Chapter 1195

First Volume, Chapter 1195: The Wu Heli Brothers

"Big brother, how's it going? Did we finish the mission?"

"As long as we slaughter one village, the Nan Jing Powerful Clans pay us one thousand liang of silver—this business is too profitable!"

Chen Yanzong looked extremely excited.

Since their defeat in Ming County by Qin Feng, the three brothers had endured countless hardships during this time.

Without weapons and armor, even the boldest among them could only flee when facing the Regular Army.

Just as the three brothers were about to give up, the Nan Jing Powerful Clans finally sent someone to contact them.

The three brothers rushed urgently to Jiangnan, and upon arriving in Jiangnan's territory, they gained six hundred men and three hundred warhorses; the military payroll, scattered and accumulated, had already exceeded five thousand liang of silver.

And now, the Nan Jing Powerful Clans have offered an even more tempting reward.

For every village they slaughter, they receive one thousand liang of silver; if they grit their teeth and take on a few more jobs, even if they eventually leave Jiangnan, they'll have enough money to stand tall.

A single tael of silver can crush a hero—this isn't just empty talk.

Just as Chen Yanzong was beaming and constantly pestering Wu Heli for details about Datian Village, Wu Cheng yanked him away.

Chen Yanzong had always been straightforward—he spoke aloud whatever he thought, never playing games.

Yet now, facing his second brother's subtle glance, Chen Yanzong paid no heed.

"Second brother, what are you trying to do? Can't you just say it outright?"

"I hate guessing games!"

Wu Cheng had no solution for Chen Yanzong's stubbornness; if he didn't expose the stakes, Chen Yanzong would keep pestering Wu Heli.

Wu Cheng sighed and cast a glance at Wu Heli, who sat beside the tree and had said nothing since the beginning.

Chen Yanzong grew even more confused—he was a blunt man, incapable of subtlety, and had no idea what his words and actions meant to Wu Heli.

Wu Cheng put on a "disappointed but stern" expression and snapped: "Can't you see? Big brother's clearly in bad spirits—don't add fuel to the fire now."

Chen Yanzong naturally resented this. He lifted his head and argued: "Are you blaming me for lacking perception?"

"I didn't say anything wrong—slaughter one village, get one thousand liang of silver. Such a profitable deal was unimaginable before."

"Big brother, they're just common folk—what's there to agonize over?"

"To accomplish great things, one must face difficult choices."

"Now that we've joined the Nan Jing Powerful Clans, we must follow the principle: take money, eliminate problems."

"If we break our word, who will dare cooperate with us again?"

This time, Chen Yanzong finally hit the nail on the head—the Nan Jing Powerful Clans valued Wu Heli and his brothers precisely because of Wu Heli's character and his fearless, Breaking the Cauldrons and Sinking the Boats determination to complete missions at any cost!

At that moment, Wu Heli slowly raised his head—his eyes were strangely hollow.

As if long ago, he had already discarded the most important thing within himself, making compromise after compromise, indulgence after indulgence, for the sake of his grand ambition.

Right now, Wu Heli's mind was filled with the despairing gazes of the women and children of Datian Village.

Although Wu Heli had previously committed murder and plunder in the Ming County region, he had always targeted only the powerful; for ordinary civilians, he would spare them whenever possible.

Unfortunately, Chen Yanzong's bloodlust had grown increasingly fierce—anyone he encountered was doomed.

Rather than being the pillar of the three brothers, Wu Heli had long since been dragged along by Chen Yanzong.

But even if he knew this, what good did it do?

Wu Heli now had only these two brothers to rely on; therefore, no matter how despicable Chen Yanzong became, Wu Heli had to protect him.

"The Datian Village mission is complete, but according to the Military Intelligence Report, Qin Feng personally led troops to investigate Datian Village."

"We've already felt Qin Feng's power—this time, fate has thrown us together again; Qin Feng will never let us go easily."

"From now on, we should keep a low profile, lie low until things calm down…"

Before Wu Heli could finish, Chen Yanzong cut him off.

"Big brother, you're foolish!"

"Hiding now means throwing away the chance to rise to prominence!"

"Times have changed—this time, the Nan Jing Powerful Clans truly mean to promote us. Seize this opportunity, and we three brothers can soar to greatness!"

"What's there to fear about Qin Feng? Just Gusu City alone is enough to keep him busy—how could he spare energy to chase us?"

"Even if we do run into him, we might not lose."

"Times are different now—our six hundred troops are seasoned warriors, not the ragtag mobs we recruited in Ming County!"

"Hmph, in my opinion, Qin Feng should be afraid of us!"

Watching Chen Yanzong's arrogant, boastful expression, Wu Heli felt deep unease—he feared Chen Yanzong's impatience would lead to disaster.

At that moment, Wu Cheng stepped forward.

"Big brother, here's my thought: we must earn the money, but we must also build our own strength."

"Relying solely on the six hundred soldiers given by the Nan Jing Powerful Clans won't get us anywhere."

"Besides, after the mission is done, will the Nan Jing Powerful Clans throw us away like a used tool? That's still uncertain."

"Don't be fooled by how loyal these Nan Jing Generals seem now—when the time comes to turn on us, they won't hesitate to stab us in the back."

Wu Heli nodded—Wu Cheng's words struck right to his heart.

The events at Datian Village today had sounded an alarm for Wu Heli: other people's soldiers can never become your own.

Without a loyal army of your own, the three brothers will forever remain pawns in someone else's hands.

Since both Wu Cheng and Chen Yanzong urged continuing to earn quick money, Wu Heli could only agree.

But he refused to take part in the killings himself—the eyes of those women and children had wounded him too deeply.

As expected, Chen Yanzong eagerly took on the burden.

"Hahaha, Big brother, you and Second brother rest well in camp—future raids and killings are all mine now."

Chen Yanzong knew Wu Heli was kind-hearted and unwilling to push things to the extreme.

But Chen Yanzong didn't care about any of this; after all, among three comrade brothers, someone had to handle the dirty work.

Thinking of Qin Feng, Chen Yanzong gritted his teeth: "Qin, I'll settle every last debt with you from that affair in Ming County."

"Let's see who dies first on this land of Jiangnan!"