The Thief Prince

After Li Zheng's threats, Huang Fuwen finally couldn't hold back any longer: "I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"My lords, my rank is too low. I haven't even seen these letters myself; I only help with miscellaneous tasks..."

"The location of the transaction, the person to meet—I know absolutely nothing of such important matters!"

Seeing that he didn't seem to be faking it, Li Zheng pressed on, "Then who knows?"

Huang Fuwen, panting heavily, said, "Prefect... Prefect of Shanzhou, Zhang Pin."

"He was in charge of this whole affair from beginning to end; others only knew bits and pieces."

After hearing this, Li Zheng found it utterly absurd and laughable.

The prefect, the chief official of a prefecture, actually colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country.

Haha, this Great Zhou is truly beyond saving; it's rotten from root to tip.

Seeing the change in his expression, Wu Anqing's heart skipped a beat, and he tentatively began, "Your Highness..."

"Um?"

"You don't want to go to Danzhou, do you?"

Li Zheng grinned; he was genuinely envious of these smuggled goods.

What's in this shipment? Armor, horses, medicine—all things that can't be bought with gold.

However, he was also aware of his own limitations. With his current strength, taking over the county town was already a risky move, and attacking the prefecture would be tantamount to suicide.

Unless he could sneak into Shanzhou Prefecture undetected, take control of the prefect's residence, lock the doors, kick the prefect's backside hard, and force him to reveal the whereabouts of these valuable items.

Li Zheng smiled and shook his head: "Let's take it one step at a time. Let's deal with Dang County first."

Just then, a henchman came to report from outside: "Brother, Brother Tang Meng and the others are here."

"Let him in."

Tang Meng pushed open the door and burst in, laughing heartily as soon as he entered: "Hahaha! Brother, we're back!"

"We brought back all the carts from the battlefield, and also captured more than thirty horses. On the way, we encountered a group of fleeing government troops, and I chopped them all down with a few strokes of my sword!"

Tang Meng's face was already bruised and mottled, and after fighting for half a day, he was covered in blood. From a distance, he looked like the King of Hell descended to earth, truly living up to his nickname.

Seeing him like this, Huang Fuwen finally fainted with a "ga" sound, a relieved smile on his face.

Tang Meng scratched his head: "Who is this guy?"

Li Zheng said, "The magistrate of Dang County."

Enraged, Tang Meng raised his leg to kick: "So it's this damn official!"

Li Zheng reached out to stop him: "He's covered in poop and pee. If you don't mind the dirt, then kick him."

Tang Meng withdrew his foot in disgust and spat at the unconscious Huang Fuwen.

"Alright, where are the guys?"

Tang Meng replied, "They're all gathered at the city gate, waiting for your orders, brother."

Li Zheng saw that Tang Meng's eyes were full of excitement.

That's right. The Black Wind Bandits are, after all, a bunch of thieves. What bandit doesn't kill and rob?

Previously, due to limited resources, they could only target solo travelers.

Today we have captured a county town!

Shouldn't they conduct a city-wide search and indulge in the thrill of being a ruthless bandit?

Li Zheng frowned slightly and said seriously, "Go and inform the brothers that this is my order."

Tang Meng grinned: "Brother, please speak, I will definitely not miss a single word."

"Tell the brothers to close the four gates, hang the Great Zhou flag and Cao Su's general's flag on the city walls, and have everyone put on the official army armor."

"When defeated soldiers return, those with large numbers are shot dead, and those with small numbers are lured into the city and tied up."

"Most importantly, no one is allowed to burn, kill, loot, or disturb the people at will."

"Brother?!" Tang Meng's eyes widened in disbelief.

Li Zheng looked at him and said seriously, "I am the leader. You can only rob if I give the order. No one can move without my permission."

"Anyone who kills someone they shouldn't have will pay with their life!"

"this......"

Tang Meng simply couldn't understand: if bandits don't rob, what kind of bandits are they?

But under Li Zheng's increasingly serious gaze, he still lowered his head and said, "Yes, brother."

Li Zheng softened his tone: "It's not that we don't want you to grab it, it's that you should grab it in a planned and orderly manner."

"There's an art to robbery. If we just let you out there and loot indiscriminately, not only will it be a waste of time and effort, but it will also leave the city a bloodbath, which would damage my reputation."

Upon hearing this, Tang Meng laughed again, his mouth stretching out like a lotus flower.

No matter what, as long as my brother lets me take it, that's fine.

"Go ahead, and once you've finished dealing with everything, bring Cao Su to me."

"Yes."

Tang Meng left happily, and Li Zheng squatted down and patted Huang Fuwen's cheek.

After being patted twice without waking up, Li Zheng swung his arm and slapped Huang Fuwen, who then slowly woke up.

"Hero..." Huang Fuwen trembled.

"Magistrate Huang," Li Zheng smiled gently, "look at this county government office you've made so smelly and stinky, it's probably uninhabitable."

"Why don't you be kind enough to let me stay at your place for a few days?"

Huang Fuwen's eyes reddened, and he immediately knelt on the ground, banging his head on the ground repeatedly: "Good sir, I beg you, I beg you to spare my whole family."

"What I did has nothing to do with them!"

Li Zheng laughed and said, "Irrelevant? Then let me ask you, do your family members know that you are colluding with enemy countries, accepting bribes, and oppressing the people?"

Huang Fuwen remained silent.

Li Zheng then asked, "So, have your family members enjoyed any of the money you've amassed through the people's hard-earned wealth?"

Huang Fuwen's face was ashen.

"If that's the case, how can they claim to be wronged?"

Huang Fuwen knelt on the ground, feeling all his strength being drained away little by little.

"However," Li Zheng changed his tone, "I can give you a chance."

Huang Fuwen, as if a drowning man had caught his breath, suddenly looked up at Li Zheng: "Hero, please speak, I am willing to do anything."

"You've been oppressing the people for so many years, there must be quite a few of your accomplices in Dang County, right?"

"Write down the names of the gentry and wealthy people who have colluded with you, give me a list, and I can ensure the safety of your family."

What's the point of letting bandits rob indiscriminately? Are gold and silver supposed to be kept in ordinary people's mud houses?

Those wealthy and powerful families are the high-value targets; seizing them will yield substantial profits.

"Remember, don't write anything random. I'll verify it."

"If I ever find out that you're making baseless accusations or deliberately concealing information, I'll kill your entire family every time I find out!"

Having narrowly escaped death, Huang Fuwen was filled with gratitude: "Thank you... thank you, Your Highness."

Li Zheng's eyebrows twitched: "Don't say things carelessly, or your whole family will lose their lives."

"I understand, I understand."

Li Zheng led several henchmen toward Huang Fuwen's residence.

Huang Fuwen has indeed made a fortune in recent years. His mansion is nothing compared to those in the capital, but in Dang County, it stands out like a crane among chickens.

The family's children, wives, and concubines had long known that bandits had entered the city, but when they saw Huang Fuwen returning with several bandits, they were all panicked.

Huang Fuwen offered a few words of comfort, then invited Li Zheng to the front of the hall before going to his study alone.

A short while later, a sobbing sound came from the study.

Wu Anqing looked at Li Zheng, who nodded to him.

Wu Anqing strode towards the study and soon returned with a letter.

"Your Highness...Brother, Huang Fuwen has hanged himself, leaving behind this letter."

Li Zheng wasn't surprised, and simply said, "He knows what's good for him."

He then opened the envelope, which contained a list of wealthy households and officials in Dang County.

"Call Tang Meng here."

Soon, Tang Meng walked in, looking around the house.

"Brother, this corrupt official lives in such a nice place; even the wood smells good."

"Enough with the nonsense." Li Zheng handed over the list. "Go to these people's houses one by one and take their things. Kill anyone who gets in your way."

Tang Meng nodded and took it, then subconsciously asked, "What about those who weren't stopped?"

"Kill those who didn't stop you."

"Uh." Tang Meng paused, then asked, "What about the other wealthy families who aren't on the list?"

Li Zheng looked at him in surprise: "You're robbing too?"

"Hey, aren't you a little ungrateful? Do you really think you're some kind of chivalrous hero?"

"We're bandits, what else are we supposed to do but rob?"

"But those who didn't collude with Huang Fuwen, we'll just rob them of their money, but we're not allowed to kill them."

Tang Meng's mind was a little foggy, and after thinking for a while, he walked out blankly.

After a short while, he returned: "Brother, there's one more thing."

"What's wrong now?"

"I can't read."