The Thief Prince

The following day at noon, under the bright sun, the Black Wind Bandit Army emerged from the north gate of Dang County, their convoy stretching from the city gate to the end of the street.

Li Zheng was at the forefront of the group, wearing a full suit of lacquered gold armor, a steel helmet with a neck guard, and cloud-patterned boots. His face was covered by a black mask, revealing only his eyes.

Looking down at his crotch, he saw a tall, warhorse, its body as black as ink, its hair as glossy as silk.

The horse walked with an air of arrogance, its thigh muscles seemingly flowing, exuding an impressive aura.

If you ask where this horse came from, you have to thank Zhang Xian, the prefect's cousin.

Zhang Xian fled the battlefield that day, intending to run directly back to Danzhou, but unexpectedly his horse became uncontrollable and ended up outside Dangxian City.

The patrolling brothers spotted him, immediately chased after him, pulled him off his horse, and tied him up tightly.

Cao Su was overjoyed upon hearing this, and, taking revenge on both old and new grudges, personally chopped off his head as a pledge of loyalty.

That Zhang Xian is truly despicable; he has never fought on the battlefield, yet his mount is better than Cao Su's.

Now that the BMW is ownerless, it was naturally accepted by Li Zheng.

Li Zheng liked this horse very much and named it "Dark Cloud".

Wu Anqing and others advised Li Zheng that this horse had harmed its former master and might be a jinx to its master.

But Li Zheng didn't think so. How could such a fine horse be worthy of being ridden by a villain like Zhang Xian?

BMW has abandoned darkness and embraced light; this is clearly a sign of acknowledging a new master!

Li Zheng glanced back and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

The old brothers who came down from Black Wind Stronghold are now all wearing armor and riding tall horses; they are no longer the poor, wretched mountain bandits they once were.

The bandits were used to riding donkeys with short legs, so when they suddenly rode horses, they all wobbled and looked like monkeys sitting on a millstone.

As for the new recruits from the prisoners, they had no armor or horses, and were only dressed in black.

They are still under observation, and Li Zheng is only using them as auxiliary troops for the time being.

As Li Zheng rode his horse, he suddenly remembered something.

He pulled on the reins and called out to the person beside him, "Tang Meng."

Tang Meng spurred his horse forward: "What are your orders, brother?"

Li Zheng turned to the side and whispered a few words in his ear.

Upon hearing this, Tang Meng's face showed a look of heartache, and he clicked his tongue: "Really giving me gold?"

Li Zheng glared at him: "Enough with the nonsense. Just go when I tell you to. Consider it a good deed."

Tang Meng dared not say another word. He turned his horse around, stuffed a package into his pocket, and left the group, riding south towards the city.

Meanwhile, in Liu Gongzhuang, south of the city, Liu Ruozai had already received the news and armed all his servants to protect the manor inside and out.

He sat on the doorstep, holding a sharp sword, with the children he had rescued from Changfeng Temple in the room behind him.

Just then, Liu Fu rushed in: "Master, those bandits have left the city and headed north!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruozai, whose back had been tense for a long time, finally relaxed and threw the sharp sword in his hand to the ground.

He sighed, "These days, even mountain bandits can storm county towns. It's truly a world turned upside down, and chaos is about to break out."

Liu Fu nodded in agreement: "I wonder how the people in the county are doing. Those bandits look very fierce; I'm afraid there has been a lot of bloodshed."

Before he could finish speaking, a loud knocking came from outside the door.

The servants, who had just relaxed, became anxious again and picked up their broadswords and long sticks again. Liu Ruozai also bent down to pick up his sword.

The knocking at the door paused for a moment, then a gruff voice called out, "Master Liu, my brother sends his greetings!"

After that, there was no further movement, only the sound of horses' hooves gradually fading into the distance.

Liu Ruozai, gripping his sword hilt, was about to signal the servants to open the door to check when a little girl behind him suddenly called out in a clear voice, "It's our hero brother!"

Liu Ruozai's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to look at the girl: "What did you say?"

The older boy quickly covered the girl's mouth, but Liu Ruozai already had a plan in mind.

Could it be that the bandits who broke through Changfeng Temple and the bandits who broke through Dang County were actually the same group of people?

Seeing the change in his expression, Liu Fu tentatively said, "Master, it seems he's left. Shall I go and see him?"

Liu Ruozai nodded: "Be careful."

Liu Fu opened the door a crack and peeked out, looking around.

The area in front of the door was empty, except for a blue cloth bundle placed in front of the threshold.

He bent down to pick it up, and found it heavy in his hand. He quickly carried it into the mansion and untied it in front of Liu Ruozai.

As soon as the cloth bag was opened, several golden rays of light shone out.

There were seven or eight garlic-shaped gold bars, neatly stacked, with a letter underneath.

Liu Ruozai ignored the gold and only took the letter and opened it to read.

Li Zheng had long admired your noble character, but since your status was not good, he dared not visit you.

Enclosed are thirty taels of gold, intended as funds for caring for the children.

In this attack on Dang County, Li Zheng did not harm any innocent people. All those he killed had their reasons, and the evidence is below. You will know it as soon as you see it.

I hope you take good care of yourself, my lord, and that we may meet again someday.

After quickly reading through the letter, Liu Ruozai flipped it over and found, sure enough, a confession of Huang Fuwen's crimes and a list of gentry who had colluded with him.

Liu Ruozai looked through them one by one, and all he saw were familiar names, until his gaze fell on the last line.

Zhang Pin, Prefect of Danzhou!

His fingers froze, and he remained silent for a long while.

Seeing his solemn expression, Liu Fu whispered, "Master, this gold..."

Liu Ruozai snapped out of his daze, carefully folded the letter, and said in a hoarse voice, "Keep it away. Never use it under any circumstances. Keep it for the children."

After saying that, he stood up, his steps unsteady, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

He slowly walked to the study, spread out a sheet of Xuan paper on the desk, and picked up his brush.

"Your subject Liu Ruozai respectfully wishes Your Majesty good health."

. . . . . .

Meanwhile, in Danzhou Prefecture.

Upon receiving the news of defeat, Zhang Pin's face turned ashen, and he lost all interest in tinkering with his calligraphy and painting.

It wasn't that he was heartbroken about losing a thousand soldiers; it was just one battle. The Great Zhou had suffered so many defeats, what difference would one more make?

We can just write something on the battle report and get away with it.

However, the matter has escalated significantly. While it's easy to explain to the imperial court, the deal with the Liao people will likely have to be put on hold.

It's a business that's incredibly profitable; he'd feel the pain of having to stop even for a day.

Just then, a servant came to report: "Prefect, a guest has arrived..."

"Get lost." Zhang Pin uttered two words indifferently: "I won't see you!"

However, footsteps entered the room, and the servant seemed to be getting closer.

Zhang Pin raised his head with a cold look in his eyes, wanting to see which one of them was reckless.

But what came into view was a tall figure.

Zhang Pin's expression changed, and he quickly put on a smile: "So it's Commander Du! Quick, quick, bring some tea!"

It's true that civil officials are superior to military generals in the Great Zhou Dynasty. A mere Yuhou (a minor official) is not worth lowering himself to the rank of a fifth-grade prefect.

But this Yuhou is different. He is the chief Yuhou in the imperial court, and his father will soon enter the Zhongshu Menxia and become a prime minister second only to the emperor.

With such a background, he can be considered the foremost commander of the Zhou Dynasty.

Let alone Zhang Pin, even if the transport commissioner came, he would have to speak to him politely.

The newcomer sat down with an air of authority and said in a deep voice, "The prefect has quite a temper. Who has offended you?"

Zhang Pin laughed and said, "A few petty thieves causing trouble in the south is no problem, no problem at all."

The man remained noncommittal: "Have you found out who I asked you to investigate?"

Zhang Pin looked troubled: "Lord Du, there are too many people who meet the criteria, and I don't have a solution for the time being."

Upon hearing this, the visitor stood up and said, "I will be staying in Danzhou for three days. During these three days, please inform me of any suspicious individuals you encounter."

"Yes, yes, yes." Zhang Pin stood up with a fawning smile, bowing deeply like a shrimp. "Lord Zhao, this humble official will see you off."

Zhao Qianshan took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and asked, "Who is this thief you just mentioned?"

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because once it was brought up, Zhang Pin couldn't help but grit his teeth: "They are a group of mountain bandits from Dangshan, who call themselves the Black Wind Bandits. They rob and plunder, and commit all sorts of evil deeds."

"Their leader seems to be... named Li Zheng?"