't you tell us?"
"Gather more men. If we gather all the men within fifty li, we might have a chance of winning."
"Boss, this is a good idea. We only have two hundred brothers, but there are three to five thousand people in the surrounding fifty miles. Moreover, all of them are tough and brave men. While the farmers in the valley have just started their training and are not fully fledged yet, we can definitely snatch the gold mine."
"That's right, Master. Most of the people in the valley are new recruits. If they are fully fledged, our good days will come to an end. We should take advantage of this opportunity to contact everyone and annihilate them in one fell swoop. This is the best plan."
"That's what we should do. The Gourd Cave has been our territory all these years. They didn't even give us a heads up and just took it over. They're not giving us any face at all. We have to beat them up."
"Yes, beat them up."
When the bandit leaders thought of the large number of allies behind them, they were instantly emboldened. Two hundred men couldn't do anything to the Gourd Cave, so what was there to be afraid of with three to five thousand fugitives? If they were provoked, they would even dare to attack Luzhou City.
"Shut up, you bunch of idiots."
The bandit leader scolded in dissatisfaction and said angrily, "What's in your heads? If we really summon all the people here, how much of the gold mine can we get? Most of the people within 30 to 50 miles are barbarians. How can we compete with them? If we're not careful, we might be swallowed by them in one gulp, and not even our bones will be left."
When the bandit leaders heard this, they all nodded in agreement. They were too weak. Even if they joined forces with the surrounding bandit forces to annihilate the Tang Army of the Gourd Cave, they would not be able to compete with the stronger bandit forces. At that time, the gold mine that they tried so hard to get would most likely be controlled by the stronger bandit forces, and they might only be able to get a very small portion. They might even be directly killed by the greedy bandit forces, and their brothers would be forcefully swallowed up.
"What's the plan, Master?"
A bandit leader asked softly.
The bandit leader stroked the beard on his chin and said softly, "We don't have the strength to attack by force. We have to outsmart them."
"How do you think we should outsmart them?"
The bandit leader thought for a long time and said seriously, "The gold mine needs to be mined. We only have so many brothers. Even if the soldiers give the gold mine to us, do you know how to mine it? If you don't, then what's the use of the gold mine? It's better to let them mine as much as they want. When they transport the gold out, we can intercept them halfway and take the cast gold. Isn't that better?"
"That's a brilliant idea, Master. Instead of trying to rob the gold mine, it's better to intercept the gold halfway. Brilliant idea."
"Master, when the gold from the Gourd Cave is done, it will definitely be transported along the road to Luzhou City. They must pass through the Cotton Slope ten miles away. If we intercept them there, it will be foolproof."
The bandit leader grinned, revealing a ferocious and greedy smile, as if the gold that the miners worked hard to mine in the valley would soon fall into his pocket.
"Master, the soldiers will definitely send guards to protect the gold along the way. We might be able to gain a lot in our first surprise attack, but the further we go, the more careful the soldiers will be. The chances of us getting the gold will also decrease. Therefore, we can't rob too hard. It's safer to rob once every few times."
"That's right. There are many soldiers and horses. If we rob them too much, I'm afraid we won't have a good time."
"What's there to be afraid of? As long as we enter the forest, we don't have to be afraid no matter how many soldiers there are."
"That's right. If the soldiers dare to enter the mountain, we can kill them."
The bandit leader pondered for a moment and said seriously, "This group of soldiers is not from Luzhou. Until now, we still don't know how capable they are. Since we want to rob the gold halfway, we should at least know what they are capable of. You two go and test them."
"Master, how should we test them?"
"Go eighty steps away and shoot an arrow at them. See their reaction."
"Master, that's not very good."
The two bandit leaders who were unlucky enough to be chosen had painful expressions on their faces, as if they were about to be executed.
The bandit leader glared at them. "What's there to be afraid of? Eighty steps away, they won't be able to hit us. Just be smart. Go."
"Yes, Master."
The two bandit leaders had no choice but to get up and walk out of the forest. They took out the crossbows on their backs and prepared to shoot at the Gourd Cave checkpoint from eighty steps away.
"Who's there? Stop!"
The two bandit leaders had just walked out of the forest when they were discovered by the Dragon Martial Army soldiers at the checkpoint and were loudly scolded.
However, the two bandit leaders acted as if they didn't hear anything and continued to walk forward.
"I'm talking to you. Stop! This is a military camp. Unrelated people are not allowed to come close."
The Dragon Martial Army lieutenant continued to scold them.
"What's going on?"
Li Feishouyu had just come to inspect the checkpoint when he heard the Dragon Martial Army lieutenant's scolding.
"General, two hunters accidentally entered the forbidden area. I'm scolding them."
"Hunters accidentally entered the forbidden area."
Li Feishou Yu frowned and looked up. About a hundred steps away, there were indeed two men with bows and arrows in their hands. They were walking towards them steadily. They did look like hunters.
How could these two be hunters? How could hunters have the guts to do this?
Li Feishouyu grinned and took the bow from one of the Dragon Martial Army soldiers. He nocked an arrow and aimed at one of the bandit leaders.
Whoosh!
A sharp arrow flew out like a bolt of lightning and hit the top of the bandit leader's head.
Before the two bandit leaders had fully recovered from the shock, another sharp arrow whizzed over and hit the bun on the head of the other bandit leader.
The two bandit leaders looked at each other's arrows in shock. After pausing for a moment, they quickly threw away the arrows in their hands and ran for their lives into the forest. They quickly disappeared into the forest.
Li Feishouyu smiled and looked at the Dragon Martial Army lieutenant. "These two aren't hunters. They're bandits from the surrounding mountains. Hunters don't have the guts to do this. If you encounter something like this again, you must report it immediately. Understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
Li Feishouyu nodded lightly and frowned thoughtfully. He then walked back to the checkpoint and returned to the East Cove.
In a small forest about a hundred steps away from the East Cove, the two bandit leaders held their heads and trembled in fear. The arrows in their hair were still in place.
The bandit leader and the remaining few bandit leaders also took a deep breath. They wanted to test the strength of the Dragon Martial Army, but they were humiliated before they could even make a move.
At a distance of nearly a hundred paces, two consecutive arrows hit the hair bun. This archery skill was not something an ordinary person could compare with. Unexpectedly, there was someone with such outstanding archery skill among the officers and soldiers. This made all the bandits shocked, and they began to feel uneasy.
At this moment, the bandits felt that they were overestimating themselves by fighting the soldiers alone. If they wanted to make a fortune, they had to gather everyone's strength.
"Boss, these soldiers are much stronger than the ones in Luzhou. Two arrows hit the bandit leader's hair. It's best we don't provoke them."
"That's right, Boss. We only have two hundred brothers. If these soldiers are all so powerful, we're all going to die."
The bandit leader frowned and looked at the Gourd Cave checkpoint not far away. He said seriously, "Humans die in pursuit of wealth, just like birds die in pursuit of food. There must not be many master archers just now. If we want to make a fortune, we have to take the risk. We must take the gold from the Gourd Cave. As long as there are not many guards, we can take it. If there are more than fifty guards, we'll give up."
All the bandit leaders nodded their heads in agreement and were ready to snatch the gold at any time.
####
In the East Cove of the Gourd Cave, Ang Lee was inspecting the gold mine. Although his work these days was mainly focused on training the soldiers, now that the first batch of gold jewelry had been completed, he naturally had to come and take a look. Admiring the craftsmanship of the goldsmiths was also a form of enjoyment.
"General, these are the jewelry that was made in this batch. Take a look."
Tong Sanpang introduced with a face full of smiles as he casually opened a small mahogany box that contained the gold jewelry.
The moment the box was opened, a dazzling hairpin appeared in front of Ang Lee's eyes. Ang Lee's eyes widened in surprise.
"Good, very good. The craftsmanship is exquisite, and it's very eye-catching. This is good stuff. Even the box outside is very unique. It will definitely sell for a good price, haha."
Ang Lee was very happy. He was very satisfied with the craftsmanship of the goldsmiths.
"General, there's more here. Take a look."
Tong Sanpang's face was full of smiles as he quickly took out a small mahogany box.
A gold bracelet with engravings appeared in front of Ang Lee. Once again, Ang Lee's eyes widened in surprise.
Following that were gold hairpins, gold necklaces, gold earrings, gold rings, and other gold jewelry.
Ang Lee did a rough count. There were a total of fifty pieces. If he sold them, he would definitely be able to make a lot of money.
"Tong Sanpang, you did a good job. This batch of gold jewelry can be listed on the market."
Ang Lee patted Tong Sanpang's shoulder and sincerely praised him.
Tong Sanpang was very happy. He quickly nodded and said, "General, don't worry. This batch of gold jewelry will be sent to Luzhou City tomorrow morning. If you place it in this commoner's new jewelry store, you will definitely make a lot of money."
"Jewelry store, Tong Sanpang, you really know how to plan. If you sell these jewelry to your jewelry store first, then to commoners, there should be a big difference in price."
Ang Lee looked at Tong Sanpang with a teasing gaze.
Although Ang Lee wasn't very familiar with business, he was very clear about how people in the future would line their own pockets. If Tong Sanpang sold these gold wares to his jewelry store at a lower price and then sold them to customers at a higher price, Tong Sanpang would get all the difference in price. In that case, Ang Lee would suffer a big loss. Therefore, it was necessary to remind Tong Sanpang not to have such thoughts.
Tong Sanpang's heart tightened. He knew that Ang Lee wouldn't allow him to do this. He quickly put on a smile and said, "This commoner wouldn't dare to be so greedy. These jewelry will be sold in this commoner's jewelry store. This commoner will only take a small part of the cost. Haha!"
Ang Lee nodded with satisfaction and said, "Tong Sanpang, it's good that you can think this way. I don't have any talents in business under my command, so I don't plan to send anyone to supervise you. However, you have to record all the accounts clearly. This General might send someone to buy the jewelry. If the price doesn't match the accounts, this General won't agree."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Tong Sanpang with a deep gaze.
Tong Sanpang's heart tightened. He quickly replied, "General, don't worry. This commoner will record all the accounts clearly. I won't dare to be greedy. Definitely not."
"Hmm, this General is willing to believe in you. Continue to work hard and I will give you your share. You definitely won't be shortchanged."
After scaring Tong Sanpang, Ang Lee naturally had to comfort him. He didn't want Tong Sanpang to lose his enthusiasm to continue working hard. Only when one's heart was filled with enthusiasm would one's work efficiency be higher.
Tong Sanpang thanked him profusely and turned to continue instructing the miners and goldsmiths to work hard. He told them to work hard, earn more money, and marry his wife.
Looking at the miners and goldsmiths working hard, Ang Lee felt very satisfied. It was as if he could see an endless amount of money piling up in front of him.
"It's fine. There's something strange outside the East Cove."
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