Chapter 57

He paused, gauging the bandit leader’s expression.

Just as Qiao Yan suspected, the way the other acted in Taiyuan showed he had thieving thoughts but lacked real guts. He was overly cautious, and convincing him there was a profit to be made wouldn’t be easy.

Plus, since Zhang Liao knocked down many of their men on the way up, there were still armed bandits between him and the leader. No matter how fierce he was, he couldn’t just dash over there.

Indeed, a slow approach was necessary.

He put on a facade of pride typical for someone from the Black Mountain Army facing common bandits, looking just slightly subdued since they did need something from them. The bandit leader frowned at his demeanor but, being suspicious of his words, chose not to explode just yet.

He then saw Zhang Liao hand him something, saying, “This is the letter General Niujiao wrote for you.”

A letter?

This bandit chief was the offspring of Hu bandits who had pillaged their way through, judging by Qiao Yan’s intel; he likely recognized few characters.

That guess was spot on.

When he took the letter and saw the dense handwriting, he felt a twinge of dread, but if he outright admitted he couldn’t read, it’d be laughing stock material…

Fortunately, once he unfolded the paper, he spotted that particularly striking circle and the signature.

Now that’s clever! Zhang Niujiao is a genius!

In these times, few people could read. Who knew if Zhang Niujiao could recognize only a few characters? Not wanting to lose face in front of the bandit leader, he likely came up with this gimmick.

This made it a lot easier for the guy receiving it.

If Zhang Niujiao in Leping knew how the bandit leader actually viewed him, he’d likely scream “unfair”!

No matter how uneducated he might be, he wouldn’t really use a cow horn as a signature.

However, he had no chance to protest from a distance as the bandit leader made an error in judgment about him.

Holding this unique letter, the bandit boss turned to Zhang Liao and asked, “What’s this?”

He obviously did not mean the letter but the paper itself.

He was a rough fellow, almost tearing it in half when he first laid eyes on it but discovered this paper was quite different—he couldn’t rip it apart at all!

“This is Leping’s…”

Zhang Liao almost blurted out, “Mulberry Bark Paper,” but thought twice. This paper was still unknown in Bingzhou, and Qiao Yan might not want outsiders to know its origin. If any bandits slipped through, they could leak the info. So he quickly changed course, saying, “The Marquis of Leping’s paper.”

“Marquis of Leping’s paper?” The bandit leader examined the paper, pondering that since there was Cai Hou’s paper before, having Leping’s paper afterward didn’t sound unreasonable.

Then he heard Zhang Liao add, “General Niujiao is sharp. He was sent to the paper manufacturing place by the Marquis of Leping, supposedly as a way to repay for his crimes. Thus, he could acquire this page to inform you that this may be just a small county, but this Leping paper is a considerable wealth.”

When he heard the first half, the bandit leader thought Zhang Niujiao’s underling was buttering him up with “sharp,” which was ridiculous. It seemed his subordinate was desperate to maintain his reputation.

But upon hearing the second half, he couldn’t sit still anymore.

He wasn’t completely clueless; he had a knack for analyzing financial profits. Hearing Zhang Liao’s words, he genuinely felt this item could indeed be worth a fortune.

This Leping paper was less prone to damage than Cai Hou paper; households with collections would be willing to pay handsomely for it.

Plus, if Zhang Liao’s words held truth, then General Niujiao being sent to the paper-making facility meant he had mastered the craft, right?

Thinking of this, he looked at the strange characters on the “letter,” recognizing none but feeling they somehow looked appealing, just a little strange.

This interest didn’t escape Zhang Liao’s notice. He seized the moment, saying, “If you assist General Niujiao in attacking Leping, what you’ll gain won’t be limited to just this paper.”

Right then, Zhang Yang stripped off his outer garment, revealing his Mulberry Bark Clothing, exactly what Qiao Yan instructed them to wear before their departure.

Zhang Liao pointed, “In Leping, there are heaps of this clothing; even we captives all have one. Do you think that could also be valuable?”

As soon as he saw the item, the bandit leader sprang up. “Of course, why wouldn’t it be!”

Previously, during winter raids, he had snagged a few Mulberry Bark garments. In this warming March climate, they seemed less in demand, but he knew the difference wearing that layer made during the cold.

He understood that having this would solve his problems for the next winter.

And among those he seized, if some got torn, they could simply be stitched up without affecting their utility.

This was solid gear, truly durable.

Though not as pricey as regular garments, priced at fifty coins for one piece, for a band of thieves without other income, it was still significant.

Thinking of Zhang Liao’s words about “heaps,” the bandit leader could see nothing less than a mountain of gold!

If this was indeed a risk-free deal, he could outfit all his bandits with Mulberry Bark Clothing, saving half his men from freezing through winter, then sell off the rest somewhere.

As he processed this, he suddenly realized he was too animated, not presenting himself as solid business material. He cleared his throat a couple of times, masking his slip, “Is that all?”

“Of course not. Last winter, the three regions of Changshan, Shangdang, and Taiyuan sent over fifty thousand stones of grain to us because of the Black Mountain Army’s efforts in Leping, but how likely is it that the Marquis of Leping actually gives us any of that food? It was General Niujiao who led us to scavenge for food in the mountains… and you might wonder, could those fifteen thousand stones of grain be considered a bargaining chip?”

Grain, too? The bandit leader’s breath hitched a little.

Three thousand stones could persuade Zhang Niujiao to take risks; fifteen thousand stones would be a whole different ball game!

And that was just what the three governors sent; adding in the county’s stockpile, wouldn’t it be even more?

He had no clue that Zhang Niujiao was living it up in Leping, getting well-fed, while Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang didn’t seem to be eating too well. He was wary they weren’t just the finest-looking soldiers picked to put on a show.

As he contemplated Zhang Liao’s words, he figured this must be why General Niujiao was keen on roping in help to pull off a sneak attack on Leping and seize the food.

Starvation drives rebellion; that’s an age-old truth.

Moreover, this bandit chief preferred to live freely than as a prisoner.

With those three bargaining chips laid out, he made up his mind, “Alright, I’ll go to Leping with you, but before we go, you have to tell me how the spoils are divided.”

“How many men do you have?” Zhang Liao asked.

From “your honor” to “general,” the shift was clear, signaling a closer bond; the compliment at that shift made the bandit chief grin. He replied, “With the winter having claimed many lives, we’ve still got over five hundred left.”

Zhang Liao was taken aback by the indifference in how he said that but managed to keep a straight face, responding, “Our Black Mountain Army has around three thousand young and strong left, but with hunger and cold, maybe only two thousand are still fit to fight. According to General Niujiao, should you and your men not come, we’ll have no chance to resist, so we propose a seventy-thirty split.”

The bandit leader paused slightly.

Strangely enough, that was just about his line in the sand for profit-sharing.

If he truly had the skills of the Black Mountain Bandits, he wouldn’t stick to such a small area for every raid; if he agreed to a ratio of five hundred against nine thousand, that would seem like too risky a venture for him.

Seeing they weren’t planning on raiding Leping as well as swallowing up Zhang Niujiao’s troops, a profitable partnership sounded great to him, and this distribution was within his acceptance range.

This could work!

“Seventy-thirty it is; I’ll follow you to Leping,” declared the bandit chief.

He picked up his sword and moved to rally the other bandits but was interrupted by Zhang Liao’s “hold on.”

He turned, frowning at the youth. “You’re not trying to pull one over on me, are you?”

Zhang Liao shook his head decisively. “No offense meant, it’s just that when we passed Jinyang, we heard that the Governor of Bingzhou is due to arrive in these next few days. The defenses should be tighter, so it might be wise to wait a couple of days before we head out.”

The bandit leader smiled awkwardly, transitioning from anger to a soft pat on Zhang Liao’s shoulder. “You have a point; when we strike Leping, we’ve got to hit hard. Avoiding the Governor’s spotlight makes sense.”

To regain some face, he added, “By the way, what are your names? For two brave folks to venture here, you two seem impressive. Should something not work out with General Niujiao, swing by my camp; I’ll treat you well.”

“Thanks for the kind offer, but we’re fine,” Zhang Liao didn’t get a chance to speak before Zhang Yang jumped in, “Both of us were saved by General Niujiao back in the day, and out of gratitude, he granted us the surname Zhang, so I’m Zhang Yang, and he’s Zhang Liao.”

“…” Zhang Liao was briefly dumbfounded.

He knew Zhang Yang could say something like “we’re all family from three hundred years ago,” but he never expected him to carry on their “Zhang” surname being from General Niujiao’s bloodline.

This wasn’t in the deck of talking points Qiao Yan prepared for them but a spur-of-the-moment twist from Zhang Yang.

Yet Zhang Liao was quick on his feet, showing no sign of surprise to those bandits, following the bandit leader’s guidance and settling into their camp.

The camp was just like many others in the Yunzhong Mountain, without fixed accommodation, relying on makeshift tents as resting spots.

Perhaps the people in Taiyuan found previous operations against the bandits too costly and hard to catch these slippery thieves. Since it was winter and sending out guards was difficult, they hadn’t bothered the bandits for months, allowing them to stay put.

Zhang Liao glanced around and noticed that the circle of trees surrounding their camp had nearly all been cut down.

Seeing him looking at those trees, the leading bandit said, “The winter was too cold, so we’ve used all the nearby ones for firewood.”

“And that’s how we ended up in this mess.”

Zhang Yang seized the moment and said, “If that’s the case, why don’t we just take Leping after we deal with it? We could snag the county city for ourselves, with mountains for protection and houses to live in. Isn’t that better than roughing it on the hills?”

Zhang Liao quickly shot him a glare, and Zhang Yang instantly stopped, realizing that trying to undermine the mountain bandit leader at this moment was definitely not a wise move.

But for the mountain bandit leader who got wind of this news, it was undoubtedly another piece of evidence proving the other side’s position.

Moreover, he had to admit that if they really could occupy Leping as claimed, who would want to live in the mountains?

If soldiers came to eliminate them, they could always run back into the Taihang Mountains later.

The mountain bandit leader was somewhat tempted by the prospect when news came that both men reacted quite normally to their names, clearly indicating that those were indeed their real names.

This gave credibility to the “Zhang” from Zhang Niujiao as well.

Thinking this over, he completely dropped his guard against Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang.

What he didn’t know was that these two weren’t just lying about their words; even their skin color was fake.

They had smeared their faces with a thin layer of ginger juice, and after the smell faded, it left a yellowish tint. Plus, both were at an age where they were still growing, making them look like half-refugees.

At that moment, the two found themselves in a private tent but didn’t dare speak loudly, fearing someone outside might catch on. Yet when they glanced at each other, they couldn’t help but chuckle.

But they were young, and after laughing enough, they felt a twinge of fear.

Any misstep in today’s activities, and they could very well never come down from Yunzhong Mountain again.

Especially considering —

Zhang Yang didn’t even need to risk climbing up. At his age and skill, he could have easily served in the Prefect’s Office or the Governor’s Office. This thought made Zhang Liao feel a bit touched.

They hadn’t known each other long, but Zhang Yang’s actions were enough to consider him a brother with whom he could share life and death.

That’s how Zhang Liao felt and that’s what he said.

Then he quietly added, “If we succeed this time, if we can really step into that Governor’s Office, we could help each other out like true brothers.”

But Zhang Yang immediately replied, “Actually… I was thinking Leping isn’t too bad either. Maybe we don’t even need to go under the Governor.”

Seeing Zhang Liao’s surprise, Zhang Yang explained, “Think about it. The tools and strategies we used to come up here were all planned by the Marquis of Leping. If she has such foresight, isn’t she way more useful than that Governor of Bingzhou, who we don’t even know much about?”

Zhang Liao could see that point too, but he said, “The Marquis of Leping doesn’t hold any real power. If we’re to confront the Xiongnu, just being loyal to her might not do much.”

“That’s true,” Zhang Yang replied, “but you can’t lose a bet without placing a wager. When I first left Yunzhong, I thought just having courage was enough. But there are all these complexities just to deal with a mountain bandit, and I know I’m not clever enough to navigate all of this.”

“Anyway, the Marquis did say that helping you stand out in front of the Governor is a way for her to make a case for herself, so if I work for her, while someone else does the thinking, my muscle could still serve as a good path.”

“What do you think, isn’t that the way it goes?”

Zhang Liao suspiciously sensed that there was some wisdom hidden in Zhang Yang’s claim of being not smart.

But this choice…

“Alright, talking so much isn’t going to help. First, we don’t even know if the Marquis needs me as muscle. Plus, we have to deal with these mountain bandits before discussing any benefits.”

Zhang Yang said this while pulling out a flint from his sleeve.

When it came to taking action against these bandits, neither he nor Zhang Liao felt any psychological burden at all.

These borderlands fellas couldn’t tolerate strong men using their strength to rob the weak instead of battling real enemies.

Moreover, what the mountain bandit leader had revealed about the camp situation made them feel a bit more at ease.

Before they climbed up, Qiao Yan had specifically warned that if they truly chose to start a fire, they had to pick the right spot to avoid spreading wildfires and harming innocents.

Well, now the surrounding woods had been cleared by these bandits, leaving a nice spot for a fire.

So, they could definitely light that fire!

The mountain bandit leader, while dreaming of raiding Leping, was suddenly stirred awake by cries of “Fire!”

As he rubbed his eyes and reached for his dagger, he was hit by the smell of burnt stuff and the sharp scent of blood.

Alarm bells went off in his head.

But before he could exit the tent, a figure lunged in first.

The light from the raging flames painted the tent red, revealing the silhouette of none other than Zhang Liao.

Before he could even call out a name, Zhang Liao had already swung his sword, landing a deadly strike on his neck.

That bandit leader had some muscle, but keep in mind, Zhang Liao came from a formerly prominent family, so he had access to training that was leagues ahead of bush-league styles.

With one decisive hit, he saw the bandit leader hit the ground, breathless, and without a second thought, cut off his head.

Seeing that the leader went down so quickly didn’t make this young lad feel cocky. He grabbed the head by the hair, stepped out of the tent, and shouted, “The bandit leader is dead, get rid of the scum!”

Zhang Yang had already set several spots ablaze. The fire spread swiftly through their camp of over five hundred, and upon hearing that Zhang Liao had succeeded, he pulled a copper gong from his mulberry bark clothing and smacked it hard twice.

This clang was far more piercing than Zhang Liao’s proclamation of the bandit leader’s demise.

The bandits, already startled by the fire, now heard the news of their leader’s death and the sight of a head rolling – panic ensued.

On top of that, they started fearing the mountain soldiers might have come after them.

In the chaos of fire and darkness, they couldn’t tell friend from foe. Some were already caught in the flames, further complicating the mess.

Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang, now free of burdens, began attacking with their blades.

Those who still had a chance to escape the fire found themselves fighting amongst themselves as panic created a morass of discord.

The night’s turmoil only heightened the fear in their hearts.

One particularly alarmed bandit swung at the nearest figure, whom luck had it was a skilled fighter, capable of parrying the blow and responding with a hit.

But in this chaotic moment, his lethal strike didn’t just fall the opponent but also claimed his own life.

No one knew who started the fire or who took out the leader.

Though it was clear they ought to suspect the two newcomers from earlier, the ones closest saw this individual cut down his own brother.

Faced with such confusion, whether to protect themselves or point fingers at the root cause didn’t truly matter to anyone.

When survival is on the line, they were just a bunch of butchers with knives.

They promptly swarmed him and cut him down.

This was just one location.

Some recognized the actions of Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang, but their skills dwarfed those of the disorganized bandits.

If these folks had gotten their acts together, they’d have had a fair chance. Now, it seemed half were trying to flee while the other half squabbled, and the rest—

Could only gaze upon the young pair, eyes sparkling like cold stars, blades flashing like lightning, their faces cast in a determined aura.

Zhang Yang, seizing the chaos, snatched up the bandit leader’s severed head, wrapped it in a cloth and hung it at his back, jokingly chiding Zhang Liao, “What’s with tossing your token of acknowledgment? What if they don’t believe you killed him?”

Zhang Liao had no time to respond.

Facing this horde of bandits, it turned out to be less grueling than he originally imagined.

Even some bandits who managed to escape might stumble and fall off the cliff in the dark, reducing their targets further.

This didn’t mean it was an easy task.

Zhang Liao had never faced such intense combat before, and he realized that relying solely on brute strength wasn’t a lasting strategy.

Being young, his shaky hands gripped the blade unsurely.

Fortunately, his weakened state didn’t alert his opponents before they saw his face splattered with blood, similar to a wolf that wouldn’t release its grip on prey’s throat.

And now, they were the prey.

With chaos unfolding and more casualties on their side, the bandits had only one thought left in their minds.

Flee!

Zhang Liao watched as the bandits lost their fighting spirit and fled, letting out a sigh of relief.

If they had decided to keep fighting, while he thought of the tales of Xiang Yu slaying countless foes, he recognized he lacked the strength of the great Chu Overlord and fears of exposing his weaknesses loomed closer.

Lucky for him, the brave prevail when paths collide, and he stood triumphant in the end.

As these frantic bandits chose to flee, he and Zhang Yang chased after in hot pursuit, swiftly exiting the fiery scene, and then—

They set up on the path down the mountain to finish off the last group.

Even if some managed to escape, it couldn’t be many.

They exchanged glances and suddenly felt a spirit of indomitable valor stirring within.

Two days later, the streets of Jinyang burst with commotion.

A young man, still spattered with blood, appeared before the Governor’s office in Bingzhou, carrying a bundle with over ten severed heads.

While killers pay the price, the eliminators are hailed as heroes.

County officials rushed out to inspect and realized this was indeed the bandit of Yunzhong Mountain.

Moreover, someone who arrived just after Zhang Liao reported shocking news.

From the previous night, flames had erupted on Yunzhong Mountain, and due to the treacherous terrain, it wasn’t until daylight that anyone could investigate. They discovered that the flames had originated from the bandit camp, where dozens burned, and another hundred had perished fighting amongst themselves. Many others fell off the cliffs or were cut down while escaping.

Furthermore, many who survived sought refuge, crashing into the county city below, where they were promptly captured.

This scourge of the region had been wiped out!

At this moment, the young bandit exterminator stood before the Governor’s office, fatigue flickering in his fierce gaze, stating solemnly, “The Governor said I was too young before, but if youth can eliminate evil, what else is there to say?”

What else is there to say?

This was a question meant for the Governor Zhang Yi, who was currently within the state office.

While Zhang Liao and Zhang Yang ventured towards Yunzhong Mountain, Zhang Yi had already reached Jinyang.

Qiao Yan watched from her pavilion, observing his entry into the city with a keen eye.

On the surface, she could judge that he was a rather solid civil official, slightly aloof in demeanor.

But assuming him to be a mere scholar was definitely a mistake.

With Liu Biao’s example of establishing power in Jingzhou as a lone rider, who could gauge how Zhang Yi might skillfully balance the factions in Bingzhou?

Just because he had fallen to the Southern Xiongnu doesn’t mean he should be deemed useless.

Yet, Qiao Yan hoped he might be.

With Leping being a small area, it could hardly contain all the talents she valued—like Zhang Liao, who needed battlefield experience—training him in this mountain environment felt like a gross waste, forcing her to reluctantly abandon her plans for recruitment.

Didn’t she want to hold extraordinary talents in her grasp?

Did she only wish to hold onto just Leping?

No, only with Zhang Yi under her, could she justify a takeover.

All of this, of course, hinged on the right opportunity.

Qiao Yan contemplated this while hearing from Xu Fu that Zhang Yang reported Zhang Liao had made it to the state office, and as she placed her piece on the game board, there was no sign of hesitation in her posture.

The piece landed with a decisive echo.

Qiao Yan raised her gaze towards Xi Zhicai and asked, “In your opinion, how will Zhang Yi handle this?”

Zhang Liao—just a young man who killed some bandits, a hothead, and potential talent—was someone who would shape every judgment Qiao Yan made of Zhang Yi.