Chapter Thirty-Three: Bringing Prosperity to the People of My Homeland

“There’s a second matter, and it’s the most urgent.”
Li Yun looked at his brothers and asked, “In Qingyang, which faction holds the greatest power?”
Liu Bo lowered his head, thinking for a moment before replying, “It’s probably the stronghold on Wuzi Ridge atop Lingyang Mountain. The elders call it the Ten Kings Fort.”
“There are about a hundred people there.”
“Wow.”
The chieftain Li took a swig of water, grinning, “Ten Kings Fort, quite the boast. A hundred men…”
He asked, “Is that a hundred in total, or a hundred who can wield a blade?”
Liu Bo shook his head, “I’m not sure, but the elders just say it’s about a hundred. It’s called Ten Kings Fort because the main peak of Lingyang Mountain is Ten Kings Peak.”
“That place… is close to the prefectural city,” Liu Bo continued, looking at Li Yun, “I’ve heard Ten Kings Fort is connected to a prominent family in the prefecture, but I don’t know the specifics.”
Li Yun nodded, stretching his limbs, “I see.”
Liu Bo asked, “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
“Just curious.”
The chieftain smiled, “Within fifty miles around Cang Mountain, how many forts are there?”
Liu Bo thought for a bit, “Four or five. Erlong Fort used to be nearby, but it’s gone now.”
“Mm…”
The chieftain spoke slowly, “Ninth Brother, you’re the shrewdest. From now on, when I’m away from the fort, the affairs and the treasury are yours to manage. Also…”
“Keep a close eye on the surrounding forts. Send men to gather information—I’ll need it.”
Liu Bo was the cleverest among them. He hadn’t thought much about it before, but now, recalling Li Yun mentioning a ‘bandit-catching squad,’ he looked up at Li Yun and blinked, “Second Brother, you mean…”
Li Yun met his gaze and said quietly, “Exactly.”
“We have too few fighters in our fort.”
Li stroked his chin, “There are over thirty men, but more than ten are over forty. The real young ones, aside from us, are barely a dozen.”
“My plan is to absorb a few forts.”
The chieftain spoke softly, “To grow our strength, ideally…”
He didn’t finish, but he had some preliminary ideas forming.
As things stood, the combat strength of Cang Mountain Fort was far too weak. If it came to real fighting, only a handful were ready to risk their lives, maybe twenty at most, and none had formal training.
He wanted that number to reach a hundred, and to train them.

Such training didn’t mean making everyone as bold as the chieftain himself, but at least they should be able to organize and launch a coordinated attack when facing the enemy.
As for courage…
That was nothing to worry about. Compared to the soldiers in the county town, bandits were far braver. Chen Dahuang and Yong trembled before bandits, while even men from Erlong Fort dared to charge at the officials.
Bandits lived with their heads tied to their belts—they were the most willing to risk it all.
After discussing candidates for the trip to the city with his brothers, the chieftain finally made up his mind, “Alright, that’s settled.”
“Eighth Brother and Skinny Monkey, you’ll come with me to Qingyang. Ninth Brother will handle the fort’s affairs.”
“And I’ll say it again,”
Li Yun clapped Liu Bo’s shoulder seriously, “Remember, plenty of people below the mountain have their eyes on us. Without my say-so, no one is to go down to work. Once I’ve arranged things, I’ll take the brothers to do something big.”
Liu Bo smiled, “Leave it to me, Second Brother.”
“Second Brother…”
He looked at Li Yun and said quietly, “As long as there’s food and drink, no one’s eager to risk their lives down the mountain.”
Li Yun was caught off guard.
He’d assumed bandits were naturally bloodthirsty, restless unless they killed a few.
But in truth, the men of Cang Mountain Fort were peasants turned outlaws. Many still held proper registration with the authorities; as long as they could live in peace, they had no wish to take up arms.
After all, that meant risking death.
That’s why most of the so-called vicious bandits only wore a fierce mask. In these times, if you weren’t a bit fearsome, no one would respect you.
Now, with several thousand coins in the fort’s coffers, if spent carefully, they could last years. With expenses covered, the bandits naturally preferred a peaceful life.
In fact, since Zhang Hu and others brought back thousands of coins, the older generation—Yuan Zhengming, Zhou Liang, and others—had quietly stepped back from management, leaving affairs to Liu Bo and the younger men.
Li Yun stood silent for a while, then nodded and patted Liu Bo’s shoulder, “Be careful when buying grain, especially around the Shi Dai Gu family…”
Liu Bo nodded, beating his chest,
“Don’t worry, Second Brother. I understand.”
……
The chieftain stayed at Cang Mountain Fort for four or five days before setting off with his two brothers.
When they reached the foot of the mountain at Li Family Village, the three first visited the village chief to get their horses, leaving thirty coins behind as well, before leading their mounts away.
Before leaving, Li Yun asked the old chief if there were any suitable youths in the village willing to work in the county town.
After all, Li Family Village was the “home” of Li Yun and Li Zheng. Having kinsmen with proper registration would make arrangements much easier.
The old chief shook his head resolutely; there were no young men willing to go.
Li Yun understood what the old man was thinking and pressed no further, setting off for Qingyang with his brothers.
The old chief, out of respect for the money, escorted them out of the village, watching until they vanished from sight.

At that moment, the old man could not have imagined
that someday he would bitterly regret not sending his sons and grandsons with the bandit leader into the county town.

………………

Qingyang County Town.

Li Yun entered the city early in the morning—not heading straight for the county office, but instead finding Chen Da, the local fixer, and having him help rent a modest courtyard.
The annual rent was just five coins.
It was more than enough for the three of them to settle in.
Once the lease was settled and paid, Li Yun left Eighth Brother Zhang Hu and Skinny Monkey to tidy the courtyard, while he headed to the county office to seek an audience with Lord Xue.
Normally, as a lowly clerk, Li Yun would never have gotten a meeting with the prefect, but as Lord Xue’s benefactor and with their special relationship, he was soon ushered into the study.
Lord Xue was busy with official business, so Li Yun stood beside his desk and explained everything.
“What?”
Lord Xue looked up sharply after Li Yun finished.
“You say you want to form what kind of squad?”
“A bandit-catching team.”
Li Yun spoke gravely, “Your honor, in my recent investigations, I found that just in Qingyang alone, there are over a dozen bandit strongholds of varying size!”
“These bandits are a cancer on the people of Qingyang!”
Li Yun beat his chest, speaking firmly, “I am but a humble man, but trained in martial arts since childhood. Now that I have returned to my homeland, it is my duty to rid the people of this scourge!”
Lord Xue frowned, “How many men do you need?”
“I’ll pick ten from the yamen guards,”
Li Yun grinned, “The rest, I’ll organize from the local militia.”
Lord Xue was silent for a time, sighing deeply.
“The office… has no funds left. How much do you…”
“I want no money.”
Li Yun smiled brightly, beating his chest again.
“If I’m doing this for the people, all expenses will be paid by me.”
Lord Xue regarded Li Yun with a suspicious look.
After a long pause, he finally nodded,
“Very well, then…
Go ahead and make your arrangements.”