156, Bandit Emperor (2) (1/2)
After subduing these bandits, Wei Mingyan started to inspect his newly laid foundation with a knife in hand.
This group of bandits has been here for seven years. They were all honest farmers at first. Although they now look like bandits, their ability to survive in this area for seven years is naturally not due to their ability to fight.
At first, Wei Mingyan was a little confused as to why these vicious bandits, who were rumored to be capable of eating children alive, were so weak and had not been eliminated by the government. After wandering around, he roughly understood.
The terrain here is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and some of the bandits were hunters. They made bows and arrows and lay down on the mountain. Not to mention the government officials who now have nothing to lose, even the gods of Daluo will be scared when they come.
But no matter how vigilant the bandits were here, Wei Mingyan never expected that Wei Mingyan could go up the mountain and beat them all to death.
The former boss, Mo Da, with a bruised nose and a swollen face, followed Wei Mingyan, watching him enter the warehouse that he had finally filled half of, and patted around inside, which made his heart ache.
Even if they can't use these things, they are still savings over the years.
"Brother..." Mo Da grimaced, and the thick man's face almost wrinkled with distress, "This is the warehouse where we usually store our belongings. If you like anything, you can take it as you like..."
By the end of the sentence, my voice was trembling.
Wei Mingyan turned around and glanced at him, speaking indifferently, "You have been on this mountain for seven years, and this is all you have?"
Mo Da's face became more and more bitter, "We made some money in the first year, but from that year on, everyone nearby knew that there were bandits on this mountain, and they would rather take a detour than go here. After the government came several times, The notoriety has spread even more, and now you are lucky if you can rob one person in a month.”
Originally, their life was difficult. Although they had a lot of money in the first year, they had already settled down after living on the mountain for so many years. They also knew that they were too broke to leave the mountain, so they had no choice but to farm the land themselves. Occasionally, I catch some game in the mountains for the tooth festival.
My life was already hard enough, but in the end, I even provoked such an evil spirit.
Wei Mingyan opened a small box. As expected, it was empty.
Most of the things in this half of the warehouse are empty boxes. As for the things inside, I don't know where they went.
"This, this contains a pearl. Pearls were cheap at the time, so I took it and exchanged it for money."
Mo Da carefully glanced at the new eldest brother's face, fearing that he would be angry because of the empty box.
Wei Mingyan was not angry. He weighed the small box in his hand and asked, "When you robbed this box, did you have anything else?"
"Others..."
Mo Da thought for a long time before pulling out the memories about this box from his memory, and quickly replied, "Yes! Yes! This is not something we robbed. There is a pack of wolves on the east hill, and the merchant who transported these goods was bitten to death by the wolves. Most of them, and the other half, carried the truck desperately and refused to escape. They were almost dead when they reached the top of our mountain. "
He said with a look of disgust on his face, "The wolves were biting and chasing them, but they refused to leave the goods and escape. My brothers and I thought that there must be treasures in the car because they were working so hard, but after the wolves left, , we struggled to move the box up the mountain, but it turned out to be a box of strange-looking wood. "
"Wood." Wei Mingyan smiled and nodded, turning his head to look at him, "Where are those woods?"
"We burned it down. It happened to be raining and we ran out of firewood for cooking. It's not like our work was in vain."
After Mo Da finished speaking, he remembered that they heard the noise and lay down quietly to watch, and saw that the businessman was clinging to the box and would not let go. He sighed with some sigh, "What do you think these people think? Some rotten wood doesn’t burn well at all when we burn it, but it’s quite fragrant.”
"All burned?"
"It's all burned. It rained for a long time. We even took apart the wooden boxes and burned them."
Wei Mingyan only smiled and said nothing after hearing this. Mo Da looked at his smile and felt a chill in his heart for some reason.
He didn't know what he had done wrong, so he had to search hard for memories in his mind, "Ah, there is! There is! And there is!"
"At that time, one piece was so big that we couldn't fit it into the stove, so we put it in the yard and used it as a dining table."
As soon as he finished saying this, the people in front of him smiled even more heartily. Just when he was feeling frightened, he heard Wei Ming say:
"Go and bring me the best clothes you have here, and then ask someone to bring me a bucket of water."
"Hey, okay, I'll go now."
In the thatched house, Mo Da walked out, and as soon as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, several people who quietly poked their heads outside the yard came to greet him.
"Brother, how's it going? That person didn't make things difficult for you, right?"
"What do you call me brother!" Mo Da slapped Hou Er, who was taking the lead, on the head. "You still think that I don't get beaten enough, don't you? I will call you second brother from now on!"
As he said that, he glanced at Hou Er again, who still had unwillingness in his eyes, "You will be the third boss from now on, remember?"
"Brother, we brothers all come from the same village. We recognize you, but that kid, who the hell is he!"
Hou Er's eyes were full of sorrow and his expression was full of anger, "Let's fight him! With so many people, we can't stop him!"
Mo Da glanced at his former second-in-command coolly and said, "It's not like you haven't tried before. Okay, don't say such things in the future. What if you really annoy him?"
“If you piss me off, piss me off!”
When Hou Er thought that he actually accepted the thief as his elder brother for the sake of his life, he wished he could go back to stabbing himself to death just now.
If he does this, the elder brother will be so sad.
"Brother! I'm serious! I was scared just now. You will always be the only eldest brother in my heart. I will never recognize that kid inside!"
The few people who were following also immediately said, "Yes, brother, we don't recognize it either. You are our eldest brother. You can let us be his subordinates, but he will never replace your position!"
Listening to the categorical words of the brothers, Mo Da was so moved that his eyes were burning. He didn't know what to say, so he had to pat them on the shoulders one by one, "Good brothers, good brothers, it's not in vain that we have been through life and death together so many times. "
Wei Mingyan walked out with the small box he just had, and looked at the people standing at the entrance of the yard, "Why are you taking so long to do something? Go get me some water quickly."
Mo Da suddenly felt as if cold water had been poured all over him. He reluctantly retracted his hand and went to fetch water dejectedly. Hou Er glanced at the man standing outside the door with hatred and fear, then turned around and chased after him.
"Brother, let me help you!"
The others were afraid that Wei Mingyan would be angry, but his reaction was calm. He just looked at them and ordered: "You go and move the wood that is usually used as a table into this yard."
"Yes Yes……"
Seeing those frightened people running away like little chickens, Wei Mingyan touched the small box with some joy in his eyes.
It seems that I will get a wife soon.
***
"I changed the water three times after taking a shower, why do I act like a bitch?"
"Stop talking, can girls be so good at beating? Be careful if he hears it and beats us up again."
"Look, it's out..."
When the door opened, Wei Mingyan was wearing brand new clothes and his hair was still wet hanging behind his back. He didn't mind and stretched out comfortably.
The mud has been washed away, and I feel comfortable.
"Big, big brother...?"
Mo Da had been waiting outside the door waiting for him to call. Now when he saw the man standing in front of him, he was almost frightened.
If Wei Mingyan was wearing bulging clothes inlaid with thick fur before taking a bath, his face was dark and dirty, and his hair was messy. It was obvious that his facial features were good, but no matter what, people would not expect him to be more handsome than Junyi.
But he just took a shower, changed his clothes, and his face was clean. Why did he look so different?
His face has become whiter, and his appearance has become better-looking. The whole person looks like, how do you put it, a jade tree facing the wind, with a heroic appearance. His eyebrows and eyes, just a glance at them will make people feel chilled. He looks like Just like a general.
Of course, Mo Da has never seen a general, but in his mind, this is what a general should be like.
"What?"
Wei Ming responded calmly, and Mo Da smiled sarcastically, "That's right, I just feel like there's something different about you."
Before, the original hair was as messy as a straw nest, tied together without any rules, and the eyebrows were overgrown. Now, the eyebrows are set into the temples, and the hair is neatly combed together. It is definitely different.
"Brother, you did your eyebrows yourself..."
After looking at it for a long time, Mo Da finally figured out some of the rules and boldly asked, "You are quite good-looking."
"That's natural."
Wei Mingyan had a smug smile on his face. He stretched out his hand to touch his eyebrows and looked at his subordinate, "Do you think my appearance will please a girl?"
"Yes, yes! It will definitely happen!"
Mo Da quickly flattered him without thinking, "Brother, I still have some scattered silver here. If you want a girl, I will take you to the flower house at the foot of the mountain. The girls there..."
"roll!"
Wei Mingyan kicked him over and watched as Mo Da dodged away. His eyebrows tightened and he looked at him displeased with a pair of sharp eyes, "I'm talking about a serious girl. Miss, who asked you about the things in the flower house. "
"Serious, serious girls should also like it..."
Mo Da was a little scared and hid behind, not daring to come forward, and said cautiously, "I have never seen any of our ladies, but I have robbed a few before, but they all hid in the sedan, gave them money, and let them pass directly. Didn’t even look at it.”
"Okay, okay, you take two people with you, let them change into the clothes I pointed out just now, and follow me to the city."
"Brother, what are we going to do?"
Wei Mingyan glanced at him lightly, "I am the eldest brother and you are the eldest brother?"
"I am... no no no, you are, you are, brother, I won't ask anymore, I will make arrangements for the brothers now."
Looking at Mo Da's back as he ran away in a hurry, Wei Mingyan had a headache. Can such a subordinate really do this?
After the two people, including Mo Da, changed into servant clothes, Wei Mingyan took them on the road.
"From now on, call me Master, do you understand?"
Several people nodded, "Yes, Master."
"Come on, Mo Da, come here."
Seeing Mo Da coming over quickly, Wei Mingyan threw the small box into his hand, "Smell it, does it smell good?"
Mo Da obediently put it to the tip of his nose and sniffed, "It smells good."
"Do you know what this is?"
He shook his head in confusion and smiled at the handsome man, "This is Zhu Mu."
Mo scratched his head in confusion, "Huh?"
"Crimson wood has always been a spice enjoyed by the royal family and ministers of the Jin Dynasty. It is said that after it is lit, the fragrance will be light and lingering. It can be used to nourish the mind carefully and have the effect of prolonging life."
"Before the death of the late emperor, there was a hundred years of redwood accumulated in the treasury that disappeared due to a fire. The redwood was originally more valuable than gold, and now a small piece can be exchanged for a thousand taels of gold. Even so, there is no price. Searching."
"Even the emperor has to use sparingly. You are afraid that the red wood will disappear after use, but you actually use it to make fire."
As Wei Mingyan spoke, he clicked his tongue and shook his head as Mo Da looked at him with straight eyes, "If those burned red trees are sold, the silver they get can buy a city."
"me……"
Mo Da eyes stared down at the small box in his hand, "This, this..."
"This should be able to be exchanged for at least a thousand taels of gold. Although the war is fierce now, those dignitaries will not give up the opportunity to enjoy it."
The handsome man chuckled and took the small box, "Zhu Munai Shao, when you burned it, you didn't find anything wrong?"
"...It was raining heavily at the time, and we were cold and hungry. Seeing that the wood was durable, we split it and set up a fire. After the heavy rain and floods, we hid in the mountains and burned for more than half a year. Burned clean..."
Mo Da was no longer confused, he was almost in a trance, "We, we burned red wood..."
Such a small box can contain a thousand taels of gold.
Then how many large boxes they burned...
Mo Da rolled his eyes and fell straight to the ground.
"Okay, okay."
Wei Mingyan stretched out his shoe and kicked the subordinate on the ground in disgust, "It's a pity that you burned Zhu Mu, but it's also a good thing."
"If it is really like what you said, several large boxes of red wood were carried out to be sold, and before the money comes from the sale, bandits like you who don't understand anything will have been killed long ago to seize the treasure."
"When the time comes, we will kill all the people, move away the treasures, and then burn the hilltop. Without spending a penny, we will get the priceless red wood. What a bargain."
Mo Da's originally distressed heart ached, but after hearing these words, his whole body felt as if ice water had been poured on him, and he calmed down.
Yes, they said they occupied a hilltop, but in fact it was just the officials who knew that they were in trouble and did not take action. If the news of the treasure really leaked by then, how could those people let these bandits take it?
Even though I was thinking this way, while I was happy, my heart still hurt.
That's a treasure!
If they didn't burn it, even a small amount would be enough for them to eat for half their lives.
"Get up quickly. After we sell this box, we will go to the restaurant and bring some good wine and food back to share with the brothers."
Wei Mingyan carried the red wooden box he took out from the bandit's warehouse and smiled very gently, "Don't worry, follow me and you will have meat to eat."
I was so moved that tears filled my face, "Brother, you are so kind!"
"I can't help it, who made me the eldest brother?"
Seeing the man standing up with full health, Wei Mingyan clapped his hands and called the two bandits who were still walking forward in a daze to come over.
"Remember, I will be the young master of the Wei family from Miaocheng. I will discuss business with Mr. Li. You will stay outside the door. If someone asks you where you are from, how will you respond?"
Mo Da answered first, "We are the Wei family from Miaocheng, including the young master."
"Okay, remember, no matter who asks or what they ask, don't answer anything else except these two sentences."
"Keep your face straight and hold it in check. If things work out this time, you can have whatever you want to eat."
"yes!"
***
"Brother, why haven't you come back yet? Did that kid trick you, or did you say something happened on the way..."
Hou Er anxiously stood behind the yard, and after a while he craned his neck to look down to see if they were back.
"Second brother, don't worry, we all recognize him as our eldest brother, and he can't do anything to us."
Hou Er paused in his steps, with a bit of a wry smile on his face, "Yes, we all recognize him as our eldest brother."
"Back then, the brothers from the village ran out together and depended on each other along the way. We ate and suffered together, but now, an outsider has actually become the eldest brother."
The brother comforted him, "Actually, it's not bad. Our life wasn't very good. I think that man seems to be quite rich. Maybe he can live a better life in the future."
"You think so well."
Hou Er squatted on the ground and sighed, "The eldest brother is from our village and grew up together. No matter how good he is at beating, he will never lay a finger on our brothers. Usually he would rather suffer on his own." It won’t hurt us, but what about that person?”
"For an outsider, let alone having no feelings, let's just say that he beat us when he first came up. How can his attitude towards us be better in the future? What I'm afraid of is that by then he will squeeze our brothers to work hard for him, and he will be popular for himself. Drinking spicy food, our food is not as good as before.”
The brother suddenly panicked, "We are already suffering enough now, but we are still worse. How can we still live..."
"Eh... I'm just afraid of this. We managed to survive originally, but now if we are treated like cattle and horses, and we don't even have enough to eat, what's the difference between that and death."
Just as Hou Er finished speaking, the two brothers who followed him out came up happily wearing servants' clothes, carrying things, with smiles on their faces that were about to reach the horizon.
"Second brother! We are back!!"
"The young master bought a lot of food, look, so much! There is also roasted lamb! There is also good wine!!"
They struggled to carry the things in their hands to show the stunned two people.
"Hurry up and call the brothers out to eat together! The young master said that if you don't eat enough, go down the mountain to buy more!"
The author has something to say: The first ten little angels will be given red envelopes, and there will be one more update before twelve o'clock, mua