Chapter 156: His Name Still Lingered in the Jianghu
Chapter 156: His Name Still Lingered in the Jianghu
Northwest, Yongning Village, Heyang County.
Sui Fengxiong stood facing a large crowd of villagers, a vicious grin on his face. He was a bandit chief – that much was clear just from his name.
He was tall, powerfully built, and layered with thick, hard muscle. In those days, managing to become that fat was, naturally, because he excelled at the art of “robbery.”
“My name is Sui Fengxiong, and I’m a good man,” he declared to the group of trembling villagers in front of him, raising his big chopper knife. He grinned, “I’m just a poor commoner like you all. So I won’t kill you. I’ll give you a chance to live.”
Hearing this, the villagers looked up, startled. They had thought their death was certain. Was Sui Fengxiong really offering them a chance to survive?
Sui Fengxiong chuckled. “Join me. Rob with me and enjoy ourselves. But, when I get hungry, I’ll be asking you for grain.”
The villagers: “…”
Sui Fengxiong: “Don’t look at me like that. I’m doing this for your own good. Next time you take over a village, you say the same thing to the newcomers. Ask them for grain to feed yourselves. That way, wouldn’t everyone be able to survive?”
The villagers understood now. Put plainly, it was a layered hierarchy where each level supported the one above.
The earlier you joined, the more people there were beneath you to support you. The later you joined, the more people you would have to support. Thinking carefully, the best thing was obviously to join right away.
The villagers immediately signed up, shouting, “Wise lord!”
“Don’t call me lord,” Sui Fengxiong chuckled. “Call me Captain Xiong. I have a boss above me named Fan Shanyue. When you see him, call him Lord Yue. Got it?”
Everyone thought: So you have to support someone above too.
They understood. They all understood.
Sui Fengxiong waved a big hand, accepting over a hundred villagers from Yongning Village as his new underlings. His number of followers had now swollen to over twenty-two hundred. Hah, he felt extremely pleased.
Just as he was basking in his satisfaction, he saw a bandit army descending the eastern hillside. It was his boss, Fan Shanyue, arriving. Also with him was another captain under the boss, named Erchun.
Sui Fengxiong quickly hurried forward to greet them. “Big Brother, Third Brother! I just took in another hundred-plus men in Yongning Village. How were your hauls?”
Hearing his question, a flicker of displeasure crossed Erchun’s face. “I have over a thousand now.”
Sui Fengxiong was greatly surprised. “Over a thousand? Why isn’t Third Brother happy then?”
Erchun said, “I got chopped.”
He showed a wounded arm. “A few days back, when I only had three hundred men, I spotted a merchant caravan in a small village. The leader was a woman, big and strong. Looked like she had money. Of course, I went to rob her. Who knew that woman actually had some skill? She only had thirty or forty men but defeated my three hundred, and even cut me twice!” He added bitterly, “Lucky I gave her a chop back. Not a total loss. The past few days I’ve been recruiting desperately. I swear I’ll get revenge.”
Sui Fengxiong was shocked. “A strong woman? Could it be… the infamous Shanxi salt smuggler, Xing Honglang?”
“Right, definitely her!” Boss Fan Shanyue spoke up. “Xing Honglang injured Third Brother and hacked several dozen of our brothers to death. Then she headed west, ran into Chengcheng County.”
“Damn her!” Sui Fengxiong raged. “Cut our men and ran? How dare she!”
Fan Shanyue said, “I heard the Patrol Officer of Heyang has already brought troops marching this way. Nearby wealthy households and gentry have organized militia too, merging forces with that Patrol Officer. Their momentum isn’t small. We can’t stay in Heyang County anymore. Might as well take this chance to head west into Chengcheng County. On one hand, we dodge the pursuit by the Heyang Patrol Officer; on the other, we can chase after that Xing Honglang and get revenge for Third Brother.”
Sui Fengxiong hesitated. “Patrol Officer Cheng Xu of Chengcheng… I heard he’s a fierce character. They used to say in the jianghu he was timid, but that turned out to be fake news he spread. The real Cheng Xu is practically a War God! He first defeated Bai Shui Wang Er, killing Zheng Yanfu and Zhuang Guangdao. Then he defeated Bu Zhan Ni from Luochuan and Zuo Guazi from Yichuan. His killing spree made all the forest heroes terrified to step even half a foot into Chengcheng County. If we go stirring up trouble in Chengcheng and run into War God Cheng Xu, wouldn’t that be…?”
Fan Shanyue burst into loud laughter. “No worries! That Cheng Xu has already been killed by the Imperial Guards! Hahaha! The court sure is funny! As soon as Chengcheng finally gets an able Patrol Officer, the Imperial Guards help us kill him! Hahaha! Seems the old emperor is on our side!”
“Eh? Big Brother, where did you hear this news?”
“From a courier. It’s absolutely true, no mistake.”
“Then what are we waiting for! Chengcheng, let’s go go go!”
“Hahaha! Bai Shui Wang Er, Bu Zhan Ni of Luochuan, Zuo Guazi from Yichuan – they’re all nothing. When it comes to attacking Chengcheng, it’ll be down to my, Fan Shanyue of Heyang’s, abilities!”
In Chongzhen Year One, the War God of Chengcheng, Cheng Xu, had left “the world of men,” but the tales of the War God’s name still lingered in the jianghu.
…
Li Daoxuan was pondering the “entertainment industry.”
The enthusiastic crowd that had gathered to watch Xing Honglang and Gao Chuwu’s wrestling match last time proved one thing: now that Gaojia Village had a population exceeding a thousand, the lack of an entertainment industry was starting to affect productivity.
He had to find some amusement for the villagers who had filled their bellies and had nothing to do.
But the entertainment industry wasn’t easy. Where to start?
Give them books? They were all illiterates.
Using the village’s limited number of scholars as storytellers wasn’t very practical either.
Li Daoxuan hugged his head, racking his brains in deep thought…
Just then, people arrived from the direction of the county seat to the southwest of Gaojia Village.
The leader, riding a tall horse, wore official garments. It was County Magistrate Liang Shixian. Beside him was a military officer in armor – likely the newly appointed Patrol Officer replacing Cheng Xu.
Behind them followed a clerk, a deputy inspector, yamen runners, soldiers – a large, bustling procession.
Li Daoxuan couldn’t help but let out an intrigued “Oh?” Fun. Something entertaining to watch.
Seeing the officials arrive, the people of Gaojia Village immediately grew excited. The ordinary villagers switched into “spectator mode.”
Xing Honglang led the salt smugglers back into the plastic mansion and didn’t come out.
Cheng Xu also adjusted his cloth mask and quickly retreated into the main fortress, hiding.
Thirty-Two smoothed his clothes and adopting an incredibly arrogant “head steward of a great family” demeanor, came out from the fortress to greet them. “Ah! Long time no see, County Lord! Your complexion remains splendid! Truly worthy of celebration!”
Liang Shixian dismounted and clasped his fist. “Steward Three!”
The new Patrol Officer beside him also dismounted, casting a strange glance at Gaojia Fortress.
Liang Shixian introduced him, “This is the newly appointed Patrol Officer of Chengcheng, named Fang Wushang. This is the Third Steward of the Li Family.”
The introductions complete.
Thirty-Two finished the formal pleasantries and courtesies before asking, “What business brings Magistrate Liang and General Fang here today?”
Liang Shixian let out a long sigh. “This official has to borrow weapons again.”
So the bandit trouble in Heyang County has reached the Magistrate’s ears, Thirty-Two thought to himself.