Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 180 Individual Behavior and Collective Honor

Upon hearing this, Cao Kun burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that he coughed up saliva, which flew everywhere, and it took him a while to calm down.

"Okay, no problem, it's all on me. Whether the gold is lost or not, just consider it as if I took it. As for the woman, just consider it as if I slept with her. I'll give you a figure to compensate you."

Sun Jin, who came from Helong Prefecture, stepped forward and sighed, "Brother Cao, I am not envious of your harvest at Danwang Mountain, nor will I bring it up to annoy you when you are happiest."

My maid was knocked unconscious. Before she fainted, she saw that the person who did it was Zhang Lang.

I told you before that I brought a thousand taels of gold with me. I originally wanted to buy three or five Fire Clan slaves from Brother Cao, but now the gold is gone.

Since Brother Cao has taken this matter upon himself, I will say nothing more and pretend it never happened.

The other纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) shut their mouths when someone stood up to speak, waiting for Cao Kun to give them an explanation.

Cao Kun nodded and said, "You're right. Zhang Lang is missing, my maid is missing, and a carriage is missing from the camp."

The gold I brought to bribe Lord Huoming has also disappeared, and much of the grain is missing as well.

Everything looked like Zhang Lang was having an affair with my maid, and then, fearing I'd find out, he ran off with everyone's money while we were away from the camp.

Cao Kun raised his voice abruptly as he finished speaking: "But let me tell you, Zhang Lang would never run away with the money, much less run away with my money."

I can tell you with absolute certainty now, Zhang Lang is dead, yes, definitely dead.

Cao Kun seemed to be talking to himself, leaving his words unfinished, before looking up at the group of纨绔 (sons of wealthy families) in the tent and saying, "Don't you all find this kind of thing familiar?"

Sun Jin asked in surprise, "How do you mean 'familiar'?"

Cao Kun frowned and said, "Such a useful method, you haven't used it before?"

Sun Jin coughed lightly and said, "Brother Cao doesn't think we did this ourselves, does he?"

Cao Kun sighed and said, "From the moment I heard my subordinates' report, I felt that one of us had done this."

I suspect it was one of our colleagues who made the decision on the spot. If it had been arranged by an elder or done by an experienced subordinate, things wouldn't have turned out so half-baked.

How could someone be seen before being knocked unconscious?
And it was seen several times?

If Zhang Lang only had this much skill, I would have kicked him out of my job long ago and made him a laborer.

"So, gentlemen, who did this? Step forward now, return the gold to everyone, and hand over the person who killed Zhang Lang. We'll all watch as they chop off his head, and then we'll all laugh and be good brothers again."

Upon hearing Cao Kun's words, the group of纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) fell silent. When they looked at each other again, their eyes no longer held anger, but rather a hint of suspicion.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Cao Kun waved his hand with a smile and said, "Oh dear, I forgot that you brothers all have a sense of shame. In the next two days, I will order my men not to patrol the camp. Brothers who joked with me, just throw the gold and the body of the murderer who killed Zhang Lang in a place where no one can see it."

Remember to chop the killer's face to pieces. Don't let your petty brother recognize him..."

Cao Kun's words were not only amusing, but he also downplayed a major event. However, among the group of playboys, these words carried immense weight.

To be honest, the reason everyone came to Danwang Mountain this time was to see how the Cao family would defy the world and seize the Fire Clan. Before coming, everyone made two preparations: if the Cao family successfully took over Danwang Mountain, they would see if they could get a share of the spoils.

If the Fire Clan wins, they will exchange the gold they brought with the Fire Clan for weapons or similar items, thus establishing good relations with the Fire Clan.

Now that the Cao family has won, with Huo Minggong, the great elder of the Fire Clan, still alive, the Fire Clan will continue to exist. Even if the clan leader Huo Mingda dies, it will be an internal struggle within the Fire Clan and will have nothing to do with the Cao family.

Throughout the entire affair, Cao handled everything flawlessly.

No one doubted Cao Kun's words. This matter itself seemed like something a playboy would do on a whim. After all, the disappearance of a woman and some gold was not a blow to the Cao family at the moment. It could only be said that the person who did this was a good-for-nothing scoundrel who was more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything.

When Cao Kun saw that these guys, who were known as playboys, were starting to distrust each other, he felt that Zhang Lang's death was very timely.

They were originally planning to monopolize Danwang Mountain, but now they have an excuse.
Ideally, the guy who stole the gold should never show his face, and he shouldn't be allowed to secretly throw the gold out, thus ending the matter.

He wanted to leave a thorn in the hearts of these people forever, making them wary and suspicious of each other, so that he could eventually defeat them one by one.

Looking at the tent full of useless trash, Cao Kun couldn't help but sigh deeply. If Yun Ce had been able to come this time and take on the role of Cao Ling, perhaps the Cao family could have stormed into Danwang Mountain in the first wave of attacks.

That way, Huo Mingda wouldn't have had a chance to move the things in the storeroom, nor would he have had a chance to let his son escape through the secret passage. Only then would things be truly perfect. According to Huo Minggong, no one could find what Huo Mingda had intentionally hidden. After all, this man's martial arts skills were not good. When it came to the art of mechanisms and secrets, Huo Mingda could rank among the top three in the Huo Clan's history of a thousand years.

The item must be in Danwang Mountain, but unfortunately, it's hidden deep in the clouds.

Just as Cao Kun was disintegrating, dividing, and sowing discord among the group of纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families who were spoiled and dissolute), the sky was already beginning to brighten, and Yun Ce also woke up from his deep sleep.

After restoring the cabin to its original state, he jumped up a tree and hopped away to meet up with the chestnut horse on the other side of the woods.

His family was starving, and he had already managed to get the money to buy food, so he didn't want to linger for a moment. Although spending such a large sum of money in a short time was definitely not an option, fortunately, food was not a very precious commodity, and spending a small amount of money to buy food was still reasonable.

Having succeeded in one strike, they fled a thousand miles away.

This is a consensus among former thieves, especially after making a big profit.

Once inside the forest, the chestnut horse was no longer a riding horse, but a ferocious beast. When Yun Ce arrived, it immediately ended its entanglement with the local beasts, trotted lightly to Yun Ce's side, and then fled into the distance.

Instead of rushing back to the Yun Clan Manor, Yun Ce went to Yujin Pass, which was jointly controlled by the Cao Clan and the Lang Clan of Donghai. Yujin Pass was the most prosperous pass on the Great Wall defense line.

Every spring, the hibiscus flowers outside the Great Wall bloom in full glory, their fiery red blossoms resembling clusters of fire. Hence, Yujin Pass is also known as Spring Fire Pass.

In the dead of winter, Yujin Pass naturally lacked the splendor of spring, and Yun Ce had no interest in inspecting the pass. At this moment, his mind was filled with how to buy more grain.

Therefore, after arriving at Yujin Pass, he went straight to the Yujin Pass General's Mansion, took out the waist token given to him by Cao Kun, handed it to the guard, and asked to meet the person in charge of the Cao family in Yujin Pass.

In a short while, Yun Ce met the kind-faced old steward, Zheng Tianshou.

"I heard that the Yun family manor is short of food. I had already prepared twenty carts of grain, which were originally scheduled to be sent over in the next two days. It's good that you've come, my nephew. We can quickly take them back to help alleviate the emergency."

Upon meeting, Zheng Tianshou appeared even more anxious than Yun Ce. He not only prepared twenty cartloads of grain for him but also urged him to return as soon as possible, perfectly embodying the demeanor of a kind and generous elder.

But this very action completely blocked Yun Ce's path to purchasing grain.

Yun Ce hadn't been eating or sleeping well lately, and he was also worried about food supplies, so he looked quite haggard.

He first thanked Zheng Tianshou for his timely help, and then stopped talking about buying grain with gold. As for an old fox like Zheng Tianshou, gold was really not worth his attention.

Yun Ce took a sip of water to moisten his parched throat, and then said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I won't go into the benefits of military farming, but the Yun family doesn't have much to offer right now. We have no way to repay your kindness, senior, except for the military farming technique."

"I wonder if you, senior, have any intention of establishing military farms north of the Great Wall?"

Zheng Tianshou laughed and said, "Alas, the art of military farming is said to be a secret of your Yun family. You have lofty aspirations and want to repeat the glory of the Yun family, so you must not easily teach it to others."

Yun Ce shook his head with difficulty and said, "To be honest, senior, Yun Clan Manor has indeed reached a dead end. To make you laugh, even my wife's daily food ration is only a bowl of porridge and a pancake. Such a meager life can be endured for a while, but if it goes on for too long, it will wear down one's health."

Even if we survive this long winter and spring arrives, the people below won't be physically able to handle the heavy spring farming.

When Zheng Tianshou heard Yun Ce complaining, he gritted his teeth and said, "Is that so? I will grit my teeth and squeeze out another ten cartloads of grain for my nephew. However, any more will have to wait a while."

Yun Ce ignored Zheng Tianshou's words and continued, "This junior is willing to share the land reclamation technique with the Cao family!"

Zheng Tianshou's face remained calm and unmoved by Yun Ce's sway. He asked in a deep voice, "I have a question that I do not understand. I would like to ask you to enlighten me, young master."

Yun Ce smiled and said, "Senior, please ask. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

Zheng Tianshou said solemnly, "Some time ago, my eldest son learned that the Yun family was short of food and found a way for them to obtain food. I wonder why you refused?"

Yun Ce sighed and said, "A soldier has his own dignity and must cultivate a noble spirit."

Zheng Tianshou solemnly asked, "What is the spirit of righteousness?"

Yun Ce said, "With the world in our hearts, we take it upon ourselves to protect all people. We are an upright and honorable army. We are not arrogant when we win, nor do we panic when we are defeated. We forget our lives when we hear the drums, and we become stronger when we face the strong. We are not alarmed when we are trapped in a desperate situation, and we are not ashamed when we know we will die."

　The other two chapters are being revised and will be released shortly.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)