Chapter 46: The First Robbery (1)
Chapter 46: The First Robbery (1)
September 25, 2017
The Black Wind Fort was a notorious band of horse raiders, renowned for their agility and swiftness, making them a formidable force that the county cavalry of Shanwu County struggled to deal with. Their elusive nature made it challenging to confront them directly.
Another aspect that set them apart was their cunning tactics. Despite their reputation for murder, arson, and all manner of evil deeds, they rarely encroached upon the fundamental interests of Shanwu County. Their targets were often impoverished and defenseless commoners, while the powerful and influential families remained largely untouched.
With this unspoken understanding, even when the county officials were aware of the Black Wind Fort's plans to raid a village, they would often turn a blind eye. After all, the victims were merely peasants, and their deaths were of little consequence. Moreover, suppressing such raids was a simple task for the county.
After learning about this situation, Lu Hai Kong remained silent throughout dinner, deep in thought, his brows furrowing and relaxing as he pondered.
"What's wrong? You look so glum during dinner. Have you encountered some difficulty?" Wang Fat, having finished his tasks, approached Lu Hai Kong.
"It's nothing. I was thinking of borrowing a sword to play with, but it seems this one isn't easy to borrow. It's not like the owner is eager to lend it for my killing spree," Lu Hai Kong said, as if he had figured something out, and smiled wryly.
"So, what do you plan to do now? Not borrowing it?"
"Fatso, are you stupid? Who am I? I'm a bandit! When have you ever seen a bandit needing permission to borrow something?" Lu Hai Kong said with a mischievous smile, his mood seemingly brightening as he started devouring his food.
"You sound quite domineering, kid. You're getting more and more like a mountain lord. By the way, I'm here to collect some money from you."
Lu Hai Kong felt comfortable with the first half of Wang Fat's statement, but the latter half caught him off guard: "What's this about? You want money before I've even finished eating? Is it that urgent?"
"I'm not talking about the cost of this meal. It's about the twelve horses you brought back yesterday and the raider you're holding in the firewood shed," Wang Fat explained with a mischievous smile as he calculated the expenses for Lu Hai Kong.
Lu Hai Kong had brought twelve horses to the bandit camp's training ground, which required a rental fee. Additionally, there was the cost of feeding these horses daily, and Lu Hai Kong had occupied the firewood shed to detain the raider, incurring another expense.
After Wang Fat finished his calculations with a mischievous smile, he quoted Lu Hai Kong a daily fee of 5 gold coins for all the expenses combined.
Lu Hai Kong grimaced, looking at his dwindling purse: "Can I choose not to pay?"
"No! You're at their mercy. But if you go and disable Wang Damazi right now and take over as the leader of this bandit camp, you won't have to pay," Wang Fat said, extending his hand for the money while tempting Lu Hai Kong.
Lu Hai Kong had considered Wang Fat's suggestion to disable Wang Damazi, but ultimately decided against it for a simple reason: this bandit camp had little potential for growth.
While the camp's location was defensible, it was situated on an isolated hill, making it difficult for those inside to escape if surrounded. This was a significant disadvantage.
Moreover, the camp was too close to Shanwu County, just a dozen or so miles away. Such proximity made it challenging for the bandits to expand without attracting attention. Any signs of growth would quickly draw scrutiny, leading to a large-scale crackdown. This was why Lu Hai Kong was determined to establish his own bandit camp.
After reluctantly paying 20 gold coins (four days' worth) to Wang Fat, a disgruntled Lu Hai Kong left with his men for training.
In the following days, Lu Hai Kong never led the bandits to raid the bandit camp again. Instead, he either ventured into Shanwu County to gather information or stayed in the camp to train alongside Wang Chao and Ma Han.
During this time, the training regimen for Wang Chao and Ma Han also underwent a change. They temporarily halted their usual routine and focused solely on one task—learning to ride horses!
Lu Hai Kong had obtained seven or eight copies of the "Riding Manual" from the raiders, which, while not enough for everyone in his group, was more than sufficient for training Wang Chao and Ma Han.
Under the guidance of Lu Hai Kong, a strict drill instructor, and with their own dedication, the trio successfully improved their riding skill to level 3 within three days. Although they were still not as skilled as the average raider, they could at least ride without major issues.
Once Wang Chao and Ma Han's initial preparations were complete, Lu Hai Kong, having gathered enough intelligence, decided to leave the camp with them on the fourth day.
Lu Hai Kong was genuinely excited about this day, as it marked the first time he would be engaging in the traditional bandit occupation since becoming one himself.
Lu Hai Kong, accompanied by Wang Chao and Ma Han, carefully avoided drawing attention as they made their way along the mountain path towards the small village they had visited a few days prior.
In a 1619 book, a mistake was spotted!
Indeed, riding a horse was far more elegant and faster than walking. Despite traversing mountain paths, Lu Hai Kong and his companions reached the vicinity of the small village and the official road within half an hour.
Lu Hai Kong chose a spot with a wide field of vision yet relatively concealed. He hid with Wang Chao and Ma Han, then fixed his gaze upon the travelers on the official road.
Initially, Lu Hai Kong had refrained from targeting the official road due to his weaker strength, fearing he might be counter-robbed. Another reason was his inability to check NPC attributes, making it challenging to assess their strength and potentially leading to unfavorable encounters.
Additionally, Lu Hai Kong was cautious about exposing his identity as an extraordinary bandit. Although he had no personal experience with the consequences, the warnings from Yue'er and the anxious behavior of Zhang Feng and Li Yi after they became bandits made him vigilant.
However, today, Lu Hai Kong felt no fear. With his improved strength, he believed he could at least match Yue'er's capabilities, boosting his confidence. More importantly, the "Investigation Skill" he acquired from the third-in-command of Black Wind Fort provided him with a crucial ability to assess the strength of both parties.
With this newfound ability, Lu Hai Kong eagerly anticipated robbing others under their names.
(End of Chapter)
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