Chapter Fifty: The Bandit's Resolve!

After Li Yun shouted loudly, Li Zheng, without hesitation, covered his nose and plunged into the smoke. Agile as ever, he quickly reached Li Yun, glanced at the official Guo lying on the ground, then stepped forward and kicked him before looking up at Li Yun and giving a thumbs-up.

Yet when he opened his mouth, it was with a fierce shout, “A fine rebel you are, daring to murder a government official!” After this proclamation, he glanced at Li Yun’s arm and whispered, “Second Brother, are you all right?”

Li Yun shook his head slightly. He knew his limits—it was but a superficial wound, and with his robust body, a few days would see him fully recovered.

Soon, more bailiffs rushed in and, seeing Guo Dian Shi lying on the ground, hurried to pull him out from the smoke. Once outside, they stared at Guo, who lay in a pool of blood, then turned to Li Yun and asked, “Chief, what now?”

“Guo Dian Shi was a legitimate official of the imperial court,” Li Yun said, his arm bandaged and his injured left arm suspended, issuing instructions. “You, carry Guo Dian Shi’s body with me to see Sima Cao!”

Guo Han, already overweight, was now lifeless, making him even harder to lift. Two men could not manage, so Li Yun ordered six to carry the corpse. Counting Li Yun himself, the officials from Qingyang numbered only ten; with seven gone at once, a gaping hole appeared in the eastern “defensive line” of Hexi Village. At that moment, Meng Chong and his companions burst through this breach. Dozens fled in all directions, vanishing into the night.

Li Yun brought Guo Dian Shi’s corpse before Cao Rong and bowed. “Sima Cao, Guo Dian Shi fell fighting the rebel leader; the villains were ferocious, and he met an unfortunate end.”

Cao Rong looked first at Guo Han lying before him, then at Li Yun, frowning. “You are… from Qingyang? Why does your accent sound odd?”

Li Yun remained calm. “Replying to Sima Cao, I am indeed from Qingyang, but I grew up in the north, so my accent carries some northern flavor.”

Cao Rong gave it no further thought, certainly not suspecting the seemingly honest young chief was cursing him inwardly. He glanced at Guo Han’s body and muttered, “A bunch of villagers—how could they first kill the magistrate, then the official?”

“Why didn’t you protect Guo Dian Shi?”

“Sima Cao,” Li Yun pointed to his arm, saying, “In defense of Guo Dian Shi, my arm was slashed by those rebels; had the blow landed elsewhere, I might have lost it in Hexi Village! Besides, we are Qingyang officials, not Shidai’s; protection of Guo Dian Shi should fall to Shidai’s men, not us.”

Sima Cao’s face darkened with anger. “How dare you speak to me like this!”

Li Yun’s face grew stern, tempted to silence the man with a blade, but for the sake of the bigger picture, he restrained his fury. After a moment, he forced a stiff smile.

“I am of a rough background; forgive my blunt words, Sima Cao.”

He looked at Cao Rong and continued, “May I ask where Sima Cao resides? Someday, I must bring gifts to offer my apologies.”

Cao Rong, shallow and greedy, cast a glance at Li Yun and did not press the issue further. “At least you know proper manners. If you truly wish to know, my residence is easily found.”

Li Yun glanced at Cao Rong, thinking to himself, Yes, I’ll certainly find out!

“Enough,” Sima Cao said, frowning. “Take this unlucky filth away and hand it over to the Shidai County office. Then return to guard Hexi Village; the armored troops from the prefecture will arrive soon, and you will return to your duties when they come.”

Li Yun said nothing, but bowed and left, instructing his men to carry Guo Han away. He had no further plans for the body, simply placing it aside. He then summoned the sole surviving official of Shidai County, Assistant Magistrate Liu He. The Shidai magistrate, registrar, and official had all died in the chaos; in fact, of the three county-level officers slain, two had fallen by Li Yun’s hand.

…

When Li Yun and his subordinates returned to the eastern side of Hexi Village, Guo Rong and Inspector Tian had already noticed some villagers had escaped. The two prefectural dignitaries hurriedly ordered the newly arrived armored soldiers to pursue the fleeing rebels from Hexi.

Li Yun and his men remained near Hexi Village. The chief sat upon a large stone, looked at his subordinates, and spoke, “Brothers, the villagers of Hexi seem well trained, their skills are formidable. I have already been wounded by their hands.”

“We must guard here through the night. Since we are all brothers, let me speak plainly: this assignment belongs to Shidai, not Qingyang, yet our lives are our own. Put on a show, get through the task, and by morning, our duty is done. When we return to Qingyang, I’ll treat you all to drinks!”

This speech struck a chord with the bailiffs. They knew Li Yun’s prowess—he had led men to wipe out two bandit strongholds without suffering so much as a scratch, yet now he was wounded by these rebels, which showed their ferocity. Such formidable foes were not ones they wished to risk their lives against.

Each responded with cheerful agreement.

Li Yun waved his hand and sent them off. Li Zheng remained by his side, whispering, “Second Brother, why wound yourself? If things get too tough, we could kill a few of these bird officials and return to the stronghold as kings of the mountain!”

Li Yun shook his head and gestured for Li Zheng to sit.

Once he was seated, Li Yun spoke slowly, “You saw the Shidai county office broken by a group of villagers, and now you look down on the authorities, don’t you?”

Seeing Li Zheng silent, the chief continued, “You saw the armored troops from the prefecture just now; never mind the rest of the imperial forces—just those two hundred soldiers alone, if they ascend Cang Mountain, our entire stronghold would be wiped out in an instant.”

“Whether we’d survive is uncertain; even if we did, we’d spend the rest of our lives as fugitives.”

“The authorities—if we defeat the small forces, the big ones will come. If we clear out these prefectural troops, thousands upon thousands will come looking for trouble.”

“So, we mustn’t act rashly.”

Li Yun glanced at his own wounded arm and spoke slowly, “A minor injury, but enough to dispel the authorities’ suspicions. It’s a worthwhile trade.”

“Skinny Monkey,” Li Yun called.

Lost in thought, Li Zheng quickly responded, “Second Brother, what is it?”

“Tomorrow, we set out for Qingyang. I must go to the county seat first; you return to the stronghold and tell Liu Bo to begin purchasing land in my name.”

“Buy land?” Li Zheng scratched his head. “Second Brother, we’re mountain bandits—what do we need land for? Are we going to farm ourselves?”

Li Yun narrowed his eyes. “You don’t understand. Since ancient times, those with much land never farm it themselves.”

“We must keep the stronghold, but to expand it, we need legitimate business on the surface.”

“Take that Zheng fellow in Qingyang—his family owns thousands of acres, has built a manor, and keeps over a hundred tenants.”

“One day, we too can build a manor and have a public identity.”

Li Zheng glanced around and whispered, “Second Brother, are you… thinking of quitting the bandit life?”

“Truthfully, I have considered it,” Li Yun said, clenching his fist. “But after what I’ve witnessed in Shidai these past few days, I must keep being a bandit!”

He sneered. “Without bandit tactics, we’d be bullied like Hexi Village, and perhaps we couldn’t even buy land!”