lovenovelstory Chapter 23 The Cunning Old Liu
Chapter 23 The Cunning Old Liu
the next morning.
Lu Xingzhou, along with Sanjiangshui, Chuanwu, 5 gunners, and 15 strong laborers, rode horses and drove 5 large carts to raid the Beard's lair.
Before leaving, he arranged for Zhu Kaishan to look after the house.
"Uncle Zhu, the enclosure is now in your care!"
Others may not know, but Lu Xingzhou does.
Besides him, Zhu Kaishan, with his gray hair, is the strongest fighter in the compound; he can handle it.
Zhu Kaishan readily agreed, instead instructing Lu Xingzhou, "Don't worry, boss, I'll get the rice seedlings planted with everyone, it won't delay anything! Even though we've killed the bandit leader, we're still heading to Beard's lair, so please be careful!"
"Of course, of course, Ni Yang!"
Ni Yang reluctantly stepped forward.
Lu Xingzhou scolded, "Stop looking so smug! Protect the young mistress, and next time there's something fun, the young master will definitely take you!"
At least there was some psychological comfort, and Ni Yang felt much better: "Yeah! I'm sure it's not a big deal."
With a shortage of manpower, the only person Lu Xingzhou could trust most was this teenager.
A group of about twenty people crossed the Xiliao River and traveled another twenty miles northwest. Guided by the prisoners, they arrived deep in Dayanggou.
The so-called "deep places" are just that—nothing special.
Unlike the deep forests of the Changbai Mountains, the mountains adjacent to the Horqin Grassland are not very high; they are actually just a depression between two small hills.
So the fact that there are still bandit strongholds in such places is thanks to the fact that the Qing government was too lazy to go to such remote and desolate corners to suppress bandits.
The government was too lazy to care, but Lu Xingzhou took care of it.
Call the prisoners over: "Go and shout to the villagers, tell them to come out and surrender!"
Although he was known for his hatred of evil and his cruelty towards the bandits who attacked the fortified village, he was not entirely without a bloodthirsty nature.
Those carrying guns are all seasoned thugs; you might kill one out of a hundred and only one would die unjustly.
But the main force of those who could use guns in Dayanggou was all wiped out, and the village only had henchmen who usually used knives, spears, and darts as accomplices, and he didn't want to kill indiscriminately.
Having received prior assurances from Lu Xingzhou that he would not kill the prisoners he had promised to kill, the obedient boy ran to the half-open gate of the stockade and shouted:
"Brothers, our leader and second-in-command have already been taken down by Lu Yingxiong! Many of the brothers with guns have also fallen. We don't even have a decent weapon; how can we possibly be a match for Lu Yingxiong? Don't put up a fight; come out and surrender!"
They called out three times, but there was still no sound from inside.
A few minutes later, just as Lu Xingzhou was preparing to sneak in alone to find out what was going on, a lame old man with a white beard and hair walked out with a limp and a cane.
"Lu Yingxiong~ Don't do it!! The kid who escaped yesterday already told us about your abilities. All the kids who could run have fled, leaving only me, a cripple who can't run!"
Upon seeing the old man, the prisoner obsequiously introduced him to Lu Xingzhou: "Hero Lu, this is Liu Laoguai, the third-in-command of our village!"
"How can a cripple who'd collapse in a gust of wind be the third-in-command?"
Guo Shanfeng and Si Huzi are both burly men, so what's up with this old man?
"Hey~~ Our third leader used to run a veterinary farm, but he was kidnapped and brought up the mountain by the first leader two years ago!"
Lu Xingzhou suddenly realized: "Oh, so he's a technical talent."
He gave Sanjiangshui a look, and then led a few people into the village to investigate.
"Young master, there's definitely no one left in the village!"
Lu Xingzhou then allowed everyone to enter the village.
After cleaning up, looking at the village that was as clean as if it had been hit by a tornado, Lu Xingzhou felt a deep sense of regret.
"Even though we rushed, we're still late. I should have come overnight instead of resting!"
All the valuable and portable items in the mountain stronghold were nowhere to be found; they had all been swept away by the two hundred or so bearded men who had scattered and fled.
Only firewood, coal, and grain, which are difficult to take away and not worth much, can be worth six or seven hundred silver dollars in total.
Sanjiangshui said angrily, "Dayanggou Village has been established for over 20 years. I dare not say more, but it should have been worth at least 20,000 silver dollars. Now it's all gone to those bastards!"
The lame old man's tone was even more hateful:
"That's right! Those bastards were usually quite respectful to me, but last night when disaster struck, I realized they had no feelings for me whatsoever! They took everything—candlesticks, pots and pans—and even after I begged and pleaded, not one of them was willing to take this old man with them! A bunch of little bullies!"
Sanjiangshui rolled his eyes at the old man and said to Lu Xingzhou, "Young Master, there's nothing left to gain here. Let's go back while it's still early!"
Lu Xingzhou looked at Liu Laoguai with a strange expression.
Logically speaking, the leaders of the mountain stronghold were undoubtedly wanted by the government.
It doesn't make logical sense for someone with a limp to stay and wait to die instead of running away!
Also, now that they've been captured, shouldn't they try to minimize their presence?
Lu Xingzhou looked at the old man for a while, and the others, not understanding why, also looked at the old man.
Surrounded by dozens of gazes, Liu Laoguai gradually couldn't withstand the pressure. His eyes glazed over, and his breathing became agitated.
Lu Xingzhou was then convinced that he must have something to hide.
The question, laced with a veiled threat, went: "Boss Liu, you don't think I'll just slink away because we can't find anything, do you?"
Old Liu feigned confusion and protested, "Uh... Hero Lu, I don't understand what you're saying. You know, in the past two years, apart from helping Shanfeng train his horses, I've never done anything immoral!"
You cripple, you think you can take advantage of my youth and ignorance?!
"Heh, whether you genuinely don't understand or are pretending is irrelevant! I don't care about firewood and mixed noodles. I've come all this way, and if I don't get a satisfactory haul, then I'll have to use your head as a reward to make up for the loss!"
Liu Laoguai originally intended to hold out and observe Lu Xingzhou's expression.
The calmness carried a chilling indifference that put him under even more pressure than the fierce mountain winds.
Seeing that this Mr. Lu was not just talking, they had no choice but to start discussing conditions.
"I was kidnapped and brought up the mountain. I've never done anything like this before! Please, please spare my life!"
If you were actually sent to the government, those bureaucrats wouldn't care about right or wrong; they'd rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free, and you'd undoubtedly be dead.
Lu Xingzhou stared at him coldly: "You're trying to negotiate with me?"
Old Liu, sweating profusely, immediately realized that this young man was not easily fooled, so he had no choice but to reluctantly give him some benefits first.
"Lu Yingxiong, come with me!"
In the northwest corner of the stronghold, Old Liu pointed to the area next to the outhouse and said, "One night, I saw the chief burying something here!"
"Ugh~~~" Lu Xingzhou turned away in disgust.
These bearded men are incredibly tolerant, capable of anything a normal person could do just to hide some money!
"Someone, dig!"
He didn't even have the courage to look. The farmhands, who were responsible for arranging manure every year, had already dug up three boxes of silver dollars with their hoes.
After counting, it totaled 3600 yuan!
Indeed, one cannot get rich without unexpected wealth.
"Lu Yingxiong, look..."
Old Liu cautiously probed, and Lu Xingzhou burst into laughter.
"Hahaha~ Don't worry, this money is more than enough to make me happy! I won't chop off your head, let's see how the prefect of Changtu judges you!"
"Oh dear! How could you do this!"
Lu Xingzhou scoffed, "Why can't I do that? You're a bearded man, it's only right that we arrest you and hand you over to the authorities!"
Old Liu gave him a look that said, "Why don't you follow the rules of the martial arts world?" He lamented that the world was going to the dogs and people's hearts were no longer what they used to be! What a handsome young man, but his heart was black!
Ultimately, the will to survive overcame greed, and gritting his teeth, he led Lu Xingzhou's men to smash the corner of the stable wall, from which a large box fell out.
Upon opening it, there were a total of 34 small yellow croakers and 5 large yellow croakers!
Sanjiang's eyes lit up: "Young Master, we're rich!!"
Small yellow croakers cost one tael each, while large yellow croakers cost ten taels each, currently worth 4200 silver dollars. In ten years, they could fetch tens of thousands of silver dollars. This income alone could cover Lu Xingzhou's daily expenses at the fishpond this year.
"So stingy! You're acting all high and mighty over such a small amount of money!"
Sanjiangshui didn't argue back. He picked up the gold bars one by one, breathed on them, and wiped them clean, making them look just like his.
Seeing that Lu Xingzhou was looking at him again, Liu Laoguai quickly took the initiative:
"Young Master Lu, that's really all! If you're still not satisfied, then kill me or do whatever you want with me!"
Adding the previous 3600 to this 4200, the total comes to 7800 silver dollars.
The assessment of the assets of Dayanggou Mountain Village based on the Three Rivers Water assessment, plus what was taken away by the bandits, is roughly accurate.
Lu Xingzhou did not pursue the matter to the bitter end, and said with a friendly expression:
"Uncle Liu~ Someone as talented as you wouldn't even kill your beard, how could I possibly kill you?! Men, put Uncle Liu on the cart, from now on all the livestock in our enclosure will be under Uncle Liu's jurisdiction!"