Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 1 Shandong Salt Marshal
(For those who have not read the "About This Book and the Author" related to the work, you can read it first. This will give you a better understanding and experience of how to read this book)

Zhu Wen stood alone on the wide official road.

There are vast wilderness on both sides of the official road.

He stood before the slowly advancing army, sword in hand, and thousands of horses neighed in silence, while the wheels of the chariots made a rumbling sound on the earth.

The corners of his mouth raised, revealing a faint smile, and Zhu Wen's eyes brightened.

Ever since I parted ways with that extraordinary woman who came from a family of officials but had ambitions for the underworld and was determined to bring order to the world, this boring world is finally going to become interesting.

"Zhu Wen, the knight-errant of Mangdang Mountain, requests an audience with the Salt Marshal."

When he found that the mountains of gold, pearls and other valuables he had thrown down on the road did not cause the iron-clad formation of Huang Chao's army to make the slightest noise, he finally decided to speak.

"Where did this brat come from? He's so arrogant and doesn't know how to live or die."

"You can see Yan Shuai whenever you want?"

"Brothers, stand shoulder to shoulder and tear this ignorant brat into pieces!"

Only then did curses come from the team.

Zhu Wen was not surprised by the reaction of the soldiers in front of him.

It's because blocking the way in front of the army is an extremely rude act.

But Zhu Wen knew that he himself had a bad character.

Zhu Wen said loudly: "Salt Commander Huang Jutian raised an army to fight for the world. How can we kill talented and intelligent people when the world is not yet settled?"

"Jutian" is the courtesy name of the rebel leader Huang Chao, while "Yanshuai" is a nickname Huang Chao earned because he started out selling illegal salt.

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the rebel leaders changed slightly and their eyes became serious.

This boy wore a red turban and black coarse cloth. He was an ordinary knight-errant, but he had a kind of temperament that attracted people's attention.

"Zhu Wen, knowing that the rebel army is currently short of food, has specially prepared several carts of gold and pearls and two granaries of grain and fodder as a gift for meeting Marshal Huang."

"We have thousands of followers and a sufficient amount of food and supplies who are willing to go through fire and water for the righteous army."

"If you tell even a single lie, I'll execute you on the spot. I'll die without regret."

There were still some low voices of discussion in the army, but a heavy cough suddenly made the army column fall into silence.

A middle-aged man in golden armor walked out from the formation.

The man looked at Zhu Wen and smiled.

When he smiled, his eyes shone like stars, making him look even more charming. However, the soldiers of the three armies were terrified and dared not even breathe.

Faced with such gazes, Zhu Wen felt a little uneasy.

"In that case, pull out your horses and let me inspect them." The rebel leader Huang Chao said slowly.

At this time, the rebel soldiers took action to collect and count the treasures and military supplies on the road.

Zhu Wen responded, reached into his bag, threw out a bone whistle arrow, and called out to his subordinates.

Huang Chao inquired about Zhu Wen's identity and background, and watched as thousands of troops poured out and formed up in battle formation on the plain, with flags waving and swords and spears like a forest.

After a quick glance, he said calmly, "The troops are too poor. Most of them should be dismissed, leaving only 500 to serve."

Zhu Wen's expression changed slightly.

These were his subordinates whom he had carefully trained for two years. They had defeated the Tang army many times, leaving the Tang government helpless.

How could Huang Chao say that only one-fifth of the people were useful!

"Not convinced?"

"Don't dare."

Huang Chao stroked his short beard gently. "Half a month ago, our army engaged in a battle with the Imperial Divine Strategy Army, and suffered a minor setback. We suffered considerable losses in military supplies, and we are in urgent need of supplies."

"The reason I surrender today is naturally to relieve the urgent need of the Salt Commander." Zhu Wen tried his best to look into Huang Chao's unbearable gaze and responded.

The rebel commander had a short chin beard and an elusive smile on his face, but he also had a kind of affinity that penetrated people's hearts. It seemed that he was born to command thousands of troops and lead the heroes.

Huang Chao's fingers slashed across the sky. Though slow, the force contained in them seemed to pierce the void. "Let me guess what you're thinking. You believe that our army suffered a defeat five days ago and is short of supplies. Today, seeing a large amount of gold, pearls, and other valuables on the road, they will surely panic and rush to loot. If the formation is disrupted during a march, even a strong force can be attacked. Your army can take advantage of this chaos to attack our rebel army."

Huang Chao's gaze grew increasingly intense, his finger pointed at Zhu Wen's heart like a sword: "If that's the case, then what you brought with you weren't soldiers who had surrendered to the righteous army, but a well-prepared ambush!"

The other party pointed out that Zhu Wen only thought it was worth joining the rebel army because they were well-organized and could not make a fool of themselves when faced with money. Otherwise, they would definitely take advantage of the situation to rob.

After hearing Huang Chao's words, the gazes of the thousands of soldiers and horses were like frosty knives and snowy swords, all of which were fixed on Zhu Wen. The saying "being pointed at by thousands of people and dying without illness" described the situation Zhu Wen was facing at this moment.

Such pressure almost makes people collapse in an instant.

Zhu Wen still thought he was a genius as he could remain calm.

"I came to serve with all my heart, but my loyalty is being questioned. With this, General Yan, aren't you afraid of losing the hearts of the people?"

"Very good, very good." Huang Chao clapped his hands. "Are you going to say next that if I continue to doubt you, you would rather commit suicide on the spot to show your loyalty? I used to play tricks like this when I was young."

Zhu Wen couldn't help but droop his eyes.

The other party had actually anticipated one of his possible tactics. "How dare you? Even ants cherish their lives, how dare you put on such a show in front of Marshal Yan?"

"You think your plan is flawless, but it's a pity you're still too young." Huang Chao asked, "Zhu Wen, you said you were from Xiao County, Xuzhou?"

Zhu Wen clasped his fists respectfully and said, "I was born in Dangshan County, Songzhou, but lost my father at a young age. I moved with my mother to Shilin Village, Xiao County, Xuzhou, and settled there."

Huang Chao continued, "Then I have a question for you. Why didn't you lead your troops to join us when we passed through your hometown two days ago? Instead, you moved your troops further north to wait for our army."

Zhu Wen's heart trembled. "This... The villagers don't like what I'm doing. If this alarms my mother, she will inevitably be resentful. If the Salt Marshal has any questions, just send someone to my village to ask."

Huang Chao's voice suddenly turned stern. "Let me tell you the real reason. Our army is far larger than yours. You think that if our army scrambles for supplies and the battle gets chaotic, and you kill them indiscriminately, you might be able to seize a lot of weapons and armor, and even take their heads to curry favor with the government, but it would be extremely difficult to completely wipe them out and inflict heavy damage on our division."

"By then, our army won't know your origins and will naturally mistake you for local militia. In your opinion, our army will most likely burn and slaughter villages in the area to vent their anger. You don't want your hometown to be implicated by you and suffer from the flames of war. This is the real reason you are adding unnecessary trouble!"

Zhu Wen felt his thoughts come to a sudden halt.

Faced with Huang Chao's meticulous analysis, he found it difficult to continue thinking.

"Come here!" Huang Chao shouted like thunder, "Bring me my Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword!"

Two guards at his side immediately produced an ebony box and pulled out a long, unsheathed sword, placing it in Huang Chao's hands. The sword had a large ring at the bottom, shaped like a dragon, and a bird-shaped head. The blade's edge was a blood-red, menacing, and threatening to bite. An inscription, written in seal script, read: "The Great Xia Dragon Bird, Famous in the Divine Capital."

Huang Chao had a heroic appearance and was intimidating even without being angry. With the fierce knife in his hand, his majesty reached the sky.

Zhu Wen's subordinates wanted to rush forward and rescue their leader at all costs, but they were frightened and unable to move when Huang Chao glanced at them.

Facing the sword light that was getting closer and closer, Zhu Wen felt unwilling and a little lonely.

It turns out that life is just like this. If you make a mistake in calculation, all your good fortunes will be gone in an instant.

With a swish, a blood-red blade light flashed across like a silk thread.

Finally, he reached out his hand stiffly and touched his head.

The head is still there.

The precious sword fell to the ground with a clang.

A sudden shout rang out in my ears like thunder.

"Why don't you take a knife, young man?"

Zhu Wen's eyes suddenly lit up. He bent down to pick up the precious sword, wrapped it in silk and put it on his back. He bowed deeply, trying to remain calm. "I am willing to serve General Huang at his side, and I will go through fire and water, fearless of life or death."

But when he took the knife, the palm of his hand felt sticky and he almost let it slip.

Huang Chao said leisurely: "It is a good thing for a man to be brave and not afraid of death. But he should not give up the will to live until the last moment."

"You were concerned about the people of your hometown, so you made a mistake. But if you were truly so ruthless and ruthless at your age, I wouldn't be able to keep you.

"Those who wield this blade often become possessed by demons, ultimately losing all humanity. However, for you, it can sharpen your character. This is my welcome gift to you. If you ever lose control of yourself, use this to commit suicide."

"You don't have to thank me. I dare to keep you because I think you are worthy."

The pressure receded like the tide, replaced by a sense of ease and joy that filled my heart.

Zhu Wen discovered that without him realizing it, sweat had soaked his back and stained his heavy shirt.

His heart was filled with excitement.

Since childhood, he had been like a fish in water gazing up at the sky, gazing blankly at the world of brilliant light above the clouds, where there were winds, tigers, clouds, dragons, and the stars in the sky.

But the Tang Dynasty was a world ruled by aristocratic families, nobles, feudal lords, and imperial guards. They controlled the world above the clouds, severing the ladder to heaven and blocking the path for the children of the common people to connect to heaven.

If a young man is not born into a noble family, no matter how talented he is, he will be buried in the wilderness.

As for Zhu Wen, who had been conceited since childhood, he wanted to transform into a dragon in one leap.

Then today is the only chance in this life.

　The Tang Empire, the pinnacle of aristocratic politics, had fallen into a precarious situation due to the erosion of eunuchs, vassal states, and foreign races.

　　The prosperity of the Zhenguan and Kaiyuan periods had long been turned into a thing of the past by the Anshi Rebellion a hundred years ago. The people had long been disgusted with this corrupt empire with its endless heavy taxes, arrogant soldiers everywhere, and frequent civil wars.

　　However, this aging dynasty that still stands firm still possesses an unprecedentedly powerful violence machine to maintain its further survival.

　　Only the so-called poor forces that have been suppressed for nearly a thousand years since the Eastern Han Dynasty, these wanderers also known as "big wild dragons and snakes", have the enormous power to lead the people to rise up and destroy the Empire State Building in one fell swoop.

　　These are the worst of times, these are the best of times.

　　This is the twilight of the gentry and the dawn of the common people.

　　When the poet from the Jingzhao Wei clan lamented sadly: "The inner treasury burned to ashes of brocade, and the streets were trampled with the bones of the nobles."

　　When the down-and-out scholar pointed at the ministers in the court and said with a laugh, "These pure streams should be thrown into the muddy stream!"

　　When the descendants of the four surnames Cui, Lu, Li and Zheng, who were said to be as noble as immortals, were impaled on tall sharp wooden stakes, they waited painfully for the King of Hell to come and take their souls amid the noisy crows.

　　Everyone knows that in this era, the world will be turned upside down, high banks will become valleys, and deep valleys will become hills.

　　This is the story of a bandit who rises to become a great leader in such a chaotic world.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)