A small headman next to him shook his head and said,
"Big Brother, there's been no news from Second Leader since he went down the mountain."
"Perhaps after ransacking Wu Family Village, there were too many pretty women, and he couldn't bring himself to leave."
Wang Shou snorted coldly and cursed,
"That's just like Second Leader's nature; his eyes light up when he sees women, and he can't bear to leave them."
A burly man, the Third Head of the mountain stronghold, Guo Dazhuang, sat in the seat below, furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, and then said indifferently,
"Big Brother, some time ago, one of our younger brothers sent word that the Tuncun of officers stationed in Liye Township seems to have been replaced. Should we be more careful?"
Wang Shou heard this, a look of disdain on his face, and sneered,
"You all know what those officers stationed there are like. They're no different from us mountain bandits, often harming the villagers and oppressing the common people."
"Even that Zhao Lei, he forcibly seizes women, burns, kills, and plunders. Some of the things he does are even more outrageous than ours."
"You expect this kind of trash to suppress bandits?"
"Besides, Second Leader also took over a hundred brothers down. Dealing with a Wu Family Village is as easy as pie. Even if they encounter officers, they can retreat calmly, so there won't be any problems."
Guo Dazhuang nodded upon hearing this, his furrowed brows completely relaxing. His Big Brother was right.
How could this rabble dare to oppose mountain bandits with so many men?
Wang Shou immediately raised his wine cup and laughed heartily,
"Come on, brothers, let's keep drinking."
Many headmen in the hall raised their wine cups and drank merrily with the Big Brother and the Third Head.
The atmosphere was very lively, with hearty laughter occasionally ringing out.
A crescent moon hung in the sky, casting faint light that illuminated the dark night.
After a day and a night of travel, Liu Jin led over a hundred officers and had arrived outside Juxian Village, hiding among the trees.
Looking down at the valley, a stockade gate had been built, and the road leading to the mountain top was completely blocked.
Nestled among the steep mountains, it was a strategic choke point. There were also scattered bandits holding torches, patrolling the stockade gate.
A direct assault was certainly not feasible. Even if they could break through the gate, they would likely suffer heavy losses, and it would be even harder to eliminate the remaining bandits.
They definitely had to find a way to trick open the mountain gate and enter the stronghold before they could eliminate this band of bandits.
After pondering for a moment, Liu Jin gave an order to those behind him,
"Bring that Du Dang over."
Several soldiers were seen bringing the thin young man forward slowly.
Liu Jin scanned Du Dang, and a cold voice came,
"I'm giving you one chance. As long as you can trick open this stockade gate, I will not only let you go but also give you a sum of money, so you can live a carefree and prosperous life."
"If you dare to play any tricks, don't blame my swords for being merciless and sending you to meet the King of Hell."
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, standing nearby, showed ferocious expressions, radiating a powerful aura that pressed down on Du Dang.
Du Dang looked at the two fierce men and had no hidden thoughts at all.
Because of the previous battle, the two of them were like meat grinders, killing gods and buddhas alike, completely shattering his courage. How could he possibly cause any trouble?
He immediately knelt down and kowtowed,
"Tuncun, rest assured, I, your humble servant, have already pledged allegiance to you all, so I naturally wouldn't dare to play tricks."
"I will go and trick open the stockade gate now, so you all can enter the stronghold."
Liu Jin nodded, but to be on the safe side, they couldn't all rush in at once.
If this Du Dang tried some scheme, like sending a signal, they could be shot by arrows from the stockade gate, and he would suffer losses.
After some thought, he ordered Guan Yu to lead a dozen men to escort this fellow to the stockade gate.
If there was any trouble, he could still order Zhang Fei to lead the remaining soldiers to cover their retreat, protecting Guan Yu and the others from being completely wiped out here.
After receiving the order, Guan Yu immediately placed Du Dang in front of him, a sharp blade pressed against his waist.
If he dared to say one wrong word, he would be stabbed to death with a single strike.
Du Dang felt the cold sensation at his waist, and his steps were somewhat shaky, fearing that Guan Yu might lose his grip on the knife and stab him to death.
Just like that, a group of a dozen or so people had arrived at the stockade gate, quickly attracting the attention of the bandits. The small headman standing on the stockade gate asked coldly,
"Who goes there?"
Du Dang, with a smile on his face, joked,
"Old Zhang, don't you recognize me?"
The small headman named Old Zhang heard the familiar voice and let out a slight "Oh!"
"So it's Old Du. Didn't Second Leader take you all down to rob Wu Family Village? Why are you returning to the stronghold so late at night?"
"Big Brother said that no one is allowed to enter the mountain gate at night."
At this point, a wary look appeared in his eyes. He held a torch and scanned the crowd below for a moment, then asked again,
"Why are there so few brothers? Where is Second Leader?"
Du Dang heard this and, without hesitation, continued,
"Oh, don't even mention it!"
"Second Leader led us to ransack the entire Wu Family Village, seizing many pretty young women, young widows, and also money, grain, and cloth, piled up like mountains."
"There's too much stuff to transport back, so Second Leader sent me to bring some things back to the stronghold first."
"Please ask Big Brother and Third Head to send more brothers to help carry it."
After saying this, Du Dang opened one of the sacks he had prepared beforehand and, with the torchlight, revealed that it was full of golden millet.
Old Zhang, standing on the stockade gate, heard these words and saw the glittering grain. His eyes lit up, and he wished he could go down the mountain and start robbing right away.
Du Dang's enticing voice continued,
"Old Zhang, stop talking nonsense, quickly open the mountain gate! I still need to get the brothers from the stronghold to go down and help carry. If we're late, Second Leader will get angry."
"If you're quick about it, I can even reward you with two pretty widows to keep you company tonight."
Old Zhang's breathing quickened when he heard about the pretty widows.
He hastily said,
"Old Du, you said it! You'll reward me with two pretty widows later, and I'll open the gate for you every day from now on!"
After saying this, he instructed two younger brothers beside him,
"Open the mountain gate for me!"
The few men nodded and walked down towards the stockade gate.
Du Dang in the crowd heard this and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Opening the door won't happen in this lifetime, Old Zhang. You can't blame me after you go down.
The stockade gate in front of them creaked open from the inside, and several younger brothers dispersed to either side.
Old Zhang, leading the way, walked over slowly with a smile on his face.
When he saw the group of people, he felt something was off. The air was somewhat cold, and especially Du Dang, it seemed as if he was being threatened.
Guan Yu, standing beside him, narrowed his phoenix eyes, a cold glint flashing, and shouted coldly,
"Kill them!"
