bookmarkrole #265 - You want to rob the prefect?
#265 - You want to rob the prefect?
At this moment, Xiaoyu was riding on the Divine Eagle's back, one hand gripping the eagle, while the other waved continuously at Liang Jin.
Liang Jin couldn't help but sigh at this sight.
Fortunately, Xiaoyu was a martial artist.
Otherwise, if an untrained ordinary person were carried so high by the Divine Eagle, they might not be able to withstand the changes in air pressure and airflow and fall.
It would be even worse for someone with a fear of heights, who would probably have fainted from fright long ago.
"You two!"
"Come down!"
Liang Jin shouted at the Divine Eagle and Xiaoyu.
However, he saw Xiaoyu pat the Divine Eagle's neck and then point into the distance.
This Divine Eagle seemed to understand human nature, and with a flap of its wings, it carried Xiaoyu towards the distance.
Liang Jin could only watch as the figures of the person and bird grew farther and farther away, leaving only a small black dot on the horizon.
Flying in the sky is indeed faster than running on the ground.
With the Divine Eagle's speed, not to mention chasing after it on horseback, even if Liang Jin used his lightness skill, he wouldn't be able to catch up.
"Two stubborn mules!"
This made Liang Jin very unhappy.
These two fellows were full of bestial instincts and didn't listen to Liang Jin's orders at all.
"I'm not chasing them."
"Let them go wherever they want. The more I chase them, the more enthusiastically they'll probably run."
Liang Jin reined in his horse and stopped.
Xiaoyu was, after all, a child with a child's temperament.
The more you chase her, the happier she runs, thinking she's playing with you.
Of course, Xiaoyu and the Divine Eagle might never return.
But Liang Jin wasn't worried about that.
Relying on the characteristics of [Thousand Mile Tracking], he would find them sooner or later.
At this moment.
A new message popped up on the system interface:
[Detected a person of extreme violence near the host.]
[Bring them into the Nine Void Unbound?]
[Yes / No]
On the radar interface, a light spot appeared nearby.
And this light spot was very close to Liang Jin.
Liang Jin looked up and saw that they had unknowingly arrived on the official road.
Looking around, there was no one nearby.
There were two small mounds not far away, and it seemed that the person of extreme violence was hiding behind them.
"Be careful, there's an ambush here."
Liang Jin said to Lei Zhen and Xiao Liu beside him, pointing to the two small mounds in the distance.
Hearing this, the two immediately became vigilant.
Lei Zhen relied on his iron fists, while Xiao Liu drew the long sword he had recently snatched.
Just as the three of them were on guard.
Suddenly!
"Whoosh!"
A sound of air being torn apart suddenly rang out.
Liang Jin's expression slightly froze upon seeing this.
This arrow was no ordinary arrow; it was full of extremely strong power!
Liang Jin had seen all kinds of martial artists, and he had seen many who used hidden weapons.
But he had never seen anyone who used a bow and arrow.
And now, a martial artist who used a bow and arrow had actually appeared!
Bows and arrows have a long range, but it's difficult for them to carry internal force.
If you want the arrow to be able to carry internal force all the time, then you probably need some unknown methods.
This arrow wasn't aimed at anyone; it was clearly a warning.
Xiao Liu held his sword and shouted:
"Who are you?
"Dare to come out and meet us?!"
Along with Xiao Liu's shout.
More than a dozen riders slowly appeared from behind the small mounds.
These riders were both men and women, and their martial arts skills varied.
Liang Jin's gaze slowly swept over the people, roughly judging their strength levels.
The leader, a fat black man, had a peak fifth-grade strength.
The two people beside the fat man, a beautiful woman with early fifth-grade strength, and a man holding a bow and arrow, also had early fifth-grade strength.
The arrow just now was clearly shot by this man holding a bow and arrow.
The strength of the rest ranged from sixth to ninth grade.
Such a team would be considered elite and not to be underestimated anywhere.
The sudden appearance of three fifth-grade experts caused the horses of Liang Jin and the others to neigh in terror.
"Are you the 'Timely Rain' Song Jiang, 'Iron Fist' Lei Zhen, and 'Blood Sword Lone Wolf' Xiao Liu, whose names have been spreading recently?"
The fat black man in the lead asked in a loud voice, his triangular eyes sweeping across the faces of the three.
This fat black man was very fat, like a mountain of meat, and the horse under his crotch was panting with exhaustion, walking with difficulty.
This fat man had dark skin, a face full of橫肉, and a thick beard, with ferocity mixed with majesty.
He was wearing a purple-red silk robe and a black crown, with several gemstone rings on his thick fingers, squeezing the fat on his fingers.
His overly fat body made it difficult to tighten the clothes on his body, and his thick chest hair could be clearly seen.
From his aura alone, he seemed to have the temperament of a boss and was extremely oppressive.
Lei Zhen whispered to Liang Jin at this time:
"Brother, they look like people from the Black Boar Fortress in Wangyue Ridge."
"They are also a group of outlaws who oppose the government."
Lei Zhen was a local of Changzhou and was very familiar with the local outlaw forces, so he could roughly judge the origin of the other party at a glance.
Liang Jin sighed slightly after hearing this.
This Changzhou was really rotten to the core, and even so many powerful martial artists had not been recruited for the imperial court, but instead caused them to stand on the opposite side of the imperial court.
No wonder Liang Qizhi, the leader of the Six Doors in Dongzhou, said that even the elites within the Six Doors were losing a lot.
It seems that this Great Qian Dynasty is indeed showing signs of decline.
Liang Jin retracted his thoughts, cupped his fists, and replied to these people:
"We three brothers are!"
"May I ask, are you heroes from the Black Boar Fortress?"
Hearing Liang Jin confirm their identity, joy and admiration could not help but appear in the eyes of these people.
The fat black man laughed loudly:
"That's right!"
"We are from the Black Boar Fortress, my name is Dong Xiong."
"I have long heard that the three heroes rob official grain and big households everywhere, and I have also seen the portraits of the three heroes. I didn't expect to finally meet you today."
"If the three of you don't mind, please come and have a few drinks to relieve your fatigue."
As Dong Xiong, who claimed to be Dong Xiong, said this, he waved his hand.
His subordinates immediately laid out a stall on the hillside and brought some bags of wine and food.
Liang Jin was not polite, and led Lei Zhen and Xiao Liu to walk over on horseback.
They sat on the carpet with Dong Xiong and his group, chatting while eating and drinking.
Dong Xiong also began to introduce the people around him to Liang Jin and the others.
The man holding the bow and arrow was called Li Rong, and he was the second head of the Black Boar Fortress; and the heroic woman was called Xingniang, and she was the third head of the Black Boar Fortress.
Li Rong cupped his fists at everyone:
"I didn't know that the three heroes had arrived just now. Please forgive me for offending you!"
Li Rong's appearance looked much more ordinary, and he was also in his thirties or forties.
But he was tall and slender, and was wearing the black chest protectors, arm guards, and hand guards commonly used by archers.
Xingniang also smiled at the three of them:
"I have long heard of the names of the three heroes, and I only regret not meeting you sooner."
This Xingniang was not young, at least thirty or forty years old, but she was very beautiful, and could be described as a charming woman.
In particular, her facial features were full of an atmosphere, full of a masculine heroic spirit.
The few people exchanged greetings for a while.
Dong Xiong was very enthusiastic about Lei Zhen, who was at the fifth-grade level.
His attitude towards Liang Jin could be regarded as polite, after all, although Liang Jin's aura was weak, his demeanor was extraordinary.
Xiao Liu, with his ninth-grade strength and gloomy, taciturn personality, received only perfunctory attention from Dong Xiong, who deemed him incapable of great things.
This was a clear case of tailoring treatment based on perceived worth.
However, Dong Xiong was surprised to find that Lei Zhen addressed Liang Jin as '大哥' (Big Brother) and seemed to defer to him.
After his initial surprise, Dong Xiong understood.
Liang Jin appeared to be the eldest, so it was natural for them to order themselves by age in their brotherhood.
Consequently, Dong Xiong treated Liang Jin with increased respect.
After some small talk, Dong Xiong finally revealed the purpose of their visit:
“To be honest, we're planning to rob the newly appointed governor of Changzhou…”
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The truth was,
Changzhou had become a complete mess.
Drought, famine, and the recent locust plague had brought Changzhou to the brink of collapse.
Any official with connections was trying to transfer out.
The previous governor had hastily departed Changzhou as soon as the locust plague began.
A new governor was soon to take office.
This new governor was originally a wealthy merchant who wouldn't normally qualify for such a position.
However, with the Daqian Dynasty's treasury depleted and corruption rampant, the selling of official positions had become commonplace.
This merchant had donated a large sum of money to the court in exchange for the governorship.
As a businessman, he naturally expected a return on his investment.
This merchant saw the governorship of Changzhou as an opportunity to amass wealth.
It was said that the merchant was transporting a large quantity of grain to Changzhou, intending to sell it at exorbitant prices.
Dong Xiong and his Black Boar Fort gang planned to seize this grain.
Finally, Dong Xiong turned to the trio and said:
“Gentlemen, we share a common goal. How about we work together on this?"
“We'll split the loot nine-one, with Black Boar Fort taking nine and you taking one.”
Upon hearing this, Liang Jin and his companions exchanged glances.
Robbing a newly appointed governor was no simple matter.
As the head of a prefecture, the governor would undoubtedly be escorted by government soldiers and skilled warriors.
Furthermore, governors with connections, influence, and wealth often hired their own bodyguards.
Especially in a chaotic place like Changzhou, where bandits roamed freely, the new governor would surely take precautions.
Robbing the governor was inherently risky.
Lei Zhen inquired:
“Chief Dong, after you seize the grain, won't you distribute it to the people?”
Dong Xiong waved his hand and chuckled boisterously:
“Brother Lei, you three are wandering heroes; you don't understand our situation.”
“As the saying goes, 'You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you run the house.' It's not easy for us to feed the entire Black Boar Fort.”
“The dozen or so men you see here are just the elite core of Black Boar Fort.”
“Besides them, there are over three hundred brothers ambushed nearby, and another hundred or so guarding the fort. In total, we have over five hundred people relying on the grain to survive.”
“Moreover, Black Boar Fort needs to recruit more soldiers. In Changzhou, whoever has grain has soldiers.”
“By recruiting soldiers, we're essentially distributing the grain to the people in a roundabout way.”
Lei Zhen turned to Liang Jin, awaiting his decision.
Liang Jin was, after all, the eldest brother and the most skilled in martial arts; the decision naturally rested with him.
Liang Jin replied:
“Nine-one is too little.”
“We want six-four, we take six, and you, Chief Dong, get four.”
Dong Xiong laughed derisively upon hearing this:
“You take six?”
“Hero Song, are you jesting?”
“Tell me, what gives you the right?”
Even Xing Niang and Li Rong shook their heads slightly.
To get a bigger share, you need the strength to back it up!
They, Black Boar Fort, had three fifth-grade experts and over five hundred men.
The opposing side had only one fifth-grade expert and two insignificant martial artists.
What made them think they deserved so much grain?
Even if they were given that much, could the three of them even transport it?
Saying such a thing was simply tactless!
Dong Xiong was about to refuse immediately.
But the next moment, Dong Xiong's expression changed drastically.
Even Xing Niang and Li Rong couldn't help but stand up abruptly.
They all sensed Liang Jin's aura suddenly surge!
In the blink of an eye, his aura had reached the fifth-grade level!
At that moment, Liang Jin relaxed his 'Hidden Dragon in the Abyss' technique, revealing his fifth-grade cultivation.
“Now, we also have two fifth-grade martial artists. Is that enough to qualify for six?”
Liang Jin asked.
At this moment,
Xing Niang suddenly pointed at Liang Jin and shouted sharply:
“You actually know how to conceal your aura?”
“Only certain special martial artists from the Six Doors possess such a technique.”
“Speak! Are you a government dog?”
Liang Jin merely sneered in response, not bothering to answer.
Lei Zhen and Xiao Liu also smiled without saying a word.
Dong Xiong waved his hand at Xing Niang, saying:
“Xing Niang, sit down.”
“Hero Song and his companions have robbed so much official grain; how could they be government agents?”
“If he were a government agent, I, Dong Xiong, would gladly gouge out my own eyes!”
Li Rong nodded, clearly agreeing with Dong Xiong.
Xing Niang couldn't help but look embarrassed.
She had been too impulsive just now.
Now that she thought about it carefully, it was indeed impossible for Liang Jin to be a government dog.
His wanted posters were even plastered in every village.
Furthermore, the actions of Liang Jin and his group in recent days had all been genuine.
Black Boar Fort had already investigated thoroughly and found no deception.
Even if the court were to send an undercover agent, they could never go to the extent that Liang Jin had.
“I apologize, Hero Song; I was rude.”
“I am willing to punish myself with a cup to express my apology. Please forgive me, heroes.”
Xing Niang said, raising her cup and drinking it in one gulp.
Liang Jin waved his hand, not minding.
Dong Xiong spoke:
“We can split it three-seven, giving you three.”
“This is also our bottom line, and our men can also help you transport the grain.”
Liang Jin still shook his head, indicating his refusal.
He said:
“If we split it this way, we'd rather not participate in this.”
Dong Xiong's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this.
He really didn't expect Liang Jin's appetite to be so big, so unreasonable.
Liang Jin said:
“Of course, we're not without other options for negotiation.”
“I have another proposal.”
At this point, Liang Jin reached out and pointed at Li Rong:
“If Second Chief is willing to give me your archery manual, then we can split the loot nine-one, we only need one, and I can accept it.”
Archery manuals were very scarce, and Liang Jin also wanted to learn.
Especially now that Liang Jin's martial arts were already maxed out.
If he didn't learn new martial arts, some of his system rewards for increasing martial arts proficiency might become useless.
Liang Jin was too lazy to learn most ordinary manuals.
But this archery manual was what Liang Jin lacked, so he was very tempted.
Now, it depended on whether Li Rong would agree.