My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 225 Shingo Masa

Wang Junkuo was bound tightly.

At this moment, he lowered his head and knelt before Shan Xiongxin and Feng Li.

Shan Xiongxin glanced at Feng Li. He didn't quite understand why Feng Li was interrogating Wang Junkuo. He was just a thief. What was there to interrogate him about? Did he want Feng Li to confess?

Could it be that they value this person's martial arts skills and want to recruit him?

Shan Xiongxin was not very happy, not because the other party had injured him before, but because the person's character was so bad that even someone like Shan Xiongxin, who rose to prominence through chivalry, looked down on him.

Even heroes have their rules. Although they sometimes act as bandits, they at least keep their word and believe in repaying kindness. They don't turn around and kill someone who kindly takes them in and then seize their stronghold. That's not the behavior of a true hero. Only noblemen would do that.

Dan Xiongxin thought to himself that if Feng Jun insisted on recruiting this person, he would write directly to the Lord and not keep such an ungrateful scoundrel by his side, no matter how good he was at fighting.

Feng Li sized up Wang Junkuo in front of him and suddenly asked, "I heard that you encountered bandits in Xihe and had no choice but to become an outlaw?"

Wang Junkuo was taken aback, and quickly said, "That's right. I come from a respectable family and usually just do some horse trading to make a living. It's because of the times that I'm forced to do this."

Feng Li's eye twitched. Your infamy has spread throughout the entire Hedong region. Even the villagers who once helped you wish you were dead. What do you mean by being forced by the times? However, he didn't expose you. Instead, he asked, "I see that you are quite brave and skilled in martial arts. You also have many good men by your side. How could any thief defeat you?"

Wang Junkuo recalled his experiences in Xihe and couldn't help but sigh.

"Those people were really strange. When the ice and snow thawed, I had just arrived at Xihe with many friends. Our men had just passed Jieshan Pass when we encountered a group of cavalry. I had never seen knights as skilled as them in archery. We were almost all shot dead by them as soon as we met."

“I fought them and killed several of them. Their horses were excellent, they were good archers, and they were skilled with swords. I could not defeat them all by myself, and I was worried about the safety of the rest of them, so I led them away.”

"Kaiyaguchi?"

Feng Li nodded slightly, then suddenly asked, "Approximately how many of them are there?"

There were probably more than thirty people.

Feng Li inquired about other matters, and Wang Junkuo answered them one by one, which Feng Li remembered.

He looked at Wang Junkuo and said with some helplessness, "Your Majesty is fond of martial arts, and I intend to use it, but there's one thing that's hindering me."

Wang Junkuo hurriedly raised his head, "What is it?"

“We have not pardoned those who surrendered, including your uncle, who has already been executed. If we release you now and let you serve us, I'm afraid you will seek revenge for them, which would be detrimental to us.”

Wang Junkuo immediately said, "I swear to God! I would never do such a thing!"

“My lord, you are unaware of my true intentions! I have never had any thoughts of rebellion! My uncle is a veteran of the Qi state who has many grievances against the court. After I encountered bandits, it was my uncle who advised me to become an outlaw. I dare not disobey the words of my elders. If my lord can pardon my crimes, I will not hold a grudge and will do my utmost to assist you!”

"My lord, I am skilled in riding and archery, and I know all the roads well. If you wish to punish the bandits of Xihe, I can lead you to them!"

Hearing Wang Junkuo's words, Feng Li's expression grew even colder.

He gently shook his head, staring at Wang Junkuo in front of him.

"Are there really people as wicked as you in the world?"

"Guards! Drag him out and execute him!"

Wang Junkuo was taken aback. Two soldiers dragged him away. He knew that begging for mercy was useless, so he started cursing again. But Feng Li ignored him completely. After dragging Wang Junkuo away, Feng Li looked to the side and clapped his hands.

Two soldiers pushed open a small side door and brought out an old man who was tied up and gagged, leading him to Feng Li.

And this old man was none other than Wang Junkuo's uncle.

Feng Li gestured, and his men untied the ropes binding him and removed the cloth from his mouth.

“When we released the elderly and weak who had been coerced in the village, they all spoke well of you, saying that you had helped many people and stopped the thieves from harming them, so I did not punish you.”

As Feng Li spoke, he asked again, "Did you hear what your nephew said just now?"

The old man's lips trembled, his expression sorrowful, and he remained silent. Feng Li shook his head, "It's truly wrong to teach only martial arts but not how to be a person."

"Take him out."

After the servants took the man away, Feng Lifang sat back down next to Shan Xiongxin.

"Captain Shan, these bandits from Xihe are Turks."

"Turks??"

Shan Xiongxin's eyes widened. "How could there be Turks in Xihe?! This is the heartland!"

"This matter involves the current succession struggle within the Turkic Khaganate. Commander Shan need not concern himself with it; just proceed according to our previous plan. The young master will make the decision on this matter."

Shan Xiongxin didn't ask any more questions.

After capturing Bailu, Shan Xiongxin sent men to deliver the heads of the bandits to Xiuwu County. The officials there were overjoyed, and their earlier promise was fulfilled. Shan Xiongxin's bandits were even able to legally operate in the surrounding area as local militia.

This was something Shan Xiongxin never even dreamed of.

Several wealthy families from the surrounding counties sent a lot of grain, which Shan Xiongxin stored in Bailu Village. He also gathered many young men from Gongshan Village and put them in Bailu Village for training.

This Bailu Village will likely become a stronghold similar to Yingyang Prefecture, and also the main gateway for Qingzao Village's expansion into Hedong.

Dan Xiongxin dared not hesitate and immediately began his advance.

With the help of Feng Li and others, Shan Xiongxin's affairs indeed became increasingly smooth. Bandits along the way surrendered one after another, and a large number of dead people, or what the government called "savages," came to join him.

The concept of "wild man" originally referred to those who lived outside the city, and in special circumstances, it also referred to those who fled without a registered household.

Shan Xiongxin officially led his army to Baodushan, where he began to build fortified villages and recruit more rebel talents.

At the same time, Gongshan also welcomed its first batch of administrators.

The newly appointed head of Gongshan Township was none other than Zhai Rang.

Because of his previous merits, Zhai Rang was officially promoted from a clerk to an official and became the new village head.

He brought with him a large group of officials to assist him, preparing to govern Gongshan.

Shan Xiongxin was only responsible for promoting the expansion, while the actual governance was still carried out by the Marquis's Office.

Zhai Rang had extensive experience, and upon arriving at Gongshan, he immediately began his work.

His first order was to send people to begin preaching.

The content they preached was naturally what Li Xuanba had originally drafted, which was to talk about benevolent governance and comment on the current political situation.

When Li Xuanba first decided to do this, even Zhang Du and others thought it was futile, since commoners didn't understand any classical studies. But as the matter unfolded, its effects were quite obvious.

Especially in Qingzao Village.

Scholars had to be more restrained when lecturing at farms, but in the mountain stronghold, they could speak freely. They talked about the unreasonable corvée labor, the devastating taxes, the hateful officials, and the absurd decrees of the past years, and the villagers listened with gritted teeth.

When people talk about true benevolent governance and the righteous rule that would follow their uprising, they yearn for it immensely.

With a goal in mind and a clear understanding of what they needed to do, the situation in the mountain stronghold began to change. Most of the people in the stronghold became more diligent and serious in their work than before. In the past, they had nowhere else to go and had been eking out a living here. But now, they decided to do something big, to overthrow the tyrannical emperor and create a peaceful and prosperous world.

The soldiers trained with extra effort, sparing no effort. Farmers, craftsmen, scholars, and all sorts of people were striving for the same goal. Qingzao Village progressed rapidly and grew stronger quickly. Many officials believed that this was due to the propaganda efforts.

Therefore, as soon as Zhai Rang arrived here, he immediately began his propaganda work.

(End of this chapter)