Chapter 1413: The Apprentice Has Become Successful

Chen Guanlou threw Xiao Luzi into the inn and went up the mountain alone.

Courtesy first, then force; he walked all the way to the bandit lair's council hall and said politely that he wanted to have a talk with the leader.

Behind him lay a pile of people, all half-dead, groaning and wailing!

The Great Leader Mi Wu stood at the door, his beard messy, looking at the pile of brothers, even the strongest brother hadn't lasted a single move, and a flash of terror and contemplation crossed his eyes.

After all, he was a Great Leader, had seen big scenes, and immediately cupped his fists. "I didn't know a distinguished guest was visiting; I failed to welcome you, don't blame me. Please, distinguished guest!"

Chen Guanlou looked at the other party ambiguously and nodded secretly.

The information the waiter gave was very accurate.

This Mi Wu was the leader of the strongest bandit group within a hundred-mile radius and was a very interesting person.

"Leader Mi is too polite!"

"The distinguished guest knows me."

"I don't know you, but I've heard of your name."

"It's all empty fame; the brothers in the jianghu give me face, not worth mentioning. Please take the seat of honor, distinguished guest!"

Chen Guanlou stepped into the council hall and looked around with great interest; rough, simple, practical...

He was a pragmatist, without any flashy stuff.

Through the window, he could see the fields in the distance. In winter, the mountain nest wasn't too cold; they had planted a few crops of green vegetables, and also winter wheat and rapeseed.

By March or April next year, they would be able to harvest and eat new grain.

It was a good place.

It was just a pity that the territory was too small to support too many people. He estimated two thousand people was the limit, half of whom could only be women and children, eating five-tenths full each time, twice a day.

Two thousand strong men, this land couldn't support them.

He didn't take over as the host, nor did he sit on the dragon chair.

Instead, he sat on a random chair and signaled for the other party to sit down as well.

"Leader Mi, don't be nervous. I didn't come to kill, nor do I have any intention of grabbing territory. In short, I won't do anything that harms your interests. I came today mainly to inquire about something. Everyone says you have wide connections and are well-informed, so I hope Leader Mi will be sincere and not let me down. I have a bad temper; if I'm disappointed, what this place will become is hard to say."

A bit of intimidation, and Mi Wu's heart jumped.

He steadied himself and said solemnly, "I don't know what the distinguished guest wants to inquire about?"

"A month ago, someone hijacked a batch of goods in Rongyang County; do you know about this?" Chen Guanlou tapped the table lightly with his finger, applying a bit of pressure to the other party.

"This matter..." Mi Wu immediately frowned, looking slightly hesitant.

Chen Guanlou smiled ambiguously. "Don't tell me you don't know anything."

As soon as the words fell, the dragon head on the dragon chair fell off with a 'crack'.

Mi Wu's eyes were terrified, his face twisted, his expression angry, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into nervous anxiety.

"Distinguished guest, don't be impatient. I did hear about what happened a month ago. It was only after the fact. The other party's background wasn't right; they didn't say hello and hijacked the goods on our territory. When I knew about it, two days had already passed. The people couldn't be found anymore."

Chen Guanlou signaled for the other party to continue.

Mi Wu wiped the sweat from his forehead, first clearing himself. "This matter has nothing to do with us; I guarantee my men are all innocent."

Chen Guanlou nodded, indicating he had heard.

Mi Wu deliberated. "The identity of that group of people is likely rebels."

Chen Guanlou raised his head slightly. "Are you sure? How certain are you? Which rebel group?"

Mi Wu was so nervous that his lips were dry and his throat was tight. "I'm really not clear about which specific one. I investigated personally afterward; that group of people acted quickly and retreated in an orderly manner, definitely not ordinary rabble, they should be well-trained soldiers. As far as I know, there are only three groups of rebels with such ability."

"Which three?"

"The one surnamed Fan, the one surnamed Zhang, and the one surnamed Gao."

Upon hearing this, Chen Guanlou raised his eyebrows slightly. "The one surnamed Zhang? Do you mean the rebel group under Zhang Kang?"

"Exactly! The rebellion career of Heavenly King Zhang is very fiery, and many people want to defect to him. However, his rules are strict, and he doesn't allow everyone to mess around, which caused a lot of dissatisfaction. Consequently, everyone defected to Heavenly King Fan, and Heavenly King Gao.

Heavenly King Zhang's strength, on the surface, doesn't look as good as the other two, but the people under him are very capable of fighting and very disciplined, with strict military regulations. I personally think he is the strongest of the three.

The imperial court has always wanted to capture Heavenly King Zhang; I heard the Embroidered Uniform Guard was dispatched, but Heavenly King Zhang has always been safe and sound. It shows how strong his strength is. I think the imperial court also realized that Heavenly King Zhang is the real heart-trouble, and the others are just rabble, so they are nailing him down."

Zhang Kang?!

Haha...

The former apprentice has become successful.

If Zhang Kang dared to target the Hou Fu and hijack the Hou Fu's goods...

He, the master, must come forward to clean up the sect.

"Which one are you inclined toward?"

"I think Heavenly King Gao is the most suspicious."

"Why?" Chen Guanlou asked curiously.

Mi Wu thought for a while before saying, "Since Heavenly King Gao rebelled, he has never followed the rules, killed innocent people indiscriminately, and has no long-term plans. He spends after robbing, and robs after spending. Everyone under him is a bunch of evil people who do all kinds of evil. He is extravagant and lustful, and his methods are exceptionally cruel. Hijacking goods is his style.

Next is Heavenly King Fan, who is only slightly better than Heavenly King Gao. As for Heavenly King Zhang, as far as I know, he has the territory of three counties under him, and he has been managing it diligently. The people within his territory are said to have completely submitted to him, working every day and paying grain and taxes.

He has fixed taxes and mines his own ore, so he shouldn't need to hijack goods. The key is that he has no criminal record. He is very methodical in fighting and doing things; he doesn't just kill, but is more inclined to cooperate.

In his territory, those landlords and wealthy families, as long as they are willing to recognize him and pay taxes and grain, he tolerates them. Even if they don't recognize him, he politely sends them out of the territory and allows them to take a small amount of gold and silver. Therefore, his reputation is the best."

Chen Guanlou raised his eyebrows and smiled.

It was all the dry goods he taught, including various methods on how to manage territory in the early stages of rebellion. Have many friends, few enemies.

The apprentice's execution is quite good!

Doing everything according to what he taught, no wonder he was the weakest when he started, but developed the most steadily.

The eighteen rebel groups in the south have already had ten groups wiped out.

The last eight rebel groups swallowed each other up, and now only five groups remain.

Besides the Zhang, Fan, and Gao groups, there are also the Li and Wang groups. These two groups are hiding in the mountain gullies, struggling on their last legs, and being wiped out is only a matter of time.

The only ones who can hold on and continue to fight the imperial court are the Zhang, Fan, and Gao groups. Zhang Kang's branch has the greatest potential, provided there is enough time to accumulate strength and develop.

The Gao and Fan groups have the strongest destructive power, like locusts.

The imperial court is anxious to wipe out these two groups because they cannot sit idly by and watch these two groups continue to destroy the local area. They have beaten dozens of prefectures in the south, several provinces of territory, into a mess.

The north has already been beaten into a mess; the south cannot be beaten into a mud puddle again.

When the Prince of Chu rebelled back then, he didn't have such great destructive power.

The Prince of Chu was fighting for the throne; the territory he took would be managed diligently, trying his best to let the people under his rule live and work in peace.

The Fan and Gao groups, hehe, are all destruction, no governance. If they are allowed to be arrogant for another two years, that would be terrible! Will the imperial court still be able to collect taxes?! ===== CHAPTER 1414 =====