Chapter 84: Binding Them Up for Silver

Jiang Jinshi looked at the lazy toad, remembered its identity, and said it could be kept to trade for some silver; if it can't be exchanged later, killing it then won't be too late.

"First keep it! Later we'll take it to the County Magistrate to exchange for silver."

Hearing that he wouldn't be killed for now, the lazy toad hurriedly spoke up to prove its worth.

"Yes, my brother will definitely give silver, don't kill us!"

Wang Hou's eyes lit up at the words, and he grabbed a vine to bind the other side.

Looking at the lazy toad lying on the ground like a dead pig, Jiang Jinshi instructed Wang Hou to watch over it, then turned back toward the battlefield.

Just then Jiang Jinshi rushed back and happened to see Xiexiezi chopping off the other's head with a horse‑cleaver.

"Scorpion being the master is truly brave!"

Xiexiezi haphazardly wiped the blood from his face and politely replied, "No need for flattery! Compared with Jiang Da, I still need to train!"

Jiang Jinshi looked at the still‑defiant mountain bandits, raised his long spear and shouted, "Your great master has been captured, two guardians are dead; surrender now, or be slain!"

Upon hearing that, the mountain bandits turned to Jiang Jinshi's direction, saw the two men covered in fresh blood, exchanged glances, and gradually lowered their weapons.

The Yangguangzhai mountain bandits raised their great swords and shouted, "Great master is mighty! Yangguangzhai is number one under heaven!"

"Great master is mighty! Yangguangzhai is number one under heaven!"

……

The people of Little Jiang Mountain were also shocked by the scene; many realized that the Jiang Jinshi before them was no longer the "bookworm" or gambling‑prone Little Ten of the village.

Some were worried, some excited—for example, villager Jiang Ze, who now watched his spirited elder cousin Jiang Jinshi and the laughing captains, silently resolved to become one of them.

Jiang Cai mingled in the crowd, his hand gripping a fire‑axe trembling; thinking of his wife and child at home, a surge of courage rose, and he shouted together with the bandits.

Later, under the captains' orders, everyone began cleaning the battlefield.

The ground was littered with severed limbs and corpses; if left untreated, disease would spread, and Lianhuan Shan, being Yangguangzhai's territory, would never allow that.

They moved all the limbs and bodies to a central pile for burning; occasional vomiting could be heard, but no one mocked them, because they themselves had once been in the same position.

Jiang Ze turned pale from vomiting, yet after finishing he kept hauling bodies.

Some villagers could no longer bear it and chose to pick up the fallen great swords from the battlefield; although still visible, at least they didn't have to touch them personally.

At this moment the sky grew brighter; Xiexiezi washed his face, looked at the gathered members of Scorpion Village, turned to Jiang Jinshi and said,

"Jiang Great Master, since it's still early, we'll prepare to set out."

Jiang Jinshi symbolically urged, "We've been busy all night; shall we rest a bit before moving?"

"No, when the chance comes to Menghuzhai outside Ziyun City, I'll give Jiang Great Master a proper reception." Xiexiezi wrapped his blind eye with a black cloth, restoring his previously refined demeanor.

"I'll definitely go if the chance arises!" Jiang Jinshi bowed to Xiexiezi.

"Then we part ways!" Xiexiezi returned the bow.

Watching Xiexiezi and the Scorpion Village folk depart, Jiang Jinshi silently recorded this favor in his heart.

Even without Xiexiezi's help, Jiang Jinshi was confident he could take Spider Village and Toad Village, though personnel losses would surely be higher than now.

Seeing everyone busy, Jiang Jinshi stood in the forest; morning sunlight filtered through the leaves onto his face, stirring a surge of heroism.

This Lianhuan Shan was only his first step; from now on he and Yangguangzhai would surely grow stronger!

Even though daylight came, people were still working until noon; even tidying the battlefield took considerable time, but the garrison's logistics crew promptly prepared lunch.

Everyone carried all the spoils back to Yangguangzhai's main camp; from afar it looked like an ant hauling goods to its nest, forming a unique scenery across Lianhuan Shan.

Villagers from Da Jiang Cun arrived at Yangguangzhai's main camp, also stunned by the grand mountain stronghold.

Several captains directed the crowd to move items; Tang Lin skillfully counted supplies and silver, and because the haul was huge, Tang Xiao Yu and Luo Jin were also asked to help.

Logistics staff busily set up tables and chairs on the open ground, orderly serving meals.

The captured mountain bandits were dealt with as before: those to be kept stayed, those not kept were released.

Those kept were shuffled into various squads, monitored by a group of "elders"; after a period of assessment they would truly become members of Yangguangzhai.

The former territory of Poison Snake Village remained Yangguangzhai's main camp, and Jiang Jinshi would not let the other four villages stay empty.

When the forces grew large enough, the mountain strongholds would no longer accommodate so many, so they could be dispersed to the other four villages, and the shortest routes opened to ensure the five villages were interconnected.

Thus Lianhuan Shan would be firmly in their hands; even if the government sent troops to suppress bandits, they could receive news in time, and a quick plunge into the mountains would guarantee safety.

All the items Xiexiezi could take from Scorpion Village were taken, leaving only an empty village; but the harvest from Spider Village and Toad Village was substantial.

Especially from Toad Village, thanks to the lazy toad's information, Jiang Jinshi even dug up the silver he had buried in the ground.

Of course, these gains paled compared to the loot from raiding Jiangcheng; the carts carried box after box of silver and copper coins, and even two boxes of gold seized from the residence of the County Magistrate of Liuxian.

Because there weren't enough carts, much of the grain couldn't be seized; they had to open the granary doors and wait for the refugees to discover it themselves.

The mountain paths were narrow, so wagons couldn't ascend; they could only let donkeys and camels carry grain and silver up bit by bit, which cost a lot of effort.

When the scorching sun was high, everyone finally finished; at Jiang Jinshi's shout of "Meal time", the group gathered happily to eat.

According to custom, such a great victory naturally came with ample wine and meat; at first the villagers were a bit restrained, but soon they mingled with everyone.

Most of these mountain bandits were formerly farmers; none were born bandits, so they quickly became familiar, making the people of Da Jiang Cun feel there was no real difference between them.

Unlike the harmony in Yangguangzhai, the garrison troops in Jiangcheng felt as if the sky had collapsed.