Chapter 219 – Bandit Extermination: To Kill, Capture, or Spare (Nine)
“Do you know why I want to kill them?” Jiang Pengji circled around, finally willing to return to her seat, fingers interlaced, looking all mysterious and profound. “Because they all deserve to die. If I don’t kill them now, do you think I’ll leave them around for the New Year?”
Once pigs are fattened, they can be slaughtered for the holiday feast. What value do these people create while being kept alive?
Jiang Pengji said, “In my life, I detest three things the most: betrayal, violation, and deception. No matter who it is, anyone who crosses these three red lines doesn’t need any of my leniency. Don’t say I just killed them; even if I were to sever all of your heads, who could say a word against me? If you’re a bandit, you should be prepared to lose your head! However, I do have a way for you to survive…”
Naturally, those bandits who had been killed couldn’t have betrayed Jiang Pengji or deceived her; the only reason was likely their past violations.
The many bandits reacted, their faces turning ashen.
Upon careful thought, it seemed to be true. Those still alive may not be good people, but at least they hadn’t been involved in that… It wasn’t that they didn’t want to; it was simply because the women were taken by the more influential bandits first.
They were just small-time thugs, the errand boys, which meant the delicate little ladies were long gone before they had a chance to indulge.
“I know there aren’t any good people among you…” Jiang Pengji continued, extinguishing the flickering hope of these men immediately. “If I take you in, who knows if I’ll be raising a tiger to harm myself? After all, when you gather, you can certainly stir up trouble.”
What Jiang Pengji was saying was essentially Xu Ke’s worries.
Their troop was still too small. If they took in the bandits, once they banded together and caused trouble, the outcome would be unimaginable.
“People’s hearts are hidden; you bandits’ words can’t be trusted at all. So, I’m really troubled about whether to let you all live or to kill them all and cut off future troubles,” Jiang Pengji smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth that scared the crowd into silence.
Xu Ke’s mind raced, and he stepped forward, saying, “Young Master, if we kill them all, it would surely go against the heavens. I have a plan…”
Jiang Pengji replied, “Let’s hear it.”
Xu Ke intentionally raised his voice a bit, “Why not keep them for a month for now? If they behave well, let them stay and give them a chance to reform. If not, we can sell them at the Tooth Shop. With the current state of people’s lives, excessive killing isn’t appropriate.”
Selling them to the Tooth Shop would at least yield a few taels of silver, squeezing out whatever last value they had.
Xu Ke knew his Young Master well; when she could avoid loss, she would never tolerate taking a bit of harm.
These bandits, although slaves now, at least still had their lives; if they were a bit lucky, they might stabilize their lives in the future.
Regardless of how, living was everything!
The bandits were already terrified by the string of shocks, and at this moment, they had no thoughts of resistance, or rather, even if they did, they wouldn’t dare show it. Jiang Pengji’s group said they would kill, and there was absolutely no hesitation—more like a group of bandits themselves!
Calling them bandits, Jiang Pengji was practically a robber!
As she listened, Jiang Pengji nodded, then feigned a “troubled” expression, asking, “But if they secretly gather and cause trouble?”
Xu Ke replied coldly, “Kill without mercy!”
The mere phrase “kill without mercy” made many bandits tremble as their bodies shook uncontrollably.
Jiang Pengji smiled, then “kindly” asked the bandits, “Did you hear that? Those willing to live, I’ll grant you a temporary reprieve; we’ll see how you perform in a month. If you do well, you live. If not, it’s straight to the Tooth Shop. If you dare gather to cause trouble or secretly cross my lines… heh, take a look at the brothers lying beside you!”
With that, Jiang Pengji slapped the wooden armrest of her seat, shattering it with a bang.
With just a few words, she extinguished all flickers of hope and unwillingness in the hearts of the bandits, leaving them shadowed with the specter of death.
At that moment, a member of the troop whispered to Nong Qin, after which her expression betrayed a flicker of restrained anger.
Jiang Pengji noticed and asked her, “What’s wrong, Nong Qin?”
“Replying to Young Master, this bandit stronghold has a dungeon where they keep people. It’s full of kidnapped children and women.”
“The dungeon?” Jiang Pengji’s eyes turned cold as she fixed her gaze on the surviving bandits. “What’s the meaning of this?”
Several bandits flushed red, wanting to say something, but due to their earlier fright and tension, they couldn’t muster a word.
One quick-witted bandit quickly bowed his head. “That dungeon’s women and children have nothing to do with us…”
What laws could exist among robbers?
They took everything they could, including money and people.
A gaggle of male bandits undoubtedly had physical needs, so when they saw pretty women, it was inevitable that they would misbehave.
Jiang Pengji snorted coldly, “Go have a look. If they’ve been marked, anyone who tries to resist will be killed directly.”
Just that one sentence made those who wanted to plead for mercy freeze, too scared to make a sound.
The air in the dungeon was foul, with corners scattered with excrement, enough to make one’s stomach churn.
Inside hid two emaciated women and three timid girls around seven or eight years old.
The women wore tattered clothing, rags barely covering their vital parts, and their exposed skin was bruised and battered, filled with violence and ambiguity, making it immediately obvious what nightmarish experiences they had gone through. The audience in the live stream was still reeling from the previous terror, and upon seeing such a tragic sight, they flooded the comment section—those bandits truly deserved to die a million times!
As for the three little girls, they were so thin that their bones showed, with sharp chins, sunken cheeks, and dry, tangled hair, making them look like a collection of malnourished children, their big eyes standing out alarmingly.
“This…”
Xu Ke followed in and immediately understood what had happened, speechless and unsure how to respond.
This was no era of peace; on the surface, it seemed glamorous, but underneath lay endless grievances and darkness.
The women and children locked in the dungeon were but mere reflections of countless others.
“Take these people back as well…”
Jiang Pengji’s tone was exceedingly gentle, yet those involved shivered, thinking she was about to kill.
Xu Ke asked, “If we take them back, how do we arrange them?”
“Let the two women handle washing and cooking; after all, with the troop growing, training will be increasingly heavy, and daily life will inevitably fall short. Women are meticulous and more considerate. The two maidservants we bought before are already overwhelmed. As for the kids, let’s take good care of them…” Jiang Pengji said softly. “Didn’t I mention forming a female troop before? This will come in handy.”
