Chapter 108: Black Dragon Mountain, Immortalized in History!

During the time spent suppressing bandits in Shidai, Li Yun had not been present at all times, but Zhou Liang, Zhang Hu, and others had been there throughout.

Li Yun had Zhou Liang bring over the ledger of killed bandits. He flipped through it page by page, and then spent an entire night personally tallying up which bandits had killed the most enemies.

At this stage, the administrative capability of Li Yun—or rather, the Cangshan Stronghold—was still quite crude. Aside from a few subordinates whose fierce combat prowess Li had witnessed personally, he could not see the performance of most others during the suppression efforts. Therefore, he could only use this simplest of methods to select junior officers: whoever killed the most, rose the highest.

By the next day, Li Yun had selected about twenty people. These individuals all had records of at least three kills in their ledgers, marking them as the most active and prominent figures in the Shidai suppression campaign.

The next day, Li Yun summoned these twenty-plus men to an open space. He sat at the very front and gestured for everyone to sit directly on the ground.

Commander Li first stretched his body, then looked at the group and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, when you first followed me to suppress the bandits, I promised you that as long as you did not desert or act recklessly, and contributed to the suppression, I would allow you to redeem yourselves through service."

"Now, the bandit situation in Shidai has been largely resolved." Commander Li lowered his gaze. "You are all men who have rendered service. I am not a man who breaks his word, nor will I throw you into prison to face judgment just to claim credit from the Imperial Court."

"Now, those who wish to leave may stand up. I will give you ten strings of cash, and you may go."

Zhou Liang’s intention had been for Li Yun to reveal his true identity to these men—to let them know that Li Yun was the master of the Cangshan Stronghold and a man of the greenwood, so they would trust that he would not harm them, and subsequently, fully win them over as his own subordinates.

However, after thinking it over for a night, Li Yun felt that this would be too abrupt. Although his influence had expanded several times over, it had not yet reached the level where he could openly confront the government. Therefore, the fewer people who knew his official identity, the better.

And to truly win these men over, to make them follow him or believe that Li Yun—an official—would no longer harm them, there was undoubtedly a simpler method: let them leave.

As expected, as soon as Li Yun said this, there was an uproar among those present. Some of the more impatient bandits stood up directly, looking at Li Yun. One gritted his teeth and asked, "Commander... Commander Li, are you really letting us go?"

"Yes, are you really letting us go?" another asked. "Won't the government send people to hunt us down the moment we turn our backs?"

"You may go as you please," Commander Li said with a smile. "Some of you have been with me for two months now; when have I ever killed anyone without reason?"

"You are welcome to leave, and I will give you the money, but let us be clear: once you leave the Anti-Bandit Squad, you remain outlaws in the eyes of the court. I will not register you in the official government census. Whether you can regain an official status depends on your own fortunes."

"If you still wish to return to the mountains, I will not stop you, but I advise you to go far away. Do not practice that trade in Xuanzhou again, for if I am still suppressing bandits in Xuanzhou and we meet again, I will show no mercy."

As he finished speaking, someone stood up to leave. Li Yun pressed his hand down, signaling him to sit. Once the man was seated, Commander Li continued, "Let me speak of the other possibility."

"Though you have cleared your sins, you may still choose to stay. Everyone here is a hero who has contributed to the suppression. If you stay, you shall be squad leaders in the Anti-Bandit Squad, each in charge of five to ten men. From now on, I will provide you with rations and pay."

Li Yun paused here, then added, "Continue to render service in the future, and you may continue to rise in rank."

A young man, appearing to be only seventeen or eighteen, who had been sitting not far from Li Yun with his head bowed, finally looked up and asked, "Commander Li, even if we don't leave, can this bandit suppression... continue forever?"

Bandit suppression was, after all, a temporary project; these bandits were the most aware of this. In the past, government troops would only suppress bandits for a week or two. Now, following this Commander Li, they had been at it for months. Even if they cleared all the bandits in Xuanzhou, it would take at most a year or two. After a year or two, where would they go?

Li Yun looked at him and smiled. "There are eight or nine other counties in Xuanzhou that need to be cleared. In Xuanzhou alone, we have at least a year or two of work. As for after that..." Li rubbed his chin and continued, "By then, those who have rendered service, if they do not wish to remain in the Anti-Bandit Squad, may leave. I will do my best to provide you with an official status so you can start life anew. If you wish to stay in the Anti-Bandit Squad, you may continue to do so."

Commander Li said calmly, "The Great Zhou is plagued by bandits everywhere. Our suppression need not be limited to Xuanzhou; there may be other places that need us."

What Li Yun said about the "future" was vague, but his promise regarding what would happen after Xuanzhou was clear. They could still leave, they would have a legitimate status, and they would have money. That was enough.

The youth looked up at Li Yun and gritted his teeth. "Commander Li, I want to keep working with you."

"We want to keep following Commander Li too!" The twenty-plus men began to cheer.

Li Yun did not speak. After letting them clamor for a while, he looked at the youth and asked with a smile, "What is your name?"

"My surname is Deng. Deng Yang."

"Good lad." Li Yun stood up, patted his shoulder, and smiled. "Very well. Those willing to stay, go to Zhou Liang later to register your names. We will be stationed at Black Dragon Stronghold for ten days. Within these ten days, each of you must organize your own squad, with a minimum of five and a maximum of ten men."

Li Yun added, "Three months from now, I will select several battalion commanders from among you. Each commander will lead five squads. For these commanders, I will provide new household registrations and higher pay. From then on, you will be completely cleared of your crimes and will no longer be bandits!"

At these words, everyone cheered. Li Yun pressed his hands down and said, "Today, we shall continue to drink and eat meat. I have already sent men down the mountain to purchase livestock."

The group stood up, cheered, and left in high spirits.

After everyone had left, a man in his twenties or thirties remained. He looked at Li Yun and whispered, "Commander... Commander Li."

Li Yun looked at him and asked with a smile, "Are you leaving?"

The man nodded and lowered his head. "I... I was kidnapped and brought up the mountain. To survive, I inexplicably became a bandit. I still have parents at home."

"Since you said, Commander, that I have redeemed my sins, I... I want to go back and see them."

Li Yun nodded and asked with a smile, "What is your name?"

The man's expression changed abruptly, and he looked up at Li Yun, his face showing panic.

Li Yun gave a soft laugh. "Don't worry, I have no intention of making things difficult for you."

"In this world, many people are not masters of their own fate. Since you want to go home, then go home." Commander Li said calmly, "Later, go to Uncle Zhou to collect your money, and then head down the mountain."

"Do not speak of the Anti-Bandit Squad's affairs; if you do, the government might still capture you."

The man expressed his profound gratitude, bowing his head to Li Yun. "If my parents are well, I shall return to serve the Commander."

After scrambling to his feet, he turned to leave, but after a few steps, he looked back at Li Yun and took a deep breath. "My surname is Feng. My name is Feng Sheng."

Li Yun waved at him. "Go, go."

Feng Sheng wiped away tears with his sleeve—whether from excitement or sorrow, it was unclear—and turned to leave.

Li Yun stood where he was, watching his back with a smile.

"Among the bandits... there are many stories, too."

***

Three days later, the list of squad leaders was basically finalized. Zhou Liang came to see Li Yun with the list. After placing it before him, he said, "Stronghold Master, we selected twenty-eight people, and twenty-four remained. Four wanted to leave."

Li Yun nodded and smiled. "This ratio is already quite good. Let those who want to leave, leave."

"As for the leaders who stayed, you, Third Uncle, lead them for now. Tell them they must manage their own squads well. If anyone deserts or rebels, it will be held against them."

"Rest assured, Stronghold Master," Zhou Liang said with a grave expression. "I will lead them well."

Li Yun confirmed the list again, then walked out of the room, looking at the one hundred and sixty or seventy "bandit soldiers" on the open ground, who had already gathered into small groups according to their squads.

Zhou Liang stood behind Li Yun, watching them, and sighed softly. "Stronghold Master, these can no longer be called bandits."

Li Yun turned back to look at Zhou Liang and asked with a smile, "Then what are they?"

"An army," Zhou Liang said slowly. "They have the embryonic form of an army; they just haven't been fully formed yet."

Li Yun thought for a moment while rubbing his chin, then smiled and said, "Third Uncle, you must have served in the military before, right?"

Zhou Liang’s expression shifted slightly, and he remained silent.

Li Yun smiled and did not press him. Everyone had their own story, especially those who had taken to the mountains; their stories were often more dramatic than those of ordinary people.

Just as Li was about to change the subject, Chen Da and Huang Yong came running over. They looked at the bandits organized by their commander, then looked up at Li Yun and reported, "Boss, the Xuanzhou yamen has sent word to Shidai, saying they want to invite you back to Xuanzhou. Someone wants to see you..."

"Return to Xuanzhou?" The Great Stronghold Master rubbed his chin and looked at Chen Da. "How did they know we were at Black Dragon Mountain?"

"Boss, we haven't moved for half a month," Chen Da scratched his head. "They were bound to find out eventually."

Li Yun thought for a moment, then turned to Zhou Liang and smiled. "Third Uncle, after finishing the reorganization here, you, Li Zheng, and the family can continue the suppression with them. Chen Da and I will go to Xuanzhou to take a look."

He spoke cryptically, using the term "the family." Zhou Liang understood and bowed in salute.

"Yes, Commander Li."