amaotonovel Chapter 719 I Robbed, You Fulfilled the Stolen Goods
Chapter 719 I Robbed, You Fulfilled the Stolen Goods
Spring has arrived, all things are beginning to revive, and people are getting restless as well.
Runan Commandery.
On the official road leading from Kunyang to Xudu, more than a hundred bandits were lying in the roadside bushes, waiting for their prey to come to them.
Upon closer inspection, the bandit leader lying at the very front of the group was none other than Sun Lang.
Sun Lang was the one who responded to Guan Yu's call during the Battle of Xiangfan, fled to Jiangling after the defeat, joined the special forces team formed by Guan Xing, trained for several months, and then followed Liu Shan and Guan Xing to suppress bandits for half a year.
After the bandit suppression ended, Guan Xing dismissed Sun Lang and his three thousand trainees and sent them to establish a base in the heart of Cao Wei.
Sun Lang had smuggled himself back two months ago. After crossing the river, he decisively chose his hometown and prepared to establish a base around Xudu.
However, after returning to Xudu, he did not take immediate action. Instead, he followed Guan Xing's instructions and disguised himself as a merchant, beggar, and other professions to scout out Xudu and the surrounding counties of Luyang, Kunyang, and Xiangcheng. Only after thoroughly understanding the situation did he begin his operation.
As a local native, Sun Lang was already familiar with the local situation. He was simply confirming it to avoid being ambushed by an unknown enemy.
After scouting the area, Sun Lang went to recruit his old subordinates. After Guan Yu's defeat at Xiangfan, he was brutally beaten by the Wei army. Some of his former subordinates were killed, some fled, and some surrendered to Wei. There are not many of them who can still move freely without the Wei army's sight.
These remaining subordinates cannot all be kept; they must be screened to ensure loyalty, otherwise, they would be betrayed halfway through, which would be disastrous.
So Sun Lang spent a lot of time recruiting about a hundred people. Although the number was small, it was enough to block the road and carry out a small robbery, announcing to the people of Xudu that Sun Lang had returned.
Sun Lang crouched in the grass, staring intently at the official road. After waiting for a long time without seeing a single shadow, he couldn't help but pat his underling Sun Yuan on the shoulder and ask, "Are you sure a caravan is coming? You're not mistaken?"
Sun Yuan was both his cousin and his subordinate who had been stranded in Jiangbei. During his journey south to Jiangling, he successfully evaded the Wei army's encirclement and capture thanks to his intelligence. When Sun Lang returned, he immediately recruited Sun Yuan to his side.
Sun Yuan replied, "Don't worry, brother. The leader of this caravan is Lin Mahu. This bastard is a lackey of the Chen family in Yingchuan. He's escorting the Chen family's goods. I heard from the brothers in the underworld that the Chen family has been transporting supplies to Nanyang recently. They've already made three trips this month, and today is the fourth."
Sun Lang asked in surprise, "Nanyang is now on the border between Han and Wei. His Majesty's northern expedition will first target Nanyang. Why is the Chen family of Yingchuan transporting supplies to Nanyang at this time? Never mind, let's just rob them first."
After saying that, he waited patiently with a blade of grass in his mouth. After half an hour, the caravan finally came into view. When he saw the size of the caravan, Sun Lang was dumbfounded. He said with a mixture of envy and trepidation, "Dozens of carriages, nearly five hundred guards, plus more than a thousand laborers. It seems we can't handle it!"
There were thousands of people on the other side, but he only had a hundred or so. He couldn't possibly take them down.
Is it possible that the first operation of the king's return will end in failure? That would be too humiliating.
Sun Yuan, scratching the back of his head with a puzzled look, asked, "Yeah, usually there are at most three hundred people, why are there so many today? Should we still rob them?"
After struggling for a moment, Sun Lang said fiercely, "We must rob them. There's no turning back once the arrow is released. We've already made our move, so there's no reason to back down now. But there are too many of them to fight them head-on. It's best to launch a night raid in the middle of the night. Xiao Yuan, you continue to keep an eye on this convoy. Follow them from a distance and don't get spotted. Come back and report their location after they've rested at night. The rest of you go home and rest, and prepare for the night's operation."
The most important quality to become a good hunter is patience.
Having been a bandit for so many years, Sun Lang still possessed some basic manners. When he saw a difficult situation, he decisively crawled back and quietly slipped away, returning to the mountain stronghold to wait patiently.
After dark, Sun Yuan returned safely and reported to Sun Lang: "Brother, I found out that the leader is indeed that bastard Lin Mahu. I just learned that this bastard is actually a captain under the governor of Runan. He's not escorting goods but military supplies."
"By the way, the Prefect of Runan is a member of the Chen family!"
"Military supplies?" Sun Lang asked in surprise, "Why is the Wei army transporting military supplies to Nanyang at this time? Does Cao Wei start to guard against His Majesty's northern expedition so quickly, or is the Wei army preparing to launch a southern expedition?"
"Never mind, since we've run into them, let's intercept them first. Where are they resting?"
Sun Yuan replied, "We've entered Kunyang City, so there's probably no chance today. We'll have to wait until tomorrow night."
Sun Lang pondered, "Then tomorrow night, you go and keep watch. I need to think about an escape route. Military supplies aren't so easy to rob. If we do, we'll definitely face a fierce retaliation from the Wei army. So we need to leave as soon as we get what we need."
Robbing a caravan is no problem. Even if the merchants know their goods have been stolen, there's nothing they can do about it. Even if they want revenge, they'll have to pull strings. By the time the whole process is complete, several months will have passed, and he'll have already disposed of the stolen goods.
But military supplies are different; if you rob them, the surrounding area will be surrounded within a ten-mile radius, so he must leave quickly after the robbery.
Sun Lang watched Sun Yuan leave, and seeing him about to go out, he suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "Do you know what goods Lin Mahu is transporting? Are they weapons or provisions?"
Sun Yuan said, "It seems like they all have them, but I don't know the exact number."
Sun Lang didn't ask any more questions and waved for them to leave. After thinking for a moment, he decisively got up and left the mountain stronghold alone. He traveled quickly under the cover of night and after two hours, he finally arrived at Jinche Township outside Kunyang City. He came to an ordinary farmhouse, climbed over the wall, and tiptoed to the door of the master bedroom. He skillfully used his dagger to cut open the door latch and pushed it open, preparing to sneak in.
To everyone's surprise, the moment the door was opened, the broken door emitted a harsh, unpleasant scraping sound, instantly waking the homeowner. A terrified middle-aged man shouted, "Who's there?"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Sun Lang smiled and pushed open the door, laughing, "Good brother, how have you been all these years?"
The other person also recognized Sun Lang's voice. He let out a long sigh of relief, lit a candle, and cursed, "Hey Sun, you're still alive! I thought you were dead out there. But next time, can you come to see me openly and honestly? You always sneak around in the middle of the night. Aren't you afraid of running into a ghost?"
Sun Lang scoffed, "Zhou Sanpi, stop talking nonsense. It's not like we have any serious relationship."
"I robbed you and you sold the stolen goods. Don't you know what kind of relationship we have? I dare to come here openly, but do you dare to meet me openly?"
Sun Lang was a bandit who made a fortune by robbing others. But there was a problem with robbery: you had to sell the stolen goods. If you couldn't find a market for them, you'd be stuck with them.
Moreover, stolen goods are, after all, stolen property, so you can't just send them to any shop; you have to find a trustworthy, unscrupulous merchant to cooperate with long-term.
The man in front of him, Zhou Sanpi, was not only Sun Lang's childhood friend but also Sun Lang's partner during his time as a bandit. The two had conspired together to commit many evil deeds.
On Wednesday, Pi got out of bed, looked Sun Lang up and down a few times, and laughed, "You're finally back, kid. Do you know how much my business has declined while you were gone? I'm so poor I'm practically starving."
"You wouldn't be coming to me if you didn't have stolen goods. Tell me quickly, what good stuff did you rob this time?"
Sun Lang said, "Of course there are good things, but I can't tell you now, lest I scare you. Prepare thirty gold ingots, and we'll meet at the usual place tomorrow night."
This time, he robbed military supplies. After the robbery, he had to escape. But he couldn't escape with the military supplies, so he had to find someone to sell them and quickly turn them into cash. The only way he could think of to turn them into cash in the short term was this old brother.
On Wednesday, Pi exclaimed with delight, "Thirty gold ingots! Looks like there's a big fish in the sea! Don't worry, I'll be there on time!"
He didn't ask about the type or quantity of the goods; the two had worked together for many years and had that kind of understanding.
Sun Lang patted his shoulder and laughed, "You can keep sleeping, I'm leaving first."