Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

At this critical juncture, instead of the officials from the government coming to the village, something happened in the county town.

In order to get revenge, Yu Feng used his silver tongue to persuade the head of the gang to take over the county town.

After resting for a few days at Tianying Village in Jinniuling, Yu Feng and his companions had almost recovered. They then trained with the bandits. He wanted revenge, and after much thought, he realized that the only way was to rely on the power of Tianying Village. He was now a fugitive and had no way out.

He needed to find a way to achieve the best of both worlds: to avenge himself and to gain merit so that he could have a place in the village. He couldn't sleep that night and pondered this matter.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him. He slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Yes, that's it!" But how could he persuade the chief? That night, he tossed and turned until dawn.

After finishing his morning training, he went to see the chief, but as soon as he arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Righteousness, he was stopped. "Halt! Do you know where this is?"

"I know!"

"You knew that, yet you still came?"

"That's why I've come. I need to see the chief; I have important matters to report."

"Don't go looking for trouble, kid. The boss isn't someone anyone can just see whenever they want. Get lost. You've only been here a few days and you're already thinking of climbing the social ladder and becoming the boss overnight. I've seen plenty of guys like you."

"If you don't report this, and it jeopardizes the future of the boss and the brothers, can you take responsibility for that?"

The gatekeeper snorted coldly, "Wait!" He turned and walked towards the Hall of Gathering Righteousness.

The leaders of the mountain stronghold were having a discussion, and it was very noisy inside. The gatekeeper stood outside and shouted, "Reporting, Chief!"

"Come in, what is it?"

"Boss, that new kid named Yu Feng is making a fuss about wanting to see you. I can't stop him from seeing you. He even said that I'm ruining your and the brothers' future and that I can't take responsibility."

Do you want to meet me?

"Haha, this is interesting. Bring him in. I want to see what kind of future he can bring to the brothers."

The gatekeeper turned and went to the door. "Come in, the boss invites you!"

"Thanks, brother. I'll bring you some drinks another day."

The gatekeeper gave him a disdainful look. "Sycophant!"

Upon arriving at the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, Yu Feng immediately bowed and greeted the First Boss, Second Boss, Third Boss, and all other leaders.

"Yu Feng, what brings you here?"

"Boss, I have an idea that I think is a chance for our stronghold and our brothers to turn things around, so I'm bringing it up for your consideration and decision."

"Then tell me, what kind of opportunity is it?"

"Boss, please don't take offense at what I'm saying. I'm only doing this for everyone's sake."

The leader once said that in the eyes of the world, we are bandits and thieves. Our fathers and mothers are thieves, and our sons and grandsons are thieves. Our descendants will always be thieves and we can never get rid of this thief's skin.

These past few days, I've heard from my brothers that the Second Prince has arrived in Dongping Prefecture. The Second Prince controls the South, while the First Prince controls the North. Now, the North and South are locked in a stalemate, and this battle is inevitable sooner or later. That chair can only be sat on by one person.

The second prince was the legitimate son of the late emperor and the rightful heir to the throne. The eldest prince was the eldest son, but not the legitimate son, so his succession to the throne was illegitimate and opposed by many ministers.

I used to work in a restaurant, but I was tricked and sent to work in a mine. I also know some things about the imperial court.

The Second Prince is currently in dire need of manpower; he needs people to mine and recruit soldiers. We can pledge our allegiance to the Second Prince and pave the way for a bright and prosperous future for our brothers.

"Your idea is good, but I'm afraid that if we go there, the government will wipe us out first and then destroy our base. This has happened before."

"It's understandable that the leader has concerns, after all, it concerns the lives and future of all the brothers in the stronghold. I have an idea that I can offer for the leader's consideration."

"Speak up and let everyone hear what good ideas you have."

"We can try to get in touch with the new prefect. The Second Prince is currently relying on him for his work. If she wants to do her job well, she needs a group of capable subordinates."

Go down there and recruit people for corvée labor and military service. Only we can manage the process efficiently. We'll be even more needed when it comes to collecting grain taxes.

I used to work at a restaurant in Lingshui County, so I'm very familiar with that county. Therefore, I suggest we take over Lingshui County and wait for the prefect to come and negotiate with us. Then, the boss can become an official, and the brothers will have a future.

There were quite a few local gentry in Lingshui County; the brother-in-law of the former prefect lived there and was incredibly wealthy.

"That sounds good. Could you explain in detail how to do it?"

"The chief is firmly seated in the stronghold, protecting our rear and leaving a way out for the brothers. I am willing to take the lead and go down the mountain with the brothers to take Lingshui County. If anything changes, the chief can come to our aid."

Once everything is settled, we'll invite the chief to come down the mountain and share in the riches and glory.

The leader looked at the brothers present and said, "We just discussed this matter, but we haven't reached a conclusion yet. What are your thoughts on Yu Feng's proposal?"

The bandit leader said, "That's a good idea, but I'm afraid we'll need to offer a pledge of loyalty to make it more convincing."

"What is this 'pledge of allegiance' that the strategist mentioned?"

"The reason why the Second Prince is in such a hurry to mine is because he needs silver. If we give him what he needs, we can show our sincerity by offering him a sum of silver."

"Is the strategist planning to use the bandit's money to fill the court's financial hole?"

"No, no, how could we touch our savings? We're in the business of robbery and plunder, so we'll naturally steal this money. As for who to rob, let Yu Feng lead us."

"Yu Feng, do you have a problem?"

"Boss, I, Yu Feng, am willing to give my life for the stronghold and for my brothers."

The leader slammed his hand on the table and said, "Good! You have courage, determination, and resourcefulness. From today onwards, you are the deputy strategist of the stronghold."

Congratulations immediately rang out in the Hall of Gathering Righteousness: "Congratulations, Deputy Military Advisor Yu! Congratulations, Deputy Military Advisor Yu!"

Yu Feng was overjoyed. "Same to you! I will definitely work hard for the stronghold and bring benefits to everyone. I am willing to be a vanguard and a knife in the leader's hand, ready to strike wherever he points."

The leader was so pleased with himself that he couldn't stop smiling. "Tonight, the stronghold will host a banquet to bid farewell to the brothers as they descend the mountain, and to wish them a safe journey."

The stronghold now has 500 men. This time, the second and third leaders will lead 300 men down the mountain, with Yu Feng following. Which day would be most suitable for this operation?

Yu Feng clasped his hands in a fist and said, “Boss, I’ve already chosen a good day. We’ll make our move the night before the government goes to collect conscripts. I’ll take a dozen brothers to the city first to act as inside agents. When the time comes, I’ll open the city gates, let everyone in, and then we’ll seize the county government office and control the city gates. From then on, the entire county will be under our control.”

"Okay, it's settled then."

That night, Tianying Village was brightly lit, and the sounds of drinking games and finger-guessing games were endless.

The next day, under the bright sun, Yu Feng led a dozen or so people down the mountain and headed straight for Lingshui County. After entering the city, they found an abandoned house to hide in.

That night, as planned, they killed the gatekeeper, opened the gate, let everyone else in, took control of the gate, and then headed straight for the county government office to kill the magistrate.

That very night, Yu Feng led a group of men to rob a wealthy residential area, carrying out boxes and crates. Anyone who dared to resist was killed on the spot.

The backyard of the county government office was filled with boxes, which made everyone very happy. In order to win people's hearts, Yu Feng said in front of his brothers, "Second boss, third boss, the brothers have worked hard all night. With so many spoils, I suggest that each of you be given 10 taels of silver."

"Isn't this a bit too much? 3000 taels all at once. There's never been such a precedent in this mountain stronghold."

"Don't worry about the money, you two. The brothers will work hard as long as they get something out of it. Tomorrow night, I'll take everyone to do another big job."