The Thief Prince

"Brother, please welcome the two captains!"

Zheng Qing bound Du and Luo and brought them to the front of the village. He then clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and reported back to Li Zheng.

The two were filled with shame and indignation at being captured by a female bandit.

Looking up, I saw a huge mountain village standing in front of me, and I could still see the fresh cracks on the wooden planks.

The wealthy man they had seen a few days ago was sitting on the stone steps at the entrance of the village, but they almost didn't recognize him.

The change is too great. Before, Li Zheng was dressed like a wealthy man, spoke gently and elegantly, and was a well-mannered scholar who made it impossible for people to feel any ill will towards him.

But now, dressed in military uniform, with a short axe at his waist and his black hair flowing freely, he exudes the aura of a notorious bandit.

Looking around, all the leaders of Liangshan were fully armored and looked fierce and menacing.

Especially the man behind Master Li, with his black face and fangs, was practically a human bear!

Li Zheng glanced at the two men and feigned anger towards the henchmen behind them, saying, "How dare you treat two captains like this? Don't you know they are my friends?"

After saying that, he personally stepped forward to untie the two men: "You two captains have been wronged. Your men are ignorant. I had them bring you here, but they were so rude."

Du Dutou lowered his head and remained silent, while Luo Dutou smiled bitterly:

"Master Li... you are a powerful outsider, while we are just insignificant people. Why would you try to deceive us like this?"

Li Zheng laughed and said, "How can you say I'm deceiving you? My men are indeed short of food and clothing, which is why we came into the city to buy supplies. It's just that we had no choice but to resort to this tactic because of our special status."

"Besides..." Li Zheng changed the subject, "you two also took the money I gave you, didn't you?"

Upon hearing this, Chief Du flew into a rage and immediately cursed, "You scoundrel, trying to trick us with your wicked schemes, who cares...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Cao Su stepped forward and slapped him twice across the face.

The name "Partridge General" is well-deserved. Although he couldn't deal with Zhao Qianshan, he could easily handle a county constable.

Du Dutou felt that the other party's strength was extremely great. He immediately saw stars, spat out several mouthfuls of bloody saliva, and a tooth fell out.

He immediately stopped talking and just started panting heavily.

Luo Dutou was also filled with fear. These people were no ordinary strongmen; they resorted to such ruthlessness at the slightest disagreement.

But now that his life was in their hands, he had no choice but to ask, "May I ask, Master Li, what do you require of us?"

Li Zheng laughed and said, "Commander Luo is a sensible man. Alright! I'll get straight to the point with you two."

"I want those hundred-odd county soldiers under your command!"

"Absolutely impossible!" Chief Du exclaimed. "Why didn't you say you wanted Yuncheng County?"

Li Zheng nodded: "Chief Du is a brilliant strategist! I want Yuncheng County too!"

The two looked at each other and remained silent.

Luo, the head constable, said helplessly, "Master Li, it's not that we brothers don't want to help you, but you and your ilk have become mountain bandits, so we'll just turn a blind eye and let it go."

"But if we capture the county seat, the imperial court will surely send a large army to annihilate us, and at that time none of us will survive."

Li Zheng laughed and said, "That's my business. You two just need to cooperate with me."

Du Dutou turned his head: "Dream on! Whether I die sooner or later is irrelevant; why should I bear the stigma of a bandit!"

Li Zheng squinted and said, "That's not something you can tolerate."

"To tell you the truth, I sent people to look for your families before you went up the mountain, and they should be back by now."

The two were shocked to hear this, and Chief Luo became angry for the first time: "Master Li, you shouldn't let your family suffer the same fate! You've gone too far!"

Li Zheng laughed and said, "It's all about the victor taking all. If you were to breach the stronghold today, would the women and children inside survive?"

The two remained silent. If they could break through the mountain stronghold, everyone inside, regardless of age or gender, would be a bandit, and they would surely order a looting spree.

Thieves rob civilians, and officials rob bandits—isn't this a well-established custom?

Before long, Tang Meng walked over with a smile: "Brother, I've already brought the person here."

The two looked back and saw that their entire family, young and old, had been brought over, crying and sobbing.

The two of them were completely heartbroken, and both hung their heads as if they had lost their parents.

Before Chief Du could say anything more, Chief Luo grabbed him and said, "Brother Du, just admit it."

Du Dutou's lips trembled twice, but he ultimately remained silent.

Luo Dutou turned around and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Li Zheng: "Master Li... we brothers admit defeat. Just tell us what you want us to do."

"A wise move," Li Zheng praised, then nodded to Tang Meng, "Take the families of the two brothers away and settle them properly."

He then turned to Luo Dutou and said, "I have a few things to tell you both."

Luo Dutou cupped his hands and said, "Please give your orders, Your Majesty."

Li Zheng then looked at Chief Du, who, though reluctant, still cupped his hands in greeting.

Li Zheng asked, "How many troops are stationed in the county town?"

Luo Du replied, "We have fifty cavalry and two hundred infantry. This time, the two of us brought out one hundred and fifty men. Including the soldiers on leave, there are less than fifty people left to defend the city."

Li Zheng asked in surprise, "I remember a county town's garrison was supposed to be around 500, right? How come Yuncheng only has a little over 200?"

Luo Dutou lowered his head in shame.

Li Zheng understood perfectly well that this was a case of receiving a salary without working, and that the salary was half of what was owed.

"That's greedy enough," Li Zheng chuckled. "If we let you lead us into the city, will anyone stop us?"

Luo Dutou said, "The soldiers guarding the city all know me and would never dare to obstruct me."

Li Zheng nodded, having made up his mind, and called out, "Wu Anqing."

Wu Anqing stepped forward: "Brother."

Li Zheng said, "You and the two captains go down the mountain and take over the 150 archers. Tell them to stay put and not to make any rash moves."

Wu Anqing cupped his hands and said, "Yes!"

Li Zheng looked at Luo and Du: "Gentlemen, my brother here possesses astonishing strength, is skilled in archery and horsemanship, and is as brave as ten thousand men. If you two have other intentions, you should think carefully."

Luo Dutou gave a wry smile: "Your Majesty, our families are in your hands; how could we dare to harbor any disloyal thoughts?"

Li Zheng nodded, certain that the two wouldn't dare to resist.

Even if they disregarded the lives of their families, with Wu Anqing's quick wit and strength, the two would still not come out on top.

Li Zheng then appointed two more generals: "Cao Su and Tang Meng, you two muster one hundred soldiers, bring the government army flags, and assemble at the foot of the mountain."

Tang Meng grinned and said, "Brother, shall we change into the government army armor?"

Li Zheng laughed and scolded, "You fool, where did the Yuncheng County government troops get their armor?"

Upon hearing this, Du and Luo lowered their heads in shame.

The soldiers they brought were unarmored and their equipment was not as complete as that of the bandits.

Li Zheng then said to the two men, "After we have control of the government troops, you two come and meet me, and we will go to Yuncheng County together."

Du and Luo hesitated. Although they had decided to turn against their former allies, they couldn't bring themselves to attack the county town where they had lived for many years.

Seeing their concerns, Li Zheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, after today, Yuncheng County will still be a city of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and I will not harm the magistrate in the slightest."

Upon hearing this, the two were somewhat skeptical, but they still breathed a sigh of relief.

Now they are at the mercy of others, and can only take things one step at a time.

Little did they know, Li Zheng had no intention of taking over the county town.

The mountain stronghold now has fewer than a thousand soldiers and fewer than ten generals; taking the county town would be a burden.

However, who says that controlling a county town means you have to occupy it?

There is a bird called the cuckoo that lays its eggs in other birds' nests and lets them incubate them.

This is called: the cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest!