“Sister Sun, I know that you’re saying this for my own good, but I can’t turn back anymore.”
Sun Mo smiled. “Moreover, to be honest, these days, I don’t feel that there’s anything bad about being a bandit. Of course, the prerequisite is that one must have a lofty ambition!”
“Ambition?”
Sun Erniang was confused by Sun Mo’s words.
“Sister Sun, I want to trouble you to help me gather information on every one of Mount Zhao’s bandits, especially those who have had great feuds with their landlords.”
Sun Mo pleaded.
“What are you thinking of doing?”
Sun Erniang’s expression immediately became wary and suspicious.
“Don’t misunderstand. I just feel that since I want to become a bandit, I’m going to become the best one in the world!”
Sun Mo explained in a soft voice, sharing his plan with her.
The more Sun Erniang listened, the more surprised her expression was. In the end, she looked at Sun Mo with a gaze filled with disbelief.
It was just a kidnap. Did he need to plan things out so well?
“I’ll be troubling Sister Sun!”
Sun Mo cupped his fists together.
“Leave it to me!”
Sun Erniang assured.
As she was a woman and was beautiful, Sun Erniang had a good relationship with the Mount Zhao’s bandits. It was very easy for her to find out information.
In the past, Sun Erniang didn’t care about other people’s matters at all, and her image was a little cold and aloof. Now, to help Sun Mo, she took the initiative to get close to those bandits.
Two days passed by. Ye Biao sat on a chair in an unrestrained manner to drink tea. He looked at the bandits, who were going to take part in this operation, coming in successively.
There wasn’t a need for many people to be involved in a kidnap like this. 20 would suffice.
A bit later, Ye Biao put down his teacup.
“Is everyone here?”
Ye Biao was the second boss’s subordinate and was very good at fighting. He was a hot-blooded and brave man.
“That scholar didn’t come!”
“He can’t be scared, right?”
“I heard that his nickname is Swallow Li San and that he has killed Pang Jili and massacred the people at the Baimei Tower. Could this be fake?”
Everyone talked amongst themselves.
“Don’t talk gibberish! There’s no way that Brother Sun will be scared. He’s just… just overslept!”
Expensive Pork became anxious and explained loudly.
Although everyone was a part of the Mount Zhao’s bandits, they were split into different factions. Expensive Pork would usually go out on missions together with Sun Erniang, but the reason he joined Ye Biao this time around was to take care of Sun Mo.
Seeing that Sun Mo was being looked down on, Expensive Pork looked displeased.
“Oh, you’re already calling him your older brother?”
Someone sneered.
“We’ll give him one more cup of tea’s time. If he doesn’t come…”
Ye Biao didn’t finish his words, but everyone understood what he meant.
If Sun Mo wished to look for an excuse to run away from this operation, he’d have his head chopped off and tossed into the lake to feed the turtles.
“I’ll go take a look!”
Expensive Pork headed out of the hall.
“Brother, where are you headed to?”
Sun Mo had come. His smile looked even brighter under the late morning sun.
“This bastard is f*cking good looking!”
Many people cursed softly when they saw how handsome Sun Mo was. (You’re a person who can rely on your looks for a living, so why did you come to Mount Zhao?)
(You think it’s fun to be a bandit?)
Pa!
Ye Biao slammed his palm on the table, looking at Sun Mo with a dark countenance. “Although we’re bandits, we have rules to follow! Otherwise, if things go wrong, everyone’s lives will be on the line!”
Ye Biao didn’t care who Sun Mo was. He decided to give him a scare first before doing anything else.
Bandits were loyal to their brothers, but those who could be leaders were those who were good at fighting and had experience.
“Brother Biao, don’t be angry. I only came late because I wanted to get more money out of this. I didn’t do it intentionally.”
Sun Mo explained.
To speak the truth, it was on purpose that he had come late. Otherwise, how would he be able to attract everyone’s attention?
As expected, upon hearing that they’d be able to get more money, everyone became interested.
“Go on, how can we do that?”
“You really believe him? He’s just finding an excuse so that he won’t be punished!”
“Xiaoliu, why are you here instead of staying with your mother?”
Everyone bickered away, not showing any discipline at all. Someone saw a delicate young man standing next to Sun Mo and felt curious.
He was called Zhong Xiaoliu and was a filial son.
Everyone came to the Mount Zhao with nothing on them and would at most bring their wife and children with them. However, this person had carried his blind old mother on his back to join them as an outlaw, not complaining that she was a burden.
“Go on!”
Ye Biao wore a hint of mockery on his face, wanting to test out Sun Mo’s capabilities. If he was spouting gibbering, his fists wouldn’t stand on ceremony.
“I heard that our Mount Zhao volunteer army’s main source of income is from kidnapping. Our targets are mostly the children of the landlords from the countryside. Some people are willing to pay up, some aren’t. But even the landlords who pay the ransom would only pay a few hundred taels. To date, the greatest sum you’ve received is 1,000 taels.”
Sun Mo said fluently.
He even intentionally referred to the bandits as a volunteer army because it sounded nicer.
“Tsk, what do you know? This is to cast a long line to catch a big fish. What will we live off in the future if we were to take everything from the landlords?”
Ye Biao said in disdain, mocking Sun Mo for being short-sighted.
“It’s not as if the landlords’ estates can run off anywhere. Their money will be ours sooner or later!”
The bandits cheered and applauded.
“Heh, yours? You guys are just afraid that they’ll take desperate measures when driven to a corner!”
Sun Mo pursed his lips. “And I’ve always thought that money only belongs to me when it’s in my hands.”
Everyone fell silent.
Everyone understood that what Ye Biao said was just an excuse to console themselves. They really didn’t dare to drive those landlords into a corner.
These days, landlords didn’t lack wives and sons. Other than those who couldn’t have any children, who didn’t have a bunch of them?
Only a fool would be willing to pay up if you were to kidnap one of them and ask for half of their family assets!
Therefore, everyone didn’t go overboard and only asked for a few hundred taels. The landlords would just take it as if they were paying to avert disasters, while the Mount Zhao’s bandits wouldn’t look for trouble for at least a few years.
“You make things sound so easy. Even if we were to snatch it, money doesn’t come easily!”
Several people sighed.
Even though they didn’t need to fork out anything in this trade, it wasn’t as if they could rake in big money. Even if things didn’t go awry, they had to live with very little money.
“That’s in the past!”
Sun Mo poured a cup of cold water and sipped on it slowly. “In the future, we’ll have to change the way we earn money. Take this time for example. If we were to take down an estate and take over a landlord’s accumulated wealth for over 100 years, it should be enough for us to lead a good life, right?”
To get others to put their lives on the line, one had to entice them with benefits.
Many people were tempted, but some were worried.
“Kidnapping is too low. I’m not doing it. This time around, I’m going to take down an estate. Those who wish to strike it rich can come over and sign up with me!”
Sun Mo looked toward Ye Biao. “Other than the 30% to be paid to the mountain stronghold, all participants will split the rest of the money equally!”
Everyone immediately discussed amongst themselves.
“Sun Mo, don’t be reckless!”
Ye Biao was a little surprised.
“How can making big money be called reckless?”
Sun Mo pretended to be aggrieved. He then looked toward the others. “I know that some of you had brought your family along when you took to the woods and became an outlaw. Some of you had no other choice. I’m not going to force you guys. We’ll do this voluntarily. Right now, go tell your friends that we’re going down the mountain to earn big money!”
Everyone hesitated.
“I’ll say one last thing. We’ve all become outlaws. If we’re caught, we’ll be executed. However, we don’t get to eat the most expensive food and sleep with the most beautiful ladies. Don’t you think that it’s a losing deal?”
Sun Mo said with great passion, smashing the cup onto the floor.
He was a great teacher, and he was very good at striking a deep chord in people’s hearts.
“F*ck it! I’m doing it!”
“What will come will come! I’m doing it!”
“F*ck his mom!”
Everyone immediately went to call their friends.
“…”
Ye Biao saw that the situation had gone out of control and felt troubled. However, he was now sure that Sun Mo wasn’t a spy.
Whose spy would dare to be so crazy?
That mustn’t do. He must hurry up and inform the second boss!
…
“Take down an estate? Pay 30%?”
Boss Qiu chuckled. “Let him go do it!”
Only a fool wouldn’t want to get free money.
“Let him do whatever he wants!”
Boss Qiu instructed.
At the same time, the first boss was also informed of this matter. He felt hesitant and thought that Sun Mo was a troublesome guy.
As for Third Boss Lu, he rushed over to the meeting hall directly.
By the time he arrived, he saw that over 50 people had gathered here. Most of them were people who didn’t have any family, and a few of them were those who wanted to let their family have more food to eat. Therefore, these people were planning to do a big job with Sun Mo.
“Brother Sun, you mustn’t!”
Boss Lu went up straight to Sun Mo. “If you do this, the imperial court will send troops to wipe us out.”
Kidnapping was a small problem, but attacking an estate would be a rebellion.
“Third Boss, judging from the way you address me[1], you can’t possibly still be thinking about your identity as a distinguished-talent, are you? Remember, we’re bandits now!”
Sun Mo understood after seeing Boss Lu. This guy was probably forced to become an outlaw and was still hoping to clear his name. Therefore, he was trying not to get into trouble.
Swoosh!
Boss Lu’s countenance turned pale, looking very awkward.
“Our brothers have become bandits, and we might just get caught and be beheaded tomorrow. Yet, we’re still eating poorly. Life is too harsh!”
Sun Mo’s words caused everyone to become agitated.
“This time around, we aren’t seeking great wealth and riches. We only seek to fill our stomachs and have a woman to sleep with!”
Sun Mo bellowed loudly, “Brothers! Let’s go down the mountain!”
“Go down the mountain!”
“Go down the mountain!”
“Go down the mountain!”
All the bandits cheered, looking spirited, and their voices rang through the air.
Sun Mo took the lead while the others followed him.
“Brother Sun!”
Expensive Pork was so agitated that his face was covered in sweat. He squeezed through the crowd and followed behind Sun Mo, feeling that this was an idol worthy of chasing.
Sun Mo heard the footsteps behind him and felt bitter.
Wasn’t it a joke to be talking about ambitions and to overthrow the imperial court to a bunch of people who hadn’t received much education?
Who’d be able to understand?
Silver and women were the motivation that could keep people going.
A total of 56 people went with Sun Mo, using a total of 12 fishing boats.
“Sun Mo, is it too reckless to do this?”
Sun Erniang had come too. She looked at those bandits worriedly. “These people have always been an unbridled bunch. You should select the ones you can use for the job.”
The hidden meaning behind her words was that these people couldn’t be controlled.
“There’s no need. What I need are such tough people!”
Sun Mo explained, “Taking down an estate doesn’t just require a plan but also relies on hot-bloodedness and valiance. I need these great men!”
Great men were a good way of putting things. They were actually just a bunch of evil-doers who couldn’t hold back from robbing and plundering. These people had the greatest destructive force.
This was Sun Mo’s first battle, so he was naturally aiming for victory. Only after building up his reputation would he have the right to pick people and form his own team.
During the boat ride, Sun Mo called Zhong Xiaoliu to his side.
“It’ll depend on your performance to see if you can avenge your father and younger sister!”
Sun Mo had gathered some information. Zhong Xiaoliu’s family had borrowed money from the landlord and was unable to pay back the exorbitant interest rates. Therefore, the landlord took away all their farming land and they became the landlord’s sharecroppers.
Later on, in order to let his mother get treated for her illness, they were unable to return the borrowed money and his younger sister was taken away.
His father naturally wasn’t willing to see his beloved daughter falling into the hell pit and during the tussle, the landlord’s butler accidentally inflicted him with serious injuries.
A few days later, his father died.
After a few more months passed, he heard that his younger sister hadn’t been well-behaved and had scratched the landlord when attending to him. She ended up being sold to a brothel.
Zhong Xiaoliu went to ask them for an explanation but was given a harsh beating. In a rage, when the butler came to ask him for money, he hacked the butler with a kitchen knife and then brought his mother with him to Mount Zhao.
“I understand!”
Zhong Xiaoliu gritted his teeth. “Brother Sun, if you can help me with my revenge, I’ll sell my life to you!”
“Don’t say that. Your life will always be yours. You must let your life become even happier. That’s the greatest retaliation you can make to those people who’ve harmed you!”
Sun Mo patted Zhong Xiaoliu on the shoulder.
“Brother Sun!”
Zhong Xiaoliu was stunned and felt extremely touched. No one had said such things to him before.
“Thank you!”
Sun Erniang’s beautiful eyes were gleaming too. “Xiaoliu is a filial child.”
“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. It’s a natural thing to be helping a brother to take revenge!”
Sun Mo thought to himself that he actually had a few backup plans. The reason he had decided to pick Xiaoliu was that people like him wouldn’t betray him. Moreover, the Zhong Clan’s estate was only 20 over lis away from the Eight Hundred Miles Lake.
When they were nearing the shores, Sun Mo didn’t let them get to the land but had the fishing boats enter the weed bushes to have a meeting.
“This is the floor plan for the Zhong Clan’s manor. It’s definitely not accurate, but that doesn’t matter. When the time comes, we can just randomly grab a servant or maid and ask them for the concrete location!”
Sun Mo took out ten pieces of paper and handed them to everyone.
“Erniang, you’ll lead some men to take over the stable at the first instant. We aren’t going to just prevent the people from the Zhong Clan from escaping. These horses will also be the transportation tool for our retreat.
“Expensive Pork, you’ll lead one group of people and will be in charge of the backyard. Don’t let anyone escape.”
“Brother Biao, our two teams will kill everyone in the front courtyard first. I’ll then leave the treasury to you. “Be careful that they might set off a fire to burn the food supplies.”
Sun Mo gave out orders in succession.
The bunch of bandits had been spurred by Sun Mo’s speech previously, but after sailing for a few hours, they had calmed down. They were also starting to consider if this operation could succeed.
Seeing that Sun Mo seemed to have everything under control and planned out, they felt good.
“Then who will be responsible for Landlord Zhong?”
Ye Biao frowned.
The one to kill Landlord Zhong would definitely get the most rewards.
“This is my proposal, so I’ll definitely be the one to do such a dangerous job!”
Sun Mo looked at Ye Biao. “Of course, everyone can be assured that for this operation, I won’t take a single cent from the things we get.”
“Sun Mo!”
Sun Erniang was shocked and wanted to persuade him not to make promises recklessly.
Everyone fell silent too. After all, the reason they came out to plunder was for wealth.
“I’m treating everyone as my brothers and showing my sincerity. I hope that everyone can also cooperate well. We’ll still be taking on big jobs in the future!”
Sun Mo said.
“Alright, I’ll believe you this one time!”
Ye Biao stared hard at Sun Mo. This person was either one with great ambitions but little talent or was extremely ambitious.
There was a stretch of forest three lis away from the Zhong Clan’s estate. To not attract attention, Sun Mo’s group arrived at the place in batches.
At the same time, they also had Sun Erniang go and collect some information.
Two days later, everyone was gathered. Sun Erniang also brought news that things were normal in the Zhong Clan’s estate.
Evening came.
After eating dried rations, Sun Mo stood up.
“Brothers, today is the day that decides whether we’ll be eating meat or drinking soup. Come, let’s go and rob the rich to save the poor, to uphold justice!”
Sun Mo’s first performance had started.
“Brother Biao, this just occurred to me. We still have no idea how Big Brother Sun’s fighting skills are.”
An underling got up behind Ye Biao and reminded him in a soft voice.
“If he can’t fight, then he’ll just die!”
Ye Biao didn’t care. Sun Mo’s plan was well-thought-out. Even if Sun Mo were to die, he’d still be able to carry it through. However, why had this underling started to call Sun Mo as big brother?
(Do you have any respect for me, who is your sworn brother?)
[1] Spoken with more respect and not the casual way bandits would speak..
